TPI Fitting Experience – Surprising Results as a 16 Handicap

[ahelix]

Just wanted to share my recent TPI fitting experience for anyone considering it. I'm a 16 handicap, 5'8", 160 lbs, and my strength is distance—Arccos has my average drive at 270 with a ~110mph driver swing speed. My weakness? Accuracy. My home course has OB left and right on every hole, and it punishes me hard when I hit the occasional big miss. I tend to score better on unfamiliar courses with more forgiving layouts.

Current gamer setup before the fitting:

• Driver: Callaway AI Smoke TD 10.5° – Ventus Blue 6S (prob my best club in the bag)

• 3W: AI smoke TD – Ventus Blue 7S (was not hitting this well)

• 3H/4H: Ping G425 – Graphite Design Tour AD HY 85S (20° & 23°)

• Irons: Ping G425 (6i–UW) – Nippon Modus 105 S

• Wedges: Ping Glide 3.0 (52/56/60) – Modus 105 S

• Putter: LAB DF3

• Grips: MCC +4 Standard

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The Fitting

From the moment I walked into TPI, I was impressed. Everything ran smoothly, every staff member was helpful, and the process felt elite without being intimidating. I hit all shots outdoors on Trackman.

I asked my fitter (Lucas, who was awesome) not to tell me what club/model I was hitting. I just wanted to focus on the data and feel—and that worked out perfectly. 
 

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The Final Bag (TPI Fit)

Driver

• Titleist GT3 9° (going from 10.5 to 9 deg helped a lot)

• 44.5” length (–1”)

• Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 75 GT, X-Stiff

Mini Driver

• Titleist GT280 13°

• –0.5”

• Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 75 GT, X-Stiff

5-Wood

• Titleist GT2 18°

• –0.5”

• Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 75 GT, X-Stiff

Irons (4–PW)

• 4i: T250 at 24*
  5i (27*)-PW (46*): T100

• Nippon Modus 105, X-Stiff

Wedges

• 50° SM10 F Grind (12°) – Modus 105 X

• 54° SM10 F Grind (14°) – Modus 120 S

• 58° SM10 K Grind (6°) – Modus 120 S
   

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What Surprised Me

• X-Stiff Driver Shaft: I never would’ve tried it on my own, but the results spoke for themselves. It tightened dispersion significantly. Going from a 45.5" to a 44.5" shaft also helped me control the face way better.

• Mini Driver: Absolutely LOVED this club, it easily beat out the 3-wood for me. Super reliable and confidence inspiring. Total fairway finder off the tee. Off the deck might take some practice, but that won't often be needed for my game.

• 5W > Hybrids: I’ve always liked my hybrids, but the 5W just gave me a way more consistent strike and launch window.

• Being Fit into T100s: As a 16 handicap, I thought these were “too good” for me. But I hit them best. The lesson: ignore marketing and play what fits you.
   

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Final Thoughts

If you're on the fence about a fitting, go. Even if you're a mid-to-high handicap, this kind of session will challenge your assumptions and help you play better golf. TPI was an awesome experience—data-driven but human. I never felt rushed or pressured, just genuinely supported in finding the best gear for my swing.

 

There is a bit of a distance gap between mini-driver and 5W, but I just hit the 5W so much better than anything else that was closer in distance to the mini-driver, so I was happy to stick with it. Also, I could easily take some distance off the 5W by gripping down and hitting a cut easily just as another option to get closer to the 4i distance if that gap gets too big.

Happy to answer any questions if you’re curious!

 

Extra notes:

1. Putter fitting is separate. This is the ~$750ish Driver to wedges fitting (~3 hours).

2. The biomechanics stuff with Dr. Greg Rose and his staff is totally separate (and apparently ~$3k according to some posts I saw on this forum).

3. Will be putting all my old clubs/shafts for sale on Classifieds in a few weeks once I get my new stuff! Sorry for the shameless self-promotion lol

4. Someone asked about cost:  $3,775 total for all clubs before tax. GT3 driver $661, GT280 mini-driver $511, GT2 5W $411, irons $227/iron ($1,589 total for 7 irons)

5. On the topic of cost, it was nice that they didn't push expensive shafts on me at all

 

Video from the range: https://jmp.sh/s/YfF9qoPEGg1pmPzTNTj2

 

Edited July 3 by ahelix
fixed photo/video, added info people asked about in replies

[NMarko]

Great review! Awesome to hear what a fantastic experience you had. It’s crazy what happens when you try things you might not normally have. Definitely a bucket list experience!

[Pnwpingi210]

What did your iron dispersion look like?

[ahelix]

3 minutes ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

What did your iron dispersion look like?

Significantly better than my g425! And even the other more forgiving irons. The workability was awesome.  I could control the shots so easily.
 

My g425s felt like steering a cruise ship and the t100 just felt like a nimble sports car. When I try to fix a miss with the G425, it takes a huge over correction to get the slightest change.  

I don’t have any screenshots, though.

[bcflyguy1]

What ball were you playing prior? What ball did they recommend for you and why?

Edited July 3 by bcflyguy1

[ahelix]

49 minutes ago, bcflyguy1 said:

What ball were you playing prior? What ball did they recommend for you and why?

I was playing pro v1 before. Fitter told me he liked the prov1 more for me than pro v1x based on my ball flight and data he was seeing. We didn’t really do any back-and-forth on the ball testing but I’m sure we could have if I pressed the issue. 
 

he gave me some awesome simple tips on improving pitching/chipping. They know how to give enough advice without making it a lesson, which was perfect. 

Edited July 3 by ahelix

[indianagolf2]

16 handicap x stiff ??

[ahelix]

16 minutes ago, indianagolf2 said:

16 handicap x stiff ??

Exactly! I was hitting it way better. I’m sure I’m some kind of outlier, but this is why you can’t just select clubs by handicap, and why a fitting helps so much. 
 

I’ll try to report back after 1-2 months with the new clubs to see if this was all a mistake lol

Edited July 3 by ahelix

[bcflyguy1]

21 minutes ago, indianagolf2 said:

16 handicap x stiff ??

As a fitter, never been afraid to go there. Strike patterns and ball flights don’t lie, but conventional wisdom often does.

[Rbsiedsc]

46 minutes ago, indianagolf2 said:

16 handicap x stiff ??

Ya whats wrong with that? I probably should be in XS too now but can’t afford to get refit. 

[Frank Newport]

Don’t you think it’s more than a little suspicious that you ended up with all Titleist clubs?

[ahelix]

34 minutes ago, Frank Newport said:

Don’t you think it’s more than a little suspicious that you ended up with all Titleist clubs?

i went in not interested in replacing my driver! but when he showed me I could hit it 20-30y further and with better dispersion, i was all in lol

[gdb99]

5 hours ago, Frank Newport said:

Don’t you think it’s more than a little suspicious that you ended up with all Titleist clubs?

Since he got fitted at a Titleist Performance Center, wouldn’t you be a little more suspicious if he wasn’t? 

[WristySwing]

Enjoy the new clubs!

[Ty_Guy]

TPI is a dream fitting destination. Congratulations!

 

How did they go about determining lie angles for your irons?

[cassel191919]

8 hours ago, Frank Newport said:

Don’t you think it’s more than a little suspicious that you ended up with all Titleist clubs?

Is this you trying to be funny or another version of your foolish US Open takes lol.

[POKeefe]

These results make sense with your swing speed. Sounds like you were losing most your strokes off the tee during to a shaft that was too long and loose. Hit fairways and you’re probably a single digit.

[ahelix]

1 hour ago, Ty_Guy said:

TPI is a dream fitting destination. Congratulations!

 

How did they go about determining lie angles for your irons?

we tried both, but standard was fine. My miss is a hook, and my current set was one degree upright.

 

we also tried half inch short but didn’t change much. Apparently I choke up about a half inch with standard length and swing it just as well. he liked that I could grow into it (can’t really lengthen later). 

[Pnwpingi210]

Shaft stiffness has no direct correlation to handicap.  Indirectly you might find better players in general hit it farther and swing it faster there fore have stiffer and heavier setups

 

Iron head forgiveness is probably much more correlated to handicap since ball strike is.

[Haleone]

11 hours ago, indianagolf2 said:

16 handicap x stiff ??

Since when does handicap dictate swing speed or ability to load a shaft? 🤣

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

1 hour ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

Iron head forgiveness is probably much more correlated to handicap since ball strike is.

This is my experience, as a 19.  I didn't get along with T100 at all when I briefly tried them---just not consistent enough with strike---and would send T150 too high.  Didn't hit 925 Forged well either. I210 is big enough, and forgiving enough, that it works well.

 

I do hit it far for >50.  Just not straight, lol.

Edited July 3 by Jayjay_theweim_guy

[Pnwpingi210]

1 minute ago, Jayjay_theweim_guy said:

This is my experience, as a 19.  I didn't get along with T100 at all when I briefly tried them---just not consistent enough with strike---and would send T150 too high.  Didn't hit 925 Forged well either. I210 is big enough, and forgiving enough, that it works well.

 

I do hit it far for >50.  Just not straight, lol.

I210 were/are a great iron if you can handle the spin.  They spin a ton.  Helps control the ball

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

1 minute ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

I210 were/are a great iron if you can handle the spin.  They spin a ton.  Helps control the ball

That they certainly do.  Still figuring things out, and I did normally fight a spin and dyn loft problem, but have lately been hitting mid/short irons quite low---like 14-15 with a 32° 7-iron---yet with a bunch of spin.  Range balls are taking one hop and stopping.  Off mats. 

 

As I've joked before, like the Greatest American Hero losing the instructions to the supersuit (told you I was old), it's neat when I can get that shot to work, but it's the opposite of repeatable.

 

Anyway, aren't the i230s supposed to be even spinner/higher launching?

[Pnwpingi210]

Just now, Jayjay_theweim_guy said:

That they certainly do.  Still figuring things out, and I did normally fight a spin and dyn loft problem, but have lately been hitting mid/short irons quite low---like 14-15 with a 32° 7-iron---yet with a bunch of spin.  Range balls are taking one hop and stopping.  Off mats. 

 

As I've joked before, like the Greatest American Hero losing the instructions to the supersuit (told you I was old), it's neat when I can get that shot to work, but it's the opposite of repeatable.

 

Anyway, aren't the i230s supposed to be even spinner/higher launching?

I don’t believe so, they certainly weren’t for me.  I was a club longer with the i230

[David Miller]

I admire that Titleist does not rush to put people in exotic and upcharge shafts. 

[ahelix]

33 minutes ago, Jayjay_theweim_guy said:

This is my experience, as a 19.  I didn't get along with T100 at all when I briefly tried them---just not consistent enough with strike---and would send T150 too high.  Didn't hit 925 Forged well either. I210 is big enough, and forgiving enough, that it works well.

 

I do hit it far for >50.  Just not straight, lol.

 

Very cool... love the i210 (and i230) looks, not so much the new i240 with that ugly checkered cheap carbon looking section and the red "i" that doesn't fit (pics). I've never hit them, though. Friend loves mizuno so I'm curious about the 925 forged but haven't hit them either.

I have to admit, I'm still super nervous about gaming the T100s. I guess worst case scenario, I would jump from T100s to T250s because I did hit the T250 pretty well--they just felt a little clunky compared to the T100s, and harder to control. (T150 doesn't seem that different than the T100.) The fitter said to stay in touch and let him know if I have any issues, which suggests that they're happy to guide me if something doesn't work out.

 

Oh, and I totally forgot that I did an iron fitting at Foreward golf in SoCal ~1.5 years ago and got fit into the apex 21 irons with aerotech steelfiber 110X shaft (1/2" short, 1 deg flat). Another sign that at least the extra stiff shaft is prob the right fit. My ball striking has def gotten better since then so the jump to T100 makes sense.

[ahelix]

12 minutes ago, David Miller said:

I admire that Titleist does not rush to put people in exotic and upcharge shafts. 

 

Totally agree! I was sure they were going to grab a ventus shaft for the driver.

 

I got fitted for my driver at TrueSpec and they definitely pushed the fancy, expensive shafts.

[a_gorilla]

8 minutes ago, ahelix said:

 

Totally agree! I was sure they were going to grab a ventus shaft for the driver.

 

I got fitted for my driver at TrueSpec and they definitely pushed the fancy, expensive shafts.

awesome and glad you enjoyed your experience!

who was your fitter? i did a full bag fitting last year with lucas and he also gave me a little pitching/chipping lesson when going through the wedges.

 

he didn't push for upcharge shafts either. after we got great numbers he asked if i wanted to try any other shafts, so i tried all the graphite design shafts and i still couldn't get better numbers or feel than the stock tensei black shafts i was fit into

[conradoconnell]

How much did this cost in total? 

[ahelix]

8 minutes ago, a_gorilla said:

awesome and glad you enjoyed your experience!

who was your fitter? i did a full bag fitting last year with lucas and he also gave me a little pitching/chipping lesson when going through the wedges.

 

he didn't push for upcharge shafts either. after we got great numbers he asked if i wanted to try any other shafts, so i tried all the graphite design shafts and i still couldn't get better numbers or feel than the stock tensei black shafts i was fit into

 

haha i had lucas, too! glad you had a great experience, too!