True Spec Arizona recently had a chance to work with Red Soz Hall of Famer Dustin Pedroia on his search for a new driver. Dustin is a 6 handicapper who has not been in the game all that long; he has quickly learned how to pick up the sport and become quite good. However, Dustin mentioned that his driver is not his favorite club in the bag. Here is what True Spec was able to determine and the differences that Dustin Pedroia saw in his game.
The Problem
All True Spec golf fittings start with an identification of the problem. The problem for Dustin Pedroia is not just that his driver was a few years old but also the ability to work the ball and to control the ball’s flight. His normal ball flight is very low, which is not always a problem, but it can cause distance and accuracy issues.
The Goal
At a True Spec Arizona fitting, you will always be asked what your goals are with the golf game. Some players assume that all golfers want more distance in their golf game. However, this is not always the case.
Many golfers are fine with the distance they are getting and would instead get accuracy and workability in the shots they hit. In the case of Dustin Pedroia, he has quite a bit of clubhead speed, so distance isn’t necessarily an issue. The main goal here is to get the golf ball to be a bit more workable with the driver in hand.
Testing
Dustin tried several golf drivers, including the TaylorMade Stealth and Ping G425. Titleist TSi3, Callaway Rogue ST. True Spec offers a brand agnostic fitting, meaning that you will never feel pressured to purchase one golf club over another; simply choose based on data and information provided to you during your testing.
Results
The winning driver for Dustin Pedroia was the Callaway Rouge ST Max LS. The LS version is the low spin that will help keep the accuracy in place and allow for that little bit of extra workability that Pedroia was looking for.
However, just as important as the driver’s head is the shaft. The winning shaft was the Graphite Design Tour AD Silver. This is a tour-proven golf shaft that continues to get impressive reviews and overall performance results year after year.
Pedroia was able to get his spin rate down almost 600 RPMs while still getting an increase in ball speed. The total distance difference is about ten yards of extra carry. These results are somewhat based on new equipment options, but it is more about fitting the proper club to the player.
Conclusion
This fitting day with Red Sox Hall of Famer Dustin Pedroia shows us that golfers of all abilities and skill levels can benefit from having equipment that is fitted exactly to their needs. Pedroia is well on his way to becoming a scratch golfer, and the accuracy of his new Callaway driver could easily get him there.
