All-in-One fitting System Available in December
CARLSBAD, Calif. (November 15, 2006) – Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. has introduced the TaylorMade SelectFit System, a pioneering custom driver and iron fitting system that will let golfers test hundreds of head and shaft combinations, allowing the golfer to find a perfectly matched driver and set of irons to fit his or her swing dynamics. TaylorMade has been committed to providing solutions to optimize launch conditions, especially since the introduction of Movable Weight Technologyâ?¢. A proper fit is one of the keys to optimize launch conditions.
"We want every golfer to learn that a perfectly fitted driver and iron set can truly maximize his or her potential," says Sean Toulon, executive vice president of product and brand creation. "With SelectFit, our trained fitters will be able to dial in a player’s ideal specs for both drivers and irons in one manageable system."
Jim Flick, TaylorMade’s resident Golf Ambassador and world renowned swing coach adds "Hitting the ball again and again in the center of the clubface is the most important factor in consistency. This is impossible to achieve without properly fitted equipment."
The development of the TaylorMade SelectFit System is owed in part to MATT (Motion Analysis Technology by TaylorMade) system data. During the past six years, TaylorMade Golf has conducted an in-depth study of launch conditions with the help of its MATT System. The MATT System records and animates a player’s swing with extraordinary detail, and measures a variety of key statistics including swing speed, initial ball speed, launch angle, ball spin, swing path and face angle. TaylorMade Performance Labs and other MATT systems located around the U.S. and worldwide upload new swing data on a daily basis to a central computer at the company’s headquarters in Carlsbad, California. Careful analysis has furnished TaylorMade engineers with an invaluable understanding of the launch conditions that encourage distance and accuracy and how vital a perfect fit can be to every player to maximize his potential. The data was also vital in developing the training materials for TaylorMade’s fitters and the components of the TaylorMade SelectFit System itself.
The TaylorMade SelectFit System will allow trained fitters to quickly and easily experiment with different shaft and head combinations without sacrificing feel or performance of the golf club. The TaylorMade SelectFit System is unique in the industry in that it permits an expert all-in-one fitting system for both drivers and irons.
In each TaylorMade SelectFit System cart, there are 15 driver heads of various lofts (from 8.5 to 13.5 degrees) and models (r7® 425, r7 425TP r7460, r7460TP, r7 Draw). Along with the heads, the cart offers 17 driver shafts from major manufacturers, with varied lengths, flexes, and kick points. These combinations, coupled with TaylorMade’s Movable Weight Technology, offer over 63,000 possible driver combinations.
Also in the system are 18 different iron heads of various models (r7TP, r7, r7 Draw, r7 CGB MAX) and lie angles from 4 degrees flat to 4 degrees upright, 17 shafts from major manufacturers of varying lengths, flexes, and materials (both steel and graphite). These combinations offer 258 possible iron combinations.
Key to making this system possible was developing the technology to connect a head and shaft and have the club feel and play the same as a production model. This is accomplished by a quick change method developed by TaylorMade’s R&D department, three years in the making. The resulting club has exactly the same swingweight and playing characteristics as a production club. "You could take it out on the course and play 36 with it," says Brian Bazzel, the TaylorMade executive in charge of rolling out the fitting program.
Before the TaylorMade SelectFit System, club-fitters were forced to carry pre-built clubs made to various specs. Because of the high demand for customized equipment, a limited supply of golf club permutations left too many performance gaps. In an attempt to carry more combinations, fitting carts were becoming enormous. "In years past, a typical fitting system cart would carry approximately 40 iron combinations and 16 driver combinations. With the coupling technology in the TaylorMade SelectFit System, we accomplished two goals: The System is a reasonable size and it offers many more combinations." says Bazzel.
The TaylorMade SelectFit System experience will be available at preferred TaylorMade accounts beginning in December. Check the www.taylormadegolf.com website for locations.
About Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. dba TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company
Taylor Made Golf Company has led the golf industry’s technological revolution since the company was founded in 1979. TaylorMade metalwoods, irons and putters have been used to win hundreds of professional golf tournaments around the world. In 1998, TaylorMade became a wholly owned subsidiary of the adidas Group. adidas Golf footwear and apparel is the choice of hundreds of professional golfers around the world. Learn more about TaylorMade-adidas Golf and its brands at (800) 888-CLUB or www.tmag.com , www.taylormadegolf.com , www.adidasgolf.com , www.maxfli.com or www.rossaputters.com.
Contact:
TaylorMade-adidas Golf
John Steinbach
Tel: 760.918.6330
eMail: john.steinbach@tmag.com
