Callaway Christmas…Yes, David, There is a Santa Clause.
Kelsey taught me long ago how to be a good husband…“Keep your wallet open and your mouth shut.” My strict adherence has helped kept our marriage happy. Three big boxes arrived at my house this week. I’ve learned through experience that boxes aren’t usually addressed to me. I avoid opening them and I avoid asking questions. There was something unusual about these boxes though. Callaway stamps. These had to be for me. It was a Callaway Christmas…in June!
Callaway Christmas
Several weeks ago, just before “The Match”, I got an email from Callaway. Callaway golf? The same company that sponsor Phil Mickelson & Xander Schauffele? What? I did a double take.
The email went something like this…“We saw the video of you that is going to air on The Match. We want to thank you for the work that you and your colleagues are doing on the frontline of COVID-19 relief efforts. Would you mind if we send you set of Callaway golf clubs and get together talk about ways of sharing your story?”
Shocked, Stunned, Flabbergasted. Callaway is Santa? A Callaway Christmas for me?
WARNING:
I realize that my obsession with golf is real. It is an addiction I rarely try to control. A few friends from med school came over the other day. After a few hours of talking golf I got some honest feedback from one of them… “It‘s a little too much golf for me”.
They may choose to not call themselves friends much longer. Sad. To the golf enthusiast this portion of my blog will be fascinating. To others, you may fall asleep or choose to never read again.
Callaway Distance Fitting
Callaway gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to get custom fitted with a brand new set of Callaway clubs. They offer a new program “Distance Fitting” which allows you to analyze your game and new club selections with a professional club fitter. I was curious at first, wondering how this would work out, but was blown away at how incredible it was.
I was paired up with John Mlynarski IV, a professional club fitter with Callaway. He sent me a set of questions in advance to help me prepare for the club fitting. I can’t rave enough about how awesome of an experience I had working with John. He seemed to know my game better than me and helped to guide me into the perfect set of clubs.
Tips for the Callaway Distance Fitting
Know Your Game
After years of playing I feel like I know my game pretty well. I know the yardages I hit all of my clubs (on a good shot). My irons are the strongest part of my game. My wedge game is the most inconsistent. I know that I like to play a fade but often hit a draw. I have a naturally low ball flight. My divots are huge. I need a putter that does most of the work for me.
Having this knowledge going into the fitting was extremely helpful as John guided me towards the set of clubs that would best suit my game. Tip #1-Before you do the Callaway Distance Fitting take some time to learn your own game.
Know What Are You Looking For
Truthfully I had been pretty happy with my game for the past year and a half. I had just gotten new golf clubs last year and felt that they fitted my game well. Despite that, there were several missing pieces I need to take my game to the the next level.
It is difficult to say this but I hit my irons too far. I hit my 7 iron 190 yards and could hit my 4 iron 240. What’s wrong with that? I was left with 15-20 yard gaps between all of my clubs and rarely if ever got use out of my 5 and 6 iron. To be a better golfer I needed some changes in my irons that would allow for better gapping and honestly irons that I didn’t hit quite as far.
When I spoke with John I told him what I wanted in my new set of irons. I found out that my current set was lofted strong by several degrees and was 3/4” longer than the standard Callaway set of irons. No wonder I was pounding the ball so far. When I thought I was hitting a 7 iron it was really like playing a 6 or 5 iron in any other set. Tip #2- Know what you are looking for in your new clubs.
Be Flexible
John was as professional as they get. Somehow he knew my game better than me. After going through the woods, irons, wedges, and putter he knew what advice to give and when.
When selecting a driver, Callaway has multiple options in the MAVRIK line. I have a tendency to hit a draw but have been fighting it for many years. I didn’t want anything with a draw bias. The MAVRIK Max driver has the biggest draw bias and so it was immediately out. I told him I wanted to the MAVRIK Sub Zero driver. He agreed that the driver was fantastic. He then made the comment that his only concern is that with the clubs low center of gravity I may not like the feel of it if I tee the ball low and hit the club high on the face.
His comments rung too true. I have always hit the ball on the downswing with my driver instead of the upswing. I tee the ball low to compensate for this. With his recommendation I changed my mind. I got the MAVRIK driver instead of the MAVRIK SubZero.
I was used to playing irons that were 3/4” longer than standard. He recommend going down to 1/2” standard so I didn’t notice such a large drop in distance that I would be frustrated. Great advice. Tip #3- Be Flexible.
The Results
I couldn’t have asked for a prettier set of sticks or a better Callaway Christmas!
Driver & 3 Wood– Callaway MAVRIK with Ventus Velocore shafts
Hybrid– Apex Pro 20 degree
Irons– 4-PW, Gap Wedge Aerosteel i95 shafts
Sand Wedge– 56 degree (bent to 55) JAWS MD5
Lob Wedge– 60 degree PM Grind 19
Putter– Odyssey Triple Track 10
Bag– Hyperlite Zero
First Round
I was fully prepared to shoot a 100 during the first round with my new clubs…
Needless to say I’m in love. They by far are the best clubs I have ever had. Thanks again Callaway! A Callaway Christmas in June is the best gift I could ever get.
About Me
I am a husband, father, ER doctor, and an avid golfer. With a handicap of 2.7 I have a fairly legitimate claim to be among the Top 100 Physician Golfers in the United States. You can read more about my story on my about page. Feel free to contact me or follow my sites on social media.
