Auchterlonies new club fitting studio
- keithfmuir
- Mar 22
- 5 min read
Auchterlonies are known locally for carrying the widest range of club brands available in the area. It's an Aladdin's Cave of equipment, clothes and accessories. Something you might not know, is they also have a fitting studio above the shop. Historically this has always felt like an afterthought and consisted of a basic setup with hitting net, Trackman and a TV monitor. That started to change with the appointment of Adam Legg in 2021. Adam's service has always been high-quality, but his surroundings never reached the same level. The recent refurbishment has addressed that, and done so in some style.
With clubs becoming increasingly expensive and manufacturers offering an ever wider array of head and shaft combinations, I urge all readers to have a fitting session before purchasing. Click HERE to read my recent post about the benefits of custom fitting.
A "game-changing" improvement
From the moment I walked up the stairs, I was struck by the improvement, with all areas being upgraded to the same standard as the studio. As a customer, you immediately feel more valued and confident about the service you will receive. The time, cost and effort put into the refurbishment is well spent. It's now a premium facility, more befitting the image and reputation of Auchterlonies. There are still some finishing touches to complete, such as display units for club heads and wall holders for shafts, everything works and is available for fittings.
Trackman iO
The bay is one of the first in the UK to be fitted with the new ceiling-mounted Trackman iO system (link HERE). This significantly improves the space in the bay and automatically adjusts for left or right-handed players, providing Adam with much more flexibility. The ceiling mount also prevents clumsy customers like myself from accidentally knocking over the floor-mounted unit. Sorry about that Adam! The primary difference between the two systems is that iO is obviously not portable and, therefore, can't be used outside. Adam retains a Trackman 4 unit for use at regular outdoor fitting sessions.
How did I find the new experience?
The new space is so much nicer than before, it is almost impossible to do it justice in words. The simulator screen is a massive improvement over the old hitting net and Trackman iO is faster at projecting the ball flight image than Trackman 4 was with the previous setup. The new wall-mounted monitors also give you an additional impact image, which removes all doubt about strike quality! I found that very useful for confirming what I felt on poorer shots.
I still find it a bit tricky to aim in an indoor bay, but placing an alignment stick on the mat helped considerably. Another benefit of Trackman iO is that it doesn't need the special RCT balls and gives you the flexibility to use any ball you want. Adam has Titleist and Callaway options available, but I used the Mizuno RB Tour X ball.
The new floor and mat make hitting much more comfortable, and that's especially important for me while I recover from tendonitis. I finished the session today without any real elbow fatigue. Adam is still working out the optimal hitting location on the mat, but that's a minor issue. The good thing with iO is that it tells you the ball is in the wrong place before you hit, rather than after!
Putting the bay through its paces
A review of the bay wouldn't be complete unless I got fitted for something! With irons, wedges, and driver having all been fitted recently and my hybrids reviewed and upgraded by Adam last year, all that's left is my fairway wood. My 3-wood has largely been self-fitted through trial and error leaving definite room for improvement. It's the club that I am least confident with. It is also a club that doesn't get a lot of fitting attention. You don't use it often, and if a player finds one they like, they often stick with it for a long time. Henrik Stenson still uses a Callaway Diablo from 2015!
I currently use a Callaway Epic Flash Sub-Zero with Tour AD-DI stiff shaft, which I also have in my hybrids. I like how it feels, but I think it spins a bit too much. I also have a Ping G430 LST with Alta CB shaft. It's just hard work. It's great on windy days as I struggle to launch it, but it's not a confidence builder.
What did we try?
Like my recent driver fitting, we wanted to find a fairway wood that I could launch easily from grass but that wouldn't spin too much. Adam has a universal shaft fitting system, allowing him to try a much wider range of shaft and head combinations than you will find in standard manufacturer fitting kits.
Heads: Ping G440, Titleist GT2, Callaway Elyte, Taylormade Qi35 Core
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD-DI and Tour AD-GC, Mitsubishi Diamana Blueboard, Ventus Red with Velocore+
We first compared my two clubs and confirmed my perception that the Epic performs better than the Ping, but still has room for improvement. Because I like the feel of the Tour AD-DI shaft, we then tried it in the Ping but still found better results with the Epic. Strike one, the G430 LST is out of the running. Now on to the alternatives.
Ranking the heads:
Taylormade Qi35 - I really like the compact look of this head and the way the silver face frames the ball. Even though it's a similar size to the others, the clever design makes it appear smaller. It was the best feeling/sounding head and produced excellent performance data.
Titleist GT2 - classic, simple, quality, but lagged the Qi35 on performance.
Callaway Elite - I don't like how this head looks, but its performance was excellent. Looks are very personal, but I just don't like the matt carbon crown and how it joins the face.
Ping G440 - It's interesting to see Ping move to a slightly deeper face than the old model, which was one of the shallowest on the market. I wanted to like this one as it's a lovely, clean-looking head, but I just didn't!
Ranking the shafts:
Ventus Red with Velocore+ - regardless of the head we used, this shaft consistently gave the best results. Coincidentally, it's the same shaft I have in my driver.
Graphite Design Tour AD-GC - This is a great feeling (and great looking) shaft and it came very close to the Ventus.
Mitsubishi Diamana Blueboard - Another nice feeling shaft but it just didn't perform as well as the two above.
Graphite Design Tour AD-DI - Testing confirmed that while I can make this shaft work, others perform better.
Was there a winner?
The TaylorMade Qi35 Core in 16.5° loft, with Ventus Red shaft, was the best combination. My current Epic with AD-DI holds up well, but the Qi35 was consistently better across all fitting metrics. Importantly, it was easy to launch, achieved a good peak height, had the tightest dispersion and didn't spin too much.
Final thoughts
The new fitting studio at Auchterlonies is truly a "best in class" facility. Their commitment to custom fitting is clearly demonstrated through the scale of their investment. It is simply unrecognisable from what was there before.
I was impressed with what I saw today and happy with my fitting experience. I was able to try a wide range of different shaft and head combinations and I am very comfortable with the final recommendation. With this club now ordered, my bag for 2025 is now complete. All clubs have been custom-fitted, providing peace of mind that everything is optimal for my game. Bring on the new season!
To book a fitting
If you want to book a fitting, email Adam's directly at adam@auchterlonies.com
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