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There’s a certain feeling of excitement when you step up to the tee, it doesn’t matter if it’s a round with mates, for your club championship, or a quick 9, there’s no better feeling than being out on the course. For us, we felt that excitement when we watched new staff player Esther Henseleit unleash Stealth Driver downrange at our pre-season testing earlier this year in Dubai. Whilst we couldn't divulge any information at the time, we can now share with you the details of her fitting.
Before we get into the specifics of Dubai, we need to take you back a step to Wentworth Club in late November where Esther went through an initial testing session and introduction to TaylorMade equipment, specifically an Iron and Wedge fitting with TaylorMade Tour Representative Mark Thistleton.
“The main focus of the fitting was dialling in her P770 irons and MG3 Wedges, but she did get an early look at Stealth Driver. She only hit a few shots and the performance versus her previous gamer was impressive. Esther likes to test all of her equipment out on the course which is especially important when transitioning in to a full new bag of products, so seeing her in Dubai was a great opportunity to test the products, make any adjustments, but as much as anything to be able to test her new equipment in a warmer climate.” Mark Thistleton - TaylorMade Tour Representative
Following on from the fitting in December, Mark was keen to know how she’d settled into her MG3 wedges and P770 irons. Shot after shot, the distance gapping and spin were consistent and no changes were made.
“With her wedges and irons we looked at her gapping and we didn’t have to make any changes- the lofts and lies we left her with in November were working perfectly. She’s settled into the new equipment really well. She’s just great to work with. She’s very easy going and puts her trust in us. She doesn’t feel a lot of difference with clubs on the range, which is where I can look at the numbers and provide my input. All the main testing for Esther is done out on the course, which is where she can test the equipment in different scenarios.” Mark Thistleton
As a high launcher of the ball, managing her launch angle is important but without sacrificing spin. Favouring the Stealth head for that exact reason, she was striping a 9 degree Stealth Driver (set down to 8) down the range. Liking the option of getting more distance on the ground, looking for a lower flight and spin for windy conditions, she was eager to also test an 8 Degree Stealth Plus head which gave her exactly what she was looking for – lower flight and more run. Depending on the playing conditions, you’ll generally see Stealth in play, but when the wind picks up Stealth Plus might make it’s way into her bag!
“Stealth fairways seem a bit longer this year, so we’re finding a little bit more loft is helping and that was the case with Esther. We gave her between 0.5-1 degree more loft on the stealth plus fairway than she had with SIM2. They were launching higher and carrying further vs. her previous gamer.” Mark Thistleton
Preferring a simple look and having expressed to Mark that putting is an area of her game that she wants to improve, Spider GT caught Esther’s eye. “She mentioned to me that it’s an area of her game she wants to improve her consistency and that she hasn’t really settled into a putter in recent months. I immediately thought of Spider GT.”
After looking at her previous gamer, Esther tested one face balanced and one short slant. Favouring the short slant, she headed out onto the course to get a feel on the greens. Leaving pre-season with Spider GT in the bag, Esther arrived in Kenya to defend her title and with rounds 74 (+2), 73 (+1), 69 (-3) and 70 (-2), she became the second Team TaylorMade athlete to win with Stealth on a major worldwide tour and the first to win with Spider GT!
“I was shaking over the putt on 17 and I was shaking down 18 and especially that putt. I have been struggling with the putter over the last one and a half years so it is pretty cool that I holed that one.”. You’ll be able to watch Esther draining putts with Spider GT on the LPGA Tour when she next tees it up at the HSBC Women’s World Championship.