FAIRWAYS: Finding the Right Fit

Golf equipment has come a long way. Photo by Rachel Lukas.

Remember the guys in Tin Cup peering through the blinds from the driving range office and placing bets on whether Doc (Rene Russo) would have a golf watch?

When Kevin Costner’s film came out in 1996, nothing seemed more ridiculous than purchasing a time-telling watch, especially for the golf course. A lot has changed since then. Today, we scratch our heads if we see people trying to hit a 1996-Tin-Cup-era wooden 3-wood that propels the ball just 85% as far as a modern 3.

Fast-forward to this summer, and golf watches have become favorite accessories of many serious golfers. David Celusta was in his sophomore year at Gibraltar High School way back in 1996, and today, he can see value in a golf watch – if it has GPS that quickly gives players the distance to the front, middle and back of the green.

“If you like to wear a watch when you play, they are awesome,” said Celusta, who prefers not to have the extra baggage on his wrist and likes to use a high-quality rangefinder.

The former Gibraltar golfer also likes many of the other newer, smaller distance-measuring devices coming onto the market.

Celusta has become an expert on golf equipment and technology. He serves as general manager for one of Golf Galaxy’s elite groups: Golf Galaxy Performance in Woodbury, Minnesota. After working as an assistant and general manager at northeast Wisconsin courses and then working at PING headquarters in Arizona, Celusta settled back home in Wisconsin and advanced from positions at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Appleton to sales leader and general manager at Dick’s Golf Galaxy chain before getting the opportunity to lead the Performance store.

Last fiscal year, the Minneapolis-area Woodbury store chalked up more than $7 million in sales, which includes club fittings and golf ball fittings by master fitters and “certified fitters” and lessons from an in-store PGA pro. The busiest of the pros had the fourth-highest volume of lessons out of Golf Galaxy’s 90 stores – 1,100 lessons by that teacher last year.

Celusta said the Performance stores have even more hitting bays and practice and fitting areas than the Golf Galaxy and Dick’s stores, and at about 20,000 square feet – about two-thirds the size of the original Golf Galaxy stores – there are more experts per square foot to provide “better teaching, better technology and better fittings,” he said.

So what’s the hottest item at the store? He said it’s tough to keep Garmin Approach R10 devices on the shelves. Golfers can set down the portable device next to them to the practice tee. The $600 device quickly provides information such as spin rate, launch angle, clubhead speed, ball speed, distance and “smash factor.”

When asked what might make a good gift for any golfer this year – in addition to gift certificates for golfing or lessons or equipment or even the Garmin device – Celusta said golf bags, top-quality golf balls and new push carts, both remote-controlled and self-propelled models popular choices.

Regarding those golf balls, Celusta said he has heard pros and fitters tell aspiring golfers: “I would rather you play the wrong golf ball for you every day than a different golf ball every day.”

While a lot of golfers on a quest for their best driver ask for club fittings, Golf Galaxy Performance also does a lot of fittings for golf balls, wedges and putters. He said paying attention to equipment for the short game pays off in saved strokes, and finding the best ball also can save strokes and promote consistency for players.

Celusta said the highest-quality balls – such as Callaway Chrome Soft; Taylor Made TP5 and TP5x; and Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x – are designed for scratch and low-handicap players, but the ball manufacturers say the premium balls are the best for many other types of players.

Many shorter hitters opt for lower-compression balls designed to provide distance at lower swing speeds, such as Titleist Tour Soft, Wilson Duo, Callaway Supersoft and Callaway Soft Response. Many provide excellent distance and have a good feel and sound off the putter and wedges. Spending some time in a hitting bay with a fitter can help golfers discover the best ball for them to use and trust every day.

Celusta has learned that the manufacturers are making golf balls that are excellent products – they have to, or they’ll be left behind on the shelves. The same goes for drivers.

“Nowadays, if you’re not making a top-quality driver, you’re going to get lapped,” he said.

Celusta, a 1998 Gibraltar High graduate and an alumnus of the Viking golf team, decided to pursue a career in golf right after high school. He attended Golf Academy of America for training for management of golf businesses.

His golfing career included time as an assistant at Maxwelton Braes in Baileys Harbor and at University Ridge south of Madison; four years working for PING; a stint as general manager at Northbrook in Luxemburg; and eight years at Green Bay Country Club, where he advanced to the position of director of golf.

As for golfing for fun, Celusta said his lowest handicap was zero, and last year he was at two. He said he never had much desire to enter many competitions and tournaments. However, his golf career opened a lot of doors for him and gave him the opportunity to play recreationally at excellent courses such as Monterey Peninsula Country Club in California, Pacific Dunes Golf Club and Crosswater in Oregon, and Ryder Cup venues, including Whistling Straits north of Sheboygan, and Hazeltine in Minnesota.

Unfortunately, he spent the past six months recuperating from a serious back injury, which eventually led to surgery. One procedure removed a protrusion that was pressing on a nerve. Celusta said he suffered the injury while removing heavy snow and ice from the end of a driveway.

Before it, he said he couldn’t walk more than five feet without a cane. Now, he’s hoping to golf again next year.