In his continuing quest to help Cordillera Ranch members play better and enjoy the game of golf more, Gevin Allen, PGA Teaching Professional, recently became a Callaway Golf Certified Master Fitter.
By Ken VanKampen, Callaway Golf :: Photography by Kelsey Guzman
A member of the Club’s golf professional staff for 12 years, Gevin has long had a deep interest in equipment and fitting. “I’ve been an equipment nerd for a long time,” he said. “As a fitter, I think it’s important to explain how specific equipment technologies work so the golfer gets a better sense of the club and how it can improve his or her game.”
Becoming a Callaway Certified Master Fitter (CMF) isn’t a snap. It requires two full days of intensive instruction by the Callaway Custom Fitting team at Callaway headquarters in Carlsbad, California, and at the Ely Callaway Performance Center (ECPC), a state-of-the-art teaching and fitting facility named for the company’s legendary founder. In addition to classes in every facet of clubfitting, students are fully immersed in the Callaway culture, including tours of Callaway’s R&D department, the Global Marketing Studio and the Professional Tour Build Room, where the equipment played by Callaway Tour Staff pros is meticulously built.
“The R&D tour was extremely impressive,” Gevin said. “It gave me a feel for how much science and engineering Callaway puts into its equipment. The jailbreak technology in their metalwoods is a great example. It changes how the crown, sole and face behave at impact compared to other metalwoods to help give you more ball speed and hit longer shots. Innovations like that are what make Callaway so successful.”
Gaining CMF status requires acing a three-part final exam: A 40-question written test (Gevin scored a perfect 40, making him class Valedictorian); a Live Fit Test at the ECPC; and a Real World Practicum, consisting of three flawless fittings using proper Callaway Fitting Protocol, performed at the student’s facility. Passing means becoming a clubfitter of the highest order.
“The CMF program is based on Callaway’s learnings from 30+ years of fitting experience; we’re confident it’s the best in the industry,” said Corey Newman, Callaway’s Manager of Custom Fitting and Training. “Our goal is to help you become the best fitter you can be, so you can help your people become the best golfers they can be. That said, Gevin really impressed us with his equipment knowledge and positive attitude. We’re proud to call him a Callaway Certified Master Fitter.”
Marc DeWall, Director of Golf at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch agrees, “We are equally very proud of Gevin for attaining his Master Club Fitter certification from Callaway Golf. Gevin continues to establish himself as one of the leaders in the clubfitting area by staying up to date in a world of everchanging technology. It is great to have him on our team because he provides outstanding expertise when fitting our members for new clubs and making sure they have the equipment that is right for them. All of this has also made Gevin an even better instructor as he is always pursuing ways to educate himself and pass on this knowledge to our members and his fellow PGA Professionals on staff.”
Gevin Allen is PGA Teaching Professional at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch. He can be reached at gallen@cordilleraranch.com.
