Golfsmith fitting - what a joke

[Nyper]

This weekend I decided to try and get fit for a new driver - if I could find anything that would outperform my current driver.

I went to Golfsmith and took my old driver with me.  I hit it on the launch monitor in the fitting bay.  It said my average clubhead speed was 127 and my average carry distance was 310.

I know my REAL clubhead speed is somewhere around 110 with a driver, and my carry distance is ~260.

I then proceeded to hit 5 different drivers and the guy makes a recommendation of a certain driver with a certain loft and an X flex shaft.  I told him those stats look pretty inflated and asked if he was suggesting the shaft based solely on the swing speed, or also the way I load the shaft.  He said only swing speed.

I asked if we could try a different launch monitor.  He said "well, that one over there will tell you it's slower".  I said "which one is accurate?"

He says "well, to tell you the truth, we've been trying to get someone in here to properly calibrate these things for a while.  They arent very accurate."

I said "so do you think your recommendations are right?"

He said "according to this monitor, yes"

I said "but you just said this monitor wasnt accurate".

He said "yeah, it's aggravating for us too"

What the heck?  You just wasted 30 minutes of my time and were willing to sell me a driver you have no idea if I really need?

The guy hardly made a single comment about my launch angle, spin rate, etc...

---------

Long story short, I went to a different place with a different type of monitor (one that monitors club and ball instead of just the ball).  He properly compared my current driver to 6 different new ones in various lofts/flexes based on all stats and the way I load the shaft.  He told me I wasn't hitting any of them significantly better than my current driver and he would't recommend that I spend money on anything new unless I just really wanted to.  In fact, the one I hit the worst on his monitor is the one Golfsmith was trying to sell me.

[basscat348]

Been down that exact road recently it sucks and its frustrating . I strongly reccomend only going into these big box stores only just to hit clubs or look around and thats it. I think they hire employees in these stores that have no idea even what they are doing. Go to a custom fitting store to get fitted ,I spent $100 to get my driver fitted to me because I was tired of wasting my time with all these wana be sales people who have no idea what they are talking about.The driver I play now I absolutely kill it mostly 290-305 carry ,it amazing what a proper fit can produce.

[TourSpoon]

Not to come off cocky, but with my experience in golf (former apprentice, brother former assistant pro, long time single digit cap) there is a good chance that I may walk into any store and know more than the average salesperson.  Since I know that going in, I tend to ask a few questions before I let anyone size me up.  I found a local shop and over the course of a few visits developed a relationship with this one guy who is a player and knows equipment.  On more than one occasion, he has told me the same thing, there is nothing in here significantly better than what you are currently playing.  Then one day...it happened.   I found something that jumped off the page on the monitor (and I use the monitor that I know is correct).  But that wasn't good enough for me so I bought it, taped it up and went to the range and demoed it.   Luckily it checked out and I took the tape off and owned it and everything has been good ever since.  Since that time, I go in and check stuff out and more often than not, get sound advice.  In return, the guy gets my business and I have sent some people his way.  But, like anything else, it took a little time to get that level of expertise, and more importantly, trust.

I also have a guy that I have been working with for almost 20 years that owns a custom shop.  He is more than knowledgeable about clubs and does all my bending of lofts and tweaks.  If I really need something answered, he will not hesitate to give me both barrels. The only problem is that he doesn't have the inventory of name brand stuff unless it is used.

I hear you.  Keep looking and you will find the right person with the experience and knowledge that you need.

[SVTGolfer]

Golfsmith is a joke! I will never actually buy golf clubs there. They have some nice set ups for hitting and everything, but their customer service is a joke (the guys don't know any more than I do) Launch monitors rarely, if ever, work… And the management??? Hahahaha, its more likely they don't even play golf than it is that they have common sense… Completely useless to go there for anything you actually "need."

Sorry to hear about your frustrating experience. Just know you aren't the only one...

[SVTGolfer]

I just posted a link to this forum page on their Facebook page. Hahahaha

Corporate Golf fail…

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by SVTGolfer

I just posted a link to this forum page on their Facebook page. Hahahaha

Corporate Golf fail…

I always wonder when someone seems to go out of their way to trash a company.  What experience did you have, exactly, that caused you to be so dissatisfied?  They have been in business a long, long time so I imagine their corporate people know something about the game.  And while I don't know what store(s) you have been to that made you so unhappy, it sounds like you have never had a good experience there.  I've stated before that I have had very good experiences with their clubmaking and retail staffs.  Maybe I've just been lucky.

[SVTGolfer]

Not sure where you live at Harmonious. But every time ive needed help at any of the 3 Golfsmith stores near me I haven't gotten it or ive gotten assistance like the OP, where the "sales man" tried to sell me something I did not need or I knew would not work for me. I don't normally go out of my way to trash anyone or any companies, but5 strikes you're definitely out. Haha. I have countless examples of how bad that store is. It is everything that is wrong with corporate golf. It's stores like this that have put countless small shops with real help out of business. Now Im not one of those people. You know, the ones who are anti corporation, etc… I just cant stand stores, business' and corporations that don't do anything for the industry, yet take over unnecessarily for no reason. Quality over quantity type thing for me. I like the Roger Dunn shops here locally. They have much more intelligent people that work there, and the help is true and not trying to sell you something. They actually want you to be happy with your purchase. Meaning they want it to truly improve your game. Golfsmith just wants your money…

Example: Similar to the OP's:

(Paraphrased version)… Went to Golfsmith looking for a driver. Hit a bunch. Finally got some help and the guy tried to sell me a Ping i15 driver. That driver wasn't even in my selections. Why? Because I had done a lot of research and that particular driver was a "players" driver. And I was at the time a 21 handicapper! Furthermore its a fade bias offset, so it creates a fade. I ALREADY HAVE A FADE! I told the guy this, but he still insisted I should try it and buy it. He looked at the monitor but didn't care what my spin was, what my launch was, etc… Only looked at my swing speed and backspin number… WTF!? You don't go with that driver for those distinctions… I wound up leaving the store feeling like I wasted my time and I was still no closer to finding a driver… To this day I still cannot hit the Ping i15!! I still fade the ball way too much with that driver and I don't with the G15…

This is just one of many examples.

[DannyB215]

I can agree with both your points (SVT and HArmonious), but unfortunately, for us here (at least in the Philly area) there are ABSOLUTELY NO other golf stores other than GolfSmith, Golf Galaxy, and (dare I even say they're a golf shop) Sports Authority and Dicks. There are no Roger Dunn shops, there are no real shops here that do exactly what we want and need a real golf shop to do. Most guys have to settle for the sh%tty fits at those shops, because they don't have either the money or the cojones to go to a real PGA golf pro and get their swing looked at. I actually just bought a set of JPX-800's from GolfSmith, and my experience was fantastic. Not only did the guys give me "like new" value for my 08' Cobra FP's, but they took the time to fit me, test out 3 different sets, and we actually didn't really touch the monitors, because from the beginning, they said don't even try it with irons, they're not accurate a little bit. But they still looked at other very important aspects of my swing, and they even noticed how I choke down on the club so we decided to add another .25" to the club. So overall I gave them a 4 out of 5 stars.

SVT, they don't take over for no reason. I remember when golf galaxy opened up a store 15 miles from where I live, I thought I was in heaven when I first got there! They take over because they knew exactly what I just told you in my last paragraph.

[Harmonious]

Here in Orlando, we have Golfsmith, Edwin Watts and Golf Galaxy as the big 3.  I prefer the "big box" golf stores because they have everything you need under one roof.  Maybe it's because there are lots of year-round golfers here and/or there are a bunch of wannabe tour players working there, but I have had nothing but good experiences with knowledgeable staff.  Then again, I know what I am looking for when I go in.  I don't need a complete fitting, for example.  Just wanted to compare a couple of different shaft combinations against my current driver.  The guy really knew his stuff, not only about the launch monitor stats, but how each shaft would help my game or not.  There was absolutely no pressure whatever to buy anything.

SVT-It's too bad you haven't had the same experience.

[plum]

i dont ever take any advice at home depot, same would go for golfsmith

Construction Handicap Index 2.0

My golf handicap index is a lot higher, i will research and learn for myself and then find a real pro.

[chriskzoo]

Yeah, I'd never have a Golfsmith guy fit me.

I've never actually had a club fitted, but it's good knowing that Miles of Golf, who does most of the fitting for guys playing Titleist on tour is about 20 minutes away.

[basscat348]

Originally Posted by SVTGolfer

Not sure where you live at Harmonious. But every time ive needed help at any of the 3 Golfsmith stores near me I haven't gotten it or ive gotten assistance like the OP, where the "sales man" tried to sell me something I did not need or I knew would not work for me. I don't normally go out of my way to trash anyone or any companies, but5 strikes you're definitely out. Haha. I have countless examples of how bad that store is. It is everything that is wrong with corporate golf. It's stores like this that have put countless small shops with real help out of business. Now Im not one of those people. You know, the ones who are anti corporation, etc… I just cant stand stores, business' and corporations that don't do anything for the industry, yet take over unnecessarily for no reason. Quality over quantity type thing for me. I like the Roger Dunn shops here locally. They have much more intelligent people that work there, and the help is true and not trying to sell you something. They actually want you to be happy with your purchase. Meaning they want it to truly improve your game. Golfsmith just wants your money…

Example: Similar to the OP's:

(Paraphrased version)… Went to Golfsmith looking for a driver. Hit a bunch. Finally got some help and the guy tried to sell me a Ping i15 driver. That driver wasn't even in my selections. Why? Because I had done a lot of research and that particular driver was a "players" driver. And I was at the time a 21 handicapper! Furthermore its a fade bias offset, so it creates a fade. I ALREADY HAVE A FADE! I told the guy this, but he still insisted I should try it and buy it. He looked at the monitor but didn't care what my spin was, what my launch was, etc… Only looked at my swing speed and backspin number… WTF!? You don't go with that driver for those distinctions… I wound up leaving the store feeling like I wasted my time and I was still no closer to finding a driver… To this day I still cannot hit the Ping i15!! I still fade the ball way too much with that driver and I don't with the G15…

This is just one of many examples.

+1 on that.

The only thing I can add is that the local pga superstore's here are way worse than the golfsmith and the golf galaxy tops them all of the worst stores.I just go there to hit clubs.

[anotherday]

I think its dependent on the person you get to help you - which doesn't make it right that they hire unqualified people to provide the same service. My girlfriend got fitted through Golfsmith (because the GolfTec monitor was not working after 100+ swings with one club!). This guy knew what he was talking about. We took his recommendations to a store that was actually competitive with their pricing and pick the clubs up.

I feel like if you're looking for some sort of integrity in simulators and launch monitors, you might be looking for a long time. The fact that a company or a service of a company is based entirely or loosely on the accuracy of the equipment might not make any difference.

I liked the comment above, "i dont ever take any advice at home depot, same would go for golfsmith." Their job is to sell stuff.. its not the old days where their job was to sell stuff and make you a satisfied (return) customer.

[Philastyle]

I know this thread is from last year but came across it today. Im a beginner golfer, started two months ago. I went to Golfsmith to get fitted and they said i need a stiff flex driver. So i said ok.... ill take the Callaway RAZR FIT in stiff flex. After a few rounds of golf i had my first lesson today and the golf pro asked me why i bought a Regular flex and that i need a Stiff. Golfsmith fitted me for a stiff flex but gave me a regular flex and my dumb ass walked out without checking. Im going back tomorrow to see what they can do for me. Hope they are able to correct the problem.

[Goonsidious]

They will, don't worry.

I once accidentally walked out of GolfSmith with a senior flex.. went back and got the regular.. no issues at all.

[Audaxi]

2 years ago I went to golfsmith to replace my old driver, and ended up walking out with a Ping G10 Pro Launch Red. The person who "fitted" me either got lucky, or he just didn't explain anything about why he had me hit different drivers, but I still haven't found anything I hit better yet. A tip for anyone looking at using a launch monitor to fit themselves, bring your club/s in with you to do a direct comparison for if the monitor is skewed or uncalibrated like most are.

[Willie Malay]

Went to Dick's. Tried an RBZ 3wd. He told me the distances. Won't say what it was but it was close to my driver distance. I thought "bull crap". Needed a 3 wood anyway and got it. All I can say is I'm sorry for thinking the guy was bullshitting me....lol.

[Goonsidious]

To be fair, the launch monitor the last two times I went to Dicks was so out of whack.

Or so I think..  really doubt Rickie Fowler's Cobra driver has me hitting 270 with my 95mph swing speed.