Need advice on beginner club fitting -static vs swing and impact of lie

[Desert]

Hi all. A little background. I'm 36, have hacked it up on golf courses since high school but have never played more than twice a year and have never had lessons. I'm athletic but terrible at golf, having broken 100 just once in my life. I've decided to take the plunge and am going to start lessons. In anticipation I went into a very well known reputable golf store for a club fitting. I came away with some Ping G20s...1.5 flat. The lie was determined exclussively by me hitting balls with tape on the bottom of the irons. Problem is, my swing is not good and certainly not consistent. Going on Ping's website and inputting my measurements it says I should be 1.5 upright....huge difference from 1.5 flat. My question - should I get clubs based on my static measurements and build my swing through lessons with that club, or stick with the one's my inconsistent swing said I needed. Stated differently, will I have an easier time striking the ball through lessons using clubs meeting the static measurements?

[Beachcomber]

Static measurements are fine - but you really should hit off of a lie board to get a better idea of how you hit the ball.  Sounds like the store did that by placing tape on the bottom of the iron.  Therefore, I'd go with the information you received from the store over a static fitting any day.

The G20's are solid irons, hope you like them. Let us know how you play with the new sticks.

[Desert]

A little update.  Living in Phoenix, I'm lucky enough to be a 30 minute drive from Ping headquarters.  So, I went there, explained my issue, and they performed a ground-up fitting without any assumption that my purple dot (1.5 flat) irons were correct.  Going through the static measurement process, they placed me in yellow dot (1.5) upright clubs.  I measure standard for shaft length and grip size, so that remained the same.

Then they had me hit a yellow dot 7-iron and...BANG! What a stunning difference. 158 yards, starting very slightly left with a very slight fade landing the ball damn-near dead center.  The next few shots were all consistently 150-159, some slightly left and some slightly right, but all were extremely playable.  They then had me take two swings with my purple dot 7-iron.  They started right, sliced horribly, and only went about 135 yards. I thin hit of a lie board with the yellow dots and I was dead center.  I cannot believe how much better the swing felt, and the ball flew with the correct fit. My experience may be unique, but I highly recommend beginners use Ping's static measurement system on their website as a solid baseline for where they need to be.

[clearwaterms]

Originally Posted by Desert

A little update.  Living in Phoenix, I'm lucky enough to be a 30 minute drive from Ping headquarters.  So, I went there, explained my issue, and they performed a ground-up fitting without any assumption that my purple dot (1.5 flat) irons were correct.  Going through the static measurement process, they placed me in yellow dot (1.5) upright clubs.  I measure standard for shaft length and grip size, so that remained the same.

Then they had me hit a yellow dot 7-iron and...BANG! What a stunning difference. 158 yards, starting very slightly left with a very slight fade landing the ball damn-near dead center.  The next few shots were all consistently 150-159, some slightly left and some slightly right, but all were extremely playable.  They then had me take two swings with my purple dot 7-iron.  They started right, sliced horribly, and only went about 135 yards. I thin hit of a lie board with the yellow dots and I was dead center.  I cannot believe how much better the swing felt, and the ball flew with the correct fit. My experience may be unique, but I highly recommend beginners use Ping's static measurement system on their website as a solid baseline for where they need to be.

Was Ping able to adjust your G20's or do you need to replace the clubs?

I did the Ping fitting on my last trip to Ping's facility, it is worth the trip if you are in the area.  I ended up with Ping G25's with a shaft that I never even knew existed but fits my game VERY VERY well.

[Desert]

Originally Posted by clearwaterms

Was Ping able to adjust your G20's or do you need to replace the clubs?

I did the Ping fitting on my last trip to Ping's facility, it is worth the trip if you are in the area.  I ended up with Ping G25's with a shaft that I never even knew existed but fits my game VERY VERY well.

Yep, they were able to bend them.  In fact, I left the facility at 8:30 this morning and they were ready for me at 11:00.  And the best part....free of charge.  LOL. Can't wait to give them a go this weekend!