Driver Fittings are a MUST

rlgosnell · August 18, 2010

I just spent part of two separate days getting fit for my new Ping I15 and I must say not only did I learn a lot about the clubs I liked and didn't like, but I learned a great deal about my swing.

My driver SS is usually around 105 mph which is around what I was swinging the first day. I was generating a ton of backspin and my smash factor was around 1.2 with lots of inconsistency in my shot dispersion. I was able to dial my swing back and focus more on activating my hands in my swing. I dialed my SS back to around 95 mph but my smash factor jumped up to 1.50 and i was able to hit a much tighter grouping. The feedback was tremendous and allowed me to simply make swings and follow the data to my new driver.

After hitting just about every driver in the store the finalists were the i15, FT Tour, Cobra S2 and Nike VR. Initially I didnt think I would have enough game for drivers like the i15 and FT Tour but I ended up hitting them really well as my biggest issue was reducing backspin. I went into the second fitting really wanting the FT Tour to work for me bc I liked the impact sound the best, but it just wasnt quite right for me. It was a little shorter than the other 3 and it just didnt seem to be as forgiving as the other 3. The Cobra and Nike were very good for me, but I just didnt like the sound of the Cobra and I wasnt paying for the adjustability of the Nike VR (bc I dont really believe in it). In the end the i15 was not only the best looking driver I lined up, it was the best performing for me. It had the most distance and the tightest shot dispersion with the most consistent launch conditions. The fade bias was not an issue even though I struggle with a block. Everything was right on line with a slight fade. What sealed the deal was after hitting for almost 2 hours with at least a dozen drivers I hit the i15 (it was also the very first I hit) again at the end and it was just as good as it was to begin the session.

Long story short, there are plenty of good and great drivers out there. The best thing any golfer can do is GET FIT and go into it with an open mind - if you want the best performance for your game. It's informative and fun and you get instant, precise feedback. If you live in Houston I know of a great fitter that can help you find the right club for you.

**scgolf** · August 18, 2010

How much did they cost you to get those driver fittings?

**kpaulhus** · August 18, 2010

How much did they cost you to get those driver fittings?

If the golf shop doesnt include fitting in the cost of the driver Ill go somewhere else. Edwin Watts will fit you for free if you purchase the club from them.

Ryanmal · August 18, 2010

Agree 1000% on fitting. I picked up a good 20 yards on my drives by getting fit for a driver. It was amazing the difference it made.

**Kurtomac** · August 18, 2010

did you try a bunch of different shafts or just a bunch of different drivers by the sound of it?

**sean_miller** · August 18, 2010

did you try a bunch of different shafts or just a bunch of different drivers by the sound of it?

That's the "driver fitting" I go for. I hit a few with their stock S or Tour S shaft and pare it down to 1. Very scientific.

**enis750** · August 19, 2010

Yep fitting is key
buy a new driver every couple months from the bay, never hitting it and try it out when it shows up
you like, it stays - you hate, it sells - ....... seems simple enough

**Gerald** · August 19, 2010

Driver fitting sucks !

It more or less means nothing more, than a shop owner invested some bucks into a bucket filled with a few heads and 20 orso different shaft, which you can choose maybe 5 from that would fit your swing, just try them out side by side and buy the one you like most ...... no knowledge fitter to really guide you through the process, means most of times nothing more than a bit of trial and error. (if you are "lucky" the smiling shop owner standing next to you, advise the shaft he himself or his nephew with +3.2 index is also using, being a $300+ shaft of course).

To the OP ..... B'shit ......

I can imagine most amateurs might have a smash factor of 1.2 ...... but a guy being interested in fitting a driver, playing from hc 13 ...... , would be more like in the range of 1.30 - 1.35 allready ...... AND NO AMATEUR IS GETTING TO 1.50 BECAUSE THEY HIT SOME BALL'S DURING A FITTING.

The worlds best pro's reach 1.47 - 1.48 smashfactor if they have their best days and more likely to average about 1.45 (and that is only the really good hitting pro's).

1.50 is the rules maximum allowed smash factor, and the manufactories make their drivers just within this max to avoid being outside the list of allowed clubs, so with most drivers it is technically impossible to even reach 1.50.

The i15 is about the hardest driver to hit well (even for a +index golfer with a pro like swing), most Ping Tour players not even use them, at hc 13 I doubt it.

I agree the UST Proforce AxivCore Tour Red being a great shaftt, but it is the stock shaft of a Ping i15 Driver ....... so I am asking myself ..... were you fitted, or you just tried a bunch of stock drivers and bought the one you liked best.

Anyway ..... best of luck with your "fitted" driver.

**Gerald** · August 19, 2010

If the golf shop doesnt include fitting in the cost of the driver Ill go somewhere else. Edwin Watts will fit you for free if you purchase the club from them.

I would rather pay $80-100 for a real fitting sesion, with a club fitter really knowing what he is talking about, than having a commission based sales clerk (still learning how to start the launch monitor) giving me some drivers and call that a fitting.

There is more into fitting than just trying a bunch of shafts, the right grips, the weight of the grips, the right size (not only standard/midsize/jumbo, but also the exact number of tape layers), lie, loft, flex, trajectory, launch angle, etc. etc. etc. Most shops only do expensive, talking about values they don't really understand, lucky for them, the casual amateurs also doesn't have the faintest idea what they are talking about....... I am a 6'9" guy, I have been fitted by a real professional fitter and since I work throughout a large region, I sometimes find some time to visit shop X, Y or Z and I allways like to play a bit with clubs, comparing this to that etc. (we all like to do so I guess)....... I have heard people saying the weirdest things about 4" plus clubs, 4* -6* upright lies, stronger lofts, jumbo grips by only looking at me.......

**Blades4me** · August 19, 2010

You bring up valid points and this is why it is important to know what the numbers mean. Personally I only pay attention to launch angle, club head speed & ball rpm's. So far that has worked well for me.

**IcemanYVR** · August 19, 2010

Sorry, but that's not a real driver fitting experience. You just hit a few drivers at the local golfmart, and picked the one the computer said you hit the best.

A proper driver fitting entails hitting many drivers, with a launch monitor on a practice range, with different loft and shaft combinations until you find one that gives you the optimal launch conditions for your swing.

When I was fit for my driver, they probably had over 200 drivers all made up (from one manufacturer) and it probably only took 30-40 swings to find the right club. I started off by hitting my current driver, and then they used the data to narrow it down for which combination would be best. I probably only hit less than 10 drivers. A proper fitter really knows their stuff, and after the fitting I had gained about 20 yards in driver distance through a combination of new technology, and optimium launch angle and ball spin.

rlgosnell · August 19, 2010

so as far as the questions. I hit different lofts and different shafts of the drivers we narrowed it down to. It wasnt at Golfsmith or GG, but whatever.

As far as the cost it was $100. And Im fine with that.

As far as the BS about smash factor - all I can say is what was on the screen. I do know that I went out to the range yesterday and was hitting the ball with the same 3/4 swing and the ball was going the same distance as my old G10. My trajectory seemed similar coming off the club but I noticed a difference in the ball flight from there. It didnt have that rise and fall that looks like it went a long way, but ends up being 225 yards. The ball would start descending more slowly I guess is how I would describe it.

Im glad so many people here are 'experts' on fitting.

**Gerald** · August 19, 2010

Well with your swingspeed biased down to 95 Mph x 1.5 (your smash factor) you ball speed would be 142 Mph (uhhh 228 K/h) and the ball only went 225 yds ???

Or the smashfactor was a "tiny" bit lower or there was such a head wind blowing that had to hold yourself to a lamppost........ -;)

**golfro** · August 19, 2010

$100 for a driver fitting...where they hand you over a bunch of stock drivers and tell you to hit it?

i'd say you got yourself ripped off MAJORLY.

My driver fitting went like this. I tried out a combination of stock drivers, then tried a combination of drivers with custom shafts they had already installed. then found the right optimal numbers for my swing and picked a shaft. a couple days later, i came back in and we did it all over again with my new shaft and compared it to various other ones to make sure we found the right one.

How much was that? $80 for the shaft including labor work total, and they threw in a Golf Pride NDMC grip for free. $100 for a "fitting" so you can try out stock shafts? You basically paid $100 to demo a bunch of clubs and to use a launch monitor thats completely free to use at most shops.

and sorry, you may have hit one or two MAYBE with 1.5 smash factor (which is most likely an error reading) but for the most part, a new driver isn't going to jump your smash factor from 1.2 to 1.5. Sorry but its just not gonna happen. More than likely, even with your new driver, you're still hitting 1.2-1.3 smash factor.

**scgolf** · August 19, 2010

so as far as the questions. I hit different lofts and different shafts of the drivers we narrowed it down to. It wasnt at Golfsmith or GG, but whatever.

$100 is well spent if that would find you a solid driver for yourself and improve your game.

**sean_miller** · August 19, 2010

$100 is well spent if that would find you a solid driver for yourself and improve your game.

And yet, it's $100 dollars more than free.

**golfro** · August 19, 2010

$100 is well spent if that would find you a solid driver for yourself and improve your game.

No, its $100 ripped off. He could've spent that $100 on just about anything else. Paying $100 to demo a bunch of stock drivers and look at the launch monitor is a huge rip off.

**scgolf** · August 19, 2010

Sorry, but that's not a real driver fitting experience. You just hit a few drivers at the local golfmart, and picked the one the computer said you hit the best.

How much did you pay for that fitting? It sounds like in a local pro shop doing for club fittings where they do them exclusively for living. My buddy's son has worked in that kind of pro shop for period of time, the shop is just plainly fitting clubs for you. It doesn't sell golf balls, gloves etc.

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Driver Fittings are a MUST

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