Golfsmith Fitting vs. Golf Galaxy Fitting

I have done a fitting inside on a simulator and would highly recomend that you do a fitting where you can actually hit balls outside on a monitor. You will get your swing speed , launch angle etc... but you will also see your true ball flight and distance as opposed to taking the word of a fitter using a computer. I wish I had done an outside one it would have saved me money and frustration getting fit for my driver.

I would call either of those inferior.  Here is a good place to start:  http://www.agcpgolf.com/locator/

 

glock,

 

I'm afraid you drove it out of bounds on this post.... Not everyone who is a good clubfitter belongs to the Association of Golf Clubfitting Professionals. AGCP limits its membership to "independent clubmaker/clubfitters only and their employees." see website. Designated fitters who work for Golf Galaxy and Golfworks often have attended the same schols and training as AGCP members, but can't join the group.

 

AGCP has 10 levels of membership, and attendance at schools or certification courses is one of the requirements. Appropriate schools include the GolfWorks (owned by Golf Galaxy) and Golfsmith.... AGCP seems to think a lot more of GG and Golfsmith than you do.

 

 

It's like the medical profession. Not all doctors in the USA belong to the American Medical Association - only about 20%. But, non AMA-doctors have the same training and certifications as AMA members, and treat a majority of the patients in the USA.

 

Yep, you are right.  My bad.  (And I like that line too!)  I had Dick's and Sports Authority on the brain at that moment.  Was still trying to wrap my mind around another post from another forum about someone who got "fit" at one of those stores. 

Know what you mean on this one. The SA I visit sells golf clubs, and has a test hitting cubicle, but apparently no designated player's rep for golfers.

 

I guess you have to go the cash register area and get someone to watch you hit clubs. If you wanted a lob wedge to match your SW it might be OK, but I don't know what type of fitting they carry out. It may just be a smaller SA - this store cut their golf floor space by about 20% over the winter.

 

(I go there for general workout gear, especially cold-weather tops). 

Has anyone sent a video into the Golf Channel "swing fix" ?

I chose not to vote because my response to those options would be based on my experience at my local stores. It's not the store that makes the club fitting, it's the club fitter. In general terms I'd go to a pro shop or professional fitter before either of the options you listed unless someone who's opinion I trusted had a positive experience at my local Golfsmith or Golf Galaxy.

I will respond. I picked up some new woods about 2 weeks ago at my local golfsmith. I have had good experiences at a couple of different golfsmiths, so I didn't have a problem going and taking a few swings.

I have been very happy with the service I received and the performance of the clubs I was fitted with.

 

I worked with an employee that seemed to be genuinely interested in getting me in the right club. I went in to look at the TM RBZ woods, after getting me on the launch monitor, and seeing my swing speeds, he gave me a tip on my swing to help me straighten out my ball flight according to the computer, which matched my ball flight in real life. They are apparently not supposed to give swing tips or "lessons". regardless We tweaked the face angle in the driver and and he also had me hit a Ping G15... My swing speed was consistently 108-112. my slowest swing speed was 108 and my highest was 112... what I ended up with after hitting both clubs, and having the RBZ tuned down to 8* was the RBZ with stiff shaft and set to 8* my old driver is a Cleveland Launcher 460 10.5* with stiff shaft. the shaft in the TM seems a little stiffer and the lower loft gives me the boring ball flight I was missing with the old stick.... but this is about the store.

 

I have played 54 holes sense getting the new clubs and I find that what the computer was telling me and what I am getting in real life is the same. I'm hitting similar shot shapes to what the computer was telling me, and I am also getting very similar distance. I for one am glad that I made the switch and I am pleased with the service I received at Golfsmith.

 

One thing to remember is that the salesmen at golfsmith do work on commission so keep that in mind. I was Very Pleased with the salesmen I got, and I would go back and ask for him, and would be happy for him to get a commission on the sale. it costs me the same weather he gets one or not so I would rather it go to someone that did a good job and made sure i was getting the right club.

 

Long story short, I have never shopped at golf galaxy... I believe i was in one that had simulators, and it was telling me i was hitting the ball 360 with a callaway driver... should have bought it :)

The people I have worked with at Golfsmith were very good and gave me a quality fitting.

The computer and launch monitor at golfsmith give reading that match real world ball flight and carry, at least for me.

I hope that helps.

i got fitted for my irons at Dicks a long time ago and i wasn't very happy, but that's because i didn't have a swing to get them fitted to. that's my fault and the guy was extremely patient with me. at golf galaxy i have had mixed results, but have never bought a club. part of it is the car salesman aspect, not the commission, but the fact that they were falling over themselves to help the guy in the 3 piece and threw me in an empty bay by myself. at least they were nice enough to turn on the machine, even if it wasn't working.

 

the best place i went was called 2nd swing. i hated my dymo driver because of the sound it made and just wanted a new one, so i decided that maybe i'd get a used driver unless some new technology really gave me a leg up.

 

i scheduled a driver fitting, showed up and had a guy basically at my hip the entire time. we went through 10 different drivers and tried different settings on the adjustable ones. i probably spent close to 2 hours hitting balls. at the end we looked at the final tally and my current driver was by far the most consistent and accurate. i had them regrip it there and was out the door. they also had a 30 day return policy which seemed much more doable than the one at golf galaxy (i bought a pair of shoes online and tried them on, but the didn't fit so i took them into a store to return them. you would have thought i was at a high price auction the way she inspected the shoes and questioned me about how long and where i wore them.), and they were really helpful. they had a much better selection than just the newest (and most expensive) models like GG/Dicks and having them used saved me a few bucks.

 

now i've never had a country club fitting, so i can't comment, but from my personal experience:
 

1) Learn your swing and have a consistent one

2) 2nd swing (if they're anywhere besides minneapolis/st paul, i'm not sure)

3) golfsmith (good selection and employees have always been helpful)

.

.

.

.

4) golf galaxy/dicks (elitist attitudes/understaffed/lack of knowledge from all but a few employees, who, of course, are always busy)

.

.

.

.

5) sports authority (i've never been to one that has anything more than a small area to take a full swing. they did have some great deals on sets of clubs for beginners, although i'm not sure of how they would hold up)

When I go into a store to buy and be fitted for a new Driver, I don't expect to be insulted and have the guy that I am TOLD is the Taylor Made fitter make smart ass remarks. All he was worried about was texting on his IPhone. Had made comments about my swing and my ball trajectory but than when i asked just exactly what he would suggest and he says well im not a swing expert and it would take to many years to fix that. ( if your not a expert why would you open your mouth to begin with) for one thing im a low handicap golfer i dont need you to fix shit pal. Than had the balls to ask me if I was finished wasting his time, that he had people stacking up that he needed to fit. Although there was three more open bays, and only four more people in the store...... At this point I wasn't really in any mood to throw down $700 dollars after being insulted for 15 min so I decide to leave but turned back to tell the Manager just how rude the guy was. He proceeds to tell me that the guy wasn't employed by Golf Galaxy but by Taylor Made.
I was so pissed off after getting home and thinking about what a ******* the guy was, that I called Taylor Made to complain. They are just launching the R1 and I don't think that's how they want to be represented. Come to find out the Manager of GOLF GALAXY was just covering up for the guy, because Taylor Made doesn't contract those guys. What a weasel!!!!
Man up and be a manager and say hey I'm really sorry i will get this resolved for you. Let me schedule a fitting with someone else, ANYTHING!!!! But to lie to my face and than simply pass the buck!!!!! I think I will go back to Golf Smith. Not a good way to open a new store.

I know this is about Golfsmith and Golf Galaxy but I have another store and a point.

I went to Golfsmith on a very slow Sunday afternoon just looking for new clubs and see what what the cost was going to be. Plus they where by my house and I was board. I used the swing bay when an older guy came to see what I needed. All he could say was TM was the best Callaways sucked and my swing needed TM rocketballz. He sat for a bit and watched me hit a few different clubs but went right back to TM no matter what other club I wanted to try. Then he started saying that he would be in trouble for spending so much time could he wrap the TM up this was about 30 minutes so I thanked him and left, I was not going to be rushed and would have paid for what ever time if he would not have been pushing TM so much.

 

I called Rodger Dunn to set up a fitting, they set it up with Ping not even asking but when i got there that was the room they sent me to, so I thought what the heck. The guy was in such a rush to get me in and out because he was backed up it was a joke. I complained to the manager all he could say was he was the best Ping fitter in the area really I could not have known, I was there for less them 30 minutes. He wanted me to buy a full set of Ping, that was what he wrote up over $900 worth.   Any how to make a long story short i walked out and came back a few days later. Again back to the old guys at RD all they then wanted to sell me was the new TM rocketbladz this time, you have to have them they are the best new thing out there so on.

 

After all this went on for a few weeks when I got a young guy on Sunday morning that said lets hit them all and go from there. He even let me play in the Ping room it was open and studied the monitor spent over two hours, he was not a Ping fitter just a guy working there that was a fitter on the main room but not one brand.

I think what it comes down to is who you feel comfortable with and what they are pushing if they are pushing a certain brand, it maybe good for some not for others. This young guy was pushing the best club for me not a brand. I will not say that all the old guys were wrong or that the young guys are bad I just got a guy who cared about what he was selling me, that was the best club that fit me.

I am sure all stores have the bad as in any business but there are the good ones also just a bit harder to find.

turbosonicblue, just so you know, the truth is that Taylor Made does contract their Taylor Made fitters in Golf Galaxy.  they select the fitters and pay for their services thru a marketing agreement with Dicks, who owns GG.

 

You got terrible service either way, but wanted to let you know the truth.  Taylor Made either lied to you or you spoke with someone who wasn't aware of the agreement.  i am not defending the GG manager's actions as he/she is still ultimately responsible for your in store experience.

It is a shame you got bad customer service. I go to Golfsmith all the time and due to most knowing me from various purchases as well as tinkering I always get good service and watch when they do a fitting. The guys there are very patient and don't just push the newest gear.

Golfnut444 thanks for the info. I agree and felt the same way. The fitter is representing TaylorMade poorly, but the manager failed the customer and companies. I won't deal in a definite, but I don't see golf galaxy seeing my business again for sometime. I understand companies are going to have blunders once in a while but when they do, they need to do some butt kissing to calm the tide.

Honestly, it is the fitter not the store that makes the difference. I usually go to see guys that I know, who know their stuff. There are plenty of pros, players, and real golfers that work at different retailers but you have to find them. I have found that a quality launch monitor that is properly calibrated to be  very accurate. 

for reference i went to a golf galaxy, golfsmith, and independent PING authorized fitter for my iron fitting.  i also did PING's webfit where i was fitted +1 maroon Stiff.  i was sold on the i20s so that is why the majority of my focus was PING affiliates.

 

Golf Galaxy fitted me +2, Silver, X Stiff

Golfsmith fitted me +1, White, Stiff

Indy fitted me +1, Maroon, Stiff

 

at the end of the day i can't tell you whether or not the PING indy fitted me also using the online web tool that PING offers, as he did leave my sight a few times to "grab a different shaft."  ultimately i decided +1, Maroon, and Stiff was probably accurate though since i hit that club outside and it seemed to do the trick.  so far i haven't been upset with my choice, though ironically now PING's webfit puts me at +0, silver, Stiff.  i am 6'5" so how i go from a +1 extension to standard is mind boggling over the course of 6 months...

 

needless to say in the future i'll probably use the webfit tools when i purchase new irons.  my experiences didn't leave me wowed by any means.
 

I went to Golf Galaxy for a driver fitting last saturday night. It was at about 7:00, half an hour before close. There was only one other person in the store besides me, so the fitter paid very good attention to me. Gave me a few tips while I was hitting, had me try multiple shaft/head combos, and even let my step-dad who was there with me hit with a few different drivers. I ended up not even purchasing anything because we decided that my swing didn't warrant spending money on an upgraded shaft quite yet. He was super helpful and I look forward to working with him again. Of course, this is an experience with one individual and is not representative of all GG fitters out there, but go there, try it and see if you find a guy you like and trust. Can't hurt.