driver fitting - WHO DO YOU TRUST?

a little background on me...i'm relatively new to the game of golf (a little less than 24 months).  my first golf set was purchased off craigslist for $35 (driver, 3w, irons, wedges, putter, and stand bag).  getting a whole set for 35 bucks gives you an idea of the caliber of equipment i was using.

after taking a few lessons, i began purchasing some nicer (yet still very used) clubs.  my current driver is a Callawy FT9 Tour neutral(10.5*) with a stiff fukikara shaft.  when i hit it on the nose, it's a thing of beauty, but i lack the consistency in performance that i would like.  obviously, some additional lessons would help, but it has been recommended to me to "GO GET FITTED"

so, i went to the carolina golf expo a few weeks ago, and this is where the confusion began.  i went to a golfsmith/golftec guy, and he put this vest on me and hooked me up to this machine.  driver swing speed came in at 92-96mph.  this was my first stop, and i didn't do much warming up.

still at the expo...next stop was the nike booth.  guy doesn't have the golfsmith vest for me to wear, but he has a pretty elaborate setup.  swing speeds (according to this guy) were in the 98-102 range.

still at the expo...next stop was the bridgestone ball fitting guys.  i take some swings and they give me a printout that states my swing speed is in the 92-94 range

2 days later, i decide to go to my local golf galaxy location.  i pay the 30 bucks for a driver fitting, and after several swings, my swing speed comes in in the 91-94 range

so my question is WHO DO I TRUST?  i wasn't swinging extra hard at any of the golf expo booths or the golf galaxy location...yet i had results ranging from 91-102 mph?!  assuming my swing speed is in the low 90s, i would probably go with a regular flex.  however, if i'm looking at a swing in the mid-upper 90s, shouldn't i go stiff?

i enjoy golf enough that i plan on playing for a very long time.  as i get better, should i expect my swing speed to improve drastically?  (i'm 33yrs old, in pretty good shape, and a former baseball player...i could easily swing harder, but i lose all control when i do)

thoughts/opinions?

so, it sounds like my half hour at golf galaxy was a waste of 30 bucks, huh?  it's only $30 so i'm not heartbroken  :)

the guy at golf galaxy let me try 4 or 5 drivers, and i believe that he set all of them up with regular stiffness shafts.  where do you recommend i go to get a "proper" fitting?  golfsmith/golftec?  a pro shop at a nearby course?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beachcomber 

From the sounds of it - your driver swing speed is in the mid 90's.  How old are you?  Are you getting stronger, working on flexibility?  Are you taking lessons to improve your swing?  Or are you just playing the game for fun on the weekends?  

 

Really if you are an avid golfer looking to get better - my advice may be different than if you are just a casual player.

i'm 33.  while i do excercise regularly, it's mostly running, and very little weight lifting.  i would imagine that my flexibility is improving, but i don't expect any major gains in physical strength.  i do plan on taking more lessons (most likely starting in the next 30 days).  currently, i play for fun, but i am a diehard competitor.  simply breaking 100 isn't going to cut it for me...it will now   but not for long

i'm not trying to become a pro, but i don't wanna just go out and knock holes in the dirt 3 times a month either

advise away kind sir!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by WUTiger 

As beachcomber said, it looks like your swingspeed is in the mid-90s.

 

Nike launch monitor might have been set a little hot, or you may have encountered an idea ball-driver combination.

 

If you buy a new driver, Golf Galaxy likely will make the fitting free. As for Regular vs. Stiff, you would need to get launch monitor data for each driver and see which head + shaft gives you the best results.

 

As for who to trust, good clubfitters are whereever you find them. Some custom club shop fitters are chumps, and some golf superstore fitters are superb... and visa versa. Any reason you're shying away from Golf Galaxy?

i hope my OP didn't come across as me shying away from golf galaxy.  that definitely was not my intention.  i guess i'm just wondering, with the large gap in swing speed results (which someone else pointed out was not that abnormal), was my fitting at golf galaxy accurate?  or were the results i got from the various vendors at the golf expo accurate?

for what it's worth, i was pleased with my experience at golf galaxy.  the guy brought out $400 drivers along with some $150 drivers.  he didn't try to "upsell" me on anything.  i actually had the best results with my current driver/shaft setup.  he was like "hey man, i'm not going to tell you to buy a new driver...just go get some lessons and get more consistent first"

i appreciated that he didn't try to convince me that i NEEDED a new driver.  it felt like an honest transaction