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How can I figure out the right shaft flex/length for me?


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I want to just buy a used G20 driver off Ebay for $100.

But, I want to get fitted for the right club.

I'm not spending $300+ on a new driver.

Can I go to a Dick's Sporting Goods or Golfsmith to get fitted?


If you buy a used club off of E-Bay it's a shot in the dark whether it "fits" you or not. You can change the length of the shaft if necessary and add weight to the head or back weight the grip end if necessary but that's about it other than replacing the shaft (which costs more money).

Calling what those chain stores do a "fitting" is playing fairly loose with the term anyway.

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So what's the best way to do a real fitting ?


"Best" is to find a really good club fitter with a good reputation that knows what they are doing. They will likely get your optimum specs and then test those specs as the new club is assembled.

Not bad is to hit balls with different drivers getting something like Trackman numbers until you find an optimum shaft/club head set up.

Better than nothing is the part time worker at a chain store that has you hit a few clubs off the rack and lets you buy the one you hit best according to an often fairly unreliable launch monitor.

Worst is playing the lottery and buying a club you have never even hit and hoping to make it work.

There are a ton of club fitting videos on U-Tube and although you have to sort through some things that may not be completely accurate you can get some good basic knowledge from them.

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I had the luxury of having 3 friends with the identical driver head I wanted in 3 different shafts. All the shafts were stiff, which is what I wanted. They let me borrow all 3 clubs and take them to the range. Before testing them, I had a preconcieved notion of what the order of preference would be. Low and behold, it was the exact opposite. It could be that none of the 3 would have been right, but in my case I believe it worked. I tell you that so you's think about getting fitted so the club doesn't eventually collect dust in the corner of your garage. :)

Driver.......Ping K15 9.5* stiff 3 wood.....Ping K15 16* stiff 5 wood.....Ping K15 19* stiff 4 Hybrid...Cleveland Gliderail 23* stiff 5 - PW......Pinhawk SL GW...........Tommy Armour 52* SW...........Tommy Armour 56* LW...........Tommy Armour 60* FW...........Diamond Tour 68* Putter.......Golfsmith Dyna Mite Ball..........Volvik Vista iV Green Bag..........Bennington Quiet Organizer Shoes.... ..Crocs

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Is there any difference in the quality of fitting, or salesperson, at a place like Golfsmith/Golf Galaxy vs. a Dick's? In other words, a golf store vs. a sporting goods store that sells golf equipment.

Also, I see that Golfsmith has 3 types of fittings. Any info on the quality of the different fittings?

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The local "pro fitter" has gotten horrible Yelp reviews like he's a scam.

So, I think I am just interested in 2 things, shaft flex and length.

I ordered an RBZ driver off Ebay for $50.  Regular flex.

I think I will take it somewhere to just get it cut down to size, and I bet I will be 80% of the way home.

Will Golfsmith cut my shaft to size for a fee?

My wrists are 33" from the ground.  Anyone know what that means?

A shorter shaft will mean less error, correct?  I vastly prefer control over distance.

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The local "pro fitter" has gotten horrible Yelp reviews like he's a scam.

So, I think I am just interested in 2 things, shaft flex and length.

I ordered an RBZ driver off Ebay for $50.  Regular flex.

I think I will take it somewhere to just get it cut down to size, and I bet I will be 80% of the way home.

Will Golfsmith cut my shaft to size for a fee?

My wrists are 33" from the ground.  Anyone know what that means?

A shorter shaft will mean less error, correct?  I vastly prefer control over distance.

Not sure where you are located, but check out this list.  There are top 100 and an addition 700.  I went to a top 100 near Manchester, NH.

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/2013-05/100-best-clubfitters

Scott

Titleist, Edel, Scotty Cameron Putter, Snell - AimPoint - Evolvr - MirrorVision

My Swing Thread

boogielicious - Adjective describing the perfect surf wave

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I bought a RBZ 10.5 driver with regular flex shaft for $50 off Ebay.

I am going to take it to Golfsmith to get the shaft cut to the proper length for $8 + cost of grip.

I think this is a decent compromise.

I can't go to a full service outfitter as there's just too much pseudo-science snake oil in this business.

No way I'm dropping $400 on a driver when I can probably get pretty close for $50 + $10 in shaft cutting to size.

When I am at Golfsmith, I will have someone eyeball my swing and tell me if I need regular or stiff flex.

I bet one swing and he can put me in the right category.

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My set has an older Callaway 5 iron lofted to 27° and I have one of those giveaway Speedblade 6 irons that is lofted to 26.75°. The 5i is regular flex and the 6i is stiff. I hit both about 180 yards. I prefer the stiff. That's a long way of saying you're probably a regular flex but that it's as much personal preference as it is something to which there is a right answer.

Dom's Sticks:

Callaway X-24 10.5° Driver, Callaway Big Bertha 15° wood, Callaway XR 19° hybrid, Callaway X-24 24° hybrid, Callaway X-24 5i-9i, PING Glide PW 47°/12°, Cleveland REG 588 52°/08°, Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind 56°/13°, 60°/10°, Odyssey Versa Jailbird putter w/SuperStroke Slim 3.0 grip, Callaway Chev Stand Bag, Titleist Pro-V1x ball

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I bought a used Rocketballz RBZ 10.5* driver from Ebay for $55.
45.5" Regular flex shaft

I went to Golfsmith and had a guy check out my swing.

My swing speed is about 85-89mph.
He said it's nice and smooth and regular flex shaft is right for me.
Great, so far, so good!

He told me to cut off 1.5" off the shaft.
Got it cut down to 44" and a new grip for a whopping $7.

Total cost for a "fitted" driver is $62..

I tipped him $20 for not trying to hard sell me $1000 worth of bling.

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... My wrists are 33" from the ground.  Anyone know what that means?

A shorter shaft will mean less error, correct?  I vastly prefer control over distance.

Wrist-to-ground, fingertip-to-ground, etc., are rough starting points when fitting golf clubs. It does not take into account your personal stance and swing characteristics. If you have a very upright stance, or a very crouched stance, this doesn't tell you much.

For a "smooth tempo" swing, what loft is ldeal?  High loft?  Low loft?

How does one choose driver loft?   I chose 10.5* b/c I'd rather have forgiveness than distance.

Not sure how you arrived at this conclusion. General advice of various OEM representatives and clubsmiths I have talked to:

  • Start off with shaft that matches your swingspeed, and transition tempo from top.
  • Adjust with head loft comparisons.
  • Fine tune with kick point (flex-point).

Focus, connect and follow through!

  • Completed KBS Education Seminar (online, 2015)
  • GolfWorks Clubmaking AcademyFitting, Assembly & Repair School (2012)

Driver:  :touredge: EXS 10.5°, weights neutral   ||  FWs:  :callaway: Rogue 4W + 7W
Hybrid:  :callaway: Big Bertha OS 4H at 22°  ||  Irons:  :callaway: Mavrik MAX 5i-PW
Wedges:  :callaway: MD3: 48°, 54°... MD4: 58° ||  Putter:image.png.b6c3447dddf0df25e482bf21abf775ae.pngInertial NM SL-583F, 34"  
Ball:  image.png.f0ca9194546a61407ba38502672e5ecf.png QStar Tour - Divide  ||  Bag: :sunmountain: Three 5 stand bag

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Calling what those chain stores do a "fitting" is playing fairly loose with the term anyway.

This could be considered rather disingenuous, the Dick's close to here has a flightscope that they use to help fit you. *I just found this out, it's still 30+ miles away but much closer than anyplace else.* I did not inquire about whether they had the ability to swap out shafts and whatnot during testing though. Of course, it's not as good as you would get from other stores, the Golf Galaxy I stopped at had true fitting with interchangeable shafts that could be fit on different club heads and a flightscope to compare to make sure you got the best numbers. They also did club testing, ball fitting, etc. The only drawback was it was inside on a mat that could hide mishits. I think stores are getting better at giving actual fittings than they used to be, unfortunately the store here only has a net to hit into which is next to worthless for choosing a club. That's not to say they are up to the level of a true high end fittings, but it is much better than you are giving them credit for.

KICK THE FLIP!!

In the bag:
:srixon: Z355

:callaway: XR16 3 Wood
:tmade: Aeroburner 19* 3 hybrid
:ping: I e1 irons 4-PW
:vokey: SM5 50, 60
:wilsonstaff: Harmonized Sole Grind 56 and Windy City Putter

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I am a firm believer of diminishing utility.

Yes, I could get some $1000 fitting with laser sensors all over my body or something.

But, I think shaft flex and length is like 80% of the puzzle.

So, it doesn't take Freddy Couples to tell me I'm fine with a reg. flex shaft (anyone can just eyeball this a observe a couple of swings)

And I am sure the length is in the right ballpark for measuring wrist height.  For $7, it's a big bang for the buck to know 44" is better than 45.5"

I was at the course and blasted 3 or 4 very nice drives today.

I also hooked a few, but no club can fix a swing flaw.

For $60, I am very pleased to have a real driver in my bag after never being able to hit driver in my life.

Shot 41 on the front 9.

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Note: This thread is 3550 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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