Proper Driver Fitting & Avg Cost?

[ShawnSum]

Has anyone here been to a Top 100-ish type of Driver Fitting recently? If so, what kind of experience was it and how much did it cost you? Did you purchase what they recommended for you, such as expensive after market shafts, etc?

I'm trying to get a rough estimate on what the maximum "out the door" pricing could be and I have no idea how expensive shafts can be. I'm currently looking at going to True Spec Golf near Orlando, so $125 for the fitting, $500-ish for a modern Driver, so we're at $625 already..lol.

Just trying to get an idea before even planning a trip down there!

Edited October 8, 2019 by ShawnSum

[dennyjones]

I don't know about the Orlando area but many top places give you a discount (sometimes free) if you purchase the club from them.    Don't be pressured into buying an expensive shaft.   I'm sure they will show you what works best for you but you can get the same or comparable shaft usually cheaper.   

[Patch]

Around here, (Southern Nevada) the fitting is usually free, if you purchase the fitted product from the company doing the fitting. Most even advertise "Free Club Fitting W/Purchase". 

Another idea is to go to more than one fitter. Get your specs, and tip each guy a few dollars for his time. Your specs should match up pretty close from store, to store. If they don't, then either the fitting(s), or your swing are suspect. 

If your fittings are ok, they match up well, then buy your club from the company offering the best price. 

Also a component club will be less expensive than an oem brand by several $100.00s. Most component clubs are just as good as the oems.

[ShawnSum]

54 minutes ago, Patch said:

Around here, (Southern Nevada) the fitting is usually free, if you purchase the fitted product from the company doing the fitting. Most even advertise "Free Club Fitting W/Purchase". 

Another idea is to go to more than one fitter. Get your specs, and tip each guy a few dollars for his time. Your specs should match up pretty close from store, to store. If they don't, then either the fitting(s), or your swing are suspect. 

If your fittings are ok, they match up well, then buy your club from the company offering the best price. 

Also a component club will be less expensive than an oem brand by several $100.00s. Most component clubs are just as good as the oems.

We do have stores here that offer a "free fitting" but it's no where near as in depth as something along the lines of Club Champion, Golftec, True Spec, etc. From my understanding the reason these places have a up front cost for just the fitting is because they go over everything thoroughly and then print you out a spec sheet of everything if you want to buy somewhere else.

I'm honestly not even sure what you mean by a "component club"?

[Cantankerish]

The PGA superstore in Plantation, FL has free fitting available (as well as by appointment).  But you will not get what you are looking for out if there fitting when it is free.

 

I think that if you are spending that much for a club, pay the extra and get fit correctly.

[Adam C]

You are probably low on the out the door price you could quickly end up with if you buy from them. Figure $125 for the fitting, that may or may not be credited back to the purchase price based on the fitting company. Driver head will be $450-$550. Shafts will probably be in the $300-$450 range as to what they recommend. Also they will tack on a $30 shaft PUREing charge and another $10 for the grip often.

I have heard many people walk out with a $900 driver recommendation.

My advise, go get fit, get the info for what seemed to be working well for you. Don't just look for one perfect shaft, look for shaft traits that seem to work with your swing. Most important element of a shaft is the weight, followed by balance point. After that shaft consistency, then bend profile. At the very bottom is torque.

Find the right shaft weight and you are most of the way there. Then you can take those specs, along with the head type and related specs and go a few different ways. You can order the club new and find a stock or upgrade option that matches well against your fitting results. Or you can buy the head and shaft separately on eBay or a good golf forum.

If you really feel the need to spend $900, to have a custom built driver then go ahead, in the end it's your money. Personally I don't think there is a golf club on the planet worth that. 

[ChetlovesMer]

This is an interesting topic because it seems to vary greatly depending on where you live. 

Around here you can pay anywhere between free and $140 for a driver fitting. However, most of the driver fittings will end up either free or up to $40 if you buy your club from them. 

In my personal opinion if you pay more than 50 bucks for a driver fitting then you are throwing money away. I know others will disagree with me but with a driver the fitter only has to fit you into what ever you hit furthest and/or straightest. I believe there is actually more to an iron fitting. With irons you have to take into account gapping, set make up, trajectories, how many wedges you carry, how many hybrids, you will probably want to be fitted for a long iron, a middle iron, and a short iron from the set. You may want different shafts in each. You may need to bend a few heads stronger or weaker. You may tweak lie angles, maybe more or less on the long irons, or the short irons, etc... 

However, I digress. In answer to your question I had one of those full on, pro style fittings for my driver. Here are my impressions.

    First - It was fun. 

    Second - It was $140.00 and took about 2 hours. If I buy the club from them I got $100 off the fitting... and I did buy the club from them. So, I paid $40.

    Third - Consider which brand of club you are going to buy. I purchased a Cobra. Cobra gives you many shaft options for zero up-charge. Mizuno gives you even more options. The shaft I got in my Cobra F9 would have been an $60.00 upcharge in Callaway or Taylormade, and $90 upcharge in Titleist or Ping. 

   Fourth - Be really leery of any fitter who tries to tell you there are no shafts that will fit your swing without an upcharge. Even Titleist or Ping should have a dozen or so options without an upcharge. There's probably something in those that are really really close to as good as the massive upcharge shaft.

   Fifth - If you do go for something with a big upcharge don't be afraid to use this phrase. "Hey Bob, if buy that Ping driver with the $200 shaft upgrade, and I give you a heathy tip, would you consider waiving the fitting fee?" 

   Sixth - Don't buy it unless you love it. What ever you buy, you are going to be dropping your hard earned cash on it. If it doesn't truly improve your game, save your money for more lessons. 

Do let us know how it comes out. 
Good Luck

[ShawnSum]

6 minutes ago, Adam C said:

You are probably low on the out the door price you could quickly end up with if you buy from them. Figure $125 for the fitting, that may or may not be credited back to the purchase price based on the fitting company. Driver head will be $450-$550. Shafts will probably be in the $300-$450 range as to what they recommend. Also they will tack on a $30 shaft PUREing charge and another $10 for the grip often.

I have heard many people walk out with a $900 driver recommendation.

My advise, go get fit, get the info for what seemed to be working well for you. Don't just look for one perfect shaft, look for shaft traits that seem to work with your swing. Most important element of a shaft is the weight, followed by balance point. After that shaft consistency, then bend profile. At the very bottom is torque.

Find the right shaft weight and you are most of the way there. Then you can take those specs, along with the head type and related specs and go a few different ways. You can order the club new and find a stock or upgrade option that matches well against your fitting results. Or you can buy the head and shaft separately on eBay or a good golf forum.

If you really feel the need to spend $900, to have a custom built driver then go ahead, in the end it's your money. Personally I don't think there is a golf club on the planet worth that. 

Thanks for that info. I definitely do not need to spend $900 on a Driver and I never would but I do feel like a modern driver and most importantly a properly fitted shaft would go a long way for me as I am swinging a feather at the moment. 

9 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

This is an interesting topic because it seems to vary greatly depending on where you live. 

Around here you can pay anywhere between free and $140 for a driver fitting. However, most of the driver fittings will end up either free or up to $40 if you buy your club from them. 

In my personal opinion if you pay more than 50 bucks for a driver fitting then you are throwing money away. I know others will disagree with me but with a driver the fitter only has to fit you into what ever you hit furthest and/or straightest. I believe there is actually more to an iron fitting. With irons you have to take into account gapping, set make up, trajectories, how many wedges you carry, how many hybrids, you will probably want to be fitted for a long iron, a middle iron, and a short iron from the set. You may want different shafts in each. You may need to bend a few heads stronger or weaker. You may tweak lie angles, maybe more or less on the long irons, or the short irons, etc... 

However, I digress. In answer to your question I had one of those full on, pro style fittings for my driver. Here are my impressions.

    First - It was fun. 

    Second - It was $140.00 and took about 2 hours. If I buy the club from them I got $100 off the fitting... and I did buy the club from them. So, I paid $40.

    Third - Consider which brand of club you are going to buy. I purchased a Cobra. Cobra gives you many shaft options for zero up-charge. Mizuno gives you even more options. The shaft I got in my Cobra F9 would have been an $60.00 upcharge in Callaway or Taylormade, and $90 upcharge in Titleist or Ping. 

   Fourth - Be really leery of any fitter who tries to tell you there are no shafts that will fit your swing without an upcharge. Even Titleist or Ping should have a dozen or so options without an upcharge. There's probably something in those that are really really close to as good as the massive upcharge shaft.

   Fifth - If you do go for something with a big upcharge don't be afraid to use this phrase. "Hey Bob, if buy that Ping driver with the $200 shaft upgrade, and I give you a heathy tip, would you consider waiving the fitting fee?" 

   Sixth - Don't buy it unless you love it. What ever you buy, you are going to be dropping your hard earned cash on it. If it doesn't truly improve your game, save your money for more lessons. 

Do let us know how it comes out. 
Good Luck

Very nice..this is the kind of info I was hoping to get!!! The going rate around here seems to be about $125 for the full on Pro Style fitting and then Free for places like Dicks Sporting Goods, etc. I will definitely post results when it happens!

[billchao]

51 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

"Hey Bob, if buy that Ping driver with the $200 shaft upgrade, and I give you a heathy tip, would you consider waiving the fitting fee?" 

I think Jane might be offended if I said that to her at my fitting 😜

I kid. Good post.

[Patch]

4 hours ago, ShawnSum said:

We do have stores here that offer a "free fitting" but it's no where near as in depth as something along the lines of Club Champion, Golftec, True Spec, etc. From my understanding the reason these places have a up front cost for just the fitting is because they go over everything thoroughly and then print you out a spec sheet of everything if you want to buy somewhere else.

I'm honestly not even sure what you mean by a "component club"?

A component club is a club that is made from scratch using less expensive golf club parts.

Based on the golfer's specs, the fitter will recommend a club head, a shaft, and a grip. The fitter, or club builder will put the pieces together for a completed club. The finished component club will most likely not have oem lables like Taylor Made, Ping, Callaway, Tour Edge, and others. 

Google " component golf clubs" for a more thoroug understanding of the process. 

I have 4 metal woods in my bag. They are all made up from components, and are a matched set, according to my swing specs. Total cost for the 4 clubs was right around $450 several years ago. If I were to have purchased these 4 clubs in a major, oem brand, the price would have been $200-$400 higher for the same spec'd, 4 clubs. The fact that I am still using them after many, many years speaks for their quality. All I have ever done was replace the grips a few times over the years. 

[uitar9]

I was fitted for a driver three winters ago-ended up with a medium golf pride grip, Accra shaft and a 12.5 degree KZG head-all in $340 which included three hours with fitter. He usually charges $125 for kzg irons and wedges.

[The Flush]

The top 100 fitter near me charges $100 for the (driver or irons) fitting and gives you a $25 credit if you buy from him within a week.

[IowaGreg]

Just an option...…...

Check on getting fitted for a discontinued model that is typically 2-3 yrs old.  They still have good technology, and typically 1/2 the price of and "latest" model.  I recently got a fitted Mizuno ST180 for under $300. 

[Wohlf62]

I have a fitting scheduled for next week with a top 100 clubfitter he carries Taylormade, Callaway, KZG, Wishon,GC-one sterling, tour edge exotics, Vega clubs. Shafts carries rifle, Accra,  ust   Kbs, true temper ,hzrdus, fujikura, 

do you think there will be a big difference between a major brand name club and a component made golf club.  I don’t want to pay through the nose for a brand when a component club will do.  I don’t care about what people see in my bag ie.. callaway, taylormade I care more about results.  Same goes for shafts  any info and advise in regards to this either having been fitted in the past or just opinion would be appreciated.  Don’t have money to splurge on brand name clubs if component clubs can give me same results.  

 

 

[xrayvizhen]

Be very, very suspicious of anyone / anyplace that will start substituting shafts on you to the extent that you get confused. There are so many options available if you don't have your head screwed on straight you will start to get confused. The golf club manufacturers keep a tight reign on the prices their dealers can charge for clubs. Not so for the shafts so some places, like the Club Champion / Golftec type of places, will be eager to replace the stock shafts available with something more exotic and will manipulate the fitting to convince you that you need a $400 Diamana rather than one of the shafts the manufacturer will supply on special order.

I have a friend who was quoted over $4000 for a set of 8 Wilson Staff irons because the fitter, one of the ones mentioned above, started substituting shafts on him. When he showed me the quote I told him he was nuts, pointed him to a local golf store I knew which sold him the same set with quality graphite shafts for $2500 less. He'll know better next time when he's ready to buy a driver.

Before you go for the fitting, search the manufacturer's website. They will show what shafts they can provide with their heads along with the up-charges, if any, for each and remember - Caveat emptor.