Clubfitting- why it is important and who benefits the most

[Leek]

While reading another site, I came across this post from Tom Wishon. If you aren't familiar with Tom, he is recognized as one the golf industries foremost experts on clubs, club design and proper fitting. I believe he designed a large number of the Taylor Made iron and wood products in the recent past. He also has his own manufacturing company, that makes components.

"There was a post on the thread about the Kessler/XM Radio interview that really hit me as important enough to jack the thread over to a new one to talk about the subject that lurked between the lines of the post from the man who talked about being fit but not noticing a world of difference, yet he was still happy to have been fit.

The topic is WHO benefits from accurate fitting and more than that, HOW do they benefit and HOW MUCH ?? To me, this IS the whole essence of fitting for golfers who never thought about custom fitting, for golfers who cling to the myth that only good players benefit from fitting, and for golfers who realize the quality of fitting does vary from CM to CM.

After 30 some yrs digging deeply into the art/science of custom fitting, I can start by saying this in all seriousness.

"The level of VISIBLE or MEASURABLE shot and score improvement from custom fitting is inversely proportional to the golfer's handicap, up to a handicap of approximately 25."

By saying that, I am definitely saying that the higher the golfer's handicap, up to a point of about 25, the more visible shot improvement will come from accurate fitting, and the more score improvement as well, as long as the wedges and putter are included with the woods and irons in the professional fitting.

I stop this at 25 as an approximation point - what I mean is that for the golfer to really benefit from fitting, they have to be at a point where they get 90%+ of their shots well airborne, and they should have gotten to the point where there is some consistency in the errors and mistakes and bad shot results they get. At the same time, there is definite truth to the statement if the beginner or terrible golfer has clubs which are shorter/weaker/lighter/more flexible to start with, rather than longer/stronger std clubs off the rack, they can shorten the learning curve to get to this point of 90%+ airborne and most errors being somewhat consistent.

Typically, the higher the handicap, the more swing mistakes the golfer makes - things like outside in path, earlier release, downward angle of attack or very upward angle of attack. But as long as 2 of 3 swings on avg have about the same swing errors, that is when custom fitting can step in and start to really make a difference. For golfers like this, going shorter in length, getting rid of strong lofts in fwy woods and irons, getting the shaftweight/total weight more matched to the golfer's strength/downswing tempo/transition, using face angle to offset the path problems, getting the grip size fully comfortable so the hands/forearms stay relaxed while still holding securely to the club - all this can make a HUGE difference. And I define HUGE as being no less than 3-4 shots better and up to as much as 10-12 shots better.

Seriously, the more mistakes the golfer makes which hurt his accuracy and on center hit percentage, and if the golfer does make these mistakes with relative consistency, accurate clubfitting can be an overnight wonder.

The lower the handicap of the golfer, the more the golfer is getting into a less outside in path, a later release, a less downward and not so much upward angle of attack - the less visible and measurable effect fitting will have on shotmaking. However, for this golfer, accurate clubfitting can definitely start to get him/her into an overall FEEL for the clubs, that in turn breeds more consistency and confidence.

And when I say overall FEEL, I am talking about three different FEELS - 1) shaft bending feel and how that relates to confidence and swing timing and freedom through the release of the club to impact, 2) total weight and swingweight (MOI) feel of the club and how that relates to swing timing and rhythm, 3) Impact feel and how that relates to confidence in the clubs.

Interesting is that when the better player is properly fit, it is more rare for them to see an actual score improvement than it is when the higher handicap player is properly fit. Of course the exception to this is wedge and putter fitting - if the good player has never been fit properly for the wedges and putter, and if these clubs were poorly fit before to the golfer and for the courses he plays, definite score improvement can be seen. But if we are talking only about wood/iron fitting, it is definitely true that the higher handicap player will see more score improvement from accurate fitting than will the good player.

This is because the degree of the shotmaking mistakes of the higher handicap player is far worse and far more score damaging than are the shotmaking mistakes of the better player. You take a 20 handicap player and get him to hit 7 fairways instead of the 2 he hit before, to hit 7 greens when he hit 2 before, to lose 1 ball when he lost 3 per round before, to have one club less into the green - these are going to have the chance to have a big effect on his/her score.

And believe me, when you put standard OEM clubs off the rack into the hands of a 20 handicapper versus ones better fit for length, loft, lie, face angle, total weight, swingweight (MOI) and grip size, those types of ball striking improvement happen more times than they do not from accurate wood/iron fitting.

For the good player, accurate wood/iron fitting might increase fairways hit by 1 or 2, greens hit by 2 or 3 - because their athletic and swing ability that they were born with or worked hard to develop is already holding them in good stead. Sure, there are cases here and there where if certain aspects of the previous std made set were very ill fit for the player, more tangible improvement can happen for sure.

But it brings to mind the story from last week's Zurich Open in New Orleans - the story of the pro who found he made the cut after originally being told he missed the cut. His clubs did not make it back to New Orleans in time for his Saturday tee time, so he used a rental set from the pro shop and shot 71 in the third round. Good players have GOOD ATHLETIC ABILITY and decent swing moves, so they adapt to the clubs with which they play. When club specs that are slightly off are properly fit to the good player, improvement is very slight and more a feel thing. Typically only when specs are way off for the good golfer will the fitting improvement really show up very visibly.

But specs for the less skilled golfer can be WAY OFF when they buy a std made set off the rack because these golfers do NOT have the athletic ability to be able to adjust. The longer lengths can make the outside in move worse, make the release earlier, and these swing errors are so damaging to score and shotmaking quality that even a little improvement in the right direction can show up with remarkable results.

last point - as I said, really good clubfitters do not grow on trees. Neither do really good swing teachers. It takes time to learn the solid fundamentals of clubfitting. It takes more time to be able to know how to adapt them to all the different swing differences out there. And it takes even more time to learn all the nuances to be able to fit for FEEL. So yes, those of you who complain that there is too much inconsistency in fitting quality, you are right. But there are really good fitters out there, believe me. And they can and do make a difference.

TOM "

If you want to see the entire thread:

http://www.golfdiscussions.com/yabbs...c,24842.0.html

[golf_junkie27]

Leek,

This is such a great thread. Coming from a baseball background, comfort with equipment was always number one. Golf is no different. This is why, from my clubfitting experience, I'm constantly telling my friends to go and get fitted. The benefits outnumber the cost and a good, professional fitting, from the minute you walk through the door, lasts a few hours. I don't know how someone can give you club, let you swing on a lie board, take a measurement and say "Okay, you're done."

From my experience, I went in with little expectations. Once finished, the results were:

1) A increase in weight to my putter and raised 1*.
2) An extension of my wedges.
3) My short irons made a degree stronger.
4) My six iron set to 63.5. The same as most PW. The rest of the set was adjusted the same way.
5) A new shaft for my driver that weighed about 15 grams more, much lower torque, an increase in stiffness and additional 15-25 yards of distance.
6) A list of balls that I should play with and everything else to stay away from.
7) The types of grips, thickness and change in hand position.

I was $250 lighter in the wallet but it's been worth it. Not just because of the scores I've been shooting but why I should be using such equipment.