Why you should ALWAYS get fitted by a professional

[Shindig]

You cant be serious saying something like that with a 2 index.

While I completely disagree with what he said, better players get less benefit from fitting than players at my level because they can make the adaptation to the clubs better.

That having been said, everyone should get fitted, from the beginner to Tiger. Especially with the number of companies that will do it for free!

[nykfan4life]

lol. thats a given. guys who work at large sports retailers are basically hight school drop outs and don't know much about what they sell.

So true.

What did you expect?? A guy making $7 that prob. doesn't play....Sports Auth. is like Academy, you don't go in there expecting to learn something....that's a given.

Yeah, I guess I shouldn't have expected much. He was like 40 years old, too.

Ahha poor guy, making a fool, you shoulda just flat out told him You think you know more than he does.

I didn't I am 15 and he is an adult. He would probably think I was some little jerk, and If i ever needed his help ever in some other department there(I usually pick up golf balls there when I'm nearby), it would be awkward.

haha, good story! im tempted to go in sports authority tommorow and mess with one of these salesmen. sounds like fun! i have gone in there before, and they dont seem too bad, but maybe i should ask them the complicated stuff like whether the shaft is steel or graphite

better yet, just ask 'which club hit farthest' He'll reach for a putter..

Personally i dont get fitted..I never saw the reason to...I usually just pick something up off the shelf and and make adjustments with my swing...i honestly think getting fitted is overrated because back in the old days those guys ,(like trevino said) used to do the same thing--

While I do believe you

can play with anything, you are completely off on this. Anyone who has gotten professionally fit ever will say this. I am beginning to question your handicap. I'm not sure you can be this good at golf and think this way.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

that was exactly my thought

You cant be serious saying something like that with a 2 index.

Like I said above, I'm pretty sure its closer to 22.

I am serious..I can hit my friends drivers the same way as mine..fitting doesnt matter to me because i choke up and down on the grip with different clubs..to me getting fitted isnt necessary because i am more of a "feel" player..

Well, granted, you can use any modern club and do alright, but you will get the full benefit of the technology, and do

so much better if you have the right clubs for you.

Okay, r7, I've had enough. The minimal amount of comedy you supply (in laughing AT you) is simply not worth the mis-information, bad information, and simply unfounded, useless information with which you routinely litter this forum. I'm resetting your reputation to 0 but placing you in the penalty box.

*applause*

That having been said, everyone should get fitted, from the beginner to Tiger.

Thought it would be good to leave it on that note.

[dave39]

hahahahahahahah

x2

Edit: Just to throw it out there... I have never been fitted for clubs. If you hang around the game and take a deep enough interest than you know what clubs are decent and what clubs are not. I stand 6'1" with an athletic build and honestly, pulling a set of clubs off the rack works just fine for me. Trying to get fitted and testing 10 different shafts is just a headache in my opinion (especially if it turns out that your new $300 driver doesn't work as well as your old one). If I had all the time in the world and was getting all my gear for free than yeah, I would take an afternoon and get properly fitted. But the reality of the situation here is that if you are posting on this forum you are probably not on the PGA tour making millions of dollars per year so just do whatever you need to in order to have fun. If fitting helps your game than perfect!! But if not, no big deal... life goes on.

[skierbri10]

I worked at Gart Sports here in Colorado for awhile. Gart is now Sports Authority.....Anyway, to their credit, there are some good sales people that know what they are talking about. Overall, though you better do your research and rely on their sales people.

[larlev]

x2

Well said....I recently got fitted only to find that my Adams clubs where just what I needed no adjustments needed...lucky, or is it normally the case....Hmmmm I wonder I'm 6'1" 200...just for the record

[msd3075]

While I completely disagree with what he said, better players get less benefit from fitting than players at my level because they can make the adaptation to the clubs better.

Great comment. While I completely agree that people should be fitted for their clubs if at all possible, the extent to which it makes a significant difference varies from player to player. There were people playing to much better thna a 2 handicap way before club fitting was as common as it is today.

[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

[msd3075]

While reading another site, ....

Absolutely perfect.

[shaggy023]

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

Correct link -

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

[elchene]

You cant be serious saying something like that with a 2 index.

I love how his handicap index says not 2 now. As for the guy at sports authority: wow.......

[larlev]

How do you distinguish a good one from a bad one?

10-12 strokes....wow.....

Why am I such a skeptic? Maybe I should try and change my way of thinking....

[Serenity Now]

I actually like to buy balls at Sports Authority as they often run 25% off coupons which is a good time to stock up on New Callaway Tour IX's

[nykfan4life]

I actually like to buy balls at Sports Authority as they often run 25% off coupons which is a good time to stock up on New Callaway Tour IX's

Balls are okay to buy. Just don't get fitted thier

PS- nice 'seinfeld' nod. I see you are also a fan

[KGC]

Completely agree with the notion that you should get fitted as I have had a similar experience here in OZ, however I bought the clubs I thought were right for me rather than being talked into it by a sales asisstant. These were a set of game improvement clubs with a reg shaft. Did not have any joy with them they didn't feel right and the offset was off putting. Ended up setting the clubs aside and organised a fitting with our club pro and wound up with a set of clubs that I wouldn't have selected but have found really improved my ball striking. It didn't take too long to be fitted and it made a huge difference especially to my enjoyment of the game.

[ptwob234]

I was just fitted for some Taylor Made clubs at Golf Galaxy and from the tape on the sole, it looks like I need to be 3* upright. The trouble is, I am 5'-7" and use standard length clubs. Have you heard of shorter golfers being fitted with upright lie angles? Also, the clubs are cast clubs. How much will I be able to adjust them if the 3* upright is too much/too little?

Any info would be appreciated... Thanks.

[Fastrack]

I was just fitted for some Taylor Made clubs at Golf Galaxy and from the tape on the sole, it looks like I need to be 3* upright. The trouble is, I am 5'-7" and use standard length clubs. Have you heard of shorter golfers being fitted with upright lie angles? Also, the clubs are cast clubs. How much will I be able to adjust them if the 3* upright is too much/too little?

I'm about same height and think you're standing tall, holding club close to your body (ball is placed closer to you), steep angle of swing path, just I used to be like that. If that 3* adjustment works good, that's great. I have changed my swing little more flat and seems more consistance and 1* upright works for me.

[DavidFehertysBike]

x2

I agree. I finally got my irons bent to a fitting my pro did on me over the winter and I dont really feel like im hitting the ball any better or worse. Though I must stay I do feel a little more comforable at address with them

Wedges and woods I usually play strait off the rack, so to speak. I got a TM r7 425 the other day and I just went in to dicks, knew what i wanted and got it.

[Leek]

I was just fitted for some Taylor Made clubs at Golf Galaxy and from the tape on the sole, it looks like I need to be 3* upright. The trouble is, I am 5'-7" and use standard length clubs. Have you heard of shorter golfers being fitted with upright lie angles? Also, the clubs are cast clubs. How much will I be able to adjust them if the 3* upright is too much/too little?

Ummm, while its certainly possible, I would never go to Golf Galaxy, Golfsmith, Dicks or any place like that to get fit. The challenge is that people don't want to pay to get properly fit, and those places often make the fit 'free' if you buy clubs. Its the most expensive kind of free though. Their 'fitters' are pretty much untrained or poorly trained. So while you pay less, people often keep buying clubs trying to find clubs that suit their game. Why not pay a really good fitter their going rate and spend less overall because your fit is perfect?

Then you can play the irons for YEARS! I was improperly fit by an OEM salesperson from Mizuno at a demo day. My irons went left. I learned to block to keep them straight. Then when I made that swing with a driver, I pushed every drive. I didn't realize my irons were too upright and thought I had driver and fairway wood problems. Once I got fit by a good fitter, I could release and suddenly my driver was great!