What came first 'the fitting' or 'the lessons'?

[ASUslacker]

I guess this is like the chicken and egg argument.

I have been saving some cash and was wondering what should I get first,
custom fitting or some lessons?

And also has anyone been fitted by any of two companies listed below:

Cool Clubs http://www.coolclubs.com/index.php

Hot Stix http://hotstixgolf.com/index.php?action=services

Or does anyone know a good fitter or teaching pro in Az?

Any advise is appreciated.

[fischman]

I would say lessons than fitting. Lessons to build a good swing. Then once you have a swing you can repeat, go to the fitter and get fitted for your swing. Being fitted for an inconsistent/poor swing will only lead to needing to be fitted again when you get lessons and improve your swing. Likely your swing speed will increase and you'll have a better understanding of what you want for kickpoints, trajecory, etc...

Josh F.

[Par Fore]

I'm with fischman, take a few lessons and make sure your posture is right....then, when you feel like you've got a good hold on the posture and swing you want to implement, then get a fitting....

Also, take your time getting new clubs.....advise hitting at least 10 different types....I was amazed at literally how different clubs can feel, how they fit the eye......

Good luck...

[mirv]

i'm going to say that fitting is an important thing to have done first. if you get sent out to a job site with a set of tools, and are told what you need to do, but you don't have the proper tools for the job... how well are you going to be able to do that job, regardless of how skilled you may be?

i played for years with clubs that were not properly sized for me, and when i finally got a set that was fitted, they felt completely alien to me. adjusting to my clubs being 3/4 of an inch longer was a lot more difficult than i would've assumed it to be.

[indacup]

Speaking as someone who offers both, I would say the answer for you would be to get some lessons locally first....THEN get fitted.

Mirv makes an excellent argument to do it the opposite way, but in his case he went a long time before getting fitted....I agree with him, thats too long to go before a fitting.

But in your case, I'd say get a lesson (or two) to learn the basics...and develop a rudamentry personal swing.

I'm not saying get a swing so etched in consistency it would be hard to break down and revamp...but get a swing and basic knowledge, enough to inable the fitter to work and set you up, in confidence.

Incidentally, I am not a big fan of many Hot Stixx centers since they started franchising to anyone with $26k in their bank account.

They are only as good as the inventory put in the system and the people operating the equipment.

I have seen some horrible and completely incompetent personel operating those systems.

However, the one near you I know...and they are one of, if not the best in the nation....I would recommend them in a heartbeat.

[PiKapp23]

To take it even a step further than indacup says, get lessons from the person who will also be doing the fitting. This is the person who, over the course of a lesson or two, will best understand your swing and your capabilities. If this is not possible, then I would recommend at least a lesson or two first to help you understand the golf swing and your body during this action.

I'm different than most in that my father was the PGA Pro that taught me the game and fitted me for my first clubs (actually he gave me a set, then taught me the swing and played a bit together before he then adjusted the irons for me). I personally think that would be the ideal so that you can figure out your natural swing and style then be fitted for that.

[indacup]

To take it even a step further than indacup says, get lessons from the person who will also be doing the fitting. This is the person who, over the course of a lesson or two, will best understand your swing and your capabilities. If this is not possible, then I would recommend at least a lesson or two first to help you understand the golf swing and your body during this action.

I agree with you.......that would be ideal!

[ASUslacker]

Thanks for the advise guys.

Anyone know someone in Az who does all this?
I found these two guys but am trying to check out all the options first.

http://arizonacustomgolfclubs.net/aboutgary.htm

http://www.biltmoregolf.com/index.htm

[microcrayfish]

I have a question regarding this matter. I'm going down the path of getting a few lessons and then getting fitted but what I'm wondering is, how grooved and consistent does a swing need to be?

For instance, is it enough to get a couple of lessons to make sure your stance, posture and other fundamentals are correct, then get a pro to give you something to work towards swing wise, and then go to a club fitter and say "here's where I want to go with this swing, fit some clubs for me"? Or, would it be best to work for a while getting your swing down properly so you can say to the club maker "here's my swing, now fit me some clubs"?

[PiKapp23]

I have a question regarding this matter. I'm going down the path of getting a few lessons and then getting fitted but what I'm wondering is, how grooved and consistent does a swing need to be?

A fitting is more likely to be accurate and helpful in the long run if you have a somewhat reliable swing. Since you're a 22 handicap I think the best approach for you is to get some lessons, help 'groove' your swing, then get a fitting, with possibly a lesson or two after that swing to help you re-groove your swing and make sure that the fitting had not caused major changes in your swing or approach (either physically or mentally). The post-fitting lesson may not need to be more than just a few minutes for the instructor (hopefully the same person you worked with previously) to look at your swing to see if anything has changed and possibly make adjustments as necessary.

For a new player (one who has never played or has only played a couple casual rounds) I think the best approach is get fitting and lessons together so the player can learn with the correct stuff, but for more experienced players this can sometimes cause problems because the tendency after getting lessons is for the experienced player to revert to old swing when new swing/approach doesn't seem to be working (usually simply because the player lacks the patience). Thus the fitting that was done based on a new swing may end up not being correct for the swing they end up using. With new players, they are more accepting of the new swing and less likely to go away from their learnings.

[Norm3333]

This is a very interesting thread since I am going to reward myself with new irons this summer. Have not hit any yet, but will definitely get fitted. A good point that was brought up is the reputation of the fitter. How does one find out if a place has a good reputation or just gonna sell me what they want and not really help me?

[indacup]

Norm,

First off, I suggest not being seduced because an instructor is a great player, many certifications, or has exotic equipment.

The single most important thing is to find an instructor who you communicate with.

Find someone in your group of golfers that you get along with...and feel comfortable with. Then ask them who they got their lessons from and if they were pleased.

Assuming that person has displayed noticeable improvement, then I would feel comfortable meeting with his instructor.

Now when you meet with the instructor make sure you discuss with him in advance, what you want to see improvement on...make sure you and him agree on specific goals for your lesson.

You both have to work on a common goal...one at a time.

There are two different types of students......two different types of learning personalities.

Verbal or Visual.

Some students can be taught how to do something, why it needs to be done and how.....and have the instructor point to parts of the body and club explaining the physics and mechanical principles behind their teaching process....and they understand it and progress great.

Some instructors can go overboard and get too verbal and cloud things by talking too much (typical of many TGM instructors).

Some people (which includes me) don't like over analytical instruction...for me, just show me the swing and I will duplicate it. (well to the best of my ability...LOL)

Good luck!.