proper golf club fitting

[flopdarock]

whats your idea of a proper fitting?
is it going to the local store... talking to a salesman... hitting a bunch of 6 irons or drivers till you find the one you like?
or a pro's suggestions?
or taking body measurements hopping on a monitor and getting stats that way?
how was your fitting session? and did it translate to when you actually used the clubs on the course after the purchase?

did you go old school or modern high tech when you got fitted?

just curious

[basesloaded190]

Being fit really should be a combination of what you said. First you need measurements taken to see how long the club should be, hit some balls on the computer to get some spin and ball and swing speed numbers. Then lastly once you know what will work for best, you should hit those irons or woods to see what looks best to you and what you feel most comfortable with.

[PiKapp23]

An ideal fitting is a 'dynamic' fitting where just about every factor is being considered, checked and tested to ensure clubs are the best fit for you and your swing. Most retail stores and even some professional fitters do more of a 'static' fitting where essentially they are looking at specific factors (like arm length, hand size, ball/swing speed and checking for lie angle with lie board). This information is simply applied to static data that says you need stiff shaft because your swing speed is 100 MPH and your arm length is 36 inches so you need shaft 1/2 inch long and lie board shows you need lie angle adjusted +1 degree (this is just info I made up). A dynamic fitting done by a reliable fitter will look at more than just this raw data. They realize that just because your swing speed fits a list that say 'stiff shaft' doesn't mean that a R or X shaft might be better for your swing. The same with the other info. Some dynamic fittings will go so far as to check/adjust lofts even to help even up gaps. It should also be noted that a lot of people during a static fitting will either 'adjust' to the clubs or what they want. What I'm talking about is a player may adjust his stance a little bit for clubs that are too long or short or may swing harder than normal because he wants a S flex shaft. This stuff leads to an inaccurate fitting and thus the player may end up with the wrong stuff for them.

A static fitting just takes numbers and applies them to a generic golfer. A dynamic fitting looks at your numbers and your swing and applies those to what is best for you. Only bad thing is that a dynamic fitting can be expensive and time consuming.

I think being properly fit is very important, but most people either do not bother with it or they just get the generic static fitting at retail store where they buy and end up with the wrong equipment.

[Dub]

PiKapp23 said it all..... Dynamic Fitting.

Well said.

Custom fitting for me was not some elitist theme...but a needed function. Being taller than average can present certain challenges in the game with equipment.

The three biggest things that helped me:

1) correct length shafts...I was struggling with my first set of standard length sticks.....hilarious looking.

2) proper lie angle....really helped straighten things out.


3) hardest to dial in on for me was / is shaft flex. So many shafts have one label, however, they actually qualify as a different flex than what they are marked. This is where the dynamic theme really hit home with me. Simply adding the needed length to the sicks seemed to increase the flex. Hard to just order them and hope for the best. Also, I have a slower backswing and gradual transition...very little pre-load on the shaft. I do better with lighter flex than I ever thought. As a rule...a Stiff flex shaft lengthened to my needed length is usually close to what I need.

[Pablo McGheesio]

I have just recieved my custom Mizuno Irons.

I went to the mizuno centre over here. I hit some balls with my own irons, we looked over the stats. I then tried a variety of clubs and shaf set-up untill we decided I was hitting the correct club.

Then we went through grips etc...

Mizuno are excellent in my opinion, I would go no where else.

[flopdarock]

both of my brothers laid out some serious cash for dynamic fitting... ive always done the static fitting... i might have to do some research on a place close to here for a dynamic fitting... im not in the market for a new set right now but i just love check out new gear...

i am a heavy duty advocate for lessons and proper fitting... when i see guys with terrible swings flailing brand new sticks... all i can think of is 'boy their pro/fitter/retailer really screwed them on that purchase'

[wachesawgolfer]

Its like anything else. You can pay as much as much as you want and spend days doing it. Bottom line is if your swing is arms based and inconsistent with slices and pulls, what you fit into one day may not fit you the next day, no matter how much you spend.

Point two, there are no standards whatsoever in the golf world. There are three ways to measure the length of clubs; one company's stiff is another's senior flex. One company's 8 iron loft is another 's PW loft.

Point three is if your over 6 feet 2 inches or under 5 foot 4 inches or your arms are very long or very short (male), it would be of benefit to to a custom club maker as you may need significantly longer or shorter clubs to swing as well as you can.

If your about average most off the rack clubs will do. Shaft flex is easy. If you can carry a 7 iron 160 yards, ie hit the 160 stick or marker you can play a stiff, 170 your into an X, less than 160 you need a R (which is most of us) If you fall into 140 or less you need an A. This is standard weight steel about 129 grams. If you cannot hit a 7 iron 150, you should look at shafts 95 grams or less. There is a lot out there now from Femco, Nippon Rifle and True Temper.

Hit a few clubs and find out which feels the best and gives you the ball flight and distance you want. Be sure the lofts are the same which may mean an 8 in one set and a 7 in another. Specifications are vital to club fitting, re tagging a 5 iron as a 7 iron can be misleading.

Once you find a set you lie hit off a lie board to and adjust the lie angles if needed.

For drivers there no shortcut to hitting a lot of sticks until you find one you like and here, a custom clubfitter is a bonus as they may have a lot shorter demos and you may find you can really tag a 44 inch driver with no distance loss.

Bottom line to me is club fitting is a common sense thing and realizing you cannot buy a golf game, there is no shortcut to learning a good repeatable motion.

[EHSGolf1]

Has anyone gotten fit at GolfGalaxy? If so, isn't that more of a static fitting? I was just wondering because i'm looking at getting fit there.

[flopdarock]

Has anyone gotten fit at GolfGalaxy? If so, isn't that more of a static fitting? I was just wondering because i'm looking at getting fit there.

i think GG is a combo of both... but im not sure

[Ken Smith]

There are a number of variables that go into truly fitting a set of golf clubs. The static measurements, as they relate to the length of the golf clubs, have become somewhat consistent industry-wide. But once you get beyond that, there are varying beliefs and concepts as to what consitutes custom-fitting. A dynamic fitting is always best. This is where the average OEM manufacturer is losing market share. In an attempt to meet this demand, they have began marketing custom-fit clubs as one of their areas of expertise. But, the reality is that with a little smoke and mirrors, they deliver nothing more than another set of production-line clubs. They refuse to get away from their financially-profitable, production-line methods, and truly produce custom-fit golf clubs.

By using clubhead speed as the key to fitting golf clubs, they do not need personal contact (dynamic fitting), nor do they need to deviate from the standard frequency slope or their mass-production procedures. If you haven't already noticed, this is a topic that I'm passionate about. Rather than performing true fittings, OEM manufacturers push clubhead design as the answer to your performance problems, and they change them every year and tell you they will improve your game even more than last year's model. Most likely, last year's model did absolutely nothing for your game unless you just happened upon the correct shaft frequency for your swing. Selling clubs based upon clubhead design naturally assigns shaft frequency as secondary status.

Most golf clubs on the market today use identical flex category shafts tipped consistent increments from club to club (usually 1/2"), then butt-trimmed to the finished length. This process makes each shaft stiffer by four to five cycles of natural frequency, as the clubs get shorter and shorter. This has come to be known as the Brunswick Slope. However, through hundreds of fittings, I have found that very few golfers are properly fit with this four to five cyle per minute progression, as predetermined by club and shaft manufacturers. Most golfers have a unique frequency slope depicting their individual swing timing, and their clubs should be built accordingly. Sometimes on straight lines, sometimes on curves, sometimes on positive, and sometimes on negative slopes. Everyone is different, and unless you are properly fit through a Swing Frequency Analysis, and have your clubs built to your unique frequency slope, you will never have a fully-fit set of clubs. To learn more about truly custom-fit golf clubs, visit my site at kc••••••••••••••.

[harrinjj]

I'm actually going to get fitted this Saturday. Should I have some clubs I want in mind or do I just hit and he will let me know what manufacture best fits my swing? I do want the mizuno's based on what I have heard about them. I demoed them and like them, but didn't try many others out. The club fitter is fitting me for irons and a driver, so it will take 2 hours approx. What should I be expecting?

[golf_junkie27]

IMHO, a proper fitting involves knowing what your faults are as related to your swing and knowing how you want to play. Also, knowing what clubs you are most weak with. This way, the fitter can make a recommendation as to the type of club you should be using: SGI, GI, Player's Cavity Back, Blades, etc. You should also go in blind as to manufacturer. What's not important is where it comes from or who makes it but whether it suits your game. This is really important when it comes to shafts. A good fitter can and will recommend based upon current ball flight and what you are seeking. FWIW, when I got fitted, again, the fitter suggested I switch to a shaft that would give me a higher ball flight in the lower irons (what I was seeking) and actually going to a standard size instead of the +1 I was using. You should go through every club in the bag and not just your six iron. You don't just play with your six iron so why hit only that club?

Lastly, get fit for a putter, too. Every proper fitting should include the flatstick. You're going to use it more than any other club and you would be surprised how much your current putter can be off from proper specs.

[Big Padrigo]

I got properly fitted on Friday. When I got my iron set two years ago (Ping G5) I was told to wait for a full fitting until I was playing more regularly and just got the standard black dot lie. Anyways on Friday I got told that my lie is silver, so thats like 3.75 degrees upright. Now I understand why I miss right so often, even when contact is solid. So I will be getting clubs adjusted in a couple of weeks.

[Want2PlayMore]

Where would you go to get fit?
When you do locate a place to get fit, do you use one of the major companies or do you go with the club make, club fitter in your area?

[golf_junkie27]

Where would you go to get fit?

Ask around your local golf course or range for fitting recommendations. Look for a fitter who has access to every piece of equipment, imaginable. A good start is Max Out Golf Labs. Do a google search. If they are not near you, it's possible that they are affiliated with someone who is. These guys have so much available that you will be there for a few hours. Be warned, they are not cheap. A full fitting costs $250. That includes wedges, irons, driver, woods, hybrids and putter. Also, you will have to make an appointment and have a few hours, available, roughly, three hours.