Question about buying online and fitting

[jrode]

I found a set of New Cobra 2008 FP Irons on eBay for $319.99 (down to $287.99 with a 10% off coupon I have on eBay) from a seller that I think some of you on here have said is very reputable, The Putterman. Here's what I'm wondering. Can lie, loft and length all be adjusted after purchasing a standard set? I don't know much about club fitting, but I've been told before that I need longer irons, but I'm not sure if that's true. I'm 6'3" so I'm pretty tall and I believe my wrist to floor is about 38" and I think I've looked it up in the past and it's recommended that I need clubs about 1/2" longer. Can length be adjusted after buying standard length clubs without buying all new shafts? And I'm assuming I should just go with regular stiffness as well? I'm just sort of confused on the process. $287.99 would be an absolute steal for me to get brand new irons, but I also want them to fit me right.

[Big_M]

Loft and lie can be adjusted fairly easy, but it will cost money. You shouldn't need to do anything with loft, but getting your lie angles adjusted should cost in the ballpark of $25-50 for a set of irons... so that's not that big of a deal and it can be done by simply hitting balls off a lie board and determining how much they need to be bent, if at all.

Length is much more difficult... it is best to put in a shaft that is long enough when building the club and trim it appropriately, but after built, clubs can still be altered via a shaft extension. This may effect swingweight, and will depend how much length you add. This can also be adjusted, with weights of otherwise... anyway... it will cost you for regripping and adding the extension to each club at the least... ballpark for Golf Galaxy or other box store is probably $75 or more for 3-PW, but I'm just guessing.

[jrode]

Loft and lie can be adjusted fairly easy, but it will cost money. You shouldn't need to do anything with loft, but getting your lie angles adjusted should cost in the ballpark of $25-50 for a set of irons... so that's not that big of a deal and it can be done by simply hitting balls off a lie board and determining how much they need to be bent, if at all.

What would you recommend doing? Do places like Golf Galaxy even keep anything other than standard length in stock?

[clearwaterms]

What would you recommend doing? Do places like Golf Galaxy even keep anything other than standard length in stock?

Golf Galaxy will order anything you want. I believe they have a fitting that will get you in the ball park for about $30, and they will apply that to the set of irons if you buy from them.

how much is that set from golf galaxy? have you hit other sets to compare it to? Are you sure this is the set for you? I know the s9 won a Golf Digest hot list award in 08 but that doesn't mean they are the clubs for you. just something to think about.

[jrode]

Golf Galaxy will order anything you want. I believe they have a fitting that will get you in the ball park for about $30, and they will apply that to the set of irons if you buy from them.

I hit around the FP's a bit and I found out one of my friends actually had some Nike Sumo irons so I got him to let me try them out at the driving range. These are the only two sets I've got around to trying so far, but I really like the FP's and I didn't notice much else at Golf Galaxy in my price range. In fact, the Sumo's are actually $499 at Golf Galaxy while the FP's are $399.

I just don't know which route to go with whatever irons I decide to buy. Obviously you can find great deals online, but it seems like there's a lot involved in fixing them to fit properly if you buy them standard. Where as if I just bought them for their stock price of $399 I'd have them fit properly right away without all the hassle. I don't know how the costs would match up in the end though.

[Doctorfro]

Buying online can be a great thing. But really I would only buy something if I could use it right away or the only thing it needed was a simple regripping. It's kind of like buying a house that's a "fixer upper". You can plan all you want but you will probably have something unexpected come up.

[mkrolewski]

Many of the online stores with allow adjustments to shaft lengths and lie as part of their base price. You have some say on grip size/type and shafts - typically at a cost. I think you would like the results better than buying the clubs and having them immediately modified.

The first issues is to determine what you want/need. Again most of the online stores have some sort of fitting algorithm eg height and distance to the floor from the wrist (?). For what it is worth, it is a reasonable estimate.

You could get a fitting at some cost elsewhere and use that information in your purchase. Again, the online purchases suggest a size based on their algorithm. You can override that choice.

[jrode]

I think I might just go into a place like Golf Galaxy and pay the $399 there and get fitted right away on the spot. I guess I'm willing to pay a little bit more knowing that everything will be properly fitted.

Does anyone know if you can drop clubs when you're buying at a place like Golf Galaxy? Like if I wanted 4-PW without the GW, would they do that? Just reduce the price down whatever the cost of that individual iron would be?

[Big_M]

I think I might just go into a place like Golf Galaxy and pay the $399 there and get fitted right away on the spot. I guess I'm willing to pay a little bit more knowing that everything will be properly fitted.

As for the Adams iron set in my sig... they usually come 3,4 hybrid and 5-PW... I was fitted at my local shop and ordered longer clubs, bent upright, with midsize grips and a 2, 3 hybrid and 4-PW... the set cost me the same as if I would have bought them off the rack (with the addition of 1 extra club, since I added an iron essentially). The fitting was free, and the clubs were built by Adams to my specs in less than a week.

Unless you find a closeout price, or are "average size" and don't need longer or shorter clubs, then it will probably be cheaper just to get fitted and have the clubs ordered from the company by Golf Galaxy or another store. It sucks, because for guys that use standard length there are some stellar deals, but since you can't usually order clubs on closeout or clearance to spec, people who need more adjustments won't really save any money. Getting a lie adjustment is fairly easy, but when you consider changing length, grip size and swing weight it can cost much more.

[Stacey_E]

I think Big M quoted some resonable prices for grips/extensions and lie adjustments. That would put you over $400 and having a set of irons that swing about D4 (a little heavy). I say that because those swing @ D1 stock I believe, and adding 1/2" should add about 3 swingweights.

It just seems to me that ordering them built to spec would be much easier, quicker, better weighted and only slightly more expensive. You could get those for no more than $500 for eight clubs (less for 7 clubs).