My experience with fitted clubs

[Thaddy]

First off, a little information about myself. I'm 6 feet tall, about 155 lbs. Currently I'm probably playing around a 12 handicap. Up until now I've been playing a set of Ping G2 blue dot's that I picked up off a friend. They seemed to work fine for me and I consider my iron play the strongest part of my game. However, I was losing a few strokes a round due to thinned and fat shots. I have always wanted to upgrade to some nicer irons while getting fitted at the same time, but couldn't afford spending almost $1,000.

This weekend I came across an incredible deal on some Mizuno MP-67 irons and snatched them up, and also got fitted for them at the same time. I found out the stock lie was absolutely perfect for my swing (should have gotten black dots!), although they had to be lengthened by an inch. I instantly noticed a difference even swinging the demo club.

I finally hit the range tonight and...wow. Talk about a HUGE difference. I was worried that my swing wasn't consistent enough to hit blades, but I was a laser show out there. That extra inch made a world of a difference, my swing felt much more natural and less forced. I'm assuming this is because I wasn't as hunched over as before. I worked my way up through the clubs while hitting two buckets of balls and I was literally laughing at how easy they were to hit. I'm convinced that even adding an inch to my old G2's would have produced similar results.

So, for those mid to high handicappers who haven't been fitted for clubs yet. Go do it as soon as possible! It'll make you realize that sometimes...it probably is the club

[FL Golf]

just got fit tonight for my new X-22 tours. Length, lie, flex, etc.. Can't wait to hit them tomorrow.

[Thaddy]

just got fit tonight for my new X-22 tours. Length, lie, flex, etc.. Can't wait to hit them tomorrow.

Are you going from fitted or off-the-shelf clubs?

I tried to ignore the "new car smell" of the new clubs and just focus on my swing and let the club do the work. I think knowing I now have the correct length/lie/flex boosted my confidence too. I hope the honeymoon period never wears off

[FL Golf]

Are you going from fitted or off-the-shelf clubs?

I had off the shelve but as it turns out reg length and lie are perfect for me. The big difference was the flex. I was true temper (r) and now Project X 6.0 which is very stiff. On the launch monitor I loved the feel. I was torn between the 5.5 and the 6.0 but in the end I chose the 6 as I just keep getting better and longer with my irons. Fitting pro said that in the end the 6 would give me a bit more workability as it relates to trajectory.

Playing tomorrow and then a skins game on the weekend.

[Zeph]

Getting my irons checked tomorrow. Just adjusting lie if necessary this time, they don't have people to extend them during the summer. I don't think I'm far off the current length, perhaps +0.25-0.50.

[Dub]

Proper fit makes a huge difference if you are well outside of the (normal) category.

[pchaney301]

I think I need to go add a little bit to my irons. I'm about 6'1" and with my higher irons, I really feel hunched over. I'm sure if they were a hair longer, I'd feel a lot better.

[Zeph]

That's true. Someone 6'0" tall and with 35" from wrists to ground are within the standard. It varies slightly between clubs and brands, but most are within the same specifications.

Can you apply the same fitting to different brands and models btw? If you get fit with +.05 length and 2º upright lie one a set of Titleist AP2's, would you be able to use the same specifications when ordering a set Callaway X-20's? You'd of course have to check the specs on both sets, say if the 3i on the X-20's are 0.25 longer than that on the AP2's, you'd only have to lengthen them with 0.25 to reach your optimal length.

I'd encourage anyone who's gotten fitted to tell their experiences here. For high handicappers, getting fitted is not that normal. Many get fit on a new set, I'd like to hear from those who got their existing set fitted. +0.5 length and 2º upright lie can make a huge difference on the playability. I've only seen 2-3 people in here expressing their experiences on getting currently sets fitted.

[Thaddy]

I think I need to go add a little bit to my irons. I'm about 6'1" and with my higher irons, I really feel hunched over. I'm sure if they were a hair longer, I'd feel a lot better.

This is where I noticed the biggest difference. I struggled at times with my 4-6 because I was addressing the ball too close to my stance, and now it's much easier to make solid contact with the ball.

[Zeph]

I think a properly fitted club should sit on the heel, toe slightly up. The reason being that the shaft will bend when you swing and throw the toe down. If you've got a set of clubs that have too low angle on the lie at adress, once you start swinging them, the toe will come even more down and cause trouble.

Here's an example. At adress the angle is 23º, at impact the shaft has bowed and it's 19º. The toe comes first and block the club way open to 4º right after impact.

[Thaddy]

I think a properly fitted club should sit on the heel, toe slightly up. The reason being that the shaft will bend when you swing and throw the toe down. If you've got a set of clubs that have too low angle on the lie at adress, once you start swinging them, the toe will come even more down and cause trouble.

There were times with my Ping G2's that I would fade the ball, even though the contact felt and sounded perfect. I was worried I was mishitting the ball and the forgiveness of the club wasn't providing me the feedback. After hitting longer clubs I can only remember a few shots that could be considered a fade.

I just grabbed my old 6 iron, and what do you know...at address the tow is noticeably lower than my new Mizuno's.

[sp33d]

funny, I'm going to go get fitted for loft/lie I know the length is right. I'm getting it done at Dicks, I talked to their PGA pro last night for an hour. He seemed to know his stuff...

[Guest]

For me getting fit for clubs caused a huge improvement in my game. I got my ping G5s fit, they were off the shelve black dots and I had them bent two degrees upright and went from stiff to regular shafts. With my old clubs I used to push and slice miss shots put now I am able to hit a small draw.

My swing speed is 89 two 90 mph which puts me almost at the max for regular shafts but my ball flight is much more consistant with the regulars.