Getting fitted

[john]

I know nothing about getting fitted. Every club I have is just out of the box. I have worked very hard by myself to shooting low 80's/high 70's as I have never had a lesson.

so my questions are -

what does "fitted" actually mean?

can I get fitted with my current clubs?

If I am getting better all the time do I actually need to get fitted?

Thanks!

John

[double_j]

I've never had a set fitted but you can generally have your current irons bent to spec (lie and loft). Lenth can be adjusted via inserts that attach to the grip end or something like that.

Note that this isn't the same 'fitting' that many places will do when trying to match you to an optimum clubhead/shaft combo - think of it more as a 'customization' of your iron set.

And fitting is supposed to work wonders (I'm getting my first fitted set later this summer). Basically think of your most common mishit and imagine if that were no longer in your arsenal...

[bkoguy07]

When I got fitted they just put this piece of tape and make you hit off a board and where you hit tells if you're a standard or need extension or some removed... I'm a standard. They also test your grip to see if you need bigger or smaller grips. I was a standard as well there too. Lucky me I supposed :) I would definitely recommend the NEXT set you buy go ahead and get fitted because usually it comes free with the purchase of irons or a set or anything. It's definitely a worth while investment. And yes you could get fitted now and they could add some length to your clubs or recommend a change in grips.

[Shindig]

I like double_j's analogy : getting fitted is customization of your set.

When you get fit for clubs, they determine how long the shafts should be; which flex, material, and weight they should be ; what lie angle the clubs should sit at ; what loft is best for you ; what size the grips should be.

While it's possible to play well with ill-suited clubs - Anthony Kim grew up just fine using his dad's too-long too-heavy clubs, and people sometimes joke that Nike ran out of the right length clubs for him as a pro (this isn't true - Nike gave him the right clubs) - you'll do better if the club is supporting your swing, rather than fighting it.

It is possible to get a measurement for all of the above done and change your current irons to the specifications. There are some caveats in doing so; if you plan to do this, let us know and we'll tell you what to watch out for, and what good things to look for.

If you're getting better and are content with your improvement rate and current ability, it's fine to go without. However, I believe you will get better by having properly fitted clubs. Of course, it's possible your current set is the right configuration. But do yourself a favor: don't buy a new set without being fit for it. Mizuno, for example, said recently that they expect something like 70% of the sets they sell this year to be custom-fit. I suspect the number for Ping will be higher. While not every manufacturer has the extensive fitting plan that these two have, I'm sure whichever set you'll be looking at will have some program in place.

[ddalet]

Well, getting clubs fit to your specs means they are tailored to your swing, impact tendencies, etc.

Should you ever change or improve your swing via lessons, drills etc, you may find the conditions they fit you to are no longer optimal... This is why I never really mess with the lie angle, etc... The only thing I do is add a half inch to my clubs because I like to feel a little more upright.

That being said, the one time I went to golftec to get fit, I had to teach the "PGA Professional" moron how to use the machine... and the machine ended up recommending the mp 67s I already used and the driver I already had. I asked for my money back, still waiting on that; so I'm kind of skeptical on the process (at least at golftec).

[john]

Thanks for the replies! I think it makes sense than to not do anything until I get a new set of irons (which wont be soon, lol). I was hoping to get a new driver at some point when I can afford one and figured that would be the first club that I would get fitted for. Occasionally people tell me that I should have less than 10.5 degrees on my driver but I have no clue, it seems to work fine. I suppose more distance would be nice but I carry about 250 and I am currently happy with that. I did read an article in golf magazine recently where Bubba Watson said that EVERYONE should be fitted for a proper driver.

[Shindig]

Thanks for the replies! I think it makes sense than to not do anything until I get a new set of irons (which wont be soon, lol). I was hoping to get a new driver at some point when I can afford one and figured that would be the first club that I would get fitted for. Occasionally people tell me that I should have less than 10.5 degrees on my driver but I have no clue, it seems to work fine. I suppose more distance would be nice but I carry about 250 and I am currently happy with that. I did read an article in golf magazine recently where Bubba Watson said that EVERYONE should be fitted for a proper driver.

Bubba's right on that last point. What you can do is to get on a launch monitor when you're ready for the driver. Get four drivers from the rack: a R-flex 10.5, an S-flex 10.5, an R-flex 9.5, and an S-Flex 9.5, all of the same model (whichever you decided on). Hit a few with each, in turn, and see what the numbers tell you. If the driver comes in different standard shaft models, try a few of those, too.