Single Digit Cappers/70's shooters who have not been "fitted"

[Bryan SD2]

Am I way out in left field on this one?  I've never had a lesson, never been fitted, playing irons "off the rack" (the same irons for 15 years actually) but I'm about a 9 and card a score in the 70's more often than not.   In the era of shaft testers, launch monitors, putter fittings for crying out loud ---  just how much of an anomoly am I?

Any others out there????

[Elvisliveson]

While I've had full swing lessons while learning the game 30+ years ago, I have never had a steady pro, never had a swing analysis, puttter lessons or equipment fitting. You built your stance around the equipment of the day. That is, you flexed your knees to get into an athletic position, then laid the club flat on the ground and square, and adjusted your posture accordingly. And forget about visting a pro once a week, no one had the money. Pros didn't have swing gurus to coddle them on demand either. They relied on their knowledge of the basic swing mechanics to fix their swing on the fly. Like Rich Lerner said about Arnold Palmer: "there was none of this working on mechanics, no video taping, swing gurus, we're just moving this white ball 260 that way, one way or another, come hell or high water".

[max power]

I bought a set of irons in 1999 and was fitted for stiff shafts instead of regular, but that's the extent of it.  I did check out PING's online fitting, which confirmed that the black dot irons I was using were proper.  I bought a set of Mizuno irons new earlier this year and the shop did a quick fitting, which confirmed that I'm standard loft and lie.  No lessons yet.

[kpaulhus]

I got down to a 6.3 without a lesson or fitting. Once I got fitted for my irons and driver I have changed a few things in my swing and Im up to a 9 now. I think once I get these changes to stick and become normal, and the weather warms up Ill be back lower again. I plan on taking lessons in 2011, as it is one of my resolutions....along with becoming a 5 handicap.

[jamo]

I'm about a 1.5-2 handicap and I've never been fitted. Not that I think that's the right path, I've just never had the money to buy new clubs.

[sean_miller]

Yes and no. I've taken some forged wedges to a clubfitter to have them bent to match other wedges that seemed very comfortable at address (and impact of course).

I had my Mizunos bent based on how far my 5-iron was from standard Mizuno specs (I was striping that thing at the time). Most of them need to go a touch flatter.

I had an instructor tell me that my Cleveland TA1s were perfect but could be a degree or two more upright. In about 2 minutes, I incorporated a slight posture adjustment and they were perfect.

[TaylorMadeTaylor]

I've never had a lesson and never been fitted, and I shoot in the 70's about 30% of the time. My clubs do fit me well though, I'm 5'10" with a 34" wrist to floor, which is basically what off the rack clubs are made for.

[Deryck Griffith]

I have worked my way down to a 4 and my MP57s that I bought 3 years ago were off of the shelf; however, I just got fitted for my recent 910 driver.  On my previous driver, I researched and bought a shaft that was right for me and it was, but technically, I wasn't "fitted" per se for that shaft because I did it on my own (same thing with my irons when I got X100 shafts put into them; again, that was based on my own research).

[max power]

Originally Posted by TaylorMadeTaylor

I've never had a lesson and never been fitted, and I shoot in the 70's about 30% of the time. My clubs do fit me well though, I'm 5'10" with a 34" wrist to floor, which is basically what off the rack clubs are made for.

Yep-5'11" with 34" wrist to floor.  Getting a new set of golf clubs is one of the few times I'm glad I'm not 6'2" or 6'3".

[OCdude12]

I've always kind of wondered the same thing too, whether or not it makes a huge difference or not.  I don't think I've ever been truely fitted for irons, I bought my first set used from our old pro, they were 1/2" longer, stiff shafts, everything else standard and once those got too worn out, I bought a brand new set with the exact same specs.  Never have really found out if they're what my swing dictates I should be swinging, but whatever.  I put a new shaft in my driver about a year ago and that was probably the first time I've been "fitted" for a club.  He basically just had my swing a few different clubs and then recommended a shaft which I ended up putting in the driver.  Been to Golfsmith and hit into their club fitting simulator thing, don't think I ever bought anything after it, more so just to confirm I've got the right shafts.  I'd like to one day really get fitted on a launch monitor for every club but that's pretty expensive right?

[TourSpoon]

I have always taken my clubs to my club guy to check the lofts and then hit off a lie board to see if the lies were right.  Most of the time I need my irons bent half to one degree upright to have the swing bottom of the blade directly under the sweet spot.  I had this done years ago and through all the swing changes my impact position has never changed.  With shafts, I pick was feels best and performs.  The last few drivers were confirmed on the launch monitor.  I also had a putter bent a degree flat to get the toe down.  I don't think any of this qualifies for a "fitting", but more of an educated consumer.  My current set of irons were bought sight unseen and just adjusted for lie after the purchase.  Buying DG S300 was a no brainer in my book and didn't require a pro telling me that was a great shaft for my swing.

Oh, and if you are in the 70s more often than not, you should be a lot lower than a 9.  Seriously, that would put you at a 5 or 6 given a decent course rating/slope.

[Bryan SD2]

Interesting answers... lots of "I've never been fitted except for a few clubs being bent, and that one shaft experience, and a bit on the launch monitor."  No problem, but what I'm saying is that I have never done ANY of that.  Not once.  Not one club.  I'm 6 foot, have long arms so the wrist to floor is probably standard or close.  I'm shaped more like Calcavechia than Woods, admittedly.  I know my irons should be bent flatter (range mat marks all over the sole, but definitely towards the heel, sometimes trending heavily towards the heel) but when you play well, and not that much to begin with, why bother or spend the $?

As for being a 9, or a 6 or whatever, my last five rounds were very good, two 78's, two 79, and an 80.  A couple of those on a favorite local track, a 131 slope from where we played it. www.purgatorygolf.com I had a similar sprinkling of scores at the beginning of the year.  I don't think I played 10 times in 2010, unfortunately.  So although I'm not "officially" any cap, I'm def not a 5/6.   No 73's or 74's since I played in college....

I probably played to about a 7 in 2010 though....  not too many money matches, so it's really not that important to me.  Hanging on to a single digit is though, I suppose.

[uttexas]

Originally Posted by Bryan SD2

Am I way out in left field on this one?  I've never had a lesson, never been fitted, playing irons "off the rack" (the same irons for 15 years actually) but I'm about a 9 and card a score in the 70's more often than not.   In the era of shaft testers, launch monitors, putter fittings for crying out loud ---  just how much of an anomoly am I?

Any others out there????

If you are scoring in the 70s more often than not, I suspect your H.I. is better than 9.0

As far as being fitted, I bought my Adams A2s six years ago--didn't have to get the lie adjusted according to the club fitter.  The guy at the store said "Adams put 1.25" longer than standard shafts in these, so they fit you"  I purchased some forged wedges that I had lengthened by 1.25 inches.  I'm 6'5'' 250lbs, so I really have to slouch with my knees through the swing to hit standard clubs (which is what I did for the first 20 years playing the game and developed into an ingrained bad habit that I am struggling to correct)

[MSDOGS1976]

I was fitted years ago when buying some Pings, the black dot. Since then, I have just stuck with a standard set. But I may buy a new set this year and if I do, I plan to get fitted. Things may have changed since my last fitting as I'm getting older.

[596]

I'm a 5.5 hcp, 55 years old.  Been playing just short of 3 years, zero lessons, zero fitting, nothing.  Hit on a launch monitor for the first time 3 weeks ago at a Ping demo day just for fun.  Callaway demo day is in 2 weeks, so I'll do it again just for the fun of it.

[Aquaguru]

I hover right around a 7 and have never been fitted nor taken any kind of lesson outside of my dad who introduced me to the game when I was 5.  I have a set of Ping Eye 2 black dot (standard) that my dad bought me off ebay when I was a sophomore in high school.  These clubs are the best I have ever felt as far as other clubs go.