My experiences with fitting

[IceDave]

After having browsed the forum (not thoroughly) I have decided to put forward my 2 cents on fitting.  There are different opinions on this and many would advocate that you should play clubs that are fitted to you and your swing.  After having gone through 3 iron sets and various woods and wedges here is a summary of my experiences with fitting.

• My first "real" set of irons, Callaway x-14, was fitted for me, but the pro shop which handled the process somehow got them wrong, swing weight was off and the shaft flex was way too soft.  Didn't realise it until too late but thats ok, they somehow served their purpose. And I didn't have any problems with them until my pro shop fitter got the fits when measuring them.
• My current set should have been fitted as regular, but being stubborn I got stiff.  Loft lie is Ping green dot.
• I play a standard Callaway fusion, and a driver specifically fitted for my friend when I visit him to play golf.
• After having received pointers from my pro that my driver shaft might be too stiff I went to a pro fitter.  With the monitor we could see that there was nothing wrong with the shaft with regards to my swing.  He even fitted the same driver head with many different shafts of stiffness and manufacturer, from regular to x-stiff just to prove to me how little shaft stiffness actually played with regard to my preferred head lie/loft. His words not mine.  The dispersion rate was extremely low and trajectory was relatively similar between shafts
• After having read reviews from Erik on the 904F, I picked up the 3 wood for rock bottom price last summer.  Probably the best money I've ever spent on a golf club, standard loft/lie but my previous experiences made me go for a stiff shaft.
• Another nice thing happened to me as my pro wanted me to be more arched over the ball on address, therewith creating more space for my hands in the swing(some could call this a more 1-plane swing position).  This has not posed any problem with my standard clubs, but I have started wondering if my fitted S58's are too upright? Jury is still out for this one.

I do realize that stiffness of shafts is a factor in the swing with regards to clubhead position at impact.  Also how this affects the feel of the player.  But many shafts could be equal with regards to my experiences with my driver.  I never thought I could e.g. swing a x-stiff shaft from any manufacturer let alone rip it as I did.  I didn't like the contact it made but the results were all the same ok.

Also loft, lie and shaft lengths to me have almost become non-issue. If I would get the opportunity of playing my friends Fusions against my s58's I would probably go with mine, but the difference here is minimal.  The Fusions to me really rock!

I wonder also how changes in stance and setup affect the right choice of clubs, loft and lie. Regarding plane, this has to be a factor.  Changing this will therefore in the end change the way you would have to be fitted.  Maybe someone with experience here could comment.

These pointers may seem like badly managed scribble but are anyway my very limited experiences when it comes to fitting.  I am not saying that fitting is basically a sales prep to get you to buy something that you do not need.  Many players would benefit from getting more info through the fitting process.  My bottomline though is that most players could just as well, knowing their basic parameters go for something of the rack.  That said, a friend of mine has urged me to go get fitted for a hybrid I am planning to buy.  Peer pressure will get the better of me, I tell you!

[WUTiger]

I've gotten most of my fitting done at an off-course golf retailer near my home. Shop has a PGA pro on staff for lessons and fitting. He and two other persons there have been to several OEM and specialty clubmaking and fitting schools each.

Got a driver fitting two years ago. I hit six driver-shaft combos, ended up getting my current one. Also, I had a printout of my former driver, and the new "contenders." Still use it as a baseline when I test out the "latest super new driver."

I was shopping for new irons at the same time (first switchout since 1994). Probably hit a dozen different models over a 5-month span, then narrowed it down to four "finalists." I ended up playing X20s, but I probably could do quite well with AP1, Nike Split Cavity, or Ping G15/I15 - as long as the irons had the right shaft for me.

General fitting patterns I've found:

• Good clubfitters have proper training and a love of the game of golf.
• There's more than one club out there you could play. Choose one that has the right shaft for you; resolve tie-breakers by choosing the one you "feel best" about. If the club has the "right specs" but you don't trust it, you won't hit it well.
• A proper shaft is at least 50% of a golf club that works.
• Do your homework. Hold onto those launch monitor printouts to use as baseline for future club and shaft comparisons.

[jmanbooyaa]

when you go for a fitting is it that simple and quick to change golf shafts over and over so you can hit them?

[IceDave]

Originally Posted by jmanbooyaa

when you go for a fitting is it that simple and quick to change golf shafts over and over so you can hit them?

Yes for the driver it was, just had to figure out the preferred head, and then the pro would fit different shafts to that head (actually he had 3 clubheads of the same kind).

With irons I at least had to go through many different type of shafts, some on head models I didn't prefer before choosing.

[IceDave]

Good points WUTiger, unfortunately I didn't get the printouts both when I was measured for my iron set and again when I was measured for the driver shaft.

Regarding the shaft, the guy who monitored my driver swing had quite a different take on things.  His philosophy was that what influences a golf shot most is the clubhead, not the shaft, I was not buying it until after he had shown me with the different shafts that maybe he could have a point.

I have contacted a fitter for the hybrid, I will have to schedule a fitting appointment, it is for a new 2-iron or a hybrid.

[Buffoonus]

Well here is my issue with fitting.....

I basically feel if I went to be fitted 10 times I MAY be fitted with 10 different things...Now, don't get me wrong, we all have "tendencies" but doesn't anyone ever wonder if we swing differently on different days...I know I do...some days I hook some days I hit it straight and some days it fades a little...so based on how I am hitting that day is the way I may be fitted....Now, I know there is more to fitting than that but I still wonder if I was fitted 10 times if they would fit me with the same clubs everytime? I am confident enough in my abilities that I know I can adapt to the way the club plays....even though I know that I shouldn't have to do that...but at any rate, this issue will come up soon for me...I play the Wilson Deep Reds...they are getting old and I know I will have to replace them...they are alomst 10 years old now...I have redone the heads but I still know they need to be replaced and I am not happy with the new set of Wilson's I bought with the Fat shafts the DI7's...so I am not sure what I am going to do...

[ronaldkuntoro]

Originally Posted by Buffoonus

Well here is my issue with fitting.....

I basically feel if I went to be fitted 10 times I MAY be fitted with 10 different things...Now, don't get me wrong, we all have "tendencies" but doesn't anyone ever wonder if we swing differently on different days...I know I do...some days I hook some days I hit it straight and some days it fades a little...so based on how I am hitting that day is the way I may be fitted....Now, I know there is more to fitting than that but I still wonder if I was fitted 10 times if they would fit me with the same clubs everytime? I am confident enough in my abilities that I know I can adapt to the way the club plays....even though I know that I shouldn't have to do that...but at any rate, this issue will come up soon for me...I play the Wilson Deep Reds...they are getting old and I know I will have to replace them...they are alomst 10 years old now...I have redone the heads but I still know they need to be replaced and I am not happy with the new set of Wilson's I bought with the Fat shafts the DI7's...so I am not sure what I am going to do...

10 different things.  But do they have the same Specs?    For example one fitter recommend you a grafalloy Pro launch shaft.   Another fitter might

suggest a UST V2 High launch.   They both have a low kickpoint and low torque.  Only different manufactures.

Also so far I know, Fitting is not always analyzing swing but also Body measurement.   Your iron lie angle is greatly influenced by your stance and body measurement.    Ping Golf is the one who came out with different dots on their irons.   It is just different lie angle on the irons.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

Good points WUTiger, unfortunately I didn't get the printouts both when I was measured...

Regarding the shaft, the guy who monitored my driver swing had quite a different take on things.  His philosophy was that what influences a golf shot most is the clubhead, not the shaft, ...

Clubhead probably most critical for mid to high HDCP players. If you have a Player's head that keeps the ball low, this will hurt the mid to high crowd.

Low to mid is probably where shaft becomes most critical. Better players can finetune their shafts to get a little extra height, spin, or distance, because they have a repeating swing. At 8 HDCP, I imagine you have stretches when you enjoy a repeating swing.

And, let's not forget the ball. There's a lot of round choices out there, different recipes - you might say - for different tastes.

[tweaky]

as far as drivers go loft is #1 since it has the most influence on launch angle and spin rate.  the shaft is for fine tuning.  of all the shafts available there are a few hundred to a a few thousand that will provide good results, in the hands of an experienced clubfitter.  I've owned and used three different launch monitors in my shop and now that i've moved i no longer own one.  they're nice but i'd rather get the direct results from observation on the range and course.  no launch monitor, not even Trackman, can accurately measure spin rate.  they all use an algorithm, even Trackman, to measure spin based on the ball flight given.

[596]

I have to agree with loft being #1.  The specific brand head doesn't really matter that much, its the loft that counts.  Then the shaft type, not brand, but atttributes.

Also.....when you get a fitting, the fit clubs should not really be based on one days swinging.  Your swing changes from day to day, I know mine does!!  Using one days statistics is not a good idea.  When I was recently fitted with a driver I asked a forum member a few questions about what a particular head, loft, shaft attributes, shaft length, shot pattern, swing type, body build would do to my launch angle and distance.  Well with the specific info I gave him, his recommendation spot on.  The new driver does exactly what he said it would do.

I spent 2 weeks going back and forth with a fitter in CA for a new 3 wood via emails and telephone calls.  You have to be VERY honest about your regular shot pattern, distance, swing type, club build, body measurements, etc.....even if it hurts to say it!!  Well, after all this.....he makes some recommendations....builds the club and holy cow Batman....this thing is awesome!!

You can't base a fitting on one day in a hitting machine and the stats it spits out.