Launch-Monitors and getting Fitted

[mrbillinoc]

I just got my new driver....AFTER getting properly fitted. I don't think ANYONE should buy before doing this! I've been working on really "slowing" my speed and tempo so I thought I might need a driver change. The PING Tour Van was here and they were great! Yeah, they sell Ping, but they had a bunch of other clubs as well. Their main concern was getting me the right shaft / loft combo that was best for me, then I could go buy whatever I wanted from any brand knowing the right shaft / loft I needed.

I warmed up real good and then got tested. My swing speed averaged 91MPH. I hit around 70 balls with about 12 diferent drivers. What did I end up with? A Ping Rapture, 10.5, Aldila NVS 350-R 65, cut down 3'4 of an inch. It turns out that the fitting process also takes into consideration your swing-plane, thus the reason for me getting the club cut down.

Just to give you an idea of how FAR I was off before (and I'm a 8 hdcp)I was hitting a 8.5, stiff shaft, low-launch club....and I thought THAT was good...boy, was I wrong!!! They even suggested the Titlelist DT Solo ball for me, as they said it was the best match for me.

Do yourself a favor.....if you are going to buy a new driver....GET FITTED!!!

[aquacooled]

words of wisdom..

I have been telling people this forever..

[stevengolfs]

What is the going price to have a proper fitting?

[mrbillinoc]

What is the going price to have a proper fitting?

When I was fitted by the PING Tour Van there was NO charge at all, and no stipulations that you had to buy anything!

[stevengolfs]

Thanks mrbillinoc! I'm in the market for a new driver and after reading many outstanding bits of advice in "The Sand Trap", I'm convinced to NOT buy before I get properly fit.

Good golfing!
Steve

[ebin]

Q: At which point should someone get fitted in terms of how good a golfer they are? Does it make sense for an inconsistent swinger to get fitted, is a fitting more for someone with a relatively low handicap?

[stevengolfs]

Tough question, Ebin, and I may be overruled by others in this forum, but I feel that a high handicap golfer that really wants to improve would be better spending their money now on lessons from a pro that will help you learn technique, consistency, proper weight distribution, etc. If you fit a high handicap player based on how he or she swings without good instruction, you may be way off the mark after learning a proper weight transfer and release of the club. I don't mean to offend anyone, but proper weight shift and club release has a great deal to do with the loft, shaft, etc. etc. etc. that you need.

Steve

[eyevan]

Q: At which point should someone get fitted in terms of how good a golfer they are? Does it make sense for an inconsistent swinger to get fitted, is a fitting more for someone with a relatively low handicap?

I would agree with the post above ^ . I think that the general rule is that anyone above a 10 handicap should not spend the money on a launch monitor session, because of their inability to produce a very consistent swing. However, some golf stores give you a fitting for free if you buy a driver from them. If that were the case I would totally look into doing that.

Ebin, at a 30 handicap I would look into getting a driver with more loft and a weaker shaft (i.e. 12 degree driver w/ regular shaft) most higher handicaps error with less loft and too stiff of a shaft. Lessons is pretty much the only sure way of becoming more Consistent

[mrbillinoc]

I also agree. Ebin, the main reason beginning golfers use 3 woods off the tee is the added loft is easier to hit and will tend to go straighter. PING makes a great driver called "The Easy" which is a 460cc head with a 13.5 degree loft. A friend of mine got it and his "learning curve" into this wonderful game has been MUCH more enjoyable. Like the others said, right now is the time to learn tempo and swing.

My friend who is just starting out called me one day all excited....he said "Bill, I was at the range today and now I can hit a 7 iron 180 YARDS!!!" He was SO excited and pumped up. My response to him? "When you learn to hit that 7 iron 140 yards, THEN call me." :) Don't be concerned with how FAR you can hit it, concentrate on WHERE you hit it.

Ebin, best lesson I was ever taught....."Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens, Fairways & Greens"!!!

[pcourtney]

I was with Butch Harmon in Las Vegas all week learning about teaching methods and how we are complicating the game for most players out
there ( even the pros are getting confused according to Harmon).
It was the "Harmon Brothers Teaching Summit" back in early Nov
http://www.harmonbrothersteachingsummit.com
The upshot was that people need to experience ( feel ) what a good swing really is, they need to repeat it and trust it. Easier said than done, but I was pleased to hear Butch endorse the Explanar which a buddy of mine back in England invented. The Explanar is nothing more that a golf training device, that lets you feel the swing, it warms you up, it exercises the muscles in a very rythmical way ( backwards and forwards at a nice slow tempo), when Butch was telling 200 people how good this was, and how no teaching is required to get a pupil into the groove using the Explanar, it provoked quite a bit of discussion. The lesson we came away with was keep it simple, give the pupil a chance to feel the motion, it is not a hit but a swing, but try telling an 18 handicapper not to hit the ball, they can't get it into their head it seems.
http://www.explanar.com

I guess what I am saying here, it that getting lessons is one thing, getting good feelings and getting fit before you have the lessons is probably more important, you can then build on that solid foundation, if you need proof, why are so many pros using Explanar to keep reminding them of this simple concept. Find a pro that has one for you to play on, then have lessons !

[Guest]

I got on a launch monitor at Golfsmith earlier this morning (no charge, btw) and I found the results quite interesting. I went in the first place becuase I had hit my friend's Titleist 983k in 8.5 degree (Fujikara Speeder) and the ball flight seemed to balloon less than it did with my 10.5 degree (Aldila NV) Titleist 983k. I found that at my swing speed (99 mph) the 10.5 would actually launch at a reasonably good angle (12.5-14 deg) and a spin rate of about 3300 RPM as long as I concentrated on keeping my swing plane flatter than I had been. My results with a 9.5 degree driver were fairly similar--too much spin with my "usual" swing plane and a much better result (2500 rpm--almost not enough spin) when I concentrated on a flatter plane.

All of this led me to believe that I needed to concentrate on swinging the driver on a shallower plane and possibly switching to a lower-spinning ball. I currently play a Pro V1 normally, but have had good results with a Maxfli Blackmax and V1x in the past and I found the greenside performance of both of those balls quite acceptable, so I was thinking about switching to one of those.

Basically, the Launch Monitor session left me thinking that I needed to head to the driving range, not to the cash register... Any thoughts?

[novogolf]

Getting fit OUTDOORS with a launch monitor is the only way to go!

I've said it time and time again, never get fit indoors...especially at a large retailer with inexperienced fitters. I actually went to a couple of the big box retailers in my area and was really disappointed by the overall experience. On both occasions, I was fit by an inexperienced fitter (in my eyes) who really didnt know what he was talking about. Most of the time, he was just pushing certain products with very limited product information and basically repeating the output on the screen. For an inexperienced golfer, it's a great feeling to see those 280+ yard drives that are hit long and straight...according to the computer screen. What a great marketing tool to get you to purchase! Hit a few mega drives that you've never hit before in your life and you're sold. Time and time again it's happened to so many of my now new customers and I hear the same story over and over again..."I picked this up at so and so and when I was hitting it into the computer screen, I was bombing them so long and straight. It felt so great! Then, when I took it on the course, it's worse than my current driver and I have no idea what's going on?" Im definitely not saying that this is the norm, but in my experiences, i've seen it happen too many times. No one should ever purchase equipment sight unseen. Hitting 10 feet into a net/screen is just that.

I've been fortunate to have been fit by a few tour fitters from the top manufacturers and they've all agreed that the only way to get fit, is outdoors in order to observe true ball flight. One manufacturer in particular had a Million dollar plus indoor setup for recreational customers (not tour players) and even with that technology, I was told to take the numbers with a grain of salt. Now imagine getting fit with a 3-4K launch monitor indoors with an inexperienced fitter?!?! I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

I will agree 100% that you must have a relatively consistent swing if you want the most out of any fitting. However, most of the recreational golfers out there purchase on impulse or strictly based on reading "what's hot and new" and do not intend to take lessons or fix their bad habits. Many actually purchase the clubs first and then take lessons, only to realize that they purchased the wrong clubs! While I encourage everyone to take lessons, getting your equipment properly custom fit is equally important.

With that said, yes a launch monitor fitting is well worth the time and money spent if done correctly with a knowledgeable fitter. Find yourself a qualified fitter and get fit outdoors. You'll see the results yourself and will be much more satisfied with your purchase.

[pmcarync]

No debate about fittings at a 'mega golf store' by salesmen... 90+% it's probably a waste of time. I've had very good success with an indoor launch monitor fitting, as IMHO, with most things in life if it's done by someone who knows what he/she is doing (in this case a knowledgeable fitter) then they know how the computer results will carry on to the range/course. The only time that I tend to prefer an outdoor LM fitting is with drivers/woods/hybrids so that I can really get a visual on ball flight relative to where I aim.

For the person earlier in the thread who asked what prices are for quality fittings, below is the URL for a local fitter who is very, very good at what he does. His price list is under the link for "services".

http://clubguygolf.com/home

[wachesawgolfer]

I just got my new driver....AFTER getting properly fitted. I don't think ANYONE should buy before doing this! I've been working on really "slowing" my speed and tempo so I thought I might need a driver change. The PING Tour Van was here and they were great! Yeah, they sell Ping, but they had a bunch of other clubs as well. Their main concern was getting me the right shaft / loft combo that was best for me, then I could go buy whatever I wanted from any brand knowing the right shaft / loft I needed.

I said that here also. Main thing on a driver is getting the right shaft/loft combination. Looking for Hot heads vs Cold heads is a useless quest if the shaft/loft doesn't fit.

[wachesawgolfer]

Q: At which point should someone get fitted in terms of how good a golfer they are? Does it make sense for an inconsistent swinger to get fitted, is a fitting more for someone with a relatively low handicap?

Depends on why the handicap is high. If you cannot hit the driver at all, take lessons and get a driver with a HL head, R flex or less, depending on tempo and cut to 44 inches ( the length many pros play) (be careful to have someone knowledgeable to weight the head to get the SW or heft up to where you can feel the head). If you loose most of the strokes 150 in and make contact on the driver face, I believe a fitting can only help you.

[mrbillinoc]

I agree that OUTDOOR fitting on a range is the best. This way you see the COMPLTET flight of the ball.

Like I mentioned before, go to Ping, Taylor Made, etc. web-sites and check when they will be at a course near you. The Ping guys were GREAT and there was absolutely NO PRESSURE to buy anything from them!

[ipark1303]

Is it true that today's new driver technology brings your ball higher and still roll longer?

[mrbillinoc]

Is it true that today's new driver technology brings your ball higher and still roll longer?

That's definately true, but the thing I learned from the Ping guys is that there is a line you can cross where increase in ball flight will limit ball roll. That's where the fitting process comes in to play. It finds the optimum arc that also provides the optimum roll.