Where to go for a Driver fitting?

[Johnnyallthetime]

i've done research on how to approach a fitting day. now all that's left is to find a place. around my area, there are golf galaxy and golf usa. has anyone any experience with these two stores when it comes to club fitting? i'm curious on the policies of these places as to demoing the club on the course. is it standard for stores to allow the player to use the club and return it if it is not satisfactory? any insight on these little details would be great. thanks!

[gas_can]

i've done research on how to approach a fitting day. now all that's left is to find a place. around my area, there are golf galaxy and golf usa. has anyone any experience with these two stores when it comes to club fitting? i'm curious on the policies of these places as to demoing the club on the course. is it standard for stores to allow the player to use the club and return it if it is not satisfactory? any insight on these little details would be great. thanks!

Johnnyallthetime,

A fitting is only as good as the person fitting you. There are plenty of great employees at Golf Galaxy and Golf USA franchises. There are also some horrible ones who wouldn't know a driver from a putter. If I were in your shoes I would ask around to find a good fitter who knows what they are doing and has a solid clientele. You may need to pay a little for their services, but at least you will not be playing golf roulette with your money.

[mrbillinoc]

Another option is to go to Ping's or Taylor Made's web site and see when their tour vans will be in your area. I visited the Ping guys and they were great!

[GreensDruid]

Johnny,

I went for a driver fitting this fall - couldn't be happier with the results. I looked for someone who had the PCS certifications (I can't remember whether he was a master fitter - there are all kinds of PCS certifications). I went to his shop, talked with him for about a half hour, reviewed the fitting process with him, asked for some references which he willingly gave, and based on that, scheduled the fitting. He was extremely fair, gave me a very liberal testing period once the club was built, and effectively dealt with the component manufacturer when an issue arose concerning finish quality. The fitting and club cost me more than an off the rack driver, but probably less than buying the newest, high end model off the rack. My distance and consistency have improved dramatically, and I'm expecting my handicap to drop next year by quite a few points (gotta focus on the short game).

I'd defer to Gas Can on whether certifications are meaningful. I'm guessing there are guys out there with no certifications who are very good. I ultimately chose my fitter based on the personal conversation that we had. The certifications identified him to me but the interview and references closed the deal. I was lucky to have a choice of two very qualified fitters (in the golf-starved state of New Hampshire). Good luck - I don't think you'll regret the time and money spent.