Golfsmith Online Fitting...

[elivate]

Just wondering if anyone has used this to order clubs? I have a hard time getting to a store that actually does proper fitting. I would love to go use the launch monitor and get properly fit for a driver but I have no idea when I will be able to get make it out of town to the closest store that actually has one...

So I was wondering if anyone can speak to how accurate the online fitting is at Golfsmith? I do not want to buy a driver that I have never hit, so lets say I use a friends driver and really like it. I then go on that site and figure out the specs and order that club, would that be beneficial? Better than buying off the shelf at least?

Or should I just wait it out until I get a chance to visit the store and keep playing with a driver that I don't like? It could be a full season before I get to a store so that ind of sucks... It is tough not having that kind of store in your home town...

[shortgame85]

Where do you live? I thought I was pretty isolated but, I can get to a launch monitor with some effort. I just don't see how a static fitting over the internet could compare to an actual physical fitting. If your hand is small, you could order an undersize grip to help you turn over the club. You could order a shorter shaft, say 44.5" or 44", which might help you make better contact with the ball more consistently. You could follow some general guidelines regarding which shaft, or shaft flex, may be more suitable for your swing speed. But other than those items, anything more might just be pure speculation. Unless you are just desperate and must have another driver now, I would wait until you could get to a facility in which you could get dynamically fitted. Or you could do what many do: take into account those things mentioned above, and just order a new driver. Either way, good luck.

[elivate]

Where do you live? I thought I was pretty isolated but, I can get to a launch monitor with some effort. I just don't see how a static fitting over the internet could compare to an actual physical fitting. If your hand is small, you could order an undersize grip to help you turn over the club. You could order a shorter shaft, say 44.5" or 44", which might help you make better contact with the ball more consistently. You could follow some general guidelines regarding which shaft, or shaft flex, may be more suitable for your swing speed. But other than those items, anything more might just be pure speculation. Unless you are just desperate and must have another driver now, I would wait until you could get to a facility in which you could get dynamically fitted. Or you could do what many do: take into account those things mentioned above, and just order a new driver. Either way, good luck.

The nearest store is only about a 2 hour drive so it is not impossible to get there, but it is tough to find the time and make the arrangements with the wife and kids etc... Plus I would have to go on the weekend and miss a round of golf

I am going to exercise some patience though and stick with what I have until I can get to the store and get on the launch monitor...I want to be 100% sure I get the proper driver this time... Thanks for the response!

[ronaldkuntoro]

Let me know your:

Height: Wrist-to-floor length: Your Swing Speed: Driver Carry distance: I will let you know what Driver loft and shaft length you should get....

Just wondering if anyone has used this to order clubs? I have a hard time getting to a store that actually does proper fitting. I would love to go use the launch monitor and get properly fit for a driver but I have no idea when I will be able to get make it out of town to the closest store that actually has one...

[iacas]

Let me know your:

I kindly urge y'all to pass on this and be fitted by an actual professional you can meet.

[elivate]

Thanks for the offer ronaldkuntoro, but I guess that is the same as doing the fitting online, really...

I will be patient and wait until I can get on the Launch Monitor and see how that goes...

[Sherpat]

Elivate, 2 hours from the nearest retail outlet is indeed a haul. But you might be suprised to find an independant clubmaker a lot closer than that, and often they offer more extensive fittings than the simple launch monitor programs available at places like GolfWorks, Golf Galaxy, et al.

You never said where you live, but I suggest you check out the "Locate a Clubmaker" page at the Professional Clubmakers Society website. ( http://www.proclubmakers.org/locator.cfm ) The PCS is the largest governing and certifying body of club makers and fitters. These are not just backyard hobbyists who order parts from the GolfSmith catalog and have fun building sets. If there is a clubmaker designated "Class A" in the list of makers near you, THOSE guys have achieved the society's highest designation. They have to pass a stringent exam and continue taking courses in materials and techniques to keep their "Class A" status also, I understand. I was lucky enough to find one within an hour of my house, and I'm glad I went for it.

If you decide to go that road, you can expect a very thorough fitting. Mine took something like 3 hours, all told, and measured things like changes in acceleration at different points in my swing (to find where the optimal flex points in my shaft shoud be), lateral and vertical head movements that would affect lie and loft at impact, which clubheads have the optimal sweet spot for how consistant my impact itself was...all sorts of stuff I never considered, and which I'm sure would not have been bothered with at a large "push it out the door" mega-store. If you can at all swing it (so to speak), I really think it would be worth your while. You can't believe how good a set of clubs exactly matched to your physique and swing feels.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

Tom
____________________________________

Bag It:

3-Wood: Taylor Made Bubble Burner (ca.1994!)
Hybrid: Wishon "321", 24*, MSF shaft, Winn DSI
Irons: Wishon 770CFE, Matrix Studio 74 shafts, Winn DSI
Putter: Odyssey DFX 2-Ball

[elivate]

Thanks Tom,

I am in Canada, New Brunswick, and there is no clubmaker in my province, at least not with that certification...

I will just have to be patient and plan a trip, hopefully it rains that day

[elivate]

One more quick question...

One of the drivers I am interested in is the Callaway x460. I see that the Tour model is the same price. The differences that I can see are that the face on the Tour Model is Square while the face on the regular model is 2* closed and the loft varies for the different models. The Tour comes in 8.5*, 9.5*, and 10.5* while the regular model comes in 9*, 10*, 11*, and 15*.

IT is pretty obvious what the difference in loft means, but what exactly would be the big difference that the Square vs. Closed face would mean to a high handicapper like me?

Thanks!

[wengerlaw]

I used the GolfSmith online fitting system to order my clubs and have been happy with the results. A couple of caveats: First, this system obviously isn't going to take into account how you swing the club, so things like lie angle may not be best suited for your swing (they are basing lie angle solely on your height and arm length). Second, don't take the site's recommendations at face value. The recommendations are only guidelines. For example, the site told me I should have my shafts lengthened by 1/2 inch. In spite of this, I kept my Driver at standard length (because I was willing to sacrifice some distance for increased control) and lengthened my irons by 1 inch (I'm 6'3" and my old clubs were nearly 2 inches over standard length). Also, you should think about whether control or distance is more important when picking shaft stiffness.

I agree with iacas that a professional fitting at a well-equipped facility is best, but if you don't have easy access to such a facility, the Golfsmith system is much better than buying off the rack. At least with this system you have the option of ordering upgraded shafts and grips and the cost is much cheaper than buying off the rack and upgrading the shaft/grips later. If you are a high to mid-handicapper, then I think this system is adequate. If you are a low-handicapper, you should invest the time to visit a professional fitter.

One other thing: I actually visited a GolfSmith shop to try and get fitted, but I was told that the launch monitor at the store I was at could not be setup for left-handed players, so I was basically out of luck. I don't know if this was simply laziness on the part of the workers at this store, but I think it is crazy that GolfSmith can't set up at least one of the three launch monitors to work with left-handed players.

[Sherpat]

Hey Elivate, I just found this guy on the web:

David Jamieson
Jamieson's Custom Clubs
Miramichi
New Brunswick
Canada
1 506-778-0834
drgolf@nb.sympatico.ca

I don't know if he does fitting or just assembly, but it might be worth giving him a call to see what he thinks about your "local" GolfSmith.

I'm sorry I can't answer your Calloway question, but I'm sure somebody here can. ( I only carry a 3-wood for the safety of myself and others ). However I see that the Sand Trap has done a review of the X460 at: http://thesandtrap.com/equipment/clu..._driver_review . Perhaps that might address some of your concerns.

All the best,

Tom

[elivate]

Hey Elivate, I just found this guy on the web:

Thanks, that is actually farther away from me than the Golf Central Store in Moncton...

I may send him a note to see what he does though... The store in Moncton uses a Vector Launch Monitor...

[Enigma]

Elivate, 2 hours from the nearest retail outlet is indeed a haul. But you might be suprised to find an independant clubmaker a lot closer than that, and often

Hello everyone,

I wanted to bump this thread and ask a few questions regarding custom golf club fitting/building and the Professional Clubmakers Society link posted by Tom.

1. What advantage/disadvantage is it to work with a PCS pro vs. someone at a Callaway Performance Center or TaylorMade's MATT center?
2. Can a PCS certified club builder use branded materials (ie. Callaway club heads) or do they have to work with the generic equivalents? I assume they could use branded clubheads in retrofitting, but I am wondering about a totally new build.
3. As someone who has struggled a lot with irons, I have come to the realization that I need some professional evaluations of my equipment. Luckily, I have 3-4 PCS certified people within 25 miles of me. I was hoping people could share their experiences in the custom club fitting (and/or building) process and the impact it has had on their games.

Thanks in advance for any insight and thoughts.

[Sherpat]

Hi Enigma;

I'm not an expert on the subject, but I'll take a stab at it anyway because I looked into a few of these things before I made my own decision.

First, checking this: http://www.golf.com/golf/equipment/a...588422,00.html it looks like some company backed fittings offer just as much as a PCS clubmaker, while others don't.

It's my impression that independant PCS clubmakers do not have access to "branded" club heads. At least, not the ones in NJ that I contacted. That may be a proprietary thing. I would call and ask your local PCS guys to confirm that though, in case NJ is an anomoly in that regard.

I will say one very positive thing about all the PCS guys I talked to before making my decision (I think I visitted 5 before I settled). Every one of them mentioned that they wanted to check my current clubs to see if they could be adjusted to fit my swing first, rather than just going ahead and building me a new set from scratch, which would cost more. None of them were rabid sales guys looking to move merchandise. They all wanted me to get the best set possible, even if that set was my old one that only needed a hundred dollars worth of tweaking. I couldn't believe they ALL had that attitude, but they did. That was both refreshing and reassuring.

Sorry I couldn't be more help. I hope you end up with clubs you love, no matter which way you get them!

Tom

[Enigma]

Thanks, Tom. I appreciate your insight.

I have a dilemma because I have local PCS people (within 2 hours) or I could take a weekend trip to Philadelphia (6-7 hours) where they have both the Callaway Performance Center and TaylorMade fitting equipment.

Hard to say which I would prefer to do. The snobby part of me wants branded clubs made to my specs. The practical side would rather stay local if it helps me play better.

[Sherpat]

Ah, that old dilemma: Vanity vs. Pragmatism. I know it well

Since so much of the game is mental, if seeing anything other than a famous brand name on the back of your clubhead causes you distraction then you might as well go for Calloways or TM's (or whatever). Personally, I'm glad I went for the Wishons. It only took me a few swings to forget that at one time I was dead set on eschewing anything other than Mizunos. But that's such a personal thing that I can't vouch how you would react, of course.

I don't know where in NY you are (city? other county?), but my PCS guy in North Jersey is very personable and I'm sure would be happy to answer any of your questions without pressure to go any further (lol...when I got done with my fittings he gave me the printout in case I was more comfortable with another clubmaker whom I wanted to use instead of him). It might be a good idea before spending a chunk of change like that to talk to as many actual sources as you can.

Feel free to e-mail me if you'd like that info: notepad101@gmail.com

Tom