Got fitted to G20 PING Black dot, but....

[Wayyyyleft]

...I have a line on some nice G15 yellow dots...a better deal overall by a significant margin.  Should I send the yellow dots in and have them adjusted by PING or do that at the end of the season - typically October.  I hear it can take three weeks to get them back.  I don't know if I want to send them off in the prime of the season.

Should I just play my old clubs for a few weeks, or play with a slightly diff lie angle until the end of the season and send them in then?

Also, my fitting suggested a swingspeed of 74-78.  The pro recommended stiff shafts - cfs stiff I believe.  The g15s have a regular shaft flex.  Is this a big deal?  Thanks!

[WUTiger]

Black is the neutral lie angle, while Yellow is 1.5* upright. Also determine if the Yellow set shaft length is the same as the Black set you were measured for. Lie angle and shaft length are related to each other.

IF you get the Yellows, get a lie board fitting at a local golf shop. A good fitter could tell you what adjustments need to be made to the set. If it's a new set, be careful of voiding the warranty by having an uncertified person do the bending.

On swingspeed of 74-78 : is this for a 6-iron, or a driver?

As for shaft flex, we need to know if the two shafts are from the same family (like both are Dynamic Gold). If that's the case, the R-flex will give you a softer feel, and probably higher clubhead speed. The S-flex, however, will give you slightly lower ball flight and better control.

For charting shaft flex and other features, try Ralph Maltby's tool: http://www.ralphmaltby.com/265

[Wayyyyleft]

The swingspeed is for the 6 iron.  I agree that having a non-certified staff doing the bending would be ill-advised.  I wonder if one measures a certain color code for a given model, say g20,  that the lie angle applies to all ping clubs or just that particular model...know what I mean?  Is a black dot g15 applicable to the purchase of black dot g20s or g25s?

[rustyredcab]

Check with your local version of Golfsmith and they will tell you if they feel comfortable bending Ping irons. I'm not a club maker but I know that some clubs bend easier than others so...

As for what lie to get, I preach that unless you love your current swing as is, get fitted for your body size and not your current swing. So, you can go to Pings website, enter a few measurements, and get their suggestion. The only reason to hit off a lie board is if you are not going to improve your swing to be closer to traditionally correct. So, if you are a 70 year old man who is not going to take any more lessons, use the lie board. As a 22 handicap, I'm guessing you plan to work on your swing. Get clubs that fit the swing you hope to have when you hit the ball correctly.

Playing with clubs that have the wrong lie will help you ingrain bad habits. Don't do it!

As for shaft flex, I think it has as much to do with tempo as swing speed. Again, as a 22, you can learn to play regular shafts. I got regular shafts when I wanted to develop a smooth and slower transition at the top of my backswing. Regular shafts rewarded smooth swings.

Before you spend money to change shafts, check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDaKUHxk0I8

[clearwaterms]

G15's are older clubs, G25 is the current generation with G20's being the club in between.  Ping still makes the G20's and I think they are a fantastic club.  This doesn't mean the G15 isn't a great club as well.

That being said, a great deal is only that if you are getting what exactly what you need, and to be honest, that doesn't sound like it is the case.  The fitter is recommending a stiff flex black dot and you are looking at a yellow dot R flex, which is wrong on two fronts.

If it were me, I would spend the extra money to get the G20's, and have the confidence that out of the gate you are getting exactly the club that is right for you.  Also remember that the G15 used the AWT shaft and the G20 uses the CFT.  I don't know much about the AWT, but I think the CFS is generally considered a much nicer shaft than the AWT.

I am not much better than your 22 handicap, and have to be honest, that getting fit hasn't radically improved my game.  It has however given the confidence to KNOW that the equipment ISN'T the problem with my game any more.  What I mean is that when I post a bad score, or miss a shot, it isn't because of the equipment.

If you get the G15's, you will have a future spend (to get them adjusted) and that means you will play this year with a club, get used to it, only to have to get used to it again next year when you get them adjusted to black dot.  Additionally, you will always have that thought in the back of your head (are these clubs right for me).

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by clearwaterms

...

I am not much better than your 22 handicap, and have to be honest, that getting fit hasn't radically improved my game.  It has however given the confidence to KNOW that the equipment ISN'T the problem with my game any more.  What I mean is that when I post a bad score, or miss a shot, it isn't because of the equipment.

If you get the G15's, you will have a future spend (to get them adjusted) and that means you will play this year with a club, get used to it, only to have to get used to it again next year when you get them adjusted to black dot.  Additionally, you will always have that thought in the back of your head (are these clubs right for me).

Exactly! And, IMO even more importantly, when you hit a good shot, you know it was a good swing and some swing loaded with compensations because of clubs that don't fit a good swing. Clubs that fit are more important for those of us working on our swings. I dare guess that a pro could adjust his swing to ill-fitting clubs and know that is what he is doing. We rely on ball flight to tell us if we are swinging correctly and ill-fitting clubs will cause you to change your swing in order to fix ball flight. This is bad.

[Wayyyyleft]

Well, against what  has been recommended, I'm going with the G15s - they are yellow dots, and as per PING and my live fitting, I'm a black dot.   I fully intend to send the clubs to PING to get adjusted to the black dot lie angle, so I should be good there.  The only other difference is the shaft recommendation - I will be playing AWT R flex, but the fitting recommended CFS (is that right?)  Stiff.   Both in steel.  Will this be a huge deal, or am I splitting hairs here?  I don't dislike how the shafts feel per se, but I'm a novice, so what do I know?  Thanks!

[inthecup]

Carls in MI still has g20's in stock on closeout.

http://www.carlsgolfland.com/shop/ping-g20-irons.html

They are local to me and very reputable.

[Bobtrumpet]

Originally Posted by Wayyyyleft

Well, against what  has been recommended, I'm going with the G15s - they are yellow dots, and as per PING and my live fitting, I'm a black dot.   I fully intend to send the clubs to PING to get adjusted to the black dot lie angle, so I should be good there.  The only other difference is the shaft recommendation - I will be playing AWT R flex, but the fitting recommended CFS (is that right?)  Stiff.   Both in steel.  Will this be a huge deal, or am I splitting hairs here?  I don't dislike how the shafts feel per se, but I'm a novice, so what do I know?  Thanks!

Ping can install new CFS stiff shafts (at added $) when they change the lie angles in your G15s.

[Wayyyyleft]

If I have the clubs reshafted, wouldn't it be most beneficial to reshaft irons 4,5, and 6, maybe 7, since AWT shafts are stiffer and heavier in the shorter irons?