Getting Fitted for a New Driver

[Hotrodjrd]

I am wanting to go to somewhere like Golfsmith and try out the TaylorMade RocketBallz Stage 2 Driver & the Nike VRS Covert Driver.  My question is if anyone has experienced this process and is it like going to a car dealership where they try to push you into a $300 driver just so they can make a higher commission?

I'm interested in these 2 drivers because I've read very good reviews and they aren't "super expensive".  I want to go in and have them adjust the loft settings to fit my swing but I don't want to waist time with them having me swing $400 Ping G25 drivers and trying to sell me on it!

[Golfingdad]

I've done it and my definitive, conclusive answer is .... I don't know. ;)  It was almost 2 years ago and I went in (Golfsmith) fairly blind, but at the same time, somewhat open-minded.  He asked me if I had anything in particular in mind.  I said I liked Titleist (my old driver was Titleist) and I was also interested in at least trying out the R11 (or was it the R9?) because I'd heard good things about it ... and those were the only two he brought me.  I was, at the time, a little bit of a Titleist fanboy so I didn't mind that he didn't bring anything else out.  It was my first new driver in 12 or so years and it was a Titleist, so I was pretty excited.

Of course, those were the 2 most expensive drivers at the time, so there is no way for me to know if he would've steered me to something else if I asked for "cheaper" drivers to begin with.  I guess I made it too easy on him. ;)

[JCRuzanski]

My GolfSmith just lets me grab clubs and use their launch monitors as long as I need to. Good people at my location.

[mailman]

I was in Golfsmiths in NYC week before last and was able to try any of the clubs they had in their driving bay area. If they didnt have the one I wanted then they would grab one from the shop floor, tape it up and let me go at it.

Basically...just call in and see what happens for yourself.

Regards

Mailman

[PirateJim]

I hit the semi-local Golfsmith store from time to time.  The people are nice, and as suggested, they will usually let you hit whatever you want.  That said, the staff I have dealt with at this one particular store aren't exactly golf pros; they're guys that sell golf clubs.

With drivers, I think shaft selection is a really major component, perhaps more so than the head even, and my limited experience suggested that the "perfect" shaft was likely to be the one that happened to be in stock at that local store.  I didn't realize what a difference in performance shaft weight and kick point really made until I was fitted for my 913 D2 by a real fitter.

But if you go into the Golfsmith with a good idea what club you want, and are willing to accept the stock shafts (they are stock because they work for a lot of people after all), I expect the folks there could help with loft and launch adjustments to the club based on monitor results without trying to force you into a model you aren't interested in.

[Lihu]

The Golfsmith I go to has a mix of the "Guys that sell clubs" who let you hit clubs, those that are kind of ego-centric, and we have one of the best club makers in the industry working there. The ones who let you hit clubs and the kind of ego-centric ones all play really well, but don't make very good salesmen. In fact, the last experience I had there convinced me not to purchase a club. I got one of the ego-centric ones who setup the launch monitor incorrectly and insisting that I hit the ball on it. That did not work out, as the way the machine was setup and the clubs it was matching me to were wrong. However, at that same facility we have one of the best club makers in the industry. He is extremely knowledgable and very friendly. I had a mix of experiences at Golfsmith which ultimately led me to only purchasing one club there. Not that I haven't tried. However, our local Dicks is a pretty good place, and I guess I click better with the pro there. I got on the launch monitor there, and also got low results. Instead of stating that that is my actual swing speed, he tried it out as well. He also got shorter than expected results. So, maybe launch monitors don't work as well for lefties? In any case, he got in there with me to see what was wrong instead of trying to push an expensive and improper fitted club on me. Needlessly stated, I purchased many $ of gear from them over the past 2 years. I also like going to Roger Dunn, a local place with a miniature driving range with monitors in every stall, where I purchased many $ of gear. Every store I went to, have staff that can play really well and know the game pretty well. They are probably mostly ex PGA Tour wannabes, but some may not be as skilled with sales as others.

[BubblesUSMC]

My father is known as the local pro who "talks people out of buying clubs".  I wont say what major chain he works for but our family's philosophy is simple.  You need to know what your swing is before you start throwing new technology / equipment at it.

Launch monitors are used incorrectly by many of these places. (not all of them... don't get all butthurt hurt on me) As your Flight Scopes, Trackmans, and Foresights give you MUCH more data then just swing speed to figure out what shaft type you should be in.  Our pro shop has NO clubs for sale in it... not one.  We have fitting carts and our launch monitor.  Once you know what your swing type is and your goal for that swing then we fit clubs to you and that swing type with our fitting carts.

Most chains just sell standard sets of clubs... so what does it matter which standard club you pick if you don't know if your swing is the same?  So your path was the same for the 5 swings with the Taylor Made but all 5 swings with the Titleist were different.  So you think the Taylor Made is more consistent, when it had nothing to do with the club at all.

I'm not a big retail fan kind of guy...  for anything really.  I'd rather deal with an expert who does what they do for the passion of doing it... not because they get a big check out of it.  Granted my family business is golf. I need customers to support my family and what we do.  But I will never sell something to anyone that they don't need.  My job is to "make more happy golfers" and I do that by helping them improve their game so that they will be my customer for a long time... not just the one time sale.

[Lihu]

My father is known as the local pro who "talks people out of buying clubs".  I wont say what major chain he works for but our family's philosophy is simple.  You need to know what your swing is before you start throwing new technology / equipment at it.

Launch monitors are used incorrectly by many of these places. (not all of them... don't get all butthurt hurt on me) As your Flight Scopes, Trackmans, and Foresights give you MUCH more data then just swing speed to figure out what shaft type you should be in.  Our pro shop has NO clubs for sale in it... not one.  We have fitting carts and our launch monitor.  Once you know what your swing type is and your goal for that swing then we fit clubs to you and that swing type with our fitting carts.

Most chains just sell standard sets of clubs... so what does it matter which standard club you pick if you don't know if your swing is the same?  So your path was the same for the 5 swings with the Taylor Made but all 5 swings with the Titleist were different.  So you think the Taylor Made is more consistent, when it had nothing to do with the club at all.

I'm not a big retail fan kind of guy...  for anything really.  I'd rather deal with an expert who does what they do for the passion of doing it... not because they get a big check out of it.  Granted my family business is golf. I need customers to support my family and what we do.  But I will never sell something to anyone that they don't need.  My job is to "make more happy golfers" and I do that by helping them improve their game so that they will be my customer for a long time... not just the one time sale.

This is a really sound piece of advice with the background information to back it up.

Since it is the longest club in the bag, it makes sense to invest correctly into it. Proper club fitting is the most important thing to do for a driver.

Thanks for sharing.