My ego purchased custom clubs

[SadGolfter]

Hi - first time poster but have a major issue.   I'm not a good golfer but this summer shot best round ever at 89!  So naturally my inflated ego and I went to get custom fitted new irons to replace my 30 year-old Taylor Made Bubble shaft off the rack irons.   Yea - you heard that right  - bubble shafts.   I got callaway great big bertha irons 7, 8, 9, PW, and 5 and 6 hybrids.   I've never been able to hit hybrids well or even close to consistently - but my ego again let them talk me into it.   I played with these new "custom" clubs and it was god -awful - I mean really awful.    Think a made a multi-hundred dollar mistake!   What's happening in my shots - -  You name it.   Shanking, topping, hooking...and salt in the wound is when I do manage a good connection - ball goes about 15-20 yards shorter than my old clubs.     Probably one of those golfers who is not good enough for custom clubs - so what now?  Callaway says they only take returns "unused" - and all these custom settings and stuff probably are sunk costs.   I've played with them twice.   Advice?

[Lihu]

It takes time to get used to a new club. I assume you hit them pretty well when getting fitted? Go back to the facility and ask for the same fitter to get your swing back?

[Golfingdad]

Agree with Lihu ... If they were "custom" then you must have hit them well while getting fitted, correct? Just give it a little time and don't talk yourself out of them so quickly - you should be fine. Unless you mean something different when you say "custom?"

[newtogolf]

Hi - first time poster but have a major issue.   I'm not a good golfer but this summer shot best round ever at 89!  So naturally my inflated ego and I went to get custom fitted new irons to replace my 30 year-old Taylor Made Bubble shaft off the rack irons.   Yea - you heard that right  - bubble shafts.   I got callaway great big bertha irons 7, 8, 9, PW, and 5 and 6 hybrids.   I've never been able to hit hybrids well or even close to consistently - but my ego again let them talk me into it.   I played with these new "custom" clubs and it was god -awful - I mean really awful.    Think a made a multi-hundred dollar mistake!   What's happening in my shots - -  You name it.   Shanking, topping, hooking...and salt in the wound is when I do manage a good connection - ball goes about 15-20 yards shorter than my old clubs.     Probably one of those golfers who is not good enough for custom clubs - so what now?  Callaway says they only take returns "unused" - and all these custom settings and stuff probably are sunk costs.   I've played with them twice.   Advice?

Tell us more about the process you went through to get "custom fit".  Did you hit them well during the fitting?  If you've never hit hybrids, they take some time to get used to, remember to hit them like just like you would an iron.

You adapted your swing to your old clubs, depending on how much was changed in the new clubs (length, lie, shaft stiffness) you may have to adjust how you address the ball.  If you hit your old set well, you will be able to hit these as well if not better but you may have to make some adjustments.

[Dapadre]

Agree with what everyone else has stated. You will need time to adjust, give it time. If you were fitted properly, you should see the results.

[SadGolfter]

Thanks Joe and others.  Yes - I did seem to hit them well during the fitting.  I went to a certified fitter at a local club - not a box store.  He had all his machines and gadgets and that lie board.   I'm female but tall - the clubs I had before were men's clubs standard length so he recommended stay with men's clubs cut down by 3/4" from standard length.  7 iron fitting specs were lie angle 63.5 or 1UP as they say, with senior flex.    They feel very SHORT and not sure what adjustments to make with shorter shaft and change in lie angle.  I know to hit hybrids like irons - had a 3 RBZ HB in the bag for a while with mixed results - much more consistent using standard RBZ 3 wood in fairways.   The RBZs are senior flex - so no change there.  Taylor Made irons were standard flex - R80 - too stiff for my swing specs...but I did pretty well with them!  They were just old.     .

[newtogolf]

You're welcome.  If he cut the clubs shorter than your old clubs that's probably the problem.  Try standing closer to the ball than you're used to.  You also want to pay attention to where you're making contact with the ball on the club face.  Give them some time, it sounds like you were fit properly so it's just a matter of you getting familiar with them.

[Golfingdad]

You're welcome.  If he cut the clubs shorter than your old clubs that's probably the problem.  Try standing closer to the ball than you're used to.  You also want to pay attention to where you're making contact with the ball on the club face.  Give them some time, it sounds like you were fit properly so it's just a matter of you getting familiar with them.

Agree with this.  If it turned out that your old clubs were that much too long for you, then it's just a matter of getting used to properly fitted clubs.  Give it a little time and you'll probably start to fall in love with them and understand why we fit you the way he did. :)

[TimS65]

Strangely enough I have done the same thing. 50th birthday was this weekend so treated myself to fitted clubs. Was hoping for Mizuno 850's but hit Big Bertha's so much better than anything else so ended up with a set 2° flat. Went to the range on Saturday morning and totally struggled. No consistency at all, and struggled getting my weight forward. Just need to get used to them I hope! Quite a bit lighter than my old clubs with the Speedstep 80 shafts. Need more practise...

[rkim291968]

After I've got fitted, my HI went up for a few months.  See http://thesandtrap.com/t/78501/diary-of-a-bogey-golfer-with-his-1st-custom-fit-clubs for my experience.   It takes time to get adjusted for a new, fitted clubs for sure.

[TimS65]

After I've got fitted, my HI went up for a few months.  See http://thesandtrap.com/t/78501/diary-of-a-bogey-golfer-with-his-1st-custom-fit-clubs for my experience.   It takes time to get adjusted for a new, fitted clubs for sure.

I hope you are right for the OP and myself as well! Hit balls at the range again last night and still really struggling - lost the rhythm of my swing.

[TimS65]

Hi - first time poster but have a major issue.   I'm not a good golfer but this summer shot best round ever at 89!  So naturally my inflated ego and I went to get custom fitted new irons to replace my 30 year-old Taylor Made Bubble shaft off the rack irons.   Yea - you heard that right  - bubble shafts.   I got callaway great big bertha irons 7, 8, 9, PW, and 5 and 6 hybrids.   I've never been able to hit hybrids well or even close to consistently - but my ego again let them talk me into it.   I played with these new "custom" clubs and it was god -awful - I mean really awful.    Think a made a multi-hundred dollar mistake!   What's happening in my shots - -  You name it.   Shanking, topping, hooking...and salt in the wound is when I do manage a good connection - ball goes about 15-20 yards shorter than my old clubs.     Probably one of those golfers who is not good enough for custom clubs - so what now?  Callaway says they only take returns "unused" - and all these custom settings and stuff probably are sunk costs.   I've played with them twice.   Advice?

Are you making progress with the new irons? It's taken a while but I'm now seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Starting to get my distance back with a lovely high ball flight, and the bad strikes have drastically reduced. Good luck!