Fitted Golf Clubs?

[jshanks26]

So I have been playing for a short time, 19 years old now. I had always played once in a while but got addicted in 2014. Goal was to break 90 at the end of the summer, and i did. Following year got a membership and played all the time, goal was to break 80, and i did pretty early, finished the summer around a 7-8 handicap, (didnt keep an index at the time). Kept all my scores from 2016 and signed up for Golf Association of Ontario to play in tournaments this year. Had to input my scores and i am now a 2.6 handicap. When i mean addicted to golf i mean addicted, constantly playing, hitting the range properly to work on things, and always hitting fake balls in my basement and doing something golf related. Although never broke par or shot par yet on 18 holes, but a consistent 73-76 player on 6700-7000 yard course. I am a short golfer, only 5'5. I am wondering if it is necessary for me to get my clubs retro-fitted? I have cobra flyz plus irons, taylor m2 woods. I feel most comfortable w the 9iron length. I feel like my stance over the ball is just where it needs to be to hit a perfect golf shot if that means anything. Thanks, would love to know your guys thoughts:)

[mistermuhl]

If you are serious about improving your scores and playing the best golf you can, getting fitted will allow you to see the best results. That's the bottom line. It's expensive and time consuming but it's the best way to go about it. 

[dennyjones]

I believe you'll find the consensus here to be; get fitted regardless of your ability.    

[MRR]

6 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

I believe you'll find the consensus here to be; get fitted regardless of your ability.    

I don't join in with that consensus.  My uneducated position is that clubs are fitted to be the best they can be for your swing.  If you have bad form, then fitted clubs will reinforce your bad form.  Do not compensate for a poor or inconsistent swing; build a good and consistent swing, THEN get clubs fitted.

12 hours ago, jshanks26 said:

 Goal was to break 90 at the end of the summer, and i did. 

Ok, yeah, go get fitted.

[Marty2019]

12 minutes ago, MRR said:

I don't join in with that consensus.  My uneducated position is that clubs are fitted to be the best they can be for your swing.  If you have bad form, then fitted clubs will reinforce your bad form.  Do not compensate for a poor or inconsistent swing; build a good and consistent swing, THEN get clubs fitted.

 

I don't really agree with that.   I got fitted, and it was really all about my height, arm length, swing speed, etc, which are things that are not really going to change much.   It didn't have much to do with [swing] form, except for the measurement of how the club soles itself when striking the ground, and in my case, the adjustment was only 1 degree.   So, "improving my form" isn't going to result in my fitted clubs becoming un-fitted. 

I would say, if you are not average physically, say you are over 6 foot 2 or under 5 foot 6, absolutely get fitted BEFORE you start working on your game, because if you work up a good swing and then get fitted, the fitted clubs will be so far from average, you might well have to adjust your swing to fit the clubs.   Not the other way around as you suggest. 

And besides, a lot of club-fitting places like Golftec will fit you for free if you buy the clubs from them, and they sell the clubs at the standard price.  So it doesn't have to cost you anything much to get fitted. 

 

 

11 hours ago, mistermuhl said:

If you are serious about improving your scores and playing the best golf you can, getting fitted will allow you to see the best results. That's the bottom line. It's expensive and time consuming but it's the best way to go about it. 

It's not expensive at all.  The fitting service I went to (Golftec) will fit you for free if you buy the clubs through them, and they sell the clubs at standard list price.  I got fitted for a set of Ping Irons, and they cost exactly the same as off the rack at any golf store I checked on the internet.  

[MRR]

3 minutes ago, Marty2019 said:

I don't really agree with that.   I got fitted, and it was really all about my height, arm length, swing speed, etc, which are things that are not really going to change much.   It didn't have much to do with [swing] form, except for the measurement of how the club soles itself when striking the ground, and in my case, the adjustment was only 1 degree.   So, "improving my form" isn't going to result in my fitted clubs becoming un-fitted. 

I would say, if you are not average physically, say you are over 6 foot 2 or under 5 foot 6, absolutely get fitted BEFORE you start working on your game, because if you work up a good swing and then get fitted, the fitted clubs will be so far from average, you might well have to adjust your swing to fit the clubs.   Not the other way around as you suggest. 

And besides, a lot of club-fitting places like Golftec will fit you for free if you buy the clubs from them, and they sell the clubs at the standard price.  So it doesn't have to cost you anything much to get fitted. 

 

 

The problem with that (and I'm not exactly disagreeing), is that required length is related to lie angle, is related to upper-body lean, etc.  Changes in one can effect one/some/all of the others.  But, there are certainly a few customizations that can be made based purley on height, arm length, and physical ability.  For instance, my 6'0" frame and 6'4" wingspan precluded me from learning with my father's shortened clubs.

 

I suppose I can retract my earlier statement to be "speak with a club fitter and have that person decide if it's time to be fitted".  Just keep in mind that you are really asking that person if he/she wants money.

[Marty2019]

54 minutes ago, MRR said:

The problem with that (and I'm not exactly disagreeing), is that required length is related to lie angle, is related to upper-body lean, etc.  Changes in one can effect one/some/all of the others.  But, there are certainly a few customizations that can be made based purley on height, arm length, and physical ability.  For instance, my 6'0" frame and 6'4" wingspan precluded me from learning with my father's shortened clubs.

 

I suppose I can retract my earlier statement to be "speak with a club fitter and have that person decide if it's time to be fitted".  Just keep in mind that you are really asking that person if he/she wants money.

The standard answer you would get would be:

"I think you should have a few lessons first.  We offer lessons here.   Can I sign you up for a few lessons?"  

That's basically what I got with Golftec, but I didn't mind, because it made sense for them to get to know my swing and my capabilities first, plus, I could always use a few lessons.  But yes, they are certainly in the money-making business, and they do try to sell you some lessons. 

I understand what you were saying and I guess it's a chicken-and-egg sort of question.   If I get fitted when I have a bad swing, then will I need to get re-fitted when I get a good swing? Conversely, if I learn a good swing with clubs that do not fit me, then when I get fitted clubs, will I have to re-adjust my swing?   

In my case, the fitting wasn't really very far from off-the-rack, because I'm a very average person: 5 foot 8, 150 pounds, hit my driver about 220 to 240.   I have a pretty slow swing tempo but not slow enough to get those whippy, senior shafts.   All that is really very average, so it probably wasn't even necessary for me to get fitted.  I probably would have been fine with a set of game-improvement irons, and regular flex graphite shafts.  I did take 5 lessons from Golftec before they fitted me, so my instructor did have a pretty good idea of my swing and my capabilities.  

What I liked most about getting fitted, other than the pleasure of getting a new set of irons, was that I knew once and for all that any difficulties I was having did not originate in my equipment.   So I had some peace of mind on that subject. 

As for the original poster who originated this thread, I think pretty strongly that anyone who is 5'-5", and a 2.6 handicap, should definitely get fitted.  That combination of non-standard stature and probably a really good swing to me is the ideal case for getting fitted. 

 

 

[1badbadger]

15 hours ago, jshanks26 said:

I am a short golfer, only 5'5. I am wondering if it is necessary for me to get my clubs retro-fitted? I have cobra flyz plus irons, taylor m2 woods. I feel most comfortable w the 9iron length. I feel like my stance over the ball is just where it needs to be to hit a perfect golf shot if that means anything. Thanks, would love to know your guys thoughts:)

I would suggest you get your clubs fit to you ASAP.  You have obviously come a long way in a short time and have made a lot of progress, which is awesome, but to get to the next level a club and ball fitting is important.  You are at a point where it's going to be harder and harder to shave strokes off your handicap. Having equipment dialed in to your swing will give you the best chance to continue to improve.

Good luck and keep playing well.

[70sSanO]

Going from breaking 90 to a 2.6 hcp in less than 3 years is pretty impressive.  You are obviously doing something right.

I think it would be beneficial to get fit, but I'd tread lightly before making any drastic changes.  And if your 9 iron feels the best, you should have numbers verifying that your performance is best with that club.  It really is all about the numbers, especially at 2.6.

John