Fitted or Non

[The Shankster]

I've been a very casual golfer for 22 years. Played semi consistently in my younger years. Played very inconsistently for a span of about 5 years, quit playing all together for about 5 years, picked it back up seriously a year and a half ago. I have a set of very old King Cobra Oversized irons I've played many many times and most recently. I've never been professionally fitted, I've purchased a set of R7 Irons when they first came out however many years ago and played relatively well (for me), then I sold them and always kept the Cobra's as a back up. Anyhow, until last year, I never had an official handicap, I went from a 30 down to a 23 since I've been tracking. Shot my best round ever 3 weeks ago at an 88. This clubs are pretty unforgiving on a missed hit. I'm going to get a new set, I went to the PGA superstore to get 'fit', well, that sure seemed like a joke. The guy spent 10 minutes with me and came to the conclusion that a standard out of the box set would work for me, was not thorough at all in the 'fitting', I guess I'm wondering how beneficial a custom fitting would be for me being that my handicap is pretty high and my thought is any newer clubs are going to feel way better than my Cobra's.... any feedback is appreciated. I'm open to doing a custom fitting and paying for it as I think it'd be fun to see what conclusions a real fitter come to. 

[Club Rat]

  On 1/20/2018 at 6:24 PM, The Shankster said:

I'm wondering how beneficial a custom fitting would be for me being that my handicap is pretty high

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The first thing you should do is a little homework as to selecting the club brand.
Most stores have demo clubs with an indoor hitting area.
I would test as many brand clubs they have available to determine the ones which interest me and the ones which seem best suited (appeal at setup looks, waggle the club for weight and shaft feel)
Some store may have "fitting cart" of brands they specialize in. They consist of various club heads (lie degree), shaft flex and lengths which are interchangeable.
Once you narrow a few brands which interest you, then you could setup a fitting session with a salesperson.

A good idea is to ask around as to any "Demo Days" where and when. Many private clubs will have a demo day with manufacture Reps on site and they will spend a day at a practice facility for golfers to hit their new models.
They usual have the fitting cart with interchangeable heads and shafts and the fitting is free.

Finding the right clubs takes time. Making the right decision is difficult.
Most club fittings are just determining proper length, club lie, determining the swing weight and proper grips.
Most stores charge for a fitting unless you make a purchase of a set.

 

[WUTiger]

  On 1/21/2018 at 3:02 PM, Club Rat said:

A good idea is to ask around as to any "Demo Days" where and when. Many private clubs will have a demo day with manufacture Reps on site and they will spend a day at a practice facility for golfers to hit their new models.
They usual have the fitting cart with interchangeable heads and shafts and the fitting is free.

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Demo days are a great way to narrow down club choices to your short list. Then, find a reputable fitter and move toward a final decision.

[The Shankster]

Thanks for the insight. 

I've tried out quite a few clubs already. Feel like I have it narrowed down. I suppose the real question is, is there really going to be a huge difference from a 'custom fitting' specific to me over the out of the box set's....

I was not thrilled with the big brand PGA Superstore "fitter" that worked with me for about 10 minutes before he seemed to come to a conclusion, It seems there would in fact be much more to finding the right clubs for me specifically. I am now playing at least once a week for the last couple months so there is improvement I'm seeing. I'm for certain due for new clubs, I'd hate to invest in out of the box clubs only to invest again in 6-12 months on a fitted pair, if, that's what's needed...

  On 1/21/2018 at 6:56 PM, WUTiger said:

Demo days are a great way to narrow down club choices to your short list. Then, find a reputable fitter and move toward a final decision.

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So you'd suggest a custom fitting.....?

[Club Rat]

  On 1/21/2018 at 7:29 PM, The Shankster said:

So you'd suggest a custom fitting.....?

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Yes you would when you decide on the clubs which you like.
I think your over thinking what a custom fitting actually is.

Fittings by a Manufactured Club Rep or a trained PGA Pro on specific equipment is nothing more than determining shaft length, flex options, club swing weight and club lie.
They will have the fitting center (a cart with various interchangeable shafts and heads)
Once you select which club head and shaft and length, then determine the lie of the club.
Lie options are a preferred adjustment players may have for hitting a slight draw, fade or to play a straight shot.

Generally golf stores have the equipment in only demo clubs, some may have the fitting center with interchangeable shafts, heads, head components.  
They would then place an order of clubs with specific specs from the manufacture.

As an example a player may ask for a 2* upright for a slight draw with shaft length 1/2" over standard with the selected shafts to be soft stepped one step.

Most pros and low handicap golfers would also want to utilize Trackman to dial in specific launch angles and ball flights when being fitted.

Custom Club makers generally only use specific club components they can obtain from wholesale online stores.
While these components are very good quality, the charge is often expensive due to the labor involved in the fitting and assembly.  
They do offer the ability to frequency match shafts which club fitters do not provide.

[WUTiger]

@Club Rat has the right idea.

[Denny Bang Bang]

@The Shankster in addition, there are quite a few golfers that pretty much fall into an off the rack standard fit.  So it’s not surprising to see unless someone is pretty tall or pretty short (or specifically wants a different shaft or something).

I found myself over analyzing whether I had a good enough fitting or not, and turns out after going to a highly respected fitter last year, the fitting outcome didn’t change as compared to the shop I purchased my irons from.  Other than a small lie adjustment (which really doesn’t make much of a difference in my game), I’m an off the rack standard fit for the Mizuno MP line.

[cooke119]

I've been fitted for Ping irons. The fitter measured arm length, length to the ground, hand size, and had me hit on a strike board to check which lie I needed. Turned out I need only a slight adjustment to the lie angle, blue dot. Basically I could have played with out of the box clubs. When I purchased my G25 used I bought black dot, (standard) and have had no problem with them. I'm 5'11" and I guess standard in size so out of the box works for me. I didn't try different shafts, I went with stock regular shafts, the work. But I suggest you get fitted not knowing your particular physical size and swing.

[Patch]

Just a thought. If possible, go to two or more different fitters, and see what they come up with. If they all have the same answer, then it's probably what you need. 

An additional way to go, after getting your specs (from those above) is to find a combo club fitter/builder, and go the component route. With a fitter/builder, they can fine tune individual clubs for you. 

What ever you do, correctly fitted clubs will give you more consistent ball flights. 

[Buckeyebowman]

According to Tom Wishon, there are at least 4 and maybe 5 levels of custom fitting. The vast majority of golfers will never sniff levels 4 and 5. That's basically pro only territory. Really good amateurs and folks with a lot of money and time to devote to the game might get to level 3.

The problem with golf "superstores" is that you might not even get a level 1! The clerk will go through the motions and then recommend a set of whatever they have a lot of in stock and need to move. I don't care what business you look at, they all have their "push" items.

Your major concerns are proper club length, proper shaft flex (determined by clubhead speeds with the Drive and 5 iron), grip size, loft (individually and distributed across the set), and lie angle.

All those things are important, but the last might be the most important. Everything else could be great, but if your lie angles are significantly off you have a headache. You will have to alter your posture, which will alter your swing geometry, to try to make the clubs work! If possible, find a shop or a fitter who does a "dynamic" lie fitting. This means every iron is hit off a "lie board" with tape on the sole of the club to show where the sole is striking the board, center, heel, or toe. Then each club is individually bent to the proper lie.

Even though these things are mass produced, they don't all come with the same lies or lofts.

[The Shankster]

  On 1/22/2018 at 5:53 PM, Denny Bang Bang said:

@The Shankster in addition, there are quite a few golfers that pretty much fall into an off the rack standard fit.  So it’s not surprising to see unless someone is pretty tall or pretty short (or specifically wants a different shaft or something).

I found myself over analyzing whether I had a good enough fitting or not, and turns out after going to a highly respected fitter last year, the fitting outcome didn’t change as compared to the shop I purchased my irons from.  Other than a small lie adjustment (which really doesn’t make much of a difference in my game), I’m an off the rack standard fit for the Mizuno MP line.

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Thanks for the insight. I ended up getting fitted. Turns out may have been a good thing, I needed 4% upright bend on my heads and a relatively stiff shaft along w a high launch shaft. 

We’ll see how I play them, liked them on Friday. I’m definitely more confident already! 

  On 1/29/2018 at 3:03 AM, Buckeyebowman said:

According to Tom Wishon, there are at least 4 and maybe 5 levels of custom fitting. The vast majority of golfers will never sniff levels 4 and 5. That's basically pro only territory. Really good amateurs and folks with a lot of money and time to devote to the game might get to level 3.

The problem with golf "superstores" is that you might not even get a level 1! The clerk will go through the motions and then recommend a set of whatever they have a lot of in stock and need to move. I don't care what business you look at, they all have their "push" items.

Your major concerns are proper club length, proper shaft flex (determined by clubhead speeds with the Drive and 5 iron), grip size, loft (individually and distributed across the set), and lie angle.

All those things are important, but the last might be the most important. Everything else could be great, but if your lie angles are significantly off you have a headache. You will have to alter your posture, which will alter your swing geometry, to try to make the clubs work! If possible, find a shop or a fitter who does a "dynamic" lie fitting. This means every iron is hit off a "lie board" with tape on the sole of the club to show where the sole is striking the board, center, heel, or toe. Then each club is individually bent to the proper lie.

Even though these things are mass produced, they don't all come with the same lies or lofts.

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Thanks. The fitting took place last week. Very insightful. I’ll see how I end Up playing them. I’m already very confident with them.

You’re spot on w the superstore, that’s exactly how I felt!

[WUTiger]

  On 1/22/2018 at 5:53 PM, Denny Bang Bang said:

@The Shankster in addition, there are quite a few golfers that pretty much fall into an off the rack standard fit.  So it’s not surprising to see unless someone is pretty tall or pretty short (or specifically wants a different shaft or something).

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My brother just went through a fitting at a well regarded custom club shop in the area. The fitter had him hit baseline shots with his current irons, and went through demo tests with several alternatives. In the end he got slotted for a set of Ping G30s, black dot (standard lie angle).

The clubfitter told him, "You're 5-foot-10 and have a 34" sleeve. Most golf clubs are made for you!"

[Kalnoky]

The peace of mind from getting fitted is worth it alone. 

[Club Rat]

  On 1/29/2018 at 3:24 AM, The Shankster said:

I needed 4% upright bend

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That seems excessive.
Did the fitter suggest any posture corrections?

[The Shankster]

It’s working out perfect! 

Glad I got fitted. 

I thought it sounded excessive myself, even on a casual swing my head is perfectly level w the ground. Amazing