What If There Was No Club Fitting as We Now Know It?

[MarvChamp]

6 minutes ago, Typhoon92 said:

To Marv's title...if there was no club fitting...

You would adapt to what u buy.  You would buy what looks good at address to you and then make unknowing compensations in your swing to make it work.

Yeah, I think adapt is what I did/have done and what my buddies who never heard of fitting have done. And there were people we felt had helpful knowledge such as what we have now in TST and various Internet sites. For years, I played Cleveland TA5's with a Cleveland graphite stiff shaft and shot good scores. They looked right and felt right, and a good golfer friend recommended the brand. Only later did I learn that I should have played regulars and that those stiff shafts were really closer to regular. Thanks and regards, -Marv

[billchao]

8 hours ago, cooke119 said:

How do I go about finding a good golf fitter??

I went to a Callaway Performance Center because I had Callaway clubs and was looking to optimize them. As far as finding a fitter, you should contact them and ask what their fitting process entails.

8 hours ago, cooke119 said:

One issue I do have is I launch my irons really high and I think I lose distance.

That sounds to me like a swing issue. If you flip, having different clubs won't change that. 

[lastings]

On 2/10/2018 at 5:21 PM, Patch said:

Some folks can play quite well with "off the rack" clubs. It's as simple as that. Standard lie, and standard length. 

there is a reason that "standard" lie, loft, and length are the standard.   its literally the lie, loft. and length that is correct for the largest % of people. 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2018 by lastings

[kpaulhus]

I would say that no more than 15% of golfers actually get fitted for any of their clubs. By fitted, I mean being measured and using a loft/lie board. Golf companies thrive on the off the rack standard length lie sales. I might pay more, but I have to have a trackman if I get fit for anything these days. Im somewhat obsessive, however. 

[1badbadger]

Back in the day before club fitting became a "thing", I don't know if anyone realized the benefits or understood what was involved.  It wasn't until technology was able to be studied that it became apparent how club specs affect a player's trajectory.

[Piz]

My first fitting was done with masking tape and a lie board.  After it was determined that the clubs were too upright; an adjustment was made and me and my Wilson Tour Staff irons were good to go.  That was 20+ years ago and I've been using the same length and lie specs ever since.  

[lenman73]

I have mixed emotions about the whole fitting thing. I know some swear by it and I am in know position to dispute that. For me personally, at this point I can only see the benefit in the woods. For irons I am and will be for a while anyway an off the rack kind of guy. I know my swing just isn't consistent enough to have lies bent one way or another. In one round I can start off with a flatter one plane swing but if my right knee flares up and I can't push off the ground as hard I will adapt and go to a more upright 2 plane swing. It's all what I can do on any given day. I even can employ 3 different grips in a round. Start with interlock and go to overlap and then maybe the 10 finger. It's all about whatever I need to do to get the ball going where I want. That said I know I'm more of an outlier and an exception and not the rule. 

[saevel25]

22 minutes ago, lenman73 said:

For irons I am and will be for a while anyway an off the rack kind of guy. I know my swing just isn't consistent enough to have lies bent one way or another

What if some of your inconsistency comes from having irons that do not fit your swing. Even if your swing is volatile, you could have a specific miss that is due to the bad fitting.

Also, some places will throw in the fitting cost if you buy the irons that day. Outside of buying new irons, there isn't that big of a monetary cost to weight.

24 minutes ago, lenman73 said:

In one round I can start off with a flatter one plane swing but if my right knee flares up and I can't push off the ground as hard I will adapt and go to a more upright 2 plane swing.

Check out this thread

 

[MarvChamp]

8 hours ago, 1badbadger said:

Back in the day before club fitting became a "thing", I don't know if anyone realized the benefits or understood what was involved.  It wasn't until technology was able to be studied that it became apparent how club specs affect a player's trajectory.

Right. And as @iacas said, there might be a specific miss that the unfitted clubs mask. Again I'm all for fitting. It is generally available to me and I understand the benefits (now). I suppose in the days when the technology was not there, the best golfers did a "fitting" of sorts. Loft and lie have been understood forever. Were the good golfers so tuned to their that they could feel and see when a particular club wasn't right for them? How did they come to the "right" clubs? Best regards, -Marv

[lenman73]

8 hours ago, saevel25 said:

What if some of your inconsistency comes from having irons that do not fit your swing. Even if your swing is volatile, you could have a specific miss that is due to the bad fitting.

Also, some places will throw in the fitting cost if you buy the irons that day. Outside of buying new irons, there isn't that big of a monetary cost to weight.

Check out this thread

 

On a whole I get what you are saying. Even playing with my usual buddies on my league or weekend group, most if not all do as the link you provided describe, and use the same swing shot after shot.  Whether a curse or a blessing, I dont fall into that category. If i go have a set bent 2° flat (Just using as an example) and go to a more upright swing I will more than likely start losing shots to the right. I am an admitted club also, I switch clubs like swings on a whim. I do get all of my irons used on the cheap now and do agree that if the specs are way off then it will be a detriment. Years ago, i did go through and have all the lies checked on a new set and they all were good stock at that point in time. I understand not all are created equal. But at this point in time as far as irons go I worry about flex and length.  Right now I am not committed to swinging one way or another. It is more about what my body is capable of doing on any given day given injuries and failing joints.  I am strictly speaking for myself and make no attempt to discredit those that do undergo a full fitting. But for myself presently, at 5'10" irons off the rack fit for now. I am not saying I will never go through the process but a commitment to a swing will come first. Hope this made sense. 

[JonMA1]

I bought my current set of irons from a certified Mizuno fitter and the experience was underwhelming. I explained before the fitting that I didn't know anything about the process and that I'd be trusting him. It turned out to be nothing like what Mizuno shows on their website. There was no sense of professionalism on his part. I didn't realize until a year or so later how many shaft options Mizuno offers.

I don't know. I think like anything else, there are good club fitters and lousy ones. In the end, I like my current set of irons better than my previous set and am happy with the purchase. I'm of the opinion it has little to do with the fitting.

I'll probably go the fitting route again if I ever buy new clubs, it just won't be through the same person.

[MuniGrit]

Most people walk into a store and get fit for how they swing inside on a particular day.

[iacas]

13 minutes ago, MuniGrit said:

Most people walk into a store and get fit for how they swing inside on a particular day.

Which is, for all intents and purposes, how they swing.

Most people's swings don't change dramatically.

[MuniGrit]

25 minutes ago, iacas said:

Which is, for all intents and purposes, how they swing.

Most people's swings don't change dramatically.

Depends in my opinion. I know you will tell me I am wrong but I think people swing a littke different when inside on trackman with lie angle board. 

[lastings]

37 minutes ago, iacas said:

Which is, for all intents and purposes, how they swing.

Most people's swings don't change dramatically.

I would imagine they don’t change dramatically, but they do change.  Took me a while to become comfortable at my instructors studio.   Even though my club wasn’t close to hitting anything, it’s a different feeling having that in the back of your head.  

After enough swings you get used to it.  I’d guess I’m exactly the same as I am outside now. 

[iacas]

20 minutes ago, MuniGrit said:

Depends in my opinion. I know you will tell me I am wrong but I think people swing a littke different when inside on trackman with lie angle board. 

You're not wrong, but their swings don't vary significantly, that's all I'm saying.

[Jack Watson]

I’ve been quote fitted for irons at a nice place with Trackman outdoors with good pro and lie board.   I dunno lie board is very hard to hit bad shots from.   Not sure if that’s even a great way... That said,  nothing special happened.  I am average build.  I like gi irons and lighter shafts.  I am a tweener and can use a variety of shafts but I prefer more flexible ones for what I do. I could go a degree or two upright,  but don’t want to encourage steepness or hit left of my aim.  It was cool to see my numbers and watch ballflight,  but basically I like pretty stock irons,

Driver,  they couldn’t do what I would want.  I choke up 2 inches and don’t bother cutting things down.

To me drivers stock are way too long,  not enough true customization,  but good  to hit what’s available.

Edited February 15, 2018 by Jack Watson

[Foot Wedge]

On 2/11/2018 at 11:25 AM, billchao said:

Different heads can also perform differently with the same shafts, depending on the design of the club.

Without fitting, people would probably just test stock clubs and find what works for them.  The concept might be similar, such as finding a shaft that works well for you but with more of a trial and error approach with stock setups.  I realized the impact of shafts when I was hitting irons comparing them to my mizunos in the hopes of finding one that had a stock shaft that would work well for me, so I could score them cheap on ebay.  Nothing was significantly better until one that I realized had an aftermarket shaft.  I asked for them to hand me the one with the stock xp 95 and I just couldn't get along with it.  I decided to hold off until I'm comfortable enough with shelling out for a true fitted set.