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I read on here alot about people debating club fittings or having a fitting and such. I have wondered for some time what some people think a proper fitting should consist of. I'm no expert, but I have read quite a number of books on club fitting; build my own and friends' clubs and one day - as a retirement side job - I would love to open my own club building/fitting store. With that said, I wanted to list something that Tom Wishon put out in one of his publications. I hope that I am not in trouble for plagerizing this information, but I thought it should be put out there. You are free to gleen whatever benefit it may provide for your inquiries into club fitting. I'm paraphrazing here, so as not to get into trouble stealing copyrighted information: A poor(or better than nothing) fitting can be characterized by: ~Hitting shots into a net or on a range; ~Physically measured for club length; ~Measured for grip size. A good fitting: ~electronically measured for swing speed; ~elecronically measured using a launch monitor; ~interviewed by fitter for tendancies,and desired goals; ~used a selection of heads from more than one brand; ~used a selection of shafts/a selection of grips, from more than one brand/style. An Excellent fitting: ~Built or used a pilot club you could try based on information gathered by interviewing you; ~attention was paid to total composition of the entire set; ~attention was paid to length, loft, lie of the entire set; ~attention waspaid to shaft frequncies, MOI and/or swingweight of the entire set; at least one, but hopefully all three; ~attention was paid to total weight, grip, shaft spine alignment of the entire set; ~the fitting was completed over several sessions/visits. I believe that if you're truly getting fitted for a set of irons, new driver and/or fairway woods and hybrids, the above guidelines should help you decide if you're getting a thorough fitting from your club professional. Also check if the club builder/fitter is certified. I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes, just putting into print what you might want to consider when thinking about getting fitted for clubs. Thanks for listening.

No, what they've done is loaded the "actual" GPS coordinates for the center of the green; that's always a point on the earth no matter where you stand. Then, to get front and back, they dimensioned the greens (from satelite photos, I've read) and add or subtract the distance from the center. If you're off line then, the front/back dimensions become skewed.

The front, middle, back distances are only accurate from the center line of the fairway (that's in the liturature somewhere). If you get off line in the rough, that 'straight-line' feature is distorted, but the "center" distance is still accurate. If I'm not on the fairway, I only use center and adjust from there based on green size, pin placement etc.

Interestingly, I'll give you my take, based on what's happening (happened) to my swing. Until I filmed it and until I examined my divots, I never realized I was doing this. My swing is neither over the top or inside to out. My swing is straight back and straight forward. I too hit the ball straight (most time) and cannot/do not work the ball - although I wish I could. Now that I've seen the swing myself, I plan on working on a more inside to out path. I want to work on that slowly so as not to alter what I'm already doing, but definately I hope to shape the ball better by improving my swing plane/swing path. I know this answer was about me ... but I hope it helps, some.

Have had one for two seasons ... love it. Simple, easy and you don't have to pay the fee each year just to use the thing. I have added many of my own points in there for the courses we play a lot ... lay-up, dog-leg, etc. When I first researched GPS units last summer, the iGolf (now Bushnell) had the most courses in my area. Many of the other more expensive GPS units did not have some of these area courses listed. I see Bushnell has come out with another model, in color. I wonder if the courses I downloaded for the Neo would transfer to that unit, if I bought it. Love mine. EDIT ... I built a small plastic holder for the belt clip that mounts onto the umbrella threads on my Sun Mountain cart. I have the GPS on that, walk up to my ball, look down, get a distance and boom, we're gone. How simple is that? Speeds up play immensly.

From all the club fitting and club building books I've read, they all say it is better to err on the side of too flexible than too stiff. Tom Wishon, the author of many club fitting books (of which I have) states the same thing.

Best advice is .... stay out of the woods!!! Your five iron is probably 4 degrees loft, more than your 4-iron. Of course it will, with a slightly higher trajectory. Press your hands forward to de-loft the 5-iron and away you go.

Manufacturer's club heads (components) are not available to the public; i.e. you cannot buy a TM head or a Titelist head, etc. There are other, reputable component manufacturer's out there that sell quality component parts: Golfsmith, Golfworks, Tom Wishon, Heriko (Dynacraft). I buy my Snake Eyes components from Golfsmith and have built many Dynacraft, Golfworks and Wishon clubs for friends, family and others.

"Sometimes it IS the arrow ..." Tom Wishon Possibly you were swinging clubs of different weights, differing swingweights, different MOI, differing shaft flex, differing kick points, etc. Sounds to me like your original driver is poorly matched to your swing type/shape and some of these other clubs you hit matched better. Just my humble opinion ...

As most have said, is there a need to consistently choose a club between 170 and 200? One thing I might consider there is perhaps trying a 4-hybrid instead of a 4-iron blade. Maybe the distance on the 4H goes to 185 and bridges half the gap. Your distances aren't that far off from mine (although I have a 10-12 yard gain between clubs) a new 4H should go 185-190, I think. Again as been said, maybe you're just mis-hitting the 4, 5-irons. I second the thought that says do not take a wedge out to make room for another wood or hybrid. Consider how many times you'd hit that "longer" club in a round versus the scoring opportunities of having that wedge in the bag near the green. That needs to be considered too.

I apologize sincerely for the backhanded slap. I took it for granted that someone with your handicap/skill would know why shaft lengths are what they are and possibly where and why to play the ball in relation to club selections. In retrospect the comment was unwarrented and uncalled for. Please accept my apology for that comment.

Sixteen years an NCAA umpire, there were days behind the plate the baseball looked like a beachball coming in; I saw every pitch, every break and was on top of my "A" game. I've had those days calling balls and strikes where I wasn't gonna be right if they rolled the damn thing in. Morale: Some days you got it, some days you ain't. Just brush off the ain'ts and get back in the saddle and try again.

I'm gonna take a wild guess at the other end of the spectrum ... given the differences in heads, shafts, lengths, I'm gonna guess that the swingweight (feel) of the clubs were quite (dramatically) different. Thus, the probable lighter 'feel' club you pulled around your body more than the higher finish/release of a club with a swingweight more suited to your swing. Just my hunch ... for what it's worth.

1. Yes. Play your 3-iron more forward than your PW, which should be in the middle of your stance. 2. It's easier to hit a nail on the head with a short stick than it is with a long pole. 3. Steel - better control, less torque; graphite - more distance, less control. 4. I could be wrong, but I don't think there is such a thing. 5. Overall club weight (dynamic weight) and swingweight (feel of the club) matter greatly. I mean no disrespect, but how did you get to be a 12 hndcp?

I have a good, good friend in Houston I golf with once a year in Myrtle Beach. He absolutely swears by Mizuno clubs. I've hit his irons a few times (when I've wrestled them out of his tightly clenched hands) and am not a good enough golfer to know the differences keenely, but he absolutely loves his Mizuno irons. Sounds like a great deal but more important, sounds like you're extremely happy about your purchase. I'm also guessing it would take 8 or 9 slaps directly to the face to wipe off that sh!t-eating grin from your face!!! You'll be the happiest golfer on the course for a few weeks, eh?? HAHAHAHA Enjoy!!!

A club will not "fix" a slice, a club can camoflage a slice. My prediction is that even with the closed face (what, maybe 1/2 to 1-degree closed?), your slice may return. As you read, watch, learn, apply and make adjustments, strive for an improved swing. Even with the draw bias of the Burner, a good swing will still go straighter. And perhaps farther. What I'm trying to say is, do not think that all is cured. Strive for improvements and a better swing ALL THE TIME. Golf is about improving. The instant we get complacent, we suck again!!! In my humble opinion ... :^)

Please send your payment to .... HAHAHAHAHA Glad you figured it out. Nothing in golf is more frustrating than the "Where the hell did that come from" shot!! And trying to fix what you can't understand. Good luck!

I think that I have said this on here before, but after Clambake's post, it bears repeating. The Tour Tempo methodology works best with a good swing and/or a good understanding of good swing mechanics. Definately Tour Tempo is neither a quick fix nor is it the miracle in a can fix-all. Good Tempo will not fix or help a poor swing. What Tour Tempo has done for me, Clambake so eloquently applied. Take the swing thoughts and mechanical feel out of the swing and relax with a good temo and confident swing. Am I now (in two weeks) a scratch golfer? Hell no ... but my swing is smoother, my confidence is up and I'm making better contact with the ball. Last night for example, I shot 45 (my average). I had three putts lip out, Coulda, shoulda, woulda been a 42. But the on course swings, the confidence I have in knowing I can hit this club, make that shot or hit that fairway has been greatly improved. Like Clambake and the others that posted to the positive on here, I plan on continuing the tempo tones, the drills, the practice and keep improving. If it was easy, everyone would do it and do it well. Golf is hard, practice is necessary and Tour Tempo makes sense for both of those to be a tad bit easier. Enjoy and good luck. As with anything in golf, NEVER look for immediate and permanent fixes. Golf is a sport where change takes time and dedication. Tour Tempo just helps make sense of those.

I can't remember what page it's on but it's in bold italics print ... do not anticipate the beeps, just react to them. Trying to "Swing" "set" "through" on the exact timing is futile. Just start when you hear "swing," get to the top/be near the top on "set" and hit the ball by "through." It sounds to me like you were rushing through trying to time the exact beeps - which would explain the herky-jerky motion/swing feel. Remember, the tones are just like milli-seconds apart. Smooth ... like Kentucky whiskey ... smooooooth ... think Ernie Els or Freddie Couples type swings.

My bad ... you're right ... adding 6 grams to the butt end (I inadvertently stuck 6 grams into the tip end on my calculator) reduces the club from C9.9 to C8.7. Adding one inch to the length of the club changes the SW to D5.4 now. Sorry about that. What I haven't found yet is what happens to the static loft/lie angles by adding an inch???

Just for illustration purposes ... Let's say you have a standard 8-iron, head weighs 278 grams. Standard 50 gram grip and a 110 (for easy math) gram steel shaft. The swing weight of that 8-iron is now C9.9, with a dynamic weight of 421 grams. I don't know what a shaft extender adds for weight, but lets guess 6 grams. And say you add 1" to the length of that 8-iron; from 36.5 to 37. 5 inches. The swing weight went up 1 SW points to D9.5 and the dynamic weight went to 429 grams. What that does to loft and lie, I'm not 100% sure. All the manufacturers of shaft extenders say never to extend a club more than 2 inches. Something else to consider. Also, if extended one inch (for example) your 8-iron would be as long as your 6-iron. That's something to consider, trying it out in the back yard. Just my opinion ... good luck!!

Greg Norman has been the spokesman for McGregor clubs the last several years. His showing in the British Open a while back put McGregor back on the map as far as club manufacturers. I don't know much about the V-Foil clubs, but I believe (could be wrong) that is their latest brand.

The only reason I mentioned swing mechanics is because something in your swing could be causing you to satnd up, lean forward, lean back, whatever that makes your clubs "feel" short. I cannot open the you tube so I did not see your swing. I'm just saying that extenders would be okay if the only reason for doing it is to make your clubs "feel" like the right length.

Standard length of wedges should be 35" which I imagine your clubs would be. A pitching wedge (standard) should be 35.5", 9 iron, 36" etc. gaining a half inch each club up to 3-iron at 39". I like how some "club fitters" want to sell you a new set because you're tall. Keep in mind that because you're tall (I don't know how tall) your arms are longer than a shorter person too. That said, standard club lengths should fit a tall person with longer arms (i.e. Ernie Els). I don't know you, never saw you swing and don't know your physique. But I'd never alter a club because "someone said so." If you're having problems with contact, bending over, etc. to make solid shots, get your swing mechanics checked by a pro first, then get fitted by a reputable club fitter (not a golf club store) and have your clubs checked out. IMHO ...

Why do you want to make the shaft longer? Is there a reason for that? Adding (glueing) an extension to the shaft to make the shaft longer will add weight to the club - both dynamic weight (what the club actually weighs) and swingweight (what the club feels like). I've added extenders to shafts in the past without problems, knowing that the dynamic and swing-weights all changed. I guess I'd be interested in why you wanted to lengthen the club(s) and which ones you were thinking of doing (driver, irons) Steel or graphite, too?