# American golf fitting good/bad?



## macca64 (May 22, 2013)

After deciding gainsborough is to far, wot  was your fitting like ? ta all


----------



## DAVEYBOY (May 22, 2013)

I wouldn't personally...


----------



## markgs (May 22, 2013)

Rubbish, all they want to do is sell you something so they can make commission on the sale, i have complained about this in particular there was one member of staff in swansea. It was like being in a market in turkey


----------



## pbrown7582 (May 22, 2013)

Find your local ping fitting pro with a range, IMO.


----------



## Evesdad (May 22, 2013)

Have a look on the ping website and see if they have any demo days in your area coming up.


----------



## macca64 (May 22, 2013)

Evesdad said:



			Have a look on the ping website and see if they have any demo days in your area coming up.
		
Click to expand...

Done that, nothing in next 90 days,


----------



## BTatHome (May 22, 2013)

I had no issues at all with my local AG and being fitted for my ping irons. I went in with an idea of what I liked the look of and tried a few options before deciding on the i20's. we then went through quiet a thorough testing of lengths/lies to figure out what my fitting was, all the time trying different head/shafts to get the optimal fit. Checked grip sizing too. Then all was sent off to Ping for them to make and got a price match with the lowest price I could find on the Internet.


----------



## stevie_r (May 22, 2013)

markgs said:



			Rubbish, all they want to do is sell you something so they can make commission on the sale, i have complained about this in particular there was one member of staff in swansea. It was like being in a market in turkey
		
Click to expand...

Depends on the shop.  Clydebank is fine - plus it has a range there.  Went for a fitting one freezing December morning and made it clear to them at the time that I would not be purchasing for a few months, once we were done I was told to pop back any time before ordering to check and double check if I wanted.

Missed out on a Â£100 discount deal just before I went to actually put my order in (missed it by a day) - they still gave me the discount.  No grumbles about AG from me.


----------



## Wolfman (May 23, 2013)

Good reports for AG in Suffolk for me, excellent service and help selecting my PING G25 irons and good discount too

Its not the company its the staff, most AG in our area have excellent staff in general


----------



## Ethan (May 23, 2013)

Obviously AG stores and staff vary in their knowledge, willingness to help and affability, but they are all operating under the same pressures and incentives . They want to sell you something and as chance would have it, that will often be the items with this months staff incentives attached. We also know that they tend to mess around with the launch monitor in order to enhance the results to make a sale. 

I would go to a pro with fitting facilities. If you are prepared to go down to Basingstoke, Jason at Golf Principles is excellent and will fit you for any brand. If you don't want to go that far, Jonny Draycott at Drayton Golf Range near Didcot is a great guy and has trackman and other fitting tech.


----------



## Dan1984 (May 23, 2013)

As above really, I suppose it vary's from store to store but from my personal experience I would steer clear from any fitting from them, I had a very costly bad experience with my local AG last year with some ill fitted "rocketbladez"
Unless I'm after something specific off the shelf I'll be staying away!


----------



## CMAC (May 23, 2013)

Ethan said:



			Obviously AG stores and staff vary in their knowledge, willingness to help and affability, but they are all operating under the same pressures and incentives . They want to sell you something and as chance would have it, that will often be the items with this months staff incentives attached. *We also know that they tend to mess around with the launch monitor in order to enhance the results to make a sale. *

I would go to a pro with fitting facilities. If you are prepared to go down to Basingstoke, Jason at Golf Principles is excellent and will fit you for any brand. If you don't want to go that far, Jonny Draycott at Drayton Golf Range near Didcot is a great guy and has trackman and other fitting tech.
		
Click to expand...

allegedly......... as a moderator I'd be wary of such statements without evidence, or can you present it?


----------



## mikee247 (May 23, 2013)

BTatHome said:



			I had no issues at all with my local AG and being fitted for my ping irons. I went in with an idea of what I liked the look of and tried a few options before deciding on the i20's. we then went through quiet a thorough testing of lengths/lies to figure out what my fitting was, all the time trying different head/shafts to get the optimal fit. Checked grip sizing too. Then all was sent off to Ping for them to make and got a price match with the lowest price I could find on the Internet.
		
Click to expand...

I second this I had a selection of clubs to choose from and we went for the I20's and via AG. They didnt try and push the most expensive ones but I did know the manager there and hes an ex pro so knows his stuff. 

I think its a bit of a lottery depending on individual shops for customer service but they do say that most of their managers are trained ex or current pros.


----------



## CheltenhamHacker (May 23, 2013)

Ethan said:



			If you don't want to go that far, Jonny Draycott at Drayton Golf Range near Didcot is a great guy and has trackman and other fitting tech.
		
Click to expand...

Having just been down to Drayton, went in wanting a Taylormade RBZ, Jonny was brilliant and fitted me out for a new Ping Wood and Hybrid. I can thoroughly recommend him, and his ability to price beat the cheapest of websites was exceptional.


----------



## Iain.faulkner (May 23, 2013)

I think for my local AG it's quite difficult to do the very best fitting they can as they don't have a range. I bought my beginners set and my first driver/iron set from my local AG and I was pleased with the service I got and felt that I came away with the right clubs for me. More recently, I went back for my second Iron set and found the service wasn't as good, there was definite pressure to purchase a particular set of clubs even though for me it didn't feel quite right (and I was told a few things that blatantly weren't true regarding buying Ping clubs). Best thing I did was go to my local pro, I explained the situation to him and he let me take out a 7 iron from the Ping G15 and the G25 and said play with them for a week come back and make the choice from there. He then did a custom fit and the irons feel amazing (plus I think it's a good thing to support the club in some way). I think what the majority are saying is right though, AG as a company aren't bad at fitting, it is probably more down to the individual. Definitely consider going to see your local pro, as mine said to me, he doesn't want to sell me a set of clubs that are wrong, as he will have to see me every week trying to play with them and having me complain to him.


----------



## macca64 (May 23, 2013)

Ta all, opted for Tony Valantine in Swindon today, never pushy in anyway, and once even advised me not to buy a putter until I sorted the odd thing out stoke wise,


----------



## Coatsy79 (May 23, 2013)

macca64 said:



			Ta all, opted for Tony Valantine in Swindon today, never pushy in anyway, and once even advised me not to buy a putter until I sorted the odd thing out stoke wise,
		
Click to expand...

Was just about to suggest Tony's some good guys in there who know there stuff


----------



## Ethan (May 23, 2013)

DarthVega said:



			allegedly......... as a moderator I'd be wary of such statements without evidence, or can you present it?
		
Click to expand...

A former manager told me so, but it was pretty obvious. I demoed a driver at an AG a couple of years ago and my 100 mph swing propelled the ball 280 yards through the air, apparently. That is impossible except at serious altitude. When I queried it, the sales guy looked rather sheepish and hummed and hahed about the settings sometimes going wrong.


----------



## HomerJSimpson (May 23, 2013)

Wouldn't touch AG for a fitting if they were the last option available. Some horrendous experiences at three different stores locally. I would try and use a manufacturer's fitting centre, an independant fitter or a club pro. I've heard good things about Direct Golf but having been burned by AG I'd be reticent to try another store


----------



## Imurg (May 23, 2013)

I've only used their LM's in conjunction with my own club to get a comparison. As Ethan says, you can't be sure their numbers are right. I once hit several 3 woods nearly 270 on the fly.......

Interestingly, a while back, there was a fitting day at Milton Keynes for fairway woods.
In the write-up someone - possibly Fundy - was fitted for a Callaway FT 3 wood. Now I know for a certainty that this club had been on their shelves for nearly 6 months.

Not saying they were trying to get rid of it 

Just sayin'.........


----------



## elmoag (May 24, 2013)

Hello i felt compelled to register and comment after this thread was brought to my attention.
I work for american golf in a senior management postion and we often look at great sites like this to see what views fellow golf lovers have on equipment the latest innovations and sometimes our brand when it is commented on as it has been in this thread.
We view feedback both good and bad as a fanatstic insight into how we can improve.
I welcome your comments but felt the need to give clarity on a few points raised in this thread.
We invest very heavily in providing high quality analysis in our stores these are a great tool to assist with club selection as we strive to match the perfect clubs for your game.
We absolutely would NEVER give an instruction for the results of this analysis to be influenced in anyway which would give the customer a false impression of the performance of the clubs.
We offer a free fitting service with a pga pro available in all our stores to help select the correct clubs and our main concern is that these clubs enhance our customers ability and enjoyment of the game.
We have recently launched our 7 step fitting process which is working well in ensuring our offer is more consistent across all our stores.
By providing the correct advice we ensure that we maintain custom going forward as we grow further as the biggest golf retailer in Europe.
Love the site and we share your passion for the game
i hope you dont mind the intervention but i felt that point was very important.


----------



## car.crash (May 24, 2013)

I went into a AG store and was fitted for ping g20 irons.
I was told 3.75 degree upright and a inch longer.

So I got std black dots (long story)

Anyway today I had a fitting with a proper club maker with my current black dot pings and he moved them 2 degrees upright and left the length alone.
I wouldn't hesitate to use a proper club fitter again but not sure I would trust any retail shop now.


----------



## Rooter (May 25, 2013)

Good to see AG come on and defend themselves. I for one will also back up my 2 local stores, as I think 99% of your experience is with the staff. Both newbury and Swindon have PgA pros who I know and they are good guys. Chris at Swindon was my coach for a while and I know he would only fit you for what is best for you, not what is going to get him in a free draw.


----------



## Foxholer (May 25, 2013)

elmoag said:



			Hello i felt compelled to register and comment after this thread was brought to my attention.
I work for american golf in a senior management postion and we often look at great sites like this to see what views fellow golf lovers have on equipment the latest innovations and sometimes our brand when it is commented on as it has been in this thread.
We view feedback both good and bad as a fanatstic insight into how we can improve.
I welcome your comments but felt the need to give clarity on a few points raised in this thread.
We invest very heavily in providing high quality analysis in our stores these are a great tool to assist with club selection as we strive to match the perfect clubs for your game.
We absolutely would NEVER give an instruction for the results of this analysis to be influenced in anyway which would give the customer a false impression of the performance of the clubs.
We offer a free fitting service with a pga pro available in all our stores to help select the correct clubs and our main concern is that these clubs enhance our customers ability and enjoyment of the game.
We have recently launched our 7 step fitting process which is working well in ensuring our offer is more consistent across all our stores.
By providing the correct advice we ensure that we maintain custom going forward as we grow further as the biggest golf retailer in Europe.
Love the site and we share your passion for the game
i hope you dont mind the intervention but i felt that point was very important.
		
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comments.

I think you might have your work cut out convincing a few of those who have bad experiences in the past.

I've frequented AG stores in many parts of Britain over the years, including a quite pokey little one in Warrington (bought a set of TP-9s there to practice with that got me loving blades) that may have had some significance in the company!

As you've probably noticed from posts in this, and other, threads, there have been the usual mixed experiences and probably the usual ratio of good experience comments:bad experience comments - though, on a forum, the number of potential recipients is the same. 

Unfortunately, bad experiences always seem to get far more visibility than good ones.

I haven't been into an AG store, as a customer, for some time but my old experiences have also been mixed, ranging from absolutely first class service to obvious cases where knowledge/training was inadequate and, indeed, some instances where Launch Monitor results seemed so much better than expected that I suspected they'd been manipulated. These experiences were actually quite similar to those with other similar retail outlets, both golf related and non-golf. You may not instruct staff to manipulate results, but the existence of different incentives and the aspirational nature of golf provide an environment where such manipulation might seem advantageous.

My congratulations to whoever proposed and implemented the 'Pro in every store' strategy. I'm certain that has and will raise the quality of knowledge and the resultant customer experience. My most recent experience of AG - wandering through a well organised 'full of product' store on the way to the range at West London Golf Centre certainly gave that impression. I'm almost certainly going to be an 'active' customer there. 

And for the occasional instances where things don't go as both customer and retailer would hope, I always repeat the line from a very successful whiteware and electrical good retailer from 'back home' - 'It's the putting right that counts'!

I wish you all the best in synchronising and raising the quality of customer experience. It seems the way to increased profit too!


----------



## Ethan (May 25, 2013)

I can believe that there is no central corporate directive to game the launch monitors. That is somewhat different to saying it doesn't happen by sales people under pressure to move stock. The internet contains much chatter about how to do so. 

I am rather under impressed by individual testimonies of people that had a good experience. Like that is worthy of acclaim. It should be the case every time. 

Bad experiences should be rare, but they seem rather too common. You can waste 50 decent experiences with one bad one. I have been in a few different AG stores (in the Berks/Surrey area) and have seen some of this myself, including my 280 yard drives with 100mph swing. I have also played with a guy who was clearly given a stock item to get rid of it. This was a guy the size of a rugby back, with a swing to match, playing Rifle 6.5 irons, and he was "fitted" into a Nicklaus hybrid with an A flex shaft, which they just happened to have in stock. Even an idiot would know that was a very poor fit. The guy needed something in the S/X range, and not a draw biased Nicklaus at all. Naturally he hooked the blazes out of it. I advised him to have a word with the person who fitted him up.


----------



## TheJezster (May 25, 2013)

I really dont get this AG bashing that goes on all the time.  I think it's a fantastic shop, it has everything you need, and if you really wanted you could try different clubs without obligation to buy and then look to purchase in the internet.

Alternatively, they will price match any other store for you.

They have a wide range of goods to choose from and the one in New Malden has one of the largest ranges in Europe attached too (actually I heard at our golf club AGM that its the 7th largest in the world and the largest in Europe, but dont have the facts to back this up).

Everytime I go in the staff are friendly and willing to help out and I have NEVER experienced them trying to sell me something I neither need nor want, just to get a sale.

Great place, wouldnt hesitate to recommend and will continue to use.


----------



## Lincoln Quaker (May 25, 2013)

I can't believe anyone who wants to buy a set off ping clubs in the uk would go to a discounter like direct/American golf when it's worth a day out of anyone's diary to go to gainsbough and get them set up correctly. We all want the best from our games and short cutting is not the answer. We travel for miles to play the game so why not travel and get the job done properly. You can even get a couple of rounds local whilst you are up here. There are some cracking courses in Lincolnshire.


----------



## leonneab (May 25, 2013)

AG no way, been into several and all they want to do is sell. Feels more like a used car sales place. The one in Northampton doesn't have any flight scope tech, just solid range balls which give no feedback at all. Last week I watched an older gentlemen with a very slow short swing being sold an used 9.5 stiff shaft driver!!!!!!!!   direct golf is the place to go far more golfer friendly


----------



## stevie_r (May 25, 2013)

leonneab said:



			AG no way, been into several and all they want to do is sell. Feels more like a used car sales place. The one in Northampton doesn't have any flight scope tech, just solid range balls which give no feedback at all. *Last week I watched an older gentlemen with a very slow short swing being sold an used 9.5 stiff shaft driver!!!!!!!!   direct golf is the place to go far more golfer friendly*

Click to expand...

Was there a gun pointed at his head?


----------



## BTatHome (May 25, 2013)

Lincoln Quaker said:



			I can't believe anyone who wants to buy a set off ping clubs in the uk would go to a discounter like direct/American golf when it's worth a day out of anyone's diary to go to gainsbough and get them set up correctly. We all want the best from our games and short cutting is not the answer. We travel for miles to play the game so why not travel and get the job done properly.
		
Click to expand...

Damn, I now feel well and truly told off. Must be something seriously wrong with my game/swing now.


----------



## Lincoln Quaker (May 25, 2013)

BTatHome said:



			Damn, I now feel well and truly told off. Must be something seriously wrong with my game/swing now.
		
Click to expand...

 not telling anyone off but can't understand anyone spending Â£400 plus and not getting them custom fitted. I made the mistake last time and I won't do it next time.


----------



## BTatHome (May 25, 2013)

Lincoln Quaker said:



			not telling anyone off but can't understand anyone spending Â£400 plus and not getting them custom fitted. I made the mistake last time and I won't do it next time.
		
Click to expand...

i did get them custom fit !


----------



## Lincoln Quaker (May 25, 2013)

BTatHome said:



			i did get them custom fit !
		
Click to expand...

Fair enough and apologies


----------



## deanobillquay (May 25, 2013)

Wish I'd gone there, might've saved a fortune on re-shafting my irons!


----------

