American Golf Club Fitting

[TreeSeeker]

:rofl:
AG is a multinational company who chooses to offer this free service. I'm sure they will cope if some people use it and buy their clubs elsewhere. If too many people are doing that then they will cease offering it, but they haven't yet so they must be doing ok.

So you would feel it is ok to test drive a car at a big car supermarket when you knew you were going to buy from a mate. Or get your house valued when you had no intention to sell. Have a builder estimate work you were going to pay a friend to do etc.

Of course they decide to afford it. It's still wrong and will incentivise bad practice.

 

[NorwichBanana]

So you would feel it is ok to test drive a car at a big car supermarket when you knew you were going to buy from a mate. Or get your house valued when you had no intention to sell. Have a builder estimate work you were going to pay a friend to do etc.

Of course they decide to afford it. It's still wrong and will incentivise bad practice.

surely your mate would allow you to test drive his car ?
No issue with getting a house valued, it may be the factor in deciding to move or staying where you are?
Builders will be fully aware that most people get more than 1 quote for any work, you'd be mad not to. Also you'll be able to check your mate isn't overcharging !

I understand where you are coming from, but American Golf will have their loyal following of shoppers, and they will also have those like me who go in, test and don't buy. If you offer a service, you have to accept a little bit of abuse towards it, rightly or wrongly.

Tell me you've never played 2 balls on a golf course as 'practice'? Not allowed, but we all do it!

 

[PJ87]

So you would feel it is ok to test drive a car at a big car supermarket when you knew you were going to buy from a mate. Or get your house valued when you had no intention to sell. Have a builder estimate work you were going to pay a friend to do etc.

Of course they decide to afford it. It's still wrong and will incentivise bad practice.

I literally cant tell if this post is serious or a wind up

millions of people test drive cars at a main dealer to see if they like it and then hunt for the best price elsewhere

tones of people have their house valued but don't move because they need it valued and its a cheap way to do it

in the same breath wouldn't AG price match guarantee be against the moral code your putting forward? a retailer can do the product cheaper but you decide to use this to get AG to lower their price for you rather than buy from the 3rd party costing them valid custom?

 

[Smasher]

Because people like you with no intention to buy anything just abusing free fitting I'm not surprised the guys at American golf can sometimes do a bad fittings. You just gone waste their time, if you have contacts why don't you go direct to manufacturer and pay for the fitting. I could never understood people who willing to spend 600 to a 1000 pounds on a golf clubs but are to savvy to pay 50 pounds for the fitting.

Agree with this.
Why would they go all out 100% on a fitting to totally dial everything in when there's so many people abuse the service?
I bet they also have a number of people take a few swings and buy, so again, there's no incentive for AG to offer the best fitting service.
On the flip side a cynic might say they only want to improve over your existing clubs. If they do then it'll be easier to get another sale in X years without having to beat your 'perfect setup' with not so old tech.

 

[Orikoru]

So you would feel it is ok to test drive a car at a big car supermarket when you knew you were going to buy from a mate. Or get your house valued when you had no intention to sell. Have a builder estimate work you were going to pay a friend to do etc.

Of course they decide to afford it. It's still wrong and will incentivise bad practice.

If you are trying to get me to feel sympathy for a multinational billionaire retailer, then you are going to be disappointed. They obviously know people use their free fitting for this sometimes and they don't bat an eyelid. They don't need you to do their crying for them!

 

[Smasher]

For those who had a fitting, did you book online and how long was it?
I'm booking in for one and the online booking had 30 minute slots. Pretty sure that won't be enough time to hit the 6ish clubs i'm interested in and whatever else they suggest, then trying different shafts.

 

[Marshy77]

So you would feel it is ok to test drive a car at a big car supermarket when you knew you were going to buy from a mate. Or get your house valued when you had no intention to sell. Have a builder estimate work you were going to pay a friend to do etc.

Isn't this what everyone does??

 

[NorwichBanana]

Agree with this.
Why would they go all out 100% on a fitting to totally dial everything in when there's so many people abuse the service?
I bet they also have a number of people take a few swings and buy, so again, there's no incentive for AG to offer the best fitting service.

If they did go All Out on a fitting, wouldn't that give more serious golfers peace of mind that they were getting the best club for them?
AG staff will know if during a fitting what the person is like they are fitting and probably change their method of fitting accordingly. Rightly or wrongly.

 

[Robster59]

I think because there are so many AG shops out there that you are bound to get variance with the service offered.

I went to try a few clubs at the Scottish Golf show a couple of years ago and on the Callaway stand they actually had a young lad from American Golf doing the fitting and he suggested I went with a heavier shaft.

I eventually went to the Callaway golf fitting centre at St. Andrews. They had the trackman but you could also see the flight yourself as you were hitting out onto the driving range. They fitted me with a lightweight graphite shaft and the guy fitting me pulled a face when I showed him the spec the AG guy gave me from the golf show.

The fitting at Callaway was FOC and it took less than two weeks for the new clubs to arrive at the shop.

 

[Titleist3]

Okay, I have returned from my fitting.

I have seen some negative comments in relation to my honesty of going with no intentions to buy the clubs.

I will clarify that I told the pro straight away at AG and he was totally fine with that and didn't seem to be fazed at all by me declaring it.

--------------------------------

About the fitting:

I started off with my own 7 iron swing speed was around 88 mph with an average distance of 151 yards.

I currently have '09 burners 4-PW with a 80g Regular Shaft.

I switched between 3-6 different clubs and shafts and discovered I was hitting exactly the same numbers (+1/-1 either side) with the Titleist AP2 and Taylormade P770's.

My shaft was changed from 80g to 121g after testing and changed to stiff.

I prefered the AP2 over the P770's for two reasons:

Firstly I liked the more slider look of the AP2 behind the ball and this gave me confidence in getting a good strike and secondly I preferred the head weight of the AP2 over the P770's as I thought it was easier to swing on the downswing.

My yardage increased from originally 151 yards to 164 yards and I was told this was due to more weight in the shaft and the stiffness of the shaft keeping up with my swing speed.

Verdict: I want the AP2. Don't tell the wife.

-------------------------------------

We then moved on to the Hybrid.

This is something I took out my bag about 3 years ago as I hated it. It drove me nuts.

We tested Titleist 718 T-MB Iron, Callaway GBB Hybrid, Taylormade M3 & M4 and finally Titlesit H1 & H2.

Cut a long story short, I was most consistent with the H2 which was a real shock for me as I thought I would of preferred the T-MB.

I chose the H2 over the H1 due to the shot desperation and spin numbers. My average distance for this club was 193 yards which was really surprising and I was pleased with that.

Shaft style was standard shaft of Aldilia Rouge M AX 85 and degree was changed to 18 degrees with draw bias insert weight.

-------------------------------------

Next up was the fairway wood.

I currently have a Burner '09 4 Wood and this is a 16.5 degree loft. I love this club because when I hit it, it sounds so sweet and the club is like a feather for me.

We tried to match the fairway woods with the hybrid but it was no use and my shot desperation looked like a load of scribble on a big white board.

We discussed long and hard about what I wanted from the fairway wood and it was apparent the need to drive the ball down the fairway on long Par 5's as well as try to control the ball on Par 3's over 200 yards.

Finally we tested the M4 and M3 and and the M4 came out on top. I was shanking a lot of M3 shots and not catching them cleanly which was unique despite me not doing anything different (so the trackman numbers say). I just couldn't connect with the ball correctly.

The M4 felt a lot more forgiving and easier to hit, my "baby fade" disappeared a little too and the shots started to fly off the club face like arrows.

The shaft was stiff Aldiila Rogue Black 70 but the loft was reduced to 15 degrees as I have quite a high ball flight.

Distances with the club was good averaging around 210 yards.

-------------------------------------

Finally the dreaded club, the driver.

I currently have a Taylormade R15 in stiff shaft.

I usually hit this about 230 yards.

To cut a long story short and after testing basically the whole of AG the M4 was most suited to me.

The looks behind the ball was stunning but the performance was there for me. Averaging a total of 246 yards the club was huge.

The shaft was reduced by an inch and a half, the loft was 10.5 reduced to 10 degrees, the shaft was the same as the fairway wood which was interesting. We did try extra stiff but I was already through the ball by the time the club head came around.

-------------------------------------



I end this description of my testing with a few lines, I apologise for the long post, I thoroughly enjoyed the session and it was a real eye opener for me to get tested to see how much of a difference it can make to your game. I was surprised in terms of my irons hafts being completely wrong for me by 40g and the flex. I look forward to your views and opinions and thank you.

 

[NorwichBanana]

For those who had a fitting, did you book online and how long was it?
I'm booking in for one and the online booking had 30 minute slots. Pretty sure that won't be enough time to hit the 6ish clubs i'm interested in and whatever else they suggest, then trying different shafts.

Iron fittings are usually an hour. You'll probably find quickly that of the 6 you like you'll pick 1 or 2 that you really like the feel, sound, look of at address. But I'd look to book for an hour!

 

[NorwichBanana]

I'd struggle with that set up....a mixed bag of Fairways and Irons.....arrrghhhh!!!

**I play Srixon Driver to PW, then cleveland wedges**
**But I have an Odyssey Putter, but want a Cleveland one now aha!**

Sounds like you had a good fitting though!!

 

[Orikoru]

For those who had a fitting, did you book online and how long was it?
I'm booking in for one and the online booking had 30 minute slots. Pretty sure that won't be enough time to hit the 6ish clubs i'm interested in and whatever else they suggest, then trying different shafts.

Yes I did and it was roughly 30 minutes. Given that it's free I don't know if there's anything to stop you just booking two adjacent sessions though??

 

[Titleist3]

I'd struggle with that set up....a mixed bag of Fairways and Irons.....arrrghhhh!!!

**I play Srixon Driver to PW, then cleveland wedges**
**But I have an Odyssey Putter, but want a Cleveland one now aha!**

Sounds like you had a good fitting though!!

Yes mate it was fantastic. If you order from AG after a custom fitting do the clubs have to be ordered in or can you walk away with the clubs the same day?

 

[Deleted member 1740]

Yes mate it was fantastic. If you order from AG after a custom fitting do the clubs have to be ordered in or can you walk away with the clubs the same day?

It depends if you’re fitted for stock shafts and standard lie and length. If it is and they have them in stock then you walk away with them, if not they usually take 2weeks max to be delivered depending on manufacturers.

 

[Titleist3]

Pray to god I can get them the same day. That will be a key deciding factor.

The guy today reckons my 4-PW 09 Burner can be traded in for 120 which will come off the price too!

 

[Deleted member 1740]

Pray to god I can get them the same day. That will be a key deciding factor.

The guy today reckons my 4-PW 09 Burner can be traded in for 120 which will come off the price too!

From looking at your list it seems they're all standard loft/lie in stiff, no?

If so i'd say they have them in stock if you're geting them from AG.

If not i'd try clubhousegolf.

where do you play? could your pro not get them?

 

[Titleist3]

I think so mate. There was no indication that they would be changed.

Yes I can get them direct however I would have to pay upfront which I’m now thinking about as being a negative and instead I’m thinking about using AG 0% intrest.

 

[PJ87]

Okay, I have returned from my fitting.

I have seen some negative comments in relation to my honesty of going with no intentions to buy the clubs.

I will clarify that I told the pro straight away at AG and he was totally fine with that and didn't seem to be fazed at all by me declaring it.

--------------------------------

About the fitting:

I started off with my own 7 iron swing speed was around 88 mph with an average distance of 151 yards.

I currently have '09 burners 4-PW with a 80g Regular Shaft.

I switched between 3-6 different clubs and shafts and discovered I was hitting exactly the same numbers (+1/-1 either side) with the Titleist AP2 and Taylormade P770's.

My shaft was changed from 80g to 121g after testing and changed to stiff.

I prefered the AP2 over the P770's for two reasons:

Firstly I liked the more slider look of the AP2 behind the ball and this gave me confidence in getting a good strike and secondly I preferred the head weight of the AP2 over the P770's as I thought it was easier to swing on the downswing.

My yardage increased from originally 151 yards to 164 yards and I was told this was due to more weight in the shaft and the stiffness of the shaft keeping up with my swing speed.

Verdict: I want the AP2. Don't tell the wife.

-------------------------------------

We then moved on to the Hybrid.

This is something I took out my bag about 3 years ago as I hated it. It drove me nuts.

We tested Titleist 718 T-MB Iron, Callaway GBB Hybrid, Taylormade M3 & M4 and finally Titlesit H1 & H2.

Cut a long story short, I was most consistent with the H2 which was a real shock for me as I thought I would of preferred the T-MB.

I chose the H2 over the H1 due to the shot desperation and spin numbers. My average distance for this club was 193 yards which was really surprising and I was pleased with that.

Shaft style was standard shaft of Aldilia Rouge M AX 85 and degree was changed to 18 degrees with draw bias insert weight.

-------------------------------------

Next up was the fairway wood.

I currently have a Burner '09 4 Wood and this is a 16.5 degree loft. I love this club because when I hit it, it sounds so sweet and the club is like a feather for me.

We tried to match the fairway woods with the hybrid but it was no use and my shot desperation looked like a load of scribble on a big white board.

We discussed long and hard about what I wanted from the fairway wood and it was apparent the need to drive the ball down the fairway on long Par 5's as well as try to control the ball on Par 3's over 200 yards.

Finally we tested the M4 and M3 and and the M4 came out on top. I was shanking a lot of M3 shots and not catching them cleanly which was unique despite me not doing anything different (so the trackman numbers say). I just couldn't connect with the ball correctly.

The M4 felt a lot more forgiving and easier to hit, my "baby fade" disappeared a little too and the shots started to fly off the club face like arrows.

The shaft was stiff Aldiila Rogue Black 70 but the loft was reduced to 15 degrees as I have quite a high ball flight.

Distances with the club was good averaging around 210 yards.

-------------------------------------

Finally the dreaded club, the driver.

I currently have a Taylormade R15 in stiff shaft.

I usually hit this about 230 yards.

To cut a long story short and after testing basically the whole of AG the M4 was most suited to me.

The looks behind the ball was stunning but the performance was there for me. Averaging a total of 246 yards the club was huge.

The shaft was reduced by an inch and a half, the loft was 10.5 reduced to 10 degrees, the shaft was the same as the fairway wood which was interesting. We did try extra stiff but I was already through the ball by the time the club head came around.

-------------------------------------



I end this description of my testing with a few lines, I apologise for the long post, I thoroughly enjoyed the session and it was a real eye opener for me to get tested to see how much of a difference it can make to your game. I was surprised in terms of my irons hafts being completely wrong for me by 40g and the flex. I look forward to your views and opinions and thank you.

I am surprised you managed to do this all in one sitting. My mate went for a driver fit a few weeks ago and was knackered by the end of it couldn't have hit anymore that day whilst remaining affective

 

[ademac]

So you would feel it is ok to test drive a car at a big car supermarket when you knew you were going to buy from a mate. Or get your house valued when you had no intention to sell. Have a builder estimate work you were going to pay a friend to do etc.

Of course they decide to afford it. It's still wrong and will incentivise bad practice.

Um yes yes and yes to the above!
Its the way of the business world, if its wrong then everybody in business is wrong so I wouldnt get too upset about it mate.
Golf is a very competitive market and as the consumer I would always look to find the best ways to use that competition in my favour, I personally think you would be mad no to!