Are we really being custom fitted??

[Robobum]

No real answer to the question but, to what degree is the usefulness of the custom fitting process as we experience it??

I ask this after listening to some of the commentary from the Pheonix Open last night. The guy was talking about Hunter Mahan and the issues he was having with his Ping wedges since the new groove rules.

Basically he couldn't get the ball to spin with his 59* because it was sliding up the clubface. The solution was that they kept the loft but added more bounce!!?? Where the hell did that conclusion come from?? Must be some awesome in depth analysis to get to that point.

So where does c/f for us mere mortals equate to that?? 100 balls with various 6 irons, bit of impact tape and some stats off the launch monitor.....are we REALLY being custom fitted??

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think if you got Ping, Cally, TM, Titleist etc at their factory's then yes you are getting pretty much what a tour player would get. The same too for recognised fitters (Clays, Golf World etc). If you go to a regular club pro I think you'd get a professional job but without as much choice for shafts etc and if you go to a golf store there are huge variances between what they consider to be a C/F option

 

[drawboy]

You cannot custom fit poor technique, save your custom fit money and put it towards lessons with a pro.All this "you are never too high a handicap to get fitted". I have to say that's cack.If you cannot hit a ball now how the heck is one degree up and half an inch shorter or whatever going to help, never mind bewildering shaft options.No amount of KBS,Nippon,Dynamic Gold, or whatever is going to make a poor swing a good one. I'd be interested to hear bobmac's opinion.

 

[andiritchie]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IobwjWNFcj8

Quite a good watch if you are into these sort of things

 

[Smiffy]

Trouble is, with custom fitting it's all about how you are swinging on the day.
When I was custom fitted at Mizuno last year, I was swinging crap. Some would say I usually swing crap! But what put me off was hitting off of a mat. I bloody hate hitting off of mats and that's why I avoid driving ranges like the plague.
I can guarantee (guarantee) that if they had measured me hitting the ball off of grass they would have got a totally different set of figures.
East Sussex National has a driving range where you are hitting off of grass. I could quite happily stay over there all afternoon hitting balls. But I'm pee'd off after hitting three balls down a "normal" range.

 

[Cookiesdaughtersdad]

You cannot custom fit poor technique, save your custom fit money and put it towards lessons with a pro.All this "you are never too high a handicap to get fitted". I have to say that's cack.If you cannot hit a ball now how the heck is one degree up and half an inch shorter or whatever going to help, never mind bewildering shaft options.No amount of KBS,Nippon,Dynamic Gold, or whatever is going to make a poor swing a good one. I'd be interested to hear bobmac's opinion.

I cant disagree more.
I have good technique but think people with poor technique/ability who cant or wont change their swing can benefit from at least getting their current clubs checked and if their looking for new ones then why not get custom fitted.
The majority of golfers I see rarely have lessons and seem to care little about swing mechanics and just “bodge“ their way through golf so custom fitting, why not.
I was playing with chubs that where 2 degree flat for me and was wondering why well struck shots went right, how many players have compensated for poor fitting clubs and damaged their swing.
To have your current clubs adjusted costs about £3 per club and is money well spent.
Cheers

Cookie

 

[Spinn77]

Good video clip that, if it wasnt for my recently declared commitment to my current set i'd bebooking in an appointment - web page safely stored in my favourites though

 

[bobmac]

I am qualified to custom fit people with Ping clubs and its a difficult one.
The better the player, the more consistent the swing, the easier it is to fit the player.
As the handicap rises, the swing tends to change more from shot to shot. Which swing do you measure?
There are 2 kinds of custom fit. The static and the dynamic.
As the titles suggest, the static is just height, wrist to floor, hand size etc whereas the dynamic is actually hitting balls using trackman or the now old fashioned but useful sole tape and impact boards.
Obviously, Trackman is more useful to the player as he can see the numbers improving or getting worse as far as clubhead speed, direction and ball flight are concerned.
If a high handicaper came to see me for a fit and wanted lessons too, I would certainly do the lessons first, then fit the player. Common sense really.
On the other hand, some people with high handicaps dont want lessons, they just want a C/F set of clubs because they think they will make them better golfers. And it may do.
In this instance, because they have been fitted, they may swing the club with more confidence and therefor hit it better.

IMO, if you are average height, size and swing speed, you wont benefit an awful lot from being CF except as a confidence boost to know you have the right grip, shaft and head etc.
Have a few lessons on fundamentals, do lots of practice and groove a usable swing THEN get CF if you aren't happy with your clubs.

 

[In_The_Rough]

One for Bob here then. I am 6ft3" tall and play to 15. I have quite a consistent swing. My short game and putting is also fairly good, what does for me is 1 or 2 blow up holes every round, 9's ot 10's not uncommon!! which is why I play to the handicap I do. I have never been fitted before. I am in the middle of a program of lessons. I am booked in at the Ping centre at the end of the Month for a fitting do you think I will benefit from this ?

 

[Tiger]

I don't have much experience as others but what I do know is a static fit for tall or short golfers is essential. I'm 6'4 and was using borrowed clubs to start. My pro adjusted my set up and the club head was horribly out of position. He then lent me a 6 iron that he felt was closer to my requirements. I then got c/f after 4 lessons.

With hindsight I would have tried a range of makes and gone to a main fitting centre if I was suited to a set other than the titleist. My pro doesnt have a wide choice or a trackman but I did feel comfortable with him. Most important thing for me was change of shaft to PX5.5, a much thicker grip, an extra inch on the shaft and having it 4 degrees upright. I am now much more comfortable at address and swing more freely.

In relation to the OP I reckon pros get a much more detailed fitting process, but then again they are much more consistent ball strikers. The biggest challenge is finding an impartial C/F centre, with skilled knowledgeable staff, a range, a trackman and a huge variety of clubs from different brands and shafts to try.

 

[viscount17]

I've had what must be the very basic c/f for my irons, impact tape off the board solely (ooops pun!) to check the strike. everything off the toe, so they are now bent 2 deg up. do I hit better/cleaner - I think so. could I do better - undoubtedly.

I think I could do with a slightly stiffer shaft in the irons (Rifle 4.5 - because that was what was in them when I got them off the shelf) - I tend to pull the irons. how else would I know if that is true unless I go for a c/f?

 

[drawboy]

I've had what must be the very basic c/f for my irons, impact tape off the board solely (ooops pun!) to check the strike. everything off the toe, so they are now bent 2 deg up. do I hit better/cleaner - I think so. could I do better - undoubtedly.

I think I could do with a slightly stiffer shaft in the irons (Rifle 4.5 - because that was what was in them when I got them off the shelf) - I tend to pull the irons. how else would I know if that is true unless I go for a c/f?

Ask your pro, any pro that reaches for the lesson booking diary every time someone asks a simple question isn't worth dealing with IMO. It would take 5 mins of time to watch you hit a couple and tell you if you need stiff or reg. Obviously you shouldn't expect him to drop everything there and then but when he could spare 5 it's good customer relations.

 

[bobmac]

I've had what must be the very basic c/f for my irons, impact tape off the board solely (ooops pun!) to check the strike. everything off the toe, so they are now bent 2 deg up. do I hit better/cleaner - I think so. could I do better - undoubtedly.

I think I could do with a slightly stiffer shaft in the irons (Rifle 4.5 - because that was what was in them when I got them off the shelf) - I tend to pull the irons. how else would I know if that is true unless I go for a c/f?

Ask your pro, any pro that reaches for the lesson booking diary every time someone asks a simple question isn't worth dealing with IMO. It would take 5 mins of time to watch you hit a couple and tell you if you need stiff or reg. Obviously you shouldn't expect him to drop everything there and then but when he could spare 5 it's good customer relations.

I'll just get my diary

 

[pokerjoke]

I've had what must be the very basic c/f for my irons, impact tape off the board solely (ooops pun!) to check the strike. everything off the toe, so they are now bent 2 deg up. do I hit better/cleaner - I think so. could I do better - undoubtedly.

I think I could do with a slightly stiffer shaft in the irons (Rifle 4.5 - because that was what was in them when I got them off the shelf) - I tend to pull the irons. how else would I know if that is true unless I go for a c/f?

Ask your pro, any pro that reaches for the lesson booking diary every time someone asks a simple question isn't worth dealing with IMO. It would take 5 mins of time to watch you hit a couple and tell you if you need stiff or reg. Obviously you shouldn't expect him to drop everything there and then but when he could spare 5 it's good customer relations.

I'll just get my diary

That will be £50[how much?]

 

[iGolf]

I am qualified to custom fit people with Ping clubs and its a difficult one.
The better the player, the more consistent the swing, the easier it is to fit the player.
As the handicap rises, the swing tends to change more from shot to shot. Which swing do you measure?
There are 2 kinds of custom fit. The static and the dynamic.
As the titles suggest, the static is just height, wrist to floor, hand size etc whereas the dynamic is actually hitting balls using trackman or the now old fashioned but useful sole tape and impact boards.
Obviously, Trackman is more useful to the player as he can see the numbers improving or getting worse as far as clubhead speed, direction and ball flight are concerned.
If a high handicaper came to see me for a fit and wanted lessons too, I would certainly do the lessons first, then fit the player. Common sense really.
On the other hand, some people with high handicaps dont want lessons, they just want a C/F set of clubs because they think they will make them better golfers. And it may do.
In this instance, because they have been fitted, they may swing the club with more confidence and therefor hit it better.

IMO, if you are average height, size and swing speed, you wont benefit an awful lot from being CF except as a confidence boost to know you have the right grip, shaft and head etc.
Have a few lessons on fundamentals, do lots of practice and groove a usable swing THEN get CF if you aren't happy with your clubs.

This makes sense to me.

c/f is like buying the top of the range clubs, some people will do it no matter what there h/c.

 

[ball_basher]

when i bought my cally's i sought advice first, i wasnt custom fitted as the pro told me i have up to 12 months to get them fitted for free and it was a good idea to get used to the irons and grove my swing first, then if required i could have them fitted .. as it happens i didnt need them fitting

 

[TonyN]

I am a big fan of custom fitting and could ramble on forever, but wont.

Way I see it is, aslong as you have a decent, repeatable(ish) swing, its going to benefit you.

When I was fit for my irons, the diffence in ball flight, spin,carry distance etc was quite big with all the different shafts.

Same with my driver and 3 wood.

I bought some x 20's off the shelf when I started playing, THEN had lessons and built a decent swing. I couldn't understand why my 6 iron would sometime go 160 and others 140.... It was all in the shafts.

After I got fitted for my MP52's with Nippon shafts, my distances were ALOT more consitent and my game improved dramatically. Now I know what specs I am, I pick up clubs/shafts and know how well I will hit them ( or not)