Club Fittings - science in action or snake oil for sale?

[HankMarvin]

Unless you can swing a club roughly the same way every time, custom fit is probably a waste of time.

Sound advice.

I bet more than half on here think they have the same swing all the time

 

[Smiffy]

I bet more than half on here think they have the same swing all the time

To be fair, most of them do.
But they're crap.

 

[HankMarvin]

To be fair, most of them do.
But they're crap.

:whoo:

 

[Smiffy]

:whoo:

I did include my own in that generalisation, just in case anybody wondered.

 

[HankMarvin]

I did include my own in that generalisation, just in case anybody wondered.

Yeo I am the same, I just try to use which ever one works on the day

 

[Hickory_Hacker]

Unless you can swing a club roughly the same way every time, custom fit is probably a waste of time.

Exactly that.

It makes me laugh when I see posts on here talking about fittings, whilst there's some hope then fair enough but for the vast majority you're only getting the best out of things from the day. Great reading though but surely all that golf talk is a wind up?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Been fitted twice - once for my irons and once for my driver

My golf improved after both fittings - whether that's because of the new equipment being better fitted to me I can't say but would never dimiss someone going to a pro and seeing what happens

 

[Region3]

While most people strike the ball very inconsistently from day to day, I bet most of the characteristics that you're fitted for like swing speed and how you load the shaft at transition etc are pretty much the same every time.

 

[NWJocko]

but for the vast majority you're only getting the best out of things from the day.

Absolutely this, at our level if you're going into a fitting expecting miracles it's not going to happen.

I tend to look at them not from how good are my good shots but how bad are my bad ones! I tried loads of drivers earlier in the year and, on good strikes, they are all pretty much the same. I hit all over the clubface though so more about how those ones are than anything else.

Not an exact science for us lot, more about getting something usable and that you like the look/feel of IMO.

 

[Smiffy]

I got fitted once, by Mizuno.
Played crap with 'em and sold 'em 3 months later.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Unless you can swing a club roughly the same way every time, custom fit is probably a waste of time.

Can I ask why you say that Bob, surely if someone is going to spend £300.00-£1000.00 on something new they would be better off buying a product they have confidence in or feel they have spent their money wisely, taking advice from a suitably qualified PGA Pro
Would your comment apply to a particular handicap etc

 

[lex!]

Sidebar - has anyone ever gone for a club fitting only to be told "What you've got in your hands is the very thing for you my boy! Yessiree Bob, don't even think of changing it for one second." Never happened to me or any of my mates who have been fitted. :mmm:

Yes, I went for a driver fitting recently with one of the top boys. He said to me "what you've got here is absolutely fine, you hit the driver as well as most guys at your age and level. Listen to your coach and do what he tells you, I know him and he knows what he is talking about. If you want to get your handicap down then work on your short game and getting deadly from 120 yards in".

 

[bobmac]

Can I ask why you say that Bob, surely if someone is going to spend £300.00-£1000.00 on something new they would be better off buying a product they have confidence in or feel they have spent their money wisely, taking advice from a suitably qualified PGA Pro
Would your comment apply to a particular handicap etc

What I mean is if someone hits 6 balls in a fitting and they are all different, how can I fit that person?
If your swing is similar each time, even if its rubbish like car salesmen, then I can offer some advice.
To the person who swings it all over the place, my advice would be save your money and come back when you've had a few lessons

 

[ger147]

What I mean is if someone hits 6 balls in a fitting and they are all different, how can I fit that person?
If your swing is similar each time, even if its rubbish like car salesmen, then I can offer some advice.
To the person who swings it all over the place, my advice would be save your money and come back when you've had a few lessons

That's what happened to me when I went for a driver fitting i.e. the fitting pro told me I needed lessons not a new driver and gave me contact details for a good pro nearer my home to go and see.

He also refused to take any money for the fitting I had booked.

 

[User 105]

Unless you can swing a club roughly the same way every time, custom fit is probably a waste of time.

Bang on.

I've had quite a few fittings and I tend to use them as a guide rather than a rule. i get to try a range of clubs, see some indicative numbers and see which ones I like the feel of.

I've had a couple of fittings that I've stopped half way through because I was just not swinging how I normally do, so the results are going to be pointless.

I also go into a fitting with a good idea of what I'd need to see numbers wise for me to consider changing from what I currently use.

I think as amateurs getting fitted is fine if it's free anyway, but go in with an open mind and don't just accept what the fitter says. Balance that against how you were swinging on the day and the results from you're current club(s).

 

[Smiffy]

If your swing is similar each time, even if its rubbish like car salesmen

Rhymes with rowlocks

 

[nickjdavis]

Bloke at my club went along with a few other lads for a Titleist fitting day.

Fitter told him to go away and work on his swing and reckoned he had the potential to get down into single figures.

The golfer in question played off 5 at the time.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

While most people strike the ball very inconsistently from day to day, I bet most of the characteristics that you're fitted for like swing speed and how you load the shaft at transition etc are pretty much the same every time.

At last someone has come up with the right answer. For most people it will be crap but at least it is consistent crap and finding the correct flex, lie etc WILL help. How much depends on the quality of the swing.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

What I mean is if someone hits 6 balls in a fitting and they are all different, how can I fit that person?
If your swing is similar each time, even if its rubbish like car salesmen, then I can offer some advice.
To the person who swings it all over the place, my advice would be save your money and come back when you've had a few lessons

Thanks for that, I see the custom fitting as almost the last cog in the wheel and done in conjunction with the Pro you trust, as you rightly say, so much more other elements to be worked on prior to considering the custom fit.

 

[Region3]

I've had quite a few fittings in my short-ish time back playing but I only have 3 clubs in the bag now that I was fitted for - and they were only for bounce & loft.
I think I have a good idea now of what I like and what suits me and what doesn't.

Driver - bought on the strength of a demo with the wrong shaft borrowed for 1 round.
3 wood - bought after trying 3 or 4 different clubs in AG
Hybrid - never hit first. Bought because I liked the 3 wood so much.
Irons - was left alone with the hex tool, 4 heads and a shedload of shafts. Chose the one that felt nicest hitting rubbish range balls.
Wedges - fitted at Titleist but only for bounce and to get nice gaps. I chose the shaft I 'fitted' myself for with the irons.
Putter - £30 brand new in AG because I liked the way the ball felt off the face.