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guest100718
Guest
lol, perhaps you can start to offer a custom seat fitting experience.
Club Fittings - science in action or snake oil for sale?
- Thread starter JohnnyDee
- Start date
lol, perhaps you can start to offer a custom seat fitting experience.
Crow
Crow Person
My take, I think most people can hit most clubs to the extent of their ability. Unless you're particularly tall or short then shaft length isn't going to make a lot of difference, shaft flex can make improvements but not earth shattering ones.
I'm lucky in that I pretty average in terms of height and swing speed so feel I can hit any off the shelf club as well as my limited ability will allow.
My bag would back this up:
And of course the Old School set weren't fitted, my friend ebay again.
I'm lucky in that I pretty average in terms of height and swing speed so feel I can hit any off the shelf club as well as my limited ability will allow.
My bag would back this up:
- Driver, bought for no other reason than I love the sound a Titleist driver makes. (Stiff shaft)
- 3 wood, bought from ebay at a time when I had no idea about shafts. (Graffaloy Blue Stiff)
- 5 wood, bought from a mate, never hit a Cobra club before, in fact never hit a 5 wood before. (Stiff shaft)
- 9 wood, Sports Direct, felt I needed a more lofted fairway wood. (Assumed regular shaft but no marking)
- Hybrid, ebay, chosen because I'd hit my brothers a couple of times on the range and liked it. (Stiff shaft)
- Irons, the only clubs I've been fitted for, I had a wad of cash in the Pro-Shop from the last season when I could play. I shouldn't have gone for a fitting really as I was well into some serious shanks by then, I was just looking at large headed clubs as I had no confidence in the clubs I had my eye on, the Mizuno MP4. The fitting was an embarrassment as I tried to find a swing that hit the ball out the face. (Regular shaft)
- Gap wedge, ebay. (Regular shaft)
- Sand wedge, picked up from a big selection of old clubs to fill an old set I bought from ebay that was missing a sand wedge. (Regular shaft)
- Putter, ebay after trying a load of putters in Sports Direct on their indoor 12 foot putting mat.
And of course the Old School set weren't fitted, my friend ebay again.
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3565
Journeyman Pro
Mmmm I'm a lot taller then my Mrs and she has the seat further forward then I do. Would I drive the car in her position? Er........no! Did I get 'custom fitted seats' when we got the car? Now who's being daft! I move the seat into a position where it's comfortable for me to drive. Just like you get golf clubs that are the right length and lie for you.
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guest100718
Guest
You are by comparing a car seat to a golf club.
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
The analogy is that you can buy either off the shelf and use them but if you adjust them to suit you you'll probably be able to use them better.
At the end of the day, if you've hit a club as a trial then you've gone through some degree of custom fit. The only non fitting scenario I if you walk into AG, look at a set, scoop them up and go to the till.
Did you hit your irons at all before purchase?
At the end of the day, if you've hit a club as a trial then you've gone through some degree of custom fit. The only non fitting scenario I if you walk into AG, look at a set, scoop them up and go to the till.
Did you hit your irons at all before purchase?
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guest100718
Guest
Yep and they're custom fitted too.
Alex1975
Tour Winner
Or has he ever driven a car that the seat isn't the right height or distance for his stature for 4hrs? After all it's just a seat we sit on?
:clap:
3565
Journeyman Pro
Obviously you don't understand sarcasm with my original post. Imurg understood and so did Alex1975.
ill leave you to your little world.
Alex1975
Tour Winner
Its strange that this post even exists really? I have had good results from things as little as and extra wrap of tape or two let alone the correct length of shaft or swing weight..... Can it even be argued that the correctly ergonomic tool would be better than the other?
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guest100718
Guest
I guess you had to be there.
3565
Journeyman Pro
exactly. I had some new internal doors fitted at the weekend, maybe I should of told the fitters not to cut them down to size and just fit them as are from off the shelf........as I don't want the doors to swing freely and shut and make it hard for me to close them?
GB72
Money List Winner
I think that custom fitting ticks several boxes:
1. Having clubs fitted can help the average golfer if the fitting is done well and they understand what they are looking for. Fitted clubs also give increased confidence as they are 'the right clubs for me'.
2. On the other hand, the promotion of custom fitting also encourages people with a perfectly serviceable set of clubs to go out and buy new ones fitted ones will 'obviously' improve their game.
3. Custom fitting could help the manufacturers reduce the size of the second hand market as clubs that have been fitted can be harder to sell or people who are sold on the idea of fitting look to buy new, bespoke clubs rather than second hand, off the peg ones.
4. It has created a whole new market for upgraded shafts that most club golfers never considered before adding an extra revenue stream.
Personally I have had good and bad fittings. One of the best was when I was a very high handicapper and the fitter just suggesting cutting down my driver shaft to make it easier to hit. That said, my bag is now full of off the peg Adams clubs and I have not seen any noticeable downturn.
1. Having clubs fitted can help the average golfer if the fitting is done well and they understand what they are looking for. Fitted clubs also give increased confidence as they are 'the right clubs for me'.
2. On the other hand, the promotion of custom fitting also encourages people with a perfectly serviceable set of clubs to go out and buy new ones fitted ones will 'obviously' improve their game.
3. Custom fitting could help the manufacturers reduce the size of the second hand market as clubs that have been fitted can be harder to sell or people who are sold on the idea of fitting look to buy new, bespoke clubs rather than second hand, off the peg ones.
4. It has created a whole new market for upgraded shafts that most club golfers never considered before adding an extra revenue stream.
Personally I have had good and bad fittings. One of the best was when I was a very high handicapper and the fitter just suggesting cutting down my driver shaft to make it easier to hit. That said, my bag is now full of off the peg Adams clubs and I have not seen any noticeable downturn.
Foxholer
Blackballed
But you can still hammer a nail in with a 'badly fitted' or lower quality hammer! So it really comes down to an individual's perception of what's important to them and at what cost or perceived value for money!
And I could never even get into the car with the settings my wife had them at! Thank heaven for 'memory' seats!
D
Deleted member 15344
Guest
IMO there is no definite answer
Custom fitting will suit some and others will be just as good with a set straight of the shelf
Plenty will have custom fit all the top gear and it won't improve them one single bit - it could even make them worse
Custom fitting will suit some and others will be just as good with a set straight of the shelf
Plenty will have custom fit all the top gear and it won't improve them one single bit - it could even make them worse
My take on this is that a better player will gain more from a fitting for the first time than a new starter.
Better that the new starter learns how to swing the clubs on a consistent plane that moves the ball down the fairway and keeps it in the fairway.
Provided the clubs he or she are using from the tee or Fairway do not have the Toe or Heel stuck right up in the air at address then the fitting is close enough to begin with and the shafts would most likely begin at regular.
Waiting until the swing you have can be reproduced in a reasonably consistent manner before having a fitting makes more sense and the modern game improvement irons mask too many flaws in a beginners golf swing making it difficult to really improve.
Unfortunately we live in a world where nearly everyone wants everything right now without putting the work in and they think that money can buy improvement but fortunately golf is not that easy and it is character building.
I would recommend a half set of old blades that sit right at address with regular steel shafts in them and some lessons with a teaching Pro and practice every spare time you have and then if you decide to splash out the big cash and go down the fitting route you will get the correct clubs for you more accurately.
What is the point being fit when every other swing you make is different? I am sure a fitting is worthwhile and even more so for the scoring clubs like the wedges and the putter but in my opinion you must be able to repeat your swing much of the time to make it worthwhile.
Better that the new starter learns how to swing the clubs on a consistent plane that moves the ball down the fairway and keeps it in the fairway.
Provided the clubs he or she are using from the tee or Fairway do not have the Toe or Heel stuck right up in the air at address then the fitting is close enough to begin with and the shafts would most likely begin at regular.
Waiting until the swing you have can be reproduced in a reasonably consistent manner before having a fitting makes more sense and the modern game improvement irons mask too many flaws in a beginners golf swing making it difficult to really improve.
Unfortunately we live in a world where nearly everyone wants everything right now without putting the work in and they think that money can buy improvement but fortunately golf is not that easy and it is character building.
I would recommend a half set of old blades that sit right at address with regular steel shafts in them and some lessons with a teaching Pro and practice every spare time you have and then if you decide to splash out the big cash and go down the fitting route you will get the correct clubs for you more accurately.
What is the point being fit when every other swing you make is different? I am sure a fitting is worthwhile and even more so for the scoring clubs like the wedges and the putter but in my opinion you must be able to repeat your swing much of the time to make it worthwhile.
HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
My take is simple. We all play this game for fun and so if somebody has sufficient funds to invest on a custom fit set and assuming they have a modicum of control over the ball (not an absolute beginner) then if they are getting some satisfaction from the fitting process, trying different makes and models and getting a proper fitting, then why not? I think most are sensible enough to realise they don't represent some form of magical answer, and to be honest I know a lot of players who aren't hung up on their handicap and so wll just be happy to have a set of clubs fitted for their own needs.
Khamelion
Tour Winner
I went for a fitting when I bought my current set of irons, I was club agnostic when I went not bothered which manufacturer I purchased, tried TM, Ping, Titleist, Callaway and Mizuno in all their various flavours, it came down to Mizuno or TM, both were giving the same figures, opted for Mizuno as there was no up charge on the shafts, tried several different shafts, stiffness's and weights till I got the right setup.
At the fitting I was trying to hit perfect shots, but the fitter told me just to swing and let the ball go, so instead of trying to hit straight shots and spraying them here there and everywhere, I just pulled each shot straight left shot after shot.
So my iron fitting was well worth it.
Sometimes fitting is best, had I bought my Mizuno JPX 850 Driver and Fairway off the shelf I would've ended up with the stock shaft, which as it happens was what the fitter told me best suited my swing style and speed. How wrong he was, for both clubs the shaft was upgraded to a stiffer tipped shaft, which the fitter told me would not work, the look on his face when I pummeled ball after ball straight down range was priceless, his numbers told him one thing, but I told him otherwise and then showed him to boot.
Fitting for me in both instances was well worth it.
At the fitting I was trying to hit perfect shots, but the fitter told me just to swing and let the ball go, so instead of trying to hit straight shots and spraying them here there and everywhere, I just pulled each shot straight left shot after shot.
So my iron fitting was well worth it.
Sometimes fitting is best, had I bought my Mizuno JPX 850 Driver and Fairway off the shelf I would've ended up with the stock shaft, which as it happens was what the fitter told me best suited my swing style and speed. How wrong he was, for both clubs the shaft was upgraded to a stiffer tipped shaft, which the fitter told me would not work, the look on his face when I pummeled ball after ball straight down range was priceless, his numbers told him one thing, but I told him otherwise and then showed him to boot.
Fitting for me in both instances was well worth it.
Jensen
Tour Rookie
I'm not so sure it's as simple as that. I've been told that Mizuno irons are 2 degrees flatter, so I would have thought they would differ between manufacturers.
However I'm prepared to be corrected
ChrisB0210
Assistant Pro
I was fitted for some new irons last week, they're ordered and will be collected when I return from holiday later in the month.
The most surprising and interesting part of the fitting was that I was fitted into clubs that are 2 deg flat and slightly longer in the shaft than my current set. Previously my clubs have been set upright and std length shafts. Having asked me what my bad iron shot is (left pull, close to being a h**k) the pro explained that my current club set up is probably exacerbating that tendency and what he has fitted me into should help eliminate that and help keep my shots straight.
Obviously only time will tell, but hopefully he's right and more shots will fly straight rather than wanting to turn left.
If he is right, then fitting will have worked for me.
The most surprising and interesting part of the fitting was that I was fitted into clubs that are 2 deg flat and slightly longer in the shaft than my current set. Previously my clubs have been set upright and std length shafts. Having asked me what my bad iron shot is (left pull, close to being a h**k) the pro explained that my current club set up is probably exacerbating that tendency and what he has fitted me into should help eliminate that and help keep my shots straight.
Obviously only time will tell, but hopefully he's right and more shots will fly straight rather than wanting to turn left.
If he is right, then fitting will have worked for me.
S
Snelly
Guest
I had a fitting with Ping for my irons and it was excellent, resulting in the best irons I have ever had going in to my bag. I think it can be helpful, fun to do and remove doubt about the suitability of your equipment.
That said, I do think an unbelievable amount of utter, utter tripe is spouted in the golfing media and on this forum about custom fitted clubs. Most of you on this forum have been fitted, very few come along six months later and explain how there handicap has come down by 25% as a result. Just the usual hot air about marginal gains and so on.
What so many who are relatively new to golf seem to completely forget is that before custom fitting existed, there were plenty of golfers using whatever they found in their pro shop to play golf to a better standard than anyone on the forum.
The reason custom fitting exists is as an aid to persuade golfers to part with more money, more often. The benefits do not measure up really but as I said, it is interesting and quite good fun. That doesn't make it snake oil, but nor is it a panacea for anyone's golfing woes.
That said, I do think an unbelievable amount of utter, utter tripe is spouted in the golfing media and on this forum about custom fitted clubs. Most of you on this forum have been fitted, very few come along six months later and explain how there handicap has come down by 25% as a result. Just the usual hot air about marginal gains and so on.
What so many who are relatively new to golf seem to completely forget is that before custom fitting existed, there were plenty of golfers using whatever they found in their pro shop to play golf to a better standard than anyone on the forum.
The reason custom fitting exists is as an aid to persuade golfers to part with more money, more often. The benefits do not measure up really but as I said, it is interesting and quite good fun. That doesn't make it snake oil, but nor is it a panacea for anyone's golfing woes.
