Custom Fit - Essential or Unecessary?

[HomerJSimpson]

Been in both camps and like a lot of others can't really say that C/F benefitted me to any greater degree than off the shelf. Now that I've finally got a swing with less moving parts (compared to what I had at least) it may be worth looking at again but I wouldn't necessarily hold out much hope that it'll make a huge difference. The only area I can really see it helps is in the shaft as most pro shops/ golf stores simply don't carry enough stock where as a specialist fitter will have shed loads. There wil be one to suit. Do I really want all that fuss though when I've been measured by Ping, Cally, TM and Mizuno at demo days and all say I'm regular all day long. Sure I can firnd a shaft to give me optimum flight and spin ratio but if a standard off the peg one is getting airborne, a reasonable distance and some control deso it really make a difference to a 13 handicap chopper

 

[Bigfoot]

How can the same set suit two players at the opposite ends of the spectrum? I saw someone playing the other day that had a standard driver but was only 5ft 3. The toe was pointing to the sky and he pulled everything left. He had no chance with the longer clubs but was much better with the shorter ones.

If I had used his clubs, at 6ft 5, I would probably hit them all to the right. Custom fit sorts out these two extremes. I can see how the average sized person can use standard clubs but not taller or shorter.

 

[RGDave]

How can the same set suit two players at the opposite ends of the spectrum? I saw someone playing the other day that had a standard driver but was only 5ft 3. The toe was pointing to the sky and he pulled everything left. He had no chance with the longer clubs but was much better with the shorter ones.

If I had used his clubs, at 6ft 5, I would probably hit them all to the right. Custom fit sorts out these two extremes. I can see how the average sized person can use standard clubs but not taller or shorter.

I agree. I thought I'd been fairly balanced.

 

[kid2]

On another note i have a mate who plays off 3 and is using Callaway Fusions....
He was custom fit for a new set of irons last year as he wanted a change...The new ones cost 600 euros and he is only 5'4".....Not sure what the specs were for the new ones but they were not standard....

12 months on and he lasted 6 weeks with the new bats before he gave them back and is now back with his trusty standard off the shelf fusions...

 

[Swinger]

Having had the last two sets of my Mizuno bladed irons custom fit I have to say I am not overly convinced myself but I think it does have some merit.

Everything is worked off your 6 iron for a start which I personally don't think is enough to custom fit a complete set of clubs.

A pro shop fitting is extremely basic without any data to comapre against other lofts/lies/shafts/length.
A proper fitting centre generally has the extra kit required to fit someone with the right shaft, shaft length and any loft changes required.

I do feel a custom fit is worthwhile for shafts alone. I'd have had a hard time convincing my pro to order me some X100's with a local fitting but when I showed him the data he agreed thats what I would need. The shaft change hasn't changed my game totally or anything silly but those shots into the wind are easier to keep control of and ballon a hell of a lot less.

I went to the fitting knowing I wanted X100's so not sure if this made any difference. Gave all the right answers about feel and the stats added up but when you've only hit 3 - 6 balls with each can you really tell?

I personally don't see a problem with off the shelf and the better you get at the game you'll know what you need to change or get with your next set.

My Irons are Mizuno MP 68's which were ordered 2 deg upright across the set, 1 deg stronger, 1/4 inch longer, X100 Shafts and 4 Layers of grip tape.
As soon a I had them I felt the shorter irons were the wrong lie for me, only recently checked them myself and have since cranked the 6i and 7i to 3 deg upright and the 8i, 9i and PW to 4 deg upright.
Has it improved my scores?? No, but when I take a divot the miud line is level across the face which looks nice.
Not overly sure what difference 1/4 inch on the shaft can make as you can hardly notice any difference next to a standard club.

Custom fitting doesn't make you hit good shots but I guess it gives you a tiny bit extra chance to do so.

 

[Khamelion]

khamelion@blueyonder.co.uk

In my first post within this forum I was asking the question about what do I replace my 40yr clubs with?

The unamimous reply has been to replace my irons.

Now for me to do so I will more than likely go down the custom fit route, why? Well mainly because I do not think my swing style will change much now, I mean I'm 42, play maybe 4 times per month but spend a lot of time at the driving range, so the clubs I buy will chance be the last set I buy or will be for a long time. So my reasoning is that I might as well get something that will be tailored to me specifically that will help improve my game.

Now those that read my other post and the first part of this post will argue that buying ay set of modern irons will help improve my game regardless of custom fit or not mainly due to the age of my current clubs and I accept that.

But as I'll probably only buy my replacement clubs once I figure why not make them mine and mine alone.

Regards
Dave

 

[Slicer30]

Re: khamelion@blueyonder.co.uk

I went for a custom fitting as I am quite tall, wanted to see if my frame was to blame for the crap golf.

I can say after getting 1/2 inch longer shafts, 2 deg upright lie the clubs seem much more comfortable than the stock clubs I had.

The key thing for me though, was that it removed any doubt in my head that the stock clubs were to blame. So now If I hit a bad shot I know its down to my swing/setup rather than the clubs.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I bought some irons I didnt even see before they arrived on my doorstep, all as standard, no adjustments, just some use (were 2nd hand)! Big risk but ended up taking about 10 shots off my game in combination with a custom fitted driver shaft..

Guess how I was fitted for it? By eye of course! No machines involved and the guy got it spot on!

I think custom fit is best for anyone who:

Is uch taller or shorter than average
Has a solid repeatable swing
Has money to burn and wants to have the "best"

 

[Snelly]

But anybody who just buys 'stiff' or 'regular' is kidding themselves. They don't know what they are buying. The recommended swing speed ranges for so-called 'stiff' graphite wood shafts range from 85-92 mph for one well known brand to 105-115 for another. There are at least 2 flexes difference between those shafts. The variation between them is so great, it is like buying a car simply on the basis of whether it is 'petrol' or diesel', 'manual' or 'automatic'.

I have been kidding myself for years then Ethan. Amazing that I can even hit the ball properly considering this.......

The replies on this thread are anecdotal but firm up my initial view that the difference in getting clubs fitted especially for me, at the level of golf I play, is absolutely negligible.

I can see though that if you are not a standard player in some way; tall, short, really low or high clubhead speed etc, then a specially fitted club is going to help.

For Average Joes like me though, off the shelf is perfectly okay.

 

[StrangelyBrown]

I got custom fit for my irons as it was free. As I suspected I'm a regular flex player but was specced with lighter than standard shafts, half an inch longer and 3 layers of tape under the grips. I have to say that the clubs feel very much more comfortable to hold and I'll be getting my other clubs re-gripped to match.

Without the C/F I wouldn't have found this out, so to me it was worth the time.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Snelly,
This is an interesting thread, mainly because you are a good golfer who is making these statements.
I've never seen you play. So I can't comment on your game but would like to ask one question.

What is the weakness in your game?

 

[Snelly]

Snelly,
This is an interesting thread, mainly because you are a good golfer who is making these statements.
I've never seen you play. So I can't comment on your game but would like to ask one question.

What is the weakness in your game?

Hi,

Am not that keen on bringing my game into this particularly as it would seem immodest to do so.

However, as you asked, I am a pretty good driver of the ball and a fairly decent long iron player so I would say that the weakest part of my game is with the shorter clubs. 100 yards and in is where I should do better and convert more good drives into birdies.

The reason I don't in my opinion is just that I don't play more than about once a month so have lost my feel for distance with a wedge. When I was younger and played a lot of golf, this was one of the best parts of my game ironically.

I have also missed a few short putts recently but again, attribute this to the fact that I don't practice or play as often as I should to maintain a good level of performance on the greens.

And to add to this, when choosing clubs, for example a new driver, I give it a bit of a waggle in the shop and if it feels good, I will buy it. In terms of irons, I haven't changed them in 9 years as it isn't broken so doesn't need fixing. I bought them untested though and only because they were cheap and the shafts said Tour Stiff which I thought sounded quite cool. Of course, I have tried other clubs over the years, most often it is a different driver or wedge but haven't changed much.

Lastly, I have won a three trophies in the past year with good rounds - all are on my office window sill as I write this as it happens! For example, level par at Hankley Common, level par at Crowborough Beacon and 2 under at Dorset (name escapes me) so when it comes together, not much is that bad.

Not bad to say I didn't want to write about me! Modest to a fault - perhaps not...

Cheers,


Snelly.

Edited to add that I also won a forum meet at East Brighton which was absolutely the highlight of my golfing year. My partner Smiffy can vouch for me! Think we won that day.....

 

[Deleted member 1147]

If that's not writing about yourself, good job you don't do a blog


The reason I asked was that if say your wedge play isn't as good as other parts of the game, and just by going to a good, experienced custom fitter you could have a few wedges fitted to you specific requirements (lie angle, bounce etc) maybe that could be the difference between those level par rounds and something even better.
You say you don't play much and perhaps you are happy to stick your current form (most of us would be), but if you wanted to improve maybe those little extra bits could make a difference?

 

[Snelly]

If that's not writing about yourself, good job you don't do a blog


The reason I asked was that if say your wedge play isn't as good as other parts of the game, and just by going to a good, experienced custom fitter you could have a few wedges fitted to you specific requirements (lie angle, bounce etc) maybe that could be the difference between those level par rounds and something even better.
You say you don't play much and perhaps you are happy to stick your current form (most of us would be), but if you wanted to improve maybe those little extra bits could make a difference?

Wedges - my wedge play is not about my wedges. If I play a couple of days in a row then my play improves dramatically as the feel returns. Thanks for the suggestion though.

And whilst I would like to improve, in fact I still think I have it in me to get to scratch (best I ever got to was 1), I think my improvement will come when I join a club with my son and play more often.

I am not that bothered if I play well or not these days. Although you wouldn't know this if you saw me swearing and chucking clubs (invariably wedges) after a bad shot!

And I didn't say I could not write about myself. Just didn't want to as it sounds boastful and I can't seem to stop now I have started!

 

[Region3]

For someone at your (Snelly) level of knowledge about your game as well as the game itself then maybe c/f is not so useful.

When I started playing again about 3 years ago I bought all my clubs second hand off ebay so I could sell them again at not much of a loss if I didn't get into it again.

I'm not a big person and definitely not strong so I bought regular shafts. 20 years ago as a kid I didn't even know there were different shafts to choose from.
Any of you might see me swing and tell me I should use stiff shafts and think me an idiot for choosing regular, but I knew that little about my own swing and that's one reason the c/f benefited me.

I also have my clubs altered 2 degrees flat.
After hitting shots with tape on a lie board, the sole was striking the board about an inch away from centre so the lie was altered so that the centre of the sole struck the board.

Does it really make any difference? I have no idea, but it can't hurt. If it was £50 extra to have them altered then I might have thought about it a bit more, but it was free so why not.

I'd now quite happily order clubs myself with PX5.5 or S300 shafts, and 2° flat, but if I'd never had the cf in the first place I might never have known.

If I buy new irons in the future I'd like to get the full treatment and see what different shafts and heads do to launch angles and spin rates because again, I don't see how it can harm your game. Only if it's free or can be offset against the price of the clubs though.

 

[Bigfoot]

I agree. I thought I'd been fairly balanced.

You are always balanced - I was just giving a couple of examples.

Custom fit has helped me play better.

 

[GB72]

What about the people who were chosen for the GM once in a lifetime fitting experiences? Not going to get a better fitting than from the people who fit the pros so how has that impacted on their game?

 

[Ethan]

But anybody who just buys 'stiff' or 'regular' is kidding themselves. They don't know what they are buying. The recommended swing speed ranges for so-called 'stiff' graphite wood shafts range from 85-92 mph for one well known brand to 105-115 for another. There are at least 2 flexes difference between those shafts. The variation between them is so great, it is like buying a car simply on the basis of whether it is 'petrol' or diesel', 'manual' or 'automatic'.

I have been kidding myself for years then Ethan. Amazing that I can even hit the ball properly considering this.......

The replies on this thread are anecdotal but firm up my initial view that the difference in getting clubs fitted especially for me, at the level of golf I play, is absolutely negligible.

I can see though that if you are not a standard player in some way; tall, short, really low or high clubhead speed etc, then a specially fitted club is going to help.

For Average Joes like me though, off the shelf is perfectly okay.

Snelly

But you probably know that one brands 'stiff' doesn't compare to another. Many of the people who go into AG stores don't, and assume that because they once used one club which was 'stiff, they can safely buy another brand marked the same. No matter whether they are average, or below or above average, those clubs are simply not comparable.

So you are a Cat 1 player. Good player, obviously, but by definition not 'average'. I think you mean 'typilcal' rather than average, but you aren't that either.

Here's another anecdote. I used to work with a guy who was a solid 1 handicap. Lovely player. Decided to get fitted properly, as a result had a few changes made to his set up (lie slightly changed, +1/2 inch added, different shaft (still marked 'stiff, though). 2 months later he was off +2.

Maybe you could be lower and just don't know?

 

[bluetoon]

What about the people who were chosen for the GM once in a lifetime fitting experiences? Not going to get a better fitting than from the people who fit the pros so how has that impacted on their game?

That will be me then...........

Hmmmm, tough one to answer. I am in the category of rapidly improving player as my handicap has dropped very quickly over the last two years. I got the irons fitted when i played off 8, then a few medals later, i'm off 6.

Did the new irons help, Yep! i think they did, Could i have done it with my old irons. yep! i think i could. Not very helpfull i know .

They do give me confidence and when i hit a bad shot i know with a degree of certainty that it was a rubbish swing/strike that is to blame and not the club. This can be a big help if you are having an off day/week and you are trying to identify a problem in your game and looking for something to blame.

I think there are plenty of golfers out there who are playing with completely the wrong irons/driver/shaft etc. for there game and there are also many, many more that are playing clubs that are perfectly good enough.

Is it a must have, absolutely not. Its a very nice to have.

For me there is no substitute for practice if you want to get better.

But my new irons are lovely and shiney and look mightily impressive in my bag.

 

[Snelly]

Excellent post Region. Wise words and a lot of common sense.

Ethan - yes an interesting anecdote. Maybe what I should have said is that I am not a serious or committed golfer. I have played a lot and once upon a time was very keen but not these days. I don't mind playing at the level I am and don't particularly want to improve. I certainly don't want to get into club team golf or anything like that.

I am committed to improving my squash game at the minute! Am playing for my club and want to get better before age renders me incapable! Reason I mention it is that it reminds me that I can't think of other sports where custom fitting is such a common thing. Never been fitted for a squash racket. Just have a hit with a few and buy the one that works best. I reckon that mirrors my philosophy for buying golf clubs.

This has been an interesting thread for me..

Cheers,


Snelly.