Custom Fitted Golf Clubs

[3offTheTee]

I am going to change my golf clubs and was considering a Custom Fitted Set. I am mid 50's currently playing off 15 and the lowest handicap I could realistically expect would be 12.

What benefits are likely to be gained by having a custom fitted set and which companies have the best repution and people could recommend? I live in Cumbria which may mean there will be a reasonable ditance to travel.

 

[madandra]

If I were you I would consider graphite shafts. I was recently in Carlisle Golf Centre and they had lots of options. They are in the viaduct.

REMEMBER: IT IS A BUYERS MARKET SO MAKE THEM SELL YOU THE CLUBS RATHER THAN JUST EXPECT YOU TO BUY THEM.

 

[RGuk]

I wouldn't bother unless you are very tall. I had a set of custom mizuno irons and never played as well with them as my old "off the shelf" set.
Certainly you should get graphite in the correct stiffness, but forget all the 1/2 inch here and there, 1 degree this and that.....unless you are going for single figures.
I'm not saying it ain't right, just you won't get a good price/deal and will get talked the hard sell for little or no improvement.
The best investment I ever made was to have a pro check out the lofts and lies of my existing set........some of them were way out.......no wonder my 7 iron never went properly!!!
Dave

 

[leeleggett]

Benefits for of having a fitted set or irons is clear to see if you have been fitted correctly.
Your game will only improve if you get the right cluns for you. many places only do some makes, and the clubs can be changed a little.

I went for a fitting session at Thorpe Wood in Peterborough, they measure club head speed lie and loft and some other factors.

I went for a set of MX25 irons, and was talked out of them by Simon as he said it was the wrong type of club for me. In fact he saved me over £120.00 and my game has improved dropping me to a teen golfer from high twentys. (ok its not all the clubs lots of lessons and clubs you have faith in along with game time will help)

With fitted clubs i new anything that went wrong was me and not an over flex in the shaft, and there are many other things i blamed. I new it was my swing or something i had done.

Go Get Them.....

 

[GB72]

Agree that custom fit is the way to go but make sure that you are properly measured and fitted. My irons were 'fitted' using measurements by an online retailer and were lengthened due to my height. I was having all sorts of problems with them and it was only when I went to a proper fitter that it was explained that they should, in fact, be shortened to fit my swing and ability. Now they have been changed they are perfect.

 

[DCB]

Realgolferuk

I don't agree with your statement here about extra cost.

Around four years ago my last set of clubs were custom fitted. I liked the look of the Mizuno MP30s, went and had a fitting, tried other options/models but settled on what I really wanted. Was measured up for a set which only took 5 days to have delivered. I had gone to a Mizuno dealer during the start of year sale, so there were some good deals on off the shelf stock items. My thoughts were that if I was paying all that money I wanted a custom fitted set. I ended up paying exactly the same as the "on Sale" set that were on the shelf.

OK the dealer has had repeat business out of me, and I have recommended them to some of my friends, but this just shows that custom fit is not necessarily more expensive.

By the way, at the time I could have bought the same model of club "off the shelf" at AG for almost £100 more than I paid for the custom fitted option.

 

[RGuk]

I agree with you in this case, sure, no prob.

What I was trying to infer is that there are always bargains to be had (old stock, last season models), but then I have not ever had the money to get exactly what I wanted ('till now!)

I should also qualify my beliefs about custom fit clubs.
If your swing is set in it's ways and you have no plans to change it, go for custom clubs, DEFINATELY.

But, if like me, you go for lessons and have changed a lot over the years, it could be an expensive idea (if you didn't need clubs anyway). When I bought my Mizunos I was drawing the ball and generating clubhead speed close to "stiff" rating. I had 1/2 inch extra and some adaption to the lie/loft. They worked well, for a while, but as I wound down (work and family pressure) I found them really hard to get on with. I gave them to a mate (6'1") and went back to my old irons.
I believe that a hard worker who has regular lessons and finds their swing constantly evolving might not benefit quite so much from custom fitted irons.
Dave