Custom Fitting is it flawed.

[stevek1969]

I recently went for a custom fit for irons with a company who have a gizmo which has a club which you swing 3 times and it gives you 3 shaft options. After trying the 3 shafts we selected one which gave the best results.

After getting my clubs i had a nagging feeling that said clubs were to stiff for me, so speaking to the pro who i get my lessons from we did the gizmo again and the same shafts came up. He said knowing my swing he'd have never put in any of them.

So we tried to other shafts of a different stiffness and one was roughly 5 yards longer and the other 9.4 yards longer all measured on Trackman, the original fitting was with Flightscope. Now said manufacturer didnt believe me and wanted me to drive 65 miles to demo day and get one of there guys to do the gizmo again i told them i had the Trackman figures to back me up. That was 2 weeks ago of me giving them my email address and ive heard nowt since.

Has everyone who been custom fitted been happy with there clubs ?

 

[Lump]

Your fitter was flawed, not the process. Fitters should use both the data and feedback from the player to get the correct setup. You obviously got a "computer says no" type.

 

[jpxpro]

Your fitter was flawed, not the process. Fitters should use both the data and feedback from the player to get the correct setup. You obviously got a "computer says no" type.

i agree the 3 swings thing is a starting point nothing else, a proper fitting should try all shaft combos and elimate them based on the results and most importantly how you feel hitting them, when i got fitted the ideal shaft according to the 3 swing was a regular light, but i couldn't hit them constantly about 6 shafts later i ended up with project x 5.5 which was a bit stiffer but felt 100x better for me.

i would go back to the 'fitter' and ask for a full and thorough fitting if its as i suspect Mizuno there are loads of shaft options available

 

[BTatHome]

Can I ask what the actual problem with the clubs is? Are you not hitting them well at all?

You mention only distance, but surely distance is just one of the many things to consider. Certainly for irons the distance they go is one of the lesser reason for me.

 

[CMAC]

I had the Mizuno swing analyser- came up with 3 shafts, he fitted me with the one that gave him the numbers he was looking for (I had no idea) and 2 weeks later had a set of clubs I hated on the course, I was at least a club shorter than my old set and regular playing partners were now hitting 9 irons to my 8 iron etc etc

back to Mizuno fitter and the numbers were still ok as far as he was concerned- I sold the 2 week old clubs for half the price I paid and 'fitted' myself by trying different shafts, finally settling on a shaft that wasnt even on the DNA radar for 'me' but I was comfortable with them.

Swing DNA gizmo is a starting point but a good fitter will listen to your 'feelings', so should you.

 

[chrisd]

I've been doing a Mizuno fitting with a local pro this week. The shaft test suggested stiff for me but he and I knew that I was best with a firm shaft rather than stiff and the Nippon not only came out best on the monitor but also on the range.

So, it has to be a decision between you and the pro using the computer info as a starting point and a guide. We were sure that the KBS Tour shaft was the one until we put the Nippon shaft in the JPX 850 forged head, it wasn't a huge difference but the distance was longer and the flight just better overall

What shaft did you end up with.

 

[JohnnyDee]

I had a fitting on Trackman and the shafts I was matched with were KTS Tour V 100 regular flex. I'm playing off 12 exactly.

My fitter had put these up as an option almost as an afterthought saying that I'd probably not get a great result from them but on the day they gave the best numbers and "computer said YES"

First time out I nailed everything but since (6 months now) I have been spotty with them which of course has put a little bit of nagging doubt in my mind.

I have never had a custom fitting before and now I am a tad confused, however I trust my fitter implicitly but the doubt that he got it right on the day is boring its way into my mind.

I'm sure that as happens so often in golf the problem's between my ears rather than with the kit and I should approach my shots with a positive attitude of "These irons are the dog's bo**ocks for you son, so go and rip it up!" :mmm:

 

[Khamelion]

I did the Mizuno thing for my irons, tried the three swing DNA tool and none of the shafts it suggested were any good for me, it did as written above, give a starting point. The DNA analyser suggested a light weight stiff shaft, base on my swing speed etc..., but I ended up with a heavy regular shaft.

The fitter and myself worked through a few shaft options and the ones I have fitted are the ones which give me the best feed back. To put it another way the DNA analyser suggested a shaft which to me felt like it might as well have been a broom shank, it was dead, the shaft I eventually went with gave the best numbers and feels alive, especially when I catch one out the sweet spot.

There is no replacement, for an experienced fitted with a good eye.

 

[stevek1969]

Can I ask what the actual problem with the clubs is? Are you not hitting them well at all?

You mention only distance, but surely distance is just one of the many things to consider. Certainly for irons the distance they go is one of the lesser reason for me.

The shafts are to stiff for me and there DG XP115 S300, I love the look of the clubs but the ball goes no place,there 2 degrees strong as well. During this week i tried a Reg shaft TM Speedblade a different club altogether i know and the difference in distance and ease of hit was like night and day, i'm hacked of Mizuno for not getting back to me and from know on i'll fit myself on how i feel the clubs are.

 

[Imurg]

I think I can honestly say that I've played my most consistent golf with irons I've "fitted" myself.
I've had a few custom fits, some excellent, some not so, but never really played well with any of them for any great length of time.
Worst was a Ping fitting at a local shop.- got i15's and they just felt wrong as soon as I got them.
A fitting is only as good as the fitter AND the swing you take with you on the day.

 

[upsidedown]

When I was fitted for my irons , it was outdoors so could see ball flight and see how ball reacted, also was hitting of grass which helps. Computer gave the fitter the numbers but ultimately it was my say as to which shaft/grip size I felt comfortable with.

 

[USER1999]

I'm a bit split on this.

I have had a few lessons, and so a bit of a swing rebuild. From this, I know that trying to change your swing is flipping difficult. Day to day, you may think your swing varies, but essentially it doesn't. Your swing is your swing. It just is.

But then we go to custom fit.

Now I know how hard it is to change a swing. So in theory, a c/f session should be ok, however you swing it on the day. After all, it's flipping difficult to change your swing.

So how come, after a c/f session, you can't hit your new clubs?

They were fit for you, you can't change your swing, so they should work?

 

[stevek1969]

I'm a bit split on this.

I have had a few lessons, and so a bit of a swing rebuild. From this, I know that trying to change your swing is flipping difficult. Day to day, you may think your swing varies, but essentially it doesn't. Your swing is your swing. It just is.

But then we go to custom fit.

Now I know how hard it is to change a swing. So in theory, a c/f session should be ok, however you swing it on the day. After all, it's flipping difficult to change your swing.

So how come, after a c/f session, you can't hit your new clubs?

They were fit for you, you can't change your swing, so they should work?

I know what your saying Murph when i was fitted i thought my swing was ok, but after a few lessons and thousands of balls later ive changed my swing for the better with a lot of gym work not crashing weight but a lot of rotation and flexability exercises, and have picked up a few more mph in the swing so in theroy my new clubs should be spot on but there far from it. It has got to the stage where id no confidence in hitting them.

The shafts it threw up were DG XP115 S300 , PX5.5 AND KBS Tour S, the ones i found that were spot on for me were KBS C TAPER LITE Reg and DG SL R300 so different ends of the spectrum really

 

[fundy]

I recently went for a custom fit for irons with a company who have a gizmo which has a club which you swing 3 times and it gives you 3 shaft options. After trying the 3 shafts we selected one which gave the best results.

After getting my clubs i had a nagging feeling that said clubs were to stiff for me, so speaking to the pro who i get my lessons from we did the gizmo again and the same shafts came up. He said knowing my swing he'd have never put in any of them.

So we tried to other shafts of a different stiffness and one was roughly 5 yards longer and the other 9.4 yards longer all measured on Trackman, the original fitting was with Flightscope. Now said manufacturer didnt believe me and wanted me to drive 65 miles to demo day and get one of there guys to do the gizmo again i told them i had the Trackman figures to back me up. That was 2 weeks ago of me giving them my email address and ive heard nowt since.

Has everyone who been custom fitted been happy with there clubs ?

IF thats the sum total of the custom fit then tbh Im not overly surprised that a fair few people will get the wrong shaft. Bit like a lot of things if people blindly follow what a machine tells them rather than having actual ability at what they are doing themselves then you're not going to necessarily get the best option.

Personally think you got a poor fitter and hence a poor fit not that custom fitting itself is flawed

 

[Smiffy]

A fitting is only as good as the swing you take with you on the day.

^^^^^ Correct.
I've only been "fitted" once and hated it.
I was nervous, as I absolutely hate hitting off of mats. Detest it.
Yet on the day, my shonky, jerky swing was analysed and I was recommended some clubs, which I stupidly went on and bought (I had some spare cash and it was burning a hole in my pocket).
I could never get on with them and sold them a few months later.
I can guarantee that if measurements were taken of me hitting balls off of mats, and hitting balls off of grass, the results would be totally different.
As I play 100% of my golf hitting balls off of grass, I'd hazard a guess that the latter figures would be more realistic.

 

[DanFST]

In the nicest possible way.

You got a gizmo from mizuno on a shaft, that doesn't measure anything to do with a golf ball, and did a few swings. I assume you got on a launch monitor after and got some figures for the recommended shafts, with a few heads?

If not you custom fitting is not flawed and you are wrong.

 

[shortstuff]

I have said it before. These fitters often want to flatter you by suggesting higher spec/ stiffer shafts than you need. If you are borderline between shaft types you should select the lower one e.g. borderline reg/stiff, go regular.

 

[Imurg]

I'm a bit split on this.

I have had a few lessons, and so a bit of a swing rebuild. From this, I know that trying to change your swing is flipping difficult. Day to day, you may think your swing varies, but essentially it doesn't. Your swing is your swing. It just is.

But then we go to custom fit.

Now I know how hard it is to change a swing. So in theory, a c/f session should be ok, however you swing it on the day. After all, it's flipping difficult to change your swing.

So how come, after a c/f session, you can't hit your new clubs?

They were fit for you, you can't change your swing, so they should work?

But I think swings do change during a round.
We don't get it right every time - a few degrees here, a couple of MM there, this is a game of fractions. Even your swing speed is going to change a little from swing to swing.
Just say that your 6 iron swing averages at 80 mph.
That means you could have a few at 84 and some at 76 - general rule but 84 would probably be a stiff shaft, 76 and you're looking regular. So fitting for the average means, for some swings, you've got, potentially, the wrong shaft.
Consistency is the key and, much as many would like to think they have it, I'm going to stick my neck out and say most of us haven't got as much as we think we have.
This doesn't make custom fit bad or redundant but, certainly for me, its not the Holy Grail unless you're very good.

 

[Ethan]

Consider custom fitting to be like visiting a NHS Consultant for a specialist opinion. He will use some technology to get information about you, will listen to your preferences and dislikes and advise a course of treatment. It is part science, part art, and you will get the most out of it if you answer honestly. It will not always work first time, but can usually be refined as follow up visits.

The Mizuno Swing DNA offers suggested shafts based on the swing speed and tempo. But people have preferences for feel - some like a solid feeling shaft, others like to feel some play in the head, and some want maximum control, others maximum distance. If you are offered something quite a bit different from your current, you cannot expect it to feel great and perform great right away. But if they don't settle in a shortish time, go back to the fitter and ask for some more measurements to be taken, and changes made.

 

[Ethan]

I have said it before. These fitters often want to flatter you by suggesting higher spec/ stiffer shafts than you need. If you are borderline between shaft types you should select the lower one e.g. borderline reg/stiff, go regular.

You may have said it many times, but that doesn't make it right. The Mizuno Swing DNA results for shaft flex can be seen on the chart widely available on the net. Most of the steel shafts for irons do not have an upcharge.

If you are borderline reg/stiff, get the fitter to hard or soft step a shaft to fit you better.