Custom Fitting Is Now Essential - It's True!!!!

[6inchcup]

a stock set of clubs is just that,a stock set of clubs,if everyone was the same height,weight and had the exact same swing no problem but we don't,so having your clubs fitted for your swing,height etc is a no brainer isn't it!,my mate bought a set last week and was fully fitted for his clubs and he surprised at what had to be altered for his swing,size from the stock clubs, make your clubs work with your swing not swing to suit your new clubs.

 

[Mungoscorner]

Not really. There is no hard and fast rule on this.

I have never paid for a lesson in my life and I am not bad.


......................can't believe I am defending custom fitting....!

Same here,i've had one lesson,which was a freebie at a new club.I never practice either,but that doesn't mean that lessons and practice wont help others.
My argument/opinion against custom fitting being foolproof is simple,you can only be fitted for the swing you have on the day,and as i've said many many times,the majority of golfers simply aren't good enough to replicate the same swing every time they hit a ball.Having the right shaft,loft,lie,grip size, will obviously help to a degree,but ultimately won't correct a swing flaw.
Maybe the guys at GM towers should arrange for the manufacturers to Custom Fit me ?
I'm not proud,i'd be happy to eat a huge chunk of humble pie,and clean egg off my face if i was proven wrong.

 

[Snelly]

Same here,i've had one lesson,which was a freebie at a new club.I never practice either,but that doesn't mean that lessons and practice wont help others.
My argument/opinion against custom fitting being foolproof is simple,you can only be fitted for the swing you have on the day,and as i've said many many times,the majority of golfers simply aren't good enough to replicate the same swing every time they hit a ball.Having the right shaft,loft,lie,grip size, will obviously help to a degree,but ultimately won't correct a swing flaw.

Good points, well made.

 

[JustOne]

Same here,i've had one lesson,which was a freebie at a new club.I never practice either,but that doesn't mean that lessons and practice wont help others.
My argument/opinion against custom fitting being foolproof is simple,you can only be fitted for the swing you have on the day,and as i've said many many times,the majority of golfers simply aren't good enough to replicate the same swing every time they hit a ball.Having the right shaft,loft,lie,grip size, will obviously help to a degree,but ultimately won't correct a swing flaw.
.

I tend to agree which is why I said Snelly 'could' benefit from a fitting as he's low h/cap and his swing is pretty repeatable.

That said I think the whole process of custom fitting is (or should be) an on going REFINEMENT and could possibly help a lot of golfers. Initially you would get a club that had the right length shaft, possibly the right size grip and a shaft that suits your swing. As your swing develops you might then only need to change the shaft and perhaps tweak the loft/lie a degree or two. Then you can start being even more fussy as your swing develops and look at your dispersion/carry/spin rates etc and really get into the nitty gritty's.

I don't think a 20 h/capper could go and get fit and expect those clubs to still suit their swing as they get down to 10 h/cap... or 2 h/cap. They might feel OK still but they're probably not optimum.

 

[pedro perfecto]

In theory the best thing a golfer can do before buying new clubs

in reality the worst thing a golfer can do , because the fitters are more likely to be sales orientated and fit you with what is the most expensive option.

 

[JustOne]

in reality the worst thing a golfer can do , because the fitters are more likely to be sales orientated and fit you with what is the most expensive option.

I'd tend to let trackman be the judge of that...... although I'd NEVER go to somewhere like American Golf to get fitted, always at the manufacturers.

 

[Phil2511]

I would recommend it for Driver, Fairway and Rescue clubs for sure. Not so much with irons.

Yes you can find a huge difference with the longer clubs, but tbh I don't see a huge difference with irons. I got fitted for a set of AP1's 4-GW but wanted the AP2's. Let the fitter talk me into them as he said they are 11yds longer per club. Just hated the look of them and they were always "Not what I wanted"

Recently changed to CB456/MB789PW combo. Also added a 27* 910H to the bag to fill the space as I thought I would need to fill that distance.

Different shafts in the irons and I'm 11yds shorter Yes, but the fact is I'm hitting a 9iron that's the same loft as my old PW.
But now I get the exact same distance with the same club.

Had them about a month now and birdied 4 different holes in comps and bumped my stable ford eclectic from 58pts to 66pts which has me in first place with this weekend being the end of qualifying.
Went out on our 18hole par 3 course on Sunday past and shot 11 over and cost myself 6 shots with the rescues 4x under clubbed and followed 2x by dodgy chips.
But still resulted in my best score on that course.

With the Driver and Rescues I got fitted I hit them much more consistently and longer especially carry than any driver I tried off the shelf.
Tried lots of guys irons (club golfers)and wouldn't say there is that much of a difference between them whether they be regular or stiff off the shelf stuff, (R300 S300 etc).
If you like the look of an iron and know what distance it goes and like the flight and have confidence hitting it then what more do you need really.
Just my opinion of course.

 

[Snelly]

I disagree. Think it is important for irons.

I am thinking of treating myself to a through the bag review at Precision Golf. Has anyone done this? Any feedback appreciated as it isn't cheap - £199.

Thanks.

 

[Hobbit]

I would recommend it for Driver, Fairway and Rescue clubs for sure. Not so much with irons.
.

Miss the centre of the fairway by 20yds and you're usually ok. Miss the centre of the green by the same amount and... I'd say the irons are the most important.

I disagree. Think it is important for irons.

I am thinking of treating myself to a through the bag review at Precision Golf. Has anyone done this? Any feedback appreciated as it isn't cheap - £199.

Thanks.

Let me know how you get on Snelly. I was looking at their website the other evening and thinking yes but the price...

 

[Imurg]

If you're going to get fitted for clubs you may as well get fitted for all clubs.
Having a fitted driver with a "whatever"flex shaft that matches your swing speed and dynamics is great but if your irons are a completely different flex they may be completely unsuited to you. As Ho bit says, miss the centre of a fairway by 20 yards and mostly you're ok but miss a green by that amount and you could be knackered.
Lessons are great, lessons to learn the fundamentals or fix a fault.
But if you're unable or unwilling to hit the range and practice what you learn in the lesson then buying new clubs probably will benefit your game.more.

 

[GreiginFife]

I tend to agree that fitting is a decent step to getting the right kit from the myriad options available.
First and best fitting I had was with a chap called Claus Schuller in Frankfurt a Mizuno staff fitter. It was done over 3 days on a grass range with none of this trackman stuff. He took wrote down detail on each shot and went through different shaft and grip combinations). Results were a aggregated average of the 3 days.
Felt that the irons I walked away with were the best match to me because it was so thorough.

I have had trackman fittings since but sometimes have difficulty in believing what the results tell me (last one it told me I was hitting my 7 iron 170 when it's normally 150 (measured by GPS) and on a good day with a good smash will maybe go 160/165).

 

[Piece]

I disagree. Think it is important for irons.

I am thinking of treating myself to a through the bag review at Precision Golf. Has anyone done this? Any feedback appreciated as it isn't cheap - £199.

Thanks.

Yes - I've had a reasonable amount done at PG. Full driver fit, 3w and 2h review; then a full gapping session with all clubs. What do you need to know?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The only guy I know who has had a full C/F fit in recent times is Hawkeye and his trip to Titleist. He was a good player before but from watching from the side (usually the rough as he hits from the fairway) there seems to be an element of consistency and flight and he has more control on distance. As to whether it was truly worth the cost, only he could say. It has certainly got me pondering a fitting for a set of clubs (not sure which brand) once I get probate and I am sure that a good head with the RIGHT shaft for my swing is a potent mix

 

[Piece]

Yes - I've had a reasonable amount done at PG. Full driver fit, 3w and 2h review; then a full gapping session with all clubs. What do you need to know?

Snelly - It maybe easier or cheaper just to go for the gapping session which is around £80. That way you'll get full Trackman on all clubs and lie, loft adjustment if needed. This may highlight any shaft deltas and give you food for thought on what to do next. Or if you want just iron analysis, then book the iron fitting at £120 which will look at ALL params you need. The minor negative is that you hit into a net so Trackman has to evaluate the whole flight rather than track. But you do hit proper balls.

Personally, I would also have a quick go on the Mizuno DNA thing to get your swing stats - I think this is a really good indicator of the type of shaft that suits your swing.

 

[stevelev]

Shocked at some of the prices being thrown around. Ping charge £50 for complete bag fit, includes gapping every club takes at least 90 mins.

How can some places charge so much??? I know a guy near me charges a fair whack and he fits footballers, pro's athletes and celebrities etc... but for the average joe there must be more reasonable prices and manufacturers deals.

I'm all for C/F gonna try my best to get chosen for the PYB 2013 and prove to myself that I can achieve sub 80's

 

[Piece]

Shocked at some of the prices being thrown around. Ping charge £50 for complete bag fit, includes gapping every club takes at least 90 mins.How can some places charge so much??? I know a guy near me charges a fair whack and he fits footballers, pro's athletes and celebrities etc... but for the average joe there must be more reasonable prices and manufacturers deals.I'm all for C/F gonna try my best to get chosen for the PYB 2013 and prove to myself that I can achieve sub 80's

If you don't want to be tied to a particular manufacturer, then you often have to go to independent fitters and pay for their specialist knowledge and time. Usually these guys aren't cheap because they are mainly small outfits (c.f. major brands) and will have larger overheads.From experience, a brand fit will be perfectly fine if you want the normal fit (lie, loft, shaft, length, grip, same brand) but if you want the next level of fit (brand independence, swing weight, dynamic lofts, gapping, frequency matching, blah) then it envitably costs more.As usual, it's down to the punter to scope what service level they need...

 

[6inchcup]

my mate had his done at the DAVE CLARK golf shop at the rainford golf centre,he was buying a new set,free fitting,gave him £25 more for a trade in than golfbidder for his clubs,and a voucher to use the driving range for a month.

 

[Ethan]

If you don't want to be tied to a particular manufacturer, then you often have to go to independent fitters and pay for their specialist knowledge and time. Usually these guys aren't cheap because they are mainly small outfits (c.f. major brands) and will have larger overheads.From experience, a brand fit will be perfectly fine if you want the normal fit (lie, loft, shaft, length, grip, same brand) but if you want the next level of fit (brand independence, swing weight, dynamic lofts, gapping, frequency matching, blah) then it envitably costs more.As usual, it's down to the punter to scope what service level they need...

I agree with this analysis. Horses for courses.

If you are a Ping man through and through (God help you), go to Ping. Likewise any other brand with a UK fitting centre. I would avoid the fitting services offered by the big stores entirely. Funny how so many people fitted there get a result which resembles a brand with the highest margins and usually available from stock.

If you have no brand preferences and you want to really get sorted, a specialist such as PG is a great experience. Not cheap, but there is much more opportunity to customise. They will do Tour van level work for you that you can't get done elsewhere. There are some specialists who use only component clubs, such as Snake Eyes, Dynacraft, KZG etc. Fine if you don't want a familiar name brand.

As to the money, sure it is not cheap, but making a mistake in buying the wrong irons isn't cheap either.

 

[elevenredmen]

From someone who sells cars for a living I have a question that often puzzles me and would like to pose to those who have commented on this thread.

Why do you perceive a sales assistant in a high street retailer to push brands or equipment that will probably earn the lad/lass £5-20 commission ( if you disagree enter your own figure here) as being worse than the independant fitter who receives the £20-50 fitting fee plus the full mark up on the recommended set est £80+?

Doctors operate in a position of responsibility yet are often uncovered from profitiering when suggesting/promoting/prescribing certain drugs - most recent scandal i can think of was linked to those suffering from depression. Why then are component specialists recommending Snake Eyes seen as whiter than white? Is it because you paid the £20-50 and paid them their "commission fee" so they dont feel compelled to push certain products? I just think it is naive to think how ANYBODY providing a fitting is not influenced by margins in the recommendations they make. Surely those in a position to benefit the most would be the worst?

 

[Ethan]

From someone who sells cars for a living I have a question that often puzzles me and would like to pose to those who have commented on this thread.

Why do you perceive a sales assistant in a high street retailer to push brands or equipment that will probably earn the lad/lass £5-20 commission ( if you disagree enter your own figure here) as being worse than the independant fitter who receives the £20-50 fitting fee plus the full mark up on the recommended set est £80+?

Doctors operate in a position of responsibility yet are often uncovered from profitiering when suggesting/promoting/prescribing certain drugs - most recent scandal i can think of was linked to those suffering from depression. Why then are component specialists recommending Snake Eyes seen as whiter than white? Is it because you paid the £20-50 and paid them their "commission fee" so they dont feel compelled to push certain products? I just think it is naive to think how ANYBODY providing a fitting is not influenced by margins in the recommendations they make. Surely those in a position to benefit the most would be the worst?

I don't know what AG or DG staff earn, other than it is probably not much, but it is fairly clear that many people emerge from their stores having been fitted for Letters, Adams, Wilson etc, often either or both of badly or to stock specs. I think the burden of proof would have be placed on the side that argues that those are bona fide good faith objective decisions. I rather doubt they are.

Your point, such as it is, about doctors completely misses the target and is spurious and ill-informed. You may be talking about a few US doctors who were involved in speaking engagements to promote drugs for variations of depression some years ago. Hardly 'often uncovered' and even so, irrelevant and a completely pointless comparison. Doctors in the NHS do not receive incentives from drug companies to choose one medicine over another, although they are under a pressure to keep cost down.

So, back to golf. The high end fitters have a different type of relationship with customers than big box stores. First of all, they will invariably offer a review appointment to make adjustments, or if the fitting has been really off, swap out components for better suited ones. They also trade on their reputation, and know they are discussed in fora like this one, so work hard to satisfy customers. I doubt they obtain clubs at the same wholesale prices as big stores - they just don't do the volume needed. I visited Precision Golf once and they did an iron fitting, after which they told me that although I might make slight improvements with a different shaft (which they had racks of available), it wasn't worth the money it would cost, and I should stick with what I was playing. That was one reason I went back again next time I needed something. A bit like a relationship with a good doctor, in fact, it isn't just for one visit or one complaint.

I don't see component fitters as whiter than white. They deal in a narrower range of choices, so probably do get pretty good margins on the stuff they sell.