Custom Fitting - The answer to all problems?

[Imurg]

It's all about a consistent swing - as Ethan says, it's not going to change drastically if you've played for a while - and as long as it's fairly consistent then it can work for you.
You also have to take into account the quality of the fitter - a poor fitter can Custom Fit you for completely the wrong clubs if just a couple of measurements are a bit out.
I was fitted a while back as 1/2 inch long + 2 degrees upright on a set of irons.
I couldn't use them.
Another manufacturer fitted me 1/2 inch long + 1 degree flat.
I could, and did, use them well.

Taking into account the difference between the 2 manufacturers standards, the lie angle was 2 degrees out. That's going to make a difference.
Was it me or the fitter? Who knows and it doesn't really matter - the first set were wrong for me and the 2nd set fitted.
I could have been having an "upright" day during the first fitting - CF can only fit you for the swing you present on the day.
My current irons are standard - I use them well enough most of the time.

 

[Piece]

Old quote: "Better clubs won't guarantee to make you better, but bad clubs WILL make your game worse".

 

[Foxholer]

Old quote: "Better clubs won't guarantee to make you better, but bad clubs WILL make your game worse".

And another is 'You can't buy a Golf game'.

That said (and as something of a techie) I'm generally a fan of Custom Fit - as long as it's the full blown Launch Monitor exercise. I agree that it depends on presenting a standard swing on the day, but that 'normalisation' is part of the fitting process.

However, having been through the process, I know what to look for in selecting shafts (the most important variable imo) and flights to decide on either a purchase decision or a change to my set-up.

 

[lee_leggett]

I believe custom fitting golf clubs is a must. When spending that sort of money you want the best. In todays game any free legal advantage is needed and welcomed.

If you have a good fitter and see results before and after you will understand the benefits of being custom fitted.

If pro's golfers are all custom fitted why as amature golfers do we feel we do not need to have this done ?

 

[stevelev]

I would like to hear the opinions of the 4 winners from the Ping Play Your Best Challenge comp.

Do they believe that a full custom fit has really improved their game or is the practise and lessons more important?

 

[Piece]

Do they believe that a full custom fit has really improved their game or is the practise and lessons more important?

For the best chance to get better, the answer has to be both?! Hopefully.... ;-)

 

[lee_leggett]

For the best chance to get better, the answer has to be both?! Hopefully.... ;-)

I think thats right, If you get the right clubs and have then fitted correctly, then improvement with lessons and practise will be much easier.
Every little helps in golf..

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I've had off the shelf and fully custom fitted clubs. I can honestly say that I hit both well and badly at any given time. While I would say I got a better ball flight and strike with a custom fitted set as I had a shaft for my swing speed and the lie adjusted, it didn't hide the fact that my swing had issues and I had to be having a good day to get the most out of the clubs. It is exactly the same with off the shelf. I hit those well and badly and again it was my swing issues and not my clubs that held me back.

I'm working hard on my swing and have switched to a one plane swing which is reaping reawards and I'm down from 14 in August 2011 to 9.8 last month (back to 10.1 now). The TM TP's are off the shelf and will do me for a while. IF I get down to single figures I do plan to reward myself with a new set of irons. Whether that is C/F or not I'm not sure. My regular partner Hawkeye got a set of C/F Titleist and has been a far better player with them. Coincidence? I'm not sure but it is food for thought

 

[RGDave]

How much of a difference does having custom fitted clubs actually make?
Discuss.

i.m.o. not much.

I got a C/F set more or less at the highest (lowest h'cap) moment in my game. That was 1997. Didn't do much for me.
Gave up, started again in 2008 (?) and couldn't hit them at all. Bought some o/t/s irons, did OK. Went back for C/F about 2 years later, and loved them.....and then I discovered X-18s o/t/s.....even better.

I'd personally see it as icing on the cake.

 

[Hobbit]

I guess the simple answer to will it work is to try something that doesn't. If you have a fast swing and a high launch, imagine if you were given an iron with a huge sole and a senior shaft. The results wouldn't be good. But if you were given an x-stiff shaft and a muscle back design... Now add in your height, say 6'6", and hands like a gorilla's. Standard length clubs and single wrap grips might not be ideal.

After that there's the general feel of a club. You might try sets from different manufacturers that give the same results but one set might just feel right. The confidence that the right feel gives will impact on your scores too.

Custom fit might not turn you into a pro but it will allow you to get the best out of your current swing.

 

[Fraz]

I am looking in on this topic with a keen interest as i am considering changing my irons over the winter.

I bought my current irons based on three factors;
- I was/am a Nike brand whore (i collect Nike trainers with over 40 pairs!)
- I had Nike Sumo Irons and the 2010 VRs looked like a natural progression forwards
- They were on offer and only £220!

I didnt try before i bought never mind got custom fitted, i walked into AG picked em up and walked out, job done.

Since then my handicap as came down 6 shots but i have had 6 lessons and spent time practicing on the course. Would it have came down more if i was custom fitted... I doubt it as my swing was too inconsistent.

However now I can feel improvements in my game, swing is getting better and i want to take the next step forward next year. But... Is my swing consistent enough to necesitate custom fitting... I still dont know!

I really WANT to get custom fitted, because i want every help i can to improve, do i really NEED it... Probably not yet! My swing is still not grooved enough to see a consistent improvement.

I have been looking at the John Letters Master Model prototypes, mainly because i have been sucked in by the whole experience and custom touches more than the end results.

 

[RGDave]

I guess the simple answer to will it work is to try something that doesn't. If you have a fast swing and a high launch, imagine if you were given an iron with a huge sole and a senior shaft. The results wouldn't be good. But if you were given an x-stiff shaft and a muscle back design... Now add in your height, say 6'6", and hands like a gorilla's. Standard length clubs and single wrap grips might not be ideal.

After that there's the general feel of a club. You might try sets from different manufacturers that give the same results but one set might just feel right. The confidence that the right feel gives will impact on your scores too.

Custom fit might not turn you into a pro but it will allow you to get the best out of your current swing.

You make a good point. I suppose if some people are so clueless (or inexperienced) as to start with completely the wrong club, then maybe C/F is essential.

Also, I suppose the further away from average size, the more important. Imagine a 6'8" chap or Ronnie Corbett playing with o/t/s clubs.

 

[Hobbit]

My swing is still not grooved enough to see a consistent improvement.

Let's look at an average golfers score. Somewhere in the region of 90-ish shots in a round. Take out 36 putts = 54 shots. Probably hits 5-6 GIR, means 14 chips/pitches, leaving 40 full shots. How many of those 40 full shots are good swings, or average swings and would benefit from custom fitting?

Alternatively, if 5 of those shots are improved, what would it do to your chances in the next comp/improvement in handicap?

Perhaps a simplistic way of looking at it but...

 

[garyinderry]

Don't ruin my excuse for not be able to hit my driver very far , I blame the shaft lol

if i knew where to start id blame the shaft. the techno talk with shafts scares me !

 

[Fraz]

Let's look at an average golfers score. Somewhere in the region of 90-ish shots in a round. Take out 36 putts = 54 shots. Probably hits 5-6 GIR, means 14 chips/pitches, leaving 40 full shots. How many of those 40 full shots are good swings, or average swings and would benefit from custom fitting?

Alternatively, if 5 of those shots are improved, what would it do to your chances in the next comp/improvement in handicap?

Perhaps a simplistic way of looking at it but...

When you put it like that...

My worry is that I get fitted for the swing that I have on that day then end up with an expensive set of clubs that is fitted for me on X day when I was good/bad/ugly (delete as appropriate) and they end up being a waste of money...

I shall no doubt find out soon enough as I will probably end up getting fitted over the winter anyway.

 

[JJF69]

For Pro's yes
For Amateurs its a load of bollocks. Total hit or a miss, better sticking your 50 bangers on the favourite on the 2.40 @ Kempton.

 

[Foxholer]

I'm pretty sure that Fitters will agree that the amount of influence they have does depend quite a lot on the level of player being fitted. Certainly the several that I have discussed this sort of thing with say this.

For a high handicapper, their aim is to put them in a consistent set that will provide a platform from which the player can develop, with the assistance of a trainer. It's likely that, 6 months down the line, the set-up will have changed sufficiently for a re-test to be required and such things like lie-angle may need adjustment. At a mid-handicap level, same applies, but there's likely to be more focus on flights, shapes etc will be involved, so more time will be spent over shaft selection. Probably less likely to change as much as the high-handicapper, but will be more aware of need for change. Low handicappers will normally be fairly static over a season and more aware of what is working. Possibly a bit more demanding over the actual process of the fitting - taking more time to analyse flight data to see whether recommendations work etc. Pros generally know what they want, or have an idea of what they want to check out. Some are super-finnicky about tiny details. For Drivers, Tour Van guys often make up a few to the same spec and let the Pro try them to decide which one he gets on with best. There'll be something that is different about that one that is nothing to do with the specs or build! And there will be others, just like amateurs, who don't know nor care (and often don't want to know) what specs they have.

 

[GeneralStore]

Very interesting topic which I think spans across multiple sports. Some golfers are of the "practise more" variety and some are leaning towards the "this new pink and purple driver will fix my 60 yard slice". Lower handicappers who are are obviously more experienced know their swing, their game, they have generally played different sets and tried loads of different clubs, so just because they dont go and get 'custom fit' doesnt mean they arent actually doing it for themselves? And this version of a 'custom fit' is almost without doubt better than some American Golf weekend salesman doing a 'custom fit'. The custom fit 'gurus', guys who did it for the boys on tour, cost so much that the majority of players dont go near them and those guys are the ones that could potentially make a difference to the low handicappers, but how much depends on how wrong the current clubs are for the player..e.g. is there room for improvement? Probably not much if the low handicapper has been playing for 20 years.

My brother is average height and average build, he plays off 3 and has done for many years, now he went and was custom fit for his new mizuno irons and was told by both the fitter and the swing dna thingie that he should have a stiff shaft, he didnt listen, just took them off the shelf and he is still off 3, because he is a good player, end of.

I am a high handicapper, 6 foot 4 and I weight 100 kgs before breakfast, if I took o-t-s clubs it would make my golf more difficult than it already is, I dont expect to start hitting it like Rory though just because of a different shaft

Fundamentals are exactly that, fundamentals, non-replaceable, but people shouldnt always be so quick to frown upon a custom fit, it might help a player and if nothing else, keep them interested in golf because of their new toys

 

[MadAdey]

I think for Mr average club golfer custom fitting can only do so much for him. If the lie angle is wrong then he is either going to be hitting toe down or up which will cause a hook or slice and to me that will be something that is reasonably consistent. Also if someone is tall then having a bit more length on his clubs can help him stand more upright and have a better posture. I think most amateurs can get a set of clubs fitted for them by simply just putting the carbon tape on and hitting one of those plastic boards. For most going down the road of a full swing analysis and fitting session will not help much more than just hitting a board with some tape on the club. With my current clubs I did take shots off my handicap after getting fitted by the TM tour van as even though the lie and length was correct on my previous set, the shaft flex was all wrong. I had Rifle 6.5 and they got me to have 5.5. With my swing speed the charts do say I need 6.5 even though I hit a much better iron shot with a 5.5.

 

[socky]

I bought a set of irons at AG and was 'custom' fitted to 3/4's of an inch longer and 2 degrees flat. Joined a club and had a few lessons with the pro who just couldn't understand that spec. He did a custom fit for me again with a few different clubs and recommended 1 degree upright! Sent the clubs back to Ping who changed them for me.

So I guess make sure you have a repeatable swing before you get custom fitted and be certain about who is fitting you.