Custom Fitting, what to expect?

[stanleyboy]

Hi fellas,

As I previously posted I am having a custom fitting session on Friday. I have never been fitted and am unsure what to expect with loft and lie etc I dont understand the technical side of things (nor the practical side of things too much either tbh)

Can anyone shed a bit of light on what they check / do / have me do etc?

Thanks
Sam

 

[jdchelsea]

I got fitted for clubs for the first time last sunday myself. It took me about 45 minutes i think. First of all i warmed up just hitting a few 7 irons off the mat. then the guy turned on a launch monitor (measure the usual - distance, carry, spin etc) and we tried out different clubs. I had already basically settled on the club i wanted because i'd taken a few up to the range beforehand anyway. Once I confirmed that was definitely the club I wanted he then got me to try different shafts to see which gave the best results on the monitor. My best shots were with a stiff shaft but so were my worst shots. With the regular shaft I was more consistent. After we'd settled on club and shaft he then checked my lie angle by placing a a sticker along the bottom of the club and had me strike a board which marked the sticker. This told me if I needed a more of less upright club. this check also coincided with length of club but because I was hitting the correct place on the sticker every time we didnt need to do much fitting. We did check lofts either side just to be sure. Then we tried different grip thickness's again starting off with one then trying either side to see which felt better and gave best results. He then offered me the oppurtunity to take any clubs to the range to hit some more shots. I took a stiff and regular shaft of the club I liked. I made my decision and placed my order. in case you were wondering I was Mr normal. normal length, normal lie, regular shaft and normal width grip so I could have picked striaght off the shelf but I'm glad I went through the process to know that. From the tests we did you can really see how the wrong clubs could hurt you.

Not sure if everyone gets the same experience but that was mine. Hope it helps and you've any other questions I'll do my best to answer.

Jd

 

[stanleyboy]

Not sure if everyone gets the same experience but that was mine. Hope it helps and you've any other questions I'll do my best to answer.

Jd

Thanks for the reply and really Im looking forward too it! I started off wanting some I15's but depending on how the AP's play I may go with them......
I was just wondering as you said you were 'Mr Normal', what build are you and how tall?

Cheers
Sam

 

[One Planer]

I'd take one of your current clubs, say a 6 iron.

Hit a few shots with that on the monitor see what swing speed, spin, distance and dispersion figures you get and then compare it to the other models you hit.

Ideally you want one giving you better stats than your current kit.

 

[jdchelsea]

I'm 5'10 and average build.

funny enough the I15's were what I went with. They seemed lighter to me than the other clubs I tried which suited me. Other players may prefer heavier clubs but to me the I15's had the best balance. I tried quite a few clubs including G15, I15, AP's, mizuna jpx800 and various callaways and taylor mades. The Mizuno Jpx 800's were the only other ones that came close for me but I just preferred the sound the I15's made in the end.

I'd been down a couple of times to the shop the guy had let me hit plenty of clubs and take whatever ones I wanted to the range before the actual day of my fitting. I think hitting clubs just by myself at the range was very useful and would recommend it if you can do it.

Cant wait to get the clubs now

 

[jdchelsea]

oh and as Gareth says bring you're own clubs, shoes and glove (if you play with one).

I had an issue with wedges. My wedge from my original set had broke so I bought a titleist vokey 48 degree to replace it. the Ping pw is 46 degree which is a bit close to my vokey. The fitter helpfully suggested he could alter my vokey to 50 degree (free of charge) to provide better gaping. My new set will then have 46, 50, 56 and 60 degree wedges.

 

[stanleyboy]

See Im 6'1 and Im half expecting to need the shafts lengthening, I may be totally wrong however. I tend to swing easy so I dont think a stiff would suit. As for loft and lie, the toe can on occasions dig in and result in a push come fade so it'll be interesting to see what the results say. Gripsze..... Not a clue but I have got big old hands so anything is possible in that department!

 

[jdchelsea]

I was right on the borderline according to the fitter for stiff or regular shafts with my swing speed for faster swings being around 87mph and slower swings at around 75mph. He suggested if my average had been above 85mph then he would recommend stiff. He left the decision completely with me and just offered his advice and suggestions when needed.

ps I didnt do my fit at one of the major retailers just a local golf shop.

 

[golf_bug]

I had a driver fitting last week and was a little underwhelmed to be honest. Did some stuff on a launch monitor and my club head speed was getting up around 105mph. I asked whether a stiff shaft may be an option and was told flatly that my swing wouldn't suit one....it would have been nice to try!
I was also given a limited range of drivers to try, all 10.5 degree regulars. I did manage to get the back and side spin down but I felt the launch was too high. I wasn't offered stronger lofts as an option.

My advice would be to ask loads of questions and don't take everything they say to be gospel. Try different shaft flex and lie etc. At the end of the day you are the one who has to live with the clubs. The fitter can give you good advise to help you make an informed decision.

 

[Monty_Brown]

Sounds like some mixed results from different people's experiences. Can I ask where people went for their fittings?

The reason I ask is that some of the most positive reviews of CF on here have been from guys who have had fittings at the CF centres for specific manufacturers, Ping and Mizuno especially have had rave reviews.

If I had no set views on which make I might want, and want to try a range of makes, is a decent club pro the best bet, or can anyone recommend the CF at any retailers? American Golf doesn't sound great from accounts on here, but do any of their competitors have a good rep for CF?

I'm in East Herts / West Essex area if that helps.

 

[jdchelsea]

I got a driver fitting at AG and was dissappointed also. All they done was put impact tape on the club and let me hit into a net. thats why I avoided them when going for an iron fitting. I think if you ever go to get clubs fitted you should be hitting actual balls to see exactly how your hitting said club(s) but at the very least (if hitting into a net) they should have a launch monitor.

 

[golf_bug]

My fitting was with a club pro. The advantage of a club fitting is that you have a range of makes, and the pro may not have any bias towards a particular model. The disadvantage of this is that there are a lot more variables. For example if I went to Ping for a driver fitting, I would be fitted for a G20 and the fitter could spend more time looking at shaft and loft to optimise results.

I didn't buy a driver from my club pro because, to be honest, I wasn't confident that they were recommending the right thing for me (my bad shot is a hook, and I was recommended a draw bias driver for one thing). But the experience was beneficial as it gave me an idea of my basic specs. Now it is down to me to try a few drivers out and choose what is best for me.

 

[Monty_Brown]

Golfbug, I think you've identified one of my main doubts about being fitted by the club pro. They may have a variety of models/makes to hit, but if you want to systematically work your way through the loft and shaft options, for example, will they have all these options in stock? They might be a specialist fitter in one make, and have all the shafts and lofts in stock, but probably not in a bunch of other makes.

That's why the Mizuno and Ping fitting centres appeal.. you can go through every permutation to be sure you have the right option in the end.

 

[golf_bug]

Don't get me wrong, many clubs are licensed fitters with one or more manufacturers. My club is licensed with Ping, Callaway and Titleist I think, and they have the custom fit gear. BUT, in a typical fitting session there are enough variables to consider without having the added complication of choosing a brand/model.

I'd be inclined to go to Ping or Mizuno if these are local to you. Don't write off club pro fittings. But I would go along with some ideas about what clubs you want to try. Maybe warn them in advance so they can have these set up and ready to go, therefore making the best use of your time?

 

[wrighty1874]

I'm considering going to the Belfry for a fitting.Played last week with a bloke who had a fitting there and he was very impressed, and the price of the clubs. Internet prices he said.

 

[GB72]

The Belfry is great with all of the options you could want to try but the prices are certainly not internet prices. When I went it was full RRP and the fitter actually gave me my specs and advised me to shop around and spend the £50 pro shop credit on something else. The driver I bought was £100 cheaper on line than at the Belfry.

Fitting at larger retailers is very much dependent on the branch and bad service at one does not mean that they are all bad. For me, Direct Golf near Cambridge is the place I use. Great staff, proper range and monitors as well, lots of fitting options and no pressure at all. Not far to travel and worth a shot.

 

[Piece]

As a veteran of many CFs, some crap and a few good, it really pays if you know the essentials. The fit must include dynamic and static fit, grip sizing, ability to hit balls without a net, comparing your current setup. Real value in learning about launch monitor readings prior to hitting with one. Know the relationship between launch angle and spin rate for irons, usually a 6i. Trust your instinct too.

Personally, I would high St or smaller fitting places. I would only go to a proper experienced pro or a manufacturer national site or similar.

 

[d2cko]

At the range where I was fitted for my irons they were licensed fitters for all the main brands which I suppose can leave you feeling like a kid in a sweet shop.

Personally, I think that you need to have a brand in mind before you go, or at least narrow it down to 2 brands. It would just take too long if you have no idea what you want. The internet is a great place to research clubs and you can work out what will suit your game by online reviews and manufacturers websites.

I think that if you go in with no brand in mind you might end up with a club that you don't like and you'll have the option of blaming the guy that fitted you.

I went in knowing that I wanted the MP-53s and the confidence I have knowing that they are now perfect for me has taken my game to new levels this year.

 

[viscount17]

I went to an independent club builder. Major differences are that there is no time limit to a fitting session, nor to the number of sessions required - I had two, the first for the irons lasted over 3 hours, for the woods another 1/2 hour at a different time. It is also a lifetime service - have any problems, go back and if necessary he will rebuild from scratch.
There is no pressure on what type or brand of clubs you are fitted for - actually he does not deal with any of the high street brands, only with stuff built for the custom fitting industry, including some very expensive Japanese stuff. As to that, I had 10 clubs built, from 4-iron to LW, and the cost was better than I could have got for 8 AP2's. Shafts are matched and stepped throughout, something you will rarely get without specifically asking for it, and paying extra.

One misconception, height is not the issue for longer or shorter shafts - it's wrist-to-floor measurement; so a tall guy with long arms could well be best suited for 'standard' length clubs. (I'm 5' 11" and mine are +1.5 in., which also accords with having previously being told that I needed my clubs bent 3 deg up - I didn't, I needed longer shafts.)
That brings up another point, if your fitter bends clubs it will limit your choice. I believe Titleist limit bending to 2 deg and only Ping will accommodate 4 deg - it's what that notch is for.

 

[Ethan]

I had a driver fitting last week and was a little underwhelmed to be honest. Did some stuff on a launch monitor and my club head speed was getting up around 105mph. I asked whether a stiff shaft may be an option and was told flatly that my swing wouldn't suit one....it would have been nice to try!
I was also given a limited range of drivers to try, all 10.5 degree regulars. I did manage to get the back and side spin down but I felt the launch was too high. I wasn't offered stronger lofts as an option.

My advice would be to ask loads of questions and don't take everything they say to be gospel. Try different shaft flex and lie etc. At the end of the day you are the one who has to live with the clubs. The fitter can give you good advise to help you make an informed decision.

You were given poor advice. Most driver shafts which have stated swing speed ranges would comfortably put you in Stiff at 105mph, some would put you in extra stiff. Very few would have a default of Regular. That is not to say that Regular is definitely a bad fit, just the wrong starting point and any fitter who rejects it out of hand is not someone you want to work with. Perhaps you have a swing tempo which makes Ernie Els look like a snatchy twitchy player. A good fitter would have looked at less loft and possibly some high kickpoint shafts to knock the flight down a bit into the optimal range.

My advice is NOT to go to a high street fitter. Some may be good, some are certainly bad. You may not know which you are getting, but you can be sure they are incentivised to push certain brands.

Go to a proper clubfitter or experienced pro instead.