Fitting - is it worth it?

[Burnsey]

We all should remember, many Pro's use the term 'fitting' to effectively sell you new gear.

I've had my fair few sets of irons which were never a good 'fit'.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

There are multiple layers of fitting as explained by Burnsey

Most local pros and some independents offer good fitting free if purchasing the clubs

I have had a fitting from a local pro and it was fine

I bought a set of irons and driver off the shelf - both ended up being wrong


Last two sets of irons and drivers have been done with the same independent fitter - Custom Lab , and have been spot on

Even being able to try multiple shafts is a big difference


There will always be the same potential issue that you get fitted to you using the swing you have that day but would always recommend everyone to get fitted when spending a lot of money on new clubs

 

[Mandofred]

How much input did you have in the fitting process. ? And where was it done?

Was it a specialist fitter or a club pro/AG type fitting. I’ve always found poor fittings tend to come from those type of fitters. Not to be derogatory to them but they just don’t have as much experience or availability of kit ranges to maximise the benefit.

I had a fitting by a club pro years ago for a set of Callaway irons and nothing they fit me in worked. I then took those irons to Callaway in Leatherhead and had them retro fitted by their fitting team and they completely changed the specs and I played some of my best golf after that. The difference was night and day.

Cobra guy who the club scheduled to come in.....they do the same thing with Mizuno, Ping etc.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Cobra guy who the club scheduled to come in.....they do the same thing with Mizuno, Ping etc.

Weird I would have expected better then.

 

[Mandofred]

Weird I would have expected better then.

The guy put me through a few different shafts/heads.....although I did feel he was just doing a quickie job with it. I'll give the club one more shot when (if) things dry out in the Spring. If it doesn't work well by then I'll sell it on to someone else. Maybe if I had a faster swing speed it would be better.

 

[Burnsey]

What would help those being fitted is to use their noggin.

Many don't, just going with the flow of the fitter.

Did it feel better, sound better. How was the flight, the distance, etc., etc.

Anyone fitting without stats is not a proper fitting either and many do. Outdoors is also far better than indoors.

 

[Jason.H]

We all should remember, many Pro's use the term 'fitting' to effectively sell you new gear.

I've had my faor few sets of irons which were never a good 'fit'.

I’ve had one set that was not good for me personally. They were Taylormade RAC blades I had fitted at the Belfry around 2005.
I got down to a 5 hadicap in a relatively short period and thought I was going to keep that trend going.
To be fair to the fitter he said I should consider hybrids rather than the 3 and 4 iron but I insisted I wanted the long irons in the set.
After a year or two I never got on with them and it was more my stupid fault.

 

[Voyager EMH]

I went to Ping UK headquarters for a full bag fitting in October.
This cost £40, but I paid through my club pro with my well-gotten gains of pro-shop credit.

In my ideal world, my pro would have come with me, as someone who knows my game and ability very well, rather than relying on the sole judgement of a stranger.
Having said that, I could find no fault in the way that my allocated fitter dealt with a complete stranger me.

I am 65 years old, 5ft 11ins, 11st 7lbs, HI 5.0

It was very interesting to try so many different drivers with varying lofts and shafts. I was convinced by the end that a shallower descent angle would give me gains and by how that could be achieved. I went for the recommended G440 LST 10.5° Alta CB Blue 50 Stiff. I had sufficient pro-shop credit for this as well.
I was a little surprised by stiff shaft in all woods and hybrid recommendations. Swing speeds were 99/100 mph without forcing it any way at all. Not bad for an old skinny geezer.

Irons were very interesting. First of all, I was asked to hit a few shots with my current 7-iron - a Ping i10 34°.
When given some other 7-irons to try, I did mention that these were more comparable with my 6-iron. Fitter seemed to avoid this comment and did not engage.
A 29° i530 7-iron does go further than a 30.5° i10 6-iron - and so I saw no purpose in my shots with my i10 7-iron.
Just as with the drivers, it was very interesting to try so many clubs. I had no preconceived ideas about cavity backs or blades being more suited to me. Although I was keen to and did try many of the cavity back styles, I did feel more comfortable with the i530 and graphite regular shafts in irons were a revelation. Never had graphite shafts in irons before.

Full recommendation with the driver above was
17° G440 max 4-wood and 21° 7-wood
23° G440 hybrid
i530 irons 5(22°) to U(47°)

I was not keen on the 7 wood or, in my opinion, very lofted hybrid.

I went for a used set of these irons - very lucky, I felt - to find exact specifications at GCFC on Ebay and including a 4-iron.
The 4-iron of 19° is my choice instead of the hybrid.

Played with these 3 times before the year end and am intending my first game of the year tomorrow. Quite happy with my choice.
I shall take a lot longer to decide upon fairway wood and a stronger hybrid rather than 7-wood. Meanwhile, I have plenty of older clubs to fill this gap. See signature.
I hope these new clubs will help me build up my pro-shop credit from its current balance of £0.05.

 

[RichA]

Just as with the drivers, it was very interesting to try so many clubs. I had no preconceived ideas about cavity backs or blades being more suited to me. Although I was keen to and did try many of the cavity back styles, I did feel more comfortable with the i530 and graphite regular shafts in irons were a revelation. Never had graphite shafts in irons before.

In what way were the regular graphites a revelation?
I’m keen to move to graphite and I’m on the cusp of regular-stiff but have found my perception of the floppiness of regular flex graphite shafts off-putting in the past. My swing speed is only marginally above average but my tempo is on the brisk side of axe-murderer.

Just bought a set of irons from GC4C that I thought would be perfect but the advertised +0.5” long turned out to be -0.25” short. Gutted, but they’re taking them back and offering me a discount when something in my specs does turn up.

 

[Klimski]

Here's my 2 cts: fitting is good for: club length, lie angle, shaft flex (generally speaking). It can also help you find clubs you like the feel of, before you buy. But, it is also a bit of a marketing ploy: I believe that any single player could play succesfully with a huge range of clubs, but fitting can lock you into a brand and retailer and keep you there. That's gold from a marketing perspective.

Finally, I have experienced buying, trying and selling lots of golf clubs over the last two or three years as I have become more serious about golf, and it's a laborious process. So, it can be effective from a time spent perspective.

 

[Voyager EMH]

In what way were the regular graphites a revelation?
I’m keen to move to graphite and I’m on the cusp of regular-stiff but have found my perception of the floppiness of regular flex graphite shafts off-putting in the past. My swing speed is only marginally above average but my tempo is on the brisk side of axe-murderer.

Just bought a set of irons from GC4C that I thought would be perfect but the advertised +0.5” long turned out to be -0.25” short. Gutted, but they’re taking them back and offering me a discount when something in my specs does turn up.

Mainly the longer irons feeling so much "easier".
"Longer irons" starting at 7-iron these days.

I'm thinking that these irons might see me through to 80 - if I'm lucky enough to get there.

 

[RichA]

Mainly the longer irons feeling so much "easier".
"Longer irons" starting at 7-iron these days.

I'm thinking that these irons might see me through to 80 - if I'm lucky enough to get there.

How light did you go?
I’m guessing you often play a wide range of weights and flexes but the older shafts are generally heavier??

 

[Voyager EMH]

How light did you go?
I’m guessing you often play a wide range of weights and flexes but the older shafts are generally heavier??

UST recoil dart 75

Playing with the 50-year-old clubs - don't waste too much time thinking about it - just get on and play.

 

[Mandofred]

I have a number of Ping fairway woods, Callaway, Mizuno, etc. I do not plan on buying anymore big name brands unless I have no other choice. Eleven, Sub 70 and a bunch of other choices that are cheaper......where would I get them fitted? I sure wouldn't drive a million miles to do so.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

I have a number of Ping fairway woods, Callaway, Mizuno, etc. I do not plan on buying anymore big name brands unless I have no other choice. Eleven, Sub 70 and a bunch of other choices that are cheaper......where would I get them fitted? I sure wouldn't drive a million miles to do so.

You can get both Eleven and Sub70 fitted at their hub in Herefordshire. Sub70 often do travelling fitting days as well.

 

[sunshine]

I went for the recommended G440 LST 10.5° Alta CB Blue 50 Stiff. I had sufficient pro-shop credit for this as well.
I was a little surprised by stiff shaft in all woods and hybrid recommendations. Swing speeds were 99/100 mph without forcing it any way at all.

When it comes to driver shafts, from brand to brand there is a significant variation in torque, kick point, weight and flex. The labels "stiff" and "regular" only apply to that product. The Alta blue shaft is a lightweight shaft. You could find a different shaft in regular that feels much stiffer. It's a very complicated equation which I don't pretend to understand.

Great post by the way

 

[Mandofred]

You can get both Eleven and Sub70 fitted at their hub in Herefordshire. Sub70 often do travelling fitting days as well.

Yeah, I figure there are places to go for that.....but I did mention something about a million miles

The last couple of years I've had Eleven 8-9-pw which have worked fine. The couple years before that I had Sub70 irons....they were fine. Other brands out there of course, but when I decide the fairways need replacing....I will 90% head towards the DTC market again (never say never).

 

[Jason.H]

When it comes to driver shafts, from brand to brand there is a significant variation in torque, kick point, weight and flex. The labels "stiff" and "regular" only apply to that product. The Alta blue shaft is a lightweight shaft. You could find a different shaft in regular that feels much stiffer. It's a very complicated equation which I don't pretend to understand.

Great post by the way

That’s the beauty of getting fitted and trying different shafts. I was fitted to a HZRDUS Red CB shaft. This helped me launch the ball higher which is what I wanted.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Yeah, I figure there are places to go for that.....but I did mention something about a million miles

The last couple of years I've had Eleven 8-9-pw which have worked fine. The couple years before that I had Sub70 irons....they were fine. Other brands out there of course, but when I decide the fairways need replacing....I will 90% head towards the DTC market again (never say never).

It’s a bit of a trek to be fair. Ironic piece of info they’re bit fitted and built in the exact same building in Hereford as they’re both own by Richard Hemming a former PGA pro and his Brother Nick is the lead designer and fitter for Eleven.

I like what they’re doing and I’m intrigued by some of their new gear.