jason6r
Assistant Pro
I went to see Lee Porter at Hylands Golf Complex near Chelmsford last Monday (4th Feb) as I wanted to see whether my sticks were right for me and also to get some empirical data on swing speed, smash factor, launch characteristics etc as a baseline for measuring the progress I hope to make this year.
First up, I'd thoroughly recommend him to others who are based nearby - it was £100 well spent for an advertised 3 hours of analysis, advice and club adjustments (Lee actually spent 3 1/2 hours with me and I never felt that I was on the clock as it were). He's very personable and we kicked off the session 10 minutes early with an in-depth chat about the state of my swing / game, what I perceived to be issues, what I wanted to get out of the afternoon etc.
I knew I was hitting the ball too low on the driver, thus generating too much backspin and killing any roll - what the flightscope demonstrated was how bad my angle of attack was (minus 2* average which is horrendous with a driver) and how my swing had moved from my original in to out arc to an ugly (in my view) out to in, often with a slightly open clubface. I could see on the screen how I was generating a fade / slice as a result and I was surprised how I ever got to a 14 handicap swinging like this! My swing speed was around 107.8 average but I was poor at converting this to ball speed, having a smash factor of 1.41 on my best drive, the obvious conclusion being that I need to slow the swing down and focus on making better contact.
I know that launch monitors are not the be-all and end-all but it was useful and in my view accurate based on how far I normally hit the ball e,g, 6 iron was measured at 180 carry, 189 total which is consistent with my on course distances.
Having confirmed that the shafts in my clubs were appropriate for me, Lee adjusted the lie of my clubs to make them 1.5* flatter, adjusted the bounce on my 52* wedge through a "keel" grind to make it less prone to dig in, and really helped me with my putting set up (ball position, stance, grip etc) and I got a huge amount of the time I spent with him. I'm sure it's not for everyone and I know that there are lots of differing views on custom fitting on this forum, but I came away feeling a lot more confident about my clubs and my game, along with a clear view as to what I need to adjust to get my swing working more efficiently. Good value for £100 in my opinion.
Hope this helps.
First up, I'd thoroughly recommend him to others who are based nearby - it was £100 well spent for an advertised 3 hours of analysis, advice and club adjustments (Lee actually spent 3 1/2 hours with me and I never felt that I was on the clock as it were). He's very personable and we kicked off the session 10 minutes early with an in-depth chat about the state of my swing / game, what I perceived to be issues, what I wanted to get out of the afternoon etc.
I knew I was hitting the ball too low on the driver, thus generating too much backspin and killing any roll - what the flightscope demonstrated was how bad my angle of attack was (minus 2* average which is horrendous with a driver) and how my swing had moved from my original in to out arc to an ugly (in my view) out to in, often with a slightly open clubface. I could see on the screen how I was generating a fade / slice as a result and I was surprised how I ever got to a 14 handicap swinging like this! My swing speed was around 107.8 average but I was poor at converting this to ball speed, having a smash factor of 1.41 on my best drive, the obvious conclusion being that I need to slow the swing down and focus on making better contact.
I know that launch monitors are not the be-all and end-all but it was useful and in my view accurate based on how far I normally hit the ball e,g, 6 iron was measured at 180 carry, 189 total which is consistent with my on course distances.
Having confirmed that the shafts in my clubs were appropriate for me, Lee adjusted the lie of my clubs to make them 1.5* flatter, adjusted the bounce on my 52* wedge through a "keel" grind to make it less prone to dig in, and really helped me with my putting set up (ball position, stance, grip etc) and I got a huge amount of the time I spent with him. I'm sure it's not for everyone and I know that there are lots of differing views on custom fitting on this forum, but I came away feeling a lot more confident about my clubs and my game, along with a clear view as to what I need to adjust to get my swing working more efficiently. Good value for £100 in my opinion.
Hope this helps.
