Outcomes of different iron fitting sessions?

[slicer79]

Recently I went into two different outlets here in Ireland for iron fittings.
Both used outdoor ranges so I could see ball flight.

I've been thinking about maybe changing my irons this year.

As much as anything I wanted to see how close both places would be in terms of what they would recommend. The results were two different sets which I found interesting

I told both I had no preference for any particular brand, model, etc
I let them have a free run and see what they came up with

Outlet 1 recommended Titleist AP2's with KBS tour shafts in stiff

Outlet 2 recommended Callaway apex pro with Project X Pxi 6.0 shafts

Both clubs seemed to preform well on the days I tried them.

Had anyone experience of these shafts.

I presume they should be quite different, the KBS is 120 grams while the project X is only 112 grams I think
The Project X should be lower launching I think


Would both shafts be regarded as similar in performance or in people's opinion has one of the fitters got it more spot on than the other?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Went to two sessions with two different fitters last year. G25 came out on top both times with stock shafts and green dot both times. Reassuring. Shame I fell out of love so quickly with the looks. Happy that both fitters did a good job.

 

[duncan mackie]

.... in people's opinion has one of the fitters got it more spot on than the other?

the heads, shafts and, to a degree the grips, will all work together with the player (you ) to deliver a solution so I would never be surprised to see different shafts with different heads being put forward.

1. you were there and will know exactly how they performed
2. there will always be differences in the correct 'solution' - launch angle/spin relationships are relatively simple for a single club (say driver) but get rather complex when you start looking at progressive changes through the lofts; not helped by the progressive changes that manufacturers build into their heads in the first place!
3. I have never yet seen a single player being fitted who wasn't using words or body language that would influence a fitter with regard to their real preferences; interestingly some see the perception of this and delivery to them as an important part of fitting whilst others see the compete opposite and wish the fitter to overcome them with the true realities of what's best for the player (rather than what he likes). You only have to read threads on fitting on here to see this expressed from the other side!

 

[slicer79]

It's a case of trying to figure out which would be better if I was changing.
Like I said earlier to me the performance of both sets was good. But obviously with 2 outcomes I'd like to make the correct decision

 

[Bobirdie]

Ive always been under the impression project x shafts are high launch and low spin??? Ive played them for years and was fitted for them aswell. Think the kbs shaft feels better but for some reason i popped the ball out right alot with them and ballooned them into the wind.

 

[ger147]

It's a case of trying to figure out which would be better if I was changing.
Like I said earlier to me the performance of both sets was good. But obviously with 2 outcomes I'd like to make the correct decision

There is no "correct" as such. I'm pretty sure you could find a set from each of the big manufacturers that would be perfectly suitable and allow you to get the most out of your current swing and level of ability. Which of the 5 or 6 sets you then choose is down to your own personal preference re. looks, feel and even brand.

 

[slicer79]

Ive always been under the impression project x shafts are high launch and low spin??? Ive played them for years and was fitted for them aswell. Think the kbs shaft feels better but for some reason i popped the ball out right alot with them and ballooned them into the wind.

This was the Pxi shaft which is their lightweight version so maybe slightly different to the standard Project X shaft

 

[slicer79]

There is no "correct" as such. I'm pretty sure you could find a set from each of the big manufacturers that would be perfectly suitable and allow you to get the most out of your current swing and level of ability. Which of the 5 or 6 sets you then choose is down to your own personal preference re. looks, feel and even brand.

I suppose I just have some sort of doubt in my head that one fitter could be better than the other. And a result a particular shaft could be more suitable

 

[the_coach]

did you just hit 6i in both?

what were the numbers with each - ball speed. LA. SR. PH. DA. Carry?

unless you know these you won't know for sure which performed better.

you'll have feel, & a visual on flight both important for sure - but few folks could tell by sight whether PH was 32 or 36 yards.
& there won't be a real handle on carry, or how the ball would react on different green firmness if you don't know the PH & DA.

the two club heads are different in the build construction also completely different face in that there are different numbers of grooves on the faces. apex pro (as in my sig) have different number of grooves (less than the ap2's) slightly different spacing to give a flight with less spin they were specifically designed to go with the Kim Braly designed family of KBS shafts. (Braly designed the Project X shafts before he left TT to form KBS, where the KBS Tour was designed from where he was after the PX's)

if you want to know exactly which combination of these 2 heads & shafts are for you, as well as the feel, you'll have to get the 'numbers'. worth doing could make the difference of a few shots a round so on your index that would make some significant difference.

 

[ger147]

I suppose I just have some sort of doubt in my head that one fitter could be better than the other. And a result a particular shaft could be more suitable

If you still have doubts, hit them both again. Buyer's remorse can be very expensive, I should know.

 

[shortstuff]

Be careful that the fitter who offered you the KBS Tour wasn't trying to flatter you. Do the fitting again but without much of a warm-up to be sure that you need that extra stiffness.

 

[Hacker Khan]

There is no "correct" as such. I'm pretty sure you could find a set from each of the big manufacturers that would be perfectly suitable and allow you to get the most out of your current swing and level of ability. Which of the 5 or 6 sets you then choose is down to your own personal preference re. looks, feel and even brand.

What he said. Fitting is not some magic solution that will give you the holy grail of clubs/shafts that will be significantly better than any other ones. It's just the clubs on the day that performed the best for you. And unless you are a tour pro with a completely repeatable swing, if you went for a fitting the next day you will more than likely come out with a different combination.

A lot of it is mental, as after a fitting you should now believe you have the correct set of clubs both in terms of performance and looks/feel, so you'll feel more confident and you will hit the ball better. And there may be a danger that if you are doubting the results, as you seem to be, you may not get the full benefit. So whatever you do do not go for another fitting, as chances are you will come out with a 3rd option.

 

[Piece]

What he said. Fitting is not some magic solution that will give you the holy grail of clubs/shafts that will be significantly better than any other ones. It's just the clubs on the day that performed the best for you. And unless you are a tour pro with a completely repeatable swing, if you went for a fitting the next day you will more than likely come out with a different combination.

A lot of it is mental, as after a fitting you should now believe you have the correct set of clubs both in terms of performance and looks/feel, so you'll feel more confident and you will hit the ball better. And there may be a danger that if you are doubting the results, as you seem to be, you may not get the full benefit. So whatever you do do not go for another fitting, as chances are you will come out with a 3rd option.

Not sure I agree with this. Sure, there's some element of truth, but I think it's more likely that the two different pros have different ideas about what could work to be of benefit to the OP. Could also be a lack of knowledge by one pro on what shafts are available...