the belfry takes a step backwards

[Hacker Khan]

I got fitted there for some irons a couple of years ago at The Belfry. And I went there as I am a lefty and I wanted to try out a few different manufacturers. So I hit a few, they then told what was the best manufacturer based on the dispersion and distance. On the day.

Now I know that due to the fact that I am not a single figure golfer if I went on another day I could well have got recommended a different manufacturer. And one could also argue that if you have a limited amount of time which you will have in most cases, you should spend more time on getting the shaft flex, length of shaft, loft lie etc etc sorted rather than hitting a standard club from 8 manufacturers.

But part of me thinks that if I had to chose the manufacturer before I went then I would be always thinking that I may not have the best club for my game. I know in reality for most amateur golfers it won't make a huge amount of difference which manufacturer you chose as long as you get the right type of club for your game, but I can't help thinking that a lot of people will associate fitting with the ability to hit a few different clubs and see what is best.

 

[Hacker Khan]

There may be issues about the amount of funding each brand is providing, perhaps some thinking they don't get a fair shake, so specifying the brand in advance will make it clear and easier to allocate cost.

Still a bad idea for the range, though.

When I was there the chap that did mine did try and point me away from a major manufacturer which I was a little surprised about. As when I hit it the stats said it was the 2nd best for me.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Sounds reasonable enough.

Does any amateur really need to hit 8 different manufactures across each club type (+ all the shaft combos) to be fitted for something they can strike well

Maybe one in a thousand at a push (official stat)

From a personal perspective I wanted to get the I20 or the Rocketbladez Tour. I could have just been given these to hit but I didn't hit either well on the Trackman and so was able to go through a host of other options to find the G25 were the best option for me in terms of distance and consistency. Going down the Belfry route I would have been given the I20 or TM's and chances are I'd have been flogged these and probably have struggled to play with them

 

[Blue in Munich]

Sounds reasonable enough.

Does any amateur really need to hit 8 different manufactures across each club type (+ all the shaft combos) to be fitted for something they can strike well

Maybe one in a thousand at a push (official stat)

As the customer, I want the full choice, regardless of whether I need it; I'm spending the money, I want the service. Follow your argument to its logical conclusion and no-one would ever sell another club as we would all be queuing up for the lessons that we have much greater need of.

As far as the decision to stick to one brand goes, try this for a scenario; I look at all the manufacturers websites and decide I want Pings. I go there, and find that I cannot hit the either the G or the i to save my life. The fitter knows that a Mizuno will suit me, but I'm booked in for Ping, so he can do nothing about it except ask me for £60 please, thanks very much. I don't know if that works for you, but it certainly doesn't for me.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Oh and they said tm are ditching their r1 and rbz stage 2 and there new line up is the sldr and a mystery name that they're keeping under their hat until the launch

SLDR'ier ???

 

[Slab]

From a personal perspective I wanted to get the I20 or the Rocketbladez Tour. I could have just been given these to hit but I didn't hit either well on the Trackman and so was able to go through a host of other options to find the G25 were the best option for me in terms of distance and consistency. Going down the Belfry route I would have been given the I20 or TM's and chances are I'd have been flogged these and probably have struggled to play with them

My bold: but this scenario is not a flaw with a single manufacture fitting, it would be a flaw with you being duped into buying a make of club you already know you cant hit well

In short if you know you cant hit it well why would you buy it?

 

[Slab]

As the customer, I want the full choice, regardless of whether I need it; I'm spending the money, I want the service. Follow your argument to its logical conclusion and no-one would ever sell another club as we would all be queuing up for the lessons that we have much greater need of.

As far as the decision to stick to one brand goes, try this for a scenario; I look at all the manufacturers websites and decide I want Pings. I go there, and find that I cannot hit the either the G or the i to save my life. The fitter knows that a Mizuno will suit me, but I'm booked in for Ping, so he can do nothing about it except ask me for £60 please, thanks very much. I don't know if that works for you, but it certainly doesn't for me.

My bold: Does he really though?

A fitter sees that you cant hit a Ping club to save your life (pretty dire scenario) but no matter the huge number of models each with loft/lie & shaft combos he has (the actual number of combinations is far to much maths for this time in the morning) you are miserable with them

Hold on though he says, I have a Mizuno club here that fundamentally isn't actually any different from a Ping (except in your head) but I just know its the answer to your prayers

 

[Slab]

Surely spending the time getting a finer more detailed fit on one manufactures clubs is better than spending the same or longer jumping around 8 different makes

Why is it that so many of us amateurs say that we cant hit certain clubs but are capable of being the next Luke/Tiger/Rory with a change of brand?

Its because we're amateurs and despite what we want to believe, the average golfer may feel like royalty with a full range to choose from its actually more likely that they can fit us better if we stop faffing about with 8 makes of irons!

 

[Hacker Khan]

Its because we're amateurs and despite what we want to believe, the average golfer may feel like royalty with a full range to choose from its actually more likely that they can fit us better if we stop faffing about with 8 makes of irons!

I'd say from a pure golf perspective you are probably right. But from a psychological perspective the brain does not work that way. And if you are spending north of 500 notes on something new then your brain is telling you you want to try out different options and not have to make a decision/guess on which manufacturer is best before you go.

As from my experience when I went there to be fitted I was really looking forwards to trying Titliest, but when I got to the Belfry I could not hit them for love not money. And ended up with Cobras which I would never have picked as my first choice without hitting them. So would I have been better to have someone work on the exact precise specs for me for a Titliest iron that I could not get on with, or to find a club that I could hit?

I think it's different strokes for different folks, if you are a Mizuno man you will be happy as you can go and get one exactly made up for you. But if you are not set on any particular brand then I can't help but think that they will not now attract those types of golfers.

 

[Slab]

I'd say from a pure golf perspective you are probably right. But from a psychological perspective the brain does not work that way. And if you are spending north of 500 notes on something new then your brain is telling you you want to try out different options and not have to make a decision/guess on which manufacturer is best before you go.

As from my experience when I went there to be fitted I was really looking forwards to trying Titliest, but when I got to the Belfry I could not hit them for love not money. And ended up with Cobras which I would never have picked as my first choice without hitting them. So would I have been better to have someone work on the exact precise specs for me for a Titliest iron that I could not get on with, or to find a club that I could hit?

I think it's different strokes for different folks, if you are a Mizuno man you will be happy as you can go and get one exactly made up for you. But if you are not set on any particular brand then I can't help but think that they will not now attract those types of golfers.

Can totally see your point of view and maybe there's a distinction I've made between 'a club fitting' and 'looking forward to trying out' that's not really applicable

Plenty places you can try stuff out but if I've reached the point where I'm booking a club fitting I'd be well past the trying out stage

The former of course is why I'm there, the latter I see as a little more like window shopping or browsing (& in the case of those who are only browsing then £50 for several hours of range time with a personal club fitting specialist isn't good business)

Never had a full fitting session but I see the Belfry have 8/9 makes to choose from and even just the off the shelf options in AG for these brands that covers around 90 different sets of irons
(need to reduce this number a bit as some will be sets of 4-PW & 5-PW of the same clubs but I think you get the point)

That's before any tinkering with loft or shaft options that'll increase the number...its just far too much choice and we're not good enough to be discerning

Although its a damning indictment that on this forum page alone neither Ping, TM or Titliest can make an iron/shaft combination that an average golfer can hit

 

[Slab]

If we work on the principle that the Belfry management actually have a rationale & some information to support their change (even though we don’t know what it is) and that they must know a thing or two about fitting sessions (and leaving aside whether a single manufacture is the right limit to put on it, maybe it should be two or three)

I guess what they are trying to do is reduce the faffing currently taking place in order to make their fitting centre more productive while still making sure you get clubs that are fitted for that golfer (it is after-all and to all intent, a free service)

I actually don’t believe that if you were to book for a Ping fitting and a short way into it the fitter realises that you can only hit a club with different lettering on it, that the fitter wouldn’t switch makes midsession in order to make the sale

 

[Hacker Khan]

Can totally see your point of view and maybe there's a distinction I've made between 'a club fitting' and 'looking forward to trying out' that's not really applicable

Plenty places you can try stuff out but if I've reached the point where I'm booking a club fitting I'd be well past the trying out stage

True. I suppose I, and I am assuming many other average golfers, see a fitting as a combination of trying out and 'fitting' with regards to different shafts etc etc so to speak.

To be honest I have experienced both as my first fitting was more towards shaft combinations etc etc as they had kind of steered me towards Mizuno, possibly because the guy was at the time one of the top Mizuno fitters in the country . Which was fine, but that is why for the next one I went to the Belfry so I could try out more options. As I figured, possibly incorrectly, that as I was not that good, then finding a club I liked and was confident with would be better than the exact correct shaft for one pre-determined manufacturer.

But then again I watch a lot of Mark Crossfield videos and he basically says, and often proves that as long as different clubs have the same loft they all go about the same distance, give or take a couple of yards. So may be getting the right shaft is more important. Damn, I've argued against myself there.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

My experience there earlier this year was that I went with ideas of 3 possibilities; i20, AP2, JPX 825 Pro.

Quickly established that i20 neither felt right nor fitted my eye so focussed on options available on other two before finally settling upon JPX 825 Pro. This process had involved different shafts, flexes & lie angles for each and the complete task had taken just under an hour. Final discussion on the type of grip, grip thickness already assessed, and job's a good 'un.

Am I happy with the outcome? Yes!

Would I have been happy not to have had the opportunity to consider and compare i20's & AP2's. Almost certainly No!

I agree with comments that the vast majority of non-elite golfers can have too much choice and are unlikely to gain anything from trying 8 or 9 brands but, also, there can be too little if the customer is to be happy with his ultimate selection.

 

[hovis]

Who said that durring a fitting you cant hit a certain club well? Durring my fitting I was hitting all the clubs well. It was the track man stats that make my mind up not the make. When I was fitted for my i20's I had it down to them and mizuno jpx 800 pro's. I hit both great but the i20's gave me a lower ball flight. if I had chosen mizuno for my fitting I would never have known the i20's suited me better!

 

[garyinderry]

no matter what club you choose and get fitted for, its not a magic trick.


they will set up the clubs to your spec, length, lie, grip size.shaft etc. it is then up to the player to make it work.

too many on here think its just a matter of lining all the clubs up and finding that magical stick. custom fitting will tweak what you have, not revolutionise it.

the head will make a small difference.

 

[hovis]

no matter what club you choose and get fitted for, its not a magic trick.


they will set up the clubs to your spec, length, lie, grip size.shaft etc. it is then up to the player to make it work.

too many on here think its just a matter of lining all the clubs up and finding that magical stick. custom fitting will tweak what you have, not revolutionise it.

the head will make a small difference.

What he said.

make me laugh when I see a post saying "i need a driver fitting to
get rid of my 100 yrd slice" yeh right!