Club Fitting

[Bama Duffer]

Went in for a club fitting today. Interesting learning experience. My brother gave me his clubs last year, which are supposedly standard length, 2* flat. For some reason, they never seemed set up properly to me. When I set up, the toe always was in the air and using them I had a strong tendency to hit the ball left.

Turns out the clubs are 1/2" LONGER than standard and 1* upright! This, of course, contributes mightily to my consistency problems. Turns out, my brother ordered the clubs directly from Titleist, but never verified that they were adjusted correctly. And he's had them reshafted, which explains the 1/2" longer problem.

Even stranger still, I had the fitter check the clubs I played with before my brother's gift, a set of TM RAC LT's, and they are the set the same way--1/2" long and 1* upright. And my ball flight with them is almost identical as with my brother's clubs.

The things I learned from the fitting:

1. My swing speed is around 90 MPH. It varied from a low of 87 to a high of 94, I think.

2. My clubs should be set at standard length, stiff flex, 1* flat, with a standard sized grip.

I didn't have him adjust my clubs, although I may go back. I'm debating new clubs. If I do, I'll just order them with the correct settings (and verify it!)

I did have him shorten my putter, though. I know this isn't recommended by folks here due to balance issues, but the putter I use now was a gift (see a pattern? Anyone want to give me clubs?) that I love, except the end of the grip always gets twisted in my shirts. I putted with it briefly after it was cut and the balance is definitely different, but it didn't feel like it would be a problem.

I'd recommend going through a fitting if you've never done it. I like the certainty and knowledge it provided.

[ezra76]

Sounds like a good idea. I have a like new set of Titleist 690MB's coming tomorrow. I should consider getting fit and making changes to them before I even start messing around with them. How much did it cost you for the fitting?

[Hangfire]

If you are of average height and weight, say 160 - 190 lbs. and 5'8-10", shouldn't a regular set of clubs off of the rack fit you?

[No Knack Hack]

Originally Posted by Hangfire

If you are of average height and weight, say 160 - 190 lbs. and 5'8-10", shouldn't a regular set of clubs off of the rack fit you?

Do you buy shoes on a "one size fits all" basis? We all come in different sizes and postures. IMO once you become passionate about golf and proficient after a number of months, I believe you should get fitted clubs. Keep in mind fitting includes selecting the correct length of the shaft, type of shaft, Offset?, and grip size, etc. I have the opinion that you might not be able to fit every new or used set to your particular needs.

What is so cool about the process of getting fitted is that the whole effort comes included with the cost of a new set of clubs. Concerning price: the local chain store I purchased my new clubs at beat the Ebay vendors when FRT was considered.

I replaced all of the "hand me down" clubs in my bag (my father-in-law's Ping and Taylormade circa 1980) this last year using the guidance of a Pro at a golf store chain. The results have been wonderful.

It is soo sweet to hit clubs that "fit like a glove". You really gain confidence.

Good luck in all of this.

[obagain]

Originally Posted by Hangfire

If you are of average height and weight, say 160 - 190 lbs. and 5'8-10", shouldn't a regular set of clubs off of the rack fit you?

Not if your arms are 1" longer than normal or vise-versa.
Also you may set up lower than normal or higher.
That is why you should be fitted while swinging, not just standing there. You want to know what the club is like at impact.
I would question the length he gave you. Unless your brother specified when he had the clubs reshafted that he wanted them long, why did they put over length shafts? Did he use titleist specs or what he conciders standard?

[Bama Duffer]

Hangfire--Based on your averages, I'm underheight and overweight.

OB--I asked my brother about the length and he didn't specify and doesn't know why they are long.

The fitter I used is a member of the Professional Clubmakers' Society and is a certified Class A clubmaker. That may mean something to you, but in my job I see a lot of "certified" people who got that way by filling out a form. What does it mean, anyway?

He did have a set of specs he was using to determine the length, but I don't know if they were Titleist or not. He did say that Titleist tends to ship their standard clubs 1* upright to help players fight slicing, so maybe Titleist "standard" is different from what he applied.

The clubs "feel" too long for me anyway, but I would like to know if trimming them by 1/2" or so would affect the way they play. The clubs are DCI 962's and I like the way the ball feels coming of the face. I just don't often like the results.

[Augster]

It would depend a lot on where they get their certifications.

I know Golfsmith has a whole "college" in order to get the different clubmaker certificates. You actually have to go to Texas and take hands-on classes for like 3 days or a week. They have a few different levels of clubmaker certification.

I'm sure there are places online that will "certify" you, as you said, by filling out a form and giving them some money. Just to have a certificate you can hang on the wall and so you can say you are a "Professionally Certified Clubmaker" etc. etc. You know, impress clients and such. Sell more clubs.

Something like this: http://www.golfsmith.com/cm/display_...=cm_training06

Or like this: http://www.golfsmith.com/cm/display_...um=gca_general

[Bama Duffer]

I looked it up on-line. The Professional Clubmakers' Society defines it:

"Certified "Class A" Clubmaker - this represents the first level of certification. After passing both a written and skills exam, the clubmaker may choose to proceed with the certification process. Certified "Class A" Clubmakers enter into the referral program immediately upon certification and receive additional benefits and discounts through the PCS. Annual dues - $220.00."

So, he passed a test, too. Actually, I thought he did a good job.

[Highdraw34]

Here is where i need some help. I use a set of hand me downs that is about 15-20 years old. They are cavity back irons made by a company called spider or they have a spider logo on them. They were custom made by my grandfather who was the Senior Amature Champion in the State of Florida back in the mid 80's. I hit them well, I have had them for about 6 years and I have a 6 handicap. I just want to know if fitted glubs are going to save me strokes. I feel like I play at a pretty high level now, is the modern technology going to make me that much better?

[Rockford35]

If it ain't broke, why fix it?

If the Spiders play to a 6, you're doing well. I don't think you'd see much of an improvement. I'd be happy if I could hit some no name clubs to a 6 hdcp.

You could go demo a set. Explain to the dealer/proshop that you're interested in upgrading, but don't know if it's worth it. Explain that you should mid to high 70's as is, but you wanna give a new set that catches your eye a go. Then demo a set that's set up to your personal liking and give them a go. Most shops will do this if you're interested in buying a set.

Worst case scenario, you buy them. Best case scenario, you play to a 6 handicap with them and you keep the Spiders.

R35

[Highdraw34]

Thanks for the advice. I'm still wondering though if new technology will help me shave those extra six strokes a round. I'll give you an example. If I am 150 out, I'm going to pull 7 Iron. I can get there with an 8 but I have to hit it flush. So I end up hitting a 3/4 7. Will new technology get me that extra half a club lenght? Will it give me that extra distance to feel comfortable with selecting a higher club? If so I can start getting within 10 feet more often. It might translate into more birdies. It also only costs 50 bucks for the fitting session if you buy the clubs from my local shop.

[obagain]

They could help you out but it would depend on your swing.
I would do as suggested and get a set that is to your specs and see how they play.
If possible, I always play with 3-4 of my clubs so I can compare my 7 iron to the new 7 iron in game condtions.

[DrBrown]

The biggest lesson in all of this is NEVER trust a big name manufacturer about what they claim to be giving you. The only company that can be trusted is Ping because their shop is setup in a way that the differnet lofts and lies are seperated and built in sets so they are consistent per set. When I ordered my Maxfli A10's I said standard lie/loft with S300 shafts and standard grips. Well my grips came undersized, the heads were 1 degree upright and hte shafts were cutted so far from the tip that they play to a 3X stiff. Club builders have told me that they've seen as much as 3-4* off from standard off the shelf clubs. Pretty sad!

Anyway, like everyone else already said...getting fitted will only help your scare and its usually worth the price because from that point on you know what club specs to fit with your swing as long as you dont drastically change anything.

[Youngun5]

this may be classified as a minor threadjack, forgive me, but i don't want to start another thread.

say i was to purchase a Launcher 460 8.5* in a stock shaft or something that just doesn't work for me... (bday money burning a hole in pocket)

my current driver had the GD YS-6+ X flex shaft put into it after i hit into the launch monitor, thing is working pretty good, but the face is starting to warp and slightly cave inward, i'm not liking the look of it anymore, and i'm thinking newer technology could help me some.

would putting a shaft that was fitted for one driver into another create problems? or would it play as good as it had in the original driver?

thanks

[Augster]

The "standard" is more of a Golfsmith/Golfworks/Club Builder standard. Thus, OEM's aren't held to that "standard" at all. OEM's are trying to sell clubs.

Eli Callaway made an absolute FORTUNE when he tinkered with iron lofts and put an "8" on a club with a 7-iron loft. All of a sudden, you can get there with the Eli 8-iron, but you can't with your 8-iron. WOW! You've gained an extra 10 yards JUST LIKE THAT!!!

Take the Big Bertha line. You hit the Biggest Big a TON and all of a sudden your driver is 15-30 yards shorter. At the time, most drivers were 44.5" and the Biggest Big came in 46" STANDARD! OF COURSE you can hit it further!

There is NOTHING an OEM WON'T do to make you think their clubs are better than yours.

Through getting into clubmaking, one learns when fitting irons, that for every 1/2" you add, you need to go 1* flatter. (or conversely, every 1/2" shorter the club needs to be 1* upright)

So your 5-iron is at 38" and 60* of lie. Your 6-iron is 37.5" and at 61*. It progresses this way until either your 9-iron or your PW. You find your shortest comfortable length, and level it off.

My MP-60's came with .5* increments between clubs instead of 1*. Yet, the clubs still get longer by a 1/2". Thus, you should make more and more "heel contact" helping the club close through impact for your average slicer.

I appreciate the OEM's looking out for us hacks, actually, I guess I don't; but if everyone built their clubs to the same lengths and lies and lofts right off the rack, then it'd be WAY TOO EASY to make straight club to club comparisons. OEM's DON'T want that.

That is why I built my "shop" and got into clubmaking. Now I can dynamically fit myself for each and every club in my bag. I use my loft/lie machine and bend each of the clubs to fit, not to spec.

The terms "two-degree upright, one inch long" can ONLY apply to the standard. If you order the MP-60's 2* upright and 1" long to Mizuno spec, you are actually getting clubs that are 2.5*upright and .75" long to standard spec. And this will vary by most every manufacturer.

Through dynamic fitting, I know I like my 5-iron at 62* and 39". That fits my swing. My 6-iron gets the best results at 63* and 38.5". If they clubs I am looking at aren't that way, I make it so. So should you.

Though, if you start changing your swing, you may need to be re-fitted.

I just spined a friend of mine's DCI's. Those are .5* increments also.