My grandparents had this old golfer ragdoll thing that had some kind of accelerometer in it, and when you hit it against the table or something it would dish golf related insults to you. One of the phrases was "Have you considered BOWLING?" Your comment made me think of that so thank you.
Several years ago, I got fitted for irons. I like them well enough. Still have them and use them. Last year I bought an old set of Hogan Apex irons for $70. Score the same with either set.
I had that same set,bought em in 92. Had a couple of sets of different clubs since. I found the 5 iron from the set, I hit it perfectly. I like it better than my current irons. If I could go back in time, I would have kept that set and saved money. Invest the money in instruction, grips, balls, wedges, woods hybrids and home training set up. I agree with u, irons r really not worth the expense considering the lack of noticeable technology.
Custom fitting is 101% necessary if you’re a golfer of a good level, clubs are on the rack to be sold whether you get a custom fit or not. Also a lot of places take the price of a custom fitting off if you purchase the club/clubs
@@Ricardo-ur5os The question really isn't whether clubs should be tweaked to fit, espeically if you're a good player. The question is whether you need to go spend a couple hundred bucks or more to have somebody else do it for you. There's an emerging consensus that driver fitting is a big deal if you're competing at a high level (or if you just want to max out performance even as an average player), because of all the variables in shafts, heads, flex points, spin rate, etc., but not so much for the rest of the set. It's not that hard to figure out lengths, lofts, lies, etc., on your own. It's not impossible even to figure out your driver, actually. But a driver fitting might save you some trial-and-error money in the long run. The one thing that's a little bit hard to figure out about a driver is if you're hitting it well, hitting fairways at a good rate, and pretty long, you might not know whether you're missing an extra 15-20 yards.
I agree. It’s about sales at the end of the day. But, the fitter and the customer agree on that concept. If a golfer wants new clubs, asks for a fitting, then the fitter will do their best to RECOMMEND the best set-up. Best head, shaft and club selection. Do I think an average golfer could “fit” themselves? Sure, but if you buy new, once you figure out you need extension or cut down plus a lie angle change, you’re spending a TON more money than if you got your specs ordered.
@@emncaity my fittings have all been free. A lot of places will subtract the cost of the fitting from the price of the clubs you buy if you actually buy clubs. For sure worth it for driver because I went in with three in mind that I thought would be good for me. I wanted either the LTDx (because I previously had a cobra driver I liked a lot) or I wanted to move up to a stealth or the rouge. Mostly wanted the stealth because of all the hype with taylormade and got pretty close to just buying one before even getting fitted but I’m glad I didn’t. I was hitting the taylormade clean but only was able to carry the ball 240 with it maybe at best 250, and with the LTDx I somehow could only hit crazy slices which is super weird because I typically hit a small draw and then with the rouge (the driver I wasn’t actually that interested in) I was able to carry 270-280 every single time. We’ll worth the free fitting to help me make that decision.
It’s important if you’re good, and/or abnormally sized. I’m scratch and 6’5”, so a custom fitting drastically helped me. They hard stepped my irons and brought my spin and dispersion way down.
I'm also 6'5", is this something that you'd definitely recommend doing? I have a decent set of Callaway's from Costco. Would it be wise to get these reshafted somewhere professionally where I can get dialed in?
@blairsaid Same here, 6'4 and large. I have a set of Cobra t rails which came partially fitted with stiff shafts. I had them extended by an inch, with grips applied for larger hands and power, it improved my game from a 15-16 handicap down to a 10-12.
I have said this for years. The exact items that were brought up during this interview are my points. I've never had a custom fitting, but I have had clubs custom made for me based on my recommendations. I have a 8.5 handicap and am 67 years old. The points in this interview are spot on.
😂😂😂😂😂 but, dude… you’re 67? And haven’t realized yet that you’re judging a professional’s career on what YOU think your swing needed? You didn’t go see a fitter, so you’re just fucking guessing!
I think that if you get fitted by a pro who has given you lessons, and knows your swing, would be a lot better, and less stressful than it would be, going to a pro, who doesn't know anything about your game.
I did exactly that, and my fitted clubs (length and lie) as well as advice of what kind of shaft and what brand of club would complement my swing made all the difference. The iron set i bought are in a different league than my standard set I used before.
Definitely something I’d like to hear you, Ian, and Matt from TXG talk about. As someone who works in golf and performs club fittings, I can see the advantages. But when it comes down to the average 20 handicapper, I don’t think it matters what lie angle I hand them. I will usually default to lessons first.
I agree with the 20 handicap, I’m right about 20 and have “fit” myself to my whole bag. Brought my handicap from 25 last year to 20 this year (this is my 2nd summer of golf)
I have gone from a 20 to an 8 and am going to get fitted for a driver for the first time this year. My swing has changed so much the last few years not sure if it would have done more harm than good if I had got fitted when my swing was so bad.
@@mh_golfer I agree with you, fitting a bad swing would keep bad habits. I hope to drop another few off my handicap this upcoming season, because I bought myself a used driver and wedges (before my driver was a 3W and had no wedge besides PW)
I can see the benefit, but if you are just beginning the odds of your swing changing in even a couple of rounds is decently high. For example, if I have a player who struggles with a slice with their irons, and someone fits them for 4° upright to stop the right miss... That becomes useless once I give them a lesson on shallowing the golf club. Now they can’t stop pulling all of their irons. Same thing with something as simple as swing speed. Odds are you will be swinging faster 6 months after starting, so if I fit you into a regular flex with a distinct shaft profile, that shaft will most likely not fit someone 6 months down the road who is swinging faster with better technique. 👍🏻
I was “fitted” for a driver yesterday after hearing all the hype. It’s interesting that the only clubs that the shop said would work for me were the 2024 TaylorMade, Ping, and Calloway. The clubs are $600. I told the “fitter” I need a jumbo grip. That’s extra and the clubs are 2 weeks out. I went to a competitor right after that and they showed me the above clubs plus several others. They put me in a bay and said swing away. It’s ironic that I hit a Cleveland Club better than all the rest. $249.00. They didn’t charge for a “fitting”. Guess where I’m spending my money at?
I don’t think it’s overrated I just think there is no standard. You get sales people trying to sell you clubs, you get club pros who know the basics, you get club pros who know a tiny bit more than the basics, you get manufacturer fitting centres and you get incredible facilities like SGGT in Scotland and TXG in Canada. Within that group are the guys who put you in a stiff or a reg shaft, a good players or a game improvement club and get you hitting off the lie board, and there are the guys who actually understand how to match the right combination of clubs for the player in front of them for them to get the most out of their equipment. I can only name 3 or 4 that I’ve heard of that fall into that last group and probably hundreds that fit into the first group.
Mine changes between the breakfast ball and the follow up tee shot. Breakfast ball in the woods 80 yards right of the fairway. Second shot in the woods dead straight 25 yards left of the fairway.
The fitting process is way more relevant to the low hcap guy than ever it is to a newbie or high hcap guy simply because the low guy is far more likely to put a consistent swing on it so that the variables of the club then become more apparent and can be fine tuned
Being someone who is constantly looking for another way to improve my game (or as my wife says - spend money), this is the best advice I have heard! Thank you thank you thank you. What you said makes absolute sense. Me, I am a high handicapper, and it is easy to fall into the belief that I need new this, new that, get my clubs fitted etc. In an industry that is constantly telling us that the next thing is the best thing, sometimes, listening to experienced golfers telling you that you don't need things is a breath of fresh air. Thank you for saving me some money!
Yeah, but everyone has a different swing and getting fitted clubs includes a test on a simulator to find out what type of clubs fits for you, i’ve done it recently, and i have gone down to 12.7 right now, and i was 22hcp 2 months ag, it really helps with finding out how much spin you get on your ball, easier to hit lenghts and get a better aim. I actually recomend it, golf is something you play often, why not get the clubs personalized
@@akaWeluxe I get what you are saying, but the only thing i can liken new golf clubs to is this - I was a ski guide for many years, and friends would ask me whether they should buy these skis, or those skis, and that x had a different flex and y had a wider waist etc, and I used to tell them at their level they would not know the difference between £1000 skis and £200 skis. If you did the blindfold test at their level, they would not be able to tell the difference between make, model, length, flex etc. i kinda think that is the same with golf until you become very good, and even then, I have seen good golfers use old beat up clubs and they can still make them sing. It is such a similar mindset for me, less about the club and more about the thing at the end of the club!
I was lucky enough to have lessons with a coach that also did fittings in my area. So, my coach knew my swing on the course and in the room. My fitting was also a full iron set 4-PW where I hit each club for gapping. Then I was able to take them to the on site grass range and mess with them on grass. I was very lucky. More fitting should be like that. It made me feel more confident with the clubs and my game.
Have been fitting clubs for over 22 years, before "Custom Fittings" became cool. Just because your client pays top dollar for the newest set available means nothing in regards to how they can play I have learned. The fitting process has become more expensive, especially when added to the ridiculous prices of new clubs. Too many times, I see an average client who couldn't hit the middle of any club face if you gave them a 100 shots. Their fundamentals are so poor, that lie, loft, shaft flex, & set make plus their swing speed vary so much that a fitter could never get an accurate set of readings to even begin to do a proper fitting. I literally had a client doing a driver fitting w/a new SIM last season, who Even the launch monitor couldn't read the numbers, of a teed up shot! as he more often than not literally missed the teed up ball in the simulator. Spend that extra money on basic lessons, not new golf toys please. Then improve and reap any benefits a fitting can provide. Too often after what I felt was an accurate fitting session, the clien disagreed w/the recommendations and went elsewhere. No, the customer is always not right??
Better custom fitting should be in a min of 2 separate sessions, include demo clubs to try on the course and then after the set is made, a tuning of each club for loft and lie.
A proper custom facility would offer this. Certainly the one I go to does. You get your fitting 1.5hours - 3hrs depending what your after. Once the clubs are made and you have used them for several weeks. Make another 1 hour appointment and they will take you through a gapping session and make loft and lie adjustments where needed
My opinion is for the vast majority of golfers it doesnt matter. I think custom fitting helps when you know your swing and can make repeatable swings. I would say it helps most at the lower handicaps. But at the high handicaps I agree with you guys.
I think if you are only getting fit once or twice every couple of years, there is a distinct benefit in knowing how your swing is changing as you age or improve. As far as extracting value out of buying new clubs, I think it's more important that you understand which type of clubs you like and don't like. Which ones you hit consistently and which ones you don't. After you know those things, you can begin searching the market for a good deal. The benefits are there, but it certainly is a method of business to sell you on the newest and more expensive clubs just released.
We have a shot here that do the fitting for free with a purchase of clubs. The benefit is to try clubs that may fit you better. It’s important to go somewhere that does not push new clubs, rather offer changes to your current clubs.
I agree with some of this. The one thing I club fitting may help you do is allow you to try shaft/club head combos and compare that to what you’re playing now and see what works best. Maybe it is your current set.
I was fitted for ping at a box store. They only had standard length shafts. I ended up getting 1inch longer shafts since that's what i always played. The fitter didn't take into account that the swing weight would be off by adding the longer shaft. Thus going from a draw during the fitting to a fade on the course
Yeh a lot of them don’t really know what they’re doing. I had the same issue but with shaft spec, not shaft length. In principle the fitting should be good but I’m not 100% convinced at how effective it is
As a beginner golfer I agree with your opinions. I’m constantly changing aspects of my swing with every club so my swing will most likely be different a month after the fitting. I will research, read and watch reviews, make a purchase. Then I will learn how to hit that club.. I have a fitting in a few days and am wondering if it’s worth it.
#1 reason custom fittings are bad for most golfers...you end up with clubs designed to reinforce your swing faults instead of forcing you to improve your swing. That's why 18 HDCP, over the top, casting swingers end up with 3 degree upright clubs that would hook off the planet if they ever put an on-plane swing on the ball.
If you’re close to the average man/woman sure. But take me I’m 6.4 with 100+ mph driver swing. A standard driver would would put me 2 inches closer because of this I’m going to need to have more upright swing ark that makes me far more likely to not only come over the top but injure myself. And I’ll snap a senior or soft flex shaft (experience here) and I’ll launch it a mile in the sky if my kick point isn’t low.
I've often wondered about this, especially since I'm a regular 5' 10" 160lb dude with probably a 95 mph average swing speed that just plays on the weekends. Isn't the standard club already made for me? I'm guessing I can walk in the PGATourSuperstore and compare a few in their bay over the course of a month or two, and walk out with something that is at least 95% as good as anything I might come up with no matter how much deliberation goes into it during a single fitting. If something is "sub-optimal", I figure I would naturally adjust to it. In the end, the variability of my swing from one to the next would have a far greater impact than the variability between any two sets of clubs (within reason, I'm clearly not going to pick out a Tour blade set, after all).
It you are non-standard size person, custom fitting is a must. I am super tall, and nothing off the rack is even close to working. The physics just aren’t the same.
When I get new clubs I concentrate on what different shafts do. And I never buy a set I just buy an 8 iron and play for a month if I like it I go back and get the 6-7 9-PW Most people don’t know almost all major brands do not give you any discount for buying a “SET” the clubs are priced by the stick so purchasing clubs one at a time is the same price in the end
I went from a 24 handicap to a 11 handicap in less then 6 months. I’ve never taking a proper Lesson or had a fitting and I’m using 13 year old irons. I personally still don’t think I need a fitting yet. What I need is to continue to work on my course management. And continue to work on staying fundamentally sound the entirety of a round. Just my personal thoughts 💭 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah because TXG is in the custom fitting business. Why would they say anything other than "everybody needs to get custom fit, it's the most important thing any golfer can do."
I think there’s some points he starts making at the 2:30min mark that the TXG guys would actually agree with. Turf conditions matter, ball matters, fatigue & nervousness matters. I think the title of this vid and what’s actually discussed are a bit different. He’s saying the “way” custom fittings are done are flawed.
I was recently fitted for the first time ever. Around 9 hcp. I found it to benefit me tremendously. Got fitted for driver , 3 wood , hybrid and 60 degree. Made a big difference for me
I think that’s different then a 30 handicap. My buddy got fitted and spent thousands, and is still horrible. I think lessons to learn to play, is better spent. Then, once you’re better, you should get fitted.
I totally agree! Most handicap golfers just don't put the same swing on everyday...you get fitted for a swing for that session...your body can feel different everyday with aches and pain or feel really good? Also, golfers can adapt to what ever you put in their hands. I know what specs work for me day in day out...I had an iron fitting once (just to check and feel the irons before I bought them) and told the guy what works for me....we went from 2 down to 2 up and I can hit the same shot, you compensate. I play 2 down standard length and on the course that's what works for me...I agree that fitting can help, but you need to be fitted over a few sessions in different conditions. Don't get me started ha ha
This is an interesting question as most people think a custom fitting is going to American golf or the equivalent. Whereas if they went to a professional fitter like Scott Gourlay they would realise what a real custom fit was. And its not just trying all different clubs until you find one's that you hit better than the rest then going from there.
I played for 10 years but was only down to 20 handicap. Loved golf, so was going to buy new irons & went to get fitted. (If I'm going to spend £500 I want the set that's right for me) I tested 5 models against my existing clubs (6 iron) & ended up getting some I would not have chosen just by looking at them - TM Burner 2.0 - 1 inch longer & 2 degrees more upright. Result was I was down to 14 within a year!
I've had many custom fits down the years and many "self-fits". With the exception of 1 set of Mizunos (MP58) I generally play better with "self-fit" clubs than proper custom fit ones. Fits done on a mat, flat lie, everything square. There's barely a flat lie anywhere on my course except the tees.
100% agree for so many reasons including those mentioned! I want to scream when ALL the pros on tv and you tube say “you must get fitted”...!! I tried a few times and it failed every time costing me a fortune buying new clubs off the rack... I’ve since spent 3 years buying, trying and selling clubs though eBay and have now landed on my perfect 14 clubs through trial and error, learning what heads (spin, size..) and shafts (weights, torques..) I like. I enjoyed the process and yes it’s cost me a few quid but not massive as I look after the clubs and sell them for pretty much the same as purchase price. I also feel like I now know more about clubs than the “fitters” who tried to “fit” me!! If you’re interested “my” perfect bag; callaway epic driver, callaway epic flash 3w/strong hybrid, cobra F7 weak hybrid (rails are brilliant out of the rough), srixon z545 5 iron, srixon z745 6-PW (awesome irons for decent ball strikers), titleist SM6 52,56 (F grind) wedges, Taylormade Hi-toe 60 lob (awesome versatility), Ping Anser 4 putter (& Nike sport lite bag). Haven’t decided on the ball fully but I use proV1s, Bridgestone and srixons and for my level (7 hcap) I don’t actually think there’s much of a difference. Oh and I’m sure you all know this but I’ll say anyway - there is virtually no difference in perf if clubs between now and the last 6 years or so and although getting your bag “right” will help your golf it will only shave the odd shot off your score, to get better at golf you need to improve your fitness and technique and of course play regularly. So do “lessons” work?? Well there’s a whole new story...???!!! 🤯😄
Had some clubs custom fitted.As a senior I was told I needed a lighter club with a more flexible shaft and in graphite.From the computer readings I was hitting the ball further and each club was straighter.However I found I lost my short game.I couldn't hit any half shots or delicate chips as I found it difficult to feel where the club head was.How you score is based largely on your short game,and I found I was throwing shots away.Couldn't wait to get my old clubs out again and give myself more marketable putts.
Got fitted earlier this year and clubs (Wilson D7 forged) arrived today and had a gapping session with the new ones. Would love to see a feature taking a say 12 handicapper to 3 different fittings and see how they compare. Lots of what you guys say hear really resonates, hope they perform on the course!!
I have to say that I don't completely agree, after many years of basically buying clubs I liked the look of and from pro and magazine reviews I struggled to get down to and then continue to play to an 18 handicap, I was stuck on this for over 4 years, last year I had an iron and driver fitting with two Taylormade fitters and they have totally transformed my game... they demonstrated why my current set up wasn't working for me and why it was wrong, shaft weight and lie angle etc, I cannot praise these boys enough, for instance certain golf stores will fit you for your longest drive using a choice of stock shafts, Taylormade fitted me with a shaft costing almost as much as the head because out of the 7 shafts and 3 heads we tried it was by far the most consistant with length and dispersion, all at no extra cost to me, the iron process was no different, In the last 12 months I have dropped 5 strokes to 13, so for me the benefit to my game from a proper fitting has been incredible.
I really think it’s different for everyone. Your obviously a fairly avid golfer and I think for the amateur golfer that plays regularly and are better than average. I think it’s worth it. But if your shooting in the 100s consistently or just don’t play that much than probably not.
I partially agree with your statement. I would agree that it is the archer but I would disagree about the arrow. I would say instead of the arrow it would be he bow. Not not getting fitted for balls = arrows. JMHO
I really enjoy working with my golf pro, he doesn’t take the approach that new clubs are a cure. I bought a brand new left over set of Mizuno 921 hot metals with standard flex for $500 a couple years ago. After a year of lessons he started to notice the shaft flex was causing some dispersion issues as my swing has gotten faster. Instead of new clubs, we just used an identical demo club and tried different shafts until it produced the results we were after in the trackman. A lot cheaper than new irons for the sake of new irons, and it improves my play.
What a brilliant debate. Must agree about the nervousness during the fitting process. After several experiences over many years I no longer go down that route. I play off 8.7 but during fitting when someone standing there watching you, you would think i was a starting golf all over again. On the lie angle fitting how many shots do you hit from perfect flat lies it is always at a slight uphill, downhill, side hill lie once off the tee. Agree also on weather conditions affecting your swing, and dont forget how "Here indoors" puts her six penneth worth in.I'll stick with standard "off the shelf" but its all about confidence and if fitting improves your confidence on the coarse, go for it. What a good crack though.
That’s really good insight about club fitting, something that I’ve never considered. For me, I have purchased most of my clubs online. I can get things customized on irons, such as lofts and lies, if needed. I’ve found that ‘standard’ clubs are usually a good fit for me. With how irons are now weighted, I don’t have the lofts adjusted because that could make me hit the ball too high. 10 years ago, it may have been more prudent to weaken the lofts a bit.
As someone who is 6’9”, the best thing I ever did was get a custom fitting. I was always using off the shelf, standard clubs and I would top the ball constantly because I’m so tall and the clubs were so short. My custom fitter added 2-1/2” to all my clubs and my game has dramatically improved.
not as tall as you but im 6'6 and totally agree, clubs being too short would constantly force me to set up way too close to the ball just so i could get down on it
Interesting insights, this video got me thinking and I always come back to this statement one of my mentors told me, "its subjective, it depends" and what that means is it all depends on the individual, I think theyre hinting at you need to experiment a lot with every club in the bag if you want a perfect set, but I grew up hitting whatever and a fitting really helped me set a baseline for what I need, I also didnt feel nervous at all going for a fitting, quite the opposite actually, and I recommend asking all these questions to your fitter and they may give you some advice about it like length and stuff.
Here’s the thing though I’m a 20+ handicap golfer but I’m 6’5” and I’m using standard clubs and there isn’t a point in lessons until I get correctly lengthened golf clubs but I don’t want to go get lengthened golf clubs and then after lessons turn around and buy better golf clubs
I have found that the shaft flex and swing weight are the most important part of the fitting. Oh, don't forget the grip diameter as well. I used to have a set that had a swing weight of C8 and I played okay with them. I then got new clubs that had a D3 swing weight and I was way more consistent with the heavier swing weight. The shaft flex was the same on both clubs but the new clubs had a newer version of the shaft I had in the older set. I would agree that for 90% of golfer, mostly folks who play a couple times a month, custom fitting is a waste of money.
so, i recently got fitted for my irons. I'm playing with very old regular length ben sayers at the moment that i had when i was about 12. I'm now 6'5 so decided to get custom fit purely based on my height. I went straight into hitting them without warming up like the argument in the video, I did hit off a board for a few shots but really the main reasoning for the fitting was to make sure that having longer shafts was going to be right for me. I ended up going with +1inch and 1 degree upright, in a normal case I don't think i would have bothered to get fit, and now that I know the length suits me (after hitting regular, .5 and 1inch) I probably won't get fit again. All in all my experience to be custom fit was a good one, and as a newer golfer having someone there to ask me the questions in a simplistic way made the experience a positive one and i left feeling happy about the choices i made on my new set.
Rick I couldn’t agree more, custom fitting with irons is such an unreal environment. I know I need 5 to GW and a lighter stiff shaft. I buy a set on eBay after lots of research, then get to try a full set for a couple of months and if I don’t like them I sell them on and at worst lose £25. Where else can I try a full set for that length of time for £25. I then look at the shot shape with my club pro and he adjusts as required , normally flat lies in my case.
I used a custom fitting yesterday to adjust my and yardage gaps. I am a scratch player. I focused on patterns of flight of each club to see if the lie is correct and yardage to see if my carry gaps are correct. At my level of play I just let the swing happen and I kept my on course patterns in mind as well. So it was a tool but it wasn’t the final word it was more info to help me.
I agree with him alot, fittings are flawed, but they are helpful. Try to go early afternoon during the week if you can, the place will be dead and there will be less pressure.
I got fitted with my p790s and went from 15 to 7 in 5 months. I got a stiff 65g shaft epic flash driver off the shelf and I couldn't hit it anywhere near the distance I could when I used one on the range from another pro shop.I changed the shaft from my callaway speed driver which had a 55 gram mid spin stiff shaft and wow lol it's the best I've ever driven a ball.
You also can flip it around why it’s done from a mat. Because it’s hit from a mat the measurements are always the same and you have no differents influences from outside: Different turf, grass, lies, wind that can affect numbers that will give a wrong idea how the club works. 1 shot can be good, the next one can be rubbish. You will never get a good feedback of the right numbers for that person for new club.
Well i was all set to go for a iron fitting next, not sure now. I was going to drop 90 $ on a fit then go shopping knowing my specs etc, but what if those specs are wrong. What do i do?. Guy has just mind shagged me!
lol - I think it depends. If you're a fairly serious golfer - Rick's thoughts are probably more relevant than Guy's....and there are some club fitters out there that can help you build a good set. But that type of fitting might cost you more than $90. Watch a few videos from TXG (Tour Experience Golf) - they are a top end fitter in Toronto. After watching some of their stuff you'll have an idea of what you can get out of a proper fitting experience.
Makes sense. Another aspect of this is that the customer needs to be clear what the objective is and to provide appropriate feedback ar each stage of the fitting process. The best "custom fitting" I've had was for skis in a French resort. Before even starting I had to fill out a 2 page questionnaire about my skiing experience, whether I was having lessons and importantly my skiing ambitions. Based on my responses and a subsequent discussion I was then given 5 skis to test in a particular order with the fitter telling me which he felt I would like best - and he was spot on. I've never really been asked much about my golf aspirations in the few golf fittings I've had which I've felt was a bit odd. I am still trying to improve and don't want to be forced to change my clubs because my swing has changed after a year. I've had 4 or 5 fittings over the years for various clubs and feel I now have enough experience to get more out of the process but I don't think that was the case before.
I can definitely see both sides of this topic and can say I've seen both sides. I recently purchased a new set of sim max 2 irons from 5- PW and was fitted (+.5 in length, -2 lie). Was hitting all irons great in the shop but on course PW was horrible actually put my old pw back in the bag, most other clubs I hit good. Warm up every time I go to the course. I think people should be fitted to a certain extent but it should be done differently. Rick I love the topics you talk about on your podcast and your instructional videos on your other channel. Please keep up the great work. I would also love to see some more videos of you challenging friends again. Started watching about a year ago now and you are the one that got me interested in playing golf.
@Gary Taylor I am about to make the same purchase. I've done all my research and even tried the SIM 2 Max irons out and love them. I want the 5-PW also with 3-4hybrid.. I know 8-pw I can leave standard length but adjust lie angle on all clubs. Did your HC improve?
@@drizzle824 yes my hc improved by a few strokes. Sim max 2 irons are long distance irons very easy to hit. All my clubs are .5 inches longer than standard. Lie is -2° from what I understand all clubs 5-pw are all in that configuration. I am very happy with them all but pw and the only reason why I'm not as happy with it is you don't get significant height so when hitting to the green it kinda zips through it instead of dropping straight down and landing soft.
@@mrTaylormade1991 OK cool good to know. I know all my clubs will need to be cut down at least .5 degrees maybe a full inch since I'm only like 5'0. I think the only fitting I may do is just for the hybrids and driver save on $$
I understand the sentiment that it's more important to work on your game than just taking a technological short cut, but that said literally every single person's swing is different so the idea that stock clubs will work perfectly for everyone's swing is just ridiculous.
The TXG boys would like a word with you 🤣 decent points though. I think with these things in mind you can bring them to a fit to make it even better. A good fitter would try and make sure some of these things don’t happen.
I mean most of his points only apply to a "fitter" that sucks. Like the whole lie angle board deal, a good fitter will be getting the lie angle from the launch monitor.
somehow just ran into this.....very refreshing to hear this take. went in for iron fitting today after 15 years of playing. Was fitted into an iron after an hour of tinkering and then picked up my off the rack used iron before I left and hit 15 shots that were better than the one that I was fitted into...
I agree in my opinion, no custom fitting needed. Research heavily, try out where you can and make a decision based on your skill level and knowledge base. I mean we all used to play with hand me down Dunlop, Wilson before moving into Ping, Taylormade, Titleist etc once we became responsible adults. Now so many options and digital research that we did not have. Only real wall you would run into is shafts if you want to experiment, but even that you could go swing a variety of at local shop or simply research and give it a go. Also, if you have custom fitting money you could simply buy more clubs and have extra around for friends anyway.
I have to agree, a mate of mine works as a pro in Scotland. He’s good at it. But he has said many people go to get fitted with unrealistic expectations and think they can fix major swing flaws by having custom clubs. It really doesn’t work to that degree.
The biggest lie beginners are told is it's never too early to get fit, and that's completely wrong. If you cannot deliver the club and ball flight anywhere consistently, your numbers are going to be all over the place and your readings aren't going to be properly evaluated. The fitting process needs an overhaul for sure.
There are a few outdoor trackman fitting centers at public golf courses here in southern california, can’t speak to other places. Most of this conversation could be boiled down to the quality of fitter (see TXG for a good fitter.) If you care that much about the ball THEN BRING SOME WITH YOU. if you have issues with a club (lie angle etc.) after the fact most fitters will fix it no charge.
There are a few places that do fittings with no affiliation to any manufacturer. These run about $500 in the US for a full bag fitting...driver to putter. Cool Clubs in Arizona is one of them. I think PGA Superstore will do it as well.
This is an interesting chat. I completely agree that custom made clubs can help. However, practicing your fundamentals are a better long term investment. Ideally, both can be had!
I got fitted twice. One back in 2006(?) if I remember, and 3 years ago (SkyTRAK). I was fitted both times with -1/2 length, lie 2 degrees up. Still struggled with irons. well TXG came along and I experimented. I bent my irons 1* degree flatter at time till I got to standard lie. To make this brief, the shaft length ended up being standard length. I wasted my money on irons fitting. Now for the driver, LAZY fitter knew I produced high spin and fitted me with g400 max stock shaft. I sold that driver and basically I fitted myself with a new driver, g410 LST with hzrdus shaft... I'm hitting more fairways than I did with the fitted driver AND... I have a one way miss. no more left or right sprayers. I've improved FIR and GIR by a huge margin and none of the specs given to me by these fitters are being used. WASTE OF MONEY and TIME! You can fix anything with TH-cam... from leaking faucets to your golf clubs. lol EDIT: I did get fitted for my putter recently. Birdie birdie, so far so very good.
really agree with this, specifically how your swing changes during a fitting, then the fitter is usually also a pro so they will even give you swing tweaks from time to time. The actual swing during a fitting is not really representative of your real swing, and only hitting a 7 iron doesn't help either.
Interesting discussion - how to be replicate the 'course conditions' when doing a custom fitting to get the best results possible.. My last 'custom' fitting was at the driving range at the golf course. Pro had a quad with him. I would think this is an optimal situation - however. There were limited options for shafts / heads because the Club Pro had fitting equipment / carts for two manufacturers; Mizuno and PING. If i were to go to a custom club fitter like Club Champion, I would have more options / brands with a lot more possible club shaft options, but i would be doing the fitting indoors on matts like described. And truthfully, it really comes back to me and my golf swing; am i consistent enough to realize the benefits of a fine tuning vs a basic tuning. Way back in the day, i was using a set of hand me down golf clubs that were made for a person several inches shorter than me. Length of shaft and lie angle were way off. I was digging the toe of the irons into the turf with every shot. I was leaning uncomfortably over to try and make good contact and I didn't understand why everything went right. Getting 'fitted' for my own set of irons fixed a number of problems. Within a very short period of time, my shots improved, my scores improved and i was having more fun. Night and day difference. I don't think a fine tuning would have helped me at this point. It's been a while, but last i checked, most golfers never ever break 90. Most golfers don't practice much. Most golfers don't have a very repeatable swing. Most golfers don't know how far they hit each club. Most golfers don't play the same ball (brand & model) so shot results are inconsistent. Most golfers aren't savvy about lie angles and loft. With this being the case - if a would be 'golfer' wishes to become better than 'average' and start improving they are wise to at least get a set of clubs that 'fit' their height, stature, arm length, strength, general swing speed and so forth. But a fine tuning? If a 'fine tune' custom fitting gets them playing peak performance golf, and a level of consistency is needed to play peak performance golf, I think that Consistency should be addressed first. Lesson and practice - take what's learned to the course. Test. How did we do? More practice. Repeat. Steps by step progress.
LOL this is funny. I just had a fitting for wedges yesterday. Hit off grass at my own golf club next to the 10th tee. Took my own 9 and PW to know those distances as a gauge. After finding the right distances for me, took several models of the same clubs with different grinds down to the chipping green for twenty minutes to get a feel for what suited me and what I needed/wanted from them. My experience seems a little different to your discussions. 🤔 hopefully in a couple of weeks when they turn up I’ll be happy. 😜 in any case I’ve got some serious gaps at the bottom I needed to fill that was driving me spare... especially 112 metres. Last two weeks that’s been killing me. Lucky I can chip and putt.
Hey I'm thinking of going to see Ian in the spring - I've been following them on TH-cam for a while now and what they seem to offer over my previous fitting is impressive. Did you fit the whole bag - or what specifically did you see them about?
@@chrisgilligan4968 I heard Ian only do whole bag now and the price is a lot higher than their website. Their waitlist is also crazy long, so something to consider
@@victorchen8484 Thanks for the info. I will definitely reach out to them prior to booking anything to get up to date info. I'm guessing that the process would be the same with any of the other fitters there - although the fitter won't have the same depth of knowledge that Ian has.
Hi Chris, I got a driver fitting when I was over there and came out with an unreal fit, I actually went at pretty short notice and Ian wasn’t available, but went to Cam there and he was unreal, great service, every piece of kit possible, was very chilled but really was a tour experience. Had a brief chat with Ian when I was there too.
I think it needs to be more granular that that. 1. Off the shelf no testing what so ever basically what looks nice or is the right price 2. Off the shelf with educated guess. So HC, size, guess at PW - whatever, not much more 3. Club testing as above but you give a few brands/versions a go. And maybe the 5, 7 and PW 4. Club fit, as above but play with different versions use the data to educate next option to try changing shalfs and length and hit half set. And gap test hybrid and wedge to get the set make up testing club and ball data 5. Custom fit where they adjust the lie or angle test differt grips and hit the full set. Testing club and all data with your balls
I'm 6'4" and all the irons I could find were "standard length" I bought some Irons that were longer and it made it much more comfortable. I'm no longer having to squat down to make contact.
Interesting take on fittings. Other than hitting off the mat, thinking back to my fitting, none of those things were issues fo me. They had my balls and I used them to fit. They accounted for my miss shots when making head recommendations or changing shaft profiles. I didn't hit off a lie board, they analyzed data from GC Quad - loft/lie at impact. I went to a fitting with my golf coach and I am friends with the fitter, so I really didnt feel any performance pressure. (I do understand that's not the case for everyone). Lastly, I didn't take too many warm up shots, but also I always try to hit the range before a round anyway. I hate going to the tee box feeling tight. All in all, the information I gained from the "why" I was fitted for a particular club, shaft, swing weight, ect, ect, was extremely valuable. It also educated me, and provided real side by side comparison to what happens if I hit a club that was very aggressive (P7TW) vs. very forgiving(G425). In the end, I know not everyone has the same experience or same quality of fitting, so I do understand what they are getting at. However, just like any scientist implementing controls on an experiment. A fitting is a great way to compare what you hit now vs. Potential replacements for the bag in a controlled environment, while gaining insight about actual club dynamics that apply to you as a golfer. Yes, it's not real world, but it is a great way take out the variables and make a more apples to apples comparison.
I'll never get custom fit as I love buying second hand clubs and then selling them three weeks later. I literally get the buzz of new clubs every few weeks. More importantly someone's got to keep Golfbidder in business so we get the Rick v Pete Golfbidder challenge 😀👍
I save 50 to even 70 percent off the price of clubs by buying them a year or two after they have come out. Sometimes they are even brand new. New shiny technology is great but makes very very very little difference. Statistics only show 1 to 2 yards improvement from year to year. For the average golfer this means absolutely nothing. I have an old R7 driver that to this day is the most forgiving driver maybe ever built. Yes it’s 15 yards shorter than my SIM but golfers need to hit fairways. And even though new irons are great looking they offer very little advantage to the 20 handicapper.
So what should you do? Get fitted or go with a standard set off the rack?? I play now with old irons my Dad gave me (15+ years old) and I’m looking to get a set of new updated irons. I’m a pretty inconsistent golfer high handicap but the clubs feel fine. I bought a driver off the rack from Dicks and hit it just fine.
I believe in static fittings and shaft selection based on average distances for the vast majority of golfers. In terms of the full TXG experience, I'd say only single-digit handicappers (or those with physical limitations) would see any real world benefit. The rest of us would be better off using the money we save by foregoing custom fitting toward more lessons.
I purchased a book on fitting and how clubs are made. Was able to get everything figured out to exactly what I needed. I then went to a fitting and they didn’t really care and the clubs they recommended was exactly what I already had figured out.
Just had a fitting with Cobra in Australia. Club pro was there too but I had 2 beers before so wasn’t too nervous haha. Was hitting off the 10th tee at my local club, no one else around, hitting off the grass with tracking computer. Was very relaxed and those guys really helped me out. I’m playing off 14 and will buy new irons based off that fitting session within the week. Difference between the shots I was hitting with my old irons and the new ones was night and day for me. Definitely worth it if you can get into such a relaxed setting
4 hdcp former competitive golfer & I partially agree. Fittings have never done me much good no matter how many times I've done it. Better to try different things in real life & iterate to what works best for you. The lie angle board is total b.s. Lie angle should be fit based on start line. If I use the spec the lie board says I should use, I'll hang every shot right. I just do.
Hot Stix hits off grass. My static measurements are 4' upright, and I've tried flatter, but returned to this measurement after many, many rounds of golf as it is my best fit. The problem for me in fitting sessions is changing my swing to try to meet fitter's "perceived expectations" or showing off (my ego!) or that my swing is in flux. But there are great tools and ever-improving tools available if you have right mindset and good fitter to guide you.
At last. Someone talking sense about fitting. Couldn't agree more. I've only been for a driver fitting and hybrid fitting. Being watched closely, in a strange place, off a mat, etc. Unless you are at least in single figures you are better off spending the money on lessons.
I agree that custom fitting doesn’t necessarily work. I am a 3/4 handicapper. I went to get custom wedges. On the course I usually hit long wedge divots. I couldn’t do that on mats and my swing definitely changed. I was fitted with mid-bounce because of it, when I believe in hind sight I should’ve gotten high bounce. Additionally, I enjoyed my new wedges, but if I’m being honest, I controlled my previous non-fitted wedges better.
I agree with some of this guys point! I hate hitting off mats and it’s part of the reason why I haven’t got a custom fit . I hit irons good but some reason when I hit off mats I don’t hit the ball as good! My lowest score to date has been a 79 and I always go to store and buy off the shelf.
If I go in with a bad slice, hitting the ball with open club face... not hitting my irons as long as needed and leaving heavy divots... how will my $350 worth of fitted clubs work 2 yr down the road when my swing gets better and I start doing the things that experience fixes? Now my fancy fitted clubs are junk and dont work for me. Am I right?
The other thing I haven’t seen at a fitting cart with any regularity are different sized grips. Some people undersized, others over, most mid. Then you get into how many wraps you need total or for your bottom hand if you need a slightly less tapered grip. It can get so technical that you’re in over your head. That being said, the easiest way to do it, at least in my experience, is grab a few different makes, put in the “stock” shaft (if you can get various lengths if you’re tall/short, great) and see which one feels best. Most mid-to-high handicap golfers don’t need clubs scientifically fit to them. Bottom line, if the club feels good in your hand, is visually appealing and feels good when striking a ball, then you’re good to go.
The best value in a custom fitting is just hitting all kinds of different clubs. I'm not a great golfer, I assumed I needed a game improvement set and was looking at pretty thick club profiles. I hit a ton of clubs, which you don't always have access to do outside of a fitting. Fittings are also free around me, so its no cost unless you do a performance center one. It turned out at my speeds I hit p770's better than any game improvement club or deep cavity back. I never would touched a club like that without it. If the "custom fitting" is just pushing a narrow selection of clubs then its no use.
Good point. I adjust lie on clubs. If u start that game. Have fun. U will adjust lie a ton. As a guy changes his swing. It's so hard to be the same every time
I watched this video an others on this subject. My response is maybe at some fittings, but a pxg fitting experience is totally different, obviously your only getting fitted for pxg ,but they don't push any thing on you , they try to make you as comfortable as possible, and really try to find out exactly what your looking to get out of the fitting , and when I was getting tired he reckonized it and stopped me . Definitely recommend a pxg fitting .
It used to be fun going to the golf stores and hitting all kinds of different used or new demo clubs, getting a sense of what "felt" right, it was a fun learning process. But yeah, out of the grass is what matters. I think a dialed in fitting works for best for advanced ball strikers who have solid mechanics and a repeating golf swing. Just an opinion of course.
Very good, also, the better player, who may think they're the one who may benefit most from fitting are constantly tinkering with their swing, it's constantly changing! I put this to a well known club fitter who didn't have an answer.
As an older golfer I couldn't agree more, only had one fitted set and sold them within months. Fitted for a rouge driver indoors. Then stand on the tee, wind and rain. Bought a ping g10 off eBay £35 much better. Also think adjustability on woods is wasted on 90% of golfers. One bad shot and out comes the wrench. The set I'm playing with now cost less than the driver.
I fit myself. Let me explain. My driving range had multiple heads and shafts to try. I knew I wanted new irons, so I was able to hit multiple brands and narrow it down to which felt better. Then when I got it down to my favorites, I then concentrated on shafts. This process took 3-4 months. Now at my driving range we hit off grass not mats. Once I felt I was confident in my swing, then I went to get professionally fitted to fine tune what I was going to order. The numbers from the fitting confirmed what I was seeing on the range. When it came to the lie test with the board, I wasn't scared. Just made my normal swing a few times. In the end I knew what I was getting is what I had worked towards but with professional help at the end to get the fine tuned product.
All down to the fitter and their level of integrity. Hard to find a fitter who isn't trying to justify their time by forcing club sales. A fitter who takes their fee for just the fitting should be called performance fitting- educating golfers on their swings and how equipment can help them. While everyone else are just salesmen doing basic fits.
I’ve chosen last wedges on a demo day off grass. I’ve got shaft optimized and got my own old irons reshafted and dialed in. I’ve been custom fit twice before and settings need changing season to season. I can tell when I need loft and lie adjustments and get the gaps just right myself. My swing is dynamic through years mostly because a bad back and some seasons I’m full of confidence. Just like clothes sometimes you need to change size. Custom fitting can be good or bad depends on player and fitter.
I was given a prescription for tennis after my first fitting.
My grandparents had this old golfer ragdoll thing that had some kind of accelerometer in it, and when you hit it against the table or something it would dish golf related insults to you.
One of the phrases was "Have you considered BOWLING?" Your comment made me think of that so thank you.
Several years ago, I got fitted for irons. I like them well enough. Still have them and use them. Last year I bought an old set of Hogan Apex irons for $70. Score the same with either set.
I had that same set,bought em in 92. Had a couple of sets of different clubs since. I found the 5 iron from the set, I hit it perfectly. I like it better than my current irons. If I could go back in time, I would have kept that set and saved money. Invest the money in instruction, grips, balls, wedges, woods hybrids and home training set up. I agree with u, irons r really not worth the expense considering the lack of noticeable technology.
Yup the apex was kind of of blend of a blade and cb
What was the score if you don't mind me asking?
I think custom fitting is pushed so hard to sell new clubs instead of the great deals you can get on quality clubs that are a few years old.
Additionally, u can figure out for yourself if your clubs need adjust if u r any good.
Custom fitting is 101% necessary if you’re a golfer of a good level, clubs are on the rack to be sold whether you get a custom fit or not. Also a lot of places take the price of a custom fitting off if you purchase the club/clubs
@@Ricardo-ur5os The question really isn't whether clubs should be tweaked to fit, espeically if you're a good player. The question is whether you need to go spend a couple hundred bucks or more to have somebody else do it for you. There's an emerging consensus that driver fitting is a big deal if you're competing at a high level (or if you just want to max out performance even as an average player), because of all the variables in shafts, heads, flex points, spin rate, etc., but not so much for the rest of the set. It's not that hard to figure out lengths, lofts, lies, etc., on your own. It's not impossible even to figure out your driver, actually. But a driver fitting might save you some trial-and-error money in the long run. The one thing that's a little bit hard to figure out about a driver is if you're hitting it well, hitting fairways at a good rate, and pretty long, you might not know whether you're missing an extra 15-20 yards.
I agree. It’s about sales at the end of the day. But, the fitter and the customer agree on that concept. If a golfer wants new clubs, asks for a fitting, then the fitter will do their best to RECOMMEND the best set-up. Best head, shaft and club selection. Do I think an average golfer could “fit” themselves? Sure, but if you buy new, once you figure out you need extension or cut down plus a lie angle change, you’re spending a TON more money than if you got your specs ordered.
@@emncaity my fittings have all been free. A lot of places will subtract the cost of the fitting from the price of the clubs you buy if you actually buy clubs. For sure worth it for driver because I went in with three in mind that I thought would be good for me. I wanted either the LTDx (because I previously had a cobra driver I liked a lot) or I wanted to move up to a stealth or the rouge. Mostly wanted the stealth because of all the hype with taylormade and got pretty close to just buying one before even getting fitted but I’m glad I didn’t. I was hitting the taylormade clean but only was able to carry the ball 240 with it maybe at best 250, and with the LTDx I somehow could only hit crazy slices which is super weird because I typically hit a small draw and then with the rouge (the driver I wasn’t actually that interested in) I was able to carry 270-280 every single time. We’ll worth the free fitting to help me make that decision.
Also, fittings should include a group of 4 blokes with their hands on their hips waiting to get fitted after you.
It’s important if you’re good, and/or abnormally sized. I’m scratch and 6’5”, so a custom fitting drastically helped me. They hard stepped my irons and brought my spin and dispersion way down.
I'm also 6'5", is this something that you'd definitely recommend doing? I have a decent set of Callaway's from Costco. Would it be wise to get these reshafted somewhere professionally where I can get dialed in?
@blairsaid Same here, 6'4 and large. I have a set of Cobra t rails which came partially fitted with stiff shafts. I had them extended by an inch, with grips applied for larger hands and power, it improved my game from a 15-16 handicap down to a 10-12.
Thoughts on 6’3? I read a chart that said +.5 inch
I have said this for years. The exact items that were brought up during this interview are my points. I've never had a custom fitting, but I have had clubs custom made for me based on my recommendations. I have a 8.5 handicap and am 67 years old. The points in this interview are spot on.
😂😂😂😂😂 but, dude… you’re 67? And haven’t realized yet that you’re judging a professional’s career on what YOU think your swing needed?
You didn’t go see a fitter, so you’re just fucking guessing!
I think that if you get fitted by a pro who has given you lessons, and knows your swing, would be a lot better, and less stressful than it would be, going to a pro, who doesn't know anything about your game.
I did exactly that, and my fitted clubs (length and lie) as well as advice of what kind of shaft and what brand of club would complement my swing made all the difference. The iron set i bought are in a different league than my standard set I used before.
Definitely something I’d like to hear you, Ian, and Matt from TXG talk about. As someone who works in golf and performs club fittings, I can see the advantages. But when it comes down to the average 20 handicapper, I don’t think it matters what lie angle I hand them. I will usually default to lessons first.
I agree with the 20 handicap, I’m right about 20 and have “fit” myself to my whole bag. Brought my handicap from 25 last year to 20 this year (this is my 2nd summer of golf)
I have gone from a 20 to an 8 and am going to get fitted for a driver for the first time this year. My swing has changed so much the last few years not sure if it would have done more harm than good if I had got fitted when my swing was so bad.
@@mh_golfer I agree with you, fitting a bad swing would keep bad habits. I hope to drop another few off my handicap this upcoming season, because I bought myself a used driver and wedges (before my driver was a 3W and had no wedge besides PW)
Started golf in July 2020 got fitted for my first golf bag. I score 84 now fitting is more important for beginners
I can see the benefit, but if you are just beginning the odds of your swing changing in even a couple of rounds is decently high. For example, if I have a player who struggles with a slice with their irons, and someone fits them for 4° upright to stop the right miss... That becomes useless once I give them a lesson on shallowing the golf club. Now they can’t stop pulling all of their irons. Same thing with something as simple as swing speed. Odds are you will be swinging faster 6 months after starting, so if I fit you into a regular flex with a distinct shaft profile, that shaft will most likely not fit someone 6 months down the road who is swinging faster with better technique. 👍🏻
I was “fitted” for a driver yesterday after hearing all the hype. It’s interesting that the only clubs that the shop said would work for me were the 2024 TaylorMade, Ping, and Calloway.
The clubs are $600. I told the “fitter” I need a jumbo grip. That’s extra and the clubs are 2 weeks out.
I went to a competitor right after that and they showed me the above clubs plus several others. They put me in a bay and said swing away.
It’s ironic that I hit a Cleveland Club better than all the rest.
$249.00. They didn’t charge for a “fitting”.
Guess where I’m spending my money at?
Nice! Where did you go by chance?
That’s not how you use the word ironic
Detroit?
I don’t think it’s overrated I just think there is no standard. You get sales people trying to sell you clubs, you get club pros who know the basics, you get club pros who know a tiny bit more than the basics, you get manufacturer fitting centres and you get incredible facilities like SGGT in Scotland and TXG in Canada. Within that group are the guys who put you in a stiff or a reg shaft, a good players or a game improvement club and get you hitting off the lie board, and there are the guys who actually understand how to match the right combination of clubs for the player in front of them for them to get the most out of their equipment. I can only name 3 or 4 that I’ve heard of that fall into that last group and probably hundreds that fit into the first group.
Totally agree. My swing changes between the 1st and the 18th holes.
Me too, once the edibles kick in.
Ditto here. Swing changes and moderately tweaked while playing.
Mine changes between the breakfast ball and the follow up tee shot. Breakfast ball in the woods 80 yards right of the fairway. Second shot in the woods dead straight 25 yards left of the fairway.
The fitting process is way more relevant to the low hcap guy than ever it is to a newbie or high hcap guy simply because the low guy is far more likely to put a consistent swing on it so that the variables of the club then become more apparent and can be fine tuned
Exactly
Being someone who is constantly looking for another way to improve my game (or as my wife says - spend money), this is the best advice I have heard! Thank you thank you thank you. What you said makes absolute sense. Me, I am a high handicapper, and it is easy to fall into the belief that I need new this, new that, get my clubs fitted etc. In an industry that is constantly telling us that the next thing is the best thing, sometimes, listening to experienced golfers telling you that you don't need things is a breath of fresh air. Thank you for saving me some money!
Yeah, but everyone has a different swing and getting fitted clubs includes a test on a simulator to find out what type of clubs fits for you, i’ve done it recently, and i have gone down to 12.7 right now, and i was 22hcp 2 months ag, it really helps with finding out how much spin you get on your ball, easier to hit lenghts and get a better aim. I actually recomend it, golf is something you play often, why not get the clubs personalized
And fitting test is free, atleast here
@@akaWeluxe I get what you are saying, but the only thing i can liken new golf clubs to is this - I was a ski guide for many years, and friends would ask me whether they should buy these skis, or those skis, and that x had a different flex and y had a wider waist etc, and I used to tell them at their level they would not know the difference between £1000 skis and £200 skis. If you did the blindfold test at their level, they would not be able to tell the difference between make, model, length, flex etc. i kinda think that is the same with golf until you become very good, and even then, I have seen good golfers use old beat up clubs and they can still make them sing. It is such a similar mindset for me, less about the club and more about the thing at the end of the club!
I was lucky enough to have lessons with a coach that also did fittings in my area. So, my coach knew my swing on the course and in the room. My fitting was also a full iron set 4-PW where I hit each club for gapping. Then I was able to take them to the on site grass range and mess with them on grass. I was very lucky. More fitting should be like that. It made me feel more confident with the clubs and my game.
Good for you lol
Have been fitting clubs for over 22 years, before "Custom Fittings" became cool. Just because your client pays top dollar for the newest set available means nothing in regards to how they can play I have learned. The fitting process has become more expensive, especially when added to the ridiculous prices of new clubs. Too many times, I see an average client who couldn't hit the middle of any club face if you gave them a 100 shots. Their fundamentals are so poor, that lie, loft, shaft flex, & set make plus their swing speed vary so much that a fitter could never get an accurate set of readings to even begin to do a proper fitting. I literally had a client doing a driver fitting w/a new SIM last season, who Even the launch monitor couldn't read the numbers, of a teed up shot! as he more often than not literally missed the teed up ball in the simulator. Spend that extra money on basic lessons, not new golf toys please. Then improve and reap any benefits a fitting can provide. Too often after what I felt was an accurate fitting session, the clien disagreed w/the recommendations and went elsewhere. No, the customer is always not right??
This, get lessons, figure out your swing and get into a consistent result, and then get fitted after
100 percent, a thousand dollar driver and two thousand dollar iron set won't do anything for your game if your swing in inconsistent.
Better custom fitting should be in a min of 2 separate sessions, include demo clubs to try on the course and then after the set is made, a tuning of each club for loft and lie.
A proper custom facility would offer this. Certainly the one I go to does. You get your fitting 1.5hours - 3hrs depending what your after. Once the clubs are made and you have used them for several weeks. Make another 1 hour appointment and they will take you through a gapping session and make loft and lie adjustments where needed
My opinion is for the vast majority of golfers it doesnt matter. I think custom fitting helps when you know your swing and can make repeatable swings. I would say it helps most at the lower handicaps. But at the high handicaps I agree with you guys.
I think if you are only getting fit once or twice every couple of years, there is a distinct benefit in knowing how your swing is changing as you age or improve. As far as extracting value out of buying new clubs, I think it's more important that you understand which type of clubs you like and don't like. Which ones you hit consistently and which ones you don't. After you know those things, you can begin searching the market for a good deal.
The benefits are there, but it certainly is a method of business to sell you on the newest and more expensive clubs just released.
We have a shot here that do the fitting for free with a purchase of clubs. The benefit is to try clubs that may fit you better. It’s important to go somewhere that does not push new clubs, rather offer changes to your current clubs.
I agree with some of this. The one thing I club fitting may help you do is allow you to try shaft/club head combos and compare that to what you’re playing now and see what works best. Maybe it is your current set.
I was fitted for ping at a box store. They only had standard length shafts. I ended up getting 1inch longer shafts since that's what i always played. The fitter didn't take into account that the swing weight would be off by adding the longer shaft. Thus going from a draw during the fitting to a fade on the course
Yeh a lot of them don’t really know what they’re doing. I had the same issue but with shaft spec, not shaft length. In principle the fitting should be good but I’m not 100% convinced at how effective it is
As a beginner golfer I agree with your opinions. I’m constantly changing aspects of my swing with every club so my swing will most likely be different a month after the fitting. I will research, read and watch reviews, make a purchase. Then I will learn how to hit that club.. I have a fitting in a few days and am wondering if it’s worth it.
Was it worth it?
#1 reason custom fittings are bad for most golfers...you end up with clubs designed to reinforce your swing faults instead of forcing you to improve your swing.
That's why 18 HDCP, over the top, casting swingers end up with 3 degree upright clubs that would hook off the planet if they ever put an on-plane swing on the ball.
Very true. A custom fit for a good golfer is totally vital though in my opinion
If you’re close to the average man/woman sure. But take me I’m 6.4 with 100+ mph driver swing.
A standard driver would would put me 2 inches closer because of this I’m going to need to have more upright swing ark that makes me far more likely to not only come over the top but injure myself.
And I’ll snap a senior or soft flex shaft (experience here) and I’ll launch it a mile in the sky if my kick point isn’t low.
Need a Rick Shields comparison video playing one round each with custom fitted and off the shelf golf set...
I've often wondered about this, especially since I'm a regular 5' 10" 160lb dude with probably a 95 mph average swing speed that just plays on the weekends. Isn't the standard club already made for me? I'm guessing I can walk in the PGATourSuperstore and compare a few in their bay over the course of a month or two, and walk out with something that is at least 95% as good as anything I might come up with no matter how much deliberation goes into it during a single fitting. If something is "sub-optimal", I figure I would naturally adjust to it. In the end, the variability of my swing from one to the next would have a far greater impact than the variability between any two sets of clubs (within reason, I'm clearly not going to pick out a Tour blade set, after all).
It you are non-standard size person, custom fitting is a must. I am super tall, and nothing off the rack is even close to working. The physics just aren’t the same.
When I get new clubs I concentrate on what different shafts do. And I never buy a set I just buy an 8 iron and play for a month if I like it I go back and get the 6-7 9-PW Most people don’t know almost all major brands do not give you any discount for buying a “SET” the clubs are priced by the stick so purchasing clubs one at a time is the same price in the end
I went from a 24 handicap to a 11 handicap in less then 6 months. I’ve never taking a proper Lesson or had a fitting and I’m using 13 year old irons. I personally still don’t think I need a fitting yet. What I need is to continue to work on my course management. And continue to work on staying fundamentally sound the entirety of a round. Just my personal thoughts 💭 🤷🏻♂️
Well done 👌🏽
the boys at TXG surely have something to say about this haha
If there’s one place to get a “proper club fitting” it’s my opinion that they are THE one. I would love to see their take on this.
@@TyIerrrr me too!!!!! I’d love them to fit me
Yeah because TXG is in the custom fitting business. Why would they say anything other than "everybody needs to get custom fit, it's the most important thing any golfer can do."
@@jkim8282 it’s the most important thing you can do if you want to get better 🤫
I think there’s some points he starts making at the 2:30min mark that the TXG guys would actually agree with. Turf conditions matter, ball matters, fatigue & nervousness matters.
I think the title of this vid and what’s actually discussed are a bit different. He’s saying the “way” custom fittings are done are flawed.
I was recently fitted for the first time ever. Around 9 hcp. I found it to benefit me tremendously. Got fitted for driver , 3 wood , hybrid and 60 degree. Made a big difference for me
I think that’s different then a 30 handicap. My buddy got fitted and spent thousands, and is still horrible. I think lessons to learn to play, is better spent. Then, once you’re better, you should get fitted.
I totally agree! Most handicap golfers just don't put the same swing on everyday...you get fitted for a swing for that session...your body can feel different everyday with aches and pain or feel really good? Also, golfers can adapt to what ever you put in their hands. I know what specs work for me day in day out...I had an iron fitting once (just to check and feel the irons before I bought them) and told the guy what works for me....we went from 2 down to 2 up and I can hit the same shot, you compensate. I play 2 down standard length and on the course that's what works for me...I agree that fitting can help, but you need to be fitted over a few sessions in different conditions. Don't get me started ha ha
This is an interesting question as most people think a custom fitting is going to American golf or the equivalent. Whereas if they went to a professional fitter like Scott Gourlay they would realise what a real custom fit was. And its not just trying all different clubs until you find one's that you hit better than the rest then going from there.
I played for 10 years but was only down to 20 handicap. Loved golf, so was going to buy new irons & went to get fitted. (If I'm going to spend £500 I want the set that's right for me)
I tested 5 models against my existing clubs (6 iron) & ended up getting some I would not have chosen just by looking at them - TM Burner 2.0 - 1 inch longer & 2 degrees more upright.
Result was I was down to 14 within a year!
I've had many custom fits down the years and many "self-fits". With the exception of 1 set of Mizunos (MP58) I generally play better with "self-fit" clubs than proper custom fit ones.
Fits done on a mat, flat lie, everything square. There's barely a flat lie anywhere on my course except the tees.
100% agree for so many reasons including those mentioned! I want to scream when ALL the pros on tv and you tube say “you must get fitted”...!! I tried a few times and it failed every time costing me a fortune buying new clubs off the rack...
I’ve since spent 3 years buying, trying and selling clubs though eBay and have now landed on my perfect 14 clubs through trial and error, learning what heads (spin, size..) and shafts (weights, torques..) I like.
I enjoyed the process and yes it’s cost me a few quid but not massive as I look after the clubs and sell them for pretty much the same as purchase price. I also feel like I now know more about clubs than the “fitters” who tried to “fit” me!!
If you’re interested “my” perfect bag; callaway epic driver, callaway epic flash 3w/strong hybrid, cobra F7 weak hybrid (rails are brilliant out of the rough), srixon z545 5 iron, srixon z745 6-PW (awesome irons for decent ball strikers), titleist SM6 52,56 (F grind) wedges, Taylormade Hi-toe 60 lob (awesome versatility), Ping Anser 4 putter (& Nike sport lite bag). Haven’t decided on the ball fully but I use proV1s, Bridgestone and srixons and for my level (7 hcap) I don’t actually think there’s much of a difference.
Oh and I’m sure you all know this but I’ll say anyway - there is virtually no difference in perf if clubs between now and the last 6 years or so and although getting your bag “right” will help your golf it will only shave the odd shot off your score, to get better at golf you need to improve your fitness and technique and of course play regularly. So do “lessons” work?? Well there’s a whole new story...???!!! 🤯😄
Had some clubs custom fitted.As a senior I was told I needed a lighter club with a more flexible shaft and in graphite.From the computer readings I was hitting the ball further and each club was straighter.However I found I lost my short game.I couldn't hit any half shots or delicate chips as I found it difficult to feel where the club head was.How you score is based largely on your short game,and I found I was throwing shots away.Couldn't wait to get my old clubs out again and give myself more marketable putts.
Sorry more MAKEABLE PUTTS.
Got fitted earlier this year and clubs (Wilson D7 forged) arrived today and had a gapping session with the new ones. Would love to see a feature taking a say 12 handicapper to 3 different fittings and see how they compare. Lots of what you guys say hear really resonates, hope they perform on the course!!
How did you get on with the D7 forged I have the C300 wisons and am looking at the D7 forged??
I have to say that I don't completely agree, after many years of basically buying clubs I liked the look of and from pro and magazine reviews I struggled to get down to and then continue to play to an 18 handicap, I was stuck on this for over 4 years, last year I had an iron and driver fitting with two Taylormade fitters and they have totally transformed my game... they demonstrated why my current set up wasn't working for me and why it was wrong, shaft weight and lie angle etc, I cannot praise these boys enough, for instance certain golf stores will fit you for your longest drive using a choice of stock shafts, Taylormade fitted me with a shaft costing almost as much as the head because out of the 7 shafts and 3 heads we tried it was by far the most consistant with length and dispersion, all at no extra cost to me, the iron process was no different, In the last 12 months I have dropped 5 strokes to 13, so for me the benefit to my game from a proper fitting has been incredible.
I really think it’s different for everyone. Your obviously a fairly avid golfer and I think for the amateur golfer that plays regularly and are better than average. I think it’s worth it. But if your shooting in the 100s consistently or just don’t play that much than probably not.
I would say "most" fittings are useless. Some offer value though, but, it's more about the archer than the arrow.
I partially agree with your statement. I would agree that it is the archer but I would disagree about the arrow. I would say instead of the arrow it would be he bow. Not not getting fitted for balls = arrows. JMHO
I really enjoy working with my golf pro, he doesn’t take the approach that new clubs are a cure. I bought a brand new left over set of Mizuno 921 hot metals with standard flex for $500 a couple years ago. After a year of lessons he started to notice the shaft flex was causing some dispersion issues as my swing has gotten faster. Instead of new clubs, we just used an identical demo club and tried different shafts until it produced the results we were after in the trackman. A lot cheaper than new irons for the sake of new irons, and it improves my play.
What a brilliant debate. Must agree about the nervousness during the fitting process. After several experiences over many years I no longer go down that route. I play off 8.7 but during fitting when someone standing there watching you, you would think i was a starting golf all over again. On the lie angle fitting how many shots do you hit from perfect flat lies it is always at a slight uphill, downhill, side hill lie once off the tee. Agree also on weather conditions affecting your swing, and dont forget how "Here indoors" puts her six penneth worth in.I'll stick with standard "off the shelf" but its all about confidence and if fitting improves your confidence on the coarse, go for it.
What a good crack though.
That’s really good insight about club fitting, something that I’ve never considered. For me, I have purchased most of my clubs online. I can get things customized on irons, such as lofts and lies, if needed. I’ve found that ‘standard’ clubs are usually a good fit for me. With how irons are now weighted, I don’t have the lofts adjusted because that could make me hit the ball too high. 10 years ago, it may have been more prudent to weaken the lofts a bit.
As someone who is 6’9”, the best thing I ever did was get a custom fitting. I was always using off the shelf, standard clubs and I would top the ball constantly because I’m so tall and the clubs were so short. My custom fitter added 2-1/2” to all my clubs and my game has dramatically improved.
not as tall as you but im 6'6 and totally agree, clubs being too short would constantly force me to set up way too close to the ball just so i could get down on it
Where did you get fitted?
@@debbiewad3 I got fitted at my local golf course. They have an on-site custom fitter.
Interesting insights, this video got me thinking and I always come back to this statement one of my mentors told me, "its subjective, it depends" and what that means is it all depends on the individual, I think theyre hinting at you need to experiment a lot with every club in the bag if you want a perfect set, but I grew up hitting whatever and a fitting really helped me set a baseline for what I need, I also didnt feel nervous at all going for a fitting, quite the opposite actually, and I recommend asking all these questions to your fitter and they may give you some advice about it like length and stuff.
Here’s the thing though I’m a 20+ handicap golfer but I’m 6’5” and I’m using standard clubs and there isn’t a point in lessons until I get correctly lengthened golf clubs but I don’t want to go get lengthened golf clubs and then after lessons turn around and buy better golf clubs
buy a used set with clubs that are longer and then when you get to 15 or better get a custom fitting
@@iec7587 where can U find longer secondhand clubs
I have found that the shaft flex and swing weight are the most important part of the fitting. Oh, don't forget the grip diameter as well. I used to have a set that had a swing weight of C8 and I played okay with them. I then got new clubs that had a D3 swing weight and I was way more consistent with the heavier swing weight. The shaft flex was the same on both clubs but the new clubs had a newer version of the shaft I had in the older set. I would agree that for 90% of golfer, mostly folks who play a couple times a month, custom fitting is a waste of money.
so, i recently got fitted for my irons. I'm playing with very old regular length ben sayers at the moment that i had when i was about 12. I'm now 6'5 so decided to get custom fit purely based on my height.
I went straight into hitting them without warming up like the argument in the video, I did hit off a board for a few shots but really the main reasoning for the fitting was to make sure that having longer shafts was going to be right for me. I ended up going with +1inch and 1 degree upright, in a normal case I don't think i would have bothered to get fit, and now that I know the length suits me (after hitting regular, .5 and 1inch) I probably won't get fit again.
All in all my experience to be custom fit was a good one, and as a newer golfer having someone there to ask me the questions in a simplistic way made the experience a positive one and i left feeling happy about the choices i made on my new set.
you are very tall
Rick I couldn’t agree more, custom fitting with irons is such an unreal environment. I know I need 5 to GW and a lighter stiff shaft. I buy a set on eBay after lots of research, then get to try a full set for a couple of months and if I don’t like them I sell them on and at worst lose £25. Where else can I try a full set for that length of time for £25. I then look at the shot shape with my club pro and he adjusts as required , normally flat lies in my case.
I used a custom fitting yesterday to adjust my and yardage gaps. I am a scratch player. I focused on patterns of flight of each club to see if the lie is correct and yardage to see if my carry gaps are correct. At my level of play I just let the swing happen and I kept my on course patterns in mind as well. So it was a tool but it wasn’t the final word it was more info to help me.
The nervousness part is a big factor for me
I agree with him alot, fittings are flawed, but they are helpful. Try to go early afternoon during the week if you can, the place will be dead and there will be less pressure.
I got fitted with my p790s and went from 15 to 7 in 5 months.
I got a stiff 65g shaft epic flash driver off the shelf and I couldn't hit it anywhere near the distance I could when I used one on the range from another pro shop.I changed the shaft from my callaway speed driver which had a 55 gram mid spin stiff shaft and wow lol it's the best I've ever driven a ball.
You also can flip it around why it’s done from a mat.
Because it’s hit from a mat the measurements are always the same and you have no differents influences from outside: Different turf, grass, lies, wind that can affect numbers that will give a wrong idea how the club works. 1 shot can be good, the next one can be rubbish.
You will never get a good feedback of the right numbers for that person for new club.
Well i was all set to go for a iron fitting next, not sure now. I was going to drop 90 $ on a fit then go shopping knowing my specs etc, but what if those specs are wrong. What do i do?. Guy has just mind shagged me!
lol - I think it depends. If you're a fairly serious golfer - Rick's thoughts are probably more relevant than Guy's....and there are some club fitters out there that can help you build a good set. But that type of fitting might cost you more than $90. Watch a few videos from TXG (Tour Experience Golf) - they are a top end fitter in Toronto. After watching some of their stuff you'll have an idea of what you can get out of a proper fitting experience.
Get fitted!
Totally agree with both of you....a really fitting is a trial and error process with a whole set of irons and wedges.
Makes sense. Another aspect of this is that the customer needs to be clear what the objective is and to provide appropriate feedback ar each stage of the fitting process. The best "custom fitting" I've had was for skis in a French resort. Before even starting I had to fill out a 2 page questionnaire about my skiing experience, whether I was having lessons and importantly my skiing ambitions. Based on my responses and a subsequent discussion I was then given 5 skis to test in a particular order with the fitter telling me which he felt I would like best - and he was spot on. I've never really been asked much about my golf aspirations in the few golf fittings I've had which I've felt was a bit odd. I am still trying to improve and don't want to be forced to change my clubs because my swing has changed after a year. I've had 4 or 5 fittings over the years for various clubs and feel I now have enough experience to get more out of the process but I don't think that was the case before.
I can definitely see both sides of this topic and can say I've seen both sides. I recently purchased a new set of sim max 2 irons from 5- PW and was fitted (+.5 in length, -2 lie). Was hitting all irons great in the shop but on course PW was horrible actually put my old pw back in the bag, most other clubs I hit good. Warm up every time I go to the course. I think people should be fitted to a certain extent but it should be done differently. Rick I love the topics you talk about on your podcast and your instructional videos on your other channel. Please keep up the great work. I would also love to see some more videos of you challenging friends again. Started watching about a year ago now and you are the one that got me interested in playing golf.
@Gary Taylor I am about to make the same purchase. I've done all my research and even tried the SIM 2 Max irons out and love them. I want the 5-PW also with 3-4hybrid.. I know 8-pw I can leave standard length but adjust lie angle on all clubs. Did your HC improve?
@@drizzle824 yes my hc improved by a few strokes. Sim max 2 irons are long distance irons very easy to hit. All my clubs are .5 inches longer than standard. Lie is -2° from what I understand all clubs 5-pw are all in that configuration. I am very happy with them all but pw and the only reason why I'm not as happy with it is you don't get significant height so when hitting to the green it kinda zips through it instead of dropping straight down and landing soft.
@@mrTaylormade1991 OK cool good to know. I know all my clubs will need to be cut down at least .5 degrees maybe a full inch since I'm only like 5'0. I think the only fitting I may do is just for the hybrids and driver save on $$
I understand the sentiment that it's more important to work on your game than just taking a technological short cut, but that said literally every single person's swing is different so the idea that stock clubs will work perfectly for everyone's swing is just ridiculous.
The TXG boys would like a word with you 🤣 decent points though. I think with these things in mind you can bring them to a fit to make it even better. A good fitter would try and make sure some of these things don’t happen.
I mean most of his points only apply to a "fitter" that sucks. Like the whole lie angle board deal, a good fitter will be getting the lie angle from the launch monitor.
I know so many guys that are high handicaps, get fitted, and still suck.
somehow just ran into this.....very refreshing to hear this take. went in for iron fitting today after 15 years of playing. Was fitted into an iron after an hour of tinkering and then picked up my off the rack used iron before I left and hit 15 shots that were better than the one that I was fitted into...
I agree in my opinion, no custom fitting needed. Research heavily, try out where you can and make a decision based on your skill level and knowledge base. I mean we all used to play with hand me down Dunlop, Wilson before moving into Ping, Taylormade, Titleist etc once we became responsible adults. Now so many options and digital research that we did not have. Only real wall you would run into is shafts if you want to experiment, but even that you could go swing a variety of at local shop or simply research and give it a go. Also, if you have custom fitting money you could simply buy more clubs and have extra around for friends anyway.
Iv had 2 fittings second was very different to the first. But iv now switched back my first fit specs that was actually done on grass.
I have to agree, a mate of mine works as a pro in Scotland. He’s good at it. But he has said many people go to get fitted with unrealistic expectations and think they can fix major swing flaws by having custom clubs. It really doesn’t work to that degree.
Correct, if nothing else go to a proper club fitter to get a few home truths about where your swing is at.
The biggest lie beginners are told is it's never too early to get fit, and that's completely wrong. If you cannot deliver the club and ball flight anywhere consistently, your numbers are going to be all over the place and your readings aren't going to be properly evaluated. The fitting process needs an overhaul for sure.
There are a few outdoor trackman fitting centers at public golf courses here in southern california, can’t speak to other places. Most of this conversation could be boiled down to the quality of fitter (see TXG for a good fitter.) If you care that much about the ball THEN BRING SOME WITH YOU. if you have issues with a club (lie angle etc.) after the fact most fitters will fix it no charge.
There are a few places that do fittings with no affiliation to any manufacturer. These run about $500 in the US for a full bag fitting...driver to putter. Cool Clubs in Arizona is one of them. I think PGA Superstore will do it as well.
This is an interesting chat. I completely agree that custom made clubs can help. However, practicing your fundamentals are a better long term investment. Ideally, both can be had!
I got fitted twice. One back in 2006(?) if I remember, and 3 years ago (SkyTRAK). I was fitted both times with -1/2 length, lie 2 degrees up. Still struggled with irons. well TXG came along and I experimented. I bent my irons 1* degree flatter at time till I got to standard lie. To make this brief, the shaft length ended up being standard length. I wasted my money on irons fitting. Now for the driver, LAZY fitter knew I produced high spin and fitted me with g400 max stock shaft. I sold that driver and basically I fitted myself with a new driver, g410 LST with hzrdus shaft... I'm hitting more fairways than I did with the fitted driver AND... I have a one way miss. no more left or right sprayers. I've improved FIR and GIR by a huge margin and none of the specs given to me by these fitters are being used. WASTE OF MONEY and TIME! You can fix anything with TH-cam... from leaking faucets to your golf clubs. lol EDIT: I did get fitted for my putter recently. Birdie birdie, so far so very good.
really agree with this, specifically how your swing changes during a fitting, then the fitter is usually also a pro so they will even give you swing tweaks from time to time. The actual swing during a fitting is not really representative of your real swing, and only hitting a 7 iron doesn't help either.
Interesting discussion - how to be replicate the 'course conditions' when doing a custom fitting to get the best results possible.. My last 'custom' fitting was at the driving range at the golf course. Pro had a quad with him. I would think this is an optimal situation - however. There were limited options for shafts / heads because the Club Pro had fitting equipment / carts for two manufacturers; Mizuno and PING. If i were to go to a custom club fitter like Club Champion, I would have more options / brands with a lot more possible club shaft options, but i would be doing the fitting indoors on matts like described. And truthfully, it really comes back to me and my golf swing; am i consistent enough to realize the benefits of a fine tuning vs a basic tuning.
Way back in the day, i was using a set of hand me down golf clubs that were made for a person several inches shorter than me. Length of shaft and lie angle were way off. I was digging the toe of the irons into the turf with every shot. I was leaning uncomfortably over to try and make good contact and I didn't understand why everything went right. Getting 'fitted' for my own set of irons fixed a number of problems. Within a very short period of time, my shots improved, my scores improved and i was having more fun. Night and day difference. I don't think a fine tuning would have helped me at this point.
It's been a while, but last i checked, most golfers never ever break 90. Most golfers don't practice much. Most golfers don't have a very repeatable swing. Most golfers don't know how far they hit each club. Most golfers don't play the same ball (brand & model) so shot results are inconsistent. Most golfers aren't savvy about lie angles and loft. With this being the case - if a would be 'golfer' wishes to become better than 'average' and start improving they are wise to at least get a set of clubs that 'fit' their height, stature, arm length, strength, general swing speed and so forth. But a fine tuning?
If a 'fine tune' custom fitting gets them playing peak performance golf, and a level of consistency is needed to play peak performance golf, I think that Consistency should be addressed first. Lesson and practice - take what's learned to the course. Test. How did we do? More practice. Repeat. Steps by step progress.
LOL this is funny. I just had a fitting for wedges yesterday. Hit off grass at my own golf club next to the 10th tee. Took my own 9 and PW to know those distances as a gauge. After finding the right distances for me, took several models of the same clubs with different grinds down to the chipping green for twenty minutes to get a feel for what suited me and what I needed/wanted from them. My experience seems a little different to your discussions. 🤔 hopefully in a couple of weeks when they turn up I’ll be happy. 😜 in any case I’ve got some serious gaps at the bottom I needed to fill that was driving me spare... especially 112 metres. Last two weeks that’s been killing me. Lucky I can chip and putt.
All depends on the standard of fit. Had one with TXG in Toronto last year and it was one of the most valuable things I’ve done!
Hey I'm thinking of going to see Ian in the spring - I've been following them on TH-cam for a while now and what they seem to offer over my previous fitting is impressive. Did you fit the whole bag - or what specifically did you see them about?
@@chrisgilligan4968 I heard Ian only do whole bag now and the price is a lot higher than their website. Their waitlist is also crazy long, so something to consider
@@victorchen8484 Thanks for the info. I will definitely reach out to them prior to booking anything to get up to date info. I'm guessing that the process would be the same with any of the other fitters there - although the fitter won't have the same depth of knowledge that Ian has.
@@chrisgilligan4968 I guess it is better to contact them early, the wait list is already until May so better hurry up haha
Hi Chris, I got a driver fitting when I was over there and came out with an unreal fit, I actually went at pretty short notice and Ian wasn’t available, but went to Cam there and he was unreal, great service, every piece of kit possible, was very chilled but really was a tour experience. Had a brief chat with Ian when I was there too.
I think it needs to be more granular that that.
1. Off the shelf no testing what so ever basically what looks nice or is the right price
2. Off the shelf with educated guess. So HC, size, guess at PW - whatever, not much more
3. Club testing as above but you give a few brands/versions a go. And maybe the 5, 7 and PW
4. Club fit, as above but play with different versions use the data to educate next option to try changing shalfs and length and hit half set. And gap test hybrid and wedge to get the set make up testing club and ball data
5. Custom fit where they adjust the lie or angle test differt grips and hit the full set. Testing club and all data with your balls
I'm 6'4" and all the irons I could find were "standard length" I bought some Irons that were longer and it made it much more comfortable. I'm no longer having to squat down to make contact.
I agree! The golf club isn’t the main problem, the golfer is!!
It's both bro. If I can go from an 6-7 handicap to a 3 handicap my first 10 rounds after being fitted, it matters....
Interesting take on fittings. Other than hitting off the mat, thinking back to my fitting, none of those things were issues fo me. They had my balls and I used them to fit. They accounted for my miss shots when making head recommendations or changing shaft profiles. I didn't hit off a lie board, they analyzed data from GC Quad - loft/lie at impact. I went to a fitting with my golf coach and I am friends with the fitter, so I really didnt feel any performance pressure. (I do understand that's not the case for everyone). Lastly, I didn't take too many warm up shots, but also I always try to hit the range before a round anyway. I hate going to the tee box feeling tight.
All in all, the information I gained from the "why" I was fitted for a particular club, shaft, swing weight, ect, ect, was extremely valuable. It also educated me, and provided real side by side comparison to what happens if I hit a club that was very aggressive (P7TW) vs. very forgiving(G425). In the end, I know not everyone has the same experience or same quality of fitting, so I do understand what they are getting at. However, just like any scientist implementing controls on an experiment. A fitting is a great way to compare what you hit now vs. Potential replacements for the bag in a controlled environment, while gaining insight about actual club dynamics that apply to you as a golfer. Yes, it's not real world, but it is a great way take out the variables and make a more apples to apples comparison.
I'll never get custom fit as I love buying second hand clubs and then selling them three weeks later. I literally get the buzz of new clubs every few weeks. More importantly someone's got to keep Golfbidder in business so we get the Rick v Pete Golfbidder challenge 😀👍
I save 50 to even 70 percent off the price of clubs by buying them a year or two after they have come out. Sometimes they are even brand new. New shiny technology is great but makes very very very little difference. Statistics only show 1 to 2 yards improvement from year to year. For the average golfer this means absolutely nothing. I have an old R7 driver that to this day is the most forgiving driver maybe ever built. Yes it’s 15 yards shorter than my SIM but golfers need to hit fairways. And even though new irons are great looking they offer very little advantage to the 20 handicapper.
So what should you do? Get fitted or go with a standard set off the rack?? I play now with old irons my Dad gave me (15+ years old) and I’m looking to get a set of new updated irons. I’m a pretty inconsistent golfer high handicap but the clubs feel fine. I bought a driver off the rack from Dicks and hit it just fine.
I believe in static fittings and shaft selection based on average distances for the vast majority of golfers. In terms of the full TXG experience, I'd say only single-digit handicappers (or those with physical limitations) would see any real world benefit. The rest of us would be better off using the money we save by foregoing custom fitting toward more lessons.
I purchased a book on fitting and how clubs are made. Was able to get everything figured out to exactly what I needed. I then went to a fitting and they didn’t really care and the clubs they recommended was exactly what I already had figured out.
Just had a fitting with Cobra in Australia. Club pro was there too but I had 2 beers before so wasn’t too nervous haha. Was hitting off the 10th tee at my local club, no one else around, hitting off the grass with tracking computer. Was very relaxed and those guys really helped me out. I’m playing off 14 and will buy new irons based off that fitting session within the week. Difference between the shots I was hitting with my old irons and the new ones was night and day for me. Definitely worth it if you can get into such a relaxed setting
4 hdcp former competitive golfer & I partially agree. Fittings have never done me much good no matter how many times I've done it. Better to try different things in real life & iterate to what works best for you.
The lie angle board is total b.s. Lie angle should be fit based on start line. If I use the spec the lie board says I should use, I'll hang every shot right. I just do.
Hot Stix hits off grass. My static measurements are 4' upright, and I've tried flatter, but returned to this measurement after many, many rounds of golf as it is my best fit. The problem for me in fitting sessions is changing my swing to try to meet fitter's "perceived expectations" or showing off (my ego!) or that my swing is in flux. But there are great tools and ever-improving tools available if you have right mindset and good fitter to guide you.
At last. Someone talking sense about fitting. Couldn't agree more. I've only been for a driver fitting and hybrid fitting. Being watched closely, in a strange place, off a mat, etc. Unless you are at least in single figures you are better off spending the money on lessons.
I agree that custom fitting doesn’t necessarily work. I am a 3/4 handicapper. I went to get custom wedges. On the course I usually hit long wedge divots. I couldn’t do that on mats and my swing definitely changed. I was fitted with mid-bounce because of it, when I believe in hind sight I should’ve gotten high bounce.
Additionally, I enjoyed my new wedges, but if I’m being honest, I controlled my previous non-fitted wedges better.
I agree with some of this guys point! I hate hitting off mats and it’s part of the reason why I haven’t got a custom fit . I hit irons good but some reason when I hit off mats I don’t hit the ball as good! My lowest score to date has been a 79 and I always go to store and buy off the shelf.
If I go in with a bad slice, hitting the ball with open club face... not hitting my irons as long as needed and leaving heavy divots... how will my $350 worth of fitted clubs work 2 yr down the road when my swing gets better and I start doing the things that experience fixes? Now my fancy fitted clubs are junk and dont work for me. Am I right?
The other thing I haven’t seen at a fitting cart with any regularity are different sized grips. Some people undersized, others over, most mid. Then you get into how many wraps you need total or for your bottom hand if you need a slightly less tapered grip. It can get so technical that you’re in over your head.
That being said, the easiest way to do it, at least in my experience, is grab a few different makes, put in the “stock” shaft (if you can get various lengths if you’re tall/short, great) and see which one feels best. Most mid-to-high handicap golfers don’t need clubs scientifically fit to them.
Bottom line, if the club feels good in your hand, is visually appealing and feels good when striking a ball, then you’re good to go.
The best value in a custom fitting is just hitting all kinds of different clubs.
I'm not a great golfer, I assumed I needed a game improvement set and was looking at pretty thick club profiles. I hit a ton of clubs, which you don't always have access to do outside of a fitting.
Fittings are also free around me, so its no cost unless you do a performance center one.
It turned out at my speeds I hit p770's better than any game improvement club or deep cavity back. I never would touched a club like that without it.
If the "custom fitting" is just pushing a narrow selection of clubs then its no use.
Bought Ping irons from 5 different generations and three different dot colors from thrift stores. Played the same as I do with my Taylormade CGB’s
Good point. I adjust lie on clubs. If u start that game. Have fun. U will adjust lie a ton. As a guy changes his swing. It's so hard to be the same every time
I watched this video an others on this subject. My response is maybe at some fittings, but a pxg fitting experience is totally different, obviously your only getting fitted for pxg ,but they don't push any thing on you , they try to make you as comfortable as possible, and really try to find out exactly what your looking to get out of the fitting , and when I was getting tired he reckonized it and stopped me . Definitely recommend a pxg fitting .
I will treat myself to new clubs when my swing is all good. Its been 35 years now.
It used to be fun going to the golf stores and hitting all kinds of different used or new demo clubs, getting a sense of what "felt" right, it was a fun learning process. But yeah, out of the grass is what matters.
I think a dialed in fitting works for best for advanced ball strikers who have solid mechanics and a repeating golf swing. Just an opinion of course.
Very good, also, the better player, who may think they're the one who may benefit most from fitting are constantly tinkering with their swing, it's constantly changing! I put this to a well known club fitter who didn't have an answer.
Absolutely on point both of you.....said this for years 👍
As an older golfer I couldn't agree more, only had one fitted set and sold them within months. Fitted for a rouge driver indoors. Then stand on the tee, wind and rain. Bought a ping g10 off eBay £35 much better. Also think adjustability on woods is wasted on 90% of golfers. One bad shot and out comes the wrench. The set I'm playing with now cost less than the driver.
I fit myself. Let me explain. My driving range had multiple heads and shafts to try. I knew I wanted new irons, so I was able to hit multiple brands and narrow it down to which felt better. Then when I got it down to my favorites, I then concentrated on shafts. This process took 3-4 months. Now at my driving range we hit off grass not mats. Once I felt I was confident in my swing, then I went to get professionally fitted to fine tune what I was going to order. The numbers from the fitting confirmed what I was seeing on the range. When it came to the lie test with the board, I wasn't scared. Just made my normal swing a few times. In the end I knew what I was getting is what I had worked towards but with professional help at the end to get the fine tuned product.
The fittings and the equipment help inline with your skill level.
I'm a 10 and I can really suck with my fitted clubs as well as hit some nice shots.
All down to the fitter and their level of integrity. Hard to find a fitter who isn't trying to justify their time by forcing club sales. A fitter who takes their fee for just the fitting should be called performance fitting- educating golfers on their swings and how equipment can help them. While everyone else are just salesmen doing basic fits.
I’ve chosen last wedges on a demo day off grass. I’ve got shaft optimized and got my own old irons reshafted and dialed in. I’ve been custom fit twice before and settings need changing season to season. I can tell when I need loft and lie adjustments and get the gaps just right myself. My swing is dynamic through years mostly because a bad back and some seasons I’m full of confidence. Just like clothes sometimes you need to change size. Custom fitting can be good or bad depends on player and fitter.
I take demo irons on the course and compare them ! It’s the only way to test in real conditions!