OT: How to get fitted for golf clubs

[jpeakin]

There are many things to be said regarding this post but I will try to be as short and sweet as possible, The main piece of information that's missing is where you are getting these clubs. I know you said you were getting used clubs, so are we talking ebay, marketplace, etc? The reason I need to know this is because if your fitting turns out that you may require a different shaft flex or whatever, it's going to cost you more in the long run to retrofit the used irons. The whole purpose of getting fit is to go in with an open mind and let the fitter determine what's best for you based on the data he gets from going through the fitting (and a bit of your feedback).

If you can shoot in the 90's, you would definitely benefit from getting fit. Here is the thing, if you are reasonably happy with your level of play, then once you get used to the new clubs, you should see a few strokes come off your score. If you plan on taking lessons, it's unlikely that the fitting would change all that much so I wouldnt worry about that. If anything, it could be a little lie adjustment or something like that, but you wouldnt need a whole new shaft.

All that being said, at 5'9, my guess is that you're very average in terms of a standard club length and lie. The main thing you want to get right is shaft flex and weight, which is mostly related to how fast you swing the club (there are other factors but too much to get into)

For background, I have been in the golf industry for almost 30 years (still am) and at one point was a fitter and a builder of clubs.

 

[Umami Zen]

There are many things to be said regarding this post but I will try to be as short and sweet as possible, The main piece of information that's missing is where you are getting these clubs. I know you said you were getting used clubs, so are we talking ebay, marketplace, etc? The reason I need to know this is because if your fitting turns out that you may require a different shaft flex or whatever, it's going to cost you more in the long run to retrofit the used irons. The whole purpose of getting fit is to go in with an open mind and let the fitter determine what's best for you based on the data he gets from going through the fitting (and a bit of your feedback).

If you can shoot in the 90's, you would definitely benefit from getting fit. Here is the thing, if you are reasonably happy with your level of play, then once you get used to the new clubs, you should see a few strokes come off your score. If you plan on taking lessons, it's unlikely that the fitting would change all that much so I wouldnt worry about that. If anything, it could be a little lie adjustment or something like that, but you wouldnt need a whole new shaft.

All that being said, at 5'9, my guess is that you're very average in terms of a standard club length and lie. The main thing you want to get right is shaft flex and weight, which is mostly related to how fast you swing the club (there are other factors but too much to get into)

For background, I have been in the golf industry for almost 30 years (still am) and at one point was a fitter and a builder of clubs.

Since you have the experience that you do.. A question that I have.. When upgrading new clubs ..Are you an advocate of matching the same shaft type/manufacturer throughout the set? Other than driver..In other words.. Same shaft for fairways/hybrids as you would have in irons?? Graphite vs steel? Or mix and match.

 

[jpeakin]

Since you have the experience that you do.. A question that I have.. When upgrading new clubs ..Are you an advocate of matching the same shaft type/manufacturer throughout the set? Other than driver..In other words.. Same shaft for fairways/hybrids as you would have in irons?? Graphite vs steel? Or mix and match.

I would say that the majority of bags you see for guys under @ 50 years old or so are steel shafts in irons and graphite in all woods and hybrids. Mixing and matching is completely fine. The theory is you need lightweight graphite in the longer clubs to hit them high and far, steel for more control in the irons. Although, graphite has gotten so good and consistent in the last 5 - 10 years, you're starting to see a little more in the irons. The main reason people use or not use graphite in their irons tends to be a weight and feel preference.

 

[UConnJim]

Good place, but when they started off by trying to change my grip, I walked away.

My son is a competitive golfer and has been fitted multiple times. I would agree with the above statement. If the club fitter is trying to change your grip, your swing, your stance, etc. you should walk out. You may need that help, but a club fitting session is not the place to do it. Go take some lessons.

As for who can benefit, I have sat in on a number of fitting sessions and I have seen different types of golfers showing improvements. Low handicap golfers show slight improvements as they are already low handicap golfers, but gaining a stroke or 2 when you are a 1 handicap is huge. Most decent golfers can show improvement if their clubs are fit for their swing as most decent golfers have some basic problems like hitting the ball too high or too low, over fading or over drawing, ... Sometimes the cure is a combination of instruction plus fitted clubs but get the instruction first. For golfers that have some struggles or play sporadically, a fitted driver can really help them keep the ball in the fairway, but I wouldn't spend the money on a full set of fitted clubs.

One last point. I have seen so many golfers with the wrong shaft flex. As I get older, I have my swing speed checked at the beginning of each year to see if I should still use a stiff shaft.

 

[GlastonTim]

Do a Google search on golf club fitting in your area and you will find someone

 

[jpeakin]

My son is a competitive golfer and has been fitted multiple times. I would agree with the above statement. If the club fitter is trying to change your grip, your swing, your stance, etc. you should walk out. You may need that help, but a club fitting session is not the place to do it. Go take some lessons.

As for who can benefit, I have sat in on a number of fitting sessions and I have seen different types of golfers showing improvements. Low handicap golfers show slight improvements as they are already low handicap golfers, but gaining a stroke or 2 when you are a 1 handicap is huge. Most decent golfers can show improvement if their clubs are fit for their swing as most decent golfers have some basic problems like hitting the ball too high or too low, over fading or over drawing, ... Sometimes the cure is a combination of instruction plus fitted clubs but get the instruction first. For golfers that have some struggles or play sporadically, a fitted driver can really help them keep the ball in the fairway, but I wouldn't spend the money on a full set of fitted clubs.

One last point. I have seen so many golfers with the wrong shaft flex. As I get older, I have my swing speed checked at the beginning of each year to see if I should still use a stiff shaft.

Not looking for an argument here, but here is a different perspective...

Most fitters are in fact PGA Professionals (the ones you would go to for lessons). There are good fitters, average fitters, and not so good fitters - PGA pro or not. I have personally done a driver fitting where the player simply was lined up too far open - meaning his shoulders were too far left of the intended target, a common fault. By simply squaring his shoulders a little, he turned a fade/ slice into a straight shot.

Now if you have to totally revamp someone's swing in order to do a fitting, then that's not good. But sometimes, even the littlest tweak goes a long way.

 

[HuskylnSC]

My take is before getting fitted; do you have a consistent swing. What part of your game needs to be helped out. things like are your short irons consistently to one side or another. Are your shot's flying high enough. Before you get fitted for clubs have a game plan to explain to the fitter. Some swing defects can be helped by the adjustment of your clubs but it only helps of the defects are consistent. Some flight deviations can even be helped by using the proper ball. Also get fitted for your putter. The amount of arc in our putter stroke determines the length and putter style necessary to hit straighter putts.

 

[Greathusky]

Getting a proper fit for your clubs is worth it only if you have a consistent repeatable swing.

In other words, you cannot fit for a moving target.

 

[Chin Diesel]

On the whole get a lesson or advice or pointer during a fitting thing, put me in the less is better crowd. Even if I see a serious flaw in a person's swing, I'd let them hit a few as they normally would and after they are warmed up and comfortable come in with a suggestion on tweaking part of the swing.

But that is just me.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

I just googled it and most websites say 50% break 100, 10% break 90. It doesn’t really matter but the general thought process behind getting fitted is that you need to have a repeatable, consistent swing for the fitting process to actually provide any benefit. People who can’t break 100 (99% of the time) will not have good enough swings to get fitted properly

so, i hit the bing on this question (bing now has a 'chat' link on the entry page. didn't use that but, uh, oh...) and it's very apparent that many hawking this 50% hokum trace it back to some national golf foundation stat.
nonsense. minimally, the USGA sez that the ladies average out to 27+ handicaps. ladies are golfers , too, and to my eyes, many more are out there lately. 1/5 or 1/6 iffn id guess. i don't know the actual amount.
of course, all this stat stuff is based on handicap analysis, which is also crapola for 'all golfers' since everyone, everywhere in the golf world recognizes that the majority of duffers got nuttin, zero, squat, to do with having a pal sign a little piece of paper, and then sending it off to wingfoot for the pope's 'official' recognition of their round. now, i understand that's all the data available, but it doesn't make it correct.
yeppers, ladies, no handicappers, they count too when deciding what
people actually score on the links.
anybody, say, under 5'8 or over 6'3 (guess) will benefit from having clubs sized correctly for their frame.
funniest thing that i learned checking this out is that despite all the tech mania in the sport, average scores in the past 30 years haven't moved an inch, whatever the reasons are. again, limited data cuz of the 'no official card' thing.
i like that post here that mentions they use 2 and 3 irons. me, too.
lots of folks don't. i don't get that. as far as impactful tech, i would say that the only thing really different is the use of the soft carbon shafts, mostly diminishing the reverb thing, particularly for seniors and the ladies. unk has a driver with a head the size of a cantelope, prolly bought it at a flintstones garage sale. he cheap. won't change, and so every time he tees it up, we ask the entire course to help by watching to see where it went.
i bought a new fiskars 8 lb maul recently.
The Fiskars Pro maul combines a well-designed head with a comfortable handle to make splitting the toughest logs a reality. Its anti-vibration system isn’t just marketing fluff. Your hands, wrists, and arms feel less jarred compared to a wooden handle. (their emphasis, not mine).
splitting wood? i needed that. hitting a tiny ball? i use steel shafts.
i don't care how good or bad a fellow player is, it's all supposed to be fun, just don't bring that 'im usually much better!' stuff, and then start with the excuses. who cares? in a sport with millions of players, very, very, very few (infinitesmal), make regular, salary money from playing. the talking part? growth industry.

hit 'em straight!

 

[jpeakin]

On the whole get a lesson or advice or pointer during a fitting thing, put me in the less is better crowd. Even if I see a serious flaw in a person's swing, I'd let them hit a few as they normally would and after they are warmed up and comfortable come in with a suggestion on tweaking part of the swing.

But that is just me.

100%. As a fitter, you dont go in looking to change or even really tweak a person's swing. If the "only" thing you need to do is to make a slight adjustment after you watch them struggle, then that's when you offer.

 

[jpeakin]

Getting a proper fit for your clubs is worth it only if you have a consistent repeatable swing.

In other words, you cannot fit for a moving target.

There is such a thing as a consistently repeatable "bad" swing. Most golfers do swing practically the same every time, it just may not be the proper or most efficient way to do it. The fact is, most golfers WONT take lessons and the word "practice" to them means rapid firing a large bucket once a week, without having a clue what they should be working on in order to improve. That doesnt make them right or wrong, it may just be the amount of time and resources they have to commit to the game.

In the example of the golfer in my above paragraph, if he were only hitting his 7 iron 130 yards (even with a bad swing) but were using a 130 gram, extra stiff steel shaft in that club, I can guarantee you I could get him to hit it 150 with a 60 gram graphite shaft in the same head.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Very worth it. I haven't yet gone for irons, but got a driver fitting and the results were kind of shocking after a short session. Had way too much backspin, which caused ballooning tee shots. Fitter put me into a low-spin driver head, a low spin shaft, and changed my loft from 10.5 to 9 degrees and immediately added 20-30 yards to my shots. Like first swing immediate. You can also get fitted and then go find second-hand clubs that match those specs, which saves a ton of money off buying brand new.

'ballooning' u say? man, that's some backswing. u hit ur nose on it?
use a putter. that's like a 'zero degree' club.
i bet that ur awesome going over trees, a very useful skill. im jealous.
i like this flic a lot. guy hits a shot that starts out low to get under the tree canopies, then quickly rises way up to get the job done. like it was radio controlled or something.

on the udder hand, i hit a lot of shots that require big air, yet often end up getting big dirt. good thing my rules allow for on course ball cleaning. i know, i know, i picked my head up. so would youse to see such a should-have-been beautiful shot. iffn i kept my head down, i would see where it actually went- rolling along not very far and into the bunker.
kenny lee in da house!
golf is fun! and could be even funner if cheech was my caddy. he's an expert on 'high' shots.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Last lesson I took was from a guy named Mickey Homa about 40 years ago.

ok, props for this. don't know that guy personally, but i do know that he is/was some kind of major league golf teaching guru around the Bridgeport area.
and speaking of Park City duffers this site sez ol julie boros is the best golfer ever to come from Connecticut - Fairchild Wheeler in the house!
club champ!

Next up is Connecticut golf, and determining who the top golfer from the Constitution State is. The honor goes to Julius Boros.​

Top Golfers from Each State: Connecticut Golf and Julius Boros
prolly took lessons from that homa guy.
of course, it's in the rules that no one, ever, is allowed to say who they saw playing at Brooklawn. summary execution, an all that. last summer, my niece got some pointers from anika over there. mumms the word,,,


and where is mauconn on all this? can't be an official BY golf thread without that one on it. he good, way better than me on the links, no doubt.
tops in the shoe game, too. lol.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

ok, props for this. don't know that guy personally, but i do know that he is/was some kind of major league golf teaching guru around the Bridgeport area.
and speaking of Park City duffers this site sez ol julie boros is the best golfer ever to come from Connecticut - Fairchild Wheeler in the house!
club champ!

Next up is Connecticut golf, and determining who the top golfer from the Constitution State is. The honor goes to Julius Boros.​

Top Golfers from Each State: Connecticut Golf and Julius Boros
prolly took lessons from that homa guy.
of course, it's in the rules that no one, ever, is allowed to say who they saw playing at Brooklawn. summary execution, an all that. last summer, my niece got some pointers from anika over there. mumms the word,,,


and where is mauconn on all this? can't be an official BY golf thread without that one on it. he good, way better than me on the links, no doubt.
tops in the shoe game, too. lol.

Boros and Homa knew each other well. Homa was one of the best athletes that the state ever produced. He’s long forgotten now, unfortunately. My lesson with Homa was free because he was friends with my Dad’s family. Only thing I could find on Homa was his obit:

Michael Homa Obituary (2014) - Fairfield, CT - Connecticut Post

View Michael "Mickey" Homa's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

www.legacy.com

 

[uconnfan68]

On the whole get a lesson or advice or pointer during a fitting thing, put me in the less is better crowd. Even if I see a serious flaw in a person's swing, I'd let them hit a few as they normally would and after they are warmed up and comfortable come in with a suggestion on tweaking part of the swing.

But that is just me.

Are you in sales?

 

[Chin Diesel]

Are you in sales?

Obviously not.

 

[Conndog]

I think I'm just going to work on getting my swing more consistent this year and then get new clubs and get fitted. I probably will get used (Craigslist, Ebay) clubs. Will likely get ones with graphite shaft or the lighter steel shafts. Saw a set that sparked my interest but shaft says Senior Flex- I am 65, but should I worry much about the flex? Would love to get more distance.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I think I'm just going to work on getting my swing more consistent this year and then get new clubs and get fitted. I probably will get used (Craigslist, Ebay) clubs. Will likely get ones with graphite shaft or the lighter steel shafts. Saw a set that sparked my interest but shaft says Senior Flex- I am 65, but should I worry much about the flex? Would love to get more distance.

One thing a fitting will do is measure your swing speed which helps determines which shafts would work best with you.

And it's more than just swing speed. Smooth swings will generate a different kick point on a shaft than a more aggressive swing which has more acceleration.

 

[jpeakin]

I think I'm just going to work on getting my swing more consistent this year and then get new clubs and get fitted. I probably will get used (Craigslist, Ebay) clubs. Will likely get ones with graphite shaft or the lighter steel shafts. Saw a set that sparked my interest but shaft says Senior Flex- I am 65, but should I worry much about the flex? Would love to get more distance.

Assuming you are going to keep these clubs for a few years, and you're looking for more distance, I'd say the senior flex is right up your alley. May I ask the brand?

 

[Baltic]

Thanks for the answers. But, I still don’t get it entirely. Is it just with new clubs or can you get fitted with used clubs? For what it’s worth, I’m 5’9. Do they change the length of the club? I was looking to upgrade to nice set of Callaway Apex or Taylormade P790, but they’d be used- is fitting still possible? Oh, and I live near Keene, NH.

Some very helpful suggestions posted. I am pretty sure Apex and P790 are forged clubs. If you were single digit handicap, or approaching single digits, these may be fine. I would strongly recommend that you look hard at more forgiving clubs. I would hope that a good club fitter would lead you in that direction.
If you are adept at moving the ball flight, cut - fade- draw, to take advantage of pin placement, wind, etc, you might consider a forged iron. I am guessing that you feel you have succeeded if you hit anywhere on the green - irons with forgiveness are for you.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Some very helpful suggestions posted. I am pretty sure Apex and P790 are forged clubs. If you were single digit handicap, or approaching single digits, these may be fine. I would strongly recommend that you look hard at more forgiving clubs. I would hope that a good club fitter would lead you in that direction.
If you are adept at moving the ball flight, cut - fade- draw, to take advantage of pin placement, wind, etc, you might consider a forged iron. I am guessing that you feel you have succeeded if you hit anywhere on the green - irons with forgiveness are for you.

There is nothing inherently more difficult about playing with forged irons, it just is used more frequently in irons designed for lower handicaps for a number of reasons (feel, ability to bend the irons for adjustments, cost, etc.). The P790 for example, are targeted at mid to higher handicaps and are incredibly forgiving and designed for more distance and height at the expense of spin and control that a lower handicap would probably want. P770/Apex Pros are the types of irons that a mid to high handicap is probably better served avoiding.

 

[Conndog]

Assuming you are going to keep these clubs for a few years, and you're looking for more distance, I'd say the senior flex is right up your alley. May I ask the brand?

Looking at Taylormade clubs- several models- M4, Sim Max, P760, Speedblade- with graphite shaft. Trying to not spend too much but still get decent clubs that have some forgiveness.

 

[Umami Zen]

FWIW..If you haven't done so already before you purchase any clubs.. A decent baseline source of information is Golf Digest Hot List and Golf Magazine Club Test.. Out the past month for 2023.. As an example.. Looking at Game Improvement clubs from different manufacturers might give you some background on their approach to that style.

Would suggest that it would not replace the value of a fitter but it might simply help educate you on different categories of club design and who those categories are prioritizing from different manufacturers