This week’s column is about custom club fitting. What it entails and why it is or is not important. Last week while golfing with my friend Ron, who hooks everything, I grabbed his club to show him how to take a proper takeaway that would help alleviate his hook. Setting his iron on the ground I noticed his lie was upright as I have my irons set at 2 degrees flat. Ron’s basically the same height and arm length as me. When both of us address the ball and put the club down behind the ball, the toe of his club is up in the air. I hadn’t really noticed that in his clubs before, and when I asked him if he had been fitted when he bought them he said no.
I told him these clubs are not doing you any good as they are the wrong lie for you causing the heel to dig in on his iron shots resulting in a hook. We looked at all his irons and he had green driving range mat marks on all the heels and up the hosel and nothing near the middle of his clubs.
He agreed that he needed to get some new clubs so we have set up a date for a club fitting to get what is right for him. His present irons are cast iron, so to bend them, the 3 to 4 degrees he needs is not an option as that would likely break them.
So what will getting “fitted” for clubs for Ron include and cover? First off, about 30 minutes for irons and another 30 minutes for woods, if he also wants to upgrade his woods. Here’s what a proper club fitting should cover.
1. The proper shaft flex and length. In the past, your club head speed was sole the indicator for shafts but now with computer systems like trackman we look at launch angle, ball speed, spin rates as well as club head speed. Your body shape, length of arms and posture at address will factor into shaft length and not just the fact you are tall or short.
2. Lie angle. Hitting off a lie board, with the right shaft, special marking tape is put on the bottom of your irons to get the right lie angle to deliver middle of the club hits. As mentioned, my irons are 2 degrees flat for me to get consistent sweet spot hits.
3. Design of the clubhead is selected based on ability and need to be more or less forgiving.
4. Grip. Type of grip preferred is picked as well as thickness to accommodate the size of your hand.
5. Set configuration. Part of the fitting process is to determine the proper make up of the set you will be buying. That means how many wedges, hybrids and woods to make up your 14 clubs. Your ability will often be a factor here especially when it comes to the longer clubs. Your ball and putter should also be customized to suit your game which is often overlooked.
Who should or should not get fitted?
If you are a beginner you should not get fitted as you haven’t learned a swing yet that repeats. It would be pointless especially if you have a tough time making consistent contact with the ball. Beginners should get clubs that are designed to get the ball up in the air easily and at a reasonable price point. Advice on the stiffness of the shaft needed, however, would be recommended.
If you have been playing for a while, have a swing that repeats, are fairly consistent as to your ball flight and direction then getting fitted for clubs is for you. With all of the above criteria customized into your new set you will then be playing with clubs that will benefit your game rather than hinder it. Custom fitting can also help your confidence in knowing your clubs are correct.
An appointment should be made with your local CPGA Professional and he/she will be able to custom fit you and get you on the right track. At Lakeside Greens, we have the Ping club fitting staff coming on Thursday June 9th from noon to 6 pm to custom fit anyone interested in buying a new irons or woods. Once fitted we place your order and your clubs should arrive in 7 to 10 days at our competitive price. There is no charge for the custom fitting. They will have their launch monitor and all the necessary tools and equipment to fit you properly. I will be there as well, to help with the custom fitting and answer any questions. To register or for more information, you can either email me or phone the Proshop at Lakeside greens.
That has been a brief out line on club fitting and hopefully you can see just how important it is to have the right set of clubs and specifications so that you can…. play YOUR best golf!
