Is A Golf Club Fitting Worth It?

With the prices of golf equipment where they are today, it only makes good sense to be taken through a proper club fitting for your new golf equipment. Yes, it may cost you another fifty bucks to have a proper club fitting but trust me; this will be less than 10% of the price of your new investment. If this still seems like to much money, find a local PGA professional who will include the cost of the club fitting with a purchase of a Driver or a set of golf irons. To use the phrase from Nike, "Just Do It." Let me tell you why getting a proper club fitting is so important.

All golfers are not created equal. Every single golfer is a little bit different in size, body frame as well as the shape of their golf swing. A custom golf club fitting will result in a set of golf clubs that are specifically suited to your height, strength, club head speed and individual swing characteristics.

What most people do not realize is that off-the-shelf golf clubs are one-size-fits-few. Approximately 10% of all club fittings end up with "standard" specs. Actually golf manufacturers have changed their "standards" multiple times over the last ten years. Since custom golf club fitting has gained popularity with the "average golfer," manufacturing companies have made lie angles more upright and lofts stronger. This obviously is in an attempt to help the average to higher handicap golfer.

A fitting can be performed by a PGA Professional. How do you go about finding the right  PGA Professional to fit you? Ask a lot of questions. Just like you are trying to find a doctor or a dentist, ask your friends, co-workers and call golf shops. The proper questions to ask are as follows:

·         Is the professional certified by a major manufacturer to fit their clubs?

·         Does the PGA Professional have a fitting cart or multiple fitting carts with what you are looking for (Mens, Ladies, steel, graphite, right-handed, left-handed clubs) available?

·         How experienced is the PGA Professional?

·         Will I be fit outdoors to see the entire ball flight?

A very basic Driver club fitting might take as little as 15 minutes, with the average iron club fitting being 30-45 minutes. This depends on how much research you have done about different manufactures prior to your appointment.

As for price, some clubs will give you a fitting free of charge as long as you agree to purchase your new set from them. Most charge a modest fee, perhaps $35 to $50 being typical.

During the fitting, a well trained fitter will have you hit a variety of different clubs. Do not ask what the loft, shaft flex, etc. is because you will compensate for this information. So you do not want to know. Just keep making your good golf swing. the golfer hits many variations of the same club.

The idea for the fitter is to find the best combination of shaft (length, flex and kickpoint), loft (standard, strong or flat), lie (upright or flat), grip and swing weight, to produce the most consistent golf ball flight that is possible.

By watching the ball flight produced by each club, and checking the marks left on adhesive strips attached to the clubface and sole of a golf club, a clubfitter can quickly narrow the search and lead the student to the best fit.

Fittings can be done for every club in the bag, including putters, but iron fittings are most common, with driver fittings following closely behind.

Of course, a fitting only works if you follow up by purchasing a set of clubs custom made to those specifications. Two things to keep in mind: If you want a set of, for example, Titleist clubs, the ones you order after a clubfitting will cost approximately the same as the same set bought off the shelf; and a golfer is under no obligation to purchase a set from the pro doing the fitting.

So there's little reason for anyone in the market for new clubs to avoid a clubfitting. 

VGS Golf has customers throughout the US such as in Naples, Florida, New York City, Washington DC, Bend, Oregon, Lexington, Kentucky and Tunica, Mississippi.