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Got Fit at TrueSpec Golf but very expensive result


cmartinezcharry

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If I ever do a fitting at one of these fully stocked shops, I would make sure to let them know my budget options. For example, am I looking to pick something up used to offset the cost of the fitting? Do I want no-upcharge only? Or do I want the best they have to offer. Make that part clear up front so you don't get recommended something you can't (or don't want to) afford

 

OP could you call them up and ask them to recommend something more reasonable price wise? Chances are they have 2-3 options that would work well for you. Even if it costs you a little more you're better off than having to guess yourself.

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> @gentles said:

> If I ever do a fitting at one of these fully stocked shops, I would make sure to let them know my budget options. For example, am I looking to pick something up used to offset the cost of the fitting? Do I want no-upcharge only? Or do I want the best they have to offer. Make that part clear up front so you don't get recommended something you can't (or don't want to) afford

>

> OP could you call them up and ask them to recommend something more reasonable price wise? Chances are they have 2-3 options that would work well for you. Even if it costs you a little more you're better off than having to guess yourself.

 

These shops aren't for budgets.

I was watching a TXG Q&A video a little while back, they mentioned they stopped carrying the HZRDUS line because it's turned into an OEM stock line.

 

I go to Club Champion to hit premium shafts that costs 350+ that you can't find in fitting carts. If you're on a budget, go to a demo day or get fit from an OEM fitting cart.

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> @cmartinezcharry said:

> I got fit for woods at True Spec and the experience was really good. My prescription is a Cobra F9 Driver with Fubuki T50 shaft, Ping G410 3 wood with Tour AD shaft and a Ping G410 hybrid with OBAN ISAWA RED HB 70. I was surprised all shafts are pretty expensive and they said I can only get those shafts thru them because they´re designed for True Spec. Is it true such shafts can only be acquired thru them? Do they usually fit people into expensive shafts or was I just unlucky that I have to get very expensive clubs?

>

> Thanks

 

The Oban Isawa HB 70 shaft is not a made for. They can be purchased from Oban dealers or on Ebay.

https://www.obanshafts.com/hybrids/isawa-red/

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> @BottleCap said:

> > @gentles said:

> > If I ever do a fitting at one of these fully stocked shops, I would make sure to let them know my budget options. For example, am I looking to pick something up used to offset the cost of the fitting? Do I want no-upcharge only? Or do I want the best they have to offer. Make that part clear up front so you don't get recommended something you can't (or don't want to) afford

> >

> > OP could you call them up and ask them to recommend something more reasonable price wise? Chances are they have 2-3 options that would work well for you. Even if it costs you a little more you're better off than having to guess yourself.

>

> These shops aren't for budgets.

> I was watching a TXG Q&A video a little while back, they mentioned they stopped carrying the HZRDUS line because it's turned into an OEM stock line.

>

> I go to Club Champion to hit premium shafts that costs 350+ that you can't find in fitting carts. If you're on a budget, go to a demo day or get fit from an OEM fitting cart.

 

Not sure I fully agree, but I do see where you are coming from. Having a fitter who can translate swing tendencies into different recommendations is far more valuable than just having 100+ options to chose from.

 

I don't like big box fittings store fittings because by and large the fitter doesn't know anything and just lets you hit all the combinations until you find one that you like. That is different from a trained professional explaining why a certain head or type of shaft works for my swing.

 

I don't see why not wanting to spend 300+ on a shaft would stop me from being able to receive quality advice on how my equipment could better serve my game. If I was on a budget I would simply ask for their best recommendation, and then the closest they have in my budget range, then at least I can make a judgement call based on full information, rather than having to just guess like OP has to.

 

I'd be very surprised if a fitter at Club Champion turned away someone with the above request...perhaps i'm naive though!

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Ive been fit at TrueSpec as well and for what its worth regarding some of these comments, you cant go in to this thinking its gonna be cheap (and yes I do agree the end result is pricey and you have to really think if it is worth it for you). A true custom fitting, not something with stock OEM shafts at Pga superstore or golf galaxy, is gonna cost some money.....

I got fit and ended up in an $1100 driver. At that time I completely agree it outperformed my driver and everything else we tested. after months of launch monitor numbers and horrible results on the course I finally was able to convince my fitter it was the wrong choice and would be getting a refund. Im also in the market for irons so figured screw it lets use that $1100 towards irons. I got fit in to the Srixon Z Forged which im thinking about $1000. Came out to over$1800 cuz you still have to pay the price of the shaft b/c they are frequency matched and individually weighed to give you that perfect set. Didnt order from them and ended up with the full refund

for the wood shafts I have now I dont mind paying the aftermarket price b/c for me they have made a huge difference... irons tho id have a problem spending almost twice the price on shafts that are free if I just order from srixon directly. Im not a + handicap to tell if frequency matched really makes a big difference...

 

I hope I didnt contradict myself because I do believe proper fittings make a difference, im just simply saying dont expect it to be cheap

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I'm not sure what the expectation was. TS (like other fitting shops of that level) are an expensive proposition. That should be understood walking in the door. As far as I know, they don't mind you just paying for the fitting and then getting your equipment elsewhere. That they recommend shafts that they have is just business.

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Ping G400 3W 14.5                                          TM R9 3W 14
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True Spec is an ala carte fitter. Meaning the price is based on the MSRP of each of the components of the club. So, let's say you have a $450 driver and the shaft is $300 and then the grip is $10...they charge $760 for the driver and then somewhere between $50-$100 for the assembly. And that's how you get fitted for $800+ drivers.

 

Of course, you can do some looking on the internet and get those components for much less.

 

 

 

 

RH

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Similar story for me at TSG here in Scottsdale. Got fit into a Rogue SZ ($500) and then graphite design tour AD TSG 65x ($300) . Naturally that shaft is made specially for TSG . No way was I pulling the trigger on a $1000 driver . This was over a year ago so pretty sure I could pick something up very similar for easily half that price but haven’t been able to figure out a comparable shaft for that TSG one yet.

Seems like $1000 is the magical number at True Spec these days ?

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> @Chimz said:

> Similar story for me at TSG here in Scottsdale. Got fit into a Rogue SZ ($500) and then graphite design tour AD TSG 65x ($300) . Naturally that shaft is made specially for TSG . No way was I pulling the trigger on a $1000 driver . This was over a year ago so pretty sure I could pick something up very similar for easily half that price but haven’t been able to figure out a comparable shaft for that TSG one yet.

> Seems like $1000 is the magical number at True Spec these days ?

 

$200 grip? I’m not great at math but $500 plus $300 is $1000?

 

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> @KMo23 said:

> > @Chimz said:

> > Similar story for me at TSG here in Scottsdale. Got fit into a Rogue SZ ($500) and then graphite design tour AD TSG 65x ($300) . Naturally that shaft is made specially for TSG . No way was I pulling the trigger on a $1000 driver . This was over a year ago so pretty sure I could pick something up very similar for easily half that price but haven’t been able to figure out a comparable shaft for that TSG one yet.

> > Seems like $1000 is the magical number at True Spec these days ?

>

> $200 grip? I’m not great at math but $500 plus $300 is $1000?

>

 

Probably assembly costs + tax.

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Callaway Apex UW 19* Ventus Black 8x // Srixon ZX Utility MKII 18* Graphite Design AD-IZ 95X
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> @Valtiel said:

> > @KMo23 said:

> > > @Chimz said:

> > > Similar story for me at TSG here in Scottsdale. Got fit into a Rogue SZ ($500) and then graphite design tour AD TSG 65x ($300) . Naturally that shaft is made specially for TSG . No way was I pulling the trigger on a $1000 driver . This was over a year ago so pretty sure I could pick something up very similar for easily half that price but haven’t been able to figure out a comparable shaft for that TSG one yet.

> > > Seems like $1000 is the magical number at True Spec these days ?

> >

> > $200 grip? I’m not great at math but $500 plus $300 is $1000?

> >

>

> Probably assembly costs + tax.

 

Yup, you got it !

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I really don't get the hate for these upper-end clubfitters. Of course the results could be very expensive. You go to places like this because you want more than what you get from an off the rack club hit in an in-store LM. Naturally, the better options will be more expensive, as will the services that go along with it like assembly, puring, swingweight adjustment etc.

 

Just this morning I completed a driver fitting at CC in Seattle. My existing G400 Max was fitted to me at a different location (not CC or any of the other high-end fitters being bashed here) and I was not getting the expected results in the real world with it. Turns out the original fitter did not understand how to use the Trackman properly, so of course I ended up with a poor fit. This was not some teenager at a retail store either by the way, but I'll not go into that further.

 

Back to my CC experience. Right from the start my fitter (Sean) felt my existing head was likely just fine and maybe all we needed to do was find a better shaft for my swing. Not exactly an all-out push to maximize my spend like some would like you to believe. So we went through many different shaft options until we found some substantially better feel and results from the Fuji Ventus. Many shafts were tested, it just happens that the best one for me was an expensive one. Despite Sean's recommendation that my G400 Max head was just fine, I insisted we try several other options if only for completeness. Nothing else beat my G400 with the possible exception of the F9. I got a little excited about that one as it felt like I could swing a little faster with it. Instead of jumping all over that and selling me a new driver in addition to the shaft, Sean instead highlighted my better consistency with my existing head and again recommended I stick with it.

 

Right from the start, his goal was to get the right solution for me. If he let me push for that F9, I would have a much larger hole in my pocket right now, and would probably have worse results on course.

 

I would encourage anyone going to a premium fitter like these guys to understand that you are going to test out expensive gear. If you like what you find, it will cost you. Simple as that. As for the recommendations earlier in this thread about finding cheaper shafts with similar profiles and buying those instead. Honestly, that is very poor advice. You will almost certainly not get the same results and could easily end up with another club that just doesn't work for you and you'll be right back where you started. If the stock offerings available off the shelf are not good enough for you, don't kid yourself into thinking you can get a premium fitted result without spending the cash.

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I had always been fitted by pros I trusted. I was a plus hdcp for a long time and currently low single digits.

 

Fitters are manufacture biased. The only one I went to was a few years ago and he pushed Titleist irons the entire fitting. He had trackman and everything but was a top Titliest fitter (I found out later). I had to tell him I didn't want to hit another Titleist club. He then did his best to get me out of there as soon as possible. I ended up hitting what I wanted while he ate his lunch. I found my best numbers and cluster of 6 irons and said I was done. He then asked if I wanted to order them and I laughed. I said I would take care of that elsewhere.

 

You have to test yourself before a fitting or they will put you in something.

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> @BrendanH said:

> I really don't get the hate for these upper-end clubfitters. Of course the results could be very expensive. You go to places like this because you want more than what you get from an off the rack club hit in an in-store LM. Naturally, the better options will be more expensive, as will the services that go along with it like assembly, puring, swingweight adjustment etc.

>

> Just this morning I completed a driver fitting at CC in Seattle. My existing G400 Max was fitted to me at a different location (not CC or any of the other high-end fitters being bashed here) and I was not getting the expected results in the real world with it. Turns out the original fitter did not understand how to use the Trackman properly, so of course I ended up with a poor fit. This was not some teenager at a retail store either by the way, but I'll not go into that further.

>

> Back to my CC experience. Right from the start my fitter (Sean) felt my existing head was likely just fine and maybe all we needed to do was find a better shaft for my swing. Not exactly an all-out push to maximize my spend like some would like you to believe. So we went through many different shaft options until we found some substantially better feel and results from the Fuji Ventus. Many shafts were tested, it just happens that the best one for me was an expensive one. Despite Sean's recommendation that my G400 Max head was just fine, I insisted we try several other options if only for completeness. Nothing else beat my G400 with the possible exception of the F9. I got a little excited about that one as it felt like I could swing a little faster with it. Instead of jumping all over that and selling me a new driver in addition to the shaft, Sean instead highlighted my better consistency with my existing head and again recommended I stick with it.

>

> Right from the start, his goal was to get the right solution for me. If he let me push for that F9, I would have a much larger hole in my pocket right now, and would probably have worse results on course.

>

> I would encourage anyone going to a premium fitter like these guys to understand that you are going to test out expensive gear. If you like what you find, it will cost you. Simple as that. As for the recommendations earlier in this thread about finding cheaper shafts with similar profiles and buying those instead. Honestly, that is very poor advice. You will almost certainly not get the same results and could easily end up with another club that just doesn't work for you and you'll be right back where you started. If the stock offerings available off the shelf are not good enough for you, don't kid yourself into thinking you can get a premium fitted result without spending the cash.

 

Well said.

 

 

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> @tanker44 said:

> I had always been fitted by pros I trusted. I was a plus hdcp for a long time and currently low single digits.

>

> Fitters are manufacture biased. The only one I went to was a few years ago and he pushed Titleist irons the entire fitting. He had trackman and everything but was a top Titliest fitter (I found out later). I had to tell him I didn't want to hit another Titleist club. He then did his best to get me out of there as soon as possible. I ended up hitting what I wanted while he ate his lunch. I found my best numbers and cluster of 6 irons and said I was done. He then asked if I wanted to order them and I laughed. I said I would take care of that elsewhere.

>

> You have to test yourself before a fitting or they will put you in something.

 

That is a generalization if I have ever heard one. Your lone fitting was done by a pro-Titleist account so therefore all fitters are biased towards a single manufacturer? Hmmm...

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> @phatchrisrules said:

> > @tanker44 said:

> > I had always been fitted by pros I trusted. I was a plus hdcp for a long time and currently low single digits.

> >

> > Fitters are manufacture biased. The only one I went to was a few years ago and he pushed Titleist irons the entire fitting. He had trackman and everything but was a top Titliest fitter (I found out later). I had to tell him I didn't want to hit another Titleist club. He then did his best to get me out of there as soon as possible. I ended up hitting what I wanted while he ate his lunch. I found my best numbers and cluster of 6 irons and said I was done. He then asked if I wanted to order them and I laughed. I said I would take care of that elsewhere.

> >

> > You have to test yourself before a fitting or they will put you in something.

>

> That is a generalization if I have ever heard one. Your lone fitting was done by a pro-Titleist account so therefore all fitters are biased towards a single manufacturer? Hmmm...

 

The comment from the poster "I got fit for woods at True Spec and the experience was really good. My prescription is a Cobra F9 Driver with Fubuki T50 shaft, Ping G410 3 wood with Tour AD shaft and a Ping G410 hybrid with OBAN ISAWA RED HB 70. I was surprised all shafts are pretty expensive and **they said I can only get those shafts thru them because they´re designed for True Spec."**

 

In no way was my comment a generalization. People need to know some fitters can be biased. It is obvious the commenter guy got taken for upgrade/overpriced/exotic shafts by a fitter/retailer who is supposed to be unbiased. I also assumed my fitter would be unbiased but found out after the fact he is a top Titleist fitter in the region and is well known for pushing Titleist product.

 

I recommended people to just do their homework before hand. That's all. Not even close to a generalization. Good try. Troll on playa... troll on.

 

 

G425 LST 

G425 Max 14.5* 

G425 19* Hybrid 

TM P7MC 4-PW

RTX Zipcore 50*/54*/58*

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> @BrendanH said:

> I really don't get the hate for these upper-end clubfitters. Of course the results could be very expensive. You go to places like this because you want more than what you get from an off the rack club hit in an in-store LM. Naturally, the better options will be more expensive, as will the services that go along with it like assembly, puring, swingweight adjustment etc.

>

> Just this morning I completed a driver fitting at CC in Seattle. My existing G400 Max was fitted to me at a different location (not CC or any of the other high-end fitters being bashed here) and I was not getting the expected results in the real world with it. Turns out the original fitter did not understand how to use the Trackman properly, so of course I ended up with a poor fit. This was not some teenager at a retail store either by the way, but I'll not go into that further.

>

> Back to my CC experience. Right from the start my fitter (Sean) felt my existing head was likely just fine and maybe all we needed to do was find a better shaft for my swing. Not exactly an all-out push to maximize my spend like some would like you to believe. So we went through many different shaft options until we found some substantially better feel and results from the Fuji Ventus. Many shafts were tested, it just happens that the best one for me was an expensive one. Despite Sean's recommendation that my G400 Max head was just fine, I insisted we try several other options if only for completeness. Nothing else beat my G400 with the possible exception of the F9. I got a little excited about that one as it felt like I could swing a little faster with it. Instead of jumping all over that and selling me a new driver in addition to the shaft, Sean instead highlighted my better consistency with my existing head and again recommended I stick with it.

>

> Right from the start, his goal was to get the right solution for me. If he let me push for that F9, I would have a much larger hole in my pocket right now, and would probably have worse results on course.

>

> I would encourage anyone going to a premium fitter like these guys to understand that you are going to test out expensive gear. If you like what you find, it will cost you. Simple as that. As for the recommendations earlier in this thread about finding cheaper shafts with similar profiles and buying those instead. Honestly, that is very poor advice. You will almost certainly not get the same results and could easily end up with another club that just doesn't work for you and you'll be right back where you started. If the stock offerings available off the shelf are not good enough for you, don't kid yourself into thinking you can get a premium fitted result without spending the cash.

 

> @BrendanH said:

> I really don't get the hate for these upper-end clubfitters. Of course the results could be very expensive. You go to places like this because you want more than what you get from an off the rack club hit in an in-store LM. Naturally, the better options will be more expensive, as will the services that go along with it like assembly, puring, swingweight adjustment etc.

>

> Just this morning I completed a driver fitting at CC in Seattle. My existing G400 Max was fitted to me at a different location (not CC or any of the other high-end fitters being bashed here) and I was not getting the expected results in the real world with it. Turns out the original fitter did not understand how to use the Trackman properly, so of course I ended up with a poor fit. This was not some teenager at a retail store either by the way, but I'll not go into that further.

>

> Back to my CC experience. Right from the start my fitter (Sean) felt my existing head was likely just fine and maybe all we needed to do was find a better shaft for my swing. Not exactly an all-out push to maximize my spend like some would like you to believe. So we went through many different shaft options until we found some substantially better feel and results from the Fuji Ventus. Many shafts were tested, it just happens that the best one for me was an expensive one. Despite Sean's recommendation that my G400 Max head was just fine, I insisted we try several other options if only for completeness. Nothing else beat my G400 with the possible exception of the F9. I got a little excited about that one as it felt like I could swing a little faster with it. Instead of jumping all over that and selling me a new driver in addition to the shaft, Sean instead highlighted my better consistency with my existing head and again recommended I stick with it.

>

> Right from the start, his goal was to get the right solution for me. If he let me push for that F9, I would have a much larger hole in my pocket right now, and would probably have worse results on course.

>

> I would encourage anyone going to a premium fitter like these guys to understand that you are going to test out expensive gear. If you like what you find, it will cost you. Simple as that. As for the recommendations earlier in this thread about finding cheaper shafts with similar profiles and buying those instead. Honestly, that is very poor advice. You will almost certainly not get the same results and could easily end up with another club that just doesn't work for you and you'll be right back where you started. If the stock offerings available off the shelf are not good enough for you, don't kid yourself into thinking you can get a premium fitted result without spending the cash.

 

I’m going in to these fittings eyes wide open. Been fit many times over the past 10 years and have purchased full bags for $5000 so I think you can say I’m fully aware of the cost. I just find it amusing that a lot of people I’ve spoken to and read about here on the forum seem to have ended up with the proprietary TSG shaft at TSG.

 

 

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My experience with Club Champion in Chicago was pretty different than what others seem to have experienced. I did fairway woods and hybrids. The fitter had me hit my own clubs. We then went through various demo clubs to see if there was any improvement on smash factor and ball speed. When we found ones that actually outperformed what I had, we moved on to shafts. He figured out my swing profile and ended up recommending some of the better value options.

 

I don't love their build pricing model, and charging MSRP makes it even worse. They wanted to charge me $220 for Devotion hybrid shafts that retail for $180 elsewhere. At least my fitter didn't try to hustle me with the specially made for nonsense

 

In the end I look at it as paying $100 for 60 minutes of incredibly good data and the ability to try options that aren't available other places.

 

 

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Two schools of thought IMHO:

 

1) You're a weekend warrior that plays like <40 rounds per year. You go get fit because you want confidence that clubs you buy will fit your game & swing properly. You pay the $150 fee or whatever it is for the driver fitting, etc and your fitter recommends you an Epic Flash with a $350 upcharge Graphite Design shaft or similar, for a total club value of $800 or more. You can take that club design/weight, the shaft recommended and come here on GolfWRX with the specs and have a really knowledgeable user recommend you something that's about 98% as close as that set up for 30% of the price. For example, I really enjoy the Tensei pro Blue shafts, which often run $150 and up on eBay and of course much higher brand new from the OEM. You know what... A used Aldila Tour Blue feels awwwwwfuullly similar to my handicap golfer hands, and still produces a nice flight. $40 on ebay. Used Epic's from 2017 probably going to have very similar characteristics to that Flash... $150 used on the 'Bay.

 

2) You're a really serious player, maybe a junior aspiring to go on tour one day, or you're a scratch or better amateur that plays 100+ times a year. This person should know how expensive golf can be and how perfection can come at a price. That $800 club might save you a stroke over a used one from 3-4 years ago which could be the difference to you winning your club championship or not.

 

You need to know going into your fitting which one of these two players you are, and react accordingly.

 

 

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> @Z1ggy16 said:

> Two schools of thought IMHO:

>

> 1) You're a weekend warrior that plays like <40 rounds per year. You go get fit because you want confidence that clubs you buy will fit your game & swing properly. You pay the $150 fee or whatever it is for the driver fitting, etc and your fitter recommends you an Epic Flash with a $350 upcharge Graphite Design shaft or similar, for a total club value of $800 or more. You can take that club design/weight, the shaft recommended and come here on GolfWRX with the specs and have a really knowledgeable user recommend you something that's about 98% as close as that set up for 30% of the price. For example, I really enjoy the Tensei pro Blue shafts, which often run $150 and up on eBay and of course much higher brand new from the OEM. You know what... A used Aldila Tour Blue feels awwwwwfuullly similar to my handicap golfer hands, and still produces a nice flight. $40 on ebay. Used Epic's from 2017 probably going to have very similar characteristics to that Flash... $150 used on the 'Bay.

>

> 2) You're a really serious player, maybe a junior aspiring to go on tour one day, or you're a scratch or better amateur that plays 100+ times a year. This person should know how expensive golf can be and how perfection can come at a price. That $800 club might save you a stroke over a used one from 3-4 years ago which could be the difference to you winning your club championship or not.

>

> You need to know going into your fitting which one of these two players you are, and react accordingly.

 

1- where in the hell are you going to find an Epic Flash without GD shaft for $240? 30% of $800 as you said above.

2- anyone who is an avid golfer and plays more than 20 times a year can benefit from custom club fitting as long as they get the right equipment. I can’t understand why someone would pay thousands a year to play golf but would cheap out and try to save a couple hundred dollars on a club or set of clubs that can last you 5-10 years. Most fitters have a guarantee when you buy from them. WRX guys don’t and half the time they have no clue who built the clubs and what tipping was on there and what the specs are and if they’re one of the few who does have a loft/lie machine I can almost guarantee you they’ve never calibrated that machine nor do they have a calibration club for checking. Some people need to just stay in their lane.

 

 

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> @KMo23 said:

> 2- anyone who is an avid golfer and plays more than 20 times a year can benefit from custom club fitting as long as they get the right equipment. I can’t understand why someone would pay thousands a year to play golf but would cheap out and try to save a couple hundred dollars on a club or set of clubs that can last you 5-10 years. Most fitters have a guarantee when you buy from them. WRX guys don’t and half the time they have no clue who built the clubs and what tipping was on there and what the specs are and if they’re one of the few who does have a loft/lie machine I can almost guarantee you they’ve never calibrated that machine nor do they have a calibration club for checking. Some people need to just stay in their lane.

 

Couple hundred dollars on a set of clubs? We're talking more than a couple hundred dollars on just the driver. For a full 14-club set from a place like Club Champion or the like, we're talking a couple thousand dollars *minimum* beyond the off-the-rack price. More than that if you fall for the entire range of upsells.

 

These places would not be in business if they charged a couple hundred bucks for a fitting, then ordered a custom-spec set from the OEM and sold them at regular MSRP pricing. Their cost structure demands a profit of something like $1,500 on average from each customer. Fortunately for them, there are thousands of golfers will to spend $3000, $4000, $5000 or more for a "custom" set of clubs that would otherwise list for $2,000.

 

And that's leaving out the guys who go back every 18-24 months to do the whole thing over again. That's their real cash cow right there.

 

This is nothing about an "avid golfer" spending a few hundred bucks extra to make sure their next set of clubs are well suited to their swing. That sort of piddly fitting business doesn't support fancy showrooms, walls covered in $600 shafts and high-end LM studios.

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> @KMo23 said:

> > @Z1ggy16 said:

> > Two schools of thought IMHO:

> >

> > 1) You're a weekend warrior that plays like <40 rounds per year. You go get fit because you want confidence that clubs you buy will fit your game & swing properly. You pay the $150 fee or whatever it is for the driver fitting, etc and your fitter recommends you an Epic Flash with a $350 upcharge Graphite Design shaft or similar, for a total club value of $800 or more. You can take that club design/weight, the shaft recommended and come here on GolfWRX with the specs and have a really knowledgeable user recommend you something that's about 98% as close as that set up for 30% of the price. For example, I really enjoy the Tensei pro Blue shafts, which often run $150 and up on eBay and of course much higher brand new from the OEM. You know what... A used Aldila Tour Blue feels awwwwwfuullly similar to my handicap golfer hands, and still produces a nice flight. $40 on ebay. Used Epic's from 2017 probably going to have very similar characteristics to that Flash... $150 used on the 'Bay.

> >

> > 2) You're a really serious player, maybe a junior aspiring to go on tour one day, or you're a scratch or better amateur that plays 100+ times a year. This person should know how expensive golf can be and how perfection can come at a price. That $800 club might save you a stroke over a used one from 3-4 years ago which could be the difference to you winning your club championship or not.

> >

> > You need to know going into your fitting which one of these two players you are, and react accordingly.

>

> 1- where in the **** are you going to find an Epic Flash without GD shaft for $240? 30% of $800 as you said above.

> 2- anyone who is an avid golfer and plays more than 20 times a year can benefit from custom club fitting as long as they get the right equipment. I can’t understand why someone would pay thousands a year to play golf but would cheap out and try to save a couple hundred dollars on a club or set of clubs that can last you 5-10 years. Most fitters have a guarantee when you buy from them. WRX guys don’t and half the time they have no clue who built the clubs and what tipping was on there and what the specs are and if they’re one of the few who does have a loft/lie machine I can almost guarantee you they’ve never calibrated that machine nor do they have a calibration club for checking. Some people need to just stay in their lane.

>

>

 

I think it is naturally fair to question why something costs as much as it does, but it is on the fitter/builder to explain the tech, the materials, and the build and have the customer gauge if that is right for their game. However, having been around the block a few times as a fitter I think the most critical component of the fitting is outlining a hard budget at the beginning so that both the client and the fitter are on the same page. I come post this almost verbatim in every thread on Club Champion, Cool Clubs, True Spec, etc. It still boggles my mind that there are enough people on GolfWRX that still have no idea these places are bound by MAP/MSRP and yet still moan and groan about the price. Everyone knows you can buy a used club cheaper. Everyone knows you can buy a pulled shaft cheaper. This isn't some sort of insider secret. What I take issue with most as a fitter is when I hit your target budget, give the improvement you want to see, and you still wrinkle your nose. Ultimately, I can't force anyone to buy but it makes me question why you even bothered coming. It just seems like a waste of $100 if you are just going to use that data and then just sit on it or try and find a "deal" elsewhere. You told me what you wanted to spend and I hit it and now suddenly that is too much?

 

I'm fairly active in another localized golf forum where many members have come through where I work and have been fit. I have to have fit close to 100 of them by now, and I can count on one hand the amount of people who have bought something, OEM/free shafts or upgrades combined. Everyone always comments about how eye opening the experience was and they post positive reviews on the site but I always kind of chuckle when I see these same people scouring the B/S/T to piecemeal a set together on the cheap that is "close" to what they got fit for but isn't the same when the iron or driver they got fit for is dead stock retail and I let them know that. Or they ask me questions a few weeks later about how they can make their 5 year old driver without a weight track or jailbreak perform the same as that Epic Flash they tried. Or if I can recommend a used iron set from 3-4 years ago that would perform the same as say a P790. A lot of the time, cheapness reigns supreme and it makes me laugh. All the time and energy wasted on these "maybe" projects with sunk costs probably equal or outweigh just buying the Flash or the P790s

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I don’t begrudge a dealer MSRP. Nor do I object to paying for time, expertise, and equipment. But I think that if you pay more, you should get more.

 

It is common to base one’s opinion on the most vividly recalled incident (availability heuristic), whether it’s a story or one’s own experience. I love the idea of fitting in principle. I saved for a fitting and set of irons. I had always played used clubs and tinkered with shafts and such myself, but when a friend spoke highly of his fitting at a certain high-end place a couple of hours’ drive away, I decided to give it a shot.

 

The fitting itself was fine, The irons I bought are fine. But gradually I realized that I received little for the nearly 2X premium I paid. In short, I was charged bespoke construction (disassemble, frequency match, PUR, reassemble) prices for irons that I believe were actually as delivered by the manufacturer, only with the wrong grips and wrong lie. The shaft was no upcharge from the manufacturer — not from the fitter. If I had ordered directly from the manufacturer I’d have gotten a free wedge. Paid full price for it from the fitter. Was fit into 1 degree flat, build sheet from the manufaturer (obtained later) is 1 degree up. Wedge lofts were eay off. Fitter was nonresponsive by email, too far away to bother personally, and left the company a month after my order.

 

Interestingly, last summer an identical set of irons showed up on ebay, same model, length, shaft. With both sets in hand, the ebay set, at $600, are identical to the $2k “custom” irons. I changed the grips myself on the bespoke irons and chalked it up to experience. The next set of irons I will buy somewhere else.

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  • 10 months later...

Hey everyone - I wanted to add my 2 cents. I read this article before my fitting at TrueSpec and so it was definitely in the back of my mind.

First and foremost, I agree with the other comments on here in regards to this - if you are going to a true spec fitting, be prepared to spend a lot of money. In my opinion, they are the premier/top of the line fitting company. I did a full bag and had the expectation to pay $4k

At no point in the fitting did I feel pressured to buy anything. If anything I felt the complete opposite. While I went in for a full bag, I only purchased irons. We saw no improvements in woods or hybrids (my fault and not the equipments) and my wedges were exactly where we would want them. The irons I saw considerable improvement and made the decision on my own to purchase. My fitter at no point even asked if I wanted to purchase - it was me saying “how do I buy?”

I did specifically ask about the the Graphite Design True Spec shaft. They claim to be independent and brand agnostic so it didn’t make sense to me. My fitter informed me that they work with some shaft companies on gaps in the markets and things they think would really help golfers. From there, those shaft companies make small batch runs of the shafts to see how they work. I did hit the same GD True Spec Red shaft and he said that shaft was designed to give a lower spin and higher launch with a different kickpoint than on the market.

Lastly, I think the points above regarding “installation costs” isn’t true for True Spec. I am looking at my receipt now. I paid for the clubs (MSRP from the manufacturer), the shafts (MSRP from everything I found online), the grips (MSRP), puring the shafts, the fitting, and shipping. No installation at all. Assuming that is baked into the fitting.

All in all, my experience was great. Was it pricey? Yes. Was it worth it? To me, yes. My fitter was genuine and didn’t try to over sell me at all. As a gear junkie, this fitting gave me peace of mind.

 

 

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1 in all fairness he did not say that. He said a used Epic...not the newer Flash. And for most of us he is correct. You can get a model a few years old with a “comparable” shaft for much less than new head and pricier shaft.

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But what does "comparable" mean, exactly? I mean are you getting fit for a Mitsubishi C6 and buying something that has a Tensei Red or Tensei Blue? Even then, the C6 is comprised of unique tow fiber and the Tensei has Kevlar that the C6 lacks. Is that comparable enough? For some things it likely won't matter, buying i200s vs. i210s for example, or 2017 P790s vs. 2019s. Sure that I'll give you. Shaft tech has gotten a lot more advanced in the last couple of years in regards to softening torque ratings, pushing the extremes of bend profiles, and upgrading materials. To some that might be smoke and mirrors sure, I get that. However, if that combo doesn't work for you, then what? Do you write off fittings as many have done because "it didn't work", or do you chalk it up to a lesson learned and buy the exact same thing later on?

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  • 2 years later...
On 4/19/2019 at 12:43 PM, monkeyboy said:

Stuff like this burns me up. My brother got 'taken' at Club Champion...while they did a good fitting, his driver cost him $800...then the 3 wood and 5 wood also cost him $800 each...$2,400 for 3 clubs! Of course - same scenario - "special/made for shafts, installed to perfection"...he hits these clubs marginally better than his old ones.

Does cc do proprietary shafts? I thought they had the range of retail options. I did not realize true spec did the proprietary shafts until the end of my fitting yesterday. I thought the shaft looked different but thought it was a new ad shaft maybe. It’s genius on their part because then you really do need to go through them to get the shaft. 

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