Cost of a club fitting

[r32]

I'm curious. What was your total club fitting costs, including your new custom clubs?

 

So my best friend and fellow golfer went and got a fitting for new clubs in Colorado. He is a pretty decent golfer and usually shoots around 84 a round. I told him I wanted go there too but would wait to see his experience. But after seeing the final price, I will definitely stick with my existing clubs for a few more years. :) Here are the details of his fitting.

• Indoors with Trackman.
  
• Checked loft, lie, swing weight of current clubs for "control group".
  
• Hit a 6i head (Taylormade 750) with 6 different shafts to identify ideal shaft.
  
• Then hit various 6i heads with the chosen shaft.
  
• All data compared against each other, as well as control group.
  
• Ended up with Veylix Aplpina 673 R (graphite iron) shafts for his irons.
  
• Irons came down to AP2 or Callaway Apex. He went with AP2.
  
• He went with AP2. Dispersion went from 70 yards to 5 (!) yards.
  
• Sample set was about 10 shots or so.
  

• Repeated same exercise with his driver.
  
• Ended up with Epic 9d with Oban Revenge 5 Shaft R.
  

 

Was going to do hybrid as well but after hitting a few, guy said he could not beat the current results. Also getting all shafts pured at $30/club.

 

Total set

Epic Driver

AP2 4i - GW

2 Cleveland RTX-3 Tour Wedges

Iomic grips for all

 

He said driver alone was about $800 because shaft was $275. :shok: After tax total cost came to $3,800 for his new clubs! :shok:

 

We've got a week vacation coming up where we're going to play about 7 or 8 rounds. Will be a great test to see how his new clubs go. I'm curious how much others have spent.

[apprenti23]

Everything's relative- you seem to be panicking about the cost of his new set but I have putters that each cost just as much than that. Completely custom builds with custom shafts are always going to be more expensive than stock off the rack. Going for the best possible combination available can end up being an expensive experience but very rewarding!

[DivinDave]

Let me guess. Club Champion?

 

If so, You will be hard pressed to get a better fitting anywhere. Their clubs are built impeccably and exactly to spec. But FWIW, custom clubs are will be expensive no matter where you get them.

[sofc]

I had an iron fitting that was a little more intensive than that. Hit combination after combination of shafts and heads for close to 2 hours.

 

Fitting was $100.

 

Fitted me for AP2s also. Project X 5.5. Custom loft/lie/length. Don't think they were pured but they were frequency matched (whatever that means.)

 

4-PW was priced under $1150 including shipping (not including fitting.) Bought a demo set at my club for around $400 4-GW.

[Golf64]

r32, golf equipment is expensive. Here in Canada, the new drivers are $600-650 plus 13% taxes. Irons start at $1,000. As for fittings, I have been to Titleist, TM, Ping, Callaway. Prices ranged from free to $250 and 6 hours of total driving. Worth every penny!

[tnrts345]

I have had a bad fitting where they just wanted my money and told me everything in my set was wrong. They said I needed head to toe a new bag and would've run close to that mark. This past winter I got a true fit for a driver and irons, the price tag was half of what your friend spent but it is worth it. I'm a 12 handicap and I can honestly say I am playing much better now that I have clubs that actually fit me and my swing.

[apprenti23]

I had an iron fitting that was a little more intensive than that. Hit combination after combination of shafts and heads for close to 2 hours.

 

Fitting was $100.

 

Fitted me for AP2s also. Project X 5.5. Custom loft/lie/length. Don't think they were pured but they were frequency matched (whatever that means.)

 

4-PW was priced under $1150 including shipping (not including fitting.) Bought a demo set at my club for around $400 4-GW.

 

You wasted $100 then. You got fit and ended up buying something completely different bc you couldn't help yourself. People just boggle my mind.

[r32]

Everything's relative- you seem to be panicking about the cost of his new set but I have putters that each cost just as much than that. Completely custom builds with custom shafts are always going to be more expensive than stock off the rack. Going for the best possible combination available can end up being an expensive experience but very rewarding!

 

You seem to be quite an agitator with your responses here.

 

Not sure where you get the idea that I'm 'panicking'? You may need to read up on definition of panic.

 

I know golf equipment is expensive. Having never been fitted myself, of course I was curious to the custom fitting process as my best friend went through it and thought I'd share my view of his experience, including the cost, in case anyone else had such a curiosity. For myself, that's just not in my budget. Maybe some day though.

 

DivinDave you are correct sir! Good guess. :)

[tnrts345]

In CT the standard fitting may run you around 350 head to toe. The clubs are the expensive piece to all of this. If you have a set budget in mind for your clubs a good fitter will make sure they worth within your limitations. In my fit for a driver I was offered a 3 shafts that suit my game and my budget. Look up the top fitters in your area and go in and lay out basics, they should be able to give you a good estimate based on your budget. BTW most fitting costs are included if you purchase through them!

[Thrillhouse]

Yeah that sounds about right for that level of fitting.

 

Fitting is great, everyone should do it once to figure out what their specs are. From that point you can decide for yourself whether the whole "custom blueprinted" thing is worth it to you or whether a custom order from the OEM is good enough. personally I think a factory build to spec with the grips and shafts I want is more than sufficient, some people disagree and think they need their shafts pured or whatever.

[SnowBound Golfer]

Every good fitter has their own price points on time spent and clubs built. It all comes down to finding someone you can trust and feel comfortable with. Before getting into fitting/building, I had a couple of fittings done at high end places and came out of the experience feeling very pressured to spend a lot of money on clubs. It was way out of my price range so I declined. That was my decision, but I did enjoy the experience. In the end, I don't hold any ill regard to those business because they have high overhead and need to cover costs. If you find yourself going to a similar place, you can suggest up front what your budget is and don't test any expensive shaft upgrades. I would suggest finding a fitter that will build the clubs to your specs instead of sending the order to the mass produced OEM. In that case, you may not get the final product to your your exact needs. Either way you go, I would stay away from the big box store fittings. Usually not very good and you get what you pay for.

If you have to have the big names, then expect to pay more. There are lots of very good clubs that are not the big names that can be built cheaper. I would recommend looking up a Tom Wishon fitter and talk to them. His clubs are excellent and should not be considered after market at all.

 

Hope this helps.

[leejohnkieh]

I went for a very cost effective manner when fitting my clubs. Started by browsing at my local Puetz since I know some people who work there. Got to see what clubs I liked at set up and sound. From there I was drawn to TM woods and got a TM woods fitting scheduled at Chambers Bay (free). They had a ton of options shaft wise so i got to try everything. For my irons I did the same thing. Knew I wanted the 716 CB's so I found a Titleist fitting at Newcastle Golf Club and got fitted. From there I started piecing some things together. Buying shafts on eBay, picking up heads from offerUp, doing my own grips, and took all my clubs to be put together by a local known for very quality work. Ended up saving a crap ton of money and my game hasn't been any better.

[sofc]

I had an iron fitting that was a little more intensive than that. Hit combination after combination of shafts and heads for close to 2 hours.

 

Fitting was $100.

 

Fitted me for AP2s also. Project X 5.5. Custom loft/lie/length. Don't think they were pured but they were frequency matched (whatever that means.)

 

4-PW was priced under $1150 including shipping (not including fitting.) Bought a demo set at my club for around $400 4-GW.

 

You wasted $100 then. You got fit and ended up buying something completely different bc you couldn't help yourself. People just boggle my mind.

 

How do you figure that?

 

I bought exactly what was recommended but cheaper. Didn't think frequency matching was worth 750 to me.

 

Tried the "fitted" clubs for two months and they didn't do it for me so I sold them for what I paid and bought what "felt" the best to me during the fitting.

 

Why would I spend $100 and not try what was recommended?

[dhrib72]

Did the same fitting at Club Champion this week ($100), 4-5 shafts then honed in on 5 heads, then hit a few shafts in the head that worked best...couple thoughts I had afterwards:

• Not a mat person, hurts my back, do any fitters like club champion bring the tools to the range?
  
• Is the $800 up charge for frequency and pured shafts worth it? the mizunos jpx 900 go from 1200 to 2000 to get that work done
  

[DivinDave]

I got fitted at Club Champion too, so it wasnt much guess work to it. Thats is exactly how CC fits you up.

 

DivinDave you are correct sir! Good guess. :)

[coolcucumber_1]

i believe their fitting is very valuable and the end result of course is something we are all very curious.

To buy from them or go outside and pick up the same shafts and heads for half the price is no brainer to some folks, where as some folks can justify spending what CC asks for.

In the end both work and as long as you enjoy your new clubs it doesnt matter how you sourced them.

 

I was recently fitted for a $900 driver there and using a few resources i have the same setup minus puring for about 1/3rd the price.

For me that is good enough and doesn't hurt my pocket too much .

[vci15]

Anytime someone mentions they got fitted and were recommended an Accra or Veylix shaft... then it's Club Champion lol

[SnowBound Golfer]

I understand that people want to save money by pieceing clubs together themselves. In the end, hopefully they end up with a set of clubs that work for them. On the other hand, from a fitters perspective, if they gave a perspective client a free fitting and they took the results to do just that, they would be out of business pretty quick. You have to consider that fitters/builders lay out a lot of money in tools and equipment, as well as many, many hours learning their craft All this time and money ends up getting amortized over a long period of time, especially if they don't have high volume. This situation hurts them.

So to counter potential money lost by spending what could be a few hours with a non-client, what is the best option?

 

- charge a fitting fee on top of what the clubs would cost

- charge a fitting fee, then subtract it from the final club price

- give a free fitting, but keep the final results from the perspective client until they commit to buying clubs

- continue to do business the same way and hope for the best

 

I am sure there are other options available, and I am interested in opinions.

The end result , IMO is that it becomes a win/win for the player and fitter, but when people take up time and walk away to get the clubs cheaper, there is no way for it to be a win/win.

 

Now, on the other hand, if all we are talking about is a "fitting" at a demo day, then I look at that as merely a marketing tool paid for by the big companies. No harm, no foul there.

[wingfoot64]

When you get fitted at those places, do they give you the specs for what you were fit for, or do they keep that a secret. I assume when you pay them for the fitting that you should be able to get the specs. To me it would be a no brainer to go elsewhere to get the clubs if money is an option.

[SnowBound Golfer]

I would have to assume that if you paid for a fitting that the results belong to you.

I did a paid fitting business up here in Canada a few years ago. I was very disappointed in the session. I paid close to $300 for a "full bag" fitting that was supposed to be 3 hours long. FIrst the fitter was running late, then I asked him to stay away from the expensive upgraded shafts because it was not in my budget, but of course he slipped a few in. I hit 5 different combinations of irons. He said the rest of his fitting clubs and shafts were out at a demo. I got to try only one wedge option. As for a driver, as soon as he saw that I had a negative AoA, he said he couldn't fit me with a driver until I took lessons from his partner to get a positive AoA. At the end of this, he said he has another appointment and has to run. Before he leaves, he recommends I stick with my iron heads, but have them reshafted, suggests a driver, even though I only hit 3 driver sample shots and some Edel wedges. All in, the clubs would cost $2000. I was running for the hills from this place, but before I go, I ask for the fitting results (especially because I paid a seperate fitting fee). He emails me a pdf file that contains some, but not all, of the iron results. Thats it. No way to really analyze the best club from that.

Of course, I could have gone back and demanded better data, but I just couldn't get over the disappointment and I didn't want to see them again. I decided to cut my losses and move on. Maybe not the best way to handle it, but I was at peace with it.

So, my advice to anyone, is if you find yourself in the same situation, look at the data with the fitter to make sure it is usable to you. Also, bring a memory stick so you get the data instantly.