should I bother with a paid fitting?

[Dr.Frankenputz]

Sorry if this has been covered at length or should be in another area.

I'm in the market for a new driver. I'm a 13ish handicap, I think 95ish driver ss. Current driver is a ping g with stock alta stiff, only going 240ish total on a solid strike, usually weak fades.

I recently went to my local GG where I lucked out and had a pretty knowledgeable fitter help me try a few driver/shaft combos against my current driver. I apologize but I don't recall all of the numbers & don't know AOA, smash factors, etc. He confirmed I'm not maximized with my current driver, is spinning too much. I hit the rogue, g400/max with a few of the stock shafts with 5 or so more yards than my ping. Hit the m3 &m4 with several different shafts, and the best by far was the m3 with tensei white stiff (60) with both weights forward. Was getting 140 or ball speed, a few in the low 140's (vs 135ish max for the G), spin rates with the M3 set up were 2500-2900 which was significantly down from3300+ with the G. I believe I picked up 10-15+ yards over the G; if my memory serves 250-255 with M3, 235-240 total with the G on solid strikes; the M3 being more consistent as well. With the lower spin numbers I was getting much more rollout as expected, and carry didn't seem to suffer.

 

My question is: with those numbers 140ish ball speed, 2500-2900 spin rates, and picking up 10-15 yards do I just go with what seems like a good fit? Or can I do much better with my swing speed and pay for a fitting where I can hit multiple head/shaft combo's that a GG just won't have? I don't mind paying for a fitting but my main fear would be having a place like club champion fit me into a club/shaft combo that will cost $1000 that won't be significantly better than going with the M3 setup above (and that above shaft is a TM no upcharge shaft.)

 

Thanks in advance for any advice, and again sorry for not having very complete numbers.

[wkndhack]

I don't think Club Champion is going to do much more than that. If you picked up 15 yards and like the look and the feel of the setup, I wouldn't drop a couple hundred bucks at the chance of maybe another 2% improvement.

[GolferRy785]

I don't think Club Champion is going to do much more than that. If you picked up 15 yards and like the look and the feel of the setup, I wouldn't drop a couple hundred bucks at the chance of maybe another 2% improvement.

 

^^^ This - 15 yards is huge to begin with - club champion might dive deeper into a shaft option but would be a smaller improvement IMO

[moosehead222]

Yes absolutely.

I believe a good fitter custom club maker is worth it.

There are too many variables and options.

[BB28403]

Did this guy fit you for free? At G.G.

[leopoldstotch]

Most places in Vancouver charge you the fitting fee and then take it off the total price of the driver if you decide to buy it from them.

 

Is this not common practice?

[BB28403]

Most places in Vancouver charge you the fitting fee and then take it off the total price of the driver if you decide to buy it from them.

 

Is this not common practice?

 

Yeah that is common practice. Somehow I think they should make you pay a fee but then give you store credit for half of the fee if you walk out that day not buying something .

It's just odd to me that their time is worth say $75 an hour but then it is worth $0 if you buy a club. Like what?

 

It doesn't compute. I mean I understand an employee needs to pay for themselves but people just don't want to take the risk of getting a bad employee, a bad fitting AND having to pay $75. That would be a bad day.

[DavePelz4]

@DRFP...

 

Not sure what part of Wisconsin you're in but the PGATSS in Schaumburg will do a driver fitting for you at no cost. They might not have as many head/shaft combinations as a Club Champion but for us mid level handicaps, it's gets you close. The true cost for you might be the drive time depending on where in the cheese state you live.

[BB28403]

They had a bit on the radio tonight about club champions . The guy called in telling the radio hosts pointed him to club champions and he liked them. He just was wondering if he should have his "shaft pured" or not ? And the pro kinda laughed at him and said no. That was silly.

[Dr.Frankenputz]

Thanks for the responses. I’m in SE WI/Milwaukee area. Not a huge difference driving to club champion or pga ss. The fitter at my gg has been kind enough to spend 20-30 minutes with me on 2 occasions so far. (I try to come mid-day during the week if possible when it’s slow.)

I think the local gg probably has the least shaft options, pga ss in IL next, & obviously club champion would have the most.

Right now I’m thinking of pulling the trigger with the best setup I can get locally (with free fitting); then if I’m not thrilled I can drive down & do a fitting later at one of the IL places. Thanks again.

[leejohnkieh]

imho the most important part is finding a head that suits your eye, once you decide on that, getting fit with a correct shaft is easy.

 

If you get fit with a stock shaft then thats a bonus. I'd say do away with the custom fitter and get the M4 with the Tensei White.

 

Once you get better and improve on your SS, then you will want to explore getting fitted for a new shaft.

[BB28403]

Thanks for the responses. Im in SE WI/Milwaukee area. Not a huge difference driving to club champion or pga ss. The fitter at my gg has been kind enough to spend 20-30 minutes with me on 2 occasions so far. (I try to come mid-day during the week if possible when its slow.)

I think the local gg probably has the least shaft options, pga ss in IL next, & obviously club champion would have the most.

Right now Im thinking of pulling the trigger with the best setup I can get locally (with free fitting); then if Im not thrilled I can drive down & do a fitting later at one of the IL places. Thanks again.

 

I dunno, I'd be careful with your attitude. As yoda might say "Great Golfer Shaft not make, No? Hehehe"

 

You're just going to get sold something expensive in places with lots of shafts.

 

I would say the driver, hybrid, iron is 90% of the equation . The shaft is barely 10%.

But I'm no club tech!

[franklin15]

the reason that most places will charge for the fitting is to offset the cost of buying all of their shafts, clubs and launch monitors. at Golf Galaxy they don't usually have anything more than that stock fitting kits from the OEMs. Meaning that they will work with you without charging you.

[Justsomeguy]

Nope. Trial and error on your own is just as good. And how many fitters are anything special? You've got a better chance of being fit into something exotically wrong than something stock that works well.

[Johnnypenso]

From what I've read in the experiences of others, your best bet when getting fit is to really know and understand what the numbers mean so you can't be bamboozled by a slick salesperson or given confusing or misleading information by someone who isn't quite as proficient at their job as they should be. The very first thing I would do is spend some time on a launch monitor all by yourself or with some friends, just hitting balls. If you're going for a driver fitting, hit your driver and get a good 30 or 40 shots in. Take the data home and do some research. How far does the optimum drive go with you SS? How good is your contact with the ball and is it consistent enough to even see any benefit from getting fit? If you aren't seeing near maximum length drives why not? Is it where you contact the ball? Your AoA? Too much sidespin? Too much backspin? Not enough backspin?

 

Know your swing, know your tendencies and approach your fitting knowing what needs to happen for you to see improvement. Getting 200 rpm less spin isn't going to make any difference out on the course and, for some people, depending on their SS, might actually be detrimental.

[2ball]

Sorry if this has been covered at length or should be in another area.

I'm in the market for a new driver. I'm a 13ish handicap, I think 95ish driver ss. Current driver is a ping g with stock alta stiff, only going 240ish total on a solid strike, usually weak fades.

I recently went to my local GG where I lucked out and had a pretty knowledgeable fitter help me try a few driver/shaft combos against my current driver. I apologize but I don't recall all of the numbers & don't know AOA, smash factors, etc. He confirmed I'm not maximized with my current driver, is spinning too much. I hit the rogue, g400/max with a few of the stock shafts with 5 or so more yards than my ping. Hit the m3 &m4 with several different shafts, and the best by far was the m3 with tensei white stiff (60) with both weights forward. Was getting 140 or ball speed, a few in the low 140's (vs 135ish max for the G), spin rates with the M3 set up were 2500-2900 which was significantly down from3300+ with the G. I believe I picked up 10-15+ yards over the G; if my memory serves 250-255 with M3, 235-240 total with the G on solid strikes; the M3 being more consistent as well. With the lower spin numbers I was getting much more rollout as expected, and carry didn't seem to suffer.

 

My question is: with those numbers 140ish ball speed, 2500-2900 spin rates, and picking up 10-15 yards do I just go with what seems like a good fit? Or can I do much better with my swing speed and pay for a fitting where I can hit multiple head/shaft combo's that a GG just won't have? I don't mind paying for a fitting but my main fear would be having a place like club champion fit me into a club/shaft combo that will cost $1000 that won't be significantly better than going with the M3 setup above (and that above shaft is a TM no upcharge shaft.)

 

Thanks in advance for any advice, and again sorry for not having very complete numbers.

 

i found mine of value had 2 fittings.

I have a swing speed 95-97 so distance wise I'm maxed out - no exotic shafts for me

 

My first fitting, years ago: Cost was $100ish. Driver I used was the TM TP Burner. Ozik shaft stiff, 9.5 degrees. I was in the right club but maxed out for distance. The fitter put me in a Pro V1X and got my distance up and my spin rate right where it needed to be. So a good honest creative fitter might find distance and accuracy for you in other ways.

 

My second fitting was for a M2 last year. I was fit by TM at one of their facilities at a golf course for free.

Again distance was pretty much maxed out but with the proper shaft, length, flex and loft we brought my dispersion rate in quite a bit for more accuracy and about 7 yards more distance.

 

So it may be worth it - good fitters can find accuracy and distance

 

Getting fit outside on a range is always best imo, and get fit when your swing is at it's best

[sdandrea]

.....or do like some of us and keep ho-ing until you land on the Holy Grail......which, BTW, is still out there.

[CGM]

A quality fitter is worth every penny. You will never again question your gear. If the data does not show improvement over your existing set up do not buy it. I am not a fan of any OEM fitting. If Taylormade does the fitting they will sell you a bag full of Taylormade. Titeleist the same thing. Go to an independent that sells them all and you should get an unbiased recommendation.

 

Yes it will be expensive but it is more expensive changing drivers year after year.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

CGM

[rubylv]

I recently went to my local Club Champion for a driver fitting. My gamer at the time was an 8.5 degree Titleist 915D2 with a stock diamana d (white) in stiff flex. After trying many different head, shaft, flex and lengths the verdict was it would cost me $721 for the combo that showed the most improvement over my gamer. The fitter basically said that the 6 extra yards carry and 20% tighter dispersion really wasn’t worth it in his opinion. I was fitted into a Taylormade 9.5 degree M4 with and Oban Isawa Red 65 gram shaft in stiff flex (4 in Oban terms). I ultimately decided that it wasn’t worth it either.

 

My avg stats with the M4 were 90 mph ss, +3 aoa, 133 mph ball speed and 230 yds carry. I also have a medium tempo with a smooth transition. The improvement was attributed to lower spin numbers. Titleist 2950 Taylormade 2650

 

So to answer your question for me it was worth it. I know that there is a slightly better combo for me but I really need to improve my swing. I always hoped there was a magic stick out there but time to hit the gym and work on technique.

[phil75070]

@DRFP...

 

Not sure what part of Wisconsin you're in but the PGATSS in Schaumburg will do a driver fitting for you at no cost. They might not have as many head/shaft combinations as a Club Champion but for us mid level handicaps, it's gets you close. The true cost for you might be the drive time depending on where in the cheese state you live.

 

I was going to say the "problem", but it is not a problem but a "difference" between getting fit at a GG or PGATSS. Unless you can buy the one you actually tested what you get off the rack may not be identical. Differences in manufacturing tolerances could have the loft slightly different, the shaft tipped slightly differently, etc. The advantage of a Club Champion is that they build the club to the exact specs that were determined at your fitting and it comes with a performance guarantee.

 

I am not a "shill" for Club Champion as I have never been fit by them nor work for them. Just pointing out the advantage they supposedly offer and why so many people, myself included, hit clubs at a GG or PGATSS and don't see the same performance with the unit they pick off the shelf and take to the course.

 

I'll give you an example. My "gamer" driver was the XR16 at one point. Because I wanted a complete back-up bag to use for travel and the one thing I was missing was a driver, I ordered another XR16 (used) with the same shaft and flex and the two clubs perform somewhat differently in that one shaft feels a little firmer and gives me, more often than not, a little more distance. I have even swapped out shafts to confirm that.