My PGA Tour Superstore fitting

[sshadow2]

I thought I had an interesting story, and it goes to show that it's about the fitter and not the place.

 

I recently had a fitting at PGATSS for my driver. Before that, I had a Club Champion fitting for my irons.

 

Why did I go to PGATSS this time? Because I knew a guy. Not for favors, but because of his experience. My fitter was a man who was formerly part of another golf store brand, and two fitting organizations including Club Champion. PGATSS has a version of fitting call The Fitting Van. They use GC Quad vs Trackman (at CC). They have just as many shafts as CC, but are automatically open of more budget minded consumers. That's what I got out of it, and what my fitter confirmed.

 

Cost of a driver fitting: 1/3 that of CC ($50 vs $150) for the same amount of time (90 mins)and the guarantee that every other part of my bag is automatically half off (fwy/hybrid, wedges, and putters are then $20 ea. at 60 mins, irons and gapping $25 ea. at 90 mins). Quick change wasn't as prevalent but I didn't have any probs waiting a bit more. Looked for fixing dispersion, and adding a bit of length whille checking my efficiency, launch, spin, and descent. And he took a lot of time to explain things to me. Just like at CC. All accomplished.

 

Unlike at CC, I wasn't tested to the most expensive possible combination out there. Stock and custom combo options. Tried Epic Flash, M5, M6, and PING 410s with Tensei, Oban, Isawa, and one other.

 

Ended with a PING 410 Plus with Tensei Orange 60g. Very happy (I'm not usually a PING wood fan).

 

Gave me advice about and let me test shafts for fwys. Walked out buying the 410 fwy with the Tensei Orange 70g. Very, very happy!

 

To get driver, I have to custom order it. But because they go thru the manufacturer, there is no upcharge provided there is none with the brand. And he put all the info into my account so I don't have to remember or recite anything when I'm ready to order. Oh, and I can trade older clubs to contribute to the purchase.

 

No guarantee swingweight, spining, puring...but I definitely got my money's worth. Did I trust him...absolutely. Stand-up guy I've "worked" with for quite a few years. It was a chance meeting and I know not every fitter has his level of experience, I just wanted to point out that I had a great and informative time. Not knocking CC, just glad I tried PGATSS.

[bluedot]

Good post, and important for people who might not understand the interaction between club fitting and retail stores. Absolutely, 100%, a good fitting is about the guy doing the fitting.

 

I've got a similar situation with a guy at the Golf Galaxy store near me. He played college golf while in a PGA management program at Campbell University, and then was a teaching pro for several years before going with GG. He is talented and passionate about club fitting, and in the two sessions I've done with him, one for a driver and one for a hybrid and FW setup, we've spent 90 minutes each time getting it right. On top of that, there was NO charge since I then bought the clubs from him, and the on-course results have exceeded my expectations based on the monitor numbers at the fitting.

 

But it is critical to note that I did NOT go to him blind; he came highly recommended from friend who can really play and who takes his equipment very seriously. I absolutely wouldn't have taken potluck on that; I've talked to guys in both PGA Superstores and Golf Galaxy stores who clearly knew less than I did about heads and shafts, and getting "fitted" by one of them is a recipe for being dissatisfied.

 

Fwiw, the guy I referring to is Jared Morrow; he's at the Golf Galaxy in Cary, NC if anyone reading this lives in the RDU area and is looking for a good club fitter. Great guy; can't recommend him highly enough.

[zdtallan]

The two posts above have the right formula, its all about WHO is fitting you versus WHERE you get fit. It doesn't matter if you pay $500 dollars at CC or 25$ at GG, the fitting will only be as good as the individual who fits you. It's best to do you homework on these types of things less you throw good money after bad trying to cover up a bad fit one after another.

[JCAG]

> @zdtallan said:

> The two posts above have the right formula, its all about WHO is fitting you versus WHERE you get fit. It doesn't matter if you pay $500 dollars at CC or 25$ at GG, the fitting will only be as good as the individual who fits you. It's best to do you homework on these types of things less you throw good money after bad trying to cover up a bad fit one after another.

I totally agree. With that said, there are few good fitters working retail stores for $12-$15 per hour. As most are open 70 or more hours per week they have several on staff so chances are even higher of getting a fool.