Price Sensitive Club Fitting

[TheGolfingGolfersGolfer]

I have a friend of mine who plays golf maybe 20 times a year, it's a fun activity rather than a full time passion for him. He currently uses a mixed bag of hand me downs, and while I've always encouraged him to get fit for clubs he's not looking to spend a lot of money on new clubs. Ideally, he would build a bag, driver - wedges, for close to $500ish dollars (tough to do with this crowd, I know). However, he doesn't want to just pick clubs on ebay without knowing his specs. I've suggested just going to one of the golf shops in town and explaining "Hey, I'm looking to get an idea of what my specs are and what type of clubs to look at", and being upfront about his search to build a used set. Most guys don't mind helping a customer out like this if they stop in on a slow day. I feel like this is probably the best option, but wanted to see if anyone here has some better idea. Again, the dude likes to play golf and definitely dedicates his recreation budget to other areas, but I know he'd play a lot better if he didn't use 20 year old Mizuno blades.

[toc]

I'd probably try a webfit tool like Ping's or similar in this situation.  I'm not sure too many retail workers would be interested in a free fitting for someone who has no intention of buying clubs.

[8602081]

He might want to look at some pre-owned clubs at local golf shop.

 

Golf shops will allow you to test them to see if it's a fit..

 

[kjbuckeye]

Most shops are going to fit you based off of current club and shaft models. He can take that information and use it to find used clubs that are close to those specs pretty easily. Make it easier by only getting fit for stock shafts. I think the big takeaways are going to be shaft weight, flex, loft of woods, iron head type, iron lofts, and wedge lofts for correct gapping, lie, and length. Actual lie angle too, not just 1* flat, which differs from club to club.

 

If I was him, just pay the money for the fitting and get the specs based off of stock shafts. I'm sure you or the folks on here could help with suggestions to get him in his price range. 

 

Most retail workers don't mind doing fittings if the customer isn't interested in purchasing. That's why stores charge for a fitting. 

 

Like @toc mentioned, ping's webfit is pretty cool. Could do that as well. 

[spinnywedge]

I think how you put it is a great idea. It depends on what kind of places are around you, but PGA Superstore does free fittings. It may not be as in depth as going to Club Champion or a similar place, but he can still get an idea as far as what heads he hits well, shaft weight and flex, and lie angle to some degree. Find a company’s irons that he likes the look of and hits well, and a previous model will probably be pretty similar. Same thing with driver and woods, but adjustable hotels really help there.

[jmorrow020]

If you're looking to stay cheap and buy some used clubs, then have a look at Golf Galaxy or PGA SS and go look at what used club selection they have and ask to try them out, and then ask to see if they are proper spec and everything. If you buy a club from either place they will be friendly enough to let you walk out the door with something thats marginally fit. Just dont expect a Club Champion type fitting from those places, which it doesnt look like you are needing. 

[smturner1203]

I think it really just depends on how the guys at the golf shop are feeling that day. I worked at Golfsmith (before they got bought by GG) and we did free "fittings" at the time. I personally don't think the fittings at big box stores are worth the money. They can tell you swing speed and maybe lie angle, but far too often their GC Quad's are distance boosted and the person fitting you doesn't get paid enough to care. I was 19 years old and just super into golf when I worked there, but I was by no means a professional club fitter. 

 

My advice would be to go to a smaller shop and pay them whatever they charge to do an iron fitting (usually around $50). That should give your buddy a pretty good idea about shaft flex, length, lie, and generally what level of forgiveness he's looking for. Then head to the BST or the eBay and see what you can find. Good luck. 

[darom86]

If you are anywhere near a Rodger Dunn head there, particularly the Santa Ana superstore.  They will get you squared away.  Agree on finding an OEM and then getting last year's or the year before's model.  More or less will have the same DNA and you will save a bundle.

[MattM97]

I'd probably suggest him doing the Ping Chart to get his length and lie down, that there can make a world of difference. That way he can narrow down his selection a lot faster and find something that fits comfortably. Now if the shaft and head work for him that's another situation but with his limited budget you'll have limited options. 

[TheGolfingGolfersGolfer]

Thanks everyone, this is good stuff. I shared the link with the guy for him to grab some of this info....nothing like helping a friend!

[mizuno player]

Second Swing. If you have one close. 

 

I have only read about second swing. I would take him there. They will fit him and find used clubs to fit those specs. They have a huge selection of used equipment. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Maybe hit up a store that has the Mizuno Shaft Optimizer... PGATSS near me has it and was going to fit me for free on it, but sadly that day all their iPads were in use for lessons/etc... Gonna have to head back at some point.

 

That should give you a basic idea of shaft weight and flex needed. With a WTF measurement it'll tell you length and lie too. 

 

From there he can start looking for either used or lower-cost DTC sets built to those specs.