Junior Fitting

[isgerrior]

Just thought I would write up about my sons recent irons fitting.  He is 13, 14 in June.  5 feet tall.  Been playing for several years, playing us kids tour series.  We decided to go to Spargo Golf here in RI and get him fitted for adult clubs.  Was a fantastic 2 hour experience of hitting all clubs. This is out a bay onto a full sized range, and with a flightscope as well for data.  Jon, the the fitter was actually cutting shafts down during the fitting for him to swing so that they were they correct length.   He had him hit, pings, mizuno, taylormade, titelist, cobra and wishon.  We ended up with P790's as the perfect fit, and hightoe wedges.  Spargo will reshaft them in the future one time for free too.  The experience was fantastic.  Now we just have to wait 8-12 weeks for them to come in!  Happy to answer any questions.

[Golfingdawg19]

The problem that I have seen with fitting juniors is places don't carry "junior" shafts nor do they have the right length. The guy cutting down shafts to fit your son isn't the norm. So until a kid gets to regular length for a women's club its a guessing game. You will end up hitting clubs where you are choking down a bunch and this will throw off the results. I have found that just going with a good club head, getting a good shaft with the proper weight, and cutting things down to the right length is best until you get to a certain height. 

[cubuffs]

Great to hear that you had a good experience - as Golfingdawg mentioned, it sounds like your fitter really went above and beyond.  Finding a resource like this is why I don't cringe when I hear people refer to a "team" in golf, as ideally you would like to find a great coach/swing instructor, trainer, and club fitter.  Finding someone that can help navigate that "tweener" phase saves so much time and second guessing.  My only thought having watched my Junior go trough that phase, you will most likely be re-shafting quicker than you think.  My son also played the 790s for 1.5 years and really enjoyed them - hoping yours does as well.

[isgerrior]

Yes, the shaft cutting was soo great of him.  I was super impressed he was willing to do that for us.  

[Golfingdawg19]

I got my daughter fitted for the first time at 13 years old. At that point she was tall enough to be in regular length womens clubs so there was no having to choke down on clubs. The fitter told me at her swing speed there was only a few options for shafts anyway. He said that the Recoil shafts are excellent for the younger kids. So I always used recoil shafts for everything. So for the younger kids moving to adult heads, I would just find a good clubhead and put recoil shafts in them. Cut them down to the appropriate length (I used the US Kids fitting guide and the Ping junior fitting guide) and go from there. My daughter played Cobra the whole time because I got a good discount on them being a HS golf coach. Despite what some on here tell you, you aren't going to see big differences between clubs until the swing speed gets up there pretty good. Same thing for shafts, you really don't have many options until the swing speed jumps up there. So save your money because you are going to need it down the line.

[Movingday]

2 hours ago, isgerrior said:

Just thought I would write up about my sons recent irons fitting.  He is 13, 14 in June.  5 feet tall.  Been playing for several years, playing us kids tour series.  We decided to go to Spargo Golf here in RI and get him fitted for adult clubs.  Was a fantastic 2 hour experience of hitting all clubs. This is out a bay onto a full sized range, and with a flightscope as well for data.  Jon, the the fitter was actually cutting shafts down during the fitting for him to swing so that they were they correct length.   He had him hit, pings, mizuno, taylormade, titelist, cobra and wishon.  We ended up with P790's as the perfect fit, and hightoe wedges.  Spargo will reshaft them in the future one time for free too.  The experience was fantastic.  Now we just have to wait 8-12 weeks for them to come in!  Happy to answer any questions.

This is great. My son is almost identical. He turned 14 a week ago and is also 5 ft tall. I’m curious as to what shafts and what lengths you got for the irons. Also what driver length and shaft. What SS does your son have?

Mine is currently in some lightweight Accra shafts. I think they are 43g (but could be wrong, I’ll look when I get home) looking to make a change soon. 

[isgerrior]

The shafts that he was fitted to were graphite ventus a flex 50 gram.  C2 swing weight.

[Movingday]

31 minutes ago, isgerrior said:

The shafts that he was fitted to were graphite ventus a flex 50 gram.  C2 swing weight.

Swing speed with Driver?

Driver length?

[hangontight]

@isgerrior  Thanks for sharing...great insight.  My son is 11 and a touch over 5' tall.   I recently called Sea Island to inquire about fitting and their guidance was that once they hit 60" (5') they have enough suitable length shafts to make it a worthwhile endeavor.  @Golfingdawg19 mentioned womens legnth - from what I've looked up it sounds like "womens standard length" usually equals somewhere around 2" short of "Mens Standard"....which makes the lengths comparable to USKG 60" TS Specs.  Furthermore, you can custom order shafts up to 2" shorter through Taylormade, which tells me we're in the right neighborhood. 

 

We've all seen that the P790's are a popular choice as first adult sets for juniors...good to hear that your fitting showed that. 

 

QUESTION 1 : Did you compare the USKG TS irons (60") in the fitting process?  If so, how did they stack up?  

 

QUESTION 2:  How did the wedge fitting go?  I think my son could stand to gain a lot from proper wedges, but question swing weight and fitting process. Seems that real life turf/sand interaction would be vitally important to properly fitting wedges.  I worry about fitting with a longer & heavier shaft.  

Edited February 18, 2022 by hangontight

[heavy_hitter]

30 minutes ago, hangontight said:

 

 

QUESTION 2:  How did the wedge fitting go?  I think my son could stand to gain a lot from proper wedges, but question swing weight and fitting process. Seems that real life turf/sand interaction would be vitally important to properly fitting wedges.  I worry about fitting with a longer & heavier shaft.  

100% on this. 

 

I wouldn't worry about the swing weight.  Wedge weights are to help create needed spin for wedge shots.

 

Wedge Fittings are about as important as the come.  Most people just walk up and buy what is on the shelf with no concern of grind or bounce.  The Grind and Bounce are important for the interaction of sand, turf, your swing, and the types of shots being hit.  Finding someone that can actually fit a wedge is the biggest issue you will face.

Edited February 18, 2022 by heavy_hitter

[hangontight]

5 minutes ago, heavy_hitter said:

100% on this. 

 

I wouldn't worry about the swing weight.  Wedge weight are to help create needed spin for wedge shots.

 

Wedge Fittings are about as important as the come.  Most people just walk up and buy what is on the shelf with no concern of grind or bounce.  The Grind and Bounce are important for the interaction of sand, turf, your swing, and the types of shots being hit.  Finding someone that can actually fit a wedge is the biggest issue you will face.

We'll probably make the 3 Hr. drive down to Sea Island this spring, or stop by after Jekyll Island.  I was fitted for irons there a few years ago - cant imagine a better facility or more comprehensive process.    

[heavy_hitter]

9 minutes ago, hangontight said:

We'll probably make the 3 Hr. drive down to Sea Island this spring, or stop by after Jekyll Island.  I was fitted for irons there a few years ago - cant imagine a better facility or more comprehensive process.    

Sea Island is fantastic.

[isgerrior]

The wedge fitting was well worth it too.  The high bounce was based on  his swing and the general conditions that we play in.  He is steep with his AoA.  The high toe was such a difference, with the substantially more groove area, as like most kids he isn't a super consistent striker.  We hit them off of matts and then off the grass.  We brought his TS60's with us and the fitter keep having Ethan go back and forth.  The ball flight was just so much more penetrating with the p790 vs his TS60's.  The flightscope spin numbers were several thousand higher with the hi-toe vs the flynn wedges and ts60 pw that he has.  He would sometimes have a hard time holding greens before, so this should help a lot. We are headed down to Myrtle in April, I'm hoping that they come in before then.  

Edited February 18, 2022 by isgerrior

[heavy_hitter]

13 minutes ago, isgerrior said:

The wedge fitting was well worth it too.  The high bounce was based on  his swing and the general conditions that we play in.  He is steep with his AoA.  The high toe was such a difference, with the substantially more groove area, as like most kids he isn't a super consistent striker.  We hit them off of matts and then off the grass.  We brought his TS60's with us and the fitter keep having Ethan go back and forth.  The ball flight was just so much more penetrating with the p790 vs his TS60's.  The flightscope spin numbers were several thousand higher with the hi-toe vs the flynn wedges and ts60 pw that he has.  He would sometimes have a hard time holding greens before, so this should help a lot. We are headed down to Myrtle in April, I'm hoping that they come in before then.  

 

Spin numbers can deviate from ball to ball.  Our local fitter makes sure we use the same exact ball on the monitor as he plays.

[hangontight]

17 minutes ago, isgerrior said:

The wedge fitting was well worth it too.  The high bounce was based on  his swing and the general conditions that we play in.  He is steep with his AoA.  The high toe was such a difference, with the substantially more groove area, as like most kids he isn't a super consistent striker.  We hit them off of matts and then off the grass.  We brought his TS60's with us and the fitter keep having Ethan go back and forth.  The ball flight was just so much more penetrating with the p790 vs his TS60's.  The flightscope spin numbers were several thousand higher with the hi-toe vs the flynn wedges and ts60 pw that he has.  He would sometimes have a hard time holding greens before, so this should help a lot. We are headed down to Myrtle in April, I'm hoping that they come in before then.  

Good feedback.  Did they have to adjust the lofts on the P790?  As you know, they are strong...not necessarily a bad thing, but in relation to the slower swing speed of a junior curious if they recommended weakening the lofts to get to the right spin numbers. @isgerrior

Edited February 18, 2022 by hangontight

[darter79]

32 minutes ago, hangontight said:

Good feedback.  Did they have to adjust the lofts on the P790?  As you know, they are strong...not necessarily a bad thing, but in relation to the slower swing speed of a junior curious if they recommended weakening the lofts to get to the right spin numbers. @isgerrior

p790 I would advise against for any junior. For a hack they are great for juniors I'd advise against it.  They jump a lot and often and very hard to control distances. Its less about the strong lofts and more about how they are made. A fiend of mine is on junior staff with TM even the rep suggested going 770 over 790. My daughters hit them at a fitting and they were longer but the spin was stupid low. Almost a 1000 under her current set. 

[MB19]

3 minutes ago, darter79 said:

p790 I would advise against for any junior. For a hack they are great for juniors I'd advise against it.  They jump a lot and often and very hard to control distances. Its less about the strong lofts and more about how they are made. A fiend of mine is on junior staff with TM even the rep suggested going 770 over 790. My daughters hit them at a fitting and they were longer but the spin was stupid low. Almost a 1000 under her current set. 

Good info here.

[hangontight]

9 minutes ago, MB19 said:

Good info here.

Interesting experiences.  OP went through a very legit sounding fitting.   One of my sons buddies also play them and I know he went through a proper fitting as well.     We all see a lot of Juniors playing them - which is why it was good to hear the OP came to them the right way.... but you I have to think half of juniors playing them could be out of Popularity.    I guess it shows the importance of getting fit.    

 

@darter79 Whats the scoop on P770's for juniors ?   I have not seen many playing them...are they that much less forgiving?  I have looked at them for the whole loft reason, they are more traditional.

Edited February 18, 2022 by hangontight

[Golfingdawg19]

2 hours ago, hangontight said:

@isgerrior  Thanks for sharing...great insight.  My son is 11 and a touch over 5' tall.   I recently called Sea Island to inquire about fitting and their guidance was that once they hit 60" (5') they have enough suitable length shafts to make it a worthwhile endeavor.  @Golfingdawg19 mentioned womens legnth - from what I've looked up it sounds like "womens standard length" usually equals somewhere around 2" short of "Mens Standard"....which makes the lengths comparable to USKG 60" TS Specs.  Furthermore, you can custom order shafts up to 2" shorter through Taylormade, which tells me we're in the right neighborhood. 

 

We've all seen that the P790's are a popular choice as first adult sets for juniors...good to hear that your fitting showed that. 

 

QUESTION 1 : Did you compare the USKG TS irons (60") in the fitting process?  If so, how did they stack up?  

 

QUESTION 2:  How did the wedge fitting go?  I think my son could stand to gain a lot from proper wedges, but question swing weight and fitting process. Seems that real life turf/sand interaction would be vitally important to properly fitting wedges.  I worry about fitting with a longer & heavier shaft.  

My daughter was playing Cobra F9 irons when she got fitted last February. They didnt have the raspeed heads where we went so I told them to just fit her for whatever was best. Her F9 irons were too short but otherwise the results were similar to the clubs she ended up getting. She got it down to the Ping G425 and the Mizuno Hot Metal Pro Irons and she chose the Mizuno irons. She loves her irons but here we are a year later and she needs new shafts. So it will be time to fit her again. The women's irons are usually an inch short of standard men's irons. We went back later and did a wedge fitting and she went with the Vokey wedges. The fitter told me that Vokey and Cleveland were the two most used wedges on tour for a reason so we worked with both of those before choosing the vokeys. 

[tatertot]

In 8-12 weeks, I hope your 13 year old doesn't outgrow his fitting. 

[isgerrior]

 

really!

[heavy_hitter]

On 2/18/2022 at 1:29 PM, darter79 said:

p790 I would advise against for any junior. For a hack they are great for juniors I'd advise against it.  They jump a lot and often and very hard to control distances. Its less about the strong lofts and more about how they are made. A fiend of mine is on junior staff with TM even the rep suggested going 770 over 790. My daughters hit them at a fitting and they were longer but the spin was stupid low. Almost a 1000 under her current set. 

Not going to disagree on the 790’s.  Not a fan.

[Golfingdawg19]

So I took my daughter for a fitting on Tuesday. We got fitted for woods and hyrbids. She started off with driver and tried all the new cobra driver heads since she has the Cobra Radspeed. Initially the LS version of the LTX was the best option for her. Ball speed was up and so was her carry distance. By the end of the session her current driver (Radspeed with Graphite design shaft) was getting the same numbers and she liked the feel of it better than the new heads. The fairway woods and hybrids went the same way. No real difference with the new stuff so we are keeping our current setup. He did recommend getting a regular flex in the same shaft she had in her fairway woods so that was a quick fix. I went in expecting to see all kinds of change and I didn't see that at all. We had about 20 minutes left so he took a quick look at her irons. She has the Mizuno Hot Metal Pro irons. He loved the heads and watched her hit some 6 irons. Consistency wasnt there and the ball flight was low. He had a demo in the same club and threw an Accra shaft in it. The ball flight immediately went up and her consistency improved as well. So we will go back when we get time and work on getting new shafts for the irons. What I learned is the new technology just isn't that much different than what was out there before. If you already have good equipment at most you are only going to see about 10 yard gains. The most important aspect is the shaft and if that isn't right you will see some poor results. Lucky for me the woods and hybrids were fine, I just need to get new shafts for the irons.