Should I get fit now or wait a couple of months while making some swing changes?

[Tonic]

I’m a 12-15 handicap with goals of getting down to the single digits. I’m 6’5 but have never been fit for clubs from start to finish, only length & lie and got my current clubs adjusted. They are Mizuno JPX 825 Pro w/ KNS Tour shafts and +1” and 2deg upright. 

 

I’m an upper body dominant athlete and currently am working on better engaging my lower body as well as adding/maintaining spine tilt instead of early extending, tilting towards the target, and casting the club. Leads to a two-way miss and inconsistent contact. 
 

My swing has already improved in the past couple of weeks since working with a local pro and I will continue to work on it and take lessons with him. I am just shooting for a more consistent swing and ideally a one-way miss, not a perfect scratch or tour level swing. I can usually play or practice a few times per week but can’t grind at the range every single day, so I understand my goals and limitations.

 

However, I really want to fully get fit and purchase new woods and irons. And I want to do so sooner rather than later so that I can use them as much as possible this year and fully enjoy them because I may not have as much time to play in future years (and this is a bit of a bucket list item). But I also worry that as I continue to improve my swing, that my “final” swing in the coming months wouldn’t be as good of a fit with my new clubs.

 

So, will my swing change drastically enough that fitted clubs will be a noticeably bad fit for me in the end? Or no?

 

FWIW here’s a video of my swing with me focusing on getting to my left side sooner and more drastically (but still not enough haha).

[xkilgorextroutx]

At your height I say get fit now. Your swing isn't going to change that massively between a fitting and the end of a series of lessons that you're going to have issues with your new clubs. 

[ShortGolfer]

Tell the fitter that you are changing  your swing.  Buy a minimalist half set of clubs.  Higher lofted clubs that are easier to play. 

Maybe driver, 5W, and a couple of irons.

Play 9 holes to reduce the strain on your body but walk for the exercise and conditioning.

 

 

Edited June 3 by ShortGolfer

[Adam B]

Play what you like. Your future swing isn’t going to magically make your fitted clubs obsolete. 

[jgallant415]

Get fit now. The right profile shaft for you won’t necessarily change all that much even with swing improvements. I’m still in the same driver shaft and iron shaft profile I was fit to 5 years ago even with an added 8-10 mph of club head speed, a more neutral club path, and a shallower AoA. I played 1 flat as a 23 handicap and now 10 shots lower I still play… 1 flat. I would probably lean towards getting woods with some level of adjustability so you can tweak on the margin if needed. But definitely don’t worry about the right fit completely changing between now and the end of the summer. 

[North Butte]

If your swing is really changing in a fundamental way, I think spending money on a fitting and a bunch of money on custom clubs while everything is in flux has about a 99% chance of ending in disappointment. Also, the whole fitting process will be a distraction right when you're starting to make progress on your swing.

 

Ask your swing coach if there's anything about your current clubs that is seriously impacting your ability to make the changes he or she suggests. If not, wait until your swing is no longer so much a moving target.

 

Alternatively, go ahead and fulfill your "bucket list" desire to drop a few thousand dollars on clubs. Just prepare yourself ahead of time for the very real possibility that you end up with a very expensive set of clubs that no longer seem so perfect a year down the road.

 

I'm being honest and not trying to insult you or anything like that but it sounds like you're just really enthusiastic and getting ahead of yourself by wanting to get everything all at once. I say that because I've been exactly the same way at times myself and it has always ended in tears (OK, not really but it never works out satisfactorily). 

Edited June 3 by North Butte

[Jmccas]

Anybody that says don’t wait or do it now is probably just 6’5” and hoping there will be a relatively new set on BST soon. 
 

Seriously though, ask your pro. They’ll be able to tell if you need to wait or if it is ok to get fit. 

[Tonic]

Thanks for the info so far everyone. I have chatted with my pro about this and he is fine with me doing either one. We did a quick test with the Mizuno shaft optimizer and I still landed on KBS Tour surprisingly enough but he thinks a piece of that can be that’s what I and my swing are used to hitting. 

I wonder if the KBS Tour shaft is too heavy for me and adds to my casting/flipping/scooping issue. I know it’s more me and my swing, but still. 

 

Another reason for me wanting to get fit sooner rather than later is I’m going to be gone for most of the 2nd half of June and I’m hearing 5-7+ weeks of lead time from manufacturers, especially Mizuno (which is what I’ll probably go with due to their variety of clubhead options and free grip/shaft upgrades). So even if I get fit tomorrow I’m looking at mid-end of July. Whereas if I wait until July or August to get fit, I’d barely get to use them the rest of this season before the cold hits in October. 

[Jeff58]

The beauty of working with a coach/instructor is that they are in an excellent position to determine whether your swing mechanics are adequate and adequately stable to make equipment changes.

Edited June 3 by Jeff58

[cgasucks]

I can see from this position that you threw away any lag and flipping at impact.  I don't think you are ready for a tour level fitting session.  Just work on your swing with the clubs you have.  Your swing isn't bad but has so much room for improvement and potential.

[Tonic]

48 minutes ago, cgasucks said:

I can see from this position that you threw away any lag and flipping at impact.  I don't think you are ready for a tour level fitting session.  Just work on your swing with the clubs you have.  Your swing isn't bad but has so much room for improvement and potential.

Thanks for the feedback! This is one of the things I’m working on fixing along with my early extension and spine tilt (although all are related in ways) by engaging my lower body earlier and better. It’s hard to get used to starting getting to my left side at the end of my backswing instead at the beginning of my downswing but I’m working on it and it feels amazing when I do it more properly!

[Pepperturbo]

13 hours ago, Tonic said:

m a 12-15 handicap with goals of getting down to the single digits. I’m 6’5 but have never been fit for clubs from start to finish, only length & lie and got my current clubs adjusted. They are Mizuno JPX 825 Pro w/ KNS Tour shafts and +1” and 2deg upright. 

 

I’m an upper body dominant athlete and currently am working on better engaging my lower body as well as adding/maintaining spine tilt instead of early extending, tilting towards the target, and casting the club. Leads to a two-way miss and inconsistent contact. 
 

My swing has already improved in the past couple of weeks since working with a local pro and I will continue to work on it and take lessons with him. I am just shooting for a more consistent swing and ideally a one-way miss, not a perfect scratch or tour level swing. I can usually play or practice a few times per week but can’t grind at the range every single day, so I understand my goals and limitations.

 

However, I really want to fully get fit and purchase new woods and irons. And I want to do so sooner rather than later so that I can use them as much as possible this year and fully enjoy them because I may not have as much time to play in future years (and this is a bit of a bucket list item). But I also worry that as I continue to improve my swing, that my “final” swing in the coming months wouldn’t be as good of a fit with my new clubs.

 

So, will my swing change drastically enough that fitted clubs will be a noticeably bad fit for me in the end? Or no?

 

FWIW here’s a video of my swing with me focusing on getting to my left side sooner and more drastically (but still not enough haha).

I, too am an upper body dominate guy, hitter as opposed to swinger.  Not advised to be a hitter.  Being a swinger with lower body strength is the best goal.  If your clubs are currently doing the job, be patient with the learning process.  Wait till you have a more consistent swing, ball and distance control.  No such thing as a final swing.  It's a never ending learning process.  New clubs will fit to you nicely, but it's best to work towards that.  IMO now, you might not be able to benefit nearly as much as later when your game is jelling. 

Edited June 3 by Pepperturbo

[cgasucks]

1 hour ago, Tonic said:

Thanks for the feedback! This is one of the things I’m working on fixing along with my early extension and spine tilt (although all are related in ways) by engaging my lower body earlier and better. It’s hard to get used to starting getting to my left side at the end of my backswing instead at the beginning of my downswing but I’m working on it and it feels amazing when I do it more properly!

 

You said yourself that you are 6'5" so with that wide of an arc, you can hit the ball very very far if you swing it right.  Just keep working on it and you'll deserve a fitting in the future.

[JLo_73]

Your swing looks pretty good for a 15 handicap.    I think it's a blend of both options.   Sounds like you are making some good progress with your instructor so maybe give it a few more weeks to see if you work out any other kinks.  That being said, as a fellow tall golfer, getting fit is really helpful.   I'm in the process myself of fine tuning my club length/SW/grip and most of what I'm reacting to is a few tweaks from work i'm doing with my instructor.  It's a fun process to combine the two and see the progress.  Just be realistic based on time you can spend.  Good luck!

[North Butte]

If you do decide to go forward with a fitting and a new set of clubs immediately, just stick to finding the correct custom specs on a set ordered from Mizuno with the no-charge options.

 

It's one thing to buy a set of clubs with the possibility that they might not suit you a year down the road due to swing evolution. You might end up selling them and getting something different. In that case you'd lose a few hundred dollars if you had to make a change.

 

It's quite another thing to let a fitting place talk you into spending twice the normal retail price (or more) on a bunch of upcharge options, ending up with a set you'd lose thousands on if it doesn't work out. And also, I'd advise not getting tempted into a bunch of high-$$$ upgrades with a fitter's promise that they can re-do them with different shafts some time down the road, that's just hundreds or thousands more.

[Tonic]

Thanks everyone! Yeah I’d very likely end up going Mizuno for irons due to their variety of grip and shaft options at no upcharge. Most likely the 923 Forged or Hot Metal Pro. Not as sure on the woods honestly but either Mizuno or something with similar no upcharge options. I already have a couple of S23 wedges and M-Craft II putter on the way so looking forward to getting those and being in Mizuno for irons, wedges and putter. 

Edited June 4 by Tonic