How much does club fitting matter???

[cbrian]

Understand what? you haven't given any facts...just an opinion

 

We will just have to agree to disagree...........

 

What facts, other than first hand experience, can I give?

 

If a person is too tall for their clubs, they have to compensate to reach the ball.. this can come from the setup or a really funky move in the downswing. A person that is too short for his clubs has to stand further away and, again, has to compensate. These compensations lead to inconsistency and a less efficient golf swing.

[OrangeBlood]

My opinion is that club fitting is not needed to play the game of golf, nor will it necessarily make a golf swing more "efficient".

 

As far as length goes...I have found for me, that anything 1/2" or less doesn't make a diff. sure if a person has extremely short arms and needed an extra 1" added then of course he would gain from this. The majority of guys fall into a range, which the club manuf. make their clubs for. These guys will be just fine w/ OTS clubs. It humors me to hear people argue about getting fitted, they go and get one just because they hear that you can't be any good w/o one, and that is a real shame.

 

again just my opinion..you can believe what you want....I'll continue to be on the course hitting good shots w/ my OTS clubs, and not worrying if my lie angle is off 2 deg.

[LowPost42]

My opinion is that club fitting is not needed to play the game of golf, nor will it necessarily make a golf swing more "efficient".

 

Well sheeeeit. Why didn't ya say so inna first place? To simply play, you don't need no fancy sticks. Hell, you don't need to do more than drop a couple C notes at your department store sports department and you can play. If it's golf-club shaped, you can play with it.

 

Just like for baseball, you don't need no fancy gloves - just a stick and some sort of object to hit it with, 4 markers for bases and away you go.

 

Soccer needs nothing more than a ball - same for football. Shoes are optional, really, for all sports.

 

You don't need much to play any sport.

 

But to maximise potential, we have to have gear that suits our game.

 

Sure, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods could use any old piece of equipment and play well. But don't think for a minute that to some degree they're not compensating for it. Don't think they're not more comfortable with gear that fits.

 

 

And as for folks that don't think lie angle matters, please remember that a 48° club that has an erroneous lie angle of 1° will miss the target by 14 feet at 100 yards - all other factors being equal. The more lofted the club, the more severe the miss. But even at 48°, 2° out is a 28 foot miss - 9 yards. If the pin isn't in the middle, that is likely a missed green.

[OrangeBlood]

Maybe one of these days I'll get it done...I would really have to find someone that I trusted.

[Dyno]

http://www.rcga.org/_uploads/documents/Cus...b%20Fitting.pdf

[cbgolf]

Wow, a lot of interesting information/opinions in this thread.

Let me see how you guys feel about this.

My irons"statically fit" and at this stage thats about all i can hit anyway.

I'm a beginner who had three lessons and probably won't have anymore for awhile(have you seen the price of gas?)

I can afford to get one good set of clubs but they have to last awhile(at least 3 years)

I will be going to the range twice a week and my on course time will consist of probably one full round/month and 2-3 rounds/month at a par 3 chip n putt.

 

So ... should i play the rest of this year and learn to play a little or... get fit and get some clubs now. Remember i don't want to buy something now then if i get a little better need to upgrade next year.

[OrangeBlood]

cb, I played with Walmart clubs for 8mths. while taking lessons. If they are comfortable for you, and you don't mind waiting...I would wait.

 

Don't worry about outgrowing clubs, all the manuf. make good clubs. You really can't go wrong with any of them.

[3step]

Your argument that static fitting is somehow superior to a premium dynamic fitting assessment as I have previously described is falling apart as we write-

 

The very company, (PING), that you hold up as the ideal static fitting module is racing to abandon this module. They are the world's largest buyer of the TRACKMAN units, they made quite a large presentation at the PGA Merchandise Show this past January regarding their plans for their new dynamic fitting program.

 

They have been one of the loudest and best promoters of fitted clubs, and they have made use of their static fitting charts for a long time, but they understand that their current module is antiquated and they are working hard for the future, which is dynamic fitting.

 

You can use words like, "in fact...", but it doesn't make it so.

 

Regards, 3

[atlanta golfer]

I believe everyone is providing their honest opinions on this thread but we need to realize that some participants earn at least part of their living by doing club fitting and building.

 

I believe, just like in the financial industry, there is a lot of misundertanding of how club fitters get compensated. That is part of the problem. Is the fee covered in the club purchase, is it a flat fee, is it an hourly fee, etc. I think this needs better disclosure.

 

I think the bigger opportunity for most average and below average golfers is to get good advice about which types and styles of clubs to use. I am constantly amazed by what I see in people's bags - people shooting upper nineties with big slices and they have 3 woods and 3 irons in their bags, 60 degree lob wedges, and putters where the toe is an inch off the ground. You get the idea. If you could get these people into the right loft, lie, length, and flex, and help them select the putter, wedges, irons, hybrids, maybe a fw wood, and the right driver, they would be much better off. This is more a case of a little education, reading, and common sense and does not require anything that fancy or technical. Then buy a series of a half dozen lessons spaced maybe a few weeks apart each. imho only.

[blkdiamond]

I still stand by my opinion that lessons are more important than getting fitted, but I will add a caveat, for the average sized person. This will not hold true for a guy that is 6' 6" tall, but he isn't average, getting longer clubs will definitely help him as he would have to adjust too much to make a proper swing. Now someone who is an average height lessons will be more beneficial in my opinion.

[frozen_rope]

Karsten Solheim's heirs have made numerous changes at PING. many of which disrespect Karsten's core principles.

 

Your argument that static fitting is somehow superior to a premium dynamic fitting assessment as I have previously described is falling apart as we write-

 

The very company, (PING), that you hold up as the ideal static fitting module is racing to abandon this module. They are the world's largest buyer of the TRACKMAN units, they made quite a large presentation at the PGA Merchandise Show this past January regarding their plans for their new dynamic fitting program.

 

They have been one of the loudest and best promoters of fitted clubs, and they have made use of their static fitting charts for a long time, but they understand that their current module is antiquated and they are working hard for the future, which is dynamic fitting.

 

You can use words like, "in fact...", but it doesn't make it so.

 

Regards, 3

[MarkinTN1]

Yeah, and if I was working at walmart selling those clubs I could give him a fifteen minute lesson on my break that he could get more use out of than a $500 lesson package from most pros.

 

Just kidding, my attempt at humor.

[3step]

Rope-

 

I very much understand what you are saying about the subjective nature of a fitter's input- it is certainly NOT a perfect science. But any golfer who solely takes the word of the fitter is asking for a poor fit. The real job of the fitter is to guide the golfer in the fitting process and aid them in choosing the most efficient fit.

 

It only makes sense.

 

It's how musicians choose their instruments.

It's how baseball people choose their bats.

 

And if I am looking for a guitar or the like, I would prefer to have some live help with a knowledgeable guide versus a static chart on the wall.

 

Whether you and I ever agree, the reality is that every major equipment company is developing more interactive programs to match golfers with the right clubs. The future is absolutely coming.

 

Regards, 3