Getting fitted poll

[danscustom]

If your going to play them, they need to fit you and you alone.

[semperfi45]

If your going to play them, they need to fit you and you alone.

I believe it makes some difference, just not sure how much. I still say it's the Indian not the arrow.

[davevandyk]

I believe it makes some difference, just not sure how much. I still say it's the Indian not the arrow.

it is the arrow, not the indian but how good is the indian when he is using a bent arrow? That's what you have if the clubs are not fitted for you. You are using clubs that are not made for you to golf with, they are made to a standard that nobody really is. You will notice a big difference, even if you are shooting 90-100's.

[semperfi45]

it is the arrow, not the indian but how good is the indian when he is using a bent arrow? That's what you have if the clubs are not fitted for you. You are using clubs that are not made for you to golf with, they are made to a standard that nobody really is. You will notice a big difference, even if you are shooting 90-100's.

I am a clubfitter and maker, and I agree it will make a difference. Just not sure how much. Lessons for some would help.

[Chieflongtee]

I believe it makes some difference, just not sure how much. I still say it's the Indian not the arrow.

Of course. Don't you believe an offset closed face driver will help the slicer? Don't you believe that the right lies will require less swing adjustments? Don't you believe that a higher lofted driver will help the slower swing speed and older golfers. Don't you believe that the right flex clubs will also help? I can wear a size 12 shoes and can still walk but not sure I 'd win a race with them

[semperfi45]

Of course. Don't you believe an offset closed face driver will help the slicer? Don't you believe that the right lies will require less swing adjustments? Don't you believe that a higher lofted driver will help the slower swing speed and older golfers. Don't you believe that the right flex clubs will also help? I can wear a size 12 shoes and can still walk but not sure I 'd win a race with them

All that is true, however if he/she doesn't fix the root of the problem (swing plane) they will be right back where they started from, in my opinion. You know what they say about opinions.

[danscustom]

The swing plane error will be a result of ill fitted clubs, as compensations are made on a swing to swing basis.
Get fit - period

[Chieflongtee]

All that is true, however if he/she doesn't fix the root of the problem (swing plane) they will be right back where they started from, in my opinion. You know what they say about opinions.

I respect your opinion but have a few comments. I would say most of us have very little time for a major overhaul. Most except a few only get out 40-50 times a year
from April to November. However we all want to bring our scores down and well. Fitted equipment can help you doing so. Not 10-15 strokes per round but maybe 2 or 3 and more enjoyment by finding the fairways and greens more often.
Here are a few examples;
1) friend of mine has a reverse pivot swing and is a good slicer. With his previous driver he used to have to line up way left to have a chance at the fairway and most times his ball would end up on the right side. Then I found him an offset closed face driver and he has never looked back ever since. I also built him a very good set of very forgiving irons. He has broke 100 6-7 times last year(first time ever) and the game is a lot more fun for him.
2) I had the opportunity to play with a very good player/ball striker recently. He has a very flat swing and a very particuliar set up . He is hitting an 11 degree driver and a 9 degree driver would not fit his swing style although he has the swing speed to play a 9 degree driver. If I were to fit him I would get him weaker lofted irons because of the way he approaches the ball or play irons with a lower centre of gravity to help him getting a little more height in trajectory. However I would not change a thing to his swinging style.
3) There are some irons out there with a spring effect. Very forgiving when hit off centre as the ball will go farther than with a regular iron which means it could help you clear a trap on an off centre hit.
4) Hybrids are very popular for 3 and 4 replacement. Although not fitted it is a form of fitting as most will have a lower shot dispersion.
5) end of rant.

Have a great day.

[semperfi45]

I respect your opinion but have a few comments. I would say most of us have very little time for a major overhaul. Most except a few only get out 40-50 times a year
from April to November. However we all want to bring our scores down and well. Fitted equipment can help you doing so. Not 10-15 strokes per round but maybe 2 or 3 and more enjoyment by finding the fairways and greens more often.
Here are a few examples;
1) friend of mine has a reverse pivot swing and is a good slicer. With his previous driver he used to have to line up way left to have a chance at the fairway and most times his ball would end up on the right side. Then I found him an offset closed face driver and he has never looked back ever since. I also built him a very good set of very forgiving irons. He has broke 100 6-7 times last year(first time ever) and the game is a lot more fun for him.
2) I had the opportunity to play with a very good player/ball striker recently. He has a very flat swing and a very particuliar set up . He is hitting an 11 degree driver and a 9 degree driver would not fit his swing style although he has the swing speed to play a 9 degree driver. If I were to fit him I would get him weaker lofted irons because of the way he approaches the ball or play irons with a lower centre of gravity to help him getting a little more height in trajectory. However I would not change a thing to his swinging style.
3) There are some irons out there with a spring effect. Very forgiving when hit off centre as the ball will go farther than with a regular iron which means it could help you clear a trap on an off centre hit.
4) Hybrids are very popular for 3 and 4 replacement. Although not fitted it is a form of fitting as most will have a lower shot dispersion.
5) end of rant.

Have a great day.

I have agreed with everything you have said, in all your posts. In conclusion I would say,
"Get fit comma get a lesson".

Fun is what a game is all about.
Thanks for your imput!

[Wknd_Warrior]

Hell ya. Chuck Brown has a 12 offset closed face driver regular whippy shaft in their bin for $60 some. . No more service road on number 3 at Champlain. Look out left side here comes weekend warrior

The left side is death there as well, it rolls down across the 5th fairway into the creek or is played by the foursome coming back the other way.

I won't touch a closed driver with a ten foot pole, I played a hand me down one for years and ultimately only managed to hit it reliably by playing a huge "power slice". I think I've gotten over the right side now that I'm playing a rational driver, I had rounds where I racked up 10-20 strokes just off the tee alone last summer. Look ut #3. That is my nemisis hole btw lol, sooo many good starts went down the tubes on that hole.

[Chieflongtee]

The left side is death there as well, it rolls down across the 5th fairway into the creek or is played by the foursome coming back the other way.

I won't touch a closed driver with a ten foot pole, I played a hand me down one for years and ultimately only managed to hit it reliably by playing a huge "power slice". I think I've gotten over the right side now that I'm playing a rational driver, I had rounds where I racked up 10-20 strokes just off the tee alone last summer. Look ut #3. That is my nemisis hole btw lol, sooo many good starts went down the tubes on that hole.

5 wood.5 wood. 9 iron. On in 3.

[Chieflongtee]

Take a look at this pic. While the golfer makes center face contact he hits it too high on the club face. 3 options:
1) lessons
2) less loft on the driver
3 A driver with less roll

[semperfi45]

Take a look at this pic. While the golfer makes center face contact he hits it too high on the club face. 3 options:
1) lessons
2) less loft on the driver
3 A driver with less roll

How high does he tee it up?

[Chieflongtee]

How high does he tee it up?

I know. I should have added that option.

[jonf]

The way I look at it, getting fitted is the easy way out. No doubt, when you have a solid swing it will be beneficial to get fitted. No doubt it will "help" (at least as far as scores go) to get fitted if you do not have a solid swing. But, as semperfi45 has said, changing the loft or closing the face on a driver will not fix the root problem, which is a bad swing. Yes, some might have bad swings because their clubs are not fitted properly, but most have bad swings because they have bad swings. People have been able to swing golf clubs properly for years, without the benefit of a fitting. It's about having the time and patience and dedication to fix the problems with your swing. That's the entire point of this game - improving your play, not your clubs. If you want a quick fix, by all means, go and get a closed face driver. Personally, I'd much rather improve my golf swing. Its a lot more rewarding to hit the centre of the fairway because of my own skill and hard work than it is to take a shortcut and rely on the clubs to do the work for me.

[Chieflongtee]

The way I look at it, getting fitted is the easy way out. No doubt, when you have a solid swing it will be beneficial to get fitted. No doubt it will "help" (at least as far as scores go) to get fitted if you do not have a solid swing. But, as semperfi45 has said, changing the loft or closing the face on a driver will not fix the root problem, which is a bad swing. Yes, some might have bad swings because their clubs are not fitted properly, but most have bad swings because they have bad swings. People have been able to swing golf clubs properly for years, without the benefit of a fitting. It's about having the time and patience and dedication to fix the problems with your swing. That's the entire point of this game - improving your play, not your clubs. If you want a quick fix, by all means, go and get a closed face driver. Personally, I'd much rather improve my golf swing. Its a lot more rewarding to hit the centre of the fairway because of my own skill and hard work than it is to take a shortcut and rely on the clubs to do the work for me.

True in a way providing your driver and fairway wood faces are square to begin with. Also true if the stamped lofts are also what they are supposed to be. Wrong if you have the wrong lies. Also wrong if you are playing with the wrong flex. And at last do not believe that Joe on the pro tour does not get fitted.(They go through more changes than you are lead to believe yet they have very sound swings)

[jonf]

True in a way providing your driver and fairway wood faces are square to begin with. Also true if the stamped lofts are also what they are supposed to be. Wrong if you have the wrong lies. Also wrong if you are playing with the wrong flex. And at last do not believe that Joe on the pro tour does not get fitted.(They go through more changes than you are lead to believe yet they have very sound swings)

This is an honest question, because I do not know. Did Snead and Hogan and Nicklaus and Palmer etc. have the benefit of fittings, different shafts etc?

No doubt people with good swings can benefit from fittings, I just think there is a danger that amateurs will expect their clubs to fix their problems for them,when they should really be relying on fixing their swing flaws.

[Chieflongtee]

This is an honest question, because I do not know. Did Snead and Hogan and Nicklaus and Palmer etc. have the benefit of fittings, different shafts etc?

No doubt people with good swings can benefit from fittings, I just think there is a danger that amateurs will expect their clubs to fix their problems for them,when they should really be relying on fixing their swing flaws.

Back in 1940 Bobby Jones had some work done by spalding with the help of John Baymiller.(
These photos were taken inthe 1940's.
http://www.clubmaker-online.com/bj01.html

Quote from Bernie Baymiller:

Spalding was the largest manufacturer of golf clubs and other sports equipment in the world at that time and had some of the best technical people in the country for assistance when they needed them. For instance, Edgerton of MIT (later, President of EG&G) and his staff worked with Spalding to do the first ultra high speed photography (to 1/600,000th of a second) of the golf swing. (About 1938-1939.) If you check the Clubmaker Online Resource page, you'll see some of that photography in the pics of Bobby Jones's swing. Check the last photo, which is 8 shots of ball impact in four thousandths of a second. Bobby Jones worked with John Baymiller developing a full line of irons and woods for Spalding at the time Edgerton was doing the experimental photography. Spalding also developed a machine to convert the photo information to graphs of acceleration and speed. End of quote.



But that is not the point. This article sums it up best:


FIT THE CLUBS…OR FIX THE SWING?
At Larry Gibson's shop in Texas, instruction and club fitting go hand-in-hand

By JIM HARDY, PGA
DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION,
CUSTOM CLUBS BY LARRY GIBSON

"Should I get fitted for clubs or just take a lesson?" It's a question Master Club Fitter Larry Gibson and I hear a lot from golfers looking to turn their games around. Our typical answer is, "both."

It's not an upselling technique. I believe one reason Larry was named one of the World's Top 100 Club Fitters is his philosophy of looking at the golfer and his equipment as a whole: Clubs that don't fit are just as damaging as a swing flaw, and very often, one is caused by the other. So a typical fitting will usually involve some instruction, and vice-versa. Sometimes, of course, that's impossible. If somebody comes in who can't make contact with the ball, we won't fit them. Delivering the clubhead to the ball has to be a given before custom fitted clubs are relevant.

The most common scenario, however, is that a customer comes in for a fitting with a couple of swing glitches that prevent him from getting optimal results. In that case, we fix the fault, then fit the clubs based on the corrected swing. That way, the new clubs reinforce good habits instead of bad.

A good example is an overly steep angle of attack. We see it frequently: the golfer delivers the club to the ball with a choppy motion that sticks the toe of the club in the ground and leaves the heel in the air. The end result: a lot of fat shots and slices.

Put that same golfer on a lie board, and the impact marks would tell us to build his clubs an extra few degrees upright. But we wouldn't be doing him any favors. His swing flaw would still have him struggling to make solid contact, not to mention fighting for distance and accuracy.

The good news is, it's a relatively simple fix. By focusing on the action of the right palm during the swing, we can get the golfer to swing more around his body and deliver the club to the ball on a shallower, inside path. (see the photos below for a detailed explanation).

For most golfers, it takes a few swings to get a feel for this new move. Then we can fit them, knowing their new clubs will be built to help them play better, not cover up their mistakes. And in our minds, that's what custom fitting is all about.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[jonf]

See, that is smart. Fix he swing first, then fix the clubs. The impression I get, however, is that this system is the exception (that is the problem, in my mind). But I certainly agree with their method of fixing the swing flaws before fixing the clubs.

[bobbyc]

Fer sure been fitted !! sold on it !!! made it easier to work on my swing and what i was doing wrong .. the clubs are mainly out of the equation .. went from 30 to 12 handicap in just a couple of seasons .. working on keeping in the 70's now ... now it is fun learning to play a draw/fade when i need it, knowing that it is in my grip and foot placement ... hitting the fairway off the tee everytime ... knowing i must play steel shafts on my woods but can play graphite if i choose on my irons ... gripping/swinging each club the same way ... with the clubs fitted for you it makes learning/trying the rest of the game easier and more fun ... when i screw up a shot now i wonder what i did wrong !! i don't blame the clubs !! i have played custom clubs for roughly 10-12 years now and when i swing a non-fitted off the shelf brand name it feels so strange and uncomfortable...(in my pocketbook too)...shaftflex,grip size,loft/lie adjustment,swingspeed,shaftlength .. it all comes together as an extension to your arm !!
(my 2cents worth)

[bNeill]

I got fit for new iron shafts at Artizan Golf and gained 20+ yards on each iron, everything is going much straighter too. Definitely worth the money.

[semperfi45]

What shafts did Don install? What is the 5i length? What is your handicap?

I got fit for new iron shafts at Artizan Golf and gained 20+ yards on each iron, everything is going much straighter too. Definitely worth the money.

[bNeill]

This is the link to the shafts he installed http://www.kbshafts.com/kb_vlaunch.php

The length is 1" above standard, so probably 38.75" or so.

And my handicap is about 1

[Chieflongtee]

I got fit for new iron shafts at Artizan Golf and gained 20+ yards on each iron, everything is going much straighter too. Definitely worth the money.

You can rename me Doubting Thomas if you please but I need to ask you a few questions. Did the fitting help straighten ball flight and were your lofts strengthened? Were you balloooning the ball with your previous shafts. Were the lies off?I simply can't see a 20+ yards on each iron especially that KB shafts are not light weight shafts.

[semperfi45]

Did he single frequency match your set? Did you get new heads also?
www.swingsyncgolf.ca

This is the link to the shafts he installed http://www.kbshafts.com/kb_vlaunch.php

The length is 1" above standard, so probably 38.75" or so.

And my handicap is about 1

[downhillslider]

I got fit for new iron shafts at Artizan Golf and gained 20+ yards on each iron, everything is going much straighter too. Definitely worth the money.

Scientifically impossible that a change in shafts alone will produce 20+ extra yrds. Sounds like more than a shaft change was performed here. Still, 20 yrds. !!!!!

[big mac]

Good grief---now I'm really confused Lots of good points--just goes to prove that this idea of hitting a little ball with a long stick is a lot more complicated than it looks. It sounds to me that one must be consistant with what he or she is doing before they are fitted. What is the use of being fitted if everytime you swing your club it's different.

I do like the point that maybe in the beginning the shaft may be to soft or too stiff

Also with all the hype about balls ---it has been said that high performance balls are not for us mere mortals---I tend to agree. The most expensive ball I have hit with consistancy is the Tietilist SoLo---but they are hard to find on the course

Going out for a solo round to think

[Smoothie]

I really worked on my swing over the winter and have a much better understanding of my swing. I feel I'm a lot more consistent now.

I'm getting fitted for my irons and putter this week at Artisan Golf.

For my driver, I feel I'm hitting it too low now. Its a 9.5" TM r7 460 in stiff. Should I jump on the launch monitor with it, or get my new driver, likely a Burner. From the results using my current driver, would I be able to determine what loft and shaft to get for other drivers?

[jvincent]

Using your current driver is just a starting point.

Don will have several test drivers with different shafts in them. Based on that, and the fact that he knows the actual loft of the drivers he would be able to make a recommendation by looking at the launch data.

[semperfi45]

I agree, especially if the person has a one handicap.

Scientifically impossible that a change in shafts alone will produce 20+ extra yrds. Sounds like more than a shaft change was performed here. Still, 20 yrds. !!!!!