But they will do fittings, including adjusting your current lie angle, for a much smaller fee than purchasing all custom clubs, right?
One of my dreams in life is to become independently wealthy and get bags fit by top ranked fitters, OEMs, and smaller companies like Wishon and Sub70… just have like 20 bags of clubs “built perfectly” for me, and see how much variance there is between the builds. It hasn’t happened yet!
Club Champion and similar businesses (Cool Clubs, et al) definitely have some value and are worth the money if you are serious about your game and it doesn’t constrain your budget.
A “regular” fitting should still get you into the right shaft for your swing, and I’ve heard wonderful things about the Mizuno Shaft Optimizer. I’m planning on trying one out sometime this fall and seeing what it spits out for me.
Barney Adams once spoke about how he will only hit a club three times before putting it down, because his body will adjust to the differences… I always found that interesting.
I think it’s important to find a good fitter, get into clubs you are confident with and make sure things like lie and length are right… but I also think once you pull the trigger, you need to be confident that you will adjust to the clubs as well and you will mold to them as well.
Yes, you can get clubs you already own adjusted for a nominal fee… they can even change the length (in both directions) without reshafting them. Finding the right length and lie will fundamentally improve your game… Golf Galaxy did mine for $10 a club. For $50 it was worth it…
If you want to buy NEW clubs, you can get all that done, plus different shaft options at the same cost as a new set, assuming you don’t want a super premium shaft in your clubs.
That’s what a basic fitting is, more than anything, finding the right shaft, length and lie for you and putting them into whatever head you happen to want. A good basic fitting is usually included in the cost of new clubs (or you can pay for the fitting and order the clubs with your specs elsewhere), but that’s not always the case.
If you have a local golf store near you, I highly recommend going in and just talking to them about getting fit. See what options they have, get their pricing and see if you are comfortable with the fitter. Go when they aren’t busy, and make sure they take time to answer questions and want to help you.
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For anyone in Northern Virginia, the pro who gave me a good fitting and good deal is Chuck Will of Chuck Will Golf Academy in Sterling, VA.
Not a salesman, just a teaching pro trying to help you get the most from your game. I may be missing a brand, but the focus ion Taylor Made, Ping, Mizuno and one other one - maybe Cleveland or Calloway.
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I guess it depends on where you get fitted. I was fitted a year or so ago for my irons and the place i went to put the fee towards the clubs. But yet this season i was just fitted at club Champion for a putter and it was totally different. You paid for your putter on top of the fee they charged. So again i guess it is all according to where you get fitted. And yes i do agree, fitting is the way to go if you want to get more serious and enjoy the game.
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I wrote this review recently for Custom Lab Golf in Hertfordshire, UK as I am an enthusiastic convert to the church of custom fitting. Short version; ended up with a Mizuno ST200G- hit a 327yd Drive on it’s second outing where I’d rarely hit above 250yds before.
Visited Custom Lab Golf for the second time recently as I set out to get my whole bag fitted over time as budget allows. The experience, quality, customer care, and most importantly the outcome are exceptional. Got fitted for wedges last year with Gav. What a great experience. The difference in feel with slight tweaks like a lighter shaft blew me away. After the fitting I won my first competition at Chesfield. The recent visit was a driver fitting with Ross Walker. I wish I’d booked in sooner. I had nagging doubts - “it’s not the driver, I just need to learn how to hit it” and struggled with erratic slicing for years. NO! It was the driver. On arrival I was struggling to carry 200yds and my stats were all over the place. By the end of the session I was hitting 260yds, straight! Ross knows his stuff. Little adjustments here and there with my technique as went through different equipment options, weight shift, release, tips on commitment all added to the value I got from the session. On my next round at Chesfield, I shot 39pts finishing 4th in a stableford comp and had my handicap cut from 20.7 to 19.4. Got my next appointment booked in already. Highly recommended. If only Ross did coaching…
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Thanks Craigers! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. I hope you’re getting a chance to play some golf!
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Good point. I fit some very elite junior and collegiate players. I only get about 3-5 swings with something that are good indicators. After that they’ll start adjusting to the club and we can quickly wind up in the weeds.
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I’ve always considered myself a good putter. When I finally went through a putter fitting I adjusted my current putter 3 degrees upright and added 2.5 degrees of loft. It made a huge difference especially on putts that are hit slightly off center. Just because you’re already good at something doesn’t mean fitting can’t help you be better!
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So true. I did a putter fitting and after the fitting I walked out with the least expensive option. It’s what felt the best. I told the fitter, I do t want to know the prices of any of them because I don’t want to make a decision based on price. Funny because you see a club that everyone is using and you’re like, yes, that one. Then it doesn’t feel right and is the most expensive. I left feeling like I won the lotto.
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Glad you are here! I was supposed to see Tyler on Monday for a putter fitting, but instead got a back MRI… please apologize to him! I should be on the road to recovery and I’ll be in next season for us to finally build a bag.
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Not that Greg needs any bonafides, but I have worked with him and he’s great. I literally name checked him before he was in this thread.
If you are anywhere near Louisville, hit him up for a fitting. Golf Headquarters is also just an awesome store. They have 4 trackman hitting bays and great staff… The owner is usually out on the floor helping people or fronting merchandise.
When you talk about a “good fitter” Golf Headquarters is the type of place they thrive.
I’m also happy to host a round at Hunting Creek.
Welcome to the forum, Greg!
Great info here. I had one question in regards to purchasing a set of custom irons. Is the price per club the same if you purchase 3 clubs vs if you purchase 7 clubs? Wasn’t sure if a full set of one Brand/Model would be slightly less per club than breaking up a set into 2 different models. Ex. long irons AP2 and mid irons AP3.
I can only share my experience. But when I purchased my fitted Ping irons, I was given 8 clubs at a standard price for a set. I got 5 - SW, plus a Gap/utility wedge. I could have gotten a LW instead of Utility, for example, or a 3 iron instead of . . .
Hope this helps.
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Depends on brand and store…
I bought a single pitching wedge at the “set price” from mizuno…
This is a great post. I’m at the point where I believe I need a club fitting. I take regular lessons and practice daily so I am invested. How do you find a good club fitter that you can trust? I only know of a couple of guys that have been fitted and both of them were wishy washy on their opinions of the club fitters. Sure I can read reviews but people writing google reviews aren’t experts in club fitting, so while they may have had a positive experience and the fitter might be a “great guy” what guarantees they were properly fit? Is there a series of questions, is there a process that can be described so I can determine if what is being done is correct? I am worried about two things, 1.) just getting ripped off and upsold on things I don’t need, 2.) being improperly fitted
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Good point with the lessons, I’ve decided to wait until sping before I get fitted as I want to get a bit stronger in the gym over winter. Hopefully by early next year I’ll be swinging a little faster with good consistancy.
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It’s best to get fit after you make any big swing/body changes!
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Where are you? Someone here probably has been to a fitter close by!
Finding a good fitter is definitely a challenge… I talked with my fitter @greg_g before committing to a real fitting. He was happy to just talk to me about basics, what he would look for and what the process would be…
I haven’t had the resources to commit to a full fitting, but I’ll definitely be back to him when I do!