I think getting lie angles correct is perhaps the most important thing, and you should have an evaluation every few years. Many times, you don’t need new irons, you just need a lie angle adjustment.
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A good fitter will sometimes build you a demo club that you can try outside on the range or at the course. Doing an indoor fitting is valuable thought because there are so many variables you can control, and they have access to tons of head/shaft combinations.
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Golf galaxy will measure and adjust for $10 a club… it’s worth doing if you haven’t had it done. They will check both lie and loft.
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For irons, how important are the custom shafts?
This is a pretty significant cost increase, and for a mid-capper I feel like the gains in ball striking I am looking for are more about skill development than super specific shaft specs
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Getting the right shaft profile is very important. Can a “stock” shaft get the job done? Absolutely
You really have to trust the person you work with is giving you the right advice. You don’t always need to best shaft available, but in certain instances they can provide a benefit.
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Exactly right - I asked at my last fitting when I had fit into a “stock” shaft if there was any reason to look into other shafts. Fitter said we could try hard to find something else, but there wasn’t going to be a significant incremental benefit for both cost of the shaft and the performance it would provide
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Are you looking for any significant changes to ball flight, launch or spin?
Depending on the company, there are usually enough stock shafts to find a fit with no upcharge. If you are looking for an extra stiff, light graphite shaft, you will end up paying more.
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That’s correct. Often players will need specific shafts to address their swing characteristics. I put a lot of “load” on the shaft (more important than swing speed for shaft flex) - so I need very stiff iron shafts. So I was willing to invest in the Nippon Modus tour shafts which accomodate my swing.
No specific ball flight changes. Just want to play correct length and lie and fine an iron head that I like to look at / has some forgiveness.
I am playing hand me down callaway xhot pros which are now 7 years old. I assume just getting clubs with the advances in technology since 2013 is going to make a big difference.
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What about fitting for a putter. Any recommendations on that process? Is length the most important factor. I’m thinking of finally getting a Scotty and want to make sure I do it right.
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We have our first Scotty post!!! (just kidding with you)
Putting fittings are very important. Length, lie, loft, grip type, head are all things that can be dialed in to give you the best chance of controlling your speed and start line.
One piece of advice, don’t go in wanting to buy a Scotty. There are plenty of other putters that might be better suited for your game. They are wonderful putters, but not always the best solution 
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Just find a stick shaft you like the feel of and gives you decent numbers with (dispersion, spin and launch) and you will be fine.
In terms of iron technology, it’s actually somewhat of a mixed bag. I’m perfectly happy with my 2012 irons… Adams cmb. They are multi material, forgiving and feel great… I could easily add 10 yards with new irons, but hitting a 7 iron 200 yards isn’t much use to me.
That’s not to say I can find other improvements with different irons… it’s just not a priority for me right now.
It’s always worth trying new things, but you certainly don’t have to buy a new set of irons if the old ones are working… though if they need to be reshafted it will be cheaper to buy new.
My cousin swears his edel fitting was the most informative thing he’s ever done in regards to golf equipment…
He doesn’t play that edel anymore, but uses the info when he buys new putters.
He’s playing a LAB blad right now… (I’m very interesting in them, but can’t demo one around here)
The right shafts, IMO, are incredibly important. Especially in irons. These are supposed to be your approach clubs that get you close to the hole. You can get by with stock shafts, but with custom fit you can really dial in and KNOW if executed correctly your ball is going where you want it to.
I went through an Edel fitting and gamed an E-1 for four years. It’s an amazing process and their putters are worth the cost.
Like many other things in life, though, you can fall out of love with a seemingly perfect putter.
I went through a complete set fitting at True Spec Golf. It s quite expensive (about $3,000 for a full set of clubs) but I learned a lot about my swing and the new clubs perform great. The only negative is that now that I’ve spent all of that money on my clubs I am very hesitant to change clubs. I use to enjoy going to demo days each year and trying out all of the new clubs.
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Custom fit doesn’t necessarily mean more expensive, though…
I think this is where club fitting gets confusing…
There are stock shafts, if you buy a set of clubs and don’t ask for any change, you’ll get the “stock” shaft… traditionally the true tempers, but that has changed… everything in this set will be standard. Lie, length and loft.
If you get fit, you can order “no upcharge” shafts… this covers the lion share of shafts… c tapers, project x… plenty of options available without adding cost… at this stage in a fitting you can also have them tweak lies and lifts…
Full, custom fitting… this is the level of service a place like club champion sells… they fit you in the right shaft, order the heads from the manufacturer and the shafts from shaft company and build them to your specs… you can go down a rabbit hole here. Pouring, frequency matching, moi matching… its a true “custom” set built exactly for you…
Personally, I think it’s overkill for most golfers… there a plenty of options at the first level of fittings and unless you are chasing something specific or have an unlimited budget, it’s a waste of money better spent elsewhere.
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I completely agree. The process and cost of fully custom from somewhere like Club Champion is definitely not for everybody. While I’m a believer in what they do, I have advised friends and family to consider other options that will suit their level of play better.
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.