When Should I Get Fitted For New Clubs?

[moptop]

I'm trying to make some swing changes like getting rid of my early extension and I was also planning on getting fitted at Club Champion for new clubs this year.  I'm just concerned that as my swing continues to evolve that my newly fitted clubs won't fit so well anymore.  My clubs are currently a hodgpodge and I've never been properly fit.  I would say my driver is about 8 years old (Taylormade SLDR), irons 7 years old, 3 wood 2 years old, wedges are a mix.  Putter 10+ yrs old odessy white hot.  

 

 

[GSDriver]

As my fitter said (he's worked with several PGA/LPGA pros including a few major champs) said.... "I can fit clubs to an improper swing, but they won't fit anymore once swing is fixed"

[moptop]

At what point is my swing good enough to get fitted though?  

[Club Champion]

2 hours ago, moptop said:

I'm trying to make some swing changes like getting rid of my early extension and I was also planning on getting fitted at Club Champion for new clubs this year.  I'm just concerned that as my swing continues to evolve that my newly fitted clubs won't fit so well anymore.  My clubs are currently a hodgpodge and I've never been properly fit.  I would say my driver is about 8 years old (Taylormade SLDR), irons 7 years old, 3 wood 2 years old, wedges are a mix.  Putter 10+ yrs old odessy white hot.  

 

 

As long as you have a consistent swing, you can absolutely be fitted! If you're taking lessons with poorly fitted equipment, that equipment will hinder your progress because it is working against your body. Plus, fitted clubs can be adjusted over time, and clubs built by us can have their lofts and lies adjusted for free. We hope to see you in for a fitting soon!

[mark m]

It's a question asked many times and not easily answered. It just depends on where you are at and what your goals are. If you are among the large percentage of those who fit in the middle in terms of height, weight, swing speed, etc - it is likely an off-the-rack set will suffice until you are ready for a fitting. Try this - go to the range, warm up, and then take your 7i and hit 10 shots at a target/flag. Lay down clubs if you want to help your alignment. What are the results? Are your divots in line? Did the ball start and stay at the target? Was the ball flight similar on many/most? The CC dude mentioned consistency. You will need to perform for the fitter and it can be difficult if it's inside hitting into a net. Keep that in mind. Good luck.

[hoselpalooza]

my personal opinion is that shafts can be more important than club heads, so maybe you should at least find out if you're using the right shafts. e.g. if your tempo or swing speed is ill-suited for your current shafts it will be difficult to control ball flight, especially when you get excited on the course.

 

you could always pay the $150 or whatever it is for a fitting to find out what equipment is ideal for you (without any pressure to buy), and then look around on ebay (etc.) for something new to you but a lot less expensive than brand new.

[CasualLie]

Get fit now.  And when you drop your index by 10, celebrate by getting fit again.

[Blackett]

I thought the same thing until I went and got fit. Turns out I needed ask her shaft and I was playing the wrong sized grips.  I was able to get my shafts replaced in my irons and driver and went out and played and practiced etc.. it takes a long time to make changes to swings and most of us are constantly working on one thing or another.  With properly fit clubs you know can remove one of the many variables as you work on the swing 

[Stuart_G]

20 hours ago, moptop said:

  I'm just concerned that as my swing continues to evolve that my newly fitted clubs won't fit so well anymore. 

 

It's a very common concern but one that's rarely valid.    In general, the better the mechanics, the more tolerant the player tends to be to variations in the equipment specs.  So the fit of the clubs tends to be more important for the mid to high handicappers.

 

But if you want to look at the details, this is my take on the effect of improving your swing might have on the fit of the clubs.

 

Improving your swing will rarely have any effect on:

1) what grip size is a good fit

2) what playing length is a good fit

3) what shaft weight

4) what swing weight is a good fit.

5) how well a certain selected head model will work

 

And those first 4 things are the things that typically cause the most problems if they are a poor fit - at any level of play.

 

 

Now on the other hand

 

What might change is:

1) lie angle - if posture improves, the fit of the lie angles might change but those are easy to test and adjust as your swing progresses.

 

2) lofts - generally improvements will be uniform but it's possible that distance gaps might need to be tweaked.  But again that's easy to do with your existing set, it wont invalidate any purchases made for irons.    For driver this might be mean the original setup may no longer give optimal distance - but it wont be that far off and the improved mechanics will still likely give you improved distance so the orig clubs wont hurt your game, just might not be the best possible fit anymore.   Sometimes the hosel adjustments can be used to tweak this for those not sensitive to the face angle change.

 

3) face angle (driver and woods) - improvements to path and face control might result in a need to a face angle change.  But that's easy to do with adjustable hosels and only applicable to those who are sensitive to face angle - not everyone is.

 

4) shaft stiffness -  for most this will not change but there are some important exceptions.   improved mechanics might change the way the shaft loads and unloads so can potentially change the feel of the shaft.   But there is no right or wrong amount of loading or feel.  For most, if this changes gradually as your mechanics change, it generally wont cause any problems at all or need to be refit.   But there are a small percentage of players who have a particular sensitivity to that feel change and don't do as well when the feel stops matching their expectations of what they think they should feel.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Stuart_G

[scooterhd2]

Depends on what you are trying to do. I purposefully bought an ill fitting club (2 degrees flat), because I am trying to work on a shallower swing. Once I get the results I am looking for, I'll go in for a full fitting and get my other set adjusted to whatever is determined best. 

[moptop]

Awesome, looks like I'm going to get fit!

[LeftDaddy]

Just make sure you get fit to where you want to be, not necessarily where you are now. To an earlier post above, length, grip size, maybe even shaft flex are probably fine no matter what. 
 

But don’t let the fitter talk you into game improvement shovels if you don’t like how they look. And also don’t let them fit you into a 2 degrees upright lie angle. If your swing gets better, you will want flatter lie angles. And an upright lie angle will typically encourage a lot of the wrong swing patterns. Finally, if you are a higher handicapper, don’t let them talk you into a $700 driver with an aftermarket shaft. Go with a standard option, and consider buying used instead of new. 
 

As you improve you will want better / new stuff, so don’t spend a fortune on clubs now, and don’t get fit for something that will just make your current swing patterns even more ingrained. 

[Stuart_G]

On 3/9/2021 at 12:00 PM, moptop said:

My clubs are currently a hodgpodge and I've never been properly fit.  I would say my driver is about 8 years old (Taylormade SLDR), irons 7 years old, 3 wood 2 years old, wedges are a mix.  Putter 10+ yrs old odessy white hot.  

 

 

 

 

One thing I forget to mention in my last post.  How old your current clubs are has nothing to do with how good a fit they might be or how much improvement you might get with a new fitting.   The fact that you were not fit doesn't really tell us much either.  You wouldn't' be the first to stumble onto a good fitting set of clubs.  Well except maybe for the SLDR driver.  It worked well for me (even with a poor swing) but I'm a bit of an outlier with that club.  For most it's extremely unforgiving so not the best choice for mid to high handicappers or just someone not on top of their game.  

 

So what that means is that if you do go into a fitting, make sure to bring your current clubs and compare the results between the new and old before committing to any new clubs.  Make sure there is some actual improvement and the amount of improvement is worth the cost (to you) before spending any money on new clubs.   And moist importantly, fitting is not just about distance.  Consistency and dispersion and minimizing the bigger miss tendencies should play a much bigger role in all clubs.  Don't waste your time (or money) with any "fitter" who emphasizes distance at the sacrifice of other aspects of the results.

Edited March 11, 2021 by Stuart_G

[Nickc]

On 3/9/2021 at 5:30 PM, moptop said:

At what point is my swing good enough to get fitted though?  

I would say when you are happy with your swing - and not working on drastic changes e.g at least eliminate your early extension

 

 

Though you give the age of your irons you do not say what they are or indeed what clubs are you (lusting) after - assuming you want to be fitted for new clubs rather than your 'old' ones.

 

Nothing wrong with old clubs if in decent condition* - I use MP32s and they are 15 years old (though recently put on new grips)...but then I am not a great golfer but fairly consistent (take that as one will).

 

(*Also occasionally play with my 50 year old Slazenger Ambassador clubs)

 

Edited March 11, 2021 by Nickc
Paragraphs

[moptop]

9 hours ago, Nickc said:

I would say when you are happy with your swing - and not working on drastic changes e.g at least eliminate your early extension

 

 

Though you give the age of your irons you do not say what they are or indeed what clubs are you (lusting) after - assuming you want to be fitted for new clubs rather than your 'old' ones.

 

Nothing wrong with old clubs if in decent condition* - I use MP32s and they are 15 years old (though recently put on new grips)...but then I am not a great golfer but fairly consistent (take that as one will).

 

(*Also occasionally play with my 50 year old Slazenger Ambassador clubs)

 

 

Irons are Calloway X Hot with stiff shaft.  Stock loft and lie which is what the "fitter" at Golf Galaxy said worked for me at the time.  

[Barfolomew]

Why are your wedges a mix my friend?  Why's your bag a hodgepodge?  I'm in same boat never been fit and always getting injured, latest one is popped achilles in October, so waiting for some normalcy before I get fit.... BUT that's no reason to not have a cheaper used bag that still kicks a**:

 

Driver G410 LS w/125 Rogue 70 TS.... awesome driver

OnOff Kuros 2015 irons w/Modus 3 120.... sweetness

M2 16.5 3 wood.... nice

Cleveland wedges... only new part of bag, buy them every year cause need fresh grooves..... pure like butter

SeeMore Giant putter..... really nice putter

 

Having a mix of wedges has nothing to do with getting fit laddy!

 

All my clubs I bought unseen but I'm ready to play a tourney with them if only my body was lol...

 

 

[cwilk]

There is never a wrong time.  Sometimes ill-fitted equipment can cause swing issues that might resolve with better fitting equipment.

[moptop]

32 minutes ago, Barfolomew said:

Why are your wedges a mix my friend?  Why's your bag a hodgepodge?  I'm in same boat never been fit and always getting injured, latest one is popped achilles in October, so waiting for some normalcy before I get fit.... BUT that's no reason to not have a cheaper used bag that still kicks a**:

 

Driver G410 LS w/125 Rogue 70 TS.... awesome driver

OnOff Kuros 2015 irons w/Modus 3 120.... sweetness

M2 16.5 3 wood.... nice

Cleveland wedges... only new part of bag, buy them every year cause need fresh grooves..... pure like butter

SeeMore Giant putter..... really nice putter

 

Having a mix of wedges has nothing to do with getting fit laddy!

 

All my clubs I bought unseen but I'm ready to play a tourney with them if only my body was lol...

 

 

I guess partly money and never feeling ready to get a full fitting.  It was usually more cost effective to get one component of the bag at a time.  

[Barfolomew]

14 minutes ago, moptop said:

I guess partly money and never feeling ready to get a full fitting.  It was usually more cost effective to get one component of the bag at a time.  

 

I bought one component of the bag at a time...

 

I bought cheap used equipment slowly replacing older crappier clubs.... I used to play MP-14s got them for a song in mint condition, like $150 1 iron - PW. Had a G30 LST great driver I got for nothing.  But I slowly upgraded over the years... all used and cheap.  My SeeMore putter was like $80 and had it for many years now.  Only new stuff is 52 and 60 Cleveland wedges every year cause can't spin a ball with used wedges, I play par golf and never fit but I research what is decent gear get it cheap.... Never knew what Japanese forged Irons were till I learned about their tight manufacturing specs and picked up some cheap mint Endo forged OnOFF Kuros. One day I'll get fit but want to do it outdoors as I dont trust no computers hahaha!

[moptop]

20 minutes ago, Barfolomew said:

 

I bought one component of the bag at a time...

 

I bought cheap used equipment slowly replacing older crappier clubs.... I used to play MP-14s got them for a song in mint condition, like $150 1 iron - PW. Had a G30 LST great driver I got for nothing.  But I slowly upgraded over the years... all used and cheap.  My SeeMore putter was like $80 and had it for many years now.  Only new stuff is 52 and 60 Cleveland wedges every year cause can't spin a ball with used wedges, I play par golf and never fit but I research what is decent gear get it cheap.... Never knew what Japanese forged Irons were till I learned about their tight manufacturing specs and picked up some cheap mint Endo forged OnOFF Kuros. One day I'll get fit but want to do it outdoors as I dont trust no computers hahaha!

I am worried about doing it on a simulator...it seems I always want to snap hook it on a simulator.  I don't think its the simulators fault, but me being a mental basket case.

[darom86]

Get fit now, then see how much you improve and determine when to get fit again.  If you are not changing swing too much, I think a good iron fitting can last 5-10 years, perhaps 3-5 years for woods. 

[Nickc]

Just wondering (out of general interest also) what benefits you expect to see if you get fitted now ?

 

Again, although I would say at least finish your work on eliminating the early extension first,  if you are going to get new clubs anyway & indeed why not, you might as well have them fitted.

 

[moptop]

6 hours ago, Nickc said:

Just wondering (out of general interest also) what benefits you expect to see if you get fitted now ?

 

Again, although I would say at least finish your work on eliminating the early extension first,  if you are going to get new clubs anyway & indeed why not, you might as well have them fitted.

 

I think I have or almost have finished getting rid of my EE.  I have a lesson on Monday and if the EE looks good I'm gonna set up an appointment for a fitting.  I'm sure I have other issues, but the EE was my biggest problem

[tatertot]

On 3/9/2021 at 9:30 AM, moptop said:

At what point is my swing good enough to get fitted though?  

Is your swing consistent? Can you repeat it day after day? Are your misses consistent? If your misses are not consistent, a fitting is not going to help them. If you chunk one, thin the next, hook the third and slice the fourth, a fitting isn't going to help. If you're making good contact 75% of the time but over-drawing, it might be time for a fitting.

[LeftDaddy]

There are a lot of things about your personal club fit that won’t really change even after your swing improves. So in that sense, it stands to reason that one should get fit whenever they are ready to drop some coin on new clubs. 
 

But again, the biggest issue I see with the fitting process (and this happened to me and has soured me on it) is that the majority fitters don’t know what they are doing. Your goal should be to get clubs that help you play better golf, but also allow you to grow into playing better golf. It’s so hard to find a fitter that understands this concept, so I tend to recommend to just mostly stay focused on length of clubs, grip sizes and maybe shaft flex, and then use the numbers to get a sense for what clubs seem to work with your swing well...and from there it becomes more about what you like, where you want your game to get, and getting a set that allows for some adjustments as your swing grows.