Iron fitting tomorrow - how many will I test?

[gents15]

Excited for my iron fitting tomorrow. Haven’t done one in about 10 years…been ho’ing clubs on here for awhile, but want to settle in on something for at least the next couple of years. My fitting is a 75 minute Studio fitting at a PGASS with a well-reviewed fitter. 

 

I currently game 588MBs with KBS Tour 120s.  I’m a 4hcp and iron play is the strongest part of my game.  
 

I’ve researched irons extensively for months - analyzed top lines, MPFs, read/watched reviews etc. - I’ve earmarked 6 heads for consideration. They are all relatively in the same category. Small players CB. - Blueprint S, S3, 620CB, T100, TC202, Staff CB.  
 

Question - I imagine there will be some testing done to narrow down to a shaft or two. Then the head swapping will come. Is 6 heads a good number? Is it too many? Too little? Am I being too close-minded? Normally, if this weren’t golf clubs - Im the type of person that would leave it to the expert and let him cook…but I’m particular with brand and aesthetics when it comes to irons. 

[Pnwpingi210]

6 heads would be quite a bit.  I’d say no more than 8 or so.

 

might try 4-6 shafts too depending on how you time up your current.

[Ty_Guy]

I figure there are two types of fittings:

 

1) Fitter uses data and their system to narrow down within a category of club heads and shafts

2) Golfer already knows what they want and just wants to compare known builds

 

Doing both asks for a very large quantity of shots and patience. If you want the fitter to fit you from the gamut of their resources, I'd go in with just a couple "must trys." This give them a helpful starting point. I'm sure the fitter will end up picking a few that you've mentioned and stay near the category you want to be.

 

Though if you know your six club heads, go for it. It's perfectly reasonable to try all six. It will probably only leave room for one, maybe two "fitter's recommendation" heads to compare.

 

A well done, 60(ish) minute iron fitting will be able to see about six heads and just as many shafts. The more consistent the golfer is, the quicker you can move on to the next combo and see more options.

 

I lean towards thinking you will be able to try all those heads in your KBS Tours relatively quickly. Fitting an equal number of shaft options will depend if your fitter is a shaft first or club head first fitter. You're coming into the fitting with a consistent base, so what you want should work out.

[Streuner]

I do personally not like fittings with only a Single iron head. A shaft head combination that works well at the 6i may feel strange in the scoring clubs. On the other hand, a shaft head configuration that is nice at the 9i May feel heavy at the 5i… 

 

so if possible, try a Short and a Long iron but probably this is not an Option. 
 

find a head that suit your eyes, because with a 4 HCP and strong iron game, you have no Problems to middle the head at the ball. So you can decide on optics and spin / launch 

[Pnwpingi210]

3 minutes ago, Streuner said:

I do personally not like fittings with only a Single iron head. A shaft head combination that works well at the 6i may feel strange in the scoring clubs. On the other hand, a shaft head configuration that is nice at the 9i May feel heavy at the 5i… 

 

so if possible, try a Short and a Long iron but probably this is not an Option. 
 

find a head that suit your eyes, because with a 4 HCP and strong iron game, you have no Problems to middle the head at the ball. So you can decide on optics and spin / launch 

I agree with this.  I wish it would become common practice to fit for a 9 and 6 iron

[vandyfan]

Seems like you know your shaft weight pretty well so that narrows a variable. My last fitting I tried 5 different shafts, I was at the time in a 125X shaft so I tried - Modus 130X, KBS Tour 130X, Accra iSteel 125X, Modus 125X, MMT 125X and two heads (I knew I wanted a smaller CB with a narrow sole, medium bounce). It still probably took me 90 minutes to feel really good about a winner but I was also asking a lot of annoying questions. 

[CTgamer]

Realistically, in 60 min you can fit *in depth* for club head or shaft but not both, imo. That entails at least 10 swings that feel like shots you’d play on course with each head or shaft, changing only one variable at a time. 
 

In practice, that means one of the following: 

 

 1) waggle all the shafts you/the fitter are interested in, make a few swings with a ball, and select 1-2 only based on feel. Whatever iron head you use stays consistent for all of them. 
 

Use one shaft to hit all the iron heads. Again, narrow down to 1-2 final contenders based on your preferred metrics (dispersion, launch, spin, look, feel, turf interaction, etc.). 
 

Hit the 1-2 heads and 1-2 shafts in each combo and see if there’s one that stands out. 
 

2) Reverse the process. Hit each head a couple times fitted with your current shaft. Narrow down to 1-2 based on only look, sound, feel, and turf interaction. 
 

Then hit each shaft in those two heads. Narrow down based on shaft feel, timing, and consistency of strike. Once you’re down to only a few combos, start dialing in dispersion, launch, spin, etc. 

 

Option 1 is preferred because you should fit shaft (feel, timing, strike consistency) before you fit club head (launch, spin, etc). 

Best case would be doing two separate

fittings - use the closest thing to your current iron head to try all the shafts you’re interested in. Here you‘re fitting for feel, timing, and consistency of strike. Numbers don’t matter. Find your favorite shaft. Next fitting uses that shaft and all the heads you’re interested in to dial in numbers (launch, spin, height, land angle, dispersion, etc.). 

 

Unless you play golf for a living, it’s highly unlikely that you have enough endurance or time to do both in one fitting. Best of luck  👍🏻🍻 

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, gents15 said:

Excited for my iron fitting tomorrow. Haven’t done one in about 10 years…been ho’ing clubs on here for awhile, but want to settle in on something for at least the next couple of years. My fitting is a 75 minute Studio fitting at a PGASS with a well-reviewed fitter. 

 

I currently game 588MBs with KBS Tour 120s.  I’m a 4hcp and iron play is the strongest part of my game.  
 

I’ve researched irons extensively for months - analyzed top lines, MPFs, read/watched reviews etc. - I’ve earmarked 6 heads for consideration. They are all relatively in the same category. Small players CB. - Blueprint S, S3, 620CB, T100, TC202, Staff CB.  
 

Question - I imagine there will be some testing done to narrow down to a shaft or two. Then the head swapping will come. Is 6 heads a good number? Is it too many? Too little? Am I being too close-minded? Normally, if this weren’t golf clubs - Im the type of person that would leave it to the expert and let him cook…but I’m particular with brand and aesthetics when it comes to irons. 

6 heads is a lot and definitely lead to paralysis by analysis. My recommendations would be to go in open minded then take data from your clubs as far as launch, spin, strike pattern, shot pattern, and peak height then ask for recommendations. Many times the best performing club for you may not be the ones you’re considering. Let the fitter analyze and make his recommendations. If you don’t find the performance or feel you’re looking for, then ask to hit other clubs. 

[J-Walker]

I don’t think 6 iron models plus a warmup on your gamer is overkill. A few will not feel or perform as expected from the get go. Those can be set aside after just a few swings IMO.  If you have a good fitter, keep an open mind. They might have something you haven’t considered that could fit well. Also, Srixon ZXi7 irons are ridiculously good and worth a shot if you haven’t tried them.

Edited June 23 by J-Walker

[ShortGolfer]

I tested a lot of stuff because I was really consistent and didn't take much time to swing.  Two swings were enough to say no to some.

 

I got really consistent because I deconstructed a 22inch maple tree stump with an ax.  It took me over month working daily for about an hour.  I had to be very accurate to transform hard wood into wood chips.

 

There is now rose garden where the maple tree used to be!

Edited June 24 by ShortGolfer

[Phabs]

As many as your back will let you?

Edited June 24 by Phabs

[rbark11]

How did the fitting go? I’m also considering getting an iron fitting at PGA Tour SS, never had a fitting before.

[gents15]

1 hour ago, rbark11 said:

How did the fitting go? I’m also considering getting an iron fitting at PGA Tour SS, never had a fitting before.

Well, I had heard good things about the fitter at my local PGASS, from my cousin, a buddy, and google reviews - which is why I booked  there…I can’t speak to every PGASS, so I’d suggest asking around or reading google reviews, etc. I believe that it’s more about the fitter than it is about the shop. 

 

As for my fitting - I got an email the morning of saying the fitter was sick and my fitting was cancelled. I was bummed cause I had taken the afternoon off from work for the fitting. Being pretty hyped for my fitting I started looking online for openings with other fitters - TrueSpec and Club Champion. I had been to Club Champion about 10-11 years ago when I was single, had no kids yet, and naive - and it was a great experience…since then I’ve become far more knowledgeable about the industry and would avoid CC at all costs…BUT they had an opening…and I’d been looking forward to a fit for weeks…so I reluctantly took the spot and went fully knowing there was 0% chance I’d be buying my irons there and just wanted some data because I’ve basically been ho’ing it on here for the past 6-7 years and been through like a dozen sets. Interestingly, I fit into the same shafts I did at my fitting 11 years ago, Modus 120 stiff - the other shafts he had me try were Axiom 75S, Steelfiber 95 S, and Oban 115 S. I actually hit all of them well except for the Oban - but the Modus felt the smoothest. For the heads, I tested T100, CB620, Blueprint S, Wilson CB, and Mizuno S3 (which the fitter didn’t even know existed). The Wilson CB and the Mizuno didn’t work for me, they were launching and spinning lower than the others. Based off the numbers The T100, CB620, and Blueprint S were all good enough to game…and I actually think the Blueprints were my best fit, but the fitter was real set on getting me into T100. I swear they must be incentivized for certain brands and models which really left a sour taste in my mouth thinking back on this. Like, “did I really even get a legit fitting? Or did this guy have his own agenda?” Anyway, before I told him I wasn’t buying today I had him quote me for the set and the amount was just silly. 
 

So what did I do? I bought a set of Modus pulls and Ping Iblade (a set I’ve wanted to try for awhile) heads. Back to ho’ing. 😂

[Ty_Guy]

11 hours ago, gents15 said:

Well, I had heard good things about the fitter at my local PGASS, from my cousin, a buddy, and google reviews - which is why I booked  there…I can’t speak to every PGASS, so I’d suggest asking around or reading google reviews, etc. I believe that it’s more about the fitter than it is about the shop. 

 

As for my fitting - I got an email the morning of saying the fitter was sick and my fitting was cancelled. I was bummed cause I had taken the afternoon off from work for the fitting. Being pretty hyped for my fitting I started looking online for openings with other fitters - TrueSpec and Club Champion. I had been to Club Champion about 10-11 years ago when I was single, had no kids yet, and naive - and it was a great experience…since then I’ve become far more knowledgeable about the industry and would avoid CC at all costs…BUT they had an opening…and I’d been looking forward to a fit for weeks…so I reluctantly took the spot and went fully knowing there was 0% chance I’d be buying my irons there and just wanted some data because I’ve basically been ho’ing it on here for the past 6-7 years and been through like a dozen sets. Interestingly, I fit into the same shafts I did at my fitting 11 years ago, Modus 120 stiff - the other shafts he had me try were Axiom 75S, Steelfiber 95 S, and Oban 115 S. I actually hit all of them well except for the Oban - but the Modus felt the smoothest. For the heads, I tested T100, CB620, Blueprint S, Wilson CB, and Mizuno S3 (which the fitter didn’t even know existed). The Wilson CB and the Mizuno didn’t work for me, they were launching and spinning lower than the others. Based off the numbers The T100, CB620, and Blueprint S were all good enough to game…and I actually think the Blueprints were my best fit, but the fitter was real set on getting me into T100. I swear they must be incentivized for certain brands and models which really left a sour taste in my mouth thinking back on this. Like, “did I really even get a legit fitting? Or did this guy have his own agenda?” Anyway, before I told him I wasn’t buying today I had him quote me for the set and the amount was just silly. 
 

So what did I do? I bought a set of Modus pulls and Ping Iblade (a set I’ve wanted to try for awhile) heads. Back to ho’ing. 😂

 

That fitting sounds par for the course. I wouldn't worry about thinking it didn't go the way you want.
 

The key part you discovered is the shaft. It's nice to know Modus 120s fit well. From there you can sort of assume that you play best with profiles that feel like they get softer as they approach the tip. Firmer butt sections too. Even though Modus 120s doesn't technically have a softer tip than mid, it certainly has a softer bottom half than handle half. So while you explore options, you at least know traditional linear blueboard profiles work well. Shafts with higher kickpoints will be the opposite of what you're liking.
 

Shaft wise, I bet you would also play well with KBS Tour V and LA Golf iron shafts, among others that I'm missing. Another assumption, but it's pretty likely that same profile is good for your driver and woods too!

 

You know Wilson and Mizuno are off the table, so that's a plus too. 

 

Club Champion emails trackman results after their fittings. Do you care to share the metrics for the T100 and Blueprint? You may be able to share the browser link. I bet we can help to see what the fitter saw.

[RickyBubbs]

19 hours ago, gents15 said:

but the Modus felt the smoothest.

Shaft fitting is highly flawed because

Early Equipment Shapes Mechanics Most golfers groove their foundational tempo, timing, and release around whatever shaft they first got comfy with—whether it was a hand-me-down set of Dynacast Specials or a box-set with spaghetti-whippy graphite.

EI Profile (Bend Profile) Familiarity = Feel Consistency Once your muscles and proprioception internalize a specific load-unload pattern (say, a mid-launch shaft with a softer tip), anything drastically different (e.g. low launch, super-stiff tip) can feel off—not because it's objectively bad, but because the body was trained otherwise.

Swing DNA Isn’t Static Fitters often act like there's one ideal shaft for a person, as if their swing is a fixed object in space. But golfers tweak their swing subconsciously to make timing and impact feel right, especially with a shaft they’ve used for years.

 

A good example is Tiger's dad cutting down X-stiff shafts for a junior set. Then, when Tiger got "properly" fitted clubs, he struggled for two years to get his swing back because he had never felt a shaft flex. 

[ChaosTheory]

22 minutes ago, RickyBubbs said:

EI Profile (Bend Profile) Familiarity = Feel Consistency Once your muscles and proprioception internalize a specific load-unload pattern (say, a mid-launch shaft with a softer tip), anything drastically different (e.g. low launch, super-stiff tip) can feel off—not because it's objectively bad, but because the body was trained otherwise.

 

Why is that bad?

[LUMA]

I moved out of an MB/CB when the T100 came out and it definitely helps me get away with more on those thin, fat, heel and toe shots. Absolutely love the T100, but there’s others similar out there that are great as well.

 

I will say to get solid numbers on your gamers and go into the fitting with a few things you would like to improve on with your new irons whether it be flight window, spin, turf interaction. Once you find some options that are improving your numbers in the way you would like, then go with feel and looks.

 

Good luck with PGASS. I shop there regularly, but rarely have them adjust any of my equipment, do any repairs, or get fittings there. They have in my experience been pretty terrible at all these things. Hopefully you got a great fitter.

 

If I need anything adjusted, I go to my local Edwin Watts. They also don’t charge me ever to have my lofts and lies adjusted on any clubs or quick re grips if I get the grip there. I just walk in, they take care of it and I’m on my way. I always do fittings outside and I want to hit off turf if I can. I’m a high ball hitter and could always use a little more spin with my irons so I really want to see the flight in the real world.

 

 

[PedronNiall]

On 7/8/2025 at 3:49 PM, RickyBubbs said:

Shaft fitting is highly flawed because

Early Equipment Shapes Mechanics Most golfers groove their foundational tempo, timing, and release around whatever shaft they first got comfy with—whether it was a hand-me-down set of Dynacast Specials or a box-set with spaghetti-whippy graphite.

EI Profile (Bend Profile) Familiarity = Feel Consistency Once your muscles and proprioception internalize a specific load-unload pattern (say, a mid-launch shaft with a softer tip), anything drastically different (e.g. low launch, super-stiff tip) can feel off—not because it's objectively bad, but because the body was trained otherwise.

Swing DNA Isn’t Static Fitters often act like there's one ideal shaft for a person, as if their swing is a fixed object in space. But golfers tweak their swing subconsciously to make timing and impact feel right, especially with a shaft they’ve used for years.

 

A good example is Tiger's dad cutting down X-stiff shafts for a junior set. Then, when Tiger got "properly" fitted clubs, he struggled for two years to get his swing back because he had never felt a shaft flex. 

 

It's not a fixed outcome, though. Some people are sensitive to specific profiles, some can adapt to various profiles and get good results with very different specs, some are almost agnostic within a reasonable window as long as it works with their tempo and timing. Shaft fitting isn't a flawed thing because of how different people can be.

 

For some people different iron heads affect how they deliver the club, for others it simply becomes a matter of finding the design that complements what they already do because their delivery doesn't change much regardless of impact conditions. 

 

Big picture, it's in figuring out what matters for the individual. 

 

On 7/8/2025 at 4:55 PM, LUMA said:

Good luck with PGASS. I shop there regularly, but rarely have them adjust any of my equipment, do any repairs, or get fittings there. They have in my experience been pretty terrible at all these things. Hopefully you got a great fitter.

 

If I need anything adjusted, I go to my local Edwin Watts. They also don’t charge me ever to have my lofts and lies adjusted on any clubs or quick re grips if I get the grip there. I just walk in, they take care of it and I’m on my way.

 

Yep, it's a store by store thing. Got lucky and I've been able to go to Watts, Dick's/GG, and PGASS and get work done from skilled guys. Do know you're more likely to run into guys outside of Watts who are all thumbs, though. Watts tends to have fewer guys and manages to retain them better than the other chain stores for some reason. 

[rsballer10]

1 hour ago, PedronNiall said:

Shaft fitting isn't a flawed thing because of how different people can be.

This. TBH what changes my launch/spin #'s in shafts is weight. Very small differences from flex designation, almost none from profile. Def agree everyone is different.

 

1 hour ago, PedronNiall said:

Yep, it's a store by store thing. Got lucky and I've been able to go to Watts, Dick's/GG, and PGASS and get work done from skilled guys. Do know you're more likely to run into guys outside of Watts who are all thumbs, though. Watts tends to have fewer guys and manages to retain them better than the other chain stores for some reason.

In my area, I'd say it's a person by person thing. A big box store has a great fitter in my area, but I'd say don't work with any of the other fitters. One sold me someone else's custom order, claiming what I was fit to was 'in stock' but wasn't showing up in the inventory. I feel bad for the poor guy who's club got sold to me. I returned it anyway so who knows.

[LinkLow]

On 7/7/2025 at 7:04 PM, gents15 said:

Well, I had heard good things about the fitter at my local PGASS, from my cousin, a buddy, and google reviews - which is why I booked  there…I can’t speak to every PGASS, so I’d suggest asking around or reading google reviews, etc. I believe that it’s more about the fitter than it is about the shop. 

 

As for my fitting - I got an email the morning of saying the fitter was sick and my fitting was cancelled. I was bummed cause I had taken the afternoon off from work for the fitting. Being pretty hyped for my fitting I started looking online for openings with other fitters - TrueSpec and Club Champion. I had been to Club Champion about 10-11 years ago when I was single, had no kids yet, and naive - and it was a great experience…since then I’ve become far more knowledgeable about the industry and would avoid CC at all costs…BUT they had an opening…and I’d been looking forward to a fit for weeks…so I reluctantly took the spot and went fully knowing there was 0% chance I’d be buying my irons there and just wanted some data because I’ve basically been ho’ing it on here for the past 6-7 years and been through like a dozen sets. Interestingly, I fit into the same shafts I did at my fitting 11 years ago, Modus 120 stiff - the other shafts he had me try were Axiom 75S, Steelfiber 95 S, and Oban 115 S. I actually hit all of them well except for the Oban - but the Modus felt the smoothest. For the heads, I tested T100, CB620, Blueprint S, Wilson CB, and Mizuno S3 (which the fitter didn’t even know existed). The Wilson CB and the Mizuno didn’t work for me, they were launching and spinning lower than the others. Based off the numbers The T100, CB620, and Blueprint S were all good enough to game…and I actually think the Blueprints were my best fit, but the fitter was real set on getting me into T100. I swear they must be incentivized for certain brands and models which really left a sour taste in my mouth thinking back on this. Like, “did I really even get a legit fitting? Or did this guy have his own agenda?” Anyway, before I told him I wasn’t buying today I had him quote me for the set and the amount was just silly. 
 

So what did I do? I bought a set of Modus pulls and Ping Iblade (a set I’ve wanted to try for awhile) heads. Back to ho’ing. 😂

 

 

Do you not get along with DG/TT shafts, or does CC just not push them very hard? That's awesome about the iBlades LOL. 

[hammergolf]

On 7/7/2025 at 7:04 PM, gents15 said:

Well, I had heard good things about the fitter at my local PGASS, from my cousin, a buddy, and google reviews - which is why I booked  there…I can’t speak to every PGASS, so I’d suggest asking around or reading google reviews, etc. I believe that it’s more about the fitter than it is about the shop. 

 

As for my fitting - I got an email the morning of saying the fitter was sick and my fitting was cancelled. I was bummed cause I had taken the afternoon off from work for the fitting. Being pretty hyped for my fitting I started looking online for openings with other fitters - TrueSpec and Club Champion. I had been to Club Champion about 10-11 years ago when I was single, had no kids yet, and naive - and it was a great experience…since then I’ve become far more knowledgeable about the industry and would avoid CC at all costs…BUT they had an opening…and I’d been looking forward to a fit for weeks…so I reluctantly took the spot and went fully knowing there was 0% chance I’d be buying my irons there and just wanted some data because I’ve basically been ho’ing it on here for the past 6-7 years and been through like a dozen sets. Interestingly, I fit into the same shafts I did at my fitting 11 years ago, Modus 120 stiff - the other shafts he had me try were Axiom 75S, Steelfiber 95 S, and Oban 115 S. I actually hit all of them well except for the Oban - but the Modus felt the smoothest. For the heads, I tested T100, CB620, Blueprint S, Wilson CB, and Mizuno S3 (which the fitter didn’t even know existed). The Wilson CB and the Mizuno didn’t work for me, they were launching and spinning lower than the others. Based off the numbers The T100, CB620, and Blueprint S were all good enough to game…and I actually think the Blueprints were my best fit, but the fitter was real set on getting me into T100. I swear they must be incentivized for certain brands and models which really left a sour taste in my mouth thinking back on this. Like, “did I really even get a legit fitting? Or did this guy have his own agenda?” Anyway, before I told him I wasn’t buying today I had him quote me for the set and the amount was just silly. 
 

So what did I do? I bought a set of Modus pulls and Ping Iblade (a set I’ve wanted to try for awhile) heads. Back to ho’ing. 😂

It’s just a fitting. No issue in getting a second opinion. Now you know the Blueprint S are good and maybe you can try the new Titleist irons that just released and maybe the Srixon ZXi7 and test some other shaft recommendations. Make another appointment with the original guy and see how that goes.