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An average Joe gets fit like a Pro
Making a hard game harder...
How many recreational golf players are actually playing clubs that fit them? How much better could the average player score on the course if his or her clubs were working in sync with the swing rather being compensated for during the swing? As a MyGolfSpy.com reader, you are likely well aware of the benefits of playing fitted clubs and you are probably already bagging clubs that were fit to you. However, think about the players that are not as dedicated to the game as you and I. Think about the players who are not total gear heads with encyclopedic knowledge of the available club offerings from each manufacturer. Do you believe that the average recreational golfer has any understanding of how length, loft, and lie can affect the flight of the ball? How many players are out there with regular shafts, considering themselves “regular” golfers because they play on a “regular” basis? I may be exaggerating a bit there, but I would be willing to bet that the number of all-in-one golf sets sold to the casual golfer greatly outnumbers those that are sold custom fit.
So why don’t the average recreational golfers get fit for clubs?
I think that there are a few basic answers to this question. First of all it is likely a matter of ignorance. People who purchase clubs online or from a sporting goods store or big box retailer will not encounter a club fitter during the purchase process. Can you imagine the sales person at the cash register asking the customer if they would like their irons 2° flat? Consumers can get some great deals on complete club sets at the warehouse stores, totally unaware that the clubs they are buying would fit their game no better than a 54” pair of pants would fit their waist. But look at it this way. What if the only pants that you have ever worn had a 54” waist? What if you were used to having to severely belt them to fit your 32” waist? You would likely not think anything was wrong, because that it all you have ever known.
The second possible reason why the recreational golfer doesn’t get fit for clubs is that they may perceive club fitting as costing too much. Something along the lines of “I can’t afford something custom, so I’ll just play these”. Again, a little education goes a long way here. Many of the golf shops offer custom fitting as part of the purchase price of the clubs. Others that charge for the fitting session typically refund all or part of that fitting fee when one buys the clubs from them. The consumer just needs to explore the possibilities available at a specialized golf shop to know what services are available. They will likely find that it is not as expensive as they thought.
The third and maybe strongest reason that the average golfer doesn’t get fit for clubs is fear. Golf is a very difficult game. The game is very simple in theory but devilishly difficult in execution. What makes it even more frustrating for the beginner is that good players make ball striking seem effortless while they swing as hard as they can producing a shot that flies ten yards total, dead right. A player who has no chance of breaking 100 on the course may feel that they are such a bad player that there is no way that they are worthy of custom clubs. They don’t see it as buying a pair of pants that fit.
Even interacting with the staff at some golf shops can also be intimidating. It takes more than a modicum of bravery for the average player to approach a club pro for help. Would you feel comfortable showing a NBA player your game if you are just learning how to dribble the ball? The average player may also fear that they are going to improve so rapidly that clubs they get fitted for now will not fit once they become an expert player. And let’s be honest, the good players who have little empathy of even outright mockery for their struggles reinforce some of the average golfer’s fears. I laughed when Tiger did his impression of Charles Barkley’s swing, but I don’t think I would be laughing had he mimicked by 18-handicap delivery.
So what is Operation Callaway?
The intention of this and the subsequent articles is to demonstrate the club fitting process and alleviate the fears that the average consumer may harbor about getting fitted for clubs. Perhaps my current play is a bit better than someone who fits the “average” description in the above paragraphs, but not by much. I have been playing golf for three years now and the fears and misconceptions that I listed were basically my own. I would have been grateful when I started playing for a guide who could walk me through the fitting process, expounding upon its benefits while dispelling my misconceptions and fears.
To go forward with this project I needed a club fitter. To this end I approached Callaway Golf and asked if they would like to be involved with my chronicling of the club fitting process in a way that the average recreational player could relate to. I proposed going to a local shop and going through the process. Callaway responded that they were happily willing to help, but with one condition. Rather than doing the fitting at a local retailer, they would like for me to come to their main facility in Carlsbad, CA to do the fitting. So fellow golfspies, later this month I will be traveling to southern California to Callaway headquarters and undergoing the whole fitting process from start to end, from driver to putter. My intention is to provide you with a step-by-step overview of the process. Hopefully this series of articles will teach you something about the fitting process that you didn’t know before. More importantly, what the articles will give you is a place to refer new golfers, or golfers who have never been fit for clubs, so that they can see the benefits of properly fit clubs. Better fitting clubs will help them play better.
Obviously lessons are important too, but dance lessons alone are not as effective for someone wearing dance shoes three sizes too small.
What would you like to know?
Because I am not heading to Callaway until next week, there is time for me to collect some questions from you about either the fitting process, Callaway products, and/or Callaway in general. I don’t really know what the process in Carlsbad will entail, but I will take your questions with me and get as many answered as I can. So fire away.
What will I end up with?
I thought it would also be fun to speculate a bit about the final composition of clubs that I will be fit for in the process. Check Callawaygolf.com for their gear and post your Golfspy Dave bag prediction below. Maybe I can dig up a prize for the person who gets the closest. For reference, my current bag holds G10 irons, Rapture V2 driver, Rapture V2 3H & 4H, Exotics XCG 3W, Scratch/G10 wedges, and a Byron Morgan 006 longneck putter. My driver swing speed is about 104. A recent Mizuno Shaft Optimizer session gave me numbers of 87 mph, with a code of 5 2 6 4.
So what will Callaway recommend for me?
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