Serious Custom Fitting

[thegolfstationtx]

Hey guys, Tim Brantley here. Down in Houston teaching, finally enjoying some of this spring like weather. The Dallas Fort Worth weather has been miserable lately! I joined My Golf Spy the other day after reading some positive reviews, so I wanted to take a few minutes, and thank you guys! Rickles, I had a great time fitting both you and your friend. I hope I answered all of your questions, and was able to educate you guys some! Also, if any of you have any fitting, equipment, or general golf questions, don't hesitate to message me, I'd love to help. I hope wherever you may be reading this, low scores and great weather is on the way. Thanks again guys!

 

Tim Brantley

[Mr_Theoo]

Welcome Tim!

[thegolfstationtx]

Thanks!

[Blade]

Hey welcome! You need to hook up with bestgrips while you're in Houston!

[thegolfstationtx]

Blade, we carry their line! It's a great grip! They're located in Conroe, a little north of Houston, I believe. Neal, my club builder, sent them an actual NFL game used ball that they turned into a grip a few years ago. They do a great job. Thanks for the message.

[Salmon]

Oh god, imagine a series of grips made with Superbowl game balls. I think that would be one expensive set!

[thegolfstationtx]

Salmon, I agree! Those would take years to collect, I'm sure.

[Blade]

Blade, we carry their line! It's a great grip! They're located in Conroe, a little north of Houston, I believe. Neal, my club builder, sent them an actual NFL game used ball that they turned into a grip a few years ago. They do a great job. Thanks for the message.

Yes sir they do. Got 14 of em plus some custom embroidery stuff. Ain't no better.

[thegolfstationtx]

They are the tackiest grips known to man! Lol, have to be careful putting those on, too.

[kbosecker]

Hey Tim, 

It seem like I am continually taking lessons in hopes of improvement. I am wondering if makes sense to get fitted while undergoing changes? Any thoughts? When is the right time?   

[PlaidJacket]

I'm getting fit (as in club fitting - ha) in April. I'd like for MGS to do an in-depth review of the fitting process and results. I'm not talking about reviewing fitters - the individual. Or a particular business/shop... but the overall process. Not an ad for a particular shop. Different shops each have their own unique methods. Types of equipment employed, experience, time involved, cost/expense, indoor or outdoor, brands of clubs fitted/sold, services, etc, etc. Advise people of what to look for, questions to ask, pre-fitting, post fitting, before and after results. The past few months I've been taking my time prior to the fitting. Interviewing fitters, asking questions. Thinking. I've decided upon my fitter now and look forward to the process as much as the new equipment I'll eventually receive. I'll post a review when I get the process started.

[GolfSpy WD]

Welcome Tim,

 

If you're in the area, check out the Texas Open thread. March 8-9.

 

http://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/10553-texas-open-2014-and-an-open-invitation-to-play-with-bestgripszalbert/

[thegolfstationtx]

Hey Tim,

It seem like I am continually taking lessons in hopes of improvement. I am wondering if makes sense to get fitted while undergoing changes? Any thoughts? When is the right time?

[thegolfstationtx]

Hey guys, on the road headed back to the DFW area, but I will reply to the questions here soon. I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

 

Tim

[Rickles]

Really glad you are on Tim.

[revkev]

Thanks for the information guys! Something I have been considering but slow to pull the trigger. Has anyone been fit for golf balls? With the choices - I have trouble making a good selection. Wondering if the club fitters make any recommendations on which ball to use and why.

 

Yes they will. In fact the delux fitting I had at the tour performance center also recommended glove, shoe and arch support type.

[thegolfstationtx]

Hey Tim, 

It seem like I am continually taking lessons in hopes of improvement. I am wondering if makes sense to get fitted while undergoing changes? Any thoughts? When is the right time?   

Great question! I get asked this it seems like 100 times a week. As an instructor and a fitter, it is hard for any instructor to out teach an ill-fit bag. Inevitably, a fitting always turns into a lesson. I wouldn't go and drop thousands of dollars on a new bag and then start taking lessons, but I would suggest breaking the bag down into sections. Get fit for a driver and woods and then take a few lessons. Allow yourself time to get used to the new product and whatever your instructor is implementing into your routine. Then I would move into the irons and wedges, and again, allow that to take some time. I say this with caution, because everyone thinks they know the swing, and there are very few who truly know what they're doing when it comes to fitting. Also, challenge the credibilty of who you're taking lessons from. What is their background, do the adhere to a certain "method" and what kind of verbage do they use when teaching. I would also suggest the same when finding a fitter. Ask too see their shop, what is their build process include, what are the numbers they're looking for during your fitting and comb through their finished product. Make sure the ferrules are nice and flush with the hosel and there ins't any epoxy that's dried to the head. You'd be amazed at what we see come into our facility. You guys spend a lot of money on your bags, be sure to hold your instructors, fitters and builders accountable! If you have any questions about anything else, please ask away. Also, if you have trouble finding a quality fitter, or an instructor, I will be more than happy to suggest one in your area. Let me know if I can help.

 

Tim

[thegolfstationtx]

I'm getting fit (as in club fitting - ha) in April. I'd like for MGS to do an in-depth review of the fitting process and results. I'm not talking about reviewing fitters - the individual. Or a particular business/shop... but the overall process. Not an ad for a particular shop. Different shops each have their own unique methods. Types of equipment employed, experience, time involved, cost/expense, indoor or outdoor, brands of clubs fitted/sold, services, etc, etc. Advise people of what to look for, questions to ask, pre-fitting, post fitting, before and after results. The past few months I've been taking my time prior to the fitting. Interviewing fitters, asking questions. Thinking. I've decided upon my fitter now and look forward to the process as much as the new equipment I'll eventually receive. I'll post a review when I get the process started.

Plaid, keep me posted on the fitting! If there is anything I can help with, please let me know. Look forward to hearing about your experience.

 

Tim

[kbosecker]

Tim,

Thanks for the information. Makes sense to me. Generally the wedges and short irons feel good to me right now anyway. It will help me rationalize the cost of new driver. One of the guys recently got fit and we all can see the difference - you know who you are Dan! He is hitting longer and straighter. I imagine a successful fit gets plenty of referral business for you.

 

Do you have fitter in the San Fernando Valley - LA area you would recommend?

 

Do you have numbers you suggest for a driver fitting? Talking with Dan - TM is targeting 1700, and 17 deg?

 

Any thoughts on how to get fit for a golf ball?

 

Sorry for all the questions.

[PlaidJacket]

Plaid, keep me posted on the fitting! If there is anything I can help with, please let me know. Look forward to hearing about your experience.

 

Tim

What brands do you fit/sell? Currently I'm kind of focused on Wishon. Do you fit/sell those? KZG? Any OEM brands? For example... can a guy try Titleist heads, Mizuno, Ping, TaylorMade, Callaway, Adams, etc. Curious.

[PlaidJacket]

Somewhat relating to the topic....

 

This past Friday I decided to pull the Secret Grips off my irons. I replaced them with Lamkin's Perma-Wrap Ace 3Gen. I put SG's on about a year ago and liked them. I found at the time that I got about an 8-10 yard distance increase. I determined that by first trying one on my 6i which I had previously taken accurate measurements on the range. Then I installed the Secret Grip and measured again. The 10 yard increase was with a game ball. Huge. The feel with the grips on my irons was very noticeable for sure. More solid/flush. Felt great to me. I tried one on my driver and hated it. Took it off immediately.  Anyway. The reason for me to now take them off is because of my upcoming fitting in April. Over the past year I've been working pretty hard on my swing (lost some weight too!) and have gained noticeable distance, etc. My thinking is that I am going to start recording (4-5 rounds) data such as club used, distances, dispersion, etc. my fitter requested. Saturday and Sunday I played my first rounds without the Secret Grips in about a year. I didn't measure any shots but I seemed to hit the ball about the same. You'd think I might now lose 8 yards or so. Didn't happen. I didn't notice any change in distance or feel like I thought I would. Strange eh?

[thegolfstationtx]

Guys, I'll be back at the store tomorrow. It would easier to answer your questions over the phone. Are you free to call and talk?

 

Tim

[GameDayGuru]

Hi Tim,

 

Was hoping you could recommend a good fitter/instructor in the Las Vegas area.

I am hoping to get a quality fitting from someone that has the right tools, equipment and

knowledge.

 

All the places I've checked so far, seem fairly similiar to a demo day fitting. 

[thegolfstationtx]

Hi Tim,

 

Was hoping you could recommend a good fitter/instructor in the Las Vegas area.

I am hoping to get a quality fitting from someone that has the right tools, equipment and

knowledge.

 

All the places I've checked so far, seem fairly similiar to a demo day fitting.

[thegolfstationtx]

Shoot me an email with your contact info, and I will give you a call this afternoon. [email protected] I would like to know a little about what you're looking for with instruction. I am strictly a TGM guy, so I want to see what kind of player you are and what specifically your needs are. I will gladly reccomend a fitter, too.

[IrishMoss]

The PCS is what the ICG came from. When the PCS shut down, the ICG came around. Sounds like he's got the chops, now to talk with him and see if his ideas and attitude meshes well with you. A fitter you can't get along with is just as bad as a bad fitter . As long as he's flexible and can communicate with you in ways you understand him and get along with, he should be just fine.

 

I think this is a really good point.

I recently had a custom fitting.  Did my research first, and everything seemed to say that this guy is top notch.  I emailed them and got a thorough explaination to my questions, read tons of positive online reviews, saw all his PCS clubmaker awards, and even saw the facility.  But never spoke with him directly prior to the fitting.  (I'm intentionally leaving the fitters name out, because I don't want to be bashing anyone here)

 

I won't get into all the nitty gritty details of the fitting (unless you guys want that), but when I left there I just wasn't confident if I had the best fitting possible.

 

The next day I had an email exchange with Tom Wishon (which started because I was getting his clubheads).  I sent him a lengthy email explaing my fitting, who it was with, etc.  Tom sent an equally lengthy response in less than a hour.  Pretty amazing that he has that level of response to his customers.

Anyway, he told me not to worry because he knew this guy personally, and he knows his stuff.  Tom also mentioned how this fitter is not overly talkative or outgoing, and is very businesslike.  Which might explain a lot about how I felt after the fitting.  Had I know this or met him face to face ahead of time, I'm not sure I would have done my fitting there.

 

But in his defense, I still haven't received my clubs, so maybe when I get them they'll be the best thing since sliced bread, and I'll leave all this uneasyness behind.

we'll see...