Trevor613

It is the beauty of life. There are many paths that one can take and they can all lead to similar results. As long as you're happy, you do you!!! Ultimately, this forum has a group of people that are fascinated by equipment. It isn't about "how good" do you have to be, it is more about the pursuit of the knowledge and the feel of that perfect combination. Getting fitted was an eye opening experience for me and what works for one person does not always work for another. Stock shafts can be very good and if they work for you, fantastic! Others like to tinker and play around with different things and it is essentially an extension of our love of golf.

Just like most other things, in my opinion, swingweight comes down to feel. When getting fitted, it was the last thing we discussed and when we talked about it, it was more of discussion of "finding" the clubhead during my swing. The overall weights of the clubs did not change materially, but how that weight was distributed made a difference for me in how the clubs felt as I swung them. I noticed a law of diminishing returns as the clubs got longer. As a result, my three wedges (Vokey SM9) are D7 and my irons 4-PW are D6 SW, and all of them have lighter steel KBS shafts which helps me "find" the heads during the swing, especially when I'm not hitting full shots. My Driver and 5W are in the D4/D5 SW range. The original build for the drive was a D8 SW and it felt like a sledgehammer and NOT in a good way. Luckily, Club Champion will do tweaks to the equipment until you're happy and they took some hot melt out of clubhead to bring the total weight down and also shift how that weight was distributed. So for me, swingweight was all about feel and consistency. Moving forward I'll probably try to keep them in this general range and have them "lighter" in the longer clubs and then progressively "heavier" as the clubs get shorter.

Diamana Blueboard...I was fitted for the current model and it is very nice and just as smooth and easy to hit as the original, which I used for many many years prior to getting this one last year. I seem to really like those mid/mid type shafts and this one is IMO the best.

I typically only wear a glove if it is really humid and I can't get my hands to stop sweating; as a result, I've always been a fan of the Tour Velvet Full Cord grips by Golf Pride. When getting fit for my most recent set of irons/clubs, I was able to try the Golf Pride Z Cords...and they are incredible for me. I like a firm rubber grip and the full cord on these is exactly what I needed, especially without a glove. I like installing them logo up and I use that to help with my alignment and face position. I'm not a fan of the "ribbed" align grips. Its not something that appeals to me, but I can see how others would find it useful.

True Temper Dynamic Gold shafts are the all-time classic iron shaft. But I'm really happy with the performance of my current set of irons with the KBS Tour V shafts. Very consistent...great ball flight...able to work them high/low as needed and I still have a good feel for the clubhead. When I was getting fitted, the other shaft that almost made it into the bag was the Aerotech Steelfiber, which I believe is also a True Temper product.

I would recommend going to an independent club fitter that has a good reputation and has options from all manufacturers. Club Champion can be expensive, but I think they have a special going right now that the fitting is free if you purchase the club from them. Even so, I think a driver fitting is typically $100; well worth your time to be able to try out several club head and shaft options. Everything is using trackman and into a screen; however, I found the process to be incredibly thorough; and since they are brand agnostic, you won't be pushed into anything. They can also help dial in what you are currently using and if they can't improve upon what you have there is no obligation to buy new equipment. I was very skeptical at first, but I can say for certain that it was worth my time and money. I don't have the desire, or cash, to change clubs every year. I wanted to ensure that what I was getting could serve me well for the next 5+ years...Club Champion was the best way for me to get that level of equipment and service. Not to mention, they stand by their service and will do what it takes to ensure you're satisfied.

I have several...can't pick just one! Playing at Bedford Springs on the hottest day I've ever played golf and witnessing my Dad's hole-in-one. Playing with my future father-in-law and brothers-in-law at their home club for the first time and shooting my all-time low score. Playing Laurel Valley with an executive from my company and getting home in two on the par 5 18th with the best 4 iron I've ever hit (two-putt for birdie). Playing Oakmont CC for the first time a few weeks before they hosted the Women's US Open. Every time I played my home course with my Dad and every golf trip with his friends...I cherish those memories even more now that he's no longer with us.

To answer I absolutely recommend getting fit for wedges. I was just fit into Vokey SM9s last year and even though I had an idea of what I wanted from a loft and grind perspective, hitting multiple options and feeling the shots was well worth the time. The 50° Vokey that I have, might be the best club I've ever hit. The wedges I replaced were old Cleveland CG12s (Raw DSG) and I loved those wedges...but having the ability to "flight" the shots and keep them low when needed with the Vokey wedges is something I never knew that I needed and now I can't go back.

I had been researching personal, and affordable, launch monitors and MGS popped up on my Instagram feed one day. I checked out their reviews and all of the info they had on launch monitors and clubs and I was hooked. Signed up for the newsletter and have been really enjoying the lighthearted, honest, and positive discussions from fellow golfers who are just gear geeks like me! The positivity and friendliness on here is much needed island from the craziness of this world.

Rory's comments on this topic seem to ring true to me. Just like everything else in this world, it revolves around money. Bifurcation was the answer, but the manufacturers thought it would hurt their sales. "You think we play the same stuff you do? They put pressure on the governing bodies to roll it back to a lesser degree for everyone. Bifurcation was the logical answer for everyone, but yet again in this game, money talks."

For what it is worth, CC does not require you to buy the clubs from them. You can just pay for the fitting and take your specs somewhere else; even to an off-the-shelf big box store or direct from the manufacturer. Yes, the fitting is not inexpensive ($400 for the full bag, $100 for a driver), but they do offer specials throughout the year that make it more cost effective. In my experience, the fitter was NOT pushing anything on to me and was not pushing me to buy new clubs. In my 20+ years of playing and being fitted at different times and different methods (static fittings, lie board fittings, Trackman fittings, etc.), the CC process was by far the most beneficial and most educational. Not to mention, it was fun to see the numbers and the consistency improvements. Like I said prior...there is no obligation to buy from them and my fitter was not pushy at all. It was a fantastic experience. Also, fittings are for everyone...and you don't have to go into the process after taking lessons. The fitters are there to help fit you into clubs that will help you with your game and your swing as it currently exists.

I've been through 3 different fitting processes over the 30+ years that I've been playing golf. My first fitting was at a golf course with a pro (lie board, observe trajectory, static measurements, etc.). My second fitting was at a "big box" store (Golf Galaxy) with static measurements, hitting into a net, and not really looking at the many numebrs that are now available. My most recent fitting was a full bag review at Club Champion and it was by far the best experience I've ever had. I will say that there were many many years between these fittings and technology has changed so much and the amount of data that they can review now is astounding and overwhelming. That being said, my fitter at Club Champion was absolutely incredible and really educated me throughout the process and was not pushing me to buy anything. As a matter of fact, I ended up keeping my 5-wood and putter because there was no improvement in consistency and no reason to change them. Yes, Club Champion can be expensive, but look for deals on full bag fittings (I got mine for $100 instead of the normal $400). Even at $400 it would have been worth every penny. I've also gone back a few times after receiving the new clubs that I purchased and had them do a tune-up. This was all included in the cost of the fitting and the clubs that I purchased. They stand behind what they do and what they make for you and are extremely knowledgeable. A huge shout out to Tommy McNally at the Pittsburgh Club Champion. I highly recommend CC and Tommy in particular.