Fitting W/Out Purchase?

[ChappyEight]

So, I've never been fit for clubs in my life.  The clubs I have now I bought roughly 7 years ago and I pieced the set together based almost wholly on looks, company reputation, my OCD tendencies (hence the same brand throughout) and if I'm being honest, something less popular. (I can be weirdly contrarian like that).

 

That said, I like my clubs well enough, but I'm not certain if they're truly appropriate for me.  So, when I say "fitting" what I really mean is current club evaluation and length/lie & shaft recommendations and adjustments to my current clubs.  I'm not opposed to, for instance, picking up a new driver, but it will only be used and a year or two old (think $200 range).

 

From what I can tell, most of the places around me have certain manufacturers they're looking to sell and, while they advertise evaluation of current equipment, almost all of them eventually mention finding "the best equipment for" me, not necessarily tweaking what I've got to "fit" me.  GolfTec is nearby, a handful of mom & pop shops, and a few golf course academies.  

 

So what do you suggest?  I plan to go chat with a couple places this weekend, but any of you in this boat, or have been in the past?

 

Now, with that said, the second part of this question moves into which club I should have fit first.  My putter is good to go, no need to have it fit.  So, really, it comes down to irons or driver as far as which to fit first.  I see the pros and cons of either being first, but wondered if you all have a suggestion.

 

Thanks for your time,

Chappy

[cnosil]

My suggestion is to go talk with the fitters and tell thEm just what you wrote here. Some may charge a fee or apply the fee to any work done. I think you can do the fittings together since you are trying to assess your set and not go crazy with a let's find the optimal set. If you want separate I would personally do irons first.

[revkev]

Your best bet is a Mom and Pop shop. Do your research first. I've had three fittings at two different ones. The first was exactly what you described. I ended up spending 100 for the fitting and 250 for adjustments to my clubs. It was well worth it.

 

The second was for a specific brand, no charge because I purchased.

 

The third was a driver fitting. 100 last year that confirmed that it was not worth purchasing a new driver. That was money well spent.

 

I'm going for an iron fitting on Tuesday for the same reason. Hour and a half. I have doubts about my current shafts and a roaming eye towards the Ping G400 or Mizuno 900 hit metal. The question is if it's worth it. I will spend the 100 to save me from myself or to be confident that I'm making the right move and getting the right shaft/head combo. My guy isn't brand specific. You pay the 100 for the fitting but if you order through him he inspects your order to make sure you get what you paid for.

 

I have about 500 worth of clubs to unload so I will sell them off to help pay for the new irons should I purchase.

 

 

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[Golfspy_CG2]

Can't argue with what either Cnosil or RevKev said.

 

You mentioned GolfTec, I believe they have a $95 fitting fee and that they are brand neutral from what i can tell.  They generally have a very good selection and I dont' seem to be high pressure to buy from them either from my experience. 

[ChappyEight]

Here's another thought in the same discussion...

 

Is it bad form to go and get "fit" at a place like GolfTec or Golf Galaxy and then find a club online cheaper?  For instance, I'm not opposed to replacing my driver if the head technology is hindering me (2009), but I simply can't spend $500 on a club right now.  But, if I could find a 2015 club for $200, that's in my wheelhouse and is still a 6 year upgrade over my current stick.

 

Thinking out loud, I suppose.

 

- Chappy

 

P.S. I realize that my sucky swing is more of a hindrance than my 8 year old club technology.

[yungkory]

Here's another thought in the same discussion...

 

Is it bad form to go and get "fit" at a place like GolfTec or Golf Galaxy and then find a club online cheaper?  For instance, I'm not opposed to replacing my driver if the head technology is hindering me (2009), but I simply can't spend $500 on a club right now.  But, if I could find a 2015 club for $200, that's in my wheelhouse and is still a 6 year upgrade over my current stick.

 

Thinking out loud, I suppose.

 

- Chappy

 

P.S. I realize that my sucky swing is more of a hindrance than my 8 year old club technology.

 

You're not going to have the exact same results between the new and old club, even with the same shaft.

 

I've done both demo day range fittings, and paid fitting at a club fitter. The main thing is to have a launch monitor, and ask your fitter a lot of questions. I didn't buy clubs on either of those days that I went to the fitting.

 

As for which to do first, I would say whatever is the least-successful part of your game.Getting fit for my driver transformed my game. Longer and straighter means I'm not in trouble, and the success was so eye opening I wanted to get fit for new irons and obsessed over it. Luckily, I got picked to test the JPX 900 line, so spending the $75 for my fitting was a no-brainer.

[TheWahoo]

For what its worth, I had a driver fitting at Club Champion in Rockville near DC.   They have sites almost nation wide.   The end result was that I was advised to continue using my current driver until my instructor and I can get my "smash factor up".   

[revkev]

Here's another thought in the same discussion...

 

Is it bad form to go and get "fit" at a place like GolfTec or Golf Galaxy and then find a club online cheaper? For instance, I'm not opposed to replacing my driver if the head technology is hindering me (2009), but I simply can't spend $500 on a club right now. But, if I could find a 2015 club for $200, that's in my wheelhouse and is still a 6 year upgrade over my current stick.

 

Thinking out loud, I suppose.

 

- Chappy

 

P.S. I realize that my sucky swing is more of a hindrance than my 8 year old club technology.

So long as you are paying for the fitting I don't think it's bad at all. I've heard my guy recommend that people go buy an item online when he knows they will get it cheaper. That's why he always charges and takes full responsibility for the clubs you order through him. He gives you both options.

 

 

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[TBT]

If you are paying for the fitting you can either purchase clubs or not it's fine either way. But trying to apply the results of a fitting on a new club with newer shafts to a used club with a different shaft is probably not going to work.

[revkev]

If you are paying for the fitting you can either purchase clubs or not it's fine either way. But trying to apply the results of a fitting on a new club with newer shafts to a used club with a different shaft is probably not going to work.

More than probably

 

 

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[TBT]

I was trying not to be Debbie Downer Rev lol

[Hackabilly]

Just wanted to jump on this thread, as I have the same question.

 

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[Rusty1885]

Club fitting is kinda like financial advisor, you want to go to the one you pay for not the one the benefits from sales. In general if they change for service and do poor jobs they are not going to be in business for very long. If you go to the ones that don't charge extra with purchase then it's a flip of the coin, usually it's a bigger store and the kid who helps you may or may not know enough to help you. I've seen a few fitting and most are full of sh!t. They just want to sell you stuffs.

 

If you want to save money then buy from the big brands preowned site like callaway and Taylor made. You can't really go wrong with that there's not many choices or adjustment you can do except for loft, length and shaft selection. They can artificially adjust face angle through hosel but it's not lie adjustment, the only company I know that offer that is Wishon.

 

In general, unless you have a repeatable driver swing and/or low handicap you won't notice much from one premium shaft to another, they are all pretty good nowadays. Be realistic about it, even if you get a perfect fit, it's not going to turn you into Bubba Watson.

 

Lastly, fitting for new clubs is not a cheap route, at best you are paying retail+fitting cost, usually it could be more with shaft selections. I'm always against going to Brick & Mortar for a test drive and then buy cheaper online is not a good way to do business.

[ChappyEight]

Appreciate all the insight.  It's been most helpful.

[griecot313]

Agree with Rusty1885. I went for a fitting at a 3 letter Superstore I won't mention but the fitter had the same three letters after his name. First thing I notice is that they had different hard cover balls in the bay. I asked if I could go to my bag and get some of the balls I play with. The fitter said it doesn't matter they can adjust the numbers. Are you kidding, I should have left then? Next I hit a number of shots with my club and got numbers. The fitter says relax for a minute, I need to make some adjustments. I notice on the screen, he changed the wind speed to 10mph helping. I said that's it and started leaving. I noticed Bridgestone was giving Free ball fittings a couple bays down. I took my driver down and hit a few, then asked the Bridgestone guy if he could get the Ping I wanted to try. There was basically no difference between the two clubs. I ended up buying some Bridgestone Balls out of guilt but bottom line is, I do not trust fitters that sell equipment as well.

 

Now, I just play around myself and find it more fun. I go to this website and compare test results. If I want a lower ball flight, less spin etc, I buy the club or shaft with the best test numbers and play around with it. I think it is more about feel and confidence than raw numbers.