Club fitting post purchase?

[PING Apologist #9]

Yes, I'm new. That automatically means I have a LOT to learn. These forums however are very enlightening and many of you seem very helpful on a great number of subjects. To that end, I need your help.

 

Some short history on my short foray into the club buying game;

 

When I started to get into this voodoo, my buddies and family both stated "I didn't know you golfed!??!". My answer was, "Yes I've golfed, but I am not a golfer." Though I've generally played a round or 2 a year for the last 20 or so years, that's always been with rented or borrowed sticks. The minute the bug bit me earlier this year, I was actually using a set borrowed to me and got a little consistency going. After 4 rounds or so, I decided to get shoes and now that has ballooned into acquiring my own bag of clubs.

 

My first adventure into it was (at least for me) simple; Get good "quality" used USA-made clubs at a reasonable price. EBay here I come! Found Ping to be the go-to so I went full on and got some pretty old, albeit "decent" stuff for the price; TISI driver ISI metal woods, Karsten III irons and an old Anser 2i putter-all fitting into a Ping staff bag that matched the driver set to a tee.

 

WOW! Not competitive at all! I'm ditching them all and now have (or am waiting for) what's listed in my signature.

 

OK guys, bad on me for not being fitted before buying (eBay again), but I have used the "nFlight" fitting app on Ping's website (pretty cool really), and gotten a decent and consistent general sense of where I need to start at least. Now I am deathly afraid of going to a fitter with my self-taught swing and embarrassing myself, but my method is to get 'em, practice with 'em and play with 'em a bit and develop a better understanding of how to use 'em before I waltz in and say "duh" a lot.

 

Is it "normal" to have existing clubs fitted? Or is it just plain weird? I don't see too many folks talking about fitting this way to be honest and I sure hope I haven't travelled down the path of no return. My wallet and wife would both throttle me...

 

Your guidance and insight are both highly sought...HELP me Spies! 

[hckymeyer]

Welcome to the forum and welcome to club addiction!

 

A couple of things.  Sounds like you already know the importance and benefits of getting fitted.  There is no wrong time to get fit.  A lot of people think that unless you have a grooved repeatable tour swing you won't see a benefit from getting fit.  It's just not true though, anyone can benefit from getting fit.  And learning/improving your golf swing is much easier with proper length, lie, swing weight etc.  It can help you from ingraining bad habits due to poorly fit clubs.

 

Also there is no issue with getting your current set adjusted vs buying new clubs.  I've been fit for irons 4 or 5 times and have yet to purchase completely fit brand new clubs.  I've had my existing clubs rebuilt with proper specs and shafts several times though.  

 

So bottom line...Go get fit any time you desire.  Feel free to get your existing clubs tweaked if that's all that's needed.

[PING Apologist #9]

Welcome to the forum and welcome to club addiction!

 

A couple of things.  Sounds like you already know the importance and benefits of getting fitted.  There is no wrong time to get fit.  A lot of people think that unless you have a grooved repeatable tour swing you won't see a benefit from getting fit.  It's just not true though, anyone can benefit from getting fit.  And learning/improving your golf swing is much easier with proper length, lie, swing weight etc.  It can help you from ingraining bad habits due to poorly fit clubs.

 

Also there is no issue with getting your current set adjusted vs buying new clubs.  I've been fit for irons 4 or 5 times and have yet to purchase completely fit brand new clubs.  I've had my existing clubs rebuilt with proper specs and shafts several times though.  

 

So bottom line...Go get fit any time you desire.  Feel free to get your existing clubs tweaked if that's all that's needed.

That is awesome! I feel better already, thank-you so much. The part about "ingraining bad habits" is a great point. Appreciate the quick response-so helpful and insightful

[yungkory]

Welcome to the game and the site, from someone who came back and completely fell back in love after a 10 year break.

 

When I was younger and didn't have a job, I just played whatever clubs I was given. Fitting, aside from Ping static specs with their color codes, was something that people, at least the ones I knew, didn't do. Now, it's so accessible it's unreal.

 

When I came back I picked up a set that I had wanted for a long time, completely ignoring whether or not they were for me. Having grown up golfing and using whatever I could get, I did alright with them, but boy did I not know what I was missing out on.

 

Fast forward to a few months ago when I got fit for my current gamers to test for MGS, who I am ETERNALLY grateful for, and I'm playing the best iron shots of my life. Like Meyer said, there's really no wrong time to get fit. 7 months after coming back, my entire bag is now fit for me. Make sure you do a WITB post so we can see everything when you get your bag squared away!

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[JohnSmalls]

This is a great post--I, too have wondered the same thing. To follow up on to be fit for clubs or not to be fit; how do you choose a proper fitter? Or how do you know you've found a trustworthy fitter?

[PING Apologist #9]

Welcome to the game and the site, from someone who came back and completely fell back in love after a 10 year break.

 

When I was younger and didn't have a job, I just played whatever clubs I was given. Fitting, aside from Ping static specs with their color codes, was something that people, at least the ones I knew, didn't do. Now, it's so accessible it's unreal.

 

When I came back I picked up a set that I had wanted for a long time, completely ignoring whether or not they were for me. Having grown up golfing and using whatever I could get, I did alright with them, but boy did I not know what I was missing out on.

 

Fast forward to a few months ago when I got fit for my current gamers to test for MGS, who I am ETERNALLY grateful for, and I'm playing the best iron shots of my life. Like Meyer said, there's really no wrong time to get fit. 7 months after coming back, my entire bag is now fit for me. Make sure you do a WITB post so we can see everything when you get your bag squared away!

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using MyGolfSpy mobile app

Good stuff and big 10-4 on the WITB!

[PING Apologist #9]

This is a great post--I, too have wondered the same thing. To follow up on to be fit for clubs or not to be fit; how do you choose a proper fitter? Or how do you know you've found a trustworthy fitter?

 

Indeed my next dilemma. DSG..? Definite NO. GG..? Perhaps..? We have a Wide World of Golf here...eh? I probably need to research a bit outside of my small clique to network better info on where to go for me. Thanks for bringing this elephant to the room John! We are right in tune! Cheers!

[yungkory]

Much to my benefit, the golf community is small here. To add to that, I used to work with someone who was once State champ in high school. He's very well-connected and introduced me to one of the top pros in Hawaii. Obviously, I had to choose him as my club fitter with my friend's recommendation and telling me he is widely considered to be the best golfer in Hawaii.

 

Find a PGA pro near you that does fittings with a launch monitor -- that would be my recommendation. I can't speak on the big box stores, because I've never gone to one (we don't have more than 2 on island), but I have my reservations.

[Brian A]

Welcome! 

 

Get fitted and if they can adjust your clubs to what you need it will help! Even a small adjustment can make a huge difference. I did it in the spring and took about a stroke a hole off because I wasnt mishitting as badly.

[chemclub]

Indeed my next dilemma. DSG..? Definite NO. GG..? Perhaps..? We have a Wide World of Golf here...eh? I probably need to research a bit outside of my small clique to network better info on where to go for me. Thanks for bringing this elephant to the room John! We are right in tune! Cheers!

 

In my experience, I would not go to a big box store or even some smaller shops that primarily sell off the rack. I one time had to explain to the owner/manager how a swing-weight machine actually works because he had a heck of time getting my swing weight the same after cutting the shaft down (kept adding weight to the butt of the club instead of the head!).

 

But finding a good fitter in a low-population state can be tough. I'm kind of in your boat because I live in Iowa (with more vowels than consonants like Idaho!) and I had to drive 2 hours to find a fitter but it was totally worth it. I found my guy through Tom Wishon's website.

 

http://wishongolf.com/find-a-clubfitter/

 

My thought process was that Tom is such a stickler for club fitting and his whole 12-point fitting philosophy that anyone who is approved by him would be good. In my opinion, fitters are best for identifying shafts. Barring any major tech like high-cor faces or SGI type tech, the club head is more up to you and what fits the eye. The fitter is more making recommendations in the iron head arena. So you should be all set

[PING Apologist #9]

In my experience, I would not go to a big box store or even some smaller shops that primarily sell off the rack. I one time had to explain to the owner/manager how a swing-weight machine actually works because he had a heck of time getting my swing weight the same after cutting the shaft down (kept adding weight to the butt of the club instead of the head!).

 

But finding a good fitter in a low-population state can be tough. I'm kind of in your boat because I live in Iowa (with more vowels than consonants like Idaho!) and I had to drive 2 hours to find a fitter but it was totally worth it. I found my guy through Tom Wishon's website.

 

http://wishongolf.com/find-a-clubfitter/

 

My thought process was that Tom is such a stickler for club fitting and his whole 12-point fitting philosophy that anyone who is approved by him would be good. In my opinion, fitters are best for identifying shafts. Barring any major tech like high-cor faces or SGI type tech, the club head is more up to you and what fits the eye. The fitter is more making recommendations in the iron head arena. So you should be all set

Thanks for the link. I just checked it out and found a fitter in Idaho-4 hours away! Ugh!

[Brian A]

Do you have golf tec in your area? they do free events with fittings

[chemclub]

Thanks for the link. I just checked it out and found a fitter in Idaho-4 hours away! Ugh!

 

Day trip!!!

[Sschaffer24]

The biggest thing with having existing clubs fitted versus having a set built for you to order is the difference in fit between shafts.

 

We all have ideal specs. Loft, length, lie, swing weight, etc that can be adjusted on any set of clubs within reason. The biggest difference maker that you could see in going to have a new set built is finding the perfect fit in shaft flex/weight versus making what you have work for you and dialing in those other elements. You could always have the eBay clubs reshafted, but in the long one once you compare that investment cost versus the cost of getting a new set I think the differences will be minimal.

 

Honestly probably the most ideal way to go about this would be to find a reputable fitter and take your existing clubs with you. Go into to have a fitting for a full set of clubs and get your specs. Once you are done ask the fitter to compare the specs/shaft in the fit clubs versus your current set and see how close they are. Then ask for a quote on having those reshafted/bent to the optimal settings versus the cost of a new set and weigh that out versus the tradeoff of keeping the current setup with their stock shafts.

 

That would be my approach my friend!

[Sschaffer24]

One other point to someone new to the game. Please do not under any circumstances worry about being "embarrassed" in front of fitter. These guys and gals see people of every skill level every day of the week. Their job is to maximize what you bring to the table and provide the best service that they can.

 

To me it's like getting nervous about taking your shirt off at the doctors office. Everyone has that moment where they wonder, but at the end of the day the doctor couldn't care any less how you look without your shirt off. It's part of the job and you become numb to it very quickly.

 

Don't worry at all about how the fitter will see you. You will find in short order that if the fitter is of any quality the first thing they will do for you is make you comfortable.

 

Best of luck!

[PING Apologist #9]

The biggest thing with having existing clubs fitted versus having a set built for you to order is the difference in fit between shafts.

 

We all have ideal specs. Loft, length, lie, swing weight, etc that can be adjusted on any set of clubs within reason. The biggest difference maker that you could see in going to have a new set built is finding the perfect fit in shaft flex/weight versus making what you have work for you and dialing in those other elements. You could always have the eBay clubs reshafted, but in the long one once you compare that investment cost versus the cost of getting a new set I think the differences will be minimal.

 

Honestly probably the most ideal way to go about this would be to find a reputable fitter and take your existing clubs with you. Go into to have a fitting for a full set of clubs and get your specs. Once you are done ask the fitter to compare the specs/shaft in the fit clubs versus your current set and see how close they are. Then ask for a quote on having those reshafted/bent to the optimal settings versus the cost of a new set and weigh that out versus the tradeoff of keeping the current setup with their stock shafts.

 

That would be my approach my friend!

Shawn, that Sir is exactly what I'll do. A little more poking around (supposed to be working...) and I found what may be the right guy here in Boise. A guy by the name of David Parker who runs Pierce Park Greens which is a small 9-hole course about 20-minutes from me. His website here and touts his 4-time "Ping club fitter of the year" awards which sounds to be right up my alley..! I'll keep you all posted. SF TEC driver, 3-wood * 3H are here-wtg for irons

[PING Apologist #9]

Just spoke to them over there. They have all the goodies and sound very happy to help. Flightscope launch monitor, private outdoor hitting range, PING certs-WOW what a find! I am charged up about this!

 

Thank-you all for everything to date. This is one hell of a quality experience and I am happy as all get out that I found you all! 

 

Power to the Player indeed! MGS and all of her spies rule!

[hckymeyer]

When looking for a fitter there are 2 good places to start.  I look at the Golf Digest top 100 fitters list and see who's around in my area.  

 

Then I around in golf forums and local guys that golf to see if anyone has a recommendation.  Call the shop and get a feel for them, ask what brands they fit, ask about their process and methodology.  You can always swing by the shop and check it out too.

 

Best of luck with the search!

[Sschaffer24]

Just spoke to them over there. They have all the goodies and sound very happy to help. Flightscope launch monitor, private outdoor hitting range, PING certs-WOW what a find! I am charged up about this!

 

Thank-you all for everything to date. This is one hell of a quality experience and I am happy as all get out that I found you all!

 

Power to the Player indeed! MGS and all of her spies rule!

This is awesome man! Please let us know how it goes once you get in and let them fit you. I'm very interested in what insight they have and to most importantly see how that resonates with you.

 

Good luck!

[AH1980MN]

I'd definitely go to DSG- I hear they can bend your Pings 10°!

 

(Sorry-had to!)

[PING Apologist #9]

Heh...not funny...

[PING Apologist #9]

Hey everyone, just returned from the driving range (no fitting yet, just a trial run by myself) after my first spin with the woods & irons.

 

First off I struggle with irons anyway, but these seem to be "ok" for me thus far. When I did hit properly, they went straight and maybe a little longer than my norm-I think. A definite lesson or 12 is in order I'm sure. The graphite reg-flex shafts seemed to  be the ticket for me since my l-wrist usually took quite a beating in sessions like this with my old stiff steel set, so that seems to be a positive. 

 

Next, my little 3H...Gawd but I suck with this club! Probably a byproduct of my suspect iron play. Gotta get this jewel figured out...

 

3-W...was "OK" at times, but I need to tinker with tee height and stance placement some more. Never did try it direct off turf cuz I was chicken after my weak trials with the H. I did have some good shots with it and then began playing with the loft adjustments. I found that after tailoring it back a degree from the standard 15*, it was "good".

 

The driver...WOW. First off, in the words of Gunny Highway; "It makes a very distinctive sound when fired at you". True-dat! Distinctive indeed! I had Taylor Made's and Calloway's on either side of me and the report off of this G was most distinctive. I started it off on the 10* neutral position and his each adjustment point the hosel allowed. Finally settled at the +1* making it an 11* loft. It seemed very consistent for me there for sure. Good distance for me too at around 225-250 on good hits. Mostly straight too.

 

I'll let myself soak this in a bit, maybe hit the range once or twice (weather permitting of course) before I schedule my post-sale fitting, but am excited to report further progress in this journey. Thanks to all of you who've commented to me thus far.

 

Cheers!

Robert in Idaho

[Sschaffer24]

Robert thanks for the update! Just keep grinding my friend.

 

Remember to define your goals and work toward them. What is it that drives you to play golf? Shooting the lowest score seems obvious but is it always the right/correct answer?

 

I try to keep that in perspective.

[TBT]

Don't be afraid to get fit at anytime, clubs can be bent, Shafts can be shortened or extended or changed.

 

Properly fit clubs can make a lot of difference in your game.

[PING Apologist #9]

Robert thanks for the update! Just keep grinding my friend.

 

Remember to define your goals and work toward them. What is it that drives you to play golf? Shooting the lowest score seems obvious but is it always the right/correct answer?

 

I try to keep that in perspective.

Thanks for the encouragement! What drives me? I've always been competitive and the few times I've ever played this particular game, I've loved the diversity you get with every shot as well as the chance to be "creative". No 2 shots are the same after you leave the tee boxes usually and I really dig that challenge.

[PING Apologist #9]

Well fellow spies, I'm fixin' to get "fit" this Sunday finally. As I mentioned in another thread, I'm going to have my whole bag evaluated (maybe not the putters-we'll see-I like my putters) and see where I'm at. I need to finally get some tangible data for gapping loft, lie-the whole enchilada. I'm real excited about this as I'm sure it will add a whole lot of confidence in my game knowing that what I'm swinging is set up correctly for me and then I'll have one less thing to blame after I chunk or skull a shot into the pond on the next hole over. I'm fairly confident my irons are generally ok, but I want to "ensure" that they're OK. My driver..? Well, that's the one part I'm hoping I actually got wrong when I ordered it. Thus far in my hands it's been a love-hate relationship, but mostly hate. It's ostensibly made to assist in keeping down the slices to the right, but I have not experienced anything of the sort. I've had many sweet-feeling solid, pure strikes with it that have just taken off way right! I think my choice of "mid-flex" in my shaft is wrong and that my swing speed is higher than I've been guessing. I've played with the loft adjustments a bit, that's really a crap-shoot without true data. So I hope my fitter can find a resolution for it fer sure...Or maybe a sweet new G400 is the answer..?! My wallet just burst into flames...

I'll keep you all posted, and again, many thanks to all for your continued and kind support!

Cheers!

[STUDque]

Well fellow spies, I'm fixin' to get "fit" this Sunday finally. As I mentioned in another thread, I'm going to have my whole bag evaluated (maybe not the putters-we'll see-I like my putters) and see where I'm at. I need to finally get some tangible data for gapping loft, lie-the whole enchilada. I'm real excited about this as I'm sure it will add a whole lot of confidence in my game knowing that what I'm swinging is set up correctly for me and then I'll have one less thing to blame after I chunk or skull a shot into the pond on the next hole over. I'm fairly confident my irons are generally ok, but I want to "ensure" that they're OK. My driver..? Well, that's the one part I'm hoping I actually got wrong when I ordered it. Thus far in my hands it's been a love-hate relationship, but mostly hate. It's ostensibly made to assist in keeping down the slices to the right, but I have not experienced anything of the sort. I've had many sweet-feeling solid, pure strikes with it that have just taken off way right! I think my choice of "mid-flex" in my shaft is wrong and that my swing speed is higher than I've been guessing. I've played with the loft adjustments a bit, that's really a crap-shoot without true data. So I hope my fitter can find a resolution for it fer sure...Or maybe a sweet new G400 is the answer..?! My wallet just burst into flames...

I'll keep you all posted, and again, many thanks to all for your continued and kind support!

Cheers!

 

Dude......what are you going to do if you get fit into non-ping clubs? Or are you not even looking outside your swim lane?

 

 

Either way. I wish you good luck.

 

 

Sent from carrier pigeon using MyGolfSpy

[PING Apologist #9]

Dude......what are you going to do if you get fit into non-ping clubs? Or are you not even looking outside your swim lane?

 

 

Either way. I wish you good luck.

 

 

Sent from carrier pigeon using MyGolfSpy

HA, indeed! It'd be like stepping on my own d*** fer sure! I'd have to send some apologies out I suppose. Alas, it's the bed I made for myself so we'll see... That would be something though if an OEM-centric idiot like me were told "Na, this Taylor Made driver sure shows that you get 300+" and that "these Mizzies really do out perform what ya got now." Then I'd have some serious soul searching to do...Damn, what have I done?   F-it! PING all the way Brotha! No apologies!

[revkev]

Generally there's going to be something in anyone's line that will fit well enough. I'm sure Ping has something that will work.

 

You should get fit for putter - it will make a huge, tangible difference in your game.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[ole gray]

I've been seeing a friend of mine who works at DGS.  I know I know run like a scared rabbit because it's a big box store.  The thing is Richard is actually an awesome golfer who played golf in college albeit Junior college but nevertheless he can golf his ball.  He carried his Class A  card up until a year ago.  He knows more about fitting than the average Dick's sales person who ended up in the golf department however he's not a true "expert fitter" . Just a very solid golfer who knows alot about golf in general.   He recently got the Ping fitting cart and has been working with me  to see what setup produces the best results.  I came home today and it was the second time after hitting tons of balls that the white dot (3 degrees up) has worked extremely well for me.   I was carrying balls in 150 + range with total yards ending much higher .  I won't say how far because you wouldn't think my ole arse could hit it that far on a downhill interstate. Distance doesn't mean as much to me as seeing the ball bouncing off the center of that impact tape.  I think my buddy after several different occasions and tons of balls might be on to something.  The good thing is I'm retired and the store is only a few miles from my home. I can go as many times as I like and he and I shoot the bull while we're dialing in the numbers.