My first fitting experience...

[LeftyRM7]

I recently had a driver fitting at Club Champion in nearby Charlotte, NC. My driving has been the weakness of my game since I started really playing about 2 years ago. I’m around a 20 handicap on the brink of breaking 90. I’ve seen a lot of debate on players at my level getting fit and if it’s worth it, but I’m really into the tech/numbers and really wanted the experience for myself. I had been gaming a Cobra HS9 that a friend gave me so an upgrade was coming anyways. I’ve played many rounds with it doing nothing more than taking up space in my bag. 

My first dilemma was where to go. Long story short, I ultimately settled on Club Champion because of the amount of options. Being left handed, I need all the help I can get in that department. It also helped that at that time they were running their winter promotions so it was $100.

I was beyond excited to go through the process. When the day finally came I was actually making progress with my driver and felt I was in a good place to get fit. My fitter was Rob Gallagher, he seemed very intelligent and informative. Right away he asked me about my goals and wanted to be up front about the cost and asked if I wanted to stick with generic shaft options to keep the cost down or go for the “best fit” and figure out the money later. Of course I went for the “best fit”. 

He had me warm up starting with some wedge shots. I had never used Trackman so I was keeping an eye on the distances for each club so I had an idea of what to really expect from the driver. After I was warmed up he had me make a few driver swings as my baseline, after about 5 swings he stopped me. He asked me if I was holding back a little to keep it in the fairway, which I was, then told me to “let it rip a bit”. Which I did. Oddly enough I was driving  the ball better than I ever had. I think it had something to do with the environment indoors, no pressure. I started creeping over 90 mph clubhead speed and he said “now we’re gettimg somewhere”. We went over some numbers and found that I was ballooning badly, too much spin, and I was spraying shots left and right. Right away he put me in an Epic Flash, probably because my entire bag is Callaway and green, and they didn’t have the head on the top of my list(F9) in lefty. I loved the look/sound/feel. I was surprised right away he went with a stiff shaft, something I thought was for better players with faster swing speeds, but he pointed out that I was in between regular and stiff speed wise, plus it would be something I could grow into. I went through about 7 shafts until he got a good read on what I liked and needed. I was surprised how some of them could change my shot shape pretty dramatically. After narrowing it down to 2 I liked we settled on a Slay 65 stiff. Next he ran me through what lefty heads they had(M6, 0811, TS3). I didn’t like the M6, the feel was off and the sound was worse. I did like the TS3 but not enough to pick it over the Epic. The PXG I assumed was out of my price range but I did like it as well. 

By the time we were done I had made about 75 driver swings. My dispersion was much tighter, and I had picked up a little over 30 yards. Some of this was due to a few tweaks he had made to my setup, some of it was equipment. Which ultimately is what I paid for, the information, the instruction, and the recommendations. It’s so much more than just demoing clubs. 

Next we went over the cost, which I was dreading, knowing I couldn’t stomach dropping a load of cash on 1 club. Out the door it was going to be over $800. I told him I couldn’t do that and he offered a better option. He pulled up Callaway’s site and picked a stock shaft option that was comparable. It saves me the $260 for the shaft and my marriage, lol. Worst case scenario, I don’t like it, and I end up buying the upgraded shaft for the same price, and end up with another shaft. Seems like a no brainner to me. 

The final, and most important, part to my experience, results! I was dying to hit the course after my fitting, so I played the next day. I was eager to see if what I saw on Trackman translated to the course. I was worried that i wouldn’t see the same on the course with my old gamer because I really had hit the ball so much better than usual the day before. I was shocked when I started knocking them down the fairway, better and longer than I had before. I knew then I had made the right decision. 

I know some people will ask, why I got fit for one shaft then bought another? I get it, but the way I see it, I’m getting a serious upgrade from what I had. On a scale of 1 - 10(1 being my old driver, 10 being my fitted driver) I’m getting a 9. That little extra isn’t worth $260 to me right now. 

It took about 3 weeks to get my new Epic Flash. I have had some range time and a few rounds on it now and I can say that I love it! Even though I’m still not as consistent as I’d like to be, I know it’s the Indian and not the arrow. When I am swinging it well, it is definitely longer, and straiter. Biggest difference I can tell is the feel is so much better. The ball flight is ridiculous, no more high spinners dropping out of the air. 

All in all, I’m very pleased with the entire experience. I highly recommended anyone who is serious about getting better give it a shot. The whole experience is cool and like I said, it’s not just about trying out and buying clubs, it’s somewhat of a lesson and for me just the chance to see the data on trackman is worth the price. I can’t tell you how much I learned in a short period of time. I guess it does hinge on getting the right fitter, but I was lucky in that department. I hope this helps anyone out there on the fence about fitting. I’d love to hear anybody’s input or questions! 

[PMookie]

I recently had a driver fitting at Club Champion in nearby Charlotte, NC. My driving has been the weakness of my game since I started really playing about 2 years ago. I’m around a 20 handicap on the brink of breaking 90. I’ve seen a lot of debate on players at my level getting fit and if it’s worth it, but I’m really into the tech/numbers and really wanted the experience for myself. I had been gaming a Cobra HS9 that a friend gave me so an upgrade was coming anyways. I’ve played many rounds with it doing nothing more than taking up space in my bag. 
My first dilemma was where to go. Long story short, I ultimately settled on Club Champion because of the amount of options. Being left handed, I need all the help I can get in that department. It also helped that at that time they were running their winter promotions so it was $100.
I was beyond excited to go through the process. When the day finally came I was actually making progress with my driver and felt I was in a good place to get fit. My fitter was Rob Gallagher, he seemed very intelligent and informative. Right away he asked me about my goals and wanted to be up front about the cost and asked if I wanted to stick with generic shaft options to keep the cost down or go for the “best fit” and figure out the money later. Of course I went for the “best fit”. 
He had me warm up starting with some wedge shots. I had never used Trackman so I was keeping an eye on the distances for each club so I had an idea of what to really expect from the driver. After I was warmed up he had me make a few driver swings as my baseline, after about 5 swings he stopped me. He asked me if I was holding back a little to keep it in the fairway, which I was, then told me to “let it rip a bit”. Which I did. Oddly enough I was driving  the ball better than I ever had. I think it had something to do with the environment indoors, no pressure. I started creeping over 90 mph clubhead speed and he said “now we’re gettimg somewhere”. We went over some numbers and found that I was ballooning badly, too much spin, and I was spraying shots left and right. Right away he put me in an Epic Flash, probably because my entire bag is Callaway and green, and they didn’t have the head on the top of my list(F9) in lefty. I loved the look/sound/feel. I was surprised right away he went with a stiff shaft, something I thought was for better players with faster swing speeds, but he pointed out that I was in between regular and stiff speed wise, plus it would be something I could grow into. I went through about 7 shafts until he got a good read on what I liked and needed. I was surprised how some of them could change my shot shape pretty dramatically. After narrowing it down to 2 I liked we settled on a Slay 65 stiff. Next he ran me through what lefty heads they had(M6, 0811, TS3). I didn’t like the M6, the feel was off and the sound was worse. I did like the TS3 but not enough to pick it over the Epic. The PXG I assumed was out of my price range but I did like it as well. 
By the time we were done I had made about 75 driver swings. My dispersion was much tighter, and I had picked up a little over 30 yards. Some of this was due to a few tweaks he had made to my setup, some of it was equipment. Which ultimately is what I paid for, the information, the instruction, and the recommendations. It’s so much more than just demoing clubs. 
Next we went over the cost, which I was dreading, knowing I couldn’t stomach dropping a load of cash on 1 club. Out the door it was going to be over $800. I told him I couldn’t do that and he offered a better option. He pulled up Callaway’s site and picked a stock shaft option that was comparable. It saves me the $260 for the shaft and my marriage, lol. Worst case scenario, I don’t like it, and I end up buying the upgraded shaft for the same price, and end up with another shaft. Seems like a no brainner to me. 
The final, and most important, part to my experience, results! I was dying to hit the course after my fitting, so I played the next day. I was eager to see if what I saw on Trackman translated to the course. I was worried that i wouldn’t see the same on the course with my old gamer because I really had hit the ball so much better than usual the day before. I was shocked when I started knocking them down the fairway, better and longer than I had before. I knew then I had made the right decision. 
I know some people will ask, why I got fit for one shaft then bought another? I get it, but the way I see it, I’m getting a serious upgrade from what I had. On a scale of 1 - 10(1 being my old driver, 10 being my fitted driver) I’m getting a 9. That little extra isn’t worth $260 to me right now. 
It took about 3 weeks to get my new Epic Flash. I have had some range time and a few rounds on it now and I can say that I love it! Even though I’m still not as consistent as I’d like to be, I know it’s the Indian and not the arrow. When I am swinging it well, it is definitely longer, and straiter. Biggest difference I can tell is the feel is so much better. The ball flight is ridiculous, no more high spinners dropping out of the air. 
All in all, I’m very pleased with the entire experience. I highly recommended anyone who is serious about getting better give it a shot. The whole experience is cool and like I said, it’s not just about trying out and buying clubs, it’s somewhat of a lesson and for me just the chance to see the data on trackman is worth the price. I can’t tell you how much I learned in a short period of time. I guess it does hinge on getting the right fitter, but I was lucky in that department. I hope this helps anyone out there on the fence about fitting. I’d love to hear anybody’s input or questions! 

That’s awesome! Proof that fittings work. Glad you enjoy the driver!!


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[cnosil]

Sounds like you had a great experience that helped you with your swing issues and worked with you on cost options.   

[smoothie13]

Thanks for your driver fitting experience. I am at the same HCP as you and have been considering getting fitted as well. I better save some $ first.


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[Reesedw]

Glad you had a great fitting experience.. And it is understood that not everyone can or will pony up top dollars for a club, and I'm glad the fitter worked with you to find a acceptable alternative.. That tells me your Fitter understands that also..  

[Txmason123]

Great write up. Thank you for sharing your experience.  I hope to use a fitter for my next club purchases.  Your post is helping push that decision.

[kardboard.kid]

Thanks for sharing.  That will be the next thing I have a fitting for.  I like the fact that you realize cost is only part of the equation.   Unless we are looking to make an attempt on the tour, playing something that is fun, maybe less expensive an option,  and also helps reduce strokes, add yardage, etc...  is perfect.  Keep it going,