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Hi guys,

I've been golfing for a few years off and on and until recently had the thought of getting fitted for my irons.  Never been fitted before and some guys said that I probably be better off using the "stock" clubs I've been using.  Currently I'm using the Taylormade M4 irons (stiff-steel shaft) I bought from my local golf.  I heard that with my height I don't need to be fit (i'm 5'8" and my wrist to floor is 33").  Would I see a big improvement from getting fitted? Enough to justify the extra cost?  Thanks for your input!

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The correct answer is: no one knows. Some people are stock: clubs designed for the middle of bell curve work well for them.

But getting fitted isn't just a matter of length. It's a matchup of head and shaft that gets the most ideal launch conditions for you. Some guys seem indifferent about shafts; for others, changing a shaft changes the feel and they deliver the club very differently.

I've never been fitted, but wish I could. I might find that my current clubs suit me as well as anything else that I could get. But I might not. And that thought gnaws at me.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
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2 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

The correct answer is: no one knows. Some people are stock: clubs designed for the middle of bell curve work well for them.

But getting fitted isn't just a matter of length. It's a matchup of head and shaft that gets the most ideal launch conditions for you. Some guys seem indifferent about shafts; for others, changing a shaft changes the feel and they deliver the club very differently.

I've never been fitted, but wish I could. I might find that my current clubs suit me as well as anything else that I could get. But I might not. And that thought gnaws at me.

Thanks for your input!  Hopefully I can schedule a fitting and see if there will be a big difference between a custom clubs and stock clubs.

 

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44 minutes ago, Jeffro808 said:

Hi guys,

I've been golfing for a few years off and on and until recently had the thought of getting fitted for my irons.  Never been fitted before and some guys said that I probably be better off using the "stock" clubs I've been using.  Currently I'm using the Taylormade M4 irons (stiff-steel shaft) I bought from my local golf.  I heard that with my height I don't need to be fit (i'm 5'8" and my wrist to floor is 33").  Would I see a big improvement from getting fitted? Enough to justify the extra cost?  Thanks for your input!

The issue is that there are honestly no quality custom fitters on Oahu. Maybe I'm delusional because of all of the custom fitting videos I've seen, and the stories I've read about places like TxG, Truespec, Cool Clubs, etc. but it just seems like you can't get the same quality of fitting locally. I've had OEM fittings locally at the driving range with a Trackman, and gone to Aloha Golf three times, but they never seem to care for their customers to the level that I feel is worth paying for. Definitely still better than buying off the rack, but not to the same level of fit as you can get on the mainland IMO.

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max LS Tensei AV Blue S

3w/5w: :titelist-small: TSi2 Tensei AV Raw Blue S

4h: :mizuno-small: CLK 22* Hybrid Tensei CK Pro Blue 80HY S

Irons 5-PW: :mizuno-small: 223 Steelfiber PR 95 S

Wedges: :cleveland-small: RTX Zipcore Tour Rack 50, 54, 58 Steelfiber PR 105

Putter: LAB Link.1

Ball: :srixon-small: Z-Star Diamond

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44 minutes ago, Jeffro808 said:

Hi guys,

I've been golfing for a few years off and on and until recently had the thought of getting fitted for my irons.  Never been fitted before and some guys said that I probably be better off using the "stock" clubs I've been using.  Currently I'm using the Taylormade M4 irons (stiff-steel shaft) I bought from my local golf.  I heard that with my height I don't need to be fit (i'm 5'8" and my wrist to floor is 33").  Would I see a big improvement from getting fitted? Enough to justify the extra cost?  Thanks for your input!

I never really thought about getting fit until I got on this forum. Now I'm a strong believer. We have a similar handicap - although chances are I'm quite a bit older. The difference to me was more than the static measurements you mentioned. My fitter, an independent,  who has at least 12 different OEM fitting carts had me hitting balls with different heads and shafts until he found the right combination. I walked out with an entirely different set then I thought I would. He had me in everything thing from Cobra to Titleist.. The biggest ah ha moment was looking at the dispersion of the clubs. There was a nominal difference in distance between the irons - but a huge difference in dispersion.   

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How much improvement do you need to see to justify the cost?

Follow my golf journey to break into the 80s

Tester for the Titleist TSi Driver

Spring 2020 MGS Tester for the Fujikura Motore X Shaft

Updated 07/15/2022
Driver:callaway-small: Rogue St Max LS - Autoflex
Fairway Woods:callaway-small: Rogue Max St 3HL and 7 Wood
Irons:mizuno-small: JPX 921 Hot Metal 5 to AW - Aerotech Steelfiber i95 Stiff parallel tip
Wedges:ping-small: Glide 4.0 54 and 58
Putter:  :ping-small: PLD Custom Kushin 4

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You can get a fitting without going the Club Champion (and similar) route.  Demo days, Big Box stores, local golf courses, and local golf shops all offer some degree of fitting, and often at no cost to you.  It is more than just your height and arm length that determines proper fit -- that's very old school fitting methods.  Determining which club head and shaft combination suits you best, in addition to lie and length, will go a long way to improving things for you.  It may or may not make you a noticeably better golfer, but if you're buying new clubs and you simply buy the latest and greatest marketed club off the rack, you're doing yourself a significant disservice.  

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max (10.5* set at -1 and neutral) -- Mitsubishi Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Fairway: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 3 wood (16.5*) and Heaven Wood (20*)-- Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Hybrids: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max 5H (23*)--Tensai Blue 55g R shaft

Irons:  :callaway-small: Apex CF19 6-9, PW, AW -- KBS Tour Graphite  TGI 70 shafts R +1/2 inch 3* upright

Wedges: Edison 53* and  57* KBS PGI 80 Graphite +1/2 inch 2* upright

Putter: L.A.B. DF 2.1 -- BGT Stability shaft

Ball:  Maxfli TourX...Golf Bag: :ping-small: Pioneer...Shoes: :footjoy-small: Hyperflex... Glove: Red Rooster Feather

 

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3 hours ago, dlow206 said:

How much improvement do you need to see to justify the cost?

Distance, dispersion.  Was looking into the Mavrik irons then was thinking if I get new irons should I get fitted for it..

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4 hours ago, yungkory said:

The issue is that there are honestly no quality custom fitters on Oahu. Maybe I'm delusional because of all of the custom fitting videos I've seen, and the stories I've read about places like TxG, Truespec, Cool Clubs, etc. but it just seems like you can't get the same quality of fitting locally. I've had OEM fittings locally at the driving range with a Trackman, and gone to Aloha Golf three times, but they never seem to care for their customers to the level that I feel is worth paying for. Definitely still better than buying off the rack, but not to the same level of fit as you can get on the mainland IMO.

Agree...can't find custom fitters here.  The only big box place would be Roger Dunn but not sure how they are at getting fitted for clubs.  So I take it you didn't like Aloha Golf?  

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32 minutes ago, Jeffro808 said:

Distance, dispersion.  Was looking into the Mavrik irons then was thinking if I get new irons should I get fitted for it..

I am sure you could get some sort of improvement in distance and dispersion, but hard to say how much. 

Follow my golf journey to break into the 80s

Tester for the Titleist TSi Driver

Spring 2020 MGS Tester for the Fujikura Motore X Shaft

Updated 07/15/2022
Driver:callaway-small: Rogue St Max LS - Autoflex
Fairway Woods:callaway-small: Rogue Max St 3HL and 7 Wood
Irons:mizuno-small: JPX 921 Hot Metal 5 to AW - Aerotech Steelfiber i95 Stiff parallel tip
Wedges:ping-small: Glide 4.0 54 and 58
Putter:  :ping-small: PLD Custom Kushin 4

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1 hour ago, Jeffro808 said:

Agree...can't find custom fitters here.  The only big box place would be Roger Dunn but not sure how they are at getting fitted for clubs.  So I take it you didn't like Aloha Golf?  

It honestly depends who you get as a fitter. Joey, the owner, is actually pretty cool and I got a decent fit from him. If you're going to go to them I highly recommend asking for him by name, if they're open during the pandemic.

Roger Dunn is a joke and their launch monitors are juiced. It's still better than nothing, but I'd have my doubts and the point of a fitting to me, someone who loves to tinker with my equipment, is to eliminate the doubt as much as possible.

Driver: :callaway-small: Rogue ST Max LS Tensei AV Blue S

3w/5w: :titelist-small: TSi2 Tensei AV Raw Blue S

4h: :mizuno-small: CLK 22* Hybrid Tensei CK Pro Blue 80HY S

Irons 5-PW: :mizuno-small: 223 Steelfiber PR 95 S

Wedges: :cleveland-small: RTX Zipcore Tour Rack 50, 54, 58 Steelfiber PR 105

Putter: LAB Link.1

Ball: :srixon-small: Z-Star Diamond

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One could always benefit their golf game from golf club fitting.

The degree of benefit , depending on the golfer's skill level and the golfer's expectation.  In My opinion and experience, the golfer's expectation and skill level pre-set the outcome of the golf club fitting.

Even if a golfer had been fitted at some point of time in the past, a recent golf club fitting could, have additional benefit to the golf game.

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Seems like everyone gets fitted, it's just a matter of how.  Some go to a place that does fitting, spend the money, and have "the answer".  Others just keep buying and trying different clubs.  I use the latter method. 🙂

Part of the vagueness of this is that people's swings change rather frequently.  Jack Nicklaus said when he went to the course, the first thing he did on the range was find out which swing he brought with him that day.  For someone of lesser skills (meaning just about everybody) the changes from day to day or week to week might be more dramatic although not as recognized by the swinger.  I'm a particularly bad example, being over 60 and having some health issues.  Some days, I feel pretty good and can handle a stiff shaft and have enough clubhead speed to hit player's clubs pretty well.  Other days I don't feel very good and regular or senior flex is what I need to get some trajectory and some consistency in feel.  I know it's counter to many thoughts of generating consistency by playing with such a variety of equipment, but my "conditions" change often enough and widely enough to warrant some fine tuning of the equipment for how things are going.

One thing to be cautious of is whether or not the fitter has a vested interest in the result of their fitting.  Even independent fitters might have agreements with club manufacturers or shaft manufacturers that offer incentives on their products.  Sometimes an individual fitter working in a larger store might have a "staff" position with a certain manufacturer, and have a tendency (intentional or otherwise) of promoting certain products.  Just be aware and take information with a grain of salt and let the data do the talking.

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Everyone is different, but shaft weight makes a huge difference for me. Found that out in a fitting as all my previous sets were off the shelf with shafts weighing 90-103 grams. A heavier shaft slows my transition a touch and keeps the behind me more keeping the club on a more neutral path. Eliminated some of my big pulls to the left. Lie angle is also huge, and unfortunately is often fitten incorrectly. But when your lie angle is correct, it make a noticeable difference in turf interaction and ball flight.  

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On 5/14/2020 at 4:19 PM, GolfSpy MPR said:

The correct answer is: no one knows. Some people are stock: clubs designed for the middle of bell curve work well for them.

But getting fitted isn't just a matter of length. It's a matchup of head and shaft that gets the most ideal launch conditions for you. Some guys seem indifferent about shafts; for others, changing a shaft changes the feel and they deliver the club very differently.

I've never been fitted, but wish I could. I might find that my current clubs suit me as well as anything else that I could get. But I might not. And that thought gnaws at me.

I agree, I feel the difference in a shaft from 1 with supposedly same ish specs.  I think if I had an opportunity to get fitted in my life I would've save hundreds of dollars on shafts just finding what shaft is right for me as well as the club head I had at the time. On the other hand it might be how my swing has been evolving over time. Like Michael said, no one knows lol. Talk about talking in circles 😆 

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Lots of good advice here from the responses. IMO, yes you would benefit from a basic fitting. IF nothing else, you could hit your irons and get feedback for each of those clubs. For example, you may have 2-3 of your irons that need a lie angle bend. You may get put on a monitor and find out you have two irons in which your carry distance is identical. What do you do? Maybe have the loft adjusted on one and/or lengthen/shorten one of your clubs. Its like your clubs and you are getting fitted. That's just my example of what your first fitting could be like -- I had those experiences many years ago when I first got fitted and began learning about clubs. I did not have to buy new clubs, I just got a few of my irons tweaked. I will say that each fitter (individual/big box retail/specialty club fitting centers/etc) have a model or fitting ideology and maybe you can contact them before visiting to get specifics and pricing. Good luck. 

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