Decided to go in for my first ever fitting.

[ParFore74x]

Lengthy read, I tried to cover as many of the details as I could in hopes of giving others that have never been fit a bit of insight into the process that I experienced.

 

A little bit of my background first. I’m a high handicapper with many of my rounds last season in the 90s and my best round being a 93. I’ve shot par or better on every hole at my home course but, I can never put it all together in one round. I attribute this to an inconsistent swing (which is constantly getting better), poor course management, and the nagging thoughts of equipment fit. My misses are to the right and, less frequently, topping the ball. Being a high handicapper, I’ve always asked myself if I should focus on getting formal lessons or if I was consistent enough that an equipment fitting would be beneficial. There are plenty of opinions out there for both options but no clear cut right or wrong answer as far as I was concerned. I finally decided to go talk with a local fitter and went forward with getting fit into a set of new irons.

Fitting day was this last Saturday afternoon with beautiful sunshine and a slight breeze. I was hoping to hit balls indoors and outdoors so everything was starting out well for that. I was excited to finally be chasing down the fitting questions in my head but at the same time nervous if the fitting would yield the results which I was seeking.

The fitting began with the fitter and me confirming what I wanted out of the fitting and discussing which irons I would be most interested in. My goals were to make sure that I am in the right equipment so I told him that I had no preference for brand or model of irons and kind of left that on him. I was not too worried about distance but consistent direction and tighter dispersion would be nice so which ever tools make those things more achievable were definitely welcome in my book. The biggest questions in my head were more about length, lie, and grip which are items that should be easy to determine.

Next step on the list involved me getting warmed up by hitting a few balls with my current 7 iron, a Callaway X2Hot with TT Memphis 10 shaft and Golf Pride MCC+4 midsize grip with stock length and lie. The X2Hots were off the rack stock aside from the grips. I was not fit for them when I bought them and added the grips based on comfort. I probably hit around 20-25 balls and felt like my tempo and ball striking were pretty decent so it was time to get started. The fitter handed me the Mizuno shaft optimizer to give him some data to get started. After 5-6 clean shots with the shaft optimizer, he informed me that he had enough information to start a few builds and see what works and what doesn’t.

There was a lot of information coming at me at this point and I was pretty much going on feel. We took the time to take measurements from wrist to floor for shaft length and determined that an additional ¼ inch would be beneficial. After that we looked at lie angles through a couple of swings and decided on going up 2 degrees. The fitter put a handful of clubs together and we moved into the next stage which involved taking multiple shots with each of four club heads and several different shafts to start determining which ones perform the best for me or which ones don’t perform as well. I can tell you that the heads that I hit included the Callaway Mavrik, Mizuno JPX 921HM, Ping G425, and the Taylormade Sim2. The shafts on the other hand, I completely trusted to the fitter due to my lack of knowledge of shaft characteristics so I am not entirely sure which ones were involved in the process although I do know that we tried 4-5 of them.

After hitting more balls than I can count between the four heads, I had to eliminate one. Not an easy task. I saw improvements with direction, dispersion, and distance with all four of them. The Sim2 was the only one that stuck out from the other three due to a slightly different feel that was noticeable but not necessarily bad and a lower launch angle than the other three. I kind of felt like I had to force my swing a touch in order to get the launch angle that I wanted with the Sim2 so it was pulled out.

Continuing on with the goal to eliminate the Mavrik, JPX921, or G425 was not an easy task. All three of them felt great and their numbers were all pretty close to each other so it came down to nit-picking. The Mizuno and Callaway both felt almost identical…super smooth. The Ping was a touch different but, much like the Taylormade, not necessarily in a bad way. The Ping G425 was eliminated at this point and then we headed outdoors to see how the JPX921 and the Mavrik hit in the real world.

One interesting bit that I noticed indoors was that the simulator was telling me that I was 20+ yards longer with both of these clubs versus my X2Hots. Not what I was expecting but definitely a nice little bonus. I have to attribute this to the shafts that were being used as well a touch of loft. The JPX921s are 1 degree stronger than my X2Hots and the Mavriks are 3 degrees stronger although both of them were yielding pretty much the same distances. When I hit both of these clubs outdoors, that 20+ yards was no joke, I was definitely impressed with both of them. Dispersion seemed to be tighter, shots didn’t seem to be going as far right, and distance was better. I felt like I could have hit them both outdoors forever and not come up with a clear cut winner so back indoors to talk numbers.

Performance numbers were similar so that didn’t really help. It came down to money numbers, aesthetics, and availability. The Callaways were a touch less expensive but, the Mizunos were a better looking iron IMO. Availabilty? Callaways would have to be ordered and Mizunos……well he had an uncut set of 4-PW of those in stock. Did not expect that. So, Mizuno JPX921 Hot Metals it is. He had to cut them to length (1/4 inch long), bend them (2 degrees up), and grip them with Golf Pride MCC+4 midsize grips….which he also had in stock. They were done and ready for me to pick them up by noon on Monday.

The whole experience was educational, fun, and actually helped to build up my confidence as the elements that I was hoping to cover definitely seemed to improve. The benefits of getting fit to golf clubs has become pretty obvious to me. The Mizunos just feel right in my hands now. I am not really sure how to say it but, they just feel balanced while I am swinging them. I am definitely looking forward to getting out on course with these soon to see how they work for me in the real world.

As for the future, the next step is to take my wedges in to be checked for lie adjustments, mostly out of curiosity, to see if anything should be done there. I will certainly be going back for another fitting when I decide that it is time to replace driver and fairways in my bag as well. Lots of opportunity to see and feel exactly what works for me, absolutely made me a fan of getting fit.

 

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by ParFore74x
Added photos

[null]

Great stuff.  Your have yourself a great set of Irons and peace of mind that they are the right irons for you

[RickyBobby_PR]

Nice write up and sounds like you have one variable eliminated. Enjoy the new sticks

[russtopherb]

Solid write up and that's a great set of irons. Thanks for taking the time to share all of those details with us!

[Kenny B]

Excellent write-up!  I think you will be happy that you did the fitting and watching your scores drop!!

Don't wait too long on the wedges!

[tony@CIC]

53 minutes ago, ParFore74x said:

Lengthy read, I tried to cover as many of the details as I could in hopes of giving others that have never been fit a bit of insight into the process that I experienced.

 

A little bit of my background first. I’m a high handicapper with many of my rounds last season in the 90s and my best round being a 93. I’ve shot par or better on every hole at my home course but, I can never put it all together in one round. I attribute this to an inconsistent swing (which is constantly getting better), poor course management, and the nagging thoughts of equipment fit. My misses are to the right and, less frequently, topping the ball. Being a high handicapper, I’ve always asked myself if I should focus on getting formal lessons or if I was consistent enough that an equipment fitting would be beneficial. There are plenty of opinions out there for both options but no clear cut right or wrong answer as far as I was concerned. I finally decided to go talk with a local fitter and went forward with getting fit into a set of new irons.

Fitting day was this last Saturday afternoon with beautiful sunshine and a slight breeze. I was hoping to hit balls indoors and outdoors so everything was starting out well for that. I was excited to finally be chasing down the fitting questions in my head but at the same time nervous if the fitting would yield the results which I was seeking.

The fitting began with the fitter and me confirming what I wanted out of the fitting and discussing which irons I would be most interested in. My goals were to make sure that I am in the right equipment so I told him that I had no preference for brand or model of irons and kind of left that on him. I was not too worried about distance but consistent direction and tighter dispersion would be nice so which ever tools make those things more achievable were definitely welcome in my book. The biggest questions in my head were more about length, lie, and grip which are items that should be easy to determine.

Next step on the list involved me getting warmed up by hitting a few balls with my current 7 iron, a Callaway X2Hot with TT Memphis 10 shaft and Golf Pride MCC+4 midsize grip with stock length and lie. The X2Hots were off the rack stock aside from the grips. I was not fit for them when I bought them and added the grips based on comfort. I probably hit around 20-25 balls and felt like my tempo and ball striking were pretty decent so it was time to get started. The fitter handed me the Mizuno shaft optimizer to give him some data to get started. After 5-6 clean shots with the shaft optimizer, he informed me that he had enough information to start a few builds and see what works and what doesn’t.

There was a lot of information coming at me at this point and I was pretty much going on feel. We took the time to take measurements from wrist to floor for shaft length and determined that an additional ¼ inch would be beneficial. After that we looked at lie angles through a couple of swings and decided on going up 2 degrees. The fitter put a handful of clubs together and we moved into the next stage which involved taking multiple shots with each of four club heads and several different shafts to start determining which ones perform the best for me or which ones don’t perform as well. I can tell you that the heads that I hit included the Callaway Mavrik, Mizuno JPX 921HM, Ping G425, and the Taylormade Sim2. The shafts on the other hand, I completely trusted to the fitter due to my lack of knowledge of shaft characteristics so I am not entirely sure which ones were involved in the process although I do know that we tried 4-5 of them.

After hitting more balls than I can count between the four heads, I had to eliminate one. Not an easy task. I saw improvements with direction, dispersion, and distance with all four of them. The Sim2 was the only one that stuck out from the other three due to a slightly different feel that was noticeable but not necessarily bad and a lower launch angle than the other three. I kind of felt like I had to force my swing a touch in order to get the launch angle that I wanted with the Sim2 so it was pulled out.

Continuing on with the goal to eliminate the Mavrik, JPX921, or G425 was not an easy task. All three of them felt great and their numbers were all pretty close to each other so it came down to nit-picking. The Mizuno and Callaway both felt almost identical…super smooth. The Ping was a touch different but, much like the Taylormade, not necessarily in a bad way. The Ping G425 was eliminated at this point and then we headed outdoors to see how the JPX921 and the Mavrik hit in the real world.

One interesting bit that I noticed indoors was that the simulator was telling me that I was 20+ yards longer with both of these clubs versus my X2Hots. Not what I was expecting but definitely a nice little bonus. I have to attribute this to the shafts that were being used as well a touch of loft. The JPX921s are 1 degree stronger than my X2Hots and the Mavriks are 3 degrees stronger although both of them were yielding pretty much the same distances. When I hit both of these clubs outdoors, that 20+ yards was no joke, I was definitely impressed with both of them. Dispersion seemed to be tighter, shots didn’t seem to be going as far right, and distance was better. I felt like I could have hit them both outdoors forever and not come up with a clear cut winner so back indoors to talk numbers.

Performance numbers were similar so that didn’t really help. It came down to money numbers, aesthetics, and availability. The Callaways were a touch less expensive but, the Mizunos were a better looking iron IMO. Availabilty? Callaways would have to be ordered and Mizunos……well he had an uncut set of 4-PW of those in stock. Did not expect that. So, Mizuno JPX921 Hot Metals it is. He had to cut them to length (1/4 inch long), bend them (2 degrees up), and grip them with Golf Pride MCC+4 midsize grips….which he also had in stock. They were done and ready for me to pick them up by noon on Monday.

The whole experience was educational, fun, and actually helped to build up my confidence as the elements that I was hoping to cover definitely seemed to improve. The benefits of getting fit to golf clubs has become pretty obvious to me. The Mizunos just feel right in my hands now. I am not really sure how to say it but, they just feel balanced while I am swinging them. I am definitely looking forward to getting out on course with these soon to see how they work for me in the real world.

As for the future, the next step is to take my wedges in to be checked for lie adjustments, mostly out of curiosity, to see if anything should be done there. I will certainly be going back for another fitting when I decide that it is time to replace driver and fairways in my bag as well. Lots of opportunity to see and feel exactly what works for me, absolutely made me a fan of getting fit.

 

 

Great write-up! Can't go wrong with the 921's. I'm envious since at my last iron fitting, the 919's were discontinued and the 921s hadn't come in yet. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

Great write up. Golf is two things. Playing what fits you and what brings you confidence. Glad you had a great experience. It’s times like those that make golf a fun and interesting sport. It’s also great to learn more about your game. 

[Middler]

Sounds like a worthwhile fitting, and I’m a big fan of Mizuno so I think you’ll enjoy them. And I hope you see the results you were looking for over the next several months, that would be the real test of the fitting effectiveness IMO (unless you were planning on new irons regardless, in which case why not get fit as part of the process).

[ParFore74x]

12 hours ago, rbsiedsc said:

Great write up. Golf is two things. Playing what fits you and what brings you confidence. Glad you had a great experience. It’s times like those that make golf a fun and interesting sport. It’s also great to learn more about your game. 

Well said. I love how much I learned about about my swing through this process. It may not be perfect but with the right equipment it can get the job done.

 

 

12 hours ago, Middler said:

Sounds like a worthwhile fitting, and I’m a big fan of Mizuno so I think you’ll enjoy them. And I hope you see the results you were looking for over the next several months, that would be the real test of the fitting effectiveness IMO (unless you were planning on new irons regardless, in which case why not get fit as part of the process).

The results over the long term are exciting. I'm looking forward to getting out this weekend to get that journey started.

[ParFore74x]

On 4/23/2021 at 8:05 AM, Kenny B said:

Excellent write-up!  I think you will be happy that you did the fitting and watching your scores drop!!

Don't wait too long on the wedges!

Made it in to the fitter yesterday afternoon to look at my wedges. He left the 60 alone He bent the 56 to 55 and left the lie alone. The 52 was bent to 51 and the lie is now 1up. Went outside and took some swings with the 52 and liked the feel. Already looking forward to getting back out. 

[Golfspy_CG2]

 Very nice write up on the fitting.  You had four great choices to choose from.  
 

Fortunate as well that he had shafts in stock. I assume and hope those were the same one that you hit best during the fitting.  Otherwise it would have been a 5 week at least wait for the Mizunos. 
 

Enjoy and keep us posted. 

[Eric Elliott]

I might have missed this in the post, which was excellent, but did you go with a local independent fitter or a "chain"?

 

How much did you pay for fitting and clubs? was the cost of the fitting "included" since you purchased from them?

 

Enjoy the new clubs!

[ParFore74x]

2 hours ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

 Very nice write up on the fitting.  You had four great choices to choose from.  
 

Fortunate as well that he had shafts in stock. I assume and hope those were the same one that you hit best during the fitting.  Otherwise it would have been a 5 week at least wait for the Mizunos. 
 

Enjoy and keep us posted. 

Thank you. Yes they were the shafts that I hit during the fitting. I was surprised and happy that he had a set in stock. I fully expected the 5 week wait for them. 

37 minutes ago, Eric Elliott said:

I might have missed this in the post, which was excellent, but did you go with a local independent fitter or a "chain"?

 

How much did you pay for fitting and clubs? was the cost of the fitting "included" since you purchased from them?

 

Enjoy the new clubs!

I went to Golf Headquarters which is a national “chain” but I would say that it is not a big box. It definitely has the small, independent dealer feel to it. Fitting cost was included in the price of the clubs.