How fit was your Fit?

[GrahamB1967]

Last July (2021) I was starting to get back in the swing of things (pardon the pun) having returned to more regular golf after a long, kid related, hiatus.  I had a set of Wilson Deep Reds that I had bought for my annual society outing a few years earlier (replacing Taylor Made Burners from the early 90s that had started to rust!) and felt my game would benefit from some that high MOI stuff I kept reading about.

Booked my fitting at a fairly reputable local club with a BIG retail store on site and turned up earlyish one summer morning looking forward to my fitting experience. 

Now, let's remember, this was still high season pandemic and equipment lead times were gradually getting worse and worse but I went in expecting to come out with a good view of where I sat in the 'modern' equipment pantheon.  Looking back, I think I was more sold to than the recipient of any real advice despite the fitting having a hefty fee (refundable against a purchase at the before mentioned retail store).  The fit itself was much less 'technical' than I was expecting.   Much more dependent on the eye of the fitter than spin rates, smash factor or my (at the time) borderline dangerous 'lasso' in to out path.  I ended up coming out with a spec for a set of Ping i210s with a blue dot  lie that I 'hit the best' - strangely at the start of the 90 minute session - a brand matched Driver set at 12 degrees, 3w and 3h (all with stock stiff shafts) and just the set wedges (PW/SW) as it turned out wedge fitting wasn't part of a 'full bag' fitting.  I also ended up with MCC Align Plus4 grips on the spec that I hadn't even tried during the fit.

I was in the full flush of returner golf optimism so finding out that they had the irons in stock and lead times on the 'woods' as fairly reasonable I ended up £1700 lighter but with a smile on my face.

It was only recently, having (a) worked on my swing, (b) fit myself for a replacement driver using a personal launch monitor, some research and eBay (spin rates on the 12 degree G425 I was fitted for - and that was rendered unadjustable by the Align grips - were over 4,500!) and (c) added 'rack' TM MG 3 wedges that I realized how little actual fitting took place.  I now kind of think I ended up with an expensive range session with the golfing equivalent of a used car salesman masquerading as a F1 car designer.

So now to my dilemma (and the real reason for the post except a retrospective sob story).  My game has got better but I am plateauing.  The big problem is the top end of my bag (excluding my DIY Srixon Z785 Driver set at 9.5) and I kind of think the Blue Dot lie angle (one degree upright) that I don't remember being fit for may be having a significant effect.  My dilemma is, if I invest in some lessons over the winter, I may be doing so with equipment that forces me in to a swing that may not, with better fit kit, be 'my' swing but if I go and get fitted again (somewhere more specialist / expensive) before the lessons I may end up getting fit for something completely different that may change my lesson focus  (and have to wait for delivery and settling in before starting a lesson program).

I'm leaning toward the 'lessons and be damned' end as our club pros are an excellent bunch who can probably see round the equipment (but I also quite fancy some nice new sticks for next season).  What are the thoughts of my (new) MGS compatriots?  Get a fit that is fit for purpose or wait until, at least some, swing 'faults' are ironed out?  

[RickyBobby_PR]

18 minutes ago, GrahamB1967 said:

Much more dependent on the eye of the fitter than spin rates, smash factor or my (at the time) borderline dangerous 'lasso' in to out path.

Fittings are only as good as the fitter whether they use equipment or not. This type of fitting is how many of the good old school fitters do things. They use the launch monitor for two things. One to confirm what their eyes and ears tell them and two for the golfer to show them what’s happening with numbers. Imo not always a good thing because many start chasing numbers and changing their swing to get them. Contact, sound and ball flight are easy to see and to show the difference as the fitting club setup changes.

21 minutes ago, GrahamB1967 said:

So now to my dilemma (and the real reason for the post except a retrospective sob story).  My game has got better but I am plateauing.  The big problem is the top end of my bag (excluding my DIY Srixon Z785 Driver set at 9.5) and I kind of think the Blue Dot lie angle (one degree upright) that I don't remember being fit for may be having a significant effect.  My dilemma is, if I invest in some lessons over the winter, I may be doing so with equipment that forces me in to a swing that may not, with better fit kit, be 'my' swing but if I go and get fitted again (somewhere more specialist / expensive) before the lessons I may end up getting fit for something completely different that may change my lesson focus  (and have to wait for delivery and settling in before starting a lesson program).

Honestly lessons aren’t going to dramatically change the specs one is fit into. Lie angle may change which is an easy fix. The shafts more than likely won’t. 
 

In reality doing lessons and getting fit at the same time is the best approach especially if you can get your coach to do the fitting or go with you to the fitting so the fitter knows what you are working on and can work with the coach to get you in the right setup for the future without impacting the current 

[fixyurdivot]

I agree with @RickyBobby_PR.  I don't think swing changes from lessons will adversely effect getting the proper fitting specs/clubs.  What will influence that more is the fitters competence and whether your swing mechanics vary a great deal.  The saying from fitters "I'm fitting you too the swing you brought me" is true.  Most of us regular players don't vary too much but there are days when the brain and body just aren't in their best golf place.

If you are wanting lessons, it might actually be better to start them and speak with the instructor about the fitting and clubs.  He/she may have some good advice on that front after working with you on the swing.

[RickyBobby_PR]

9 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Most of us regular players don't vary too much but there are days when the brain and body just aren't in their best golf place.

 

That’s really every golfer, the difference is that the better players can either self correct faster or have the ability to deal with the less than stellar day. Just go back and listen to Tiger interviews where he said he as his b or c game. All golfers have more b or c game days than a game days. 
 

The timing of the swing gets off and the regular golfer can’t make the same consistent compensations they normally do. The swing itself is still the same. 

[Kenny B]

7 hours ago, GrahamB1967 said:

I'm leaning toward the 'lessons and be damned' end as our club pros are an excellent bunch who can probably see round the equipment

I agree with the above comments.  If your club pros are an excellent bunch, they should be able to tell you if your clubs are a reasonable fit or if you are fighting them.  I would certainly make sure that the lie angle for the irons is correct (it's a cheap fix to change, unless it's off a lot).  If they don't see any major equipment issue, I would opt for lessons before another fitting, unless you just want new sticks which is always the right of every golfer!!

You don't specify what your problem is at the top end of the bag, so it's impossible to say whether it's a club or swing issue.

[TheCanadianBogeyman]

I was in a similar position last winter.  I had got back into golf a year before after a few years off due to circumstances.  When I got back, I used some second hand woods/driver, my old putter that I still had, and some off the rack wedges.  I did end up getting fit for irons for the first time.  Played decently all summer, but my swing was a mess.  Ended up taking lessons all winter and correcting a lot of swing flaws.  The only problem was that I was no longer in the 'correct' irons for my swing.  So this spring I got fitted for new ones.  I still played my old irons while I waited for my new shiny ones to get in.  Now that I have the new irons, I can safely say that aren't hugely different.  I play slightly better, and am more confident with them, but it wasn't night and day.

My old irons were 1 flat, and my current are standard lie.  I honestly couldn't tell you the difference.  I'm pretty sure that most manufacturers would send clubs out with a enough of a margin for error in loft/lie that 1 degree could be the variance without you knowing.  So I wouldn't get too caught up in your swing being vastly different and correcting the wrong things with your old irons.  I would take some lessons first, and then worry about clubs after.  You will probably have a better idea of what you are looking for following your lesson anyway.