I was underwhelmed by my club fitting because …..

[cnosil]

Club fitting is obviously a big topic when discussing golf clubs.    I often read people that say I went to a fitting and they recommended this but the fitting wasn't good, I don’t think it was right, I was underwhelmed, etc.   For those of you with this feeling, what did you expect your fitting to be like,  was it your first fitting, and if it was your first, did you do any research prior to your fitting?  Basically describe your notion of an ideal fitting.  

[sixcat]

My first fitting was in a small "mom and pop" golf shop in Roanoke Virginia probably 25 years ago. I didn't have any preconceived notions going in. Fitting wasn't nearly as big a thing in those days. Looking back on that experience now, I'm reasonably certain the "fitter" fit me into what he had in stock thinking he had a guaranteed sale. I think I kept the driver 2-months. The irons had the shortest life span of any I've ever owned. I got rid of the entire set by the end of that first summer. Based on this experience, I balked anytime anyone mentioned fitting.

I wasn't fit again until April 2021. Completely different experience. I was fit by the head professional / GM of my home club, where I've been a member for 17 years. I'll not do it any other way going forward. Just an absolutely delightful experience. Still have the entire set in play.

[Hook DeLoft]

I’ve never had what I would consider a true fitting. My idea of a good fitting for irons would include hitting at least 3 different lofts—for example PW, 8 iron and 6 iron—with a number of different shafts, shaft lengths and lie angles off grass using my gamer ball and a top end launch monitor. I don’t know of any place that does that. Maybe Ping’s facility at headquarters?

Edited September 21, 2023 by Hook DeLoft
Added content

[Josh Parker]

I just had my first irons fitting this year and had no expectations or any clue as to what they would do.  I guess maybe part of me thought it would be multiple clubs in the bag I would be hitting but only because they said I needed to bring in my current clubs to warm up with but that was it.  I agree with @Hook DeLoft that it would be nice to be able to try several different lofts but understand the logic behind just the one.  My 6 iron wasn't my favorite club in the bag so hitting them during the fitting didn't start out the best but as we adjusted the lie and changed to different shafts my shots started to produce better numbers until we reached the "perfect" set-up.  Now I don't hesitate to hit my 6 iron or any of my clubs.

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, Hook DeLoft said:

I’ve never had what I would consider a true fitting. My idea of a good fitting for irons would include hitting at least 3 different lofts—for example PW, 8 iron and 6 iron—with a number of different shafts, shaft lengths and lie angles off grass using my gamer ball and a top end launch monitor. I don’t know of any place that does that. Maybe Ping’s facility at headquarters?

There are very few places that do this. You would need to find an individual fitter who is probably also a club builder and it’s going to be a lot more expensive than a regular fitting.

It requires a large inventory which comes with a cost plus requires more space which is going to add to the cost, going to require more of the fitter’s time which is going to add cost. You have to have 3 heads, 3 shafts in each weight clas, each flex and those that want length then in 3/4 different lengths. 

I believer Titlest has been bringing more heads to their fittings, but for the most part a good fitter is going to be able to get a golfer into the right loft, length and lie using the fitting iron. That fitter is going to understand the swing and can see what the golfer is doing and fit to that thru the set

[RickyBobby_PR]

Not including my first fitting in 1996 that was nothing more than a lie angle test with stock configs for a starter set I’ve only been underwhelmed in 1 fitting although not sure if that is an accurate description, disappointed might be a better description.

It was because the fitter wasn’t good despite coming from Ping hq. He had no concept of the golf swing and all he did was look at the trackman data and compared to the numbers from my current club to see what was better. Ignored the ball flight completely.

I did the fitting to see if g410 was better than my g400. Which is wasn’t even when testing on my own. Also showed the same shaft I’ve had in Ping still worked for me

[Hook DeLoft]

21 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

There are very few places that do this. You would need to find an individual fitter who is probably also a club builder and it’s going to be a lot more expensive than a regular fitting.

It requires a large inventory which comes with a cost plus requires more space which is going to add to the cost, going to require more of the fitter’s time which is going to add cost. You have to have 3 heads, 3 shafts in each weight clas, each flex and those that want length then in 3/4 different lengths. 

I believer Titlest has been bringing more heads to their fittings, but for the most part a good fitter is going to be able to get a golfer into the right loft, length and lie using the fitting iron. That fitter is going to understand the swing and can see what the golfer is doing and fit to that thru the set

Yeah, I'm aware of all that you said.  I was just posting what I think would be ideal. 

[sixcat]

2 hours ago, Hook DeLoft said:

My idea of a good fitting for irons would include hitting at least 3 different lofts

My last fitting mentioned above with my head professional, I hit everything from 3-iron down to 9-iron plus 5 or 6 different lofted wedges in several different shaft options. The fitting pretty much took all day but was loads of fun. I learned a lot about gapping (as it pertains to my game) through the process.

As @RickyBobby_PRsaid, it probably costs a bit more and I'm not certain that added cost would be worth the end result from a brick-and-mortar location but I'm probably jaded by my experience 25 years ago. Admittedly, I'm fortunate enough to be a member of a club where these services are offered to the membership and it certainly has its benefits. We're also fortunate to have a head pro / GM that enjoys doing it and is very good at it. With that said, we only have select brands available to us, although they have pretty much every corner of the market covered in Ping, Titleist, TaylorMade and Callaway. 

If memory serves, I paid a little over $2,000 and in return, got PING i210 (4-PW), PING Glide 3.0 wedges (50*, 54* & 58*), Titleist TSi2 with HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX shaft. I'm sure it would have been a lot more in a brick-and-mortar location. It probably helps cut cost that the head pro / GM is ordering directly from his OEM reps, which eliminates rack-rate mark-ups. Another benefit of membership in a "mill river" stock/equity club. 

[cksurfdude]

Good topic. I've had several fittings over the years at a few different types of places, including two different ones this season for irons.

Two?

Let's call one place "stock" and one "custom".

Stock shop... carries the main models - not every head - from the big 5 OEMs = Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping, Mizuno. The shafts are also the main stock offerings, although again selection is limited - not every non standard / no upcharge shaft that can be ordered from an OEM is available to try.

To me that was both disappointing and underwhelming...

(Results - nothing outperformed, based on their three key metrics, my then current self selected iron.)

Custom shop... carries many, but not every, current production head and a large selection of custom and exotic shafts.

A few things that disappointed me - no stock/standard shafts at all; fitting heads were 6i (me I rarely hit a 6i); the fitting head is a SINGLE head .. each time loft or lie needs to be adjusted they actually bend the head! (then presumably at the end of each fitting they bend it back to the model spec); hitting bays were dimly lit .. a big problem for old eyes.

(Results - nothing outperformed, based on distance, dispersion, ball flight, etc. my then current self selected iron.)

 

[RickyBobby_PR]

3 hours ago, sixcat said:

probably costs a bit more and I'm not certain that added cost would be worth the end result from a brick-and-mortar location

Especially one that Carrie’s a good amount of inventory of off the shelf clubs. Plus the cost of the fitter and the fitting to cover it all probably puts it out of the range for the vast majority of golfers.

I would estimate it at somewhere between $300-500 for the fitting just for irons, add another $250-300 for woods especially if some in the same day, which limits the number of fittings that can be done each day. 
 

I would expect that most fitters during the busy season are doing 6-10 fittings a day over the course of 8-10 hour work day. For a 3 club with various shaft options probably puts it at 2-3 fittings a day. 

[sixcat]

49 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

I would expect that most fitters during the busy season are doing 6-10 fittings a day over the course of 8-10 hour work day.

I doubt my head pro/GM is doing 10 fittings all summer. Small club, small shop, only serves members. Membership is capped at 400. 80% of which would never get fit because they don’t play often enough or think they play well enough to see benefit. 
 

Mill River pricing plays a huge role as well. Everything in the shop is 10% over wholesale, straight from the OEM. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

5 minutes ago, sixcat said:

I doubt my head pro/GM is doing 10 fittings all summer. Small club, small shop, only serves members. Membership is capped at 400. 80% of which would never get fit because they don’t play often enough or think they play well enough to see benefit. 
 

Mill River pricing plays a huge role as well. Everything in the shop is 10% over wholesale, straight from the OEM. 

My fitter is booked solid 6-7 days a weeks from March thru mid summer and then it’s probably 1-2 openings a day from mid summer to fall. He has the luxury of indoor facility when needed so he’s doing a few fittings almost daily in the winter 

[Badams69]

I've done three fittings.

1st - I handcuffed the fitter by bringing a set and simply asking him to work on the length/lie.  The shaft was in the club from ebay and ended up not being a superb fit, but overall it was decent fitting based on what I asked of the fitter.

2nd - I did a four step process, first two on my own then progressed through to help from fitter at PGA SS, then to one of the most reputable fitters in our area. 

1. Narrowed it down to two iron models from several and a few shafts.

2. Returned a few days later to see if results held up during a 2nd session. 

3. Worked through lenght/lie, multiple shafts models and weights in the two iron models that got through steps 1&2  under the watchful eye of PGA SS best fitter. 

4. Went to highly regarded local outdoor range with top fitter and worked through 3 shaft models, two heads and another wildcard of his choosing.  Same shaft and iron head performed the best across all four steps, so confidence was high of having a very good fit for me.

So, the four steps above seemed the epitome of due diligence.   

What we DID NOT account for ........ was the club maker completely fouling up the build to where they came out playing tremendously stiffer/boardier than any single swing among the whole testing process.   Mostly they overpromised their ability to shorten the irons and keep them playing identical to uncut iron.  Stating all the tour players they do this for routinely, so trust them, it'll be perfect.   Had to blast them on twitter to get a remedy to what was an unplayable setup.

 

3rd - went down the road of ping and all was good.  My own input probably hindered the results a bit .... but mostly it was the variation between standing in a bay and getting dialed in vs on course golfing which can vary wildly to a locked in golfer in a bay.  I pushed for a shaft that likely wasn't the very best although very close.  

All this to say this ...... The three sets I have enjoyed the least are these three sets. Only truly awful experience was the 2nd though.

When I have simply bought a set and worked through it with that set - it has gone better.  Partly due to playing every day prior to the fitting craze existing (20+ years back and beyond) and partly due to pure luck with getting a set that was easy to hit and simple to make work.

 

Oh - recently I made use of 2nd Swing fitting in their store and among two "fittings", one was OK and the other was thorough enough for my liking.  What I like there that often doesn't exist in other "fittings" is the ability to hit the actual clubs you will walk out with, and any iron within the set is there to give it a go with.  

I think that portion is often overlooked.  7-iron only fittings, to me, seem to be a precursor to disappointment with the other portions of the set.  Thus I like the 2nd Swing or buying used knowing you can flip 'em right back on ebay or elsewhere (trial and error), method quite a bit.

*** I would also say it can be a help and/or a hinderance to have some prior notions of where you want the fitting to end up. 

It can keep you from getting the ideal fit by roadblocking something you need but aren't willing to open your mind/ego up to, but conversely could also save you from the advice of a less competent "fitter".  What a conundrum!

 

[Badams69]

One thing that has disappointed me the most .... as someone who usually does not choose to go the brand new club route: 

Fitters who have competence, and experience across the years essentially refusing to share their awareness of prior successful matchups for similar players. Proven winning combos!

Ex:  Go get a fitting on modern clubs using current shafts, and being willing to pay their fee for one simple thing ....... recommendation of past models and shaft pairings that should work well.

No different than an solid instructor would draw on their experience to help the player in front of them, by advising remedies that have shown to work for other with similar flaws.  It might be more than one option across a few sessions, but prior positive results would be an asset.

Not sure what keeps a fitter from taking money for similar appreciation of their experience.   Other than $$ of course.

[GolfSpy_APH]

I know the other guys for Titleist raved about theirs, but my experience was not same.

It was not bad! Working through the shafts was great and we found one that works really well. It was when we got to the heads where I was underwhelmed. 

He seemed hell bent on fitting me into the T100s. When we looked at the numbers they were pretty short and I had explained on general what I was looking for. The 7 iron was going 140 yards and I was used to getting a good bit more. 

I had also explained that the 50 degree spot was giving me trouble and I wanted to address that if possible. 

I did hit the T150 and T200 which were stellar and felt immediate jump and boost in distance. Not that I hit T100 poorly, more just felt weaker in terms of ball flight. 

After hitting everything we didn't even really go through many more numbers he simply wrote up and set me into T100 P-5 iron and T150 4 iron. Distances with that set would be an issue and it didn't address the 50 degree spot either. 

Ultimately I left uncertain about what set I should go with and relied on my own gut and ordered the head setup I preferred and am very happy. We also didn't address length or lie. I am normally Standard length and play 2 flat. We didn't even talk about that other than him saying I should be Standard Standard. Every ball went right (I'm a lefty) so the order I placed was 1 down.

All of this to say is my expectation going into the fitting was to come out certain with set makeup and confidence in what I was going to order. This did not happen and ultimately is why I was underwhelmed.

[Kanoito]

1st fitting was at a Mizuno rep, used their swing analyzer to choose the shaft, tried it on 3-4 different heads and done. Did use launch monitor and numbers were definitely better than the OTR set I had.

5 years later I wanted to upgrade my set and went to an expensive fitter (he also does fitting for PGA pros) he did some measurements, gave me 3-4 manufacturers, different shafts, etc... the guy was very knowledgeable, but I had the feeling I wasn't the right type of customer. Hard to explain, it felt like my game wasn't good enough for his fitting skills, even though 1 hour cost around EUR 150. But I ended up with my Apex CF16 and it served me very well.

The most recent fitting was the pro shop at my (ex) home course, they got all OEMs, LM, outside fitting, you can see ball flight, etc... he gave me swing tips, was very thorough, used impact tape, we went back and forth between the last 2 options to find the better fit. Here I felt he tried really hard to squeeze the last inch of performance out of the clubs. I think that's how it should be.

[Preeway]

I think the more you already understand cause effect of launch angle, ball spin, carry distance and dispersion, the more you will take away from the fitting. I got fitted last year after playing my Ping Eye2 set since 1990. He tried really hard to make TaylorMade 770s work for me but he couldn’t get the spin rate and total distance to match up with where I needed them to be. Much like what Jamie mentioned above, being able to self advocate a little bit allowed me to push us in a different direction and it ultimately came down to the Apex and the JPX Tours.

I can’t recommend enough having at least a rudimentary sense of what kind of final numbers you want to see from the ball flight before you get fitted. I’d also recommend a lesson or two if you’re a high handicap player if for no other reason than to develop a consistent swing prior to getting fitted. I know people who got fitted expecting it would drop 10-15 strokes off their game. I do think a proper fitting will lead to better scores but it won’t fix bad swing mechanics. 

[scotter032]

The first time I was fitted skirt 8 years ago I went on without any idea what to expect. I almost felt bad because with the questions being asked I didn't have a lot of answers. It was almost like I went for a test and didn't do any homework prior, so the experience was poor and I got fitted for clubs that helped on a small scale. 

I had gone into my fitting this year with specific things that I wanted help on based off the current issues I was having with my game. I told him yardages I was struggling with, and my overall ball flight and if there were things I wanted different with that. It was a completely different experience and have addressed a lot of what I was struggling with.

My opinion after this is you get out what you put into it. If you don't know your game and your struggles they won't help address them at your fitting. 

[Shlax]

Only ever been fitted for driver. I was disappointed because I expected the "full package deal" like we usually see on Youtube (e.g., systematic and converging methodology alternating shafts in a given head and then fine tuning, etc). I guess that my hopes were too high given that it was at my local golf store instead of a dedicated fitter.

I tried all available driver heads and stock shaft options. They did have certain no upcharge shafts selection for certain brands, but not for all of them. I did not even get to hit Titleist TSi models at all, they did not have alternate shafts for the Stealth and did not carry in store an x-stiff shaft for the Ping G425 at the time... I simply hit a few dozens drives in total and really evaluated the Callaway Rogue ST Max LS, Rogue ST TD LS, Mizuno ST-Z and TaylorMade Stealth. The "fitter" did not play with hosel settings. We were looking at launch angle, backspin and carry distance with a special attention on reducing spin at all cost.

I ended up with my current driver: Callaway Rogue ST Max LS 9° with an Aldila Rogue White MSI 130 70X. It outperforms my previous setup by a country mile but my launch parameters are still not ideal just yet. I’ve been working on shallowing out my driver swing for two whole seasons now and am wondering if this setup still suits me.

When I’ll get my next fitting, I’ll prioritize dedicated fitters and make sure that they have ALL (well, enough) options available so that I don’t get the feeling that I left something on the table again.

Edited September 22, 2023 by Shlax
Ping

[RickyBobby_PR]

9 hours ago, Badams69 said:

Fitters who have competence, and experience across the years essentially refusing to share their awareness of prior successful matchups for similar players. Proven winning combos!

There is no guarantee what worked for someone “similar” would work for the fitter is working with. There maybe similarities in handicps, swing speed, even some swing tendencies but there is going to be differences in the swings that prior setups have a guarantee will work. And good fitters are using their past experience and their knowledge in assessing the current golfer and what will work for them based on what they are seeing in that golfer. 
 

I could careless what the fitter out other people in. I want what’s best for me and my swing and game. Only thing that matters is whether I’m gaining any improvement over my current set that is worth me spending money to buy a replacement set or club

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, Preeway said:

I can’t recommend enough having at least a rudimentary sense of what kind of final numbers you want to see from the ball flight before you get fitted.

Unless it’s an indoor fitting which I avoid I pay very little attention to the numbers and even in the indoor fitting I let the fitter worry about that.

I can tell from ball flight and seeing where the ball lands on the range what’s going on and if it going to be payable on the course.

I actually think it’s better for golfers to not know the numbers so they don’t go chasing them during the fitting and start manipulating their swing to get them and end up in the wrong setup and struggle with it on the course. There’s a reason 3-5 balls is all a fitter will have a golfer use for each change during the fitting, because at that point the golfer is starting to make adjustments to get that setup to work for their swing.

[Woodrow72]

Personally been through 3 fittings , Taylormade lab took over 3 hours and went through every imaginable option , each time my fittings show me as standard lie , loft etc. , went thru putter fitting which was fantastic , a fellow I play with recently went thru an iron fitting, purchased the recommended irons and immediately picked up 20 yards on his iron play , he was playing a set of PXG blades given to him by a brother in law so the switch played dividends immediately 

[Jim Shaw]

Good morning all...

Had a good round at my home course yesterday, shot 70.

My fitting on tuesday made me come away with confidence in my iron play and it showed today for sure, basically I am really easy to fit because my swing is pretty consistent, with my 7 iron my swing speed is about 81 mph and my ball speed around 105. every club I tried my swing and ball speed was close to the same.

 I will stay with my Takomo’s with the 100gram KBS stiff light shafts, just adjust the lofts a bit more.

The graphite MMT 105 gram shafts seem to be good but they are 91$ each so a little pricey and only add 2 yards or so to my carry distance. I think my real takeaway from the fitting is just seeing the consistent results from my good strikes.

Having said all that, the fitting session was really great, there were 4 team members introduced to me, the main fitter who I know and respect, he has fitted for Justin Rose and Bernard Langer, his protege who is a techie, a mechanic that is very precise on putting the clubs together and the guy that actually does the grunt work so I felt my money was well spent.

The fitting centre have those Axiom shafts in stock, they are built for low, mid and long irons so different shafts for the different clubs, seems like (mixed) sets are the big thing right now, Titleist is promoting that.

[Mulligan09]

10 hours ago, Badams69 said:

I've done three fittings.

1st - I handcuffed the fitter by bringing a set and simply asking him to work on the length/lie.  The shaft was in the club from ebay and ended up not being a superb fit, but overall it was decent fitting based on what I asked of the fitter.

2nd - I did a four step process, first two on my own then progressed through to help from fitter at PGA SS, then to one of the most reputable fitters in our area. 

1. Narrowed it down to two iron models from several and a few shafts.

2. Returned a few days later to see if results held up during a 2nd session. 

3. Worked through lenght/lie, multiple shafts models and weights in the two iron models that got through steps 1&2  under the watchful eye of PGA SS best fitter. 

4. Went to highly regarded local outdoor range with top fitter and worked through 3 shaft models, two heads and another wildcard of his choosing.  Same shaft and iron head performed the best across all four steps, so confidence was high of having a very good fit for me.

So, the four steps above seemed the epitome of due diligence.   

What we DID NOT account for ........ was the club maker completely fouling up the build to where they came out playing tremendously stiffer/boardier than any single swing among the whole testing process.   Mostly they overpromised their ability to shorten the irons and keep them playing identical to uncut iron.  Stating all the tour players they do this for routinely, so trust them, it'll be perfect.   Had to blast them on twitter to get a remedy to what was an unplayable setup.

 

3rd - went down the road of ping and all was good.  My own input probably hindered the results a bit .... but mostly it was the variation between standing in a bay and getting dialed in vs on course golfing which can vary wildly to a locked in golfer in a bay.  I pushed for a shaft that likely wasn't the very best although very close.  

All this to say this ...... The three sets I have enjoyed the least are these three sets. Only truly awful experience was the 2nd though.

When I have simply bought a set and worked through it with that set - it has gone better.  Partly due to playing every day prior to the fitting craze existing (20+ years back and beyond) and partly due to pure luck with getting a set that was easy to hit and simple to make work.

 

Oh - recently I made use of 2nd Swing fitting in their store and among two "fittings", one was OK and the other was thorough enough for my liking.  What I like there that often doesn't exist in other "fittings" is the ability to hit the actual clubs you will walk out with, and any iron within the set is there to give it a go with.  

I think that portion is often overlooked.  7-iron only fittings, to me, seem to be a precursor to disappointment with the other portions of the set.  Thus I like the 2nd Swing or buying used knowing you can flip 'em right back on ebay or elsewhere (trial and error), method quite a bit.

*** I would also say it can be a help and/or a hinderance to have some prior notions of where you want the fitting to end up. 

It can keep you from getting the ideal fit by roadblocking something you need but aren't willing to open your mind/ego up to, but conversely could also save you from the advice of a less competent "fitter".  What a conundrum!

 

I go to Golf Galaxy. They have one guy I really like and never feel rushed

[Hacker60521]

I’ve had two fittings. The first at Club Champion about five years ago, and a second one last year with TrueSpec. While the services seem similar, the experiences were completely different. Both were full bag fittings
 

For CC, long story short, it felt rushed and I left with a sense of this was just a process to rationalize a very expensive sale. I ended up not buying anything p.

TrueSpec was completely different. The whole bag fitting took a few hours and started with my general golf game, what is / isn’t working in my bag, etc. We went through a wide variety of iron heads first. Then when that was dialed in we started putting on different shafts. The huge benefit compared to CC was it seemed like a logical process and every combo was a 10-12 shots unless something was really off. Then it went away quickly. Once the irons were dialed in, we did the same process for wedges. Here is where the fitting takes a turn. The fitter tries to find a better driver than my current one. Distance was 225-ish and all the balls were within 10 yards of each other.  After trying several combos the fitter finally says keep what you have. I can’t do better but I’d like to try again. So he offers me a follow up fitting focused on driver. Ended up buying the irons and wedges on my first visit. He never did find a better driver. But that was okay. 
 

My three lessons learned

• The experience of the fitter matters a lot. Luckily the one I saw had a great reputation 
• Go to someplace that offers a wide variety of clubs heads and shafts. Keep an open mind about brands and models — the data might surprise you.
• Determine your price range up front so it sets some guardrails on the selection. 

[Mulligan09]

7 minutes ago, Hacker60521 said:

I’ve had two fittings. The first at Club Champion about five years ago, and a second one last year with TrueSpec. While the services seem similar, the experiences were completely different. Both were full bag fittings
 

For CC, long story short, it felt rushed and I left with a sense of this was just a process to rationalize a very expensive sale. I ended up not buying anything p.

TrueSpec was completely different. The whole bag fitting took a few hours and started with my general golf game, what is / isn’t working in my bag, etc. We went through a wide variety of iron heads first. Then when that was dialed in we started putting on different shafts. The huge benefit compared to CC was it seemed like a logical process and every combo was a 10-12 shots unless something was really off. Then it went away quickly. Once the irons were dialed in, we did the same process for wedges. Here is where the fitting takes a turn. The fitter tries to find a better driver than my current one. Distance was 225-ish and all the balls were within 10 yards of each other.  After trying several combos the fitter finally says keep what you have. I can’t do better but I’d like to try again. So he offers me a follow up fitting focused on driver. Ended up buying the irons and wedges on my first visit. He never did find a better driver. But that was okay. 
 

My three lessons learned

• The experience of the fitter matters a lot. Luckily the one I saw had a great reputation 
• Go to someplace that offers a wide variety of clubs heads and shafts. Keep an open mind about brands and models — the data might surprise you.
• Determine your price range up front so it sets some guardrails on the selection. 

Couldn’t agree more

[cksurfdude]

5 hours ago, Preeway said:

I’d also recommend a lesson or two if you’re a high handicap player if for no other reason than to develop a consistent swing prior to getting fitted.

I do think a proper fitting will lead to better scores but it won’t fix bad swing mechanics. 

Absolutely! One of my first fittings .. early in my golfing journey - which is to say I didn't yet fully realize how hard this game is plus how bad I was at it! - was a full bag fitting at a high end custom independent shop.

Silly, I know.

To the fitter's immense credit not only was he extremely patient but his ultimate advice - which he took time to explain carefully, and tactfully, to me - was to take more lessons.

So the fitting itself was disappointing but the ultimate outcome was an excellent learning experience

[KC Golf]

I have built a solid relationship with a fitter.  Putter, driver, irons, etc.   While I have gone one off with some OEM fitters, my results show me going to a fitter that knows my game is really important.  Yes, it may cost a little more but I think it’s worth it.  

I have to agree with Jamie, Titleist could be better.  Guys are really nice and supportive but not the best.

I am still trying to find a great outdoor wedge fitter.

 

[Mulligan09]

4 minutes ago, KC Golf said:

I have built a solid relationship with a fitter.  Putter, driver, irons, etc.   While I have gone one off with some OEM fitters, my results show me going to a fitter that knows my game is really important.  Yes, it may cost a little more but I think it’s worth it.  

I have to agree with Jamie, Titleist could be better.  Guys are really nice and supportive but not the best.

I am still trying to find a great outdoor wedge fitter.

 

Manufacturer people seem to have the tendency to push more while an independent doesn’t 

[Badams69]

5 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

There is no guarantee what worked for someone “similar” would work for the fitter is working with. There maybe similarities in handicps, swing speed, even some swing tendencies but there is going to be differences in the swings that prior setups have a guarantee will work. And good fitters are using their past experience and their knowledge in assessing the current golfer and what will work for them based on what they are seeing in that golfer. 
 

I could careless what the fitter out other people in. I want what’s best for me and my swing and game. Only thing that matters is whether I’m gaining any improvement over my current set that is worth me spending money to buy a replacement set or club

Valid point, but do keep in mind ...... I'm speaking in the context of myself who targets used clubs, not new.

Furthermore - just check this thread.  Within reason a solid fitter recommendation can't be much worse in terms of likelihood of success than a supposed real fitting.  

Fittings are a bit over-hyped anyway.  Lots of good golf played in this world prior to the fitting craze.  Not that it has zero value, but it isn't much more of a guarantee than a solid fitters instincts would be. 

 

My frustration has been that twice I have set these parameters on the front end, paid $150, only for them to then tell me sort of what you just said.

If that is their mindset - my money and their time shouldn't get involved.  I was upfront about who I was as a consumer, but they were not.  They agreed going in and crawfished!