How do you trust a fitter?

[GolfSpy_KFT]

42 minutes ago, JerryK said:

Here's where I will throw something into the discussion and see what kind of reaction I get.  I am 77 years old and I have seen members of my club who are a little than I am and pretty good players go for a fitting and they wound up being fitted for upgraded shafts in their irons adding $200 to the cost of each iron.  Another fellow I played with is a 20 handicap and went for a driver fitting and wound up paying $450 for an upgraded shaft.  Perhaps I am a skeptic but I just cannot believe that club manufacturers do not have stock shafts that would work in both of these instances.  Somebody please explain to me what those upgrades could possibly do to justify that kind of expenditure.  

I'll maybe catch flak for this, but I do believe there are stock shaft options for every OEM that will "fit" a category of every golfer. What you're referring to sounds a lot like Club Champion to me, where they only offer upgraded shafts and don't even have stock ones to fit to begin with. If you know you're looking for an aftermarket shaft, I think CC is a fine choice for fittings. If you're not looking at anything other than a stock option, you probably are OK going to a retailer like Golf Galaxy or PGASS and getting fit there, provided they have multiple stock offerings, especially for irons. 

The stock Tensei AV Raw White that came in my TSi3 performed very well. I now have a Ventus TR Blue in it, but that is because I wanted to go that route. Haven't had it on the course yet as it was an off-season purchase this year, so TBD whether or not it makes a huge difference in my distance or dispersion. 

I'm not saying everyone in the world can walk into a store, pick a club up off the rack and be good to go, but OEM stock offerings are getting better every year. There are also multiple options for no-upcharge, so going to a fitting where you can hit those shafts is important if that is what you're looking for.

Demo days are always a really good option for companies like TM, Callaway, PING, etc., because they will have a bevy of no-upcharge shafts.

TL;DR - No, I do not think you need aftermarket premium shafts to have the most optimal fit for you.

[Just_the_Chip]

On 2/25/2024 at 10:36 AM, deattle said:

My experience with golf fitters over the years have been mixed. However the one constant is that they seem to be very close to car salesman. I’m not classifying them all in that vane, just going by my experience. They bring you in and have you test drive various models, mostly pushing the more expensive clubs. They are swayed by incentives or relationships they have with vendors to push their brand. 
 

When club fitting is such an important step in your golf journey, it’s concerning to think that it can be filled with such salesmanship. So my question or topic is, how do you trust this process?

I have only ever had two fittings. I watched a bunch of youtube videos and talked to a couple of friends. I went to the first fitting, and I felt like I was just given a set of clubs and kept hitting different ones and each time the person would ask me "what do you think?" They never changed shafts once. They just handed me game improvement irons until I found one that I said well I guess? These ones feel different, and from the trackman, looks like I'm hitting it the straightest. It felt more like, a lets just see which of these name brands sticks. I never bought the clubs, took some more lessons.

My next fitting I came onto this site where I asked for some reputable fitters. I have a post here somewhere on it. But the fitting was completely different. They measured my clubs loft, my wrist,  asked a lot of questions about my experience, past fittings, what brands am I interested in, what I'm looking for to get out of the fitting, what am I looking for in a club. Then as I went through the clubs, made changes to the shafts based upon the data. They asked a lot of questions about preferred ball flight, but more importantly to me, during the process was the explanation of what he was looking at. Why he thinks a higher ball flight, and increased spin was good/bad, etc. It helped me understand more, what I might need. I wanted a professional who would guide me into the proper setup based upon what he is seeing as improvements, with my feedback around looks and feel. it was a completely different experience and I ended up buying the suggested clubs at the end. Feeling really confident for this coming season as I grow into the new clubs. 

 

hope this helps in someways. I don't feel like the last guy sold me at all. In my opinion, it felt very much like "I don't care what brand shaft club head you go into." It was much more collaborative. Maybe he did, in which case it was a really good sales experience and planning on doing it to myself all over again with wedges, putter then driver in the coming years.

Edited February 26 by Just_the_Chip

[funkyjudge]

2 hours ago, Philly Ray said:

Unfortunately, I've found fitters can be different at the same store depending if I'm getting fitted or my wife is.  This drove her crazy recently so if there's any fitters on  this thread, make sure you pay attention to her just as much because that can cause her to leave the store.  Like gingerbeast87 mentioned, finding a good fitter is like finding a good plumber...you'll tell everyone you know about them.

I have heard this far too many times (actually, once is one time too many!). A fitting is a fitting, regardless of age, gender playing ability, etc. The extent and level of the fitting may differ from golfer to golfer, but that is for the golfer to specify, not the fitter.

As a professional fitter, the first thing I want spelled out by the customer is their objectives for the fitting. Is the golfer seeking more distance, accuracy, consistency (this one SHOULD be at the top of the list!), higher, or lower, shot trajectory etc. — or a combination of several of these factors? All of this should be discussed in the pre-fitting interview (preferably before the date of the fitting). I take all of this into account when preparing for the fitting event, so that it isn’t just a “scattergun” or “shoot from the hip” process.

[Golfspy_CG2]

1 hour ago, JerryK said:

Here's where I will throw something into the discussion and see what kind of reaction I get.  I am 77 years old and I have seen members of my club who are a little than I am and pretty good players go for a fitting and they wound up being fitted for upgraded shafts in their irons adding $200 to the cost of each iron.  Another fellow I played with is a 20 handicap and went for a driver fitting and wound up paying $450 for an upgraded shaft.  Perhaps I am a skeptic but I just cannot believe that club manufacturers do not have stock shafts that would work in both of these instances.  Somebody please explain to me what those upgrades could possibly do to justify that kind of expenditure.  

My reaction is I'm 100% in agreement with you.  I'm all in favor of 20 handicaps getting fit.  Many people will say they need lessons before fitting.  BS, sure nobody says not to take lessons, but they (20 caps) can be fit and help their game as well. 

@GolfSpy_KFT beat me to the Club Champion suggestion, it 100% sounds like something they would do.  And I agree he could benefit from any stock shaft from any major OEM, unless he is one of two things.  1% of the higher handicaps that actually fit into an exotic shaft, or has so much money to burn and only wants the most expensive of whatever he's buying.  

So no you are not a skeptic, it sounds like your friend unfortunately fell into the sales practice of Club Champion. 

 

[Dr. Bill]

If the fitter doesn't start with a SHAFT FITTING, skip them.  (see https://mizunogolf.com/us/custom-fit/ )  Clubheads matter little if you are in the wrong shaft.  After that, you can pick a clubhead line that matches your skill level:  max forgiveness vs "players" irons.  Make sure the fitter can offer the "usual" top brands.  If you're not comfortably single digit, go with forgiveness.   If your fitter isn't using a GC Quad, you won't get useful data.  Hit your current middle iron (6 or 7) and your fitter's proposed 6 or 7 iron on the Quad and compare.  (Ball speed, launch, spin, efficiency, impact point, dispersion etc.  After you are comfortable with hitting your irons, then you can consider Driver heads and etc.

[Steve S]

7 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Shafts don’t launch. What you found out is that this shaft doesn’t fit your swing. Shafts are a timing device. They don’t launch or spin. Your swing determines how the club is delivered, the delivery of the club is what causes spin and launch. When the shaft doesn’t work for you swing it causes you to deliver the club in a non optimal way. You were more than likely delivering a lot of dynamic loft and hitting the ball low on the face

Yeah but he was referring to how the manufacturers categorize their shafts.  My Project X driver shaft is called a mid launch, mid spin shaft.  

[Guest-0]

1 hour ago, funkyjudge said:

I have heard this far too many times (actually, once is one time too many!). A fitting is a fitting, regardless of age, gender playing ability, etc. The extent and level of the fitting may differ from golfer to golfer, but that is for the golfer to specify, not the fitter.

As a professional fitter, the first thing I want spelled out by the customer is their objectives for the fitting. Is the golfer seeking more distance, accuracy, consistency (this one SHOULD be at the top of the list!), higher, or lower, shot trajectory etc. — or a combination of several of these factors? All of this should be discussed in the pre-fitting interview (preferably before the date of the fitting). I take all of this into account when preparing for the fitting event, so that it isn’t just a “scattergun” or “shoot from the hip” process.

I would imagine the level of frustration when a guy comes in to be fitted and is hitting the ball all over the place and assuming a club will fix that meanwhile providing ZERO usable data to the fitter and then when Mr 24 hdcp doesn't get better its the fitters fault???

[Steve S]

2 minutes ago, Marlin Dave said:

I would imagine the level of frustration when a guy comes in to be fitted and is hitting the ball all over the place and assuming a club will fix that meanwhile providing ZERO usable data to the fitter and then when Mr 24 hdcp doesn't get better its the fitters fault???

I agree.  I think that if your swing is wildly erratic you need lessons first.  Until you have a relatively repeatable swing a fitting is a waste of time and money.

[RickyBobby_PR]

2 hours ago, pfsgators said:

And as I said in my reply, a bad fitter is a bad fitter regardless of neutrality of brand.

That’s the point I was  making. What there have in their fitting carts or however they keep inventory is no guarantee of finding a good fit

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

I'll maybe catch flak for this, but I do believe there are stock shaft options for every OEM that will "fit" a category of every golfer.

It’s the truth. I’ve have conversations with Mike Yeagley and Tom o from cobra over the course of a weekend. They put shafts in clubs that fit the majority of golfers. It’s why they have different weights and flexes in the various shafts. They test and choose the ones that will be the best fit across the board. They know that most golfers don’t get fit.

High swing players 112+ will be the ones where going to an upgrade shaft is going to be more prevalent. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

43 minutes ago, Dr. Bill said:

If the fitter doesn't start with a SHAFT FITTING, skip them.  (see https://mizunogolf.com/us/custom-fit/ )  Clubheads matter little if you are in the wrong shaft.  After that, you can pick a clubhead line that matches your skill level:  max forgiveness vs "players" irons.  Make sure the fitter can offer the "usual" top brands.  If you're not comfortably single digit, go with forgiveness.   If your fitter isn't using a GC Quad, you won't get useful data.  Hit your current middle iron (6 or 7) and your fitter's proposed 6 or 7 iron on the Quad and compare.  (Ball speed, launch, spin, efficiency, impact point, dispersion etc.  After you are comfortable with hitting your irons, then you can consider Driver heads and etc.

Exactly the opposite of what the best fitters do. The club head especially in woods and hybrids determine the launch window. With irons this can go either way.

Club champion is on of the few places that starts with shafts. 

the shaft is just a timing device. Need to get the loft and location right off the golfers swing. Especially on irons. Sweepers typically need a different vcog placement than a steep golfer

Something to read that shows the shaft isn’t as important as people want to believe 

https://www.golfwrx.com/6419/tom-wishon-talking-to-wrx-readers-10-myths-about-shafts-factual-info-about-shafts-to-help-you-all/

Edited February 26 by RickyBobby_PR

[RickyBobby_PR]

21 minutes ago, Steve S said:

Yeah but he was referring to how the manufacturers categorize their shafts.  My Project X driver shaft is called a mid launch, mid spin shaft.  

That’s marketing. I have seen gofers launch the ball high with a low launch and low spin shaft.

That description is used to describe where the stiffness is in the shaft.

low launch low spin heads are going to have a stiffer tip than a mid or high launch, doesn’t mean the ball is going to launch like that.

He was tryin to say be was launching the ball high because the shaft has the description. I don’t have his numbers nor have I seen his swing. High launch and spin is swing issue. Low face contact and a lot of dynamic loft.

 

[sabramFL]

2 hours ago, JerryK said:

Here's where I will throw something into the discussion and see what kind of reaction I get.  I am 77 years old and I have seen members of my club who are a little than I am and pretty good players go for a fitting and they wound up being fitted for upgraded shafts in their irons adding $200 to the cost of each iron.  Another fellow I played with is a 20 handicap and went for a driver fitting and wound up paying $450 for an upgraded shaft.  Perhaps I am a skeptic but I just cannot believe that club manufacturers do not have stock shafts that would work in both of these instances.  Somebody please explain to me what those upgrades could possibly do to justify that kind of expenditure.  

I can't say whether the improvements in shots "justify the expenditure", as that is in the eye of the player who paid the price. I'm in my 70's a 13 handicap and a short hitter. I did pay a lot for my custom clubs.  I'm getting a higher trajectory with softer landings on my approach shots, much better shots (higher and longer) with my fairway woods, and  I'm getting an average of 10+ yards longer with the driver, sometimes 20 yards longer than the longest I did with my old driver, but more importantly, less distance lost on off center hits and more consistent dispersion. I rarely lose a ball. Have the new clubs significantly reduced my handicap? No. But I do have fewer blow up holes. My best scores (the ones that count for my index) are about the same as they used to be (although I had my all time low score for 9 holes with the new clubs). However, my bad rounds/scores have gotten closer to my good scores. i.e. I have very few bad rounds with the new clubs. My wife thinks it was worth it as I used to come home grumpy after a bad round. I haven't had a round that made me grumpy since I got the new clubs.

[JerryK]

I appreciate what you are saying about the new clubs and I agree that new clubs can and should certainly make a difference but my point is that nearly every manufacturer offers stock shafts which will be very close, if not equal to, significantly more expensive shafts for nearly all players except the very best. 

[ILMgolfnut]

I had been out of golf for 20 years, with clubs that were a decade older than that. I figured if I was going to get back into the game, I needed to take advantage of 30+ years of new technology, and went to get a fitting, followed by about $2300 in new sticks. My swing sucked (and still does) but I can repeat my flaws, so the fitter knew what he was working with. I think my swing is somewhat better now than it was then, but the new clubs (mostly) work.

[PCS]

A good fitter should be anything but a used car salesman. And you don't need to make an immediate decision, and probably shouldn't based on the short amount of time you are exposed to a new to you product. We live in a world where our desire for immediate gratification needs to be reined in when it comes to entering into a relationship with something you need to get to know better! Who wants to be repeatedly disappointed by decisions made without enough information.

[Guest-0]

9 hours ago, RanMan said:

I was fitted with a super lightweight shaft to supposedly increase my swing speed. However, control went out the window.  You might be careful what you wish for.

So when you say you were fitted for a light shaft did you hit it and liked it then later decided the shaft was an issue???? Because someone just telling another person they need this shaft but not giving them one to hit is not a fitting

[RDel90]

4 hours ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

I'll maybe catch flak for this, but I do believe there are stock shaft options for every OEM that will "fit" a category of every golfer. What you're referring to sounds a lot like Club Champion to me, where they only offer upgraded shafts and don't even have stock ones to fit to begin with. If you know you're looking for an aftermarket shaft, I think CC is a fine choice for fittings. If you're not looking at anything other than a stock option, you probably are OK.

Not entirely true. See my post a few back. Sure I tried some exotic iron shafts, but at the end of the day we found some great numbers, then my Club Champion fitter looked up the OEM offerings for the head I selected and picked what OEM profile he thought most closely matched my best numbers/most comfortable to me. CC had various True Tempers and KBS that now are offered directly from OEMs. Then he ordered the stock clubs from the manufacturer to the rest of my specs. So basically he placed the order to the OEM for me.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

48 minutes ago, RDel90 said:

Not entirely true. See my post a few back. Sure I tried some exotic iron shafts, but at the end of the day we found some great numbers, then my Club Champion fitter looked up the OEM offerings for the head I selected and picked what OEM profile he thought most closely matched my best numbers/most comfortable to me. CC had various True Tempers and KBS that now are offered directly from OEMs. Then he ordered the stock clubs from the manufacturer to the rest of my specs. So basically he placed the order to the OEM for me.

That’s great that you were able to get that service! I would imagine it largely depends on the CC location as well, so I should probably avoid blanket statements. The CC near me has rotated through 4-6 different fitters already, so I admittedly have some bias. Especially when there are some really good fitters in the area already. 

[Shinnman]

I don’t trust fitters at big box.  Big box wants to just get a sale and will direct you to a shaft that just is generic.  Go to club champion.  Get a real fitting.  When you find a guy who is good, he is as good as gold.  You can pay for the fitting or buy the product through them, but they are expensive.  If they fit you to a shaft that is readily available on BST here or GolfWRX (i.e. ventus velocore) then just pay the fitting fee.  If it is a shaft you won’t find used, then bite the bullet and use them.  It will be expensive, but your game will be better.  

[RDel90]

8 minutes ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

The CC near me has rotated through 4-6 different fitters already, so I admittedly have some bias. Especially when there are some really good fitters in the area already. 

That’s true they do seem to rotate. My fitter actually moved 30 minutes further north to a new CC store. But I wasn’t going to take any chances on a new guy so had to bite the bullet and drive an hour to get to his new CC store! Just happened to have my fitting right after NFL QB Jacoby Brissett.

[Woodrow72]

Been fitted a few times and each one was a quality experience and not at any time did they push me toward any specific product.  Now it’s been a few years and I’m sure with all the specialty shops the big push is to sell as well as fit , so in my experience I trusted the fitters totally .

[MichaelC_81]

On 2/25/2024 at 11:36 PM, deattle said:

My experience with golf fitters over the years have been mixed. However the one constant is that they seem to be very close to car salesman. I’m not classifying them all in that vane, just going by my experience. They bring you in and have you test drive various models, mostly pushing the more expensive clubs. They are swayed by incentives or relationships they have with vendors to push their brand. 
 

When club fitting is such an important step in your golf journey, it’s concerning to think that it can be filled with such salesmanship. So my question or topic is, how do you trust this process?

I don't travel much further than my local retailer, but depending on the salesman on the day, results may very... I've found that it some times comes down to the time of the day, how busy the shop is or has been, and their overall interest in you and/or the equipment you are looking at. I recently went in to look at one driver, for shits and giggles, and an hour later the salesman had run me through a number of shafts and 4-5 different heads/brands to suit me swing and ball flight. If I had the funds I would have paid him there and then, but unfortunately left with nothing except a lot of confidence of what to look for in the future.
Not sure if this has answered the question or not, but in short - trust your gut. If you feel like they're taking the piss or just going through the motions, they probably are.

[skraeling]

23 hours ago, Cfhandyman said:

Do your homework and ideally go to a reputable brand agnostic fitter, rather than the closest big box store. Sometimes, it’s worth that 1-3 hour drive. What are your goals and expectations. The other key component is communication with your fitter.  It’s very important and ask lots of questions. You never want to leave a fitting with unanswered questions.  I’m fortunate in that I’ve gone to one of the very best in the business, Tour Experience Golf (TXG) and I’ve gotten to know Ian and his staff very well and trust their advice. But at the end of the day, it’s a recommendation and how comfortable you feel about it and their advice. To help others, see the link below. 

 

Thats on my bucket list in a couple of years to do.  Would love to get a fitting from them some day.  Plus maybe roll it into catching a hockey game while there (even better if my hometown team is playing a road game).

 

 

23 hours ago, JAXON DE VILLAIN said:

To paraphrase from Mark Crossfield, the best fitting is somewhat a combination of helping you decide what driver/iron/wedge/etc will give you the desired outcome, and a lesson.  Any Tom, Dick or Mary can hand you 10 drivers, take some data and tell you that driver X is the one you need.  But the best fitters will look at your swing and make suggestions of what you could do (maybe in combination with a new piece of equipment) to get your desired result.

I honestly had this experience at golf galaxy of all places.  TM was doing a free Qi10 fitting so sadly I didnt get to hit anything else, but the fitter who I was given knew his stuff.

He could tell where my shots were going to go just from where my hands ended up.

He recommended I turn my loft down actually.  I never knew I hit up on it as much as I do.

He tried different heads, a few different shafts.  Flat out told me to not even bother with the LS head as my spin numbers were low / mid 2k's, he really worked to get my launch angle to something reasonable.

Then told me to not spend 600.00 on a new driver as all the numbers I was generating between the Qi 10 and my sim2max were very comparable.  

Outright said, dont spend any money, come back in 2-3 years.

Ill make it a point to get him when I do.

 

Edited February 27 by skraeling

[Hacker60521]

21 hours ago, Jonesie said:

I've been thinking about this all winter.

I thought living in Chicagoland it would be easy to find a well-known "Trusted" fitter to use but I have come up empty-handed.  

So, If anyone wants to send me the name of a good driver fitter and a putter fitter North of Chicago up into Lower Wisconsin I'm all ears!

Thanks

 

@Jonesie I’ve worked with Carmen at TrueSpec. He’s up in Highland Park. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him.

He fitted me last year for a full bag. During the fitting he couldn’t find a driver better than my current one and even asked for a second chance on another day just focused on the driver. He tried to fit me twice for a driver and couldn’t do it. So he didn’t try to sell me anything. 

[puttslikecrap]

I have been to a number of fittings over the years and my 2 cents is that there is good,bad and in between out there. The more experience you have in getting a fitting and with golf in general the more you will get a feel for how the fitter is doing. The more consistent your swing is the easier it is to fit you. If your swing is pretty inconsistent (swing path,angle of attack etc) then fitting is more difficult and you might be pushed towards certain clubs.  The fitter is not a swing coach so they deal with what you are as a player on th day they meet you. With some experience and a consistent swing you don't need the fitter as much as you need access to the bay and the different clubs/shafts. It's a rabbit hole for sure but fun.

 

[Gleb]

I have been fitted at many occasions. I always select a fitter that has many brands. I also go with someone that I trust and that will ask specific questions about my game. I also read reviews about a specific fitter before I go. Also, like when a fitter takes the time to try a lot of different combination of heads and shafts 

[TSH Golf]

You have hit on a topic near and dear to my heart.    I've been a certified clubfitter for almost 30 years, tested and certified by multiple organizations from the orginal GCA, the PCS (Professional Clubmakers Society) and the ICG  (International Clubmakers Guild).  I've worked with Tom Wishon from his early days as Dynacraft and then at Golfsmith and finally to his own business Tom Wishon Golf Technology.  I've been a student and follower of his work throughout all of those years.  He is recogized as an industry icon in the world of club fitting and club head design.  That said, nowadays there are dozens, if not hundreds of books written on the subject of club fitting, so there are as many different methods and opinions as you can imagine.  Who's right?  Who's wrong? I don't know but I've been using the methods taught by Wishon for 25+ years and I have hundreds of satisfied and repeat customers.  

Over the years and most recently, I've seen all of these big box stores and conglomerates come on the scene with every conceivable manufacturers and their "test carts", hundreds of shaft options, etc. Overwhelming to say the least.  Tools like launch monitors are commonplace now and cheap enough that many golfers carry one around in their bag.  That's all great, but what about the people who are "fitting" you?  Where did they learn their skills?  Do they know anything about things like hard stepping, frequency profiling, MOI matching?  Or are they there just as a glorified salesperson paid on commission by what they can sell you?  

This topic and thread are a great example of the differences in opinions, confusion and misconceptions in the world of clubfitting and clubmaking. The one always most interesting to me is the brand name.  And that people are mesmerized by the manufacturers marketing schemes, and pro players sponsorships.  Surely you all know by now that whatever Tiger or Phil or Ricky is playing has absolutely nothing to do with you will get at the local golf shop.  Those sponsorships are just a hook to get you to look at their brand.  And the amount of hype around buzzwords like AI and Dark Speed and 3D CAD technology is nothing short of hilarious. Of course all of those technologies have been around for a long time in the world of clubhead designs, but the way they market them now like it's something hot off the press and you can't live without it.  I will just say, your performance will have a lot more to do with having a proper fit than it does what brand name is on the head.  There are basically only 3 or 4 significant designs that everyone starts with and then goes about marketing them.    

Sorry, getting off track a bit.  Let me get back to the fitting comments for a final thought.  Someone else mentioned here in this thread about starting your fitting with a discussion.  Fitting a brand new golfer is a lot different from fitting someone who's been playing for 20+ years.  But that's how all of my fittings start with experienced golfers.  What are you playing now?  What you like or don't like about your current equipment?  And what your expectation is?  If you can't answer those questions, you probably aren't going to end up with the result you expect.  A good fitting isn't sales driven. The equipment doesn't even matter at this point. The fitting should be about determining what these 12 key specifications are...

LENGTH

LOFT ANGLE

LIE ANGLE

FACE ANGLE

SHAFT WEIGHT

SHAFT FLEX

SHAFT BEND PROFILE

TOTAL CLUB WEIGHT

SWINGWEIGHT

SET MAKEUP

GRIP TYPE

GRIP SIZE

If your clubfitter isn't addressing these 12 factors, you aren't really getting fit.  

Wishon wrote a neat little book several years ago called "12 Myths That Could Wreck Your Golf Game".  If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.  There's a new version of it from the original that deals with some of the newer technology and design.

 

[skraeling]

3 minutes ago, TSH Golf said:

Fitting a brand new golfer is a lot different from fitting someone who's been playing for 20+ years.

 

I mean I had played since I was ~12 (and lessons early on), but only once or twice a year for oooooo 25years lol.  So im not sure if that would make me a new golfer or not.

Then joined a golf league with my free strata set played one year and went "yep... its time".  Then got fitted (for irons).  Then dropped about 10 off my handicap.  Still lots to work on of course.

[Just_the_Chip]

19 hours ago, ILMgolfnut said:

I had been out of golf for 20 years, with clubs that were a decade older than that. I figured if I was going to get back into the game, I needed to take advantage of 30+ years of new technology, and went to get a fitting, followed by about $2300 in new sticks. My swing sucked (and still does) but I can repeat my flaws, so the fitter knew what he was working with. I think my swing is somewhat better now than it was then, but the new clubs (mostly) work.

Similar story. I used to play about 15 years ago, got married and kit wasn't until my daughter started getting interested in golf and my wife wanting to try, that I picked it back up. My father in law gave me his set of irons from 1998. I was playing with those for the past couple of years and this year bit the bullet. I was in the wrong shaft flex, and the new technology and lofts in he club faces are INSANELY different. As a 18 handicapper, I can tell you with confidence, it's a world of difference between turf interaction, ball interaction, forgiveness, distance, spin. 

I don't think upgrading your irons every couple of years would make a difference for most, but I encourage anyone with a decade+ old set to try a fitting.