How do you trust a fitter?

[StrokerAce]

2 minutes ago, McGolf said:

I did not read any of the comments on purpose to answer: Based on the post above it would seem you really did not attend a fitting.  You may have gone to a place such as big box store to "test drive" a golf club and yes the person watching is following orders to push a particular brand based on his supervisions direction. Ok that's business.  

If you are looking for a fitter that has your best interests in mind I would suggest that you look for one that starts with finding the best parameters for your game THEN making recommendations based on the manufacturers availability because contrary to popular opinion not every maker has a club to fit you. 

 

I've been to a number of different fitters.

Independent (i.e. Joe's fitting shack)
Chains (i.e. Club Champion)
Corporate (i.e. Golf Galaxy, PGASS, PXG)

I've found that if you are upfront and let them know that if whatever you get fit into cannot objectively beat your current makeup by a significant amount then you won't feel the need to make a purchase. This sets the stage right away both for you and them. Most, if not all, are understanding and agree. I've even had an occasion where a fitter said I can't beat what you've got where it makes it worth it.

I also let them know that I don't want anything 'exotic' - i.e. a 275.00 shaft upgrade. 

As the OP compared it to a car dealer - YOU have to take charge of the discussion. YOU are the customer.

 

[JerryK]

I think that most golfers do not hit a perfect shot every time so a fitting has to be more than optimal results on your best swings.  I also think that a fitting benefits greatly if you are hitting outside where you can see and feel each shot.  Another thing that helps greatly is if the person fitting you knows your swing and your tendencies or takes the time to recognize them.  I guess what I am saying is that getting fit indoors into a screen can work for getting numbers but there is nothing like watching the ball as opposed to seeing it on a screen which is only two dimensional. 

[MIGregB]

31 minutes ago, cnosil said:

No one will have all the irons for a fitting.    Yes they have sets on the shelf for sale.   But:

• Do you want them to tape the face or are you willing to buy a used set of clubs?   Once you take that plastic off the head and hit it once it is a used club. 
• Are you going to buy that prehit set that someone tried and didn't like?   
• Are you willing to pay more for the irons since the stores have to purchase more clubs to be part of their fitting cart

Yes,  hitting every club would be nice especially if you want to do a blended set.   But the logistics of making it a reality is difficult.   The best way to accomplish this would be to go to the OEM official fitting center like The Kingdom, Callaway Performance Center,  or the Ping Fitting Experience.  

 

OK, so now I'm going to sound like a shill for Carl's Golfland; I'm not. I have no affiliation with them what-so-ever. But they are one of only two non-big box golf shops with which I have experience. The other is a smaller independent shop in the Flint area (The Grounds) with a much more limited demo selection (very nice place, just smaller). But, Carl's allows you to hit any iron in any model without masking the club face. They have hundreds and hundreds of demo clubs. I can't say that they have every model of every club line, even among the major brands. But they seem to have most. They don't charge a premium over other retailers, either. They've just been at this in metro-Detroit since 1958 and have a pretty good set up (yeah, I definitely sound like a shill!!!). 

I think they put most, if not all, of the previous year's demo sets their used club bin. I've known a couple of people who bought those and were happy. I guess that's not much different than buying used on eBay, 2nd Swing, or Global Golf. 

[cnosil]

6 minutes ago, MIgregb said:

OK, so now I'm going to sound like a shill for Carl's Golfland; I'm not. I have no affiliation with them what-so-ever. But they are one of only two non-big box golf shops with which I have experience. The other is a smaller independent shop in the Flint area (The Grounds) with a much more limited demo selection (very nice place, just smaller). But, Carl's allows you to hit any iron in any model without masking the club face. They have hundreds and hundreds of demo clubs. I can't say that they have every model of every club line, even among the major brands. But they seem to have most. They don't charge a premium over other retailers, either. They've just been at this in metro-Detroit since 1958 and have a pretty good set up (yeah, I definitely sound like a shill!!!). 

I think they put most, if not all, of the previous year's demo sets their used club bin. I've known a couple of people who bought those and were happy. I guess that's not much different than buying used on eBay, 2nd Swing, or Global Golf. 

Lucky situation for them and the people that can go to the store.  I have never seen a golf store that has complete demo sets (4-GW) for people to try out.    The only sets that you can try any iron are used sets.  

[ChuckZ]

Me? Am one who has had favorable fittings over the years.  Why because I have gone to certified Brand fitters with years of experience in the field.  Not big box store fitters or store clerks.  My fitter who has over thirty years experience in that arena is certified by Ping, Titleist, Taylormade and Callaway and does not push any particular brand.  He has actually told me to come back when my game was better and told me to keep my current set set because with have nothing to gain with newer equipment.   It is all in the fitter you choose and use cycle after cycle.  No way I would compare my fitter to a car salesman, that would be an insult and resent that comment by the writer.  My wife and I always buy from the same KIA and BMW dealership and there is no way the same salesmen are still there. Those days are long gone.  Most are in between careers.  Care salesman are on monthly quotas and if they do make those quotas they do not keep them. Good honest fitters are still around, like mine and sometimes difficult to get an appointment.  Unless you are a loyal customer.  Sometimes we are in a hurry to get a fitting and will take what is available in our rush.  If you go to a fitter, you need to listen and trust the results.  Take your equipment and the fall you play with.  If that fitter does ask you to do that.  Then find another fitter.   Go over with the fitter exactly what you are looking for in new equipment.  Study all the brands before you get there and compare the styles and lofts you might be interested in.  Some have stronger lofts and will give you additional yardage over another brand.  Some are more forgiving.  Do your homework before you go for a fitting.  Preparation.  Develop a plan.  Listen to the fitter and give honest feedback.  If you feel that they are just trying to sell clubs over helping you, walk away with your numbers.  This happens a lot in big box stores.  Your choice, before you invest in something you will not be happy with.  Manufacturer demo days are there to sell their clubs and they normally use Trackman which provides very reliable feedback.  You usually get a discount thru the course that has the demo day.   Just check out the fitter before going to them, their reputation and years experience.  I support them and will continue using mine.   

[lacou19]

I can't wait t test some of these theories. I have a putter fitting at Club Champion on Saturday (in Calgary, Alberta, Canada). I'm going in with an open mind although I do have a few brands and model that I prefer. 

 

When talking to them on the phone, they seemed very honest. The person I talked to insisted on telling me that the most important part of the fitting was getting to know my numbers. They use Quintic for their putter fitting.

 

Here's to hoping I can become a better putter...

[T McKinnon]

Interesting discussion, I have experienced good and bad fittings.  For one fitting I was looking for a low spin/low launch driver and was fitted with a driver and shaft that were designed for just such requirements.  When I received the new driver and shaft and put it into play - it had the exact opposite effect, high launch and high spin.  It was a total waste of time and money!  

A few years ago, I went to Club Champion for an iron fitting and I am incredibly happy with the results.  I have found that the shaft makes the biggest difference in the success of the club fitting.  Most of the shaft manufacturers have fitting charts that help one find the shaft that will match their game and desired matching game/shaft improvement. 

The fitting process can help eliminate the errors of trial and error with finding the proper shaft!  I went to one fitting wanting a lighter shaft to help increase swing speed.  I found that lightweight shafts for me was a bad choice as I hit the ball very inconsistently - left, right, long, and short - heavier was much better for my game resulting in much improved consistency and feel.

Thus, club fitting to me is not the perfect answer in finding the perfect golf club(s).  For me finding the club(s) that look good and feel good and then researching the shafts that are a good match with my game and then testing my thoughts at a fitting or with a simulator, help reduce golf club purchasing errors!

 

[Jonesie]

I've been thinking about this all winter.

I played a poorly fit TS2 Driver for 3 years and finally walked into a PGA Superstore last spring and pulled a Demo sale TSi3 out of a barrel and had immediate improvement with it.  So I bought it & it has served me well. But again, not perfectly.

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.  Google has come up short on in-depth reviews.  I honestly thought I was gonna have to start a whole thread on the forum to get some names sent my way because I can't find any names or instances that aren't big box store related.

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

 

[NoRebound]

Had a great fitting several years ago at my local Golf Tec.  When we got to the end of the fitting I was told that I was borderline between Callaway Apex irons and Mizuno.  The difference was about 3-4 yards and about 100rpm.  The Mizunos were way cheaper and he had no problem with my decision.  He also left me with the same driver and putter.  Sadly he's left the area and I'm in need of a new set.  

[pfsgators]

2 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

A brand agnostic fitter doesn’t guarantee a good fitting. The fitting is only as good as 1) how good the fitter is and 2) the communication between fitter and golfer. 
 

A bad fitter with multiple brands is still a bad fitter and will lead to a bad fitting 

Brand agnostic, as I posted, guarantees you get the correct head and shaft combination regardless of brand. A bad fitter is a bad fitter, regardless.

[RDel90]

One thing not mentioned yet, I started my search looking at the Golf Digest Top 100 Fitters. https://www.golfdigest.com/story/clubfitter-directory-americas-best-clubfitters/amp
 

Golf.com has a list as well I believe and maybe a couple other sites. Then go look at the reviews for the store/location and see where specific fitters are mentioned.

I chose from that list and wound up at Club Champion. Been through full bag fitting woods, hybrids, irons (2 sets now), and wedges. Woods and hybrids I had no problem paying for upgrades shaft since it’s only a couple clubs, but irons any exotic shaft upgrade can easily add $800-$1000 to the set. For my irons, i made clear my objectives, desire and budget. While mentioning how their builds are more precise and checked more closely (and subsequently more expensive) once we dialed in the best upgraded shaft/head for my irons, my CC fitter then went back and double checked mfg stock shaft offerings with the head we selected to help try to keep me more on budget. Luckily we did find a stock offering that had very similar performance to the optimized setup and my fitter had no problem placing an order for me directly from the club manufacturer.

My fitter has gotten to know my swing and does not try to get me to change anything in my swing. My first set of irons were PXG with Stiff KBS C-Taper shafts. Next set of irons I said I wanted more feel and he put me in a Regular flex with the new KBS Tour Lite (Cobra Forged Tec). I was very hesitant on going to regular flex (high swing speed and aggressive transition) but the numbers and feel didn’t lie! He hit a home run for me. Subsequently he waives the CC fitting fees since he knows I’ll buy from him. I haven’t paid for fitting since 2018 which was the first time I bought a full bag for $175 when they had a 50% off promo.

[RickyBobby_PR]

32 minutes ago, pfsgators said:

Brand agnostic, as I posted, guarantees you get the correct head and shaft combination regardless of brand. A bad fitter is a bad fitter, regardless.

Still not a guarantee. There are enough posts around this forum, other forums and the internet about bad fittings. There is one in this thread about a bad Club Champion fitting and they are brand agnostic.

 

[jpl2]

I have had numerous fittings over the years. Brand agnostic, Brand specific, Demo days, and Golf equipment retailers. Learned something about my game and the key data points every time. To get the best result you have to put in the time to educate yourself as to data interpretation and what aspects of your game that you think an equipment change might address. Do your homework. Be skeptical of conventional wisdom. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

4 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 agree. It’s what makes someone like Ian from TXG a great fitter. @Golfspy_CG2 had this experience with him during an iron fitting.

A good to a great fitter understands the swing and what the golfer is doing in their swing. They can fit the club to the swing and not just using numbers on a monitor. I’ve seen some fitters who ignore the golfers swing and give them a lie setting that will only make things worse for the golfer.

What Mark is referring to is the fitter can see the swing, give the golfer a tip to help just like in a lesson, work with the golfer for a little bit on it and proceed with the fitting. If a fitter is just looking at numbers and only making changes based on those I’m either ending the fitting or I’m just going to bash balls and get some practice in because I’m not getting a good fitting club from the at experience.

I did a titleist Thursday for the 917 drivers. We have 3 shafts that worked for my swing and produce the ball flight I wanted and the fitter agreed was where it should be. We had good numbers on the monitor. We threw one shaft out in the second round of testing because he saw my swing change to make the shaft work. Then for the last two it came down to feel and preference and I went with the one I had previous experience with.

 

[Donn lost in San Diego]

Maybe it helps if the fitter is near a good golf course.  I had good experiences near popular golf courses.  A small 1 man shop near the Tony Lema course in San Leandro (SF area).  A small 2 man shop in Carlsbad, the mother lode of golf, and then at a busy retailer / driving range (Carlsbad Golf Center) also in Carlsbad.  The store and fittings are now part of GolfMart.  They used to have multi-brand demo days 2x a year until the virus.  If you want to do your own fitting, they give you free range balls to use when trying clubs.  Plus a modern school or individual fittings with the store fitters.

I said this before, if you can take a vacation to San Diego, you can schedule fittings at PXG, Evnroll, KBS, Scotty, Indi Golf King of Spin wedges, and 2 of the local World Wide / Golf Marts have outdoor ranges, the one in Carlsbad and in Del Mar, where the Surf eats the Turf.  I don't know if Callaway, Titleist, TM, and Cobra do fittings at their HQ.  There are 3 Golf Tecs.  You can't go wrong.  And San Diego is a great vacation place.  There is even a great but small winery town, Ramona, 40 miles east of San Diego.   

Edited February 26 by Donn lost in San Diego

[Golfspy_CG2]

2 minutes ago, Donn lost in San Diego said:

Maybe it helps if the fitter is near a good golf course.  I had good experiences near popular golf courses.  A small 1 man shop near the Tony Lema course in San Leandro (SF area).  A small 2 man shop in Carlsbad, the mother lode of golf, and then at a busy retailer / driving range (Carlsbad Golf Center) also in Carlsbad.  The store and fittings are now part of GolfMart.  They used to have multi-brand demo days 2x a year until the virus.  If you want to do your own fitting, they give you free range balls to use when trying clubs.  Plus a modern school or individual fittings with the store fitters.

I said this before, if you can take a vacation to San Diego, you can schedule fittings at PXG, Evnroll, KBS, Scotty, Indi Golf King of Spin wedges, and 2 of the local World Wide / Golf Marts have outdoor ranges, the one in Carlsbad and in Del Mar, where the Surf eats the Turf.  I don't know if Callaway, Titleist, TM, and Cobra do fittings at their HQ.  There are 3 Golf Tecs.  You can't go wrong.  And San Diego is a great vacation place.  There is even a great but small winery town, Ramona, 40 miles east of San Diego.   

Titleist does offer public fittings for a fee at TPI, it's like hitting off the most immaculate conditions you will find out side of Augusta.  Callaway offers fittings at it's indoor facility at HQ but takes a special invite to get to the the Eli Callaway Performance Center (it's version of TPI) and same with TaylorMade Kingdom, usually a call from your Head Pro if they are a TaylorMade account can get you a time, but they are booked up months and months in advance.   The Kingdom in Reynolds Lake GA is easier to book into, but not very close to San Diego

 

[Donn lost in San Diego]

1 minute ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

Titleist does offer public fittings for a fee at TPI, it's like hitting off the most immaculate conditions you will find out side of Augusta.  Callaway offers fittings at it's indoor facility at HQ but takes a special invite to get to the the Eli Callaway Performance Center (it's version of TPI) and same with TaylorMade Kingdom, usually a call from your Head Pro if they are a TaylorMade account can get you a time, but they are booked up months and months in advance.   The Kingdom in Reynolds Lake GA is easier to book into, but not very close to San Diego

 

Thanks for filling in that info.  It is amazing here.  The ones I mentioned are mostly easy to get in.  Honma is here too.

[HikingMike]

1 hour ago, Jonesie said:

I've been thinking about this all winter.

I played a poorly fit TS2 Driver for 3 years and finally walked into a PGA Superstore last spring and pulled a Demo sale TSi3 out of a barrel and had immediate improvement with it.  So I bought it & it has served me well. But again, not perfectly.

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.  Google has come up short on in-depth reviews.  I honestly thought I was gonna have to start a whole thread on the forum to get some names sent my way because I can't find any names or instances that aren't big box store related.

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

Well there has to be something in Chicago. I would try looking for something that isn't a big chain. 

Someone posted a Golf Digest America's Top 100 Fitters. There is one non-chain in Romeoville. 

List - https://www.golfdigest.com/story/clubfitter-directory-americas-best-clubfitters/amp

Mistwood Performance Center - https://www.mpcgolf.com/club-fitting

You'll still have to hope you get a good fitter human that meshes with you enough. But I imagine you'll have luck there.

It's at a golf course, Mistwood Golf Club. Their website says it's public. Wow that looks super nice, looks like you get to hit on a range, outdoor, and probably inside the building if it's bad weather. And they have 2 fitters on their website. You can read reviews on Google, if you look for the fitting-related ones - https://maps.app.goo.gl/XffTfGA4WoC9EeWA6

Also looks like they have an indoor bubble dome thing - oh that's a different location, in Bolingbrook. Holy smokes, it's a full range with maybe 20+ bays. Tons of sims, lounge sims with food and drink, etc. That place looks nuts.

Sorry it's not north. But it could be worse. That whole Golf Digest list for Illinois is Chicago. Nothing around me and strangely only one in STL. I did find an independent shop that is a Top 100 fitter for Ping, Mizuno, and Callaway though, and carries 7 major brands of clubs, and that's what I'm going with!

Edited February 26 by HikingMike

[Barley Spargewater]

I would add that investing in something like a swing caddie SC200 is a good idea too. Not only is it super portable, and easy to use, it is also pretty darn accurate.  If you have and use some sort of personal launch monitor, you can have a much better idea of your tendencies going in to the fit. Quantifiable data that provides a baseline is a pretty helpful tool for you, the fitter, and your overall game. Knowing your numbers will only make you better. 

Think of it as having the Carfax printed off before you negotiate on a used vehicle. Just my 2 cents. 

[Golfspy_CG2]

7 minutes ago, Donn lost in San Diego said:

Thanks for filling in that info.  It is amazing here.  The ones I mentioned are mostly easy to get in.  Honma is here too.

No problem, I have been fit at all the OEM's there as well as KBS, my next trip I want to do the EVNROLL fitting. 

[Philly Ray]

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.

[HikingMike]

3 hours ago, Arnie C said:

I’ve had three experiences with fitters. One was with PXG and the other two were at 2nd Swing Golf. My experience at PXG was somewhat disappointing. The fitter seem to be distracted at times like he had somewhere to be and he seem to be dead set on recommending a set of irons for $1500 even though I made it known upfront that I wasn’t going to be buying anything before I made the appointment. I made it very clear to him that I was going for the experience and I was curious about my statistics so I could learn more about my swing. He assured me that there would be no pressure and that he would be glad to go over my statistics with me. Even though the fitting at PXG was only $25, I felt the fitter should have honored my request instead of being pushed clubs that I didn’t have any plans on buying. The fitting center was a great looking facility which was very clean and organized. I did walk out buying a shirt and a hat which ran about $150.

My experience with 2nd Swing Golf was a lot more positive especially the second time around when I went for a driver fitting to improve on the PXG that I had bought on an earlier visit. The fitting is free (a $100 value) when you purchase a golf club. I ended up buying a Callaway Epic Max that was more suited to my swing style over the PXG. The fitter honored my request that I wanted to stay under $225 and never push me on a more expensive driver. I was able to reach a 90 mph swing speed and my spin rate was between 2220 and 2600. A huge improvement over the PXG. I tried also a Titleist TSI3, and a Taylormade SIM. But the Callaway won out. 

I highly recommend 2nd Swing Golf if you have one in your area. The appointment is for one hour and they have awesome Trackman hitting bays along with a very nice putting green where you can easily kill one to two hours just testing out different clubs.

I'm really jealous of you guys with 2nd Swing in your area. That would be amazing. Fitting with a big selection of used clubs together - very rare combination from what I can tell.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

2 hours ago, Jonesie said:

I've been thinking about this all winter.

I played a poorly fit TS2 Driver for 3 years and finally walked into a PGA Superstore last spring and pulled a Demo sale TSi3 out of a barrel and had immediate improvement with it.  So I bought it & it has served me well. But again, not perfectly.

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.  Google has come up short on in-depth reviews.  I honestly thought I was gonna have to start a whole thread on the forum to get some names sent my way because I can't find any names or instances that aren't big box store related.

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

 

If you're willing to drive to Madison, WI, Jeff Kaiser at Nevada Bob's is a fantastic fitter. I know many individuals that go to him whenever they need a fit or minor adjustment. Non chain, small owned business. 

https://nevadabobsmadison.com/club-fittings/

Another spot closer to the Chicagoland area is believe it or not at Golf Galaxy in Brookfield, WI. Ask for Robert Dries. He only fits on the weekend but fit me into my current gamer driver. His wife works at the hospital with me which is how I got connected with him. He was awesome to work with, didn't rush the process at all and didn't push me into buying anything. Got me my fit specs and then I actually bought the club elsewhere. I know GG is a big box retailer, but he is really good.

[sabramFL]

I chose my fitter based on many personal recommendations from people who got fitted from this person. He carries just about every brand of club head and hundreds of shafts. He spent 4 hours with me ( with a lunch break in the middle). We started with figuring out best shafts for me using a head that he thought would fit my game and desired outcomes.  After narrowing it down to two shafts for my irons, we then tried them with a couple different heads. Until we reached the best results.  We then repeated the process for hybrids, fairways and driver. The clubs were not cheap and they did not revolutionize my game, but I am finding more consistency and my misses are less bad. I'm hitting the irons longer, but that's partly due the the stronger lofts that nee clubs have. I do have a much better trajectory than my old irons

[Jonesie]

1 hour ago, HikingMike said:

Well there has to be something in Chicago. I would try looking for something that isn't a big chain. 

Someone posted a Golf Digest America's Top 100 Fitters. There is one non-chain in Romeoville. 

List - https://www.golfdigest.com/story/clubfitter-directory-americas-best-clubfitters/amp

Mistwood Performance Center - https://www.mpcgolf.com/club-fitting

You'll still have to hope you get a good fitter human that meshes with you enough. But I imagine you'll have luck there.

It's at a golf course, Mistwood Golf Club. Their website says it's public. Wow that looks super nice, looks like you get to hit on a range, outdoor, and probably inside the building if it's bad weather. And they have 2 fitters on their website. You can read reviews on Google, if you look for the fitting-related ones - https://maps.app.goo.gl/XffTfGA4WoC9EeWA6

Also looks like they have an indoor bubble dome thing - oh that's a different location, in Bolingbrook. Holy smokes, it's a full range with maybe 20+ bays. Tons of sims, lounge sims with food and drink, etc. That place looks nuts.

Sorry it's not north. But it could be worse. That whole Golf Digest list for Illinois is Chicago. Nothing around me and strangely only one in STL. I did find an independent shop that is a Top 100 fitter for Ping, Mizuno, and Callaway though, and carries 7 major brands of clubs, and that's what I'm going with!

Awesome! Thanks for the help. Maybe I'll look into an early Father's Day gift for myself.

[Jonesie]

9 minutes ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

If you're willing to drive to Madison, WI, Jeff Kaiser at Nevada Bob's is a fantastic fitter. I know many individuals that go to him whenever they need a fit or minor adjustment. Non chain, small owned business. 

https://nevadabobsmadison.com/club-fittings/

Another spot closer to the Chicagoland area is believe it or not at Golf Galaxy in Brookfield, WI. Ask for Robert Dries. He only fits on the weekend but fit me into my current gamer driver. His wife works at the hospital with me which is how I got connected with him. He was awesome to work with, didn't rush the process at all and didn't push me into buying anything. Got me my fit specs and then I actually bought the club elsewhere. I know GG is a big box retailer, but he is really good.

That's the kind of stuff I like to hear, thanks! Now I wish we Golf-Spies had a Map to click on for goods/services in our respective areas. Wouldn't that be slick?

[JerryK]

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.  

[pfsgators]

2 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Still not a guarantee. There are enough posts around this forum, other forums and the internet about bad fittings. There is one in this thread about a bad Club Champion fitting and they are brand agnostic.

 

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

[HikingMike]

4 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 would love a new thread for shafts. Maybe there is one out there. But you could start one with this. As someone who is recently learning about all this stuff and starting to do some fittings, I'm learning the significance of effects the different shafts can have.

[lacou19]

Only 2 fittings in my life.

 

Golftown with a Mizuno rep for irons. So of course I tried their clubs only but after 1 hour and multiple heads and shafts, we found something that worked. Then I compared the numbers I got and tried other brands. He was not pushy at all and it was a good experience. That was 5 years ago and it was free.

 

At a golf course with a Callaway rep. Tried their driver and was not happy with the numbers. But I also tried their putters and that was a joke of a fitting! He looked at me putt and tried to sell me the most expensive Odyssey. And this is after telling me that the alignment aid was better on a cheaper model... His only reason for pushing the most expensive one was that it looked great! 

 

So you definitely need to do your hmework before you go.

Edited February 26 by lacou19