Are fittings actually good for most players?

[kovek]

There's no doubt a good fitting should help you be more accurate, and as a consequence, get lower scores. But I recently had a chat with a very experienced group of pros and they all agreed that fittings are actually bad in the long run for most of the amateur players.

The reasoning was that while a fitting gets you immediate good results, it also masks your mistakes making it harder to correct them in the future and stopping your progress.

The group of amateur players that benefit from fittings would be people with physical impediments that prevent them from improving their swing (tall/short, old, disabilities, etc)

What do you think? What is your experience with fittings?

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

I'm going to disagree that they are bad. Sure some will lean towards lessons, but I find it hard to say they are bad. 

[Abramos]

I guess I understand that logic, but I think it depends on what you want out of your fitting and your golf game in general. For me, I just wanted to make sure my lie angle and club length were correct. And trying different shafts and club heads helped me feel comfortable and more confident in my game.


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[Evetsnnif]

I'd say they're good AFTER you've been playing a while but I personally know more than one person who feels it's a requirement before taking their first tee. Not sure where that mentality comes from but I could see that doing more harm than good.

[kovek]

25 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I'm going to disagree that they are bad. Sure some will lean towards lessons, but I find it hard to say they are bad. 

That was my first reaction when they said it, but then they continue elaborating saying that if you get fitted for your current swing while having potential to improve it, the moment you start doing it better those clubs would start producing worse shots and you'll need to get fitted again.

[RickyBobby_PR]

I will disagree with the pros.

Better players can adjust faster and better to ill fitted equipment compared to mid to high caps. I would say 10 and below is where that line separates, might be a little lower.

Fittings don’t guarantee better accuracy, they don’t guarantee lower scores. 
 

Fittings give equipment to the golfer that works with their swing and not have to fight the equipment hit the shot they want.

they aren’t masking anything, they are just making it easier for the golfer to have a chance to be more consistent with what swing they have. 
 

Yes lessons can improve the golfers swing and score but lessons alone don’t do that. It requires practice but also good course management. Lots of people across the internet on forums, Facebook groups, coaches courses that are working hard at improving their swing and not playing better golf 

[GolfSpy_APH]

18 minutes ago, kovek said:

That was my first reaction when they said it, but then they continue elaborating saying that if you get fitted for your current swing while having potential to improve it, the moment you start doing it better those clubs would start producing worse shots and you'll need to get fitted again.

Maybe? All depends on how much someone is going to work to improve their swing. Many will make some changes, but large wholesale changes are not as common. 

I get what they are saying, but it may depend on the level of depth for the fitting. A new golfer getting fit into clubs is still a good thing as they will be fit into clubs that have the proper length, lie and grips or even shaft stiffness. This will help them make the improvements vs compromising with clubs that do not suit their natural ability. 

If someone is planning on doing swing speed training and making those strides, then yes it is best they hold off or wait. 

I can look at my swing now vs 8 years ago when I got in and a lot of the core features of my swing are still there. Yes I have made significant improvements and strides, but this was mainly in compacting my swing and ensuring it did not get too long. The AOA, path and much of that has all stayed very similar. In fact I still have clubs that I used back then and they still work great for me. I am not taller or shorter, my posture is similar and getting fit (most recently by Titleist) help take my game to the next level. Get the proper gapping and more for clubs that I am more confident in. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

25 minutes ago, kovek said:

That was my first reaction when they said it, but then they continue elaborating saying that if you get fitted for your current swing while having potential to improve it, the moment you start doing it better those clubs would start producing worse shots and you'll need to get fitted again.

I’ve taken lessons, dropped my handicap from 25 down to under 7 and when I get fit my specs are still the same. Shafts I’ve played in my irons still work in irons sets i play today. I’ve been fit to the same driver shaft when 1 was a 15 that I was as a 7. loft may change between drivers based on head design but the difference in launch and spin isn’t drastic.

Ive played what Ping i20 and i210 which  could be considered game improvement based on size of the clubhead. I’ve played players distance from 3 different brands, I’ve played cb and mb heads from multiple brands.

Theres not fast and hard things when it comes to equipment. If all depends on how the feel changes. 
 

Most amateurs aren’t taking lessons nor have the time to practice a lot. Most would rather play than practice with their free time. Having fitted clubs gives them the chance to play better without having to do anything different 

[skraeling]

1 hour ago, kovek said:

There's no doubt a good fitting should help you be more accurate, and as a consequence, get lower scores. But I recently had a chat with a very experienced group of pros and they all agreed that fittings are actually bad in the long run for most of the amateur players.

The reasoning was that while a fitting gets you immediate good results, it also masks your mistakes making it harder to correct them in the future and stopping your progress.

The group of amateur players that benefit from fittings would be people with physical impediments that prevent them from improving their swing (tall/short, old, disabilities, etc)

What do you think? What is your experience with fittings?

 

I got fit as an upper 20's handicap.  Im now below 16 (on a good day anyway).  Part of that is me just playing a lot more and getting better from just more rounds under my belt (new shiny toys help), part of it is having irons that fit the deficiencies in my game, the third part of it is my free set I was using were just 'ok'.  They hit the ball but left a lot on the table.

Its really not an either / or problem.

Are fittings good for everyone?  Probably not. 

Can many benefit from it?  I would say yes.

That new equipment boost is a thing.  Lets face it you got shiny new toys you are probably going to practice or play more as well you want to use them.  Its kind of self fulfilling.

I will say more experienced and or better golfers would get more out of it.

 

Case in point I did a driver fitting.  Yes im a mid handicap now, but I did get to learn my driver loft was atrociously too high.  I had a 10.5* driver cranked up to 11.25*.  Not ideal when you hit up 5-7* already and have a tendency to come around the ball too much.

Fitting tweaked my current driver DOWN to 9* which also opened the face up.  Worked WONDERS for my driving.  Can I still hook it left?  100% golf is hard.  Is it way toned down?  Absolutely.

Im also working on my swing speed.  Compared to when I got fit... my iron speed is up about 14mph roughly (~73.5mph to now mid upper 80's.  Will I need to get refit potentially?  Maybe.

Edited March 6 by skraeling

[Wheelieb]

28 minutes ago, kovek said:

That was my first reaction when they said it, but then they continue elaborating saying that if you get fitted for your current swing while having potential to improve it, the moment you start doing it better those clubs would start producing worse shots and you'll need to get fitted again.

I will certainly disagree with the pros on this one. I had Wilson C300 clubs and chased distance. I got fit into game improvement clubs and got distance but no control. At the time I only cared about lateral dispersion and not controlled dispersion. I said that to the fitter. I was fit into PXG 0311 XP irons and they go a mile. But the Landing angle is not steep enough for me to be able to hold greens unless it's my 9-GW. I started trying different clubs and found that the Mizunos I bought gave me distance, albeit not as far, but also a landing angle of 47.6-48.4. I switched to them not just for that, but I also had better control and better dispersion. 

[Rob Person]

I'd vote yes and no if I could.

For YES: Players who have either reached a plateau with their clubs, comfortable with their swing, or are understanding of the characteristics of what a fitting can do to improve their game from specific clubs, shafts, etc.

NO: Anyone who is not looking to improve their game.

[kovek]

9 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Most amateurs aren’t taking lessons nor have the time to practice a lot. Most would rather play than practice with their free time. Having fitted clubs gives them the chance to play better without having to do anything different 

I assume that was the reason why they were advising me against getting fitted. They advised me to spend money on lessons rather than getting new specs/  clubs / shafts.

But I agree, if someone is a casual player with no aim to get massively better, a fitting would help.

[Jean D]

I think a fitting, like most things in life, is only as good as the effort you put into it.  Prefacing my comments with this:  you need a fitter who actually knows what they are doing.  Going to a fitting with someone who has zero clue and is only there to push a sale is 100% wrong and absolutely not worth it.  If you are looking to dramatically drop your score, with zero effort in improving your game, then a fitting is probably not the way to go. If you are looking to validate some things or try different combinations (heads/shafts etc...) then I think it is worth it.   In my case, I was hitting off-the-shelf equipment and didn't feel like the shaft/head on my driver matched my swing nor did I feel my irons were particularly helping either. The fitting helped determine that I need a +3 lie angle and a -1 loft on my new irons with a change to new graphite shafts to really be consistent.  My driver was a stiff shaft, stock length... I'm now +1.5" and a regular shaft on the new driver and I've seen some serious improvements.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 minute ago, Rob Person said:

I'd vote yes and no if I could.

For YES: Players who have either reached a plateau with their clubs, comfortable with their swing, or are understanding of the characteristics of what a fitting can do to improve their game from specific clubs, shafts, etc.

NO: Anyone who is not looking to improve their game.

I’ll disagree with your no. Even someone not looking for improve their game will benefit from a fitting. It’s easier to swing clubs that work for you and not against you. You don’t have to want to take lesson, or practice or even warmup before hitting the course to benefit from a fitting. Being able to not have to work as hard to hit a shot is beneficial.

and a slight disagreement with your yes. Anyone regardless of their game can benefit from a fitting. Pros do it all the time. They get fit for each release that comes out to dial in their specs. They want to try a new shaft or the tour rep says hey you might like this shaft we just got in. They go thru a fitting to find the right length, weight, adapter settings, etc.

They may even do it over several weeks before putting it in play

[RickyBobby_PR]

6 minutes ago, kovek said:

I assume that was the reason why they were advising me against getting fitted. They advised me to spend money on lessons rather than getting new specs/  clubs / shafts.

But I agree, if someone is a casual player with no aim to get massively better, a fitting would help.

It’s not an either or they should be done in conjunction. Take your pro to your fitting so that he can talk with the fitter about what you are working on and get setup to be able to play now with the clubs and as your swing improves.

Even if.not. A good fitter will see and use your feedback to know what’s a good swing, what’s not, what’s normal s*** shape, normal miss and the big miss. Then fit for you.

anyone who talks in absolutes about equipment or fittings isn’t doing anyone a favor

[Erin B]

1 hour ago, kovek said:

There's no doubt a good fitting should help you be more accurate, and as a consequence, get lower scores. But I recently had a chat with a very experienced group of pros and they all agreed that fittings are actually bad in the long run for most of the amateur players.

The reasoning was that while a fitting gets you immediate good results, it also masks your mistakes making it harder to correct them in the future and stopping your progress.

The group of amateur players that benefit from fittings would be people with physical impediments that prevent them from improving their swing (tall/short, old, disabilities, etc)

What do you think? What is your experience with fittings?

 

When I started playing I was hooking everything. Come to find out standard lie and length were not the correct fit for my body. I needed a flatter lie and 1/2 inch over standard to get the club to impact correctly. Now my impact is square. That was nearly 30 years ago at the ol Roger Dunn in Santa Maria CA, and I get a fit check every year just to make sure I’m in the right set up. I think a fitting is important to know at least that you are going to make square contact. Another part of the equation, how do you know what shaft will perform best for your swing if you don’t get some sort of fitting? The perfect iron shaft for me is the project x LZ. The perfect driver shaft is the steadfast Jupiter 1 in my Ping driver, and the tensi black 65 stiff in the TSR4. I am pretty sure the steadfast would work in the TSR4. I’m rambling, sorry… I am for fittings.

Side bar…the spousal unit gave me authorization to check out Ping and Titleist. She knows how successful I was with my old set of Titleist. Such a great spousal unit!!! 

[cnosil]

I think when someone asks about fittings they need to define the word “fitting”.  There are many types of fittings that range from finding the setup basics giving you the ability to more consistently get the ball in the air to a several hundred dollar fitting with the intent of optimizing the players game.    
 

if we look at the new golfer they tend to buy older clubs that they can find as cheaply as possible or they walk into a store and buy something off the rack without hitting them.   These clubs often are a poor fit and create more problems than they help.   A pro giving them lessons or someone in their local golf store should help these golfers find something that could help them…in other words a basic fitting.     Even when you get to more experienced amateurs they still don’t understand equipment.  I have been asked numerous times about my clubs and when I go into details they often stop and say something like “no, what flex is the shaft” 

due to the lack of knowledge about equipment that amateur players possess a fitting of some type is generally beneficial.   

[jbern]

This could be one of the more confusing threads I've read on the forum. 

I can see arguments from both sides.

My opinion is that the fitting process is too intimidating, pushy (pushing new clubs), and over-complicated for most new golfers and most casual amateur golfers. I play a lot as a single at public golf courses and more than half of the people I play with, their knowledge of golf equipment ends at how much it cost them. Even some people that have been golfing for 10+ years. 

One time, I was playing with a guy who was pretty good and playing a Nitro golf set from Walmart for two years. I asked if he would consider getting fit for more premium clubs and he said, and I quote, "hell would have to freeze over before I hit a ball in front of a pro."

[jbern]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

due to the lack of knowledge about equipment that amateur players possess a fitting of some type is generally beneficial.   

I don't know how popular this idea would be, but I think there should be a way to send in a swing video with basic static measurements. Then a simple list of things to look for when buying clubs could be sent back. That would at least equip people with SOME starting point.

Edited March 6 by jbern

[cnosil]

27 minutes ago, jbern said:

I don't know how popular this idea would be, but I think there should be a way to send in a swing video with basic static measurements. Then a simple list of things to look for when buying clubs could be sent back. That would at least equip people with SOME starting point.

Isn’t that a type of fitting?    IMO, That is why there is so much back and forth about fittings.   People jump to the high end side of a fitting with exotic shafts and high pressure.   I think that a player; with no knowledge about clubs, going to a store and hitting different clubs to try and identify what works is even a type of fitting 

[Preeway]

I'm a little taken back that a pro would say that but on the other hand if you rely on a fitting alone to improve your game then I'd agree that a fitting could set a person back rather than ahead. Getting fitted will only set a person up for greater success. Lessons and practice are still necessary to make the strides towards improvement that a player is looking for.

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, jbern said:

My opinion is that the fitting process is too intimidating, pushy (pushing new clubs), and over-complicated for most new golfers and most casual amateur golfers. I play a lot as a single at public golf courses and more than half of the people I play with, their knowledge of golf equipment ends at how much it cost them. Even some people that have been golfing for 10+ years. 

This is a bad fitter and fitting. Good fitters aren’t going to push anything. They are going to present the data, tell you if what you have is better or not and if not why. It won’t just be you hit the new ones farther.

A good fitter is going to understand the knowledge level of the golfer, what info they want to hear or not hear and then speak to them at the appropriate level.

Too many golfers hurt themselves by not doing research before getting fit, getting lessons and/or letting old myths and misperceptions get in the way 

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, jbern said:

I don't know how popular this idea would be, but I think there should be a way to send in a swing video with basic static measurements. Then a simple list of things to look for when buying clubs could be sent back. That would at least equip people with SOME starting point.

The problem with this is there’s no feedback from the golfer about feel. 
 

I can watch a video and say play a certain shaft, weight and flex but if the golfer buys that and it doesnt feel right it’s going to be a bad fit. How the club feels and how that feel affects the swing is pretty important to getting the right setup

[jbern]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

Isn’t that a type of fitting?    IMO, That is why there is so much back and forth about fittings.   People jump to the high end side of a fitting with exotic shafts and high pressure.   I think that a player; with no knowledge about clubs, going to a store and hitting different clubs to try and identify what works is even a type of fitting 

I see what you're saying. This is why in your first post you said "I think when someone asks about fittings they need to define the word “fitting”." That makes sense as pretty much any club swinging session could be considered a fitting.

When most people hear "fitting," they jump to hitting balls in front of a certified PGA professional.

I like the broader fitting definition and agree that it would be good for everyone.

[shailey]

In my opinion, you should get fitted once you know you want to continue to play. Most people don't actually practice and get much better. Hey may hit oodles of balls, but never improve much. So at least let the equipment work for you to improve a little and make the game more enjoyable.

If you know you are going to commit to lessons and get better, get a fitting. Buy cheaper used equipment that can be tweaked like forged irons for lie angle. Get steel shafts in all your irons and wedges so you can't over power them and can stay in the same flex for a while and get started with the right size grip. Once you are shooting mid 80s or lower, go get another fitting and buy something much newer OR brand new.

[cksurfdude]

5 hours ago, kovek said:

The reasoning was that while a fitting gets you immediate good results, it also masks your mistakes making it harder to correct them in the future and stopping your progress.

There have been similar discussions on this topic before, i.e. Is the fitter just covering up the player's swing faults..?

Granted in some cases, yes - but the player just wants to hit the ball. Today.

OTOH in other cases a *good* (emphasized) fitting by a good and conscientious fitter can uncover a problem with the player's equipment that's forcing them to make swing compensations .. and so they're not able to hit the ball solidly.

A good fitter may also offer an instructional tip .. e.g. on ball placement if its way off .. and then recommend lessons to the player (vs just selling more equipment).

 

[Wheelieb]

14 minutes ago, shailey said:

Once you are shooting mid 80s or lower, go get another fitting and buy something much newer OR brand new.

I will disagree with this statement here. If you went and bought something that you want to use and are continuing to play with it and you are getting better, why is a certain score required to go get fit for clubs again? That doesn't make sense to generalize when someone should go get fit.

[Guest-0]

5 hours ago, kovek said:

There's no doubt a good fitting should help you be more accurate, and as a consequence, get lower scores. But I recently had a chat with a very experienced group of pros and they all agreed that fittings are actually bad in the long run for most of the amateur players.

The reasoning was that while a fitting gets you immediate good results, it also masks your mistakes making it harder to correct them in the future and stopping your progress.

The group of amateur players that benefit from fittings would be people with physical impediments that prevent them from improving their swing (tall/short, old, disabilities, etc)

What do you think? What is your experience with fittings?

 

While I think fittings are important in most cases I feel as someone is maybe New to the game and swing not at all repeatable this could almost be a detriment to them??? I think that everyone looking to purchase a club or shaft a club should  100% for sure demo that item before buying!! So I guess my vote is no on everyone being fitted but an absolute yes on trying before buying because ordering something based on description is like buying a suit that says "fits most men"

[jbern]

1 hour ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

The problem with this is there’s no feedback from the golfer about feel. 
 

I can watch a video and say play a certain shaft, weight and flex but if the golfer buys that and it doesnt feel right it’s going to be a bad fit. How the club feels and how that feel affects the swing is pretty important to getting the right setup

I disagree with the importance of feel and would argue feel is nowhere on the radar for most new and casual amateurs. If you’re gaming a set of Nitros you aren’t concerned with feel and are just getting out to play. 
Even when I compare clubs (I consider myself a club nerd adjacent), I go with the better performing club over the one that may feel better. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, shailey said:

In my opinion, you should get fitted once you know you want to continue to play. Most people don't actually practice and get much better. Hey may hit oodles of balls, but never improve much. So at least let the equipment work for you to improve a little and make the game more enjoyable.

If you know you are going to commit to lessons and get better, get a fitting. Buy cheaper used equipment that can be tweaked like forged irons for lie angle. Get steel shafts in all your irons and wedges so you can't over power them and can stay in the same flex for a while and get started with the right size grip. Once you are shooting mid 80s or lower, go get another fitting and buy something much newer OR brand new.

Cast irons can be adjusted too.

The material of the shaft has nothing to do with if one can overpower a shaft. Weight and stiffness profile will determine this. Light graphite can be designed to play stiffer and firmer than steel.

Also incorrect about the score and who benefits from a fitting. Higher handicap benefit more than a lower handicap because they can adjust better to bad fitting equipment and play well