To fit or not to fit (everything)

[TK2HOUSE]

Hi all, 

First post here, so forgive me because I'm sure I'm. Posting something that has been posted many times before. 

I've recently been fitted for irons (T200's) and a driver (g430 max). The experience was great. Lots of adjustments to the irons, which helped my game a lot and literally zero adjustments to the stock g430. I am looking for a new 3 wood, hybrid and wedges as I'm replacing 15 year old equipment.  I'm really drawn to the sim2 max 3 wood, Ltdx, Rogue and some other models which can't be fitted. Any thoughts on not going the fitted route and just getting some more affordable stuff? Wedges included? I'm 20 HCP now but getting back into the game after 7 years of much less golf. Was 12 so there's a path to getting better haha. Thanks!

[Rob Person]

23 minutes ago, TK2HOUSE said:

Hi all, 

First post here, so forgive me because I'm sure I'm. Posting something that has been posted many times before. 

I've recently been fitted for irons (T200's) and a driver (g430 max). The experience was great. Lots of adjustments to the irons, which helped my game a lot and literally zero adjustments to the stock g430. I am looking for a new 3 wood, hybrid and wedges as I'm replacing 15 year old equipment.  I'm really drawn to the sim2 max 3 wood, Ltdx, Rogue and some other models which can't be fitted. Any thoughts on not going the fitted route and just getting some more affordable stuff? Wedges included? I'm 20 HCP now but getting back into the game after 7 years of much less golf. Was 12 so there's a path to getting better haha. Thanks!

Welcome to mgs! You can take any club you want and get refitted for the shaft that works best. Any adjustments to loft and lie can be handled too.  You will still pay the fitting fee regardless. Maybe the store you go to will have older models for sale?

Edited September 8 by Rob Person

[TK2HOUSE]

Thanks Rob! The one I've gone to only does recent models so I was under that impression. I will call around and see if the larger format stores do this. It would definitely make my decision easier. 

[Off Map Oscar]

Welcome.  I did a full bag fitting and the only adjustments were to lie and what shaft I was most comfortable with. For woods and hybrids fitting matters little especially if your driver is stock length and you play it standard lie. I have the sim 2 max 3 wood and the only adjustment I've made was adding a degree of loft. I find it easier to get into the air at 16 instead of 15. I also have a stealth 3 wood HL at 16.5 and I feel it does even better at consistently getting off the ground. The nice thing about newer woods and hybrids is you can get adjustable ones and adjust IF you need to. 

 

On the wedges. Match the shaft to your irons. At least the weight.  It's nice for consistency and depending on how much they adjusted the lie of your irons you might want to match the lie but if it's a degree ish you probably can get off the shelf wedges and be fine. If they aren't right most shops will bend them cheap. My local guy charges 8 a club to make adjustments. 

[TK2HOUSE]

Really appreciate that insight. I really felt the same way on a fairway wood as the swing is pretty similar. I'll probably end up getting fitted for the wedges. Any thoughts on a good 3 wood from previous seasons? After spending quite a bit this year, I'm hoping to find something one or two seasons old that does the trick. 

[Off Map Oscar]

3 minutes ago, TK2HOUSE said:

Really appreciate that insight. I really felt the same way on a fairway wood as the swing is pretty similar. I'll probably end up getting fitted for the wedges. Any thoughts on a good 3 wood from previous seasons? After spending quite a bit this year, I'm hoping to find something one or two seasons old that does the trick. 

I picked up a sim 2 3 wood for 120 bucks off marketplace. Match your driver flex at stiff or regular and grab whatever you like the look of used. If you want new. Highly recommend the srixon mk2. They are on sale as I think sirixon is gonna have a new line soon. 

I just added a 5 wood from srixon to the bag and it's a great swinging club.  I might retire the 3 wood actually.  For me the slightly shorter shaft and higher loft makes a more controlable shot and I still get 220 out of it. And I don't tee off with a 3 wood as I'd rather just do a 80% swing on my driver. 

[Off Map Oscar]

@TK2HOUSE can you share what they did to the T200s? Loft lie length?

[TK2HOUSE]

TITLEIST T200 3G IRONS RH

 

Set Make Up - 5 to PW

Loft - Std

Lie - 0.5 UP

Shaft - Nippon Modus 105 - Stiff

Length - PLUS 0.75"

Grip - Lamkin Crossline - Midsize

[Off Map Oscar]

I wouldn't bother with a fitting on wedges. 

Your lie is gonna be standard in a wedge. If you look at the specs for a t200 set the lie angle stops adjusting at the 9-Iron so stock it goes  8 @ 63.5 9@64 P@64 and all the wedges are 64. 

So if you went 8@63 9@63.5 P@64 you're still looking at 64 for the whole wedge set which is industry standard. 

Length is even easier. Take the Pitching wedge and just go shorter by .25  with each wedge. So you're first one after pitching  ends to be 36.25 then 36 then 35.75. 

Now for lofts. The t200 has a 43* PW which is a strong loft. 46 to 48 is more modern traditional.  So you need to make sure you don't just grab a generic 3 wedge set that is a 52 56 60. You'll have a huge gap at the 100 yard range. 

So if you want  a 3 wedge set I'd go. 

48

52

56

If you have room for a 4th grab a 60. 

[Off Map Oscar]

Or buy any generic 3 wedge set and add in a 48 degree.  Can probably get it in a t200 if you want do have a 5 thru Aw

[TK2HOUSE]

Definitely. Already ordered the gap of the t200s. It was a mistake to not do that initially and fell in love with the new irons. Thanks so much. 

[Off Map Oscar]

No worries. I'm just stoked you didn't ask about grind and bounce. Soooo subjective 

[TK2HOUSE]

Hahaha yea, it is. Just about feel. Need to go try some things out for that. 

[Off Map Oscar]

1 minute ago, TK2HOUSE said:

Hahaha yea, it is. Just about feel. Need to go try some things out for that. 

For me it's always the same answer.  I use the lowest bounce available in every loft. Just fits my preference. 

[RyanGi]

My personal preference is to be fit for everything…for the simple reason that I like to see the data and how it compares. For me, this is especially true with data from shaft to shaft. Understanding which profile is getting you which data points means I can transfer that roughly from shafts I was fit for, to shafts I wasn’t fit for. What’s the difference in my numbers between a firm butt section, firm mid section, and a mid tip? Vs Mid-Firm-Mid? And at what given weight and flex (one is subjective, and one isn’t!). 
 

What I mean is that a better understanding of how the numbers were generated means I can predict how another shaft will probably act for me. This has proven to work well for me thus far, and I’m on a very similar journey to the OP (restarting my game after time away and moving from stone-age clubs to modern models). Yeah, it’s an upfront cost, but I figure it’s cheaper to make an educated guess on clubs than it is to make a wild ass guess and have clubs or shafts that just don’t work for me. 

Everyone is different and that’s ok! Find what works for you. 

[cnosil]

7 hours ago, TK2HOUSE said:

Hi all, 

First post here, so forgive me because I'm sure I'm. Posting something that has been posted many times before. 

I've recently been fitted for irons (T200's) and a driver (g430 max). The experience was great. Lots of adjustments to the irons, which helped my game a lot and literally zero adjustments to the stock g430. I am looking for a new 3 wood, hybrid and wedges as I'm replacing 15 year old equipment.  I'm really drawn to the sim2 max 3 wood, Ltdx, Rogue and some other models which can't be fitted. Any thoughts on not going the fitted route and just getting some more affordable stuff? Wedges included? I'm 20 HCP now but getting back into the game after 7 years of much less golf. Was 12 so there's a path to getting better haha. Thanks!

 

fairway woods are always an interesting thing as many people play the same 3 wood even longer that yours.  If you want an older model,  take yours to the store and compare the performance on the launch monitor.   Maybe you have a store near you that has used clubs; and perhaps the fitter would help you decide if one would be better than yours.  Used stores like 2nd swing (as an example) will help fit whatever used clubs they have.

Wedges are a little different since it will depend on how you use them.   If you want to use them for full swing shots then matching your iron shafts is often recommended.  Otherwise the general recommendation is softer and heavier.   You can go too heavy, stock wedge shafts were messing up my shortgame and it improved when I put shafts that were slightly heavier than my iron shots.....this was a recommendation from a fitter that I played with.   Then you can get into bounce and grind;  using online tools like the Vokey wedge fit can help get those dialed in.   If you aren't going to play full shots with wedges you might also consider flattening the lie angle.    

General recommendation is to try every thing as there are no standards in golf equipment.   If doesn't have to be a $300 fitting,  but general advice is don't buy off the rack.  Maybe you fit into "standard" loft and lie for the clubs you are buying,  but you definitely want to make sure the head and shaft help you deliver the club in a beneficial way.    

With all that said, some will tell you that fitting isn't important.   As a most wanted club tester,  I can assure you that clubs perform differently.  

[TK2HOUSE]

Thanks for this. I was actually messing around at golf town today because I was looking at some used 3 woods as my old hibore xl just isn't cutting it after 10+ years. I hit about 10 clubs from a used m4 to a new paradigm. Might be hard to believe but I was hitting a ZX the best (evenflow S shaft, not the hards black). Significantly better than the mkii. I swore off buying off the rack after getting fitted recently but this one felt like a no brainer to get me through a few years. 

Probably won't take a flier like that again but at $200 CDN it was too good to pass up as a medium term fix. 

[Off Map Oscar]

Off the shelf is fine for fairway woods. 

I'm not looking for optimal performance in a wood. I want super forgiving. Easy to swing and it needs to advance the ball. You hit it and it hits well for you. That's all the fit you need to get it down the par 5 for an easy pitch shot. 

[RetiredBoomer]

Fitters help with sleeve setting and shafts with fairways woods, 
and also with gapping.  They also restore swingweight if you like to go a little short on the shaft.

I had to explain my priorities, however.
Every club in the bag isn't there for distance gapping.
I want SOME clubs for specific shots, and then we distance gap as best we can
with whatever spaces we have left.

I had a fitter who actually understood that, once I explained it.

Unfortunately, I never really committed to sim fitting until this late in my golf life.
It's a super expensive way of outfitting yourself, but it's definitely valid.

I only need one fairway wood as a longer fairway club than a 5-iron these days.
200 yards is a Hail Mary fairway shot at this point,  but I can still hit a lofted wood that far from the fairway.
A 3-wood is for somebody who can find use for it, I guess.

Edited September 9 by RetiredBoomer