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Why Custom Fitted Clubs?
There is a major distinction between custom
clubs and custom fitted clubs... Custom clubs are those clubs
purchased at a golf store and then having adjustments made to
the clubs such as length adjustment (shorter or longer), added
wraps to the grip and different shafts being inserted as to the
original shafts.
Custom Fitted clubs are those clubs made to an individuals' specific
needs determined during a fitting session with a qualified club
fitter.
Take a walk up and down the driving range, and a few things immediately
are observable:
- Not All Golfers Talk the Same
- Not All Golfers Swing the Same
- Not All Golfers Dress the Same
Fact: In today's market there are NO major golf companies manufacturing
precision fit, precision manufactured sets of golf clubs that
have been precisely tuned to the individual's swing! Only when
you can put the same swing on every golf club, can you compete
at the highest level and achieve results truly commensurate with
your ability.
Probably the best example of this commitment to precision tuned
and precision manufacturing, was when the great Ben Hogan invited
Jack Fleck to the Hogan factory in Fort Worth to be fitted for
a set of precision Hogan golf clubs. The difference to Jack Fleck's
game resulted in his winning of the 1955 US Open over none other
than Ben Hogan himself in a playoff.
"Science is entering golf and the game
can only benefit from this... optimizing the performance for specific
individuals is expected to be a result of the introduction of
science." Frank Thomas, former Technical Director of the
United States Golf Association.
Manufacturers spend a great deal of money extolling the virtues
of their latest equipment, but it is doubtful you will play your
best golf with Tiger’s clubs or even those of Greg Norman…unless,
of course, you too have a 30 inch waist, do 1,500 sit-ups before
breakfast every day and routinely drive the ball 300 yards. Getting
the correct clubs is as important to your golf game as getting
the right prescription for your eyeglasses or having your suit
tailored.
Today all tour players are precisely fitted and most equipped
with precision golf sets. On the other hand, the majority of the
general golf public is stuck with off the shelf, mass-produced,
inferior sets of clubs that do not match their swings.
Just getting "custom fit" without doing it the correct
way may actually do more harm than good if the recommendations
condemn you to a poor set-up, posture, or swing fault. For example,
changing to a hooked face driver to combat a slice swing or poor
set-up may temporarily help your driver, but it could end up as
a crutch that can make it difficult to hit your other woods and
irons.
The purpose of a good fitting system is to eliminate expensive
trial and error, guesswork, and to cut through the smoke and mirrors
often associated with the selection and purchase of golf equipment.
To be sure, distance is a tremendous opiate and almost everyone
wants to hit the ball further. But distance alone, at the expense
of accuracy and consistency, can be a hollow victory. Taking it
deep isn’t much value if you’re meeting the neighbors
along the fairways.
Another benefit of using a professional club fitter is that you
would just like to make sure prior to purchasing that new driver
that it will actually benefit your game, and that you are getting
the right model, loft, and shaft combination. .
A professional golf-fitting program is a 5-step
process.
- Player Profile - The
individual being fitted will fill out a questionnaire providing
the club fitter with information about their attitudes toward
their equipment, their health, their game, and their goals.
The golfer also provides the club fitter with valuable information
about his/her wants and needs.
- Present Equipment Evaluation - Club
fitters look at 10 elements of the irons and 11 of the woods.
Knowing the characteristics of the individual's present equipment
will help the club fitter see if the individual has adapted
his/her swing to some deficiency in their present clubs.
- Swing Evaluation - The
individual's swing will be analyzed on a swing-analyzing computer.
This computer measures back and forward swing speeds, swing
path, face angle, and weight shift.
- Recommendations - Professional golf
club fitters will make specific recommendations of equipment
needs or necessary alterations based on the individual's fitting
results and the goals they wish to accomplish. A truly professional
club fitter is not affiliated with any particular manufacturer
nor do they utilize knock-off components, thus their recommendations
are both unbiased and sure to fit your interests and budget.
- Equipment built or altered - Equipment
will then be built or altered to the recommended specifications.
The individual can have either their equipment altered, choose
another brand or have the club fitter build a set of clubs.
Most professional club fitters do offer their own brand of components
and they stand behind their products. These clubs are built
to the exact specifications provided by the club fitting.
GUARANTEES
The majority of professional golf club fitters are so confident
the individuals will be happy with their clubs, that they usually
offer an exclusive guarantee in which they will re-adjust the
clubs, rebuild the clubs or give the individual their money back.
A club fitter’s primary mission is to produce a set of clubs
that will enhance the player’s performance.
Amongst the numerous systems I’ve experienced first hand,
by far the most accurate and most sophisticated professional club
fitter is Max Out Golf owned by former US Amateur Champion and
current Senior Tour T.V. commentator, Mitch Voges.
 Operating
from fixed base performance labs located in Woodland Hills, California,
they feature ultra high-speed cameras, lasers, and strain gauges
to capture the physics of your swing. Although the 1 ½
hour fitting session has the feel of taking your game to NASA,
the process is as enlightening as it is practical and easy to
understand. Simply put, regardless of your level of skill or expertise,
you will be fitted for the right equipment, as well as gain the
knowledge and application techniques to play better golf.
Mitch Voges is very clear and concise in explaining that most
golfers seeking additional distance should become more familiar
in the understanding of their specific swing fundamentals, and
that most players are playing with shafts that are too stiff and
frequently too long. They should be playing with the longest and
lightest club they can control.
Perhaps the least understood distance theory is that to gain
the maximum distance you need to match your ball speed (not club
head speed) with your launch angle and spin rate. In a broad sense,
the key to distance is a high launch angle with low spin rate.
The Max Out analysis equipment will even advise you which ball
is the best for your game!
Max Out Golf is not affiliated with any particular manufacturer.
They do have their own brand of clubs that may be purchased but
are never forced on to the golfer being tested.
 Their
proprietary Integrated Golf Measurement System (IGMS) compiles
such factors as: launch angle, initial ball velocity, club head
speed, spin rates (including side spin), and shaft load profiles.
Sophisticated computer analysis and subsequent performance testing
identifies the optimum shaft (including length, gram weight, bend
profile, and tip stiffness), club head type (including center
of gravity), loft, launch angle, and ball selection for any player.
Since golf clubs don’t come with instructions, it is significant
that Max Out Golf incorporates well-known and respected PGA instructors
to both fit and explain the diagnostic process, as well as make
corrective recommendations that can be instantly verified.
The cost for the personalized fitting session is $195.00. Any
adjustments and alterations made to your clubs are usually at
standard industry pricing. (www.maxoutgolf.com)
So remember that custom fitted clubs is the way to go to improve
your game. Do not get caught up with those club manufacturers
offering "Golf Fitting Carts" found on ranges and country
clubs. This is a band-aid. Most major metropolises have professionally
trained club fitters. A club fitter has the advantage of working
one-on-one with the player through all steps of the fitting process.
Fitted clubs cost about the same price as off the shelf clubs,
therefore, it would be well worth one’s time and effort.
Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf
Teachers Association of America. He is also a member of the Golf
Writers Association of America and the California Golf Writers
Association and a Mediator for the golf industry. He is a contributing
writer to numerous national magazines. He can be reached at drlotz@cbsgolf.net.
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