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A golfer should not buy a new set of golf clubs until they have gone through a fitting session. Making an existing set of clubs fit a golfer, if possible, could be very expensive.
Good club fitting cannot be done using the Internet. There are those that will tell you the golfer’s height and arms length are all that is needed. That’s simply not true.. It’s almost impossible to correctly fit a golfer without personal contact, preferably on a driving range. Height and arms length will give the fitter a starting point, but equally important is ability. It is widely believed a golfer should play with the longest club he can hit consistently in the sweet spot.. To decide the proper length, a fitter will have the golfer hit mid irons, usually six irons of different lengths, with special fitting paper on the face. The length that has the most hits in the center of the club face is deemed the proper length. During the fitting process the fitter observes and or measures the golfer’s swing speed and tempo to determine proper shaft flex. A fast tempo with a slow club head speed may require a stiffer shaft than a fast club head speed with a slow tempo. A golfer should hit different shaft flexes to determine which feels the best. The fitter should then explain the pro’s and con’s of the golfer’s selection. Once the length and flex are selected, the fitter will determine the proper lie angle. Definitions The lie angle is determined by having the golfer hit balls off of a special lie board. The correct lie angle can be determined by looking at where the club strikes the lie board or ground. A club where the toe strikes the board is too flat and needs to be bent more upright. A club where the heel strikes the ground is too upright and needs to be bent flatter. A proper fitted club will strike the board or ground at the middle of the sole. The thinking behind grip fitting has changed over the past years. Today we believe a golfer should select a grip that feels good and allows him to swing the golf club with confidence. A fitter will explain the pro’s and con’s of the different grips and styles of grips Set makeup is very important. Long irons or hybrids and woods? The traditional set of 3 iron to pitching wedge may not be best for you. Do you need a gap wedge? Your golf professional or club fitter will help you decide the best set makeup for you. And finally the fitter should recommend a particular style of club. A golfer that struggles to get the ball in the air would benefit from irons that are offset, progressively offset or have a low center of gravity. Mid to high handicappers should consider clubs with deeper cavities. Low handicap players that like to work the ball may want to consider blades.
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