What is custom fitting for golf clubs? What do they do?

Custom fitting golf clubs involves several easy measurements and a quick self-assessment of your game. You will see many fitting methods out there in the golf universe, but most of them center around the same pieces of information. This method is simple, accurate, and effective. To custom fit your golf clubs, you need to know:

Your gender (male or female)

Your height in your stockings or socks

The distance from your wrist (where it bends) to the floor (without shoes)

Your age

Your handicap or skill level

How fast you swing a golf club

What club you use at the 150 yard marker

Gender is used to put you into the correct fitting scale. The golf industry uses different definitions of "standard length" for men and women.

Your height and the distance in inches from your wrist to the floor are used together to determine the length of golf club that is appropriate for you. The starting point for club length can vary up to 3 1/2" ranging from ladies to mens plus 1 1/2". A tall person with long arms can very easily require shorter clubs than an average height person with short arms. About 80% of golfers are Standard length.

Your age, handicap (if you happen to have one), self-assessed skill level, estimated golf swing speed and club you use at the 150 yard marker are all combined to determined the shaft flex that is appropriate for you.

Club Length & Flex

What should I know about golf club length? Length is simply how long the golf club is as measured from the butt end of the grip down the back side of the club down to where the club meets the ground. A longer golf club will hit further given the same swing speed — so length can be a good thing. However, since the swing arc is longer, it often is also harder to keep under control — so length can be a bad thing. All things being equal, most golfers will opt for longer length to the sacrifice of greater control.

The standard length of a steel shafted Driver for a man is 43 inches. Graphite shafted drivers are manufactured 1 inch longer than steel shafted clubs because graphite shafts weigh less than steel shafts allowing to produce a longer club with the same swing weight.

How long is a golf club? There is no exact industry standard for golf club length. To make everything clear, we are letting you know our standard club lengths for men and women using both graphite and steel shafts. The measurement is made with the golf club in "address position" — club head resting on the floor, grip end in your hands. The measurement is made from the floor up the back side of the golf club to the butt end of the grip.

What should I know about golf club flex? Flex is the torsional stiffness of the golf club, which is provided by the type of golf club shaft that is used. Generally, stiffer shafts are better for stronger hitting golfers. Common shaft flexes are Men's Regular, Stiff, Extra Stiff, Senior, and Ladies.

The proper flex of a golf club is a function of your strength and golfing skills. Determining the correct flex is most important for your Woods and longer Irons. Short irons, wedges and putters are not impacted very much by the different flexes as the differences between flexes becomes very small in the shorter clubs.

Often associated with flex, is "kick-point" — especially with graphite shafts. Less experienced golfers generally benefit from lower kick-point shafts, which help get the ball up in the air. Better golfers tend to favor higher kick points.

Loft & Lie Adjustments

A lie adjustment requires bending the hardened metal in which an iron is cast. I strongly advise getting your lie fitting done in person. Online fittings while accurate do not take into account your natural ball address. Some players are more naturally upright and some like to “lean into” the ball. Once you have lie adjusted a club it is usually not a good idea to re-adjust if you later find it was the wrong adjustment.

Woods, hybrid clubs and putters can not be adjusted. The reason these clubs can not be adjusted is because the hosel of each is cast in a way where physically bending the head at all will cause damage. In woods and hybrids it will crack or bend the crown of the club, and putter hosels are not made with the strength required for adjustment after the casting process.

Loft adjustments require a different type of bend than a lie adjustment. Some people receive advice in which they require a certain loft adjustment. I have never understood loft adjustments since it merely changes the loft of the club. I recommend buying golf clubs matching loft you seek and avoid custom loft adjustments. Bending the loft of an iron weakens the hardened metal and can lead to future metal fatigue, since the actual bend twists the metal to an extent. If the loft of your 5 iron is too strong, use a 6 iron. If it is too weak, use a 4 iron.

It's ideal to be fit for your clubs, ESPECIALLY if you're getting a set like the AP2's. They're more expensive and it will really put a hurting on your game if they're not fit and doing something random to the ball when you swing.

The reason to get custom fit is to get the absolute MOST you can out of the iron. Squeeze every last yard, every last revolution of the ball, and get pinpoint accuracy. The fitting has nothing to do with you being male or female, or what your handicap is. It should be stated though, that the better a golfer is, the more they will benefit from a fitting because their swing SHOULD be more consistent.

When you're fit for clubs, there's a few things the pro (or shop) will consider.

They'll take your driver swing speed.

They'll take a measurement from your wrist to the ground.

They'll have you hit off of an impact board.

These three things will help get the perfect clubs for you. The measurement is a starting point. It will give the fitter a "base model" so to speak.

The driver swing speed is for your shafts. There are mathematical equations that the speed goes through and it will pinpoint the proper shaft flex and kick point for your swing to get you the best ball flight, distance and spin so you can score.

The impact board is to see where the club sole hits the ground first. This prevents the toe or heel from being lower than the center of the club, and will provide a strait ball flight on a well-struck shot. You may be "upright" or "flat" in this measurement. The impact tape will tell all.

the last part of the fitting is the grips. Some shops have samples you can try. This is a feel fitting. Get the one that you like, that fits your hand, and that you can grip relatively lightly without the club slipping from your hand when you swing.

Good luck!

1

Custom fir gold clubs need not be 1000's of dollars. When people think of custom fit clubs, they think of something like ping. Yes, ping probably has the best fitting system available, but it's not really neseccary for all golfers. For about $500, you can have a set made for you by G.R.I.P (Golf Research In Play). This company has been winning praise from some very respected people in the community, with thier O.W.T line. I don't have the site off hand, but just google G.R.I.P, or Golf Research In Play, and the link will be right there, and you can get a great set made just for you.

Not everybody has long arms. Not everybody is 6'4". Custom fitting is to fit your clubs to your swing. Buying off the rack may not be suitable to your swing. You get measured to see how long your arms are and then you're put on a monitor to see where your club makes impact in the hitting zone. Basically custom fitting gives you the best opportunity to play at an optimal level. You can go to a number of websites to check what custom fitting is all about.

golfsmith.com

tgw.com

nikegolf.com

dickssportinggoods.com

Here's a link which provides a video about custom fitting.

http://www.dicksservices.com/fittings.aspx

The easiest way to learn golf like a pro is by following "The Simple Golf Swing" program. It's primarily a 31 page eBook that teaches golfers how to make solid contact with the ball, how to avoid hitting fat, how to avoid slicing, how get more power, accuracy, and consistency in your swing. Consistency being the number 1 golf skill.

You not only get the eBook though, you also receive a ton of extra material including video, lessons on putting, driving, chipping, sand play etc. Here is their official site: http://www.golfswingguru.net/

Never thought too much about that