Hi,

I've just purchased brand new R11 irons, driver, 3 wood and putter.

Can I still get a custom fitting or should I have done this before I bought them?

Advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tom

Yes you can.i had my fitting las week at golf direct(£30) and they do after every 6 month for free.my clubs needs be 4°in flat.This fiting realy improved my game.i will strongly recomend custom fitting.

This thread brings out the misunderstanding between custom builds and post purchase adjustments, or 'fittings.'

A custom build includes recommending each and every component - brands / type of club / lofts / club lengths / shaft stiffness / swing weights / head weights / lies / grip type and size etc.  And then optimally assembling those components  on a personal basis.

Fitting on the other hand can include a number of adjustments  and relatively minor changes, for example changing the lies of irons, and possibly adjusting the clubs' lengths and grips and swing weights. 

Fitting per se  cannot  economically change unsuitable heads, wood lofts, and also if shafts need changing a lot of the golfer's money goes down the drain.  

Most major  brands (the brand name is the one used on the golf head)  do not separately sell heads and shafts. They make their money from selling built clubs, often buying in shafts in bulk at a discount. Shafts which are often a diluted version of an expensive counterpart bearing the same name.  

Interestingly if one can live with often unheard of component names (such components are generally as good as and often better than the mass marketed 'names'  ) then a custom set of golf clubs can run cheaper than off the shelf purchases provided that one does not for example  order top end Japanese heads or very sophisticated customising eg. frequency matching.  

 http://golf.about.com/od/faqs/f/frequencymatch.htm

Slawomir, What exactly did "golf direct" do for £30? Were you present, and what info did you give them about yourself ? What was improved after tweaking?

Dave CAC handed Geordie.

Well beafore i was losing ball to right my club was 1°go upright(this was custom fitting at mizuno center glasgow) and after put my club to 3°scotland flat my shot was more straight.

Yes Tom you can have them sorted.

I'm in Andover so only down the road from you.

Thanks for your replies guys. Already put my driver up for sale on ebay. I can't hit them, would rather use my old 5 wood and hit it straight and 275 yards everytime. The irons were better but were drawing slightly maybe because I hold my hands the wrong way round :/

Tom, are you CAC handed?

Dave CAC handed Geordie.

I had my clubs checked at Direct Golf.

What they checked is the loft and lie of the clubs, they then adjusted them if required.

The good thing is that you pay the £30 on the first visit and you can go back as often as you want to have the clubs checked again. As long as you have the same clubs they will keep checking and adjusting them for you.

Seeing as my irons are Mizuno MP68's, a blade club made from a soft metal I was advised to go back at least three times a year.  This was because I play three or four times a week.

Russ

Tom,

you're playing off 14 and you're hitting an old 5 wood 275 yards straight down the middle? what on earth possessed you to go get a new driver and new woods???

Any of us here would be more than happy with that! by anyones standards 275 yards with a 5 wood is very very good(only if it is actually down the middle).

Chris.

Release yourselves from the marketing hype people.

Go to your local recycling centre where you can buy old irons for 1 pound each. With a budget of a tenner fill your bag with what you fancy and go PLAY.

I am willing to bet that results aren't going to be that different, in fact I did it while back while between sets due to Parcelforce delays and shot my lowest round of the year.

Whether or not one believes in quality equipment and / or custom fitting, the fact is that most golfers believe that they need to have confidence in whatever equipment they use.  I suspect that the majority of golfers would have more confidence in a quality set of clubs, and possibly even more so if they had been custom fitted.

Lee Trevino once said:

"I've been hit by lightning and been in the Marine Corps for four years. I've traveled the world and been about everywhere you can imagine. There's not anything I'm scared of except my wife."

Interestingly he did not say what no golfer ever says, but everyone of us feels - at least occasionally - in varying degrees,:

"I'm afraid of my equipment, my swing, and what I'm going to do to this ball!"

Trevino initially had great results using very old clubs. But, unfortunately few of us possess    either his strength of his character or his natural ability and zest for hard work.  So we need more going for us.

I personally do not believe that one can buy a substantially better game, but one can give oneself better opportunities.

It is down to each player to decide what impact an  old set of clubs purchased from a yard sale is going to  have on  one's game as compared with a custom built set.

The fact that I have never heard of anyone being worse off with a custom build (once one has gotten used to them) suggests to me that any resultant impact can only be positive.

Tom, so you play off a handicap of 14 and hit your old 5 wood 275 yards and straight everytime?

Congratulations!!!!

Based on the current European Tour Stats that means you hit your 5 wood further than Miguel Angel Jimenez, Colin Montgomerie, Matteo Manessero, Simon Dyson,  Soren Keljdsen, Thomas Levet, Ben Curtis, Jose Marie Olazabel or Michael Campbell can hit their DRIVERS!!!!!

That really is impressive given that three of those named have won majors.

You must tell me what I'm doing wrong,  When I was younger I played county golf but would be doing well to hit a 5 wood 200 yards these days.

Richard

I have no idea why I hit clubs so far. And yes Dave I am cack handed. I wanted to buy a driver so I could hit par 4 greens in one. I also hit my pitching wedge 170-180 yards

Tom you really need to work on your short game. With distances like that and hitting it straight all the time there is no way you should be on a 14 handicap!

My husband is scratch team captain and one of the longest and straightest hitters at the club and he hits his PW 130 yeards.

Tom, Have you got your swing downloaded? Id like to see it, I might learn something as distance is an area i could do with help on.

Cheers, Dave CAC handed Geordie.

Unfortunately not Dave but Judy I've become very good at my short game and shot my best round last night (+7) with double bogeys at 15 and 18 (13 pars) and I didn't use anything lower than an 8 iron

Fantastic round Tom, is that your 1st sub 80?. 3 over after 14, 4 over last 4, What happened? Did you start counting the shots?. Great all the same. Dave CAC handed Geordie.

Hi Tom You went round with 8, 9 and wedges and hit +7 ? You are destined for a very , very low handicap !!!!! how many shots with 8 iron to reach long par 5' s ?