Secrets of Driver Fitting

Very little is a hard and fast rule in golf so my following remarks are no more than generalisations, but nevertheless hopefully generally hold true. But if anything offends your sensibilities then reject it and move on.

After four weeks of 5am driver practice sessions (before local golfers have finished their bacon and eggs, go to the course and find it part of it covered in balls); working with three identical drivers (bar length and head weight variations) and between ten and twenty strip down and rebuilds; I sit down, scratch my head and ask myself how I arrived at my final formula of hopefully a perfect length / weight balance for this point in time?

First let me say that the areas I work in with drivers are largely ignored, even by international londrive competitors, and likely many would say are irrelevant. All I can say to that is that they are extremely relevant to me and very much influence the distances I hit. Being old (63), short (5ft. 9ins.), and fat I have to make everything as perfect as possible as I don't have the physical stature to get away with shortcomings. I have to work hard for every last yard of distance.

With all club fitting / club build operations it is first necessary to isolate each major variable in order of importance, maximise that facet and then move on to the next. It just does not work to wander into a fitting studio with a driver, hit a few balls, examine the launch monitor readings, and then magically come up with a solution. How can that be done with four principal variables - (a) swing, (b), shaft, (c) driver head, and (d) golf ball? Answer, it can't. No way.

With a capable golfer, faced with the choice of say lengthening a driver by one inch as opposed to say adding an extra five grammes of head weight the extra inch will normally produce the greater gain in distance. But both are potentially beneficial.

That piece of information enables a golfer serious in maximising his driving distances know that the primary variable is one of club length. And so such is the first variable to work on.

Ideally our serious golfer will own two identical test drivers and one will be an inch longer than the other. As it is easier to shorten drivers, rather than lengthen them, a good starting point would be say a 48" and 47" driver. And around sixty identical balls. Thirty marked with with an artist's pen, and the others virgin.

Best testing involves something like thoroughly warming up (I do stretching then hit ten balls with a 7 iron) then perhaps hit six balls with the shorter driver followed by six balls with the longer one, alternating and taking breaks.

It may transpire that our player can't manage either driver in which case one would reduce both drivers in length to 45" and 46." But usually one would simply reduce the 48" driver to 46." Thus putting in the bag drivers of 46" and 47" for the next test session.

When collecting balls make a detailed written note of which driver generated the top dozen balls.

Very soon, after possibly a few driver length shortenings, one will have two drivers which one can perform reasonably well with.

A very simple explanation of how to then move on to variable two would be to add 5 grammes of sticky backed lead weight to the rear centre of the shorter driver. Then re-test.

The astute reader will by now be able to visualise how to fine tune even further.

The one inch shorter but 5 grammes super-weighted driver will have a very similar swing weight to the longer unweighted driver and so now our player will only be conscious of the difference in club length when swinging.

I respectfully suggest that these initial primary fitting rounds are absolutely essential before choosing the next equipment bedrocks in this order - (a) Shaft, (b) Professional or improver's driver head, (c) Brand and head loft, and finally (d) Size and type of grip.

Alternatively these may already be set in stone so one simply tests for club length and club weight, keeping an open mind that for this year a different head loft may be necessary.

Just the way I work, but everyone to their own. There are always several ways of achieving a top result provided that logic prevails.

Am I suggesting that fitting computers have no place in best fitting practice? Most definately not, provided that they are used in a different way - namely to test the effect of changing ONE variable, and the correct variable in the best order of importance. It is much easier and cheaper to learn elementary club building, build two drivers, and do your own testing on the golf course. Heaven knows what it would cost to have say fifteen or twenty necessary build stage test sessions on a launch monitor?

All too much trouble and too expensive? What one gets out of golf is directly proportional to what one puts in. As for cost - my equipment is now several seasons old. It just gets set up differently each year. It's more expensive to buy a new £300. 'magical' driver every two seasons or so.

If you ever find that magical driver one please let me know. I'll be first in the queue.