Peoples reviews of custom fitting

I wrote about my  custom fitting on another post but id like to make a new one here and have people rate their own fitting experiences, just to recap here was my fitting experience:

Around 18 months ago i went to my local Ping stockists wanting a set of G10 irons. For this i had to strike 30 or so balls off a plastic mat while a piece of tape was applied to the bottom of the demo club. after inspection of the tape i was advised to purchase standard dot clubs, the fitter also recommended stiff shafts as he said i had a fast swing speed. This wasnt monitored or anything sophisticated this was his judgement according to him watching my swing.

Today however i went for a lesson at a near bye course (who insidently have just started stocking Ping), after inspection of my irons by the club pro he noticed throughout my clubs the ball marks werent in the middle but were all closer to the toe of the club, he said this indicated to an improper fitting.

Im planning on getting a second opinion by going for a lesson at another course to see what their pro thinks there. I always felt the "fitting" was a major anti-climax.

anyone else anything to say about tjis or their own custom fitting experience?

I went to Ping in Gainsborough for my custom fitted G10s.  Driving range, radar and laptop so at least you could see spread/carry of 'real' shots.  Clubs adjusted on the fly and different shaft flexes sampled etc.  Happy enough with results that I'm going back to get a set of G15s now. 

An excerpt from an email received this morning, which shows another method of club fitting.

FITTING IS NOT …

1. Hitting clubs from a “fitting” cart on the range
2. Hitting clubs into a net
3. Hitting clubs into a net using a simulator
4. Hitting clubs at a demo day
5. Having clubs built based on height or how far you hit a 7 iron
6. Having clubs recommended based solely on swing speed, hitting off a lie board, wrist to floor measurement
7. Having clubs recommended based on handicap
8. Having clubs adjusted by “how they look” as you address the ball
9. Having clubs recommended based on age
10. Having clubs recommended based on “how they feel”

The primary purpose of a fitting is to identify and establish the club specifications that will assist you in playing your best golf on a more consistent basis.  The game is difficult enough without trying to play it with equipment that does not fit you.  In order to improve your game it is imperative that your equipment “fit” you.  If it doesn’t, you will not play your best. All pros play clubs that are custom fit. They know that golf clubs made to their specifications perform better and take advantage of their swing.

We believe no golf club should be made based on the golfer’s gender or age. We believe all golf clubs should be built based on the individual’s golf swing. In a true custom fitting environment, there is no man, woman, junior, senior or disabled. There is only one concern: the individual and his or her swing . The club fitters’ job is to observe, analyze and determine what head/shaft/grip combination is best suited for the individual and have their clubs built accordingly.

What Is Measured

1.  Launch angle
2.  Carry distance
3.  Total distance
4.  Ball speed
5.  Ball spin rate
6.  Swing speed
7.  Swing tempo
8.  Angle of attack
9.  Angle of ball descent
10.  Centeredness of impact
11.  Lie Angle
12.  Grip Size

There are 21 components to a true and proper fitting.  They are:

1.    Club head loft angle
2.    Club head lie angle
3.    Club head bulge (woods only)
4.    Club head roll (woods only)
5.    Club head sole angle (irons only)
6.    Club head face angle (woods only)
7.    Club head hosel offset
8.    Club head material composition and design
9.    Shaft flex
10.    Shaft torque
11.    Shaft weight
12.    Shaft spine alignment
13.    Shaft flex profile
14.    Shaft material composition and design
15.    Grip size
16.    Grip weight
17.    Grip material composition and design
18.    Club length
19.    Club swing weight/MOI
20.    Club total weight
21.    Set makeup

So it would appear that those who claim to custom fit in this country are doing a very poor job when compared to the foregoing extract of how it is done in the USA.

Hi Chris, I understand what you are saying but I think the writer of the article means that the points 3 - 8 are specifically to endure that the correct clubhead is selected, whereas you in your ping fitting centre are only attempting to sell Pings which you know you have no control over.

Well I most certainly am not a believer in this expensive trend towards custom fitting. I think it is a load of hogwash and just another marketing ploy to get players to think that they can transform their game by being fitted. I don't buy it, simply because in days gone by, one just purchased clubs off the rack in a pro shop and, strange as it may seem, the standards were higher then than they are now.

The obsession with length has completely taken away the learning of the skills that us older players took as a necessary to play good golf.

We have some tremendous long hitters on this forum, who, with that ability should all be single figures, but how many are?

So, I fall into the trap and get fitted for my swing speed, but I would like to know what happens should I increase or decrease this speed whilst playing. No one can tell me because they don't know.

"Well I most certainly am not a believer in this expensive trend towards custom fitting. I think it is a load of hogwash and just another marketing ploy to get players to think that they can transform their game by being fitted. I don't buy it, simply because in days gone by, one just purchased clubs off the rack in a pro shop and, strange as it may seem, the standards were higher then than they are now."

Ther are reasons behind your judgements John,the biggest one being that clubs of days gone by were better built than todays mass produced production line efforts. How do I know because as a club builder I witness it on a weekly basis. The tolearances  that they work to today are to extreme as 1 swing weight either way is acceptable. They say no one can feel 1 swingweight but if say your 7 is D1 ,6 D2 and 5 D3 with D2 being the norm then thats 2 sw between 7 & 5  this is very noticable. The trouble is I see the extreme variants all to often from modern OEM golf equipment  especially lofts and lies ,Its not that uncommon to see wide gaps in lofts even some clubs the same loft! Unfortunatley this is not confined to just one or a few manufacturers.

Now for comparison the Marumans I had from your good self 1988's.,my 1989 Ping Eye 2's my Tom Wieskoff blades from the 70's and Kev Hewitts Ben Hogan Apex all of which I have tested for loft ,lies and swingweights. Every spec on these were spot on not even out by 1/2 * or .1 swing weight and to me that's a testerment to build quality back then and beyond. I'm afraid to say that even Ping's come out of the factory  unsatisfactory to my standards and the other's are even more laughable.

So IMO you would get better golfers with consistant well balanced equipment as it is quite easy to adapt to a club being a) short b) long c) upright d) flat e) heavy f) light g)soft h) hard , but if they are all over the place then you are pi##ing into the wind i'm afraid.

The other reason why we both know about the skills of players gone by is because of the skills they learnt and could produce from yester years equipment. Todays mass produced oversized clubs with huge offsets have severly dilutted the ability to shape and control ball flight.

As for Ping Fitting I played with our own North Captain Martin last year after he had been fitted by Ping. He had noticed that his Iron play had become pretty poor for his standards when I took a look at him I could see instantly that the were way to upright for him. I suggested a revisit to Ping which he did, and they were then altered to suit. Now Martins  a guy as a lot of us knows has very much a consistant swing so I was supprised by thier fitting recommendations, or was I.

If most blokes are built roughly the same and are all within say 5'7" to 6'1" I cant believe that there are so many options to consider. Surely all golf clubs are built to be swung properly and it is therefore the swing that should be corrected rather than the club altered to suit?

PS. Just took my brand new set of Mizuno forged irons out yesterday for the first time.  Standard lie, standard length, stiff shaft. Absolutely magic. Wish i'd bought forged years ago, well 10 years ago when I started playing!!

Wayne, I know the lie is important and I see how that would be affected by the height and stance of the player. It just seems to me that the whole process is getting over complicated. 

It's actually quite simple David if not time consuming if done expertly.  You can fit to any swing the important thing is thats it's fairly consistant.

David,

I'm pretty sure that most clubs can be adjusted for loft & lie, Mr Leyo will be able to confirm this but as your's are a recent model of club it shouldn't be a problem.

John.

Have to agree with Wayne regarding lessons can't see the point in getting made to measure clubs when you don't have a consistant repetative swing, if you can't deliver the club head to the ball consistantly then what good will a custom set do, get some lessons, learn to swing the club properly, then get them fitted.   

I had my irons custom built (as opposed to fitted) by a club-maker with years of experience.  I went to him mainly because I've got wide assymetrical shoulders and am a bit of a short arse, but not wanting to go along with the latest fashionable kit also played a part.  He selected the best combination of head and shaft that he thought appropriate, watched how I hit them, changed swing weights, lofts, lies and even shaft length over a few weeks.  He has since tweeked them a bit more as my swing changed.  All for less than a set of off the shelf big namers.....