golf club fitting

[Jasper]

I started up golf after 30 years of doing it. Last year was first year and lowest score was 46.

I am going to get a irons fitted next week , and am wondering if anyone has done this ???

I am using good will clubs, so as you can assume , I am looking for an upgrade.
Plan on spending about $1300.
Goal is used irons, a new driver and a fairway iron rescue club/driving iron.

Any help would be appreciated

[scuzzy]

Get sized up for the right length and buy used


You can snag $1500 sets with $500 Drivers for $300 on Craigslist 7 days a week year round.


People always try to pick up on a golf hobby one summer here or there, shell out $$$ for new gear then immediatly realize they suck permanently despite going from grampas clubs to a $300 putter. There's unlimited new condition clubs on the used market

[rufuspaul]

Such a frustrating sport. Yet even on your worst outing you'll have that one shot where you connect perfectly and that keeps you coming back.

[tontoz]

You are a beginner so it is likely your setup and swing will change as you get better, so clubs that fit you now might not fit down the line.

You should check out Golfwrx's equipment forum. You will see countless posts from guys testing various clubs. Some people get a little crazy with all the clubs they test and buy, and you can use that info for your benefit.

You can find great deals on Ebay for nice clubs lightly used. I am a 2 hdp and i have only 1 club that was released within the last two years. I have had the same 3w and hybrid in the bag for at least 8 years.

A new driver will cost at least $400. Frankly it really isn't worth it. You could get one a few years old for less than half that and the performance difference at your level will be minimal.

[Jasper]

I played at age of 9 and continued to play until 30... then quit.
I continued to watch golf for all most 30 years until , I had to play again.
I was on the high school team , as well as league , and never had a formal lesson until last year.
Goal was to practice , then first time go out break 50 and quit.
Well I got hooked again , and played several times , low score was 46.

When I was in league I carried a 7 handicap.

I joined a country club for 3 years , but I want to shoot in the low 40's.

I will get fitted , but will only buy used irons.
Driver and fairway iron (driver) will be new.

Just never gone thru a fitting process. (it is supposed to be a good thing.

[tontoz]

Fitting can be a good thing for a player who has a consistent swing. It is much easier to fit a low handicap player. I have seen mixed results for average players getting fit.

Personally i think new drivers are a pretty big ripoff for most people. I have been using a driver the last 3 years that i bought for $150 and i am perfectly happy with it. I have seen guys spend $500 on a new driver then go back to their old one.

$250 for a fairway wood is pretty bad too.

[Jasper]

cobra king driving iron , is a ult. iron that can be used on tee as well as fairway.
I feel as if this iron could replace all fairway woods.
It is $200 , but I would eliminate all woods, except driver.

I shot 46 with basically 6 clubs.

So many people are caught up in filling their bags with as many clubs , when if they could hit 4-6 clubs efficiently , they would realize the rest of the clubs in the bag are a waste of time.

I would like to get a new driver , based on technology and helping me with my fade... I am never going to cure it , but realistically keep it in the fairway.

Of all the clubs I kept from a youth I have always used the same putter.
Cleveland small mallet ,,, it keeps me honest , so if the put is off, it's on me .

I am more concerned about shafts , and length to be honest with everyone.
a good fitting should help , and will determine if the used Ping irons I have my eye on will be right or if I can change them.
I know nothing about length of shafts , angles , and types of shafts.
It just seems overwhelming to me.

[tontoz]

If you fight a slice off the tee there are a lot of drivers out there that have heel weighting and/or upright lies to make the club more draw biased.

How far do you hit the ball? Is your swing tempo fast or slow? Generally if you have a faster tempo you will do better with a heavier shaft. If you swing speed/tempo is low you can go with a lighter shaft.

I would highly recommend checking out Golfrwx.

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/forum/4-equipment/


Also Mygolfspy does a deep dive on driver center of gravity locations. Obviously heel weighting helps fight a slice.

https://mygolfspy.com/2016-driver-cg-advanced-data/

The GBB still has a draw bias even when the weight is in the heel setting. Pings SFT drivers have heel weighting to fight a slice. Many drivers out there can help fight a slice.

There are countless posts on WRX from guys testing clubs. If you started a thread describing your swing speed and shot patterns you might get a lot of good suggestions on potential clubs.

One problem with fitting is that there are a lot of people working as fitters who don't know what they are doing. I fit my cousin for a driver a few years ago. The Callaway Great Big Bertha (link below) was a decisive winner.

http://www.golfwrx.com/356898/2016-g...at-big-bertha/

During the Golfwrx Gear Trials it tested very well for ball speed and forgiveness, but a lot of players didn't like it because of it's draw bias. It worked perfectly for my cousin.

After it broke i advised him to simply get another one. Instead got a high level fitting, spending $600 for a custom driver, and ended up regretting it.

A driving iron is not going to give you similar results to a fairway wood. It wont go as far or as high as a good 3w, and it is pretty useless out of the rough, but it can be a good option on tight courses with firm fairways. I use a 3 driving iron to fill the gap between my 4 iron and hybrid.

My 20* hybrid is my favorite club. It is unbeatable out of the rough.

[Jasper]

Oh man - thanx for the input.

I have a slow long back swing , but I feel my down swing is pretty fast ...
no idea on speed , but I will find out on Tuesday.

I used to drive it about 225 with those old woods...
But I was in Texas last December and was using a modern day diver , some drives were 245-255. (Highest elevation in TX (marfa) .

My goal is just to shoot in the low 40's like I once did , and just enjoy it.
For some reason the cheap (good will) fairway woods I have - I hate.
Everyone is getting away from long irons , but I like to tinker with them , that is why I had the idea of the hybrid driving iron.

Thanks again.

[tontoz]

That info helps narrow it down. Speaking generally you will want a light shaft (60g or less) and a regular shaft flex.

At the fitting make sure you test out last years Callaway Rogue (not the Rogue sub zero) and maybe the Rogue Draw. The Rogue is fairly light, very forgiving and draw biased.

The fitter will probably push you to the new model Epic Flash for the extra $$$ but i doubt you will see much better performance.


The Callaway Fusion came out in 2016 would probably be a good fit for you. It is light, draw biased and one of the most forgiving drivers out there. Don't know what loft you should use but i found a 9* for $150. The triangular shape makes it more forgiving than drivers with a more rounded shape.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Callaway-Bi...wAAOSwBRZcfv2E

Your swing speed is similar to my cousin actually. The GBB was 10+ yards longer than anything else he tried that day. You can get one on ebay for less than $150.

I play a Cobra LTD pro, which is heavy and somewhat fade biased.

Driving irons are generally for higher swing speed players. I would strongly recommend one or more hybrids. A hybrid was a game changer for me. My cousin plays 2 of them. His 23* hybrid is his favorite club.

Good luck. It is a tough game lol.

[Jasper]

I have taken notes -

One under Golf / in Green Bay ,Wi has a club fitter that has done pro's.

From what I hear they do not push clubs on you , but said I will be walking out with a load of paper work and advise.

I want to make a comment here , many of these hybrid clubs bring the height much higher than my liking. I like to hit everything low , stay out of the wind , and give my self best chance for distance , and playability.
I appreciate your time on my journey.

[Smoke117]

Golf.

[Jasper]

proof will be in the pudding when summer rolls around , but last week the fitting was awesome.
I was hitting a 7 iron over 145 yards!!
Got a lesson on top of hit , and a couple of adjustments.

My new irons will have bigger grips, regular shafts 1/2 " longer and angled as well, taking toe off.

The Driver and fairway wood , he didn't want to mess with.

So over all I was very happy , and have a new set of clubs coming in the mail after the adjustments in a couple weeks.

We still have 3 feet of snow on the ground , so it will be a while before I can try them out.
One under Golf (Matt) was just great.