With nearly three decades of experience in the golf industry, one area of the business that I was not the most well versed in until this year was club fitting. I have indeed had my fair share of training with club fitting. I have gone through extensive online training and became certified through Cleveland and Srixon Golf. Through that training, I gained a better understanding of the various components that make up a golf club. I also learned how the combination of different shafts, heads, lofts, and lies affects a club's performance when players of different abilities play them.

With that all said, I have never actually gone through or seen a complete club fitting until this year. To put it simply, I am now convinced that a custom club fitting is worth your time and investment. Seeing a professional fitter and going through the process of being fit for your driver, fairway woods and hybrids, irons, wedges, and even your putter will pay massive dividends. If you combine that fitting with regular coaching and golf lessons, you will have an even greater chance of seeing more consistency with your swing and the shots you hit as you play.

Today, I will fully dive in and answer the question, “Is a Golf Club Fitting Worth it?”

In doing so, I will share with you my recent experience of taking one of my students for a full bag fitting at the PGA TOUR Superstore. I will share with you the process that my student went through during his fitting session, the different components of that full bag fitting, the recommendations that were made, and how it has impacted his golf game since.

Additionally, I will share with you the following:

• There are different types of custom fittings, from a full bag or custom putter fitting session to a wedge fitting…I will share all the options.
• How launch monitor and simulator data help tell the story of a golfer and his current clubs.
• Where you can go to get a custom fit by master fitters and other fitting professionals.
• How small tweaks in your equipment in conjunction with working with an instructor can lead to shaved strokes.

There is much to cover, so let's dive in and answer the question, “Is a Golf Club Fitting Worth it?”

What is a Club Fitting?

A club fitting is a process in which a certified club fitter helps a golfer find the right equipment that matches their game. All golfers have their own unique swings, short-game shot techniques and tendencies, and putting strokes. All of these personal idiosyncracies that make up a golfer’s game are unique to each individual.

Luckily, in today's world, with golf club technology constantly changing, from shafts to heads, grips to lofts, and lies, there is literally something for everyone who plays the game. And that goes for every club in the bag, as well as the golf balls you tee up, too.

What to Consider & Know Prior To Getting a Club Fitting

The following are a few things to consider and understand prior to getting a fitting. These things will help you be much more comfortable in making a decision on getting a fitting, what type of fitting you should consider, and what to expect.

What is the golf fitting process?

A fitting conducted by a professional fitter runs through a pretty consistent process, regardless of the location or the fitter. The steps are generally rolled out as follows…

• Initial Interview: The fitter gets to know the golfer and their game. They look to see what their strengths and weaknesses are and where the areas of the fastest improvement lie.
• Equipment Evaluation: In this evaluation stage, the fitter will look at what clubs the golfer is currently playing.
• Game Evaluation: Using the latest technology, such as TrackMan and SAM PuttLab, the fitter will have the golfer hit shots with whatever clubs they are being fit for. Through the data gathered, the fitter will be able to see firsthand what the golfer's actual tendencies are and where equipment changes could help correct those.
• Testing Suggested Equipment: In this stage of the process, the fitter will give the golfer clubs to hit with suggested tweaks such as different heads, shafts, and even different brands. In many cases, only a slight change in a club’s lie angle, loft, shaft flex, or length is needed. Much of those changes can be done through retooling the clubs a golfer currently plays. In other cases, an entirely new set from a different brand may be the suggestion.
• Final Determination, Adjustments, or Purchase: Once everything has been evaluated and tested, the fitter will make their final decision on what they feel would work best for the golfer. Again, often, it is only tweaks in components such as shafts or loft and lie angles of the current clubs. In other cases, a complete overhaul of the clubs a golfer has in their bag is the suggested remedy.

What is the importance of launch monitor data during a fitting?

Golf Technology has come a long way over the past three decades. In fact, as time goes by, the innovations within the game seem to advance faster and faster. Golfers who fail to take advantage of technology as a means to playing better golf are being left in the dust by those who do.

It is through cutting-edge technology and the data that comes from it that allow club fitters to make the recommendations they do. Data drives everything in golf today.

For me, as a PGA Coach, data allows me to make the right decisions on behalf of my students. This is how I can help them reach their goals and full potential. The same can be said for club-fitting professionals. They, too, rely on data from technology to make the right decisions on behalf of their clients.

Whether it's $20,000 top-of-the-line radars from companies such as TrackMan and Flightscope or more affordable personal radar units, the information gained through these is what allows coaches and fitters to help golfers get better and golfers to help themselves through practice.

Typical feedback from data that is looked at in fittings and lessons include some of the following:

• Ball Flight and Shot Shape
• Launch Conditions
• Spin Rate
• Clubhead Speed
• Ball Speed

Where can you go to get fit?

There are several options to choose from to get a professional club fitting. Some of the options have already been mentioned in this article. The following are some of your best choices for getting yourself fit properly by a certified professional.

• Club Champion
• True Spec Golf
• PGA TOUR Superstore
• GolfTEC
• Golf Galaxy

What are the different types of fittings offered?

With 14 different clubs legally allowed to be carried in a golfer’s bag, according to the rules of golf, there are 14 potential problem clubs in a golfer’s arsenal. With that being said, there are several different types of fittings offered by leading club fitters.

You could jump all the way in and schedule a full-bag studio fitting at your local PGA TOUR Superstore, as I did recently with one of my students. The Full Bag Fitting is a three-hour session. It includes fitting for a driver, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, and putter. This is the creme da la creme, the grandaddy, the top-of-the-line offering in fitting.

Or, based on your needs, do you only need a wedge and putter fitting? There are many different options available. Below are examples of the different options available at most custom fitters.

Driver

For a driver evaluation or fitting, the driver is the club being looked at. An evaluation is a shorter and less in-depth dive into your driver and what might work best for you. The one-hour fitting is a much deeper dive into your driver game and what the fitter would recommend for you.

Benefits:

• This fitting can help you get a driver in your hands that will help you hit more fairways.
• It can help you get a driver that will allow you to hit the ball further.

Be Aware:

• Make sure you listen to what the fitter suggests, but do not be pressured into making a more expensive purchase than needed.

Fairway Woods and Hybrids

As with the driver, the fairway wood and hybrid evaluation and fitting focus in on the fairway woods and hybrids in your bag. An evaluation is a shorter, less in-depth dive into these clubs and what might work better for you. The one-hour fitting is a much deeper dive into these clubs and what the fitter feels would be best for you.

Benefits:

• This type of fitting will help you get fairway woods and hybrids in your hands that are easier to hit based on your tendencies.
• It can also help you hit these often hard-to-hit clubs much closer to your target.
• Most importantly, this fitting will help you fill in any yardage gaps you may have between your current woods and hybrids.

Be Aware:

• Same as with the driver evaluation; make sure you listen to your fitter's suggestions, but don't be pressured into spending more than needed to meet those.

Irons

Whether it's an iron evaluation or a full fitting, the focus here is on your irons. The evaluation is shorter and cheaper and sometimes even free with the purchase of new clubs. The full one-hour fitting really digs into your iron play. The data you gain about your current tendencies with your irons helps the fitter get you into the best iron set for you and your game. Sometimes, a simple tweak of your current irons does the trick. Other times, new clubs may be in order.

Benefits:

• An iron fitting will help you hit your irons much crisper as you play and potentially hit more greens in regulation.
• It can help you fill in any yardage gaps you may have between your current iron set and gain some more yardage.

Be Aware:

• In many cases, a tweak of your current clubs will do the trick, so don't feel as though you need to buy an entire new set.
• If a new set is indeed in order, explore all your options and not only the one or two that a fitter suggests. There may be cheaper options than what is suggested.

Wedges

Your wedge game is a critical part of being able to score well in golf. Despite this, many golfers have a poor set of wedges in their bags. In a wedge evaluation and fitting, the expert fitter watches how you hit your current wedges in both full and partial swings for shorter shots and makes his recommendations based on that info.

Benefits:

• This fitting will help you hit your wedges much more crisply as you play, giving you more confidence.
• It can help you hit your wedge shots closer to the hole more often.
• A wedge fitting can help you fill in any yardage gaps you may have between your current wedge set.
• It can help you hit those difficult short-yard shots with more confidence.

Be Aware:

• Pay particular attention to the suggested bounce and grind suggestions on the wedges. Those recommendations are critical in making sure your wedges work for you and your style.

Putter

As any golfer knows, putting is one of the most critical aspects of the game. As the saying goes, you drive for show and putt for dough. In a putter fitting or evaluation, your fitter, using technology such as the SAM PuttLAB, watches how you hit putts with your current putter. After your tendencies are revealed, he has you try some recommended putters that fit you better.

Benefits:

• A putter fitting will help ensure that you hit your putter with more confidence.
• It can absolutely help you make more putts.

Be Aware:

• There may be more options available for putters than any other club in the bag. Do not get overwhelmed by this. Take your time and test several options as suggested by your fitter.

Full Bag Fitting

This is the top-of-the-line experience. The full bag fitting incorporates all of the previously mentioned types of fittings and rolls them all into a three-hour, all-inclusive session.

Benefits:

• Provides all the benefits listed above in all of the individual fitting types.
• Many of the fitting providers allow you to come in a set amount of time for adjustments when you go through the full fitting.

Be Aware:

• This fitting can be pricey, running as much as $400 at some places. If you feel that you only need a driver and putter fitting, just go with that and skip the full fitting.

How to Choose the Right Golf Fitting for You

Choosing the right fitting for you will really depend on your personal needs. You will need to evaluate your own game and find the areas where you could gain the most from having a fitting.

Do not just jump to the area that you WANT to improve on the most, such as the very popular choice of many, the driver, but rather, get fit in the area you NEED to improve on the most. For many, that needed area to get looked at and fit for is the wedges, followed closely by the putter.

If you can spring it and do a full fitting, I say go for it! It is the most complete option and can pay huge dividends.

Is a Club Fitting Worth It?

Absolutely, without question, 100%, yes, club fitting is worth the time and investment. I had always believed that going through this process was worth it, but after seeing it in person, witnessing the results, and having my job as a coach able to be taken to the next level because of this, I am now absolutely convinced a club fitting is worth it.

Small Equipment Tweaks in Conjunction with Lessons Can Lead to Shaved Strokes

One of the things that I found most beneficial from having one of my students go through the fitting process recently was how impactful it was to me as his coach. I was able to start seeing the results that he and I were both looking for from the changes I was trying to make with him and his game.

The equipment tweaks were minor. His driver's length was shaved down a bit, which helped him have much more control off the tee. Hitting more fairways was the net result there. His iron’s lie angles needed a tiny bend up to help him hit more shots toward the center of the face. He did purchase new wedges with the correct gapping or degrees of loft between each wedge. The wedges also had a better bounce for his game. There were no changes with the putter, but he did gain a much better understanding of his tendencies from the data. He also saw why I have been trying to make the changes I have been as his coach.

Find the Best Golf Club Fitting for You

If you ever need any more advice on this topic or any other, don't hesitate to contact me or any other Curated Golf Expert.