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Custom fitting vs Practice/Instruction?

the_paulo

the_paulo

Euro target practice
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Just a thought rattling around my head today, due to my fitting session with Wilson Staff earlier.

I love custom fitting. There's nothing quite as confidence inspiring as knowing that this club I'm holding is set up perfectly for my swing.

BUT

Is my swing set up for this golf club?

Obviously this depends on the quality of the fitter and how thorough the fitting process is, but is it possible that your everyday fitting might be just masking faults?

For instance, I've had 2 iron fittings recently. The first recommended 1 degree upright due to where I was impacting on the lie board. The second recommended I stay standard....because the fitter looked at the impact angle of the face of the club, and the way I was swinging, and noticed that I was causing the club to impact that way by closing the face.
I understand that lie and loft differ between brands, but it's just a thought.

I'd always recommend custom fitting, but would the average (build, height, strength) amateur benefit more from instruction before even considering being fit for irons? Could being fit for irons while swinging badly be counter-productive to your game?
 
I will let people jump in here, but paulo, just for you....WAIT until you see what we have on THP Radio this week (Friday). You will LOVE the topics.
 
JB said:
I will let people jump in here, but paulo, just for you....WAIT until you see what we have on THP Radio this week (Friday). You will LOVE the topics.
Click to expand...

You're a big tease JB. I won't sleep now. Looking forward to it and I don't know what it is!
 
My coach waited until he had worked with me for a little while before doing the fitting because when I first started taking lessons I was swinging upright and all arms. I probably should have waited even longer. I just asked him about checking my clubs to see if they are right for my swing now that I've been through lessons for a while. He said that it would be a good idea to do that soon.
 
I think new players should be instructed first, long before any fittings, but a proper fitting should soon follow.
 
I just got into the game last spring and I went through lessons first (and still taking lessons, btw). My instructor said that until I could get a 'repeatable' swing and we could work out the 'big' flaws, there was little use in fitting due to the fact that my swing would tremendously. And, he was right. When I look at the video from my first session, it is CLEAR that I had no idea what I was doing. My swing is coming around really well and being a gear junky (no matter what the hobby is), I am ready for new clubs. Now, I am going to get fitted. I don't know if this is considered the right or wrong way, but, I am happy with this path so far....
Doug
 
Never had either but I sure do want one of them or maybe both
 
HoosierGolfer said:
I think new players should be instructed first, long before any fittings, but a proper fitting should soon follow.
Click to expand...

Excellent point - completely agree
 
As a newer player, this has been something I thought about for a while and I came to the conclusion that a fitting is going to wait until my next set of clubs because I would like to maybe take some lessons or find a swing that I'm going to stick with for the long haul before I try fitting clubs to a swing that may be terrible or not around for the long haul.
 
Something else to consider is height. Just because you are tall, does not necessarily mean you should have an upright lie on your irons. Jason Gore went from a three degree upright lie to a two degree flat because he changed his swing plane. I was told I needed a two degree upright as my hand to floor measurement, height etc. warranted it. I started hooking the ball off the planet. I believe one-T had the exact same issue. We both went back to standard lie clubs. I am getting fit again this month and due to my swing plane, I feel going flat might be the ticket for me. I am looking forward to the Radio show JB mentioned and it should really be enlightening:thumb:
 
Several years ago I was in a funk and took some lessons. I had clubs that fit me, for the awful swing I had at the time. After going through an extensive swing change, I asked the pro the same thing. He mentioned that for the most part I would be fine since we didn't change my stance or set up to the ball. I still stood the same way and the club bottomed out in the same position, we just changed how the club got to that position. So after ironing out the new swing and then getting some new clubs, I was still the same lie angle and length that I was before.

I could see a new swing maybe changing the shaft, but that is mostly up to the individual. Since then, I have read and heard several times that with most golfers, you are what you are. Unless you make a drastic change in your stance and set-up, there will probably not be much change on a fitting. For sure not a blanket statement for everyone, but there is a good chance you could change your swing and still be fit the same.
 
packersfan said:
As a newer player, this has been something I thought about for a while and I came to the conclusion that a fitting is going to wait until my next set of clubs because I would like to maybe take some lessons or find a swing that I'm going to stick with for the long haul before I try fitting clubs to a swing that may be terrible or not around for the long haul.
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You are on the right track. I took my first lesson in 1970 and my last in October 2010 (more of a tune up). I had what well may have been my 30th fitting last summer as well, just checking to see what has changed. Lessons and fittings should be on going for life.
 
HoosierGolfer said:
I think new players should be instructed first, long before any fittings, but a proper fitting should soon follow.
Click to expand...

I agree. You have to be able to swing a club before you can get a club :good:
I started regularly playing golf about 2 years ago and had a starter Wilson Hope set to play around with. I started taking lessons immediately and my instructor said that these clubs just weren't working for me at all. After we worked on my swing and getting my swing to where it is now, I got fit for clubs about a year ago and am doing so much better with my clubs than my starter set. I'm going to have these clubs for a very long time, and just pick and choose what I need if I need to get new of anything!
 
A good Indian will hit more with a bad arrow than a bad Indian will hit with the best arrow. Gotta have at least a semblance of a repeatable swing before fitting is worth anything. If one swing is flat and the next is upright and the next is in the middle what good is any lie angle going to do you?
 
I was wondering something similar. Recently I was fitted for a driver, which I haven't pulled the trigger on purchasing yet. At the same time, after a 2 year absence from working out I am diving back onto the weight bench. Curious to see how much this increases my swing speed and what kind of effect it will have on my overall 'fit'.
 
Also, I agree with the comment that both are important but not to get fitted until you are ready to take the training wheels off of your golf game.
 
the_paulo said:
Just a thought rattling around my head today, due to my fitting session with Wilson Staff earlier.

I love custom fitting. There's nothing quite as confidence inspiring as knowing that this club I'm holding is set up perfectly for my swing.

BUT

Is my swing set up for this golf club?

Obviously this depends on the quality of the fitter and how thorough the fitting process is, but is it possible that your everyday fitting might be just masking faults?

For instance, I've had 2 iron fittings recently. The first recommended 1 degree upright due to where I was impacting on the lie board. The second recommended I stay standard....because the fitter looked at the impact angle of the face of the club, and the way I was swinging, and noticed that I was causing the club to impact that way by closing the face.
I understand that lie and loft differ between brands, but it's just a thought.

I'd always recommend custom fitting, but would the average (build, height, strength) amateur benefit more from instruction before even considering being fit for irons? Could being fit for irons while swinging badly be counter-productive to your game?
Click to expand...

This is a great topic and my initial thought jumped to TMPL. I've always felt like this was the cats meow of reaching both worlds and hope to partake in it one day. The combination of working with my swing and fitting me at the same time just makes sense. The instruction side is fital as well as fitting me properly and these guy's seem to know their stuff.
 
I went through this last year...went for lessons first, then got a fitting later in the summer after I had improved my swing a bit. Best decision I ever made.
 
spend like 2-3 grand on a hole new set and drop 4 short OR spend 2 grand on constant coaching and drop 8 shots... your choice
 
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