Are Your Club Fittings Cost Conscious?

[CAA_Beat]

Including the tax mine was $260 US ($360 CAN including tax). Well worth the comprehensive info I was given, IMO.

I agree for a full bag fitting and specs that's well worth the price.

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[lemmiwinks]

This thread has me thinking now.
I have a scheduled fitting at a studio that is in the Golf Digest Top 100 Fitters.
I was looking to get the #'s on shaft length, lie angle, flex, etc. but had planned on getting the clubs elsewhere (probably Golf Galaxy) once I had the spec's.
If Golf Galaxy can provide all that and the cost of the fitting goes towards the clubs, why not get it there?

I will say this, I've never had a fitting done and am not adverse to spending the $150 for the 2 hour fitting.
I just don't want to leave there not knowing which actual shaft to get in my new irons if they are going to try and put me in ones that cost 1k+ just for the shafts.

 

[tequila4kapp]

When it comes to these fittings . Do you tell the pro how much $$ you have to work with. Or do you just sit back and wait for the price after the fitting ?

seems like it would cut through a lot of hassle if you tell them straight away what you have funds wise. Not sure how this side of golf works really

I was fit at a place that ultimately orders the clubs from an OEM. They've got a million things on the shelves that you can demo, plus the regular shaft switch outs, etc. My experience was more like trying X number of drivers, narrowing that list down, then fine tuning shaft and loft until we got optimal numbers for a particular combo. I did end up with an up-charge shaft but it was like $40 or something.

 

[Trout Bum]

I saw a surprising result of a club fitting in the pondering thread yesterday, with the final total of a 'perfect' golf bag setup being multiple thousands.

Got me thinking... When you go into a fitting, do you ever pursue a particular number to be fit into? I think it's great to have the opportunity to experiment with 1,000 dollar iron shafts, but I am not sure I'd ever shell out that kind of coin to put them in my gamer clubs. More than likely I'd be pursuing the more standard lineups for a solid fit. Something feasible.

I couldnt fathom a thousand dollar shaft, I have a small budget for gear and yes I am very cost conservative, I have to be

 

[Canadan]

So I know this entire thing is about me, so I feel obligated to chime in here.

First off, I really enjoyed the experience and am glad I did it. It gave me some really excellent feedback on my swing, I got my lies adjusted for free (which on its own for 9 clubs would have cost me like 50 or 60 bucks at the shop) and they set up my drivers PERFECTLY, and I got to hit some really cool premium shafts that I wouldn't have got to hit otherwise. I also for the first time in my golfing life feel like I actually understand swingweight, and I have swingweight specs on my whole set now.

On the price - yes, I fully agree it was pretty silly. However, I went in knowing that could happen. I wanted to see what kind of improvements I was really missing out on with really high end stuff on the table as well. And the answer was, not a whole lot. The JPX 850 Forged with Recoil 95 setup that was quoted for me netted only an additional 3 yards of distance, and while the M1 hybrids with Accra shafts netted me about 10 yards per club, it's important to remember that the loft on that 3 hybrid is 2* lower than my Bridgestone, so set to the same loft the difference is closer to what I saw on the irons. I can 100% concur with feedback in here that I will not be paying 3 G's for 8 clubs. Especially when they fixed all my lies which we determined is one of the things that causes my low left miss I struggle with when hitting it fat.

Now, the value in it, I believe, is just as Jman said earlier - I can piece the components together for much cheaper if I procure them myself and have a local builder do the assembly. I know many others on here (I talked to dhartmann, specifically) have done the same and been really happy with the results. Whether I decide to do this or not, I'm not sure yet, but I like the feel of the 850F/Recoil combo a lot so I may start barking up that tree to see what I could build it for. Alternately, I could even just have my Z Stars reshafted with Recoils to save even more coin.

At any rate, the short of it is that they told me I have a good setup overall with some minor tweaks we made on site, and gave me some really good info despite the high price quote for the gear. I'm happy with it, and I feel I wouldn't have gotten the same info if I had said "I only want to hit these shafts".

You were definitely my muse, SBG!

It was more a question of how each individual pursues their fitting, or takes into account the cost of what they get fit to before saying to the fitter "let's go!"

Some seem to have taken my question to be 'what should we do' and that's fine I guess. I've enjoyed the responses.

 

[Canadan]

I couldnt fathom a thousand dollar shaft, I have a small budget for gear and yes I am very cost conservative, I have to be

It's crazy, right? While I can speak volumes about how awesome the TPHDe shaft is, I can't imagine dropping that dollar amount on a series of them for all my woods. As I believe there are a vast array of shafts that function differently yet relatively similar to the platform I prefer, I always make an attempt to measure against shafts that are in my price range.

For this example, there may be a bit of a loss in feedback (torque) or looks, but I find myself trying hard to stay within the 'normal' confines of shaft options. Like standard iron shafts over "proto"

 

[Johan185]

I would always have a budget in mind and bring this up with the fitter prior to beginning, but at the same time I would still consider a certain amount over my budget, but it would have to be substantially better to warrant the extra cash

I went through a fitting a couple years ago and one of the first questions the fitter had was how much was I prepared to spend as he had options that included Miura heads and steelfiber shafts, which at that time were well outside of my price range, so by excluding them before we started it meant he could concentrate on finding the best combination for my budget. As it happened, other things subsequently prevented me from going down that route and I ended up playing my old Ping irons for another few years

This year when I was fitted for my Z545 irons, I had already asked a few questions about costs and options so I knew before I even swung a club how much money I would be looking at (basically I had free reign for almost any shaft and grip he as a no charge option). He also moved my old Ping irons for me and took the sale amount of those (minus his charges) off the cost of my new irons so I ended up paying less than £70 (approx $100 based on the current exchange rate) per club for my new irons and wedges each with option shafts (Nippon NS Pro Modus3 Tour 130 and Nippon NV wedge shafts) and grips of my choice

Which was more than fair and you got the fitting you needed to make sure that the clubs fit your game.

It's reassuring to hear good fitting experiences that lead to better enjoyment of golf.

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[Johan185]

Playing devils advocate here (and nothing more or meaning to offend anyone) . I notice there is a wide disparity of handicap indexes in this thread. We are all improving , but the higher caps tend to be the ones that make the biggest strides from swing changes. Say you go out and buy the $ thousands custom fit clubs that are set to how you are swinging at that moment. Say a month(s) from that purchase your swing changes from over to under or vice versa (all new Aoa - smash factor- speed and path .. Etc). Would these custom clubs be obsolete than for your new motion ?

If if we all continue to improve , how can custom clubs be current if we are all making positive changes? Seems like it would be an endless cycle of tinkering. Tour pro's have the luxury of having a van right behind them on the range . Many of us do not . just curious. This has a lot of "chicken or the egg" here.

Will leave it at that. Very intersting read I have to say .

The solution would be to get forged clubs which can be easily adjusted to loft and lie angles to match your swing in whatever direction your game may lead.

I have my loft and lie angles check once or twice a year, and I will strike the lie angle plastic board just prior.

This usually results as few as one to as many as 8-10 irons or wedges being adjusted to my current swing or back to the original specs. Depending on how my game is progressing. This way I'm always fit for my gear. A major make over has never been required. Once you love your iron heads and shafts. The other minor changes are no biggie and cheaply preformed.

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[Drew Z]

This thread has me thinking now.
I have a scheduled fitting at a studio that is in the Golf Digest Top 100 Fitters.
I was looking to get the #'s on shaft length, lie angle, flex, etc. but had planned on getting the clubs elsewhere (probably Golf Galaxy) once I had the spec's.
If Golf Galaxy can provide all that and the cost of the fitting goes towards the clubs, why not get it there?

I will say this, I've never had a fitting done and am not adverse to spending the $150 for the 2 hour fitting.
I just don't want to leave there not knowing which actual shaft to get in my new irons if they are going to try and put me in ones that cost 1k+ just for the shafts.

I've done "free fittings" before purchasing at a local, family owned golf shop for my irons. However, it wasn't very detailed and I feel that I would benefit much more from a paid fitting. At the free fittings or box stores, they don't seem very motivated and probably can't tell if you are a tire kicker or are serious.

 

[ShanksaloT]

When it came to getting fit for my irons and driver recently the cost of the fitting was included in each session...

My iron fitting took about 2.5-3 hrs after choosing various shafts, heads, etc. and my driver fitting was also very comprehensive and took about 2 hrs or so....

I simply said I would like to try XXX clubs and told him my budget range and he made sure to stay as close to that as possible...

 

[Johan185]

So I know this entire thing is about me, so I feel obligated to chime in here.

First off, I really enjoyed the experience and am glad I did it. It gave me some really excellent feedback on my swing, I got my lies adjusted for free (which on its own for 9 clubs would have cost me like 50 or 60 bucks at the shop) and they set up my drivers PERFECTLY, and I got to hit some really cool premium shafts that I wouldn't have got to hit otherwise. I also for the first time in my golfing life feel like I actually understand swingweight, and I have swingweight specs on my whole set now.

On the price - yes, I fully agree it was pretty silly. However, I went in knowing that could happen. I wanted to see what kind of improvements I was really missing out on with really high end stuff on the table as well. And the answer was, not a whole lot. The JPX 850 Forged with Recoil 95 setup that was quoted for me netted only an additional 3 yards of distance, and while the M1 hybrids with Accra shafts netted me about 10 yards per club, it's important to remember that the loft on that 3 hybrid is 2* lower than my Bridgestone, so set to the same loft the difference is closer to what I saw on the irons. I can 100% concur with feedback in here that I will not be paying 3 G's for 8 clubs. Especially when they fixed all my lies which we determined is one of the things that causes my low left miss I struggle with when hitting it fat.

Now, the value in it, I believe, is just as Jman said earlier - I can piece the components together for much cheaper if I procure them myself and have a local builder do the assembly. I know many others on here (I talked to dhartmann, specifically) have done the same and been really happy with the results. Whether I decide to do this or not, I'm not sure yet, but I like the feel of the 850F/Recoil combo a lot so I may start barking up that tree to see what I could build it for. Alternately, I could even just have my Z Stars reshafted with Recoils to save even more coin.

At any rate, the short of it is that they told me I have a good setup overall with some minor tweaks we made on site, and gave me some really good info despite the high price quote for the gear. I'm happy with it, and I feel I wouldn't have gotten the same info if I had said "I only want to hit these shafts".

The Recoil 95 are amazing shafts. Can't blame you for following in love with them.

Fleabay don't fail my brother this holiday season.

I donating a dollar to the Save SkiBumGolfer's Xmas from the Grinch Fund.

Tax deductible please call in your pleads to 999 please stop the Grinch.

Please only take this as a pun. You bared your soul and your experience with honor and we only comment to share and learn.

Every one grows and improves because of the honest sharing of the community experience.

THP rules.

Happy Holidays.

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[JMN57]

This thread has me thinking now.
I have a scheduled fitting at a studio that is in the Golf Digest Top 100 Fitters.
I was looking to get the #'s on shaft length, lie angle, flex, etc. but had planned on getting the clubs elsewhere (probably Golf Galaxy) once I had the spec's.
If Golf Galaxy can provide all that and the cost of the fitting goes towards the clubs, why not get it there?

I will say this, I've never had a fitting done and am not adverse to spending the $150 for the 2 hour fitting.
I just don't want to leave there not knowing which actual shaft to get in my new irons if they are going to try and put me in ones that cost 1k+ just for the shafts.

Personally, I prefer a top fitter to what might be pretty random at a bigbox.

In my fitting, there was no pressure to buy anything at any particular price point. Besides getting the specs (lie, Mizuno shaft optimizer) and having my try a LOT of different clubs and shafts, he was observing ball flight and asking me what I felt with different setups. I never got the feeling that I was being upsold but rather he was intent on getting me into clubs that I liked and that worked for me. What I ended up with (more $ than I had planned) was my decision and I made it with no pressure, etc. In fact we discussed different price options and, to me, the bag I ended up with was the one that I thought worked/felt best and the extra cost was well worth the difference.

It's been almost a year and a half since I bought that set and I have to say I have not had one single regret.

 

[Trout Bum]

It's crazy, right? While I can speak volumes about how awesome the TPHDe shaft is, I can't imagine dropping that dollar amount on a series of them for all my woods. As I believe there are a vast array of shafts that function differently yet relatively similar to the platform I prefer, I always make an attempt to measure against shafts that are in my price range.

For this example, there may be a bit of a loss in feedback (torque) or looks, but I find myself trying hard to stay within the 'normal' confines of shaft options. Like standard iron shafts over "proto"

Dang dude I wouldn't even know what to do if I hit one ab d liked it, I'd hock everything I own lol.

 

[SkiBumGolfer]

You were definitely my muse, SBG!

It was more a question of how each individual pursues their fitting, or takes into account the cost of what they get fit to before saying to the fitter "let's go!"

Some seem to have taken my question to be 'what should we do' and that's fine I guess. I've enjoyed the responses.

I figured so! I agree, it's started a good discussion so I'm cool with being the jumping off point.

Like you said, it's all in how you like to approach things I think. Whether you want to get absolutely EVERYTHING on the table and see how good you can make things and then decide how much you're willing to spend, or whether you don't even want to tempt yourself with the pricier options.

 

[SkiBumGolfer]

I've done "free fittings" before purchasing at a local, family owned golf shop for my irons. However, it wasn't very detailed and I feel that I would benefit much more from a paid fitting. At the free fittings or box stores, they don't seem very motivated and probably can't tell if you are a tire kicker or are serious.

Personally, I prefer a top fitter to what might be pretty random at a bigbox.

In my fitting, there was no pressure to buy anything at any particular price point. Besides getting the specs (lie, Mizuno shaft optimizer) and having my try a LOT of different clubs and shafts, he was observing ball flight and asking me what I felt with different setups. I never got the feeling that I was being upsold but rather he was intent on getting me into clubs that I liked and that worked for me. What I ended up with (more $ than I had planned) was my decision and I made it with no pressure, etc. In fact we discussed different price options and, to me, the bag I ended up with was the one that I thought worked/felt best and the extra cost was well worth the difference.

It's been almost a year and a half since I bought that set and I have to say I have not had one single regret.

I would agree with all of this. The big box store fittings are not detailed in the slightest, and multiple times I've found I know more about shafts and clubhead characteristics than they do. A true fitter will be a completely different animal.

 

[Dave Alvarado]

So after going through some pretty major swing changes this year along with trying out *lots* of different equipment, I think I can say pretty seriously that probably the most important thing to get fit for are length, lie, and weight. Those are the things that affect your swing tempo and how you make contact. Getting those right help you make more consistent center-face contact.

Once you're making consistent center-face contact, that's when you can start caring about things like kick point, etc. and try to get more distance. I know for me the biggest distance gain is just hitting the ball square in the middle of the club face. If you put me in some super light R-flex Recoils, I promise I won't be hitting as far as with something like a heavier S-flex KBS Tour V because I'll be hitting all over the face. Same with drivers--I thought I needed super light, so I was rocking an Elements Chrome in my D200 from THP Legacy. Turns out what I really need is heavy, both head weight and total weight. I also need a shorter shaft. Enter a 44.5" G30 with a 65g S-flex shaft and I'm hitting much better. My current irons are +1/2" because that's how I was static fit, but they're actually too long, I hit better with standard length clubs. They're also toe-up and I think I need to be standard or maybe toe-down, I need to get back on a lie board and confirm.

I'm planning to get a full fitting next month, and I'll probably be buying myself a bag of clubs to go with it. I don't care so much about "open catalog", I have an idea of the clubs I want, I just need to figure out the right specs for them based on my swing now.

 

[ArmyGolf]

For me, cost has nothing to do with a fittings outcome. If the XXIO Prime and TP6HDe fits me absolutely the best, I want to know. That's the whole point.

Doesn't mean I'll buy per say, but the knowledge is what I want.

 

[musicmaster6921]

I have never been fit into any club. With that said I would go in with a budget and even if I came in under the budget I would still probably just find the components myself and assemble them myself and then have the lie adjusted if need be.

 

[Lynchburg14]

Never had a true 100% full fitting but price is everything to me. I have to be able to justify spending the money and then justify how that money gone affect everyday life for my family. Unless those new shafts etc. are lowing my scores by a mile then they can stay right there.

 

[mancest]

This thread has me thinking now.
I have a scheduled fitting at a studio that is in the Golf Digest Top 100 Fitters.
I was looking to get the #'s on shaft length, lie angle, flex, etc. but had planned on getting the clubs elsewhere (probably Golf Galaxy) once I had the spec's.
If Golf Galaxy can provide all that and the cost of the fitting goes towards the clubs, why not get it there?

I will say this, I've never had a fitting done and am not adverse to spending the $150 for the 2 hour fitting.
I just don't want to leave there not knowing which actual shaft to get in my new irons if they are going to try and put me in ones that cost 1k+ just for the shafts.

I would recommend going to a good fitter. Having been to the big box stores (and did my first fitting there) some guys know what they are doing, and quite a few more don't. The experienced fitter will probably cost a little more but will most likely give you the bet results you can get and will probably give you the most confidence that you have the right fit.

 

[arydolphin]

Personally, I prefer a top fitter to what might be pretty random at a bigbox.

In my fitting, there was no pressure to buy anything at any particular price point. Besides getting the specs (lie, Mizuno shaft optimizer) and having my try a LOT of different clubs and shafts, he was observing ball flight and asking me what I felt with different setups. I never got the feeling that I was being upsold but rather he was intent on getting me into clubs that I liked and that worked for me. What I ended up with (more $ than I had planned) was my decision and I made it with no pressure, etc. In fact we discussed different price options and, to me, the bag I ended up with was the one that I thought worked/felt best and the extra cost was well worth the difference.

It's been almost a year and a half since I bought that set and I have to say I have not had one single regret.

I wanted to quote this post because it says something really important about fittings. A good fitter should be all about getting the golfer into the best-performing equipment for that person, and not pushing higher-priced gear. If someone is uncomfortable with the cost of a particular setup, there are usually lower-priced options that can give a golfer similar performance for a nicer price tag. It happened with my fitting: we tried a bunch of more expensive hybrid shafts, and came back to the stock shafts. I also hit my current 3 wood about 5 times (the oldest club in my bag) and the fitter basically said "put that away, we're not going to beat those numbers" so that saved me some money right there.

 

[Just_Brad]

I think the "best of the best" fitting is interesting.... but for me I won't ever end up with that in my bags (unless Grandaddy bound).

For me, it would be more of a get the specs/stats, get some options, and then price out the best combination of price/performance for me.

 

[JMN57]

So after going through some pretty major swing changes this year along with trying out *lots* of different equipment, I think I can say pretty seriously that probably the most important thing to get fit for are length, lie, and weight. Those are the things that affect your swing tempo and how you make contact. Getting those right help you make more consistent center-face contact.

Once you're making consistent center-face contact, that's when you can start caring about things like kick point, etc. and try to get more distance. I know for me the biggest distance gain is just hitting the ball square in the middle of the club face. If you put me in some super light R-flex Recoils, I promise I won't be hitting as far as with something like a heavier S-flex KBS Tour V because I'll be hitting all over the face. Same with drivers--I thought I needed super light, so I was rocking an Elements Chrome in my D200 from THP Legacy. Turns out what I really need is heavy, both head weight and total weight. I also need a shorter shaft. Enter a 44.5" G30 with a 65g S-flex shaft and I'm hitting much better. My current irons are +1/2" because that's how I was static fit, but they're actually too long, I hit better with standard length clubs. They're also toe-up and I think I need to be standard or maybe toe-down, I need to get back on a lie board and confirm.

I'm planning to get a full fitting next month, and I'll probably be buying myself a bag of clubs to go with it. I don't care so much about "open catalog", I have an idea of the clubs I want, I just need to figure out the right specs for them based on my swing now.

Truer words never written and should be #1 goal of any golfer.

I really focused on quality of strike the last half of this year. Slowed my tempo and found lots of extra distance - all because of hitting the sweetspot more consistently.