If a fitter doesn't offer stock shafts..
If they’re not selling all offerings in the lineup and only the up charged options they’re just that a up charged fitting studio. Some like that to show what’s the latest and most exotic materials but if you don’t have all the offerings and agnostic you can’t be viewed as a premium fitter.
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- #29
Just because it’s listed as a stock shaft for one brand doesn’t mean it should be available to try. What if it’s the best fit for you? What if it’s the best fit in another brand that it’s not a stock option in?
Plenty of great shafts offered at stock options off the top of my head paired with various heads… Diamana, Tensei, Hzrdus, LinQ, etc.
As I was typing the above it popped in my head that I think maybe non stock options would make more sense in irons than drivers. I admittedly often times am not a fan of stock iron shafts. They are chosen because they work for the masses and they are inexpensive for the OEM but in a custom fitting scenario they may not be the best option. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be available to test against though.
Plenty of great shafts offered at stock options off the top of my head paired with various heads… Diamana, Tensei, Hzrdus, LinQ, etc.
As I was typing the above it popped in my head that I think maybe non stock options would make more sense in irons than drivers. I admittedly often times am not a fan of stock iron shafts. They are chosen because they work for the masses and they are inexpensive for the OEM but in a custom fitting scenario they may not be the best option. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be available to test against though.
I may not be right, but it is my understanding that Club Champion will likely have the shaft that is considered stock in the OEM club their pricing structure is just that they treat the purchase of the club head and shaft separately right? So if I went in to get fitted for a Darkspeed driver they would likely have the Linq and Hzrdus line of shafts, but if I chose to purchase from them after the fitting I would get charged more than setting up that configuration from Cobra. They also have a bunch of other shafts to try to fit you into and you should have the option to suggest trying different things and you should be able to let them know your budget upfront. It's also two separate transactions in you are paying for a fitting, you don't have to buy anything else from them and they will still give you the results of said fitting, so I'm fine with it. If my understanding is wrong, please correct me.
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- #31
I’d be pretty disappointed in that fitter if they didn’t at least try and give me the stock choice.
That being said, joke’s on them anyway I’m gonna just self fit from the stuff I have in the garage.
That being said, joke’s on them anyway I’m gonna just self fit from the stuff I have in the garage.
My game can work pretty well with stock offerings....THP events included 
If they only offer shafts with an up charge, I'd be going somewhere else
If they only offer shafts with an up charge, I'd be going somewhere else
Apart from the economics involved and the business or philosophical choices that sellers of golf equipment have to make: for many people finding the shaft, head and grip combination that works best for them is a mystical process.
The reality is that you just don’t know what is going to be the best until you try it.
Premium aftermarket shafts may or may not perform better for a golfer than the stock shafts.
By limiting the choices it arbitrarily eliminates many combinations that might have been the optimal fit.
The reality is that you just don’t know what is going to be the best until you try it.
Premium aftermarket shafts may or may not perform better for a golfer than the stock shafts.
By limiting the choices it arbitrarily eliminates many combinations that might have been the optimal fit.
- Staff
- #34
I mean some custom shops don’t carry stock shafts right? Like Cool Clubs I don’t believe carries stock shafts for drivers. But I also think people going to a place like that are looking for something more.
I don’t know if CC carries stock offerings for woods.
I don’t know if CC carries stock offerings for woods.
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And value. Most companies do a great job matching stock to the meat of their market and bring those shafts at a huge value to their customers. It’s like the fitter is saying I want to make this as expensive as possible.
The last part of your post took the words out of my mouth.
Nope, Stock may or may not be the best option but if they don't offer them I am going to question their motives.
I've thought about this many times...
I had a full bag fitting at CC. I didn't order the irons they fitted me into because of cost; would have been $3400! Ouch! Many times since that fitting I thought about all the iron shafts I tried, none of them were the stock offerings to the heads I was fit for.
Day two of my fitting was for woods. We gathered numbers on my driver, afterwards he said, "a new driver isn't going to be a big improvement on these numbers". I left believing he would have given me a real driver fitting had I bought the irons a few days before.
I had a full bag fitting at CC. I didn't order the irons they fitted me into because of cost; would have been $3400! Ouch! Many times since that fitting I thought about all the iron shafts I tried, none of them were the stock offerings to the heads I was fit for.
Day two of my fitting was for woods. We gathered numbers on my driver, afterwards he said, "a new driver isn't going to be a big improvement on these numbers". I left believing he would have given me a real driver fitting had I bought the irons a few days before.
Found it weird when I did my club champion fitting they wouldn't put me in the stock true temper to try and only tried kbs and other shafts.
It would be like going into a wine shop where the least expensive bottle starts at $200. I'd go down the street to the other wine shop, knowing I can get a great bottle of wine for $20.
I believe in finding the best fit for someone, but within their price range. What was nice about my wife's experience at Cool Clubs a while back was that she was fit to something "exotic" but the fitter went through the database and was knowledgeable enough to recommend a shaft available from the OEM that was available at no upcharge. Worked out quite well.
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Other than Ping, who actually offers a stock shaft? My TXG fitting had every shaft that Titleist offered as standard or up charge, their pricing model just doesn’t include them in the cost. No one is “limited” in their options, you’ll just pay a hell of lot more if you’re fitted into a shaft that a particular OEM offers as a standard option.
I'll toss a grenade in on this one... (And maybe even The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, even)
For the VAST majority of people buying a driver, they won't even hit one at the store. "I want this one because so and so says it's good..."
And there is a smaller percentage who might want to demo a few drivers with the stock shafts, and find one they like based on feel or numbers.
Then, there is the even SMALLER percentage who will get "Store Fit" by the staff of a Dicks, GG, PGA Superstore, etc... Either go through a couple of different brands or setup by the 'Company Booth' who might dabble with loft sleeves and the different stock offerings to get what the buyer wants or needs.
And an even SMALLER percentage will go a bit further to maybe a Club Champion or whatever to explore the various options using a more 'customized' but affordable shaft option because they believe it will make a huge difference (maybe it will, maybe it won't- you still need the skill to get the most out of it) and are willing to drop an extra few bucks.
But I'm willing to say the TINIEST percentage are those guys who NEED the $400 (or whatever) shaft upgrade to get those extra 10 yards of distance and 10 yards less dispersion in their game. Above that are the Tour Level players who don't get the 'Stock' Driver Head anyway and get tour issue heads and shafts. But they are least likely to worry about cost since their sponsor is footing the bill anyway.
So- the Fitter who won't fit into a 'Stock' shaft is probably missing out on a rather large proportion of possible business and is catering to a niche market of the 'Above Average' spender. If he's comfortable with that and can get a similar level of profit by catering to less people, then fine, that's his business... literally. BUT- he should make it known to his potential customers that that is his model.
For the VAST majority of people buying a driver, they won't even hit one at the store. "I want this one because so and so says it's good..."
And there is a smaller percentage who might want to demo a few drivers with the stock shafts, and find one they like based on feel or numbers.
Then, there is the even SMALLER percentage who will get "Store Fit" by the staff of a Dicks, GG, PGA Superstore, etc... Either go through a couple of different brands or setup by the 'Company Booth' who might dabble with loft sleeves and the different stock offerings to get what the buyer wants or needs.
And an even SMALLER percentage will go a bit further to maybe a Club Champion or whatever to explore the various options using a more 'customized' but affordable shaft option because they believe it will make a huge difference (maybe it will, maybe it won't- you still need the skill to get the most out of it) and are willing to drop an extra few bucks.
But I'm willing to say the TINIEST percentage are those guys who NEED the $400 (or whatever) shaft upgrade to get those extra 10 yards of distance and 10 yards less dispersion in their game. Above that are the Tour Level players who don't get the 'Stock' Driver Head anyway and get tour issue heads and shafts. But they are least likely to worry about cost since their sponsor is footing the bill anyway.
So- the Fitter who won't fit into a 'Stock' shaft is probably missing out on a rather large proportion of possible business and is catering to a niche market of the 'Above Average' spender. If he's comfortable with that and can get a similar level of profit by catering to less people, then fine, that's his business... literally. BUT- he should make it known to his potential customers that that is his model.
Wouldn't it be the fitter's job to explain the difference?
I feel my fitting at CC was less than stellar, and the build quality had issues as well. SW's were off and they dented the heads when adjusting the lie/loft.
Part of the reason I had them build the set is so they would be right. They weren't, and had to be redone. In the end, I only paid the same as it would have cost direct from Srixon.
They ended up going back and being discounted for the hassle.
I'm becoming a skeptic of the indoor fittings, except for Putter and Driver, at least for me.
My outdoor fitting have yeilded better results by far.
If a fitter doesn’t offer stock options I’m probably gonna question the motivations and fit. Since I’m a mental case and confidence is super important to how I perform I’m gonna have to pass on that fitter. I’m probably sticking with my current fitted shaft but options are a good thing.
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- #49
It was a TXG statement that got me on this, and I was thinking of LinQ when he said it. Not that they carried it before really, but now that it's stock in one brand it's basically not an option? In that moment it just seemed like not a great system. For customers I mean.
And there's irony when flipping over to irons. Where "Custom" shops DO offer a ton of stock iron shafts in their fitting matrix. Weird little double standard at work there.
Mark_UK
Legal Alien
It’s a no for me backed up by latest club champion visit. I was fit into a $2,500 set and from the numbers I saw, they offered no performance upgrade from the clubs I currently have. I’m all for non stock if I see an improvement, if I don’t, give me the stock offering.