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Club Fittings for Irons

Nippon Shafts
Tenputt said:
I am totally convinced that indoors, TrackMan is not as good as GC Quad. It will estimate numbers without the stickers. That being said, I use it frequently through my winter work on my swing. I have a facility for indoor practice and TrackMan is their launch monitor of choice, so that is what I have available to me. I think it is EXTREMELY helpful in working on different aspects of one’s swing. Last year, I worked on club path throughout the winter. The feedback with numbers truly helped me and I shot the best scores of my life, even though I don’t have nearly the swing speed I once had.
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I guess I did have some stats that weren’t picked up frequently with a GW. But if it didn’t pick them up it just left them blank and didn’t estimate. It was more to do with capturing club path and swing plain than CHS, BS, or spin though. I hit a couple high spinners with each ball and it jumped the number up appx 2k with each ball. It always captured CHS, BS, and spin and I’m 99% sure of the accuracy as I was as disappointed in my poor swing there as I was on the course, 😂.
 
JDax said:
I was fit at the ECPC during the ‘17 Grandaddy and we used a 6 iron for that fitting.
My fitter, Gerritt, said that the reason they used the 6 iron in the fitting is that if you can hit the 6 iron, you can hit anything...
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For me, I think this is a valid point. The 6I is where my swing issues start to amplify themselves a bit. If I was fitted into an 8I it would be far easier to end up in something that I couldn't realistically game lower in the set. Doesn't mean I don't wish I could hit more irons in a set, but I understand the limitation.

IMO fittings overall should just be considered as more additional information for considering your choices. Have I bought irons based on a single fitting? Absolutely. I've also waited or abstained because I wasn't comfortable with something about it be it me, the fitter, whatever. This goes for any club in the bag. I do wish outdoor fittings were always possible, but it plain isn't for a lot of folks, which is why some of the playability guarantees are helpful if you're looking at somewhere like CC.

It is kind of ridiculous that the fitter didn't really want to talk to the OP about his game or what he's looking to accomplish. It happens, but if you're paying a premium to use their facility and possibly buy clubs from them, it's in their best interest to make sure you enjoy the experience so you'll return, refer your friends, etc.
 
JonD said:
It is kind of ridiculous that the fitter didn't really want to talk to the OP about his game or what he's looking to accomplish. It happens, but if you're paying a premium to use their facility and possibly buy clubs from them, it's in their best interest to make sure you enjoy the experience so you'll return, refer your friends, etc.
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This 100%... I’m a certified Callaway fitter from my time at Dick’s, in the Callaway fitter training, the first question that you ask is what are you looking to accomplish and tell me about your game?
 
JDax said:
I was fit at the ECPC during the ‘17 Grandaddy and we used a 6 iron for that fitting.
My fitter, Gerritt, said that the reason they used the 6 iron in the fitting is that if you can hit the 6 iron, you can hit anything...
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It seems logical, but I actually hit mid irons better than wedges, at least relative to what we would expect. I have a problem with early extension and when it creeps in the heel misses are more pronounced in a 9 iron or wedge than in a 6 iron. I honestly don’t ever remembering having the sh__ks (can’t even say the word) with a mid iron, but yet fight it with wedges.
 
JDax said:
This 100%... I’m a certified Callaway fitter from my time at Dick’s, in the Callaway fitter training, the first question that you ask is what are you looking to accomplish and tell me about your game?
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this seems so logical and appropriate as an approach.
 
It certainly does not sound like an optimal fitting process. How can a fitter determine where to steer you unless they know a little bit about you first? I can't speak to the differences between TM and GCQ; I was fitted using TM indoors and confirmed with TM outdoors at another session.

I agree 110% with your comment about choosing an entire set of irons by hitting only one. IMO the best fitting process would include building the clubs, having you play two to three rounds with them, and then make minor adjustments as necessary. But I get that this process would potentially incur a huge cost to the fitter which would have to be passed on to the consumer. While it seems strange, if I think to other major purchases (ie. a vehicle/house/etc.) we are forced to make a decision that will last years based on a very short trial period.

My best advice to anyone looking to purchase clubs via the custom fitting process would be to find a fitter and go through the process without purchasing anything. Get as much information as you can from them about what specs they think fit you best. Wait a couple of weeks and then visit a second fitter and see how the process and results compare. If at all possible obtain a couple of demo clubs in between to use in a "real world" situation to judge your comfort level with them. Proceed with whichever fitting you feel more comfortable with the results of. If you choose to share some basic information (ie. Apex Pro iron) with the second fitter all things being equal you should wind up with a very similar result.
Yes, you will incur an additional cost by going through two fittings, but if you are like me you will probably play these clubs for the next five or more years. If I have to spend an extra 5% up front to confirm to myself that I am in fact choosing the correct setup then that is money well spent. I learned the hard way last year; I purchased a set of irons based on my fitters recommendations, only to wind up swapping out the shafts based on a second opinion and my own comfort level. That was a $700 mistake, which works out to about 30% of the original cost. It could have been avoided by spending an additional $100 for a fitting session.

I hope this doesn't scare people off of the fitting process; there is far more benefit to be gained than there is risk. Just make sure you are comfortable with the result before you pull out your credit card. A good fitter will know when you're not 100% invested, and will likely offer/recommend you "sleep on it" or even go through a second session to be sure. They rely on referrals as much as anyone, so they don't want you to go away second guessing things.
 
Junkyard said:
It certainly does not sound like an optimal fitting process. How can a fitter determine where to steer you unless they know a little bit about you first? I can't speak to the differences between TM and GCQ; I was fitted using TM indoors and confirmed with TM outdoors at another session.

I agree 110% with your comment about choosing an entire set of irons by hitting only one. IMO the best fitting process would include building the clubs, having you play two to three rounds with them, and then make minor adjustments as necessary. But I get that this process would potentially incur a huge cost to the fitter which would have to be passed on to the consumer. While it seems strange, if I think to other major purchases (ie. a vehicle/house/etc.) we are forced to make a decision that will last years based on a very short trial period.

My best advice to anyone looking to purchase clubs via the custom fitting process would be to find a fitter and go through the process without purchasing anything. Get as much information as you can from them about what specs they think fit you best. Wait a couple of weeks and then visit a second fitter and see how the process and results compare. If at all possible obtain a couple of demo clubs in between to use in a "real world" situation to judge your comfort level with them. Proceed with whichever fitting you feel more comfortable with the results of. If you choose to share some basic information (ie. Apex Pro iron) with the second fitter all things being equal you should wind up with a very similar result.
Yes, you will incur an additional cost by going through two fittings, but if you are like me you will probably play these clubs for the next five or more years. If I have to spend an extra 5% up front to confirm to myself that I am in fact choosing the correct setup then that is money well spent. I learned the hard way last year; I purchased a set of irons based on my fitters recommendations, only to wind up swapping out the shafts based on a second opinion and my own comfort level. That was a $700 mistake, which works out to about 30% of the original cost. It could have been avoided by spending an additional $100 for a fitting session.

I hope this doesn't scare people off of the fitting process; there is far more benefit to be gained than there is risk. Just make sure you are comfortable with the result before you pull out your credit card. A good fitter will know when you're not 100% invested, and will likely offer/recommend you "sleep on it" or even go through a second session to be sure. They rely on referrals as much as anyone, so they don't want you to go away second guessing things.
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Good analysis
 
I’m sorry that you had such a poor experience, I agree with pretty well everything you laid out from using trackman right through to the six iron. How long does it to put dots on 3 of your preferred balls while you warm up?

I think I literally would have ended the session at point #2 if he had pulled that one on me, you have more patience and anger control than me.
 
jdtox said:
I have always wondered why a 6 iron. It makes no sense to me as many people don't even bag a 6 iron anymore.
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It’s about length and lie. Smack dab in the middle of the length spectrum to how how a golfer delivers the club head to the ball.

I know a lot of people view it as a tool to see how well they hit that particular ball, but a good fitter is less concerned.
 
Sorry to hear how all this went down. Like everyone else, #2 really stands out in a bad way. Unless ?maybe? THAT fitter knows he does his best work seeing a handful of swings without preconceptions? The ball thing really bugs me too. Smacks of nickel/dime-ing clients to save on dot costs. Our guy has all the current balls available to fit with.

I don't know if these fitting issues are common because we don't have any big chain golf stores or fitting/lesson centers here. Our one golf retailer is a smallish space in a strip mall with a cramped bay and a Skytrak. We do have an excellent (IMO) independent fitting studio though. Been fit there numerous times (putter through driver) and haven't noticed any significant errors with his indoor Trackman setup. But he incorporates HSV and configured his setup with 25+ feet from hitting area to screen so maybe all that helps with indoor accuracy? I was fit for irons there back in December. Compared 7 irons from 6 OEMs, multiple shafts on the models he determined best for me etc... He gets around the issue of basing fittings off just one club by offering an opportunity to do a gapping session and bend any lofts necessary. I've only had my irons a few weeks and plan to wait on 'gapping' until I've played several more rounds. But good to know it's included.
 
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This is a good iron fitting - yes, maybe not realistic for mere mortals :)
(The full session is over 2 hours.....)

This is a bit more relevant for mere mortals


And this


I'm lucky enough to have local access to TXG (in non-COVID times anyway) and their fitting processes are very good - the use of GC Quad addresses a number of the questions asked by the OP. Of course you get what you pay for as well as top shelf fitting is a service based on expertise - by the TXG Gang do it better than I've ever seen - not a plug for TXG, but since the OP asked about quality, I think this is helpful to see what good can look like.
 
Doesn't sound like the ideal fitting to me.
When I went I was asked a bunch of questions and then he went off what I gave him.
He also looked at the shafts I was playing with.
 
I too question the use of a 6 iron for iron fittings. More and more, we are seeing the 6 iron be the longest iron in the bag. Often the 6 iron loft is what was a 5 iron in years past.
 
I would never do an indoor iron fitting. I don't hit off mats when I'm playing. I need to see ball flight and feel turf interaction.
More disturbing is your fitter's lack of interest in your feedback and impressions.
Find another place.
 
JDax said:
I was fit at the ECPC during the ‘17 Grandaddy and we used a 6 iron for that fitting.
My fitter, Gerritt, said that the reason they used the 6 iron in the fitting is that if you can hit the 6 iron, you can hit anything...
Click to expand...
I can hit a 6 iron, but I sure as hell don't have the speed for an effective 3 iron.
 
El Rayo X said:
I can hit a 6 iron, but I sure as hell don't have the speed for an effective 3 iron.
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Most are getting fit into hybrids for that spot... 🤷‍♂️
 
JDax said:
This 100%... I’m a certified Callaway fitter from my time at Dick’s, in the Callaway fitter training, the first question that you ask is what are you looking to accomplish and tell me about your game?
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I sold ski equipment for a long time and that is the first question as well. Tell me about how and where you like to ski. It seems silly to start a fitting without any dialogue like that. Even if you are going to base things on watching swings, ball flight and numbers it gets the person being fit engaged.
 
I am contemplating going to a Pga Tour Superstore instead of Club Champion for next iron set. Having gone through an iron fitting at Club Champion in Dec 2019, i know the shaft that i want and Callaway offers it in their Apex and Apex DCB irons. So, my thought is to go in choosing between Apex and Apex DCB with Recoil 65 Dart shafts. I don't need to start with a blank sheet of paper.
 
scott.french3 said:
I am contemplating going to a Pga Tour Superstore instead of Club Champion for next iron set. Having gone through an iron fitting at Club Champion in Dec 2019, i know the shaft that i want and Callaway offers it in their Apex and Apex DCB irons. So, my thought is to go in choosing between Apex and Apex DCB with Recoil 65 Dart shafts. I don't need to start with a blank sheet of paper.
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You can definitely do that at PGATSS. I hit the Apex and Apex pro there the other day and they had the Dart shafts. I know they do a bit more detailed fitting for $50 I think but if you have something in mind they will work with "fitting" you for free. I really was interested in comparing them to my Apex 19s and just wanted to hit them and they were fine with that.
 
JDax said:
Most are getting fit into hybrids for that spot... 🤷‍♂️
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I was responding the earlier post the said his fitter said if you could hit a 6 iron, you could hit anything....
 
El Rayo X said:
I would never do an indoor iron fitting. I don't hit off mats when I'm playing. I need to see ball flight and feel turf interaction.
More disturbing is your fitter's lack of interest in your feedback and impressions.
Find another place.
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This would be me as well. I've never and will never do an indoor fitting. I need to feel turf interaction and see ball flight. If I won't spend $10 to hit range balls off a mat, I certainly wouldn't do it to make a $1000 purchase...
 
Tenputt said:
I know that this is not the first time that this subject has been raised. However, I have been thinking about a recent iron fitting experience that I had and wonder how beneficial they really are, as they currently seem to be done. Here are a few things that occurred and my thoughts:

1. The facility uses TrackMan, which I do not believe is the best launch monitor for indoor use. In order to obtain accurate data, the facility required me to use its ball, which had the little sticker dots on it, to permit the LM to read the ball accurately. I asked if I could use my own ball that I think suits me best and the answer was “no.”

2. The fitter did not want any of my input regarding what I know about my swing, including what my miss is when my swing is not optimal, my strengths, my weaknesses, my experience with what type of shaft characteristics work for me. He continued to say that he was the fitter, not me. I tried politely to us the analogy of going to the doctor. In my experience, the doctor will ask you to describe what your symptoms are and help him/her make the diagnosis.

3. I really wonder about the idea of having only a 6 iron to make a decision regarding what set of irons would work best for my game. The 6 iron is one of the least used clubs in my bag. With the last set of irons I played for about a year, the 6 iron was one of the best clubs in the set for me, but I struggled with the 9 iron and pw. It seems very difficult to me to be able to gauge how the scoring irons are going to work when only a 6 iron is available for the fitting. Having only a 6 iron also precludes the possibility of considering a blended set of irons.

I walked away wondering if the fitting was really all that beneficial. I think it would be very helpful for somebody who does not know equipment well or does not understand his/her swing characteristics, but for me, the only way I really think I know how well a set of irons works for me is to play them out on the course.

Am I being too critical or having too many expectations for a fitting (which I understand has to be standardized in order to make it a profitable business model)?
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Next time you're there, ask them why Trackman vs any monitor that can actually 'see' the ball using both doppler and high speed cameras therefore you are relying on a calculation to get all your numbers?
 
For the swing stuff and not asking, if the fitter had been quietly seeing your swing as well as maybe putting some kind of impact detection (spray or decal) then moved into using the tech may have resulted in a better experience
 
El Rayo X said:
I would never do an indoor iron fitting. I don't hit off mats when I'm playing. I need to see ball flight and feel turf interaction.
More disturbing is your fitter's lack of interest in your feedback and impressions.
Find another place.
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Unless you’re hitting the golf ball you play, hitting outdoors is useless in regards to seeing ball flight. You’re not seeing a true flight with a range ball. Plus you’re inviting uncontrolled variables like wind into the mix and using what your eyes “see” to make a judgment call. High end mats produce almost identical results to hitting off turf.
 
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