Cost of Club Fitting

RatFink

Carnivore
Joined
Nov 22, 2010
Messages
5,569
Reaction score
1,330
Location
Calgary, Canada
Handicap
lim x-> 0
I have a time booked with Golftec at the end of the month which is very exciting.
My buddy was telling me that when he got fit for his clubs (5-6 years ago) the cost of the fitting was credited towards the cost of his clubs.

Does anyone know if this is the case anymore, or is it now over and above?
 
I believe GolfTec charges $125 (per component; driver, fairway, irons, wedges or putter) on top of the cost of the clubs, however, I don't know if their price is jacked through the roof like Club Champion or not.
 
Last edited:
If I would have been fit and bought clubs the price of the fitting would have been credit toward the clubs if I bought them through the fitter and it was more than $500 - I think it was. So yes, sometimes that still happens I don't know about all places though.
 
The fitter I used charges $125 for the fitting, but I got a 10% discount on the clubs which was about $120.
 
Interesting answers. I guess the question I have in my mind is - what is the margin that they are making on clubs, and does charging a fitting over and above buying a set count as double dipping?
 
Interesting answers. I guess the question I have in my mind is - what is the margin that they are making on clubs, and does charging a fitting over and above buying a set count as double dipping?
When you get your car repaired, you get charged for diagnosing the problem and the labor to do the repair. You also get charged for the parts they put on the car. They make money on both and depend on the mark up on the parts to stay in business. Just like the guys doing the fitting. Most fitters let you buy the clubs wherever you want.
 
I have only been fit at Club Champion and they were running a promo where the $350 full bag fitting cost was 50% off with a $500 equipment purchase.
 
Interesting answers. I guess the question I have in my mind is - what is the margin that they are making on clubs, and does charging a fitting over and above buying a set count as double dipping?
IMO the fitting is a service separate from the cost of the clubs. They're using a $20,000+ machine to fit you and you're paying for the time and expertise of the fitter, so I wouldn't consider that double dipping.

When I did my fitting at Top Golf it was $150, but they waived 50% of it if you made any club purchase over $500. Pricing on the clubs was exactly what I would've paid if I'd ordered them direct from Callaway. The guy doing the fitting was a PGA Certified Master Fitter, so it wasn't some sales clerk in a big box store giving me his best guess.
 
Fair answers - I agree with you all.

Just makes me need to consider $2k for irons instead of $1850 for irons. They better sink balls for me at that price!
 
I was just at club champion today. They did not credit anything from the fitting fee.
 
Fair answers - I agree with you all.

Just makes me need to consider $2k for irons instead of $1850 for irons. They better sink balls for me at that price!
Go get fit from some teenager at a big box store who doesn’t know how to turn on the launch monitor. Then spend $1,850 on clubs that don’t fit you properly. That’s the way I looked at it. if I’m spending that amount of money, a few bucks more to insure I’m getting the best clubs for me was a good decision.
 
I have been happy with Ted and Dave’s custom golf. I like that you are not just hitting into a simulator and are hitting outside so you can seen your ball flight. They are located at the Glenmore and Deerfoot RCGA range.
They include the price of the fitting if you buy the clubs from them.

I am not affiliated with the in any way.
 
Love the local advice! I actually sent them a message today since they couldn't answer their phone so we'll see what they come back with.
 
The fitter I go to waives the cost of the fitting if you buy clubs from him. It is an independently owned Cool Clubs franchise. I isn’t true at all places though. I did pay for a putter fitting at Club Champion though and definitely felt like it was worth the $100.
 
Love the local advice! I actually sent them a message today since they couldn't answer their phone so we'll see what they come back with.
I just did a fitting there a little over 2 weeks ago for new irons. When I booked it I did have to call back though as it was busy the first time I called. I have gone to them a bunch of times over the years and their pricing is good, similar to Golftown for this years models but the good thing is if you don’t need a full set of irons you only par for which ones you order (like any custom fit) as opposed to buying a full set off the shelf.
 
I just did a fitting there a little over 2 weeks ago for new irons. When I booked it I did have to call back though as it was busy the first time I called. I have gone to them a bunch of times over the years and their pricing is good, similar to Golftown for this years models but the good thing is if you don’t need a full set of irons you only par for which ones you order (like any custom fit) as opposed to buying a full set off the shelf.
That's awesome!

How are they with their club fitting philosophy? Will they fit you into something you will grow into or will they only make you focus on what you can hit today?
 
That's awesome!

How are they with their club fitting philosophy? Will they fit you into something you will grow into or will they only make you focus on what you can hit today?
I'm not really sure if they would try and fit you into something you would grow into as the times I have gone there I went with what performed the best for me at the time. I have gotten a driver, wedges (PING Glide Stealth), hybrids, a five wood, and a couple of iron sets through them in the past though. I also did a putter fitting there.

This past fitting I ended up with the PING i210, nothing else I tried was really even close, not even the G425. I was even striking my own irons I have been playing with the past year horribly at the fitting (MP20 MMC) which I got somewhere else because I received a good trade in value on a couple of older sets and a couple of putters; with my trade in I basically didn't have to pay...I used the Mizuno shaft optimizer and hit into a simulator for these and pretty much fit myself.

The crappy part was I never got out much this April between when I booked this fitting and when I got fit because of the weather (snow on my days off), so I didn't go in with my best swing, but I also wanted something that would perform better for me when I wasn't swinging well...I did put what I felt like were some really good swings (for me) on the i210 though, especially at the end.

When I went into the fitting I think he asked if I had any brand preferences. I'd recommend going to a big box store and trying out anything you are interested in before going for your fitting to see if there are some that you find easier to hit than others...some you might just waste your time with if you already know you won't hit them well. I asked for PING and Mizuno, so I am not sure if he handed me any other heads, but by the end of the fitting I had hit over 80 balls in around 45 minutes so I was already tired, which is why it is good to know if you have a brand preference because there are far too many options to hit in a fitting. You can always ask to try a different head if you want, or even a different category of head (players vs GI)

I told him what I was looking to change from my irons (MP20MMC) and that was to get more forgiveness on thin shots and a higher ball flight, especially on my 6 and 7 irons. He did say my 6 iron was flying really low. (I though I forgot my 7 iron as it was stuck under a head cover so I just used my 6 iron).

The first shaft he gave I think was a 90 gram shaft, probably to see it I would get a higher ball flight, after around 10-15 shots he asked how it felt to me and I said it felt like the clubhead was too heavy for me and most of my shots were going left, so he gave me a heavier shaft and it felt better.... I believe it ended up being a Dynamic Gold S300 105G, as I only looked at the shaft when the fitting was done and he said that was my best combo...I'm not sure how many other shafts he tried as I wasn't looking at any of them and didn't want to know or to have any bias for shafts or club heads. I have a CTaper lite in X flex in the MP20 which is 115 gram which was the Mizuno shaft optimizers top pick from last year so going to the 90 gram felt weird to me. I also have a set of JPX 900 Forged with a C Taper lite in 105G R flex which the weight feels good but the flex is a little too soft.

From my experience seem to try and fit you into non up charge shafts, but most companies now have a pretty good selections of non up charge shafts. I have never had them try and sell me into an expensive shaft.


I am not sure if they do this for everyone or if it is because I am a past customer, but I don't remember them ever taking a deposit or making me pay up front, even though I have offered.

I hope this helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask.
Dave.
 
I'm not really sure if they would try and fit you into something you would grow into as the times I have gone there I went with what performed the best for me at the time. I have gotten a driver, wedges (PING Glide Stealth), hybrids, a five wood, and a couple of iron sets through them in the past though. I also did a putter fitting there.

This past fitting I ended up with the PING i210, nothing else I tried was really even close, not even the G425. I was even striking my own irons I have been playing with the past year horribly at the fitting (MP20 MMC) which I got somewhere else because I received a good trade in value on a couple of older sets and a couple of putters; with my trade in I basically didn't have to pay...I used the Mizuno shaft optimizer and hit into a simulator for these and pretty much fit myself.

The crappy part was I never got out much this April between when I booked this fitting and when I got fit because of the weather (snow on my days off), so I didn't go in with my best swing, but I also wanted something that would perform better for me when I wasn't swinging well...I did put what I felt like were some really good swings (for me) on the i210 though, especially at the end.

When I went into the fitting I think he asked if I had any brand preferences. I'd recommend going to a big box store and trying out anything you are interested in before going for your fitting to see if there are some that you find easier to hit than others...some you might just waste your time with if you already know you won't hit them well. I asked for PING and Mizuno, so I am not sure if he handed me any other heads, but by the end of the fitting I had hit over 80 balls in around 45 minutes so I was already tired, which is why it is good to know if you have a brand preference because there are far too many options to hit in a fitting. You can always ask to try a different head if you want, or even a different category of head (players vs GI)

I told him what I was looking to change from my irons (MP20MMC) and that was to get more forgiveness on thin shots and a higher ball flight, especially on my 6 and 7 irons. He did say my 6 iron was flying really low. (I though I forgot my 7 iron as it was stuck under a head cover so I just used my 6 iron).

The first shaft he gave I think was a 90 gram shaft, probably to see it I would get a higher ball flight, after around 10-15 shots he asked how it felt to me and I said it felt like the clubhead was too heavy for me and most of my shots were going left, so he gave me a heavier shaft and it felt better.... I believe it ended up being a Dynamic Gold S300 105G, as I only looked at the shaft when the fitting was done and he said that was my best combo...I'm not sure how many other shafts he tried as I wasn't looking at any of them and didn't want to know or to have any bias for shafts or club heads. I have a CTaper lite in X flex in the MP20 which is 115 gram which was the Mizuno shaft optimizers top pick from last year so going to the 90 gram felt weird to me. I also have a set of JPX 900 Forged with a C Taper lite in 105G R flex which the weight feels good but the flex is a little too soft.

From my experience seem to try and fit you into non up charge shafts, but most companies now have a pretty good selections of non up charge shafts. I have never had them try and sell me into an expensive shaft.


I am not sure if they do this for everyone or if it is because I am a past customer, but I don't remember them ever taking a deposit or making me pay up front, even though I have offered.

I hope this helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask.
Dave.
Thanks for all the information Dave! I am looking at something like the i210 as an upgrade from the shovels I currently play - something visually appealing, isn't a one trick pony and will give me many years of playability in terms of growth and capability.

Sadly golf town isn't letting us whack any clubs right now so I am stuck with arm chair browsing - I've narrowed it down to a few aesthetically, but depending on what I actually swing like, hopefully something will come.

I will give them another shout today and see if they pick up.
 
Go get fit from some teenager at a big box store who doesn’t know how to turn on the launch monitor. Then spend $1,850 on clubs that don’t fit you properly. That’s the way I looked at it. if I’m spending that amount of money, a few bucks more to insure I’m getting the best clubs for me was a good decision.

I made that mistake once... But, honestly, the driver fitting I had at Golftec wasn’t much better. Fitter just kept handing me different stock driver setups based on what head interested me. No non-stock shafts. Very little discussion on data. Ended up walking out with my G400 Max and $125 poorer.
 
Any place that charges for fittings usually give some of it back if you purchase clubs, that being said Good luck with Golf Tec.
 
I would always go to a place that charges for the fitting regardless of whether you purchase or not. I don't want to feel any pressure to make a purchase. To me, I want the time/resources that were used during my fitting to be covered by the fee I pay. If I make a purchase based on that fitting, that should to me be a separate transaction, but you should receive all the data from the fitting and be able to make a purchase there or elsewhere, or not at all if so desired.

Now I have had multiple instances where after a fitting I made a purchase and discounts/bonuses were given.

At one shop, they gave me a free hat, towel and upgraded my shipping with no additional charge. Another, they only charged me for an iron fitting even though we did fit irons/woods/hybrid. To be fair, we were out door and it was 46 degrees and about to start raining so we rushed through the wood portion of the fitting, but I still got good info.

I have no experience with golftec so no idea how they operate.
 
Go independent. Golf Tec is primarily a teaching business and will not have the knowledge or resources to do a fitting at the same level as other fitters. If you go to a franchise fitter, take the fitting info and then run somewhere else to actually purchase the equipment unless you like setting money on fire.
 
Thanks for all the information Dave! I am looking at something like the i210 as an upgrade from the shovels I currently play - something visually appealing, isn't a one trick pony and will give me many years of playability in terms of growth and capability.

Sadly golf town isn't letting us whack any clubs right now so I am stuck with arm chair browsing - I've narrowed it down to a few aesthetically, but depending on what I actually swing like, hopefully something will come.

I will give them another shout today and see if they pick up.
No problem. I know they were quite busy when I booked at the start of April, but they did have quite a few spots available at the time as they had just extended their hours to 9PM on some weeknights to accommodate how busy they were.

For me I find the Ping i series is actually easier to hit than shovel irons. I remember trying the G700 at Golf Town and I had trouble hitting them at the time...It could have also been a shaft weight issue though, but I have never gotten along with shovel irons.

The JPX 921 were also at the top of my list when I went in, not that they aren't a good iron, I just found on my bad swing day that the i210 were easier for me to hit well, maybe the i210 just appeal to my eye more and I put a better swing on them due to that? The way I look at it is that I want an iron that will perform decent for me on my bad swing days (if I end up playing once in 2 weeks like I did going into the fitting) as opposed to something that will only perform well on my best swings. I really don't struggle with the MP20 MMC for the most part, but we all still have miss hits even during a good round so I am hoping to be able to limit the punishment of a bad swing, even some tour pros like Lee Westwood play the i210 for the added forgiveness and he has said that is the reason why in some videos.

I didn't know Golf Town wasn't even letting people hit now. I was in there last summer hitting some clubs but they limited to 10 minutes.

Which other irons did you have in mind?
 
For me I am thinking one of the Taylormade P-range, the i210, i500, Cobra Forged Tec, JPX 921, MP20MMC or HMB, ZX5/ZX7. I'm really quite open! I just want something that makes me excited to play golf again.
 
Back
Top