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Need some fitting advice

Nippon Shafts
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solarwake

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Short Version:

I went to and was fit at Golftec yesterday. They recommended I get the taylormade speedblade iron with a flighted project x 5.5 shaft. The only problem that I really have is I hit everything off a mat. I had honestly never hit a single golf ball off a mat and I was honestly very uncomfortable doing so. I feel like I was hitting everything from a very tight lie and I believe it skewed the numbers quite a bit. My question or where I'm seeking advice is should I just go with their recommendation or should I seek further fitting info.

Long Version:

I started playing golf in May of this year and I can say that I'm quite addicted to the game. I'm currently consistently shooting in the mid to high 80s and I know I have potential to get much better. I'm currently hitting a nike ignite irons in a stock uniflex shaft. I know that my swing speed is quite fast and I was thinking I need a stiff shaft on my irons. I had been reading a lot about getting fit for irons and I finally pulled the trigger.

My experience at GolfTec was wonderful. They were very professional and very knowledgable. We started the fitting with me hitting my own clubs. I noticed that I was hitting everything a little thin and I just felt a little uncomfortable on the mat. I moved on to a demo club to determine my lie angle. We then allowed the computer to crunch its numbers and pick out three club heads for me. The numbers all indicated that my ball flight was very low with very little spin and a very low descent angle. While I appreciated these numbers I felt like they were a little off. Everyone that I have played with has asked me how I'm getting the the height and distance that I get with my irons. Also I have actually never lost a green from more then 100 yds out with any club including hybrids and fairway woods. Regardless I tried to stay open minded with the fitting. They fitter selected the Mizuno JPX800 Forged irons, Calaway XHot, and the Taylormade Speedblades. He also suggested a project x 5.5 flighted shaft, the KBS 90 shaft as well as trying the speedblade stock stiff shaft. I hit each club and can honestly say the speedblade head felt the best but the other two were really close. The numbers also favored the speedblade head by quite a large margin. Next I tried each shaft on the speedblade again and the flighted project x 5.5 produced the best numbers slightly above the kbs 90. Overall feel the project x shaft felt the best.

My problem is that these suggestions were all based on numbers off the mat on a really low flighted shot. I feel as though the numbers produced were closer to what I would hit off a really tight lie (for me this means hard ground essentially). I don't feel as though the fitting can be as accurate as they claim. I'm concerned that buying a flighted project x (an extra $250-$300) on a new set of clubs not knowing a lot about them based primarily on a 1 hour test on a mat where I hit the club configured that way for about 30-50 balls.

Another issue I had was they compared 6 iron heads on all clubs except for the speedblade head. For the speedblades I hit a 7 iron and they said it was normalized to be a 6. Is this easily done?

Finally I live in a rural area and had to travel about 2 hours to hit on a monitor. No where near me has a monitor I can use. I can hit a demo at a local club but I would like to see some numbers.

After all of this all I'm asking for is what should I do to get a better feel for the different shafts on the speedblade head. Should I trust my eye on the range and hope its right or is it worth traveling again to have another session on mats.

Sorry for being extremely long winded,
Solarwake.
 
I did a fitting on mats and then waited for a few demo days and did fittings on the demo days on the grass and my numbers and lie angles were completely different. I suggest to do it off the grass. Most courses can do this. I feel it is better to do it off the grass.
 
Ask your GolfTEC instructor to hit outside. Almost all of them work on both.
I was fit at GolfTEC and again outside and it was the same for me.
 
Another to what JB said is to call courses or ranges near you and see if they have demo clubs for you try out off the grass.
 
Yep same for me, I was fitted for my JPX-800 irons off the mat at Golftown and again at a Mizuno demo day with same fitment results.
 
I trust the numbers and I say you get what they suggested. Why? Because you are a golfer that swings up or lifts the ball in the air with your face angle. Less than tight lies allows this type of swing. Tight lies require a downward or shallow swing and allowing the club head to add the loft and trajectory.
You thin shots area product of swing. So the numbers you saw were very accurate just not what you wanted to see. I promise if you go outside on a grass lie you will resort back to your lift swing and the number will be different. I trust the indoor swing more than the outdoor and I trust golftec more than your feeling (no disrespect meant)
now if you go with the recommendation they made and keep your same swing, you should still hit high the high shots you are used to. It will still be a win for you. New irons with great shafts and the peace or mind that you were fit properly.

btw way I was fit both indoor and out by two different fitters and the results were the same.
 
As a fitter, I strongly suggest that you are able to hit outside off of grass. I use Trackman inside (we do not have a unit we can move) to get a sense of your swing with your existing clubs, etc. but have seen too many people who struggle hitting inside, off mats, etc. If you cannot get fit outside, I would suggest at least getting a demo Speedblade to hit outside versus your current set up. Ideally you would use impact tape to get a sense of how the new club compares on your usual miss to your current irons. If your current shafts are too soft, usually your spin is exaggerated. meaning your fades/draws may be less controlled. You may also see ballooning when playing into the wind.

Also as a fitter, I will tell you that numbers are overrated, especially when it comes to irons. First, even the best launch monitor (Trackman) struggles with assessing spin, especially indoors. Also, unless your fitter is meticulous with impact tape, etc., it is very difficult to measure forgiveness with just numbers. Judging your turf interaction also is virtually impossible without seeing you on grass and I think this is a very underrated area of fitting importance.

Hope you find this helpful.


solarwake said:
Short Version:

I went to and was fit at Golftec yesterday. They recommended I get the taylormade speedblade iron with a flighted project x 5.5 shaft. The only problem that I really have is I hit everything off a mat. I had honestly never hit a single golf ball off a mat and I was honestly very uncomfortable doing so. I feel like I was hitting everything from a very tight lie and I believe it skewed the numbers quite a bit. My question or where I'm seeking advice is should I just go with their recommendation or should I seek further fitting info.

Long Version:

I started playing golf in May of this year and I can say that I'm quite addicted to the game. I'm currently consistently shooting in the mid to high 80s and I know I have potential to get much better. I'm currently hitting a nike ignite irons in a stock uniflex shaft. I know that my swing speed is quite fast and I was thinking I need a stiff shaft on my irons. I had been reading a lot about getting fit for irons and I finally pulled the trigger.

My experience at GolfTec was wonderful. They were very professional and very knowledgable. We started the fitting with me hitting my own clubs. I noticed that I was hitting everything a little thin and I just felt a little uncomfortable on the mat. I moved on to a demo club to determine my lie angle. We then allowed the computer to crunch its numbers and pick out three club heads for me. The numbers all indicated that my ball flight was very low with very little spin and a very low descent angle. While I appreciated these numbers I felt like they were a little off. Everyone that I have played with has asked me how I'm getting the the height and distance that I get with my irons. Also I have actually never lost a green from more then 100 yds out with any club including hybrids and fairway woods. Regardless I tried to stay open minded with the fitting. They fitter selected the Mizuno JPX800 Forged irons, Calaway XHot, and the Taylormade Speedblades. He also suggested a project x 5.5 flighted shaft, the KBS 90 shaft as well as trying the speedblade stock stiff shaft. I hit each club and can honestly say the speedblade head felt the best but the other two were really close. The numbers also favored the speedblade head by quite a large margin. Next I tried each shaft on the speedblade again and the flighted project x 5.5 produced the best numbers slightly above the kbs 90. Overall feel the project x shaft felt the best.

My problem is that these suggestions were all based on numbers off the mat on a really low flighted shot. I feel as though the numbers produced were closer to what I would hit off a really tight lie (for me this means hard ground essentially). I don't feel as though the fitting can be as accurate as they claim. I'm concerned that buying a flighted project x (an extra $250-$300) on a new set of clubs not knowing a lot about them based primarily on a 1 hour test on a mat where I hit the club configured that way for about 30-50 balls.

Another issue I had was they compared 6 iron heads on all clubs except for the speedblade head. For the speedblades I hit a 7 iron and they said it was normalized to be a 6. Is this easily done?

Finally I live in a rural area and had to travel about 2 hours to hit on a monitor. No where near me has a monitor I can use. I can hit a demo at a local club but I would like to see some numbers.

After all of this all I'm asking for is what should I do to get a better feel for the different shafts on the speedblade head. Should I trust my eye on the range and hope its right or is it worth traveling again to have another session on mats.

Sorry for being extremely long winded,
Solarwake.
Click to expand...
 
Hi, in my narrow minded version of things, the only true way to get fit, indoors or outdoors, is to have a performance based fitting. That means, having all shafts and all heads and being able to hit the club that is recommended.
A computer generated recommendation is useless in my mind.
I carry roughly 75 irons shafts in my fit cart and 18 different iron heads.
And I can guarantee that the only club that is recommended for you is based on objective data. Not a computer report.
My indoor mats, and indoor fittings, are dead accurate. My spin number are dead accurate.
You should expect that for a proper fit, you should have the opportunity to hit all of the shafts in the heads.
Hitting indoors is never a disadvantage, and the Flightscopes are dead accurate for spin. As i am sure the Trackman is.
The PGA learning center in Ft. Lucia uses them. The Kingdom for Taylormade in Carlsbad, Ca uses them.
They fit indoors and the greatest players In the world get fit at these places.

The project X flight end is a 120 gram shaft compared to the KBS tour 90. There is about 25 grams difference I total weight and when a 6 iron golf is built with each of these shafts, the balance point is different and the project x swing weights about 1 1/2 point heavier.
How can a recommendation be made with either of these 2shafts, when the characteristics are so different?

you hit 30 golf balls to a fitting, and did not get a chance to hit the combos recommended, and the. To compare the 2 against each other.
Not a good fitting by any stretch of the imagination.

A 7 iron head weight is different than a six iron. 1/2 swing weight heavier normally. The loft is different, the weight, length, lie, and shaft weight is different. How do you normalize a 7 iron to a 6 iron?


Well. Good luck.
 
Golfwannabe said:
I did a fitting on mats and then waited for a few demo days and did fittings on the demo days on the grass and my numbers and lie angles were completely different. I suggest to do it off the grass. Most courses can do this. I feel it is better to do it off the grass.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply I will definitely try to do the same thing.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I trust the numbers and I say you get what they suggested. Why? Because you are a golfer that swings up or lifts the ball in the air with your face angle. Less than tight lies allows this type of swing. Tight lies require a downward or shallow swing and allowing the club head to add the loft and trajectory.
You thin shots area product of swing. So the numbers you saw were very accurate just not what you wanted to see. I promise if you go outside on a grass lie you will resort back to your lift swing and the number will be different. I trust the indoor swing more than the outdoor and I trust golftec more than your feeling (no disrespect meant)
now if you go with the recommendation they made and keep your same swing, you should still hit high the high shots you are used to. It will still be a win for you. New irons with great shafts and the peace or mind that you were fit properly.

btw way I was fit both indoor and out by two different fitters and the results were the same.
Click to expand...


Thanks for taking the time to talk me through a few things! I'm going to try to hit off the grass with the clubs before I buy them but I appreciate your advice!
 
bellairemi said:
As a fitter, I strongly suggest that you are able to hit outside off of grass. I use Trackman inside (we do not have a unit we can move) to get a sense of your swing with your existing clubs, etc. but have seen too many people who struggle hitting inside, off mats, etc. If you cannot get fit outside, I would suggest at least getting a demo Speedblade to hit outside versus your current set up. Ideally you would use impact tape to get a sense of how the new club compares on your usual miss to your current irons. If your current shafts are too soft, usually your spin is exaggerated. meaning your fades/draws may be less controlled. You may also see ballooning when playing into the wind.

Also as a fitter, I will tell you that numbers are overrated, especially when it comes to irons. First, even the best launch monitor (Trackman) struggles with assessing spin, especially indoors. Also, unless your fitter is meticulous with impact tape, etc., it is very difficult to measure forgiveness with just numbers. Judging your turf interaction also is virtually impossible without seeing you on grass and I think this is a very underrated area of fitting importance.

Hope you find this helpful.
Click to expand...

Wow! Thanks for the all the useful information! I'm definitely going to find a demo (if I can) and test it out on the grass. I understand what you are saying about the impact tape and I'll check it out. Thanks again!
 
I'd try to hit the clubs suggested as many times as possible before purchase, indoors, outdoors any any where else. The more you hit them, the more you'll get a feel for which set you like the best. I was fitted for irons and never hit them outside because of the weather, but definitely felt I had the best set for me when I was able to get outside.
 
kmanc said:
The project X flight end is a 120 gram shaft compared to the KBS tour 90. There is about 25 grams difference I total weight and when a 6 iron golf is built with each of these shafts, the balance point is different and the project x swing weights about 1 1/2 point heavier.
How can a recommendation be made with either of these 2shafts, when the characteristics are so different?

you hit 30 golf balls to a fitting, and did not get a chance to hit the combos recommended, and the. To compare the 2 against each other.
Not a good fitting by any stretch of the imagination.

A 7 iron head weight is different than a six iron. 1/2 swing weight heavier normally. The loft is different, the weight, length, lie, and shaft weight is different. How do you normalize a 7 iron to a 6 iron?


Well. Good luck.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the very thorough response and advice! Being a novice I knew the shafts felt very different but the fitter told me that they were going to produce similar numbers with my swing. I just had to assume he was telling me the truth. I appreciate you spelling it out for me a little better and I'll certainly find a demo somewhere near by that I can try out some more.
 
golfinFF said:
Another to what JB said is to call courses or ranges near you and see if they have demo clubs for you try out off the grass.
Click to expand...

I agree. I'd never buy a club I could not hit outside on grass.
 
I think a lot of times it just comes down to some people being comfortable swinging in a confined space indoors. If you can't get comfortable, results can vary. If you are comfortable hitting indoors, then a fitting (proper specs) will be spot on.
 
I have been building clubs and fitting for over a decade. If you trust the fitter and their experience, then don't worry about mats vs. outside.

Getting fit outside is difficult because the conditions are never the same from shot to shot. If you can get some real numbers that are from a fitting, I can certainly take a look at them.

One last thing, remember that a fitting isn't about what you WANT to play. A fitting should be about what FITS YOU BEST.
 
ShortysN4ts said:
One last thing, remember that a fitting isn't about what you WANT to play. A fitting should be about what FITS YOU BEST.
Click to expand...

Good advice right here.
 
I concur with the others who will only be fit outside. You cannot measure turf interaction and it is difficult for me to truly feel the shaft without taking divots.
 
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