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Spargo Golf - Cranston, RI - Teedupthoughts Fitting Experience

Nippon Shafts
That was a great write up, Ray. Glad it worked out so well for you - I know you were really looking forward to it.

After thinking about it this offseason, 100% agree w/ you on the "spend every few years vs. a little here and there" thing. When I look at my bag, the clubs that have stuck around are the ones that I've been fit for.
 
Awesome read teammate! Fittings are so so educational and useful. Glad you had such a great experience!


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Glad you had a great experience. I'm trying to get my head around the cost. I come up with $2000 and that's full retail from Golfsmith. I get there is labor and taxes but is there an upcharge for some of those shafts? I guess it's a bout right if not at $45 a club labor with taxes.

I've always wondered if custom fitters offer more or less the same pricing on club heads (within reason) and the rest is the custom labor and or shaft upgrades.
 
mpeterson said:
That was a great write up, Ray. Glad it worked out so well for you - I know you were really looking forward to it.

After thinking about it this offseason, 100% agree w/ you on the "spend every few years vs. a little here and there" thing. When I look at my bag, the clubs that have stuck around are the ones that I've been fit for.
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That's where I am now, not sure if I am $2,700 there but I can think of a few areas I can save some money on his recommendations.

cwsiggy said:
Glad you had a great experience. I'm trying to get my head around the cost. I come up with $2000 and that's full retail from Golfsmith. I get there is labor and taxes but is there an upcharge for some of those shafts? I guess it's a bout right if not at $45 a club labor with taxes.

I've always wondered if custom fitters offer more or less the same pricing on club heads (within reason) and the rest is the custom labor and or shaft upgrades.
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I think that's a good question. Looking at breakdown; its $99/iron (4-gw) plus $149.50 for grips, plus $325 for 13 club "assemble to frequency/MOI labor." I'm going to start a thread to learn more about frequency/moi before having that happen.
 
cwsiggy said:
Glad you had a great experience. I'm trying to get my head around the cost. I come up with $2000 and that's full retail from Golfsmith. I get there is labor and taxes but is there an upcharge for some of those shafts? I guess it's a bout right if not at $45 a club labor with taxes.

I've always wondered if custom fitters offer more or less the same pricing on club heads (within reason) and the rest is the custom labor and or shaft upgrades.
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Custom fitters like Spargo buy the clubs from the OEM and the shafts separately, then put them together. For example, even if his driver had a no upcharge shaft from Titleist, a fitter would buy the club in stock configuration, then buy the shaft from the shaft company, and then build the club that way. So in a situation like that, it's up to the consumer whether they'd want to buy straight from the OEM and save some money, or go through the fitter.

That was the same thing I went through with my fitting at Club Champion. That fitting was in the summer of 2014, and will say that I haven't taken anything out of my bag since then that I was fitted for. It was costly on the front end, but has saved me money on the back end by not tinkering.
 
arydolphin said:
Custom fitters like Spargo buy the clubs from the OEM and the shafts separately, then put them together. For example, even if his driver had a no upcharge shaft from Titleist, a fitter would buy the club in stock configuration, then buy the shaft from the shaft company, and then build the club that way. So in a situation like that, it's up to the consumer whether they'd want to buy straight from the OEM and save some money, or go through the fitter.

That was the same thing I went through with my fitting at Club Champion. That fitting was in the summer of 2014, and will say that I haven't taken anything out of my bag since then that I was fitted for. It was costly on the front end, but has saved me money on the back end by not tinkering.
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Looking at the info on the sheet, I'd say you are spot on for the irons/wedges. But the price quote for the driver, fairway and hybrid seem to be straight from Titleist (assembled) as I'm going with one of the stock offerings for each of those.

The big difference in price looks to be the "building" of the clubs (frequency, grips, etc.) what I was fit into could be ordered directly from Titleist/Mizuno with alterations direct from the factory and I could save some money, but at what future cost?
 
Great writeup, Ray! Sounds like you had a great experience and learned a ton about your game, just like I did. And also experienced some sticker shock, just like I did! :bulgy-eyes:

It was a little different for me, as they didn't recommend I change out everything but rather just irons and hybrids. Based on results vs. cost, I've pretty much dismissed the hybrids they quoted me out of hand - I was getting a few more yards out of them, but largely because of loft and a pricy custom shaft. They couldn't get me much better with the stock setup, and even the custom one didn't feel as good to me as my Bridgestones. For the irons, I DID end up using their recommendation and getting new ones, but I used their recommendations as a guide since I preferred the J15 DF head and they didn't carry it. I did order the irons to the exact specs and swingweights specified by Modern. And I saved 25% on the price they quoted, and they were checked for spec by a club builder.

So I guess what I'm saying is, you don't have to take their exact head/shaft recommendation as the gospel so long as you get all the specs right.

What clubs do you think are on the top of your list to change first?
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
Great writeup, Ray! Sounds like you had a great experience and learned a ton about your game, just like I did. And also experienced some sticker shock, just like I did! :bulgy-eyes:

It was a little different for me, as they didn't recommend I change out everything but rather just irons and hybrids. Based on results vs. cost, I've pretty much dismissed the hybrids they quoted me out of hand - I was getting a few more yards out of them, but largely because of loft and a pricy custom shaft. They couldn't get me much better with the stock setup, and even the custom one didn't feel as good to me as my Bridgestones. For the irons, I DID end up using their recommendation and getting new ones, but I used their recommendations as a guide since I preferred the J15 DF head and they didn't carry it. I did order the irons to the exact specs and swingweights specified by Modern. And I saved 25% on the price they quoted, and they were checked for spec by a club builder.

So I guess what I'm saying is, you don't have to take their exact head/shaft recommendation as the gospel so long as you get all the specs right.

What clubs do you think are on the top of your list to change first?
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The funny thing is, I saw marked improvement throughout the bag on their suggestions vs my stock setup. My first change will be the putter, going to post up one of mine later in the marketplace to offset the price. I couldn't believe how much I didn't know about putter design and how it helps/fights your natural stroke.

Second change will be the driver. I figure, if I can get it in the fairway that my irons (adjusted to the correct lie angles, which is a cheap fix) can get me to the green reasonably often enough that good putting will save me. Finally, I'll swap out wedges/irons/hybrid/fairway (in that order) as funds become available.

I've already emailed him to see what the price would be for Mizuno MP-H5 heads or Titleist AP2 vs the JPX-850 he originally quoted (he said I could go with whatever I wanted but quoted JPX for cost savings).
 
TeedUpThoughts said:
The funny thing is, I saw marked improvement throughout the bag on their suggestions vs my stock setup. My first change will be the putter, going to post up one of mine later in the marketplace to offset the price. I couldn't believe how much I didn't know about putter design and how it helps/fights your natural stroke.

Second change will be the driver. I figure, if I can get it in the fairway that my irons (adjusted to the correct lie angles, which is a cheap fix) can get me to the green reasonably often enough that good putting will save me. Finally, I'll swap out wedges/irons/hybrid/fairway (in that order) as funds become available.

I've already emailed him to see what the price would be for Mizuno MP-H5 heads or Titleist AP2 vs the JPX-850 he originally quoted (he said I could go with whatever I wanted but quoted JPX for cost savings).
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Nice man. A fitted driver definitely made a big difference for me. Sounds like you've got a good plan. Good luck with the pondering and piecing together! It's a fun problem to have, even if it's a little expensive :alien:

It's also funny you should say that he said you should be lower than 15 based on your swing...I get the same thing all the time, I say I'm 14 and the pros are like "what??" I'm not sure whether to be ashamed or proud...probably a little of both :bulgy-eyes:
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
It's also funny you should say that he said you should be lower than 15 based on your swing...I get the same thing all the time, I say I'm 14 and the pros are like "what??" I'm not sure whether to be ashamed or proud...probably a little of both :bulgy-eyes:
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I get it all the time after I smoke the driver past everyone in my group, but then they see "why" I'm a 15 by my 3rd or 4th shot. He is the first person who was able to explain why I make some of the mistakes I do, and showed me why he thinks I should be lower than a 15 with some equipment tweaks.
 
TeedUpThoughts said:
I get it all the time after I smoke the driver past everyone in my group, but then they see "why" I'm a 15 by my 3rd or 4th shot. He is the first person who was able to explain why I make some of the mistakes I do, and showed me why he thinks I should be lower than a 15 with some equipment tweaks.
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Dude, you POUND your tee ball.
 
The_Dude said:
Dude, you POUND your tee ball.
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... Says the guy who put it through the fairway on 18... Lol thanks.

Wait until you see new and improved, it was really fun!
 
Sounds like a fantastic experience. Gotta love seeing all the numbers and the differences with just the change of shaft. It's incredible.

I had a fitting done with Club Champion and it worked out well. I had the clubs built by someone else which saved quite a bit. But it was so much fun to learn what I did and see the results I have. Handicap dropped about 4 strokes last season. Hoping to build on that this season.

Good luck with the changes you make! And if you need something done with quality, but cheaper... I think @SkibumGolfer can tell you I've got a guy. Keep us updated. :)
 
TeedUpThoughts said:
... Says the guy who put it through the fairway on 18... Lol thanks.

Wait until you see new and improved, it was really fun!
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lol can't wait. I just swapped out driver shaft so it could get interesting next time we tee it up. Kuro Kage felt like I had a club head attached to a piece of spaghetti.
 
The_Dude said:
lol can't wait. I just swapped out driver shaft so it could get interesting next time we tee it up. Kuro Kage felt like I had a club head attached to a piece of spaghetti.
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What did you go to?
 
Matrix Radix hd6. Stiff. It was an impulse buy off the forum to get me through the season. Full bag fitting at Joe and Leigh's in the fall.

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Great writeup Ray! Sounds like a great experience!

That bag you were fitted into looks marvelous and drool worthy! I am a HUGE fan of the 816 H1 hybrids and if the Hogan VKTR doesn't agree with me I will be getting some H1's for this season. It's crazy how sometimes swapping a shaft changes nothing but feel, but other times it can transform average numbers into beast mode.
 
TeedUpThoughts said:
The funny thing is, I saw marked improvement throughout the bag on their suggestions vs my stock setup. My first change will be the putter, going to post up one of mine later in the marketplace to offset the price. I couldn't believe how much I didn't know about putter design and how it helps/fights your natural stroke.

Second change will be the driver. I figure, if I can get it in the fairway that my irons (adjusted to the correct lie angles, which is a cheap fix) can get me to the green reasonably often enough that good putting will save me. Finally, I'll swap out wedges/irons/hybrid/fairway (in that order) as funds become available.

I've already emailed him to see what the price would be for Mizuno MP-H5 heads or Titleist AP2 vs the JPX-850 he originally quoted (he said I could go with whatever I wanted but quoted JPX for cost savings).
Click to expand...

Don't sleep on the JPX 850 irons - they outperformed everything at my fitting, some by a pretty wide margin. Yes, the heads are a bit larger than what you have in the bag but very little offset and I really like the feel (better than the 850 forged for me). Really nice irons overall.
 
aslxa said:
Don't sleep on the JPX 850 irons - they outperformed everything at my fitting, some by a pretty wide margin. Yes, the heads are a bit larger than what you have in the bag but very little offset and I really like the feel (better than the 850 forged for me). Really nice irons overall.
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I hit them well, wasn't a fan of the 850 forged, but am really falling for the mp-h5. I didn't think the size was distracting, it's the look of the cavity that isn't overly attractive.
 
Sounds like a really productive (and fun) time..thanks for the info!
 
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