Is EVERYONE A Custom Club Fitter?
There Are About 5 Levels of Custom Club Fitting – GOLFER BEWARE!
About a week ago, there was a very spirited discussion on LinkedIn related to custom club fitting. It was asserted that custom club fitting may not produce the kinds of performance results that golfers expect can be achieved.
There was a lot of confusion in the LinkedIn discussion related to what a Custom Club Fitting actual is. It is best to always go back to the master for such things – Tom Wishon, in the book "The Search for the Perfect Golf Club." Anyone who is interested in the value of true custom clubfitting should read this book. In the book he discusses 5 Levels of Custom Club Fitting, these levels are described in brief below:
LEVEL 1 – The most basic approach. A golfer hits some shots with a limited number of test clubs and test shafts, or may answer a questionaire on a club company's web site. Simple fitting cart approach. No swing speed measurements. Lie angle of clubs may be tested and fitted. No guarantee on club performance. Falls well short of Level 2 and Level 3 fitting.
LEVEL 2 – Level 1 with use of a Launch Monitor. Limited options for driver face angles, lofts of fairway woods, test shafts. Not as extensive as Level 3.
LEVEL 3 – Includes an interview with the golfer to understand present shot tendencies and desires for improvement. Measuring golfer swing speed with the driver and with an iron (typically a 5 iron or 6 iron). Selecting shaft candidates from a group of many test shafts with varied weight, flex, and flex profile. Building a single pilot test club for irons that can be tested before building the complete set. Fitting process may take 3 hours, sometimes multiple visits.
LEVEL 4 – Everything in Level 3 plus detailed analysis of the golfer's present set and a careful analysis and building of the new set as it is being built. Matching shaft frequencies and club MOIs for irons, identifying the right club MOI, club length, shaft flex profile for drivers. Identifying driver launch angle and spin characteristics that can optimize driver distance. While Tom Wishon did not discuss this in the book, the present versions of Launc Monitors like the Flightscope and Trackman provide extensive information that can make Level 4 fittings result in optimum driver and iron performance.
LEVEL 5 – Level 4 fitting plus for the Touring Pro. This can include grinding of irons to exacting performance specifications. Modifying the look and performance of each iron to the desires of the pro.
If you are hoping to get a "custom club fitting" from a Level 1 or 2 fitting – good luck. Perhaps by chance you may get clubs that are optimized for your game, but it is not likely. True Custom Club Fitting is at the 3, 4, or 5 Level. At these levels you should expect improved performance and lower scores from your clubs – and most likely you will get it!
What has been your experience with custom club fitting – please comment!
The Fit Is IT!!
Tony
