What Is The Biggest Risk?

In the past few days, there have been a group of magazine articles that to me – put together – provide some perspectives on professional clubfitting that all golfers should consider…..

1. There is an article on page 69-70 of the July 2009 issue of Golf Digest that talks about how golf driver shafts “unload” and why the choice of the right driver shaft is a key to driving accuracy and performance.

2. The Golf Digest article also noted that an R flex shaft for one company can have a different flex than an R flex shaft from another. The article noted that there is no industry standard for what different shaft flexes are (L, A, R, S, X….)

3. On page 15 of the June 8, 2009 issue of Golf World there is a discussion of Frequency Matching of irons – noting that Rocco Mediate has been an advocate of this for years (I would be surprised if any touring pros are playing with shafts that are not frequency matched). The article discussed the history of iron Frequency Matching and how shaft frequencies are measured.

4. Recent issues of Golf Digest and Golf Magazine showed club specifications for Boo Weekley and Luke Donald. Boo plays a 44-3/4 inch long driver, Luke plays a 44-1/2 inch long driver. As I have noted a number of times in this blog, most drivers that we mortals buy in stores are 45 inches long and often longer…..but the touring pros almost all play drivers that are around 44-1/2 inches in length.

None of this information is a surprise to professional clubfitters and clubmakers. We frequency match the iron sets that we make, we do driver fittings to find the best shaft for a golfer and know the real flex specifications for different available driver shafts, and we build drivers to the best length that gives players the most opportunity to produce on-center driver contact.

It is exciting that there are more and more articles in trade golfing magazines that illustrate the benefits of professional clubfitting. That said…..why do many golfers continue to play with clubs that are the wrong length, weight, and flex for their golf games – giving them sub par golfing results?

I think the answer to this question relates to the concept of RISK. The name brand club companies do great advertising of their clubs, and golfers see these advertisements anytime they watch golf events. So players are faced with a choice……should they buy name brand clubs that they are told will work well for them, or should they make what they might think is a risky choice to play clubs that are built specifically for them by professional clubmakers? Truthfully, it is easy to see how someone could have some fear of buying non-OEM clubs – we little guys cannot compete with the large advertising budgets of the big boys.

But….the truth is that all professional clubfitters have clear success stories that show that great clubfitting produces great golfing results. I had a conversation this weekend with a client who I built a 43 inch driver for last year (along with the rest of his clubs). He had NEVER had an experience of hitting a driver well, and now says that he hits this club great and has full confidence with it. It was great to hear that fitting has made such a positive influence on his game.

So I can see that it is hard for many to take the step to getting clubs that really fit their games. But more and more, as these recent golf magazines are reporting, there is a growing awareness that golfers can get clubs fit for them that will help them play better golf and enjoy the game more.

Tony