Custom Club Fitting:
How Does It Work?

Custom club fitting... Just about every golf shop has a sticker on the window advertising this service. Unfortunately, that’s no guarantee!

Too often, shop attendants still feel that the set make-up for a female golfer should be everything that says “Lady”, regardless of the player’s physical build or playing ability. A custom club fitting entails much more than simply establishing your gender!

So before heading to the store, do your home work and learn a bit more about it. You’ll be able to tell the clubmaker what you’re looking for and avoid ending up with a set of clubs that is no more custom fitted to you than that set you bought off the rack.

Parts of a custom club fitting:

Evaluation:

A short interview on how you are playing, what your goals are and your current set make-up will help the clubmaker determine which components will best suit your swing.

Grips:

The custom fitting of your grip is an easy adjustment. The grip is your only connection with the club and has a great effect on your swing. I recommend always having the right size grips on your clubs, even if you don’t have custom made clubs.

Grip size can be determined by:

• Measuring: the length of the hand from the tip of the longest finger to the wrist crease, combined with the length of the longest finger.
• Feeling: holding a set of demo grips in different sizes until you find the right size. At the same time, you can test the “feel” of different types of grips.
• Glove size: most inaccurate method of the 3 that links your grip size to your glove size.

Shafts:

• Length:
  
  The length of clubs is often blamed for bad shots. While people’s height varies enormously, the length of their arms is usually relative to their height and hands hang at about the same distance from the ground. Unless you are exceptionally tall or short, chances are you can play with standard clubs.
  
  Then why is it still important to be custom fitted for length? The longer the club, the further the ball will go on a clean hit. An extra ½” can result in a few extra yards, provided you can still hit the longer club on center. The wrist-to-floor measurement will give the clubmaker a starting point for the final length of your clubs, not your height.



• Flex:
  
  Your average swing speed determines how flexible your shafts need to be. The faster you swing, the stiffer your shaft needs to be. A more flexible shaft will give you more distance, but less control over the ball flight.
  
  A professional clubfitter will find you the shaft with the perfect combination of distance and control for your swing.

Club Head Design:

Club head design is a major factor in hitting more consistent shots. Design features like size, loft, lie, center of gravity all help shape your ball flight.

Lower swing speeds require a higher loft on the driver to get the ball airborne. A lower center of gravity in your irons will give you a higher trajectory. An “off-set” hosel (part of the head that connects to the shaft) can help you hit straighter. If you consistently hit your club on the toe or the heel, the lie (angle between shaft and edge of club face) can be adjusted.

Whether performed on a range, in a fitting studio or golf shop, a custom club fitting should result in a unique set of clubs that fits YOU.

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