There is a major distinction between custom clubs and custom fitted clubs… Custom clubs are those clubs purchased at a golf store and then having adjustments made to the clubs such as length adjustment (shorter or longer), added wraps to the grip and different shafts being inserted as to the original shafts.
Custom Fitted clubs are those clubs made to an individuals’ specific needs determined during a fitting session with a qualified club fitter.
Take a walk up and down the driving range, and a few things immediately are observable:
Not All Golfers Talk the Same
Not All Golfers Swing the Same
Not All Golfers Dress the Same
Fact: In today’s market there are NO major golf companies manufacturing precision fit, precision manufactured sets of golf clubs that have been precisely tuned to the individual’s swing! Only when you can put the same swing on every golf club, can you compete at the highest level and achieve results truly commensurate with your ability.
Probably the best example of this commitment to precision tuned and precision manufacturing, was when the great Ben Hogan invited Jack Fleck to the Hogan factory in Fort Worth to be fitted for a set of precision Hogan golf clubs. The difference to Jack Fleck’s game resulted in his winning of the 1955 US Open over none other than Ben Hogan himself in a playoff.
“Science is entering golf and the game can only benefit from this… optimizing the performance for specific individuals is expected to be a result of the introduction of science.” Frank Thomas, former Technical Director of the United States Golf Association.
Manufacturers spend a great deal of money extolling the virtues of their latest equipment, but it is doubtful you will play your best golf with Tiger’s clubs or even those of Greg Norman…unless, of course, you too have a 30 inch waist, do 1,500 sit-ups before breakfast every day and routinely drive the ball 300 yards. Getting the correct clubs is as important to your golf game as getting the right prescription for your eyeglasses or having your suit tailored.
Today all tour players are precisely fitted and most equipped with precision golf sets. On the other hand, the majority of the general golf public is stuck with off the shelf, mass-produced, inferior sets of clubs that do not match their swings.
Just getting “custom fit” without doing it the correct way may actually do more harm than good if the recommendations condemn you to a poor set-up, posture, or swing fault. For example, changing to a hooked face driver to combat a slice swing or poor set-up may temporarily help your driver, but it could end up as a crutch that can make it difficult to hit your other woods and irons.
The purpose of a good fitting system is to eliminate expensive trial and error, guesswork, and to cut through the smoke and mirrors often associated with the selection and purchase of golf equipment.
To be sure, distance is a tremendous opiate and almost everyone wants to hit the ball further. But distance alone, at the expense of accuracy and consistency, can be a hollow victory. Taking it deep isn’t much value if you’re meeting the neighbors along the fairways.
Another benefit of using a professional club fitter is that you would just like to make sure prior to purchasing that new driver that it will actually benefit your game, and that you are getting the right model, loft, and shaft combination. .
A professional golf-fitting program is a 5-step process.
Player Profile – The individual being fitted will fill out a questionnaire providing the club fitter with information about their attitudes toward their equipment, their health, their game, and their goals. The golfer also provides the club fitter with valuable information about his/her wants and needs.
Present Equipment Evaluation – Club fitters look at 10 elements of briansclub cm the irons and 11 of the woods. Knowing the characteristics of the individual’s present equipment will help the club fitter see if the individual has adapted his/her swing to some deficiency in their present clubs.
Swing Evaluation – The individual’s swing will be analyzed on a swing-analyzing computer. This computer measures back and forward swing speeds, swing path, face angle, and weight shift.
Recommendations – Professional golf club fitters will make specific recommendations of equipment needs or necessary alterations based on the individual’s fitting results and the goals they wish to accomplish. A truly professional club fitter is not affiliated with any particular manufacturer nor do they utilize knock-off components, thus their recommendations are both unbiased and sure to fit your interests and budget.
Equipment built or altered – Equipment will then be built or altered to the recommended specifications. The individual can have either their equipment altered, choose another brand or have the club fitter build a set of clubs. Most professional club fitters do offer their own brand of components and they stand behind their products. These clubs are built to the exact specifications provided by the club fitting.
GUARANTEES
The majority of professional golf club fitters are so confident the individuals will be happy with their clubs, that they usually offer an exclusive guarantee in which they will re-adjust the clubs, rebuild the clubs or give the individual their money back. A club fitter’s primary mission is to produce a set of clubs that will enhance the player’s performance.
Amongst the numerous systems I’ve experienced first hand, by far the most accurate and most sophisticated professional club fitter is Max Out Golf owned by former US Amateur Champion and current Senior Tour T.V. commentator, Mitch Voges.