You should get a professional fitting from a Club Champion location because you will learn more than you can imagine about your golf swing, existing equipment and new equipment available. Drive up to 4 hours to a location or make a weekend trip out of it or during a golf vaction. The fitter advised the best time to go is at the END of a season where you have grooved a swing (not like me half way through winter while making swing changes). I'm taking advantage of the 1/2 off the normal $350 FULL BAG fitting cost.
What I learned about my current set alone makes a huge difference... example, you can't just go into ANY golf store and pick ANY grip as it could affect the accuracy and feel of your clubs. New grips could affect the swing weight as it did to my clubs when I regripped them myself with some leftovers from the basement.
Why I went? I tend to buy and hold clubs for like 5 to 8 years or longer.
- This time I want the clubs to be personalized because I can afford it (sold my Motorcycle)
- I've had standard fittings from the 'fitting cart' and wanted to have ALL of the shaft and ALL of the head options available to pick the best club/shaft combination for me.
- I've learned about "acceptable tolerances" manufactures use to release clubs
- Read This from True Temper... if "Tour Issue are + or - .5 grams what are the "non-tour issue shafts" and THIS for the weight sorted Tour Issue Wedge Shaft...
- Club companies know that they are selling shafts with up to 3 gram difference between each
- I want my shafts PURED because I've learned about irregularities in golf shaft manufacturing.
- Learned that the heads also have + or - differences from the manufacture specs. Club Champion orders multiple sets and weighs to match to original specs and sends back the clubs that do not match those numbers.
- The right shaft, head, weight, consistent stiffness and pured to remove as many variables as possible
FITTING
Ended up there for 3 hours just doing irons. My coach arrived after we had started and the fitter went back over the fitting to that point. I ended up hitting like 110 balls. Between 1st swing at 91MPH and last swing at 84MPH fatigue plays a big part so we stopped and I’ll reschedule the woods, wedges and putter fitting.
Semi-scientifically… (meaning me being the human is the variable - machine is calibrated nightly)
** Buddha measured my 6 iron (club choice of fitting) and checked swing weight, length, lie angle
NOTE CURRENT SET PROBLEMS I LEARNED:
- The GENIUS “PGA Professional" at Golf Galaxy did not accurately adjust my lie angles on ANY of the clubs. There is a standard angle for all manufactures clubs. He said he would set it back to that numbe (and looked it up). Execution was the problem... mine were a mix of higher and lower than that standard (upright or flat). Lie angle of shaft/hosel angle into clubhead: 0 degrees is flat, 90 degrees is straight upright)
- My re-gripping myself (with heavier extra grips I had in the basement) changed the swing weight on my irons to an undesirable number (D0) “D Zero”. While my shaft is very heavy (same one that Tiger uses) the club head “feels" light and doesn't provide a solid feel at impact. It affected consistency of my clubs (explains allot actually)
- My swing revealed I do not hit down on the ball enough and I’m approaching too far from the inside… sweeping the ball it reduces necessary spin for height and carry distance for the swing speed I have.
PICK SHAFT 1st
- $35,000 “Trackman” launch monitor retains all launch conditions (club head speed, ball speed, launch angle, club head path, side spin, height, flight distance, total distance)
- One ball matching my brand (Prov1x)
- Warm up
- Software marks dispersion of where shots finished in different colored circles
- Hit 6 shots with my club
- He noted my ball spin was low (~4300rpm’s) and would consider this in clubhead choice
- He picked a clubhead Similiar to mine as the “control” club head for different shafts
- He hands me different shafts with same club head and the machine charts all shots
- Review dispersion to identify most consistent 2 shafts
“Pick which shaft you like/feel better with between the two based on the shot dispersion on screen for those 2 shafts” For me these two selections were similar groupings so I went with 'feel'. I chose the NIPPON 1150 in xflex over the NIPON Modus. I'm going from my x100 at 130 grams down to a 125 gram xflex.
PICK CLUBHEAD USING THAT SHAFT
- My shaft choice is then hit in a variety of different club heads
- Shot dispersion with each head is recorded in different colored circles
- He gave me heads that seeked to increase the spin to an optimal number
- Then we throw out the worst dispersion down to the two most consistent
- Last 2 were Mizuno MP-64 ($125 a head) and Miura CB57 (1957 Anniversary Limited Edition at $275 a head from online research)
- I looked at the dispersion and the MP-64 was tighter but 5/6 were left of the center line w/ similar distance. Miura had 3 on each side of the center line and were all consistent in distance.
- Also I liked the way the miura set on the ground and the almost non-existent offset was easy to align which I think made the difference in accuracy for my swing.
- Final decision (mine) was the Miura based on the sole grind. It is slightly wider, less bounce but has a pre-worn leading edge I prefer. The MP-64, if hit a little fat, would dig more and doesn't provide any turf relief like
ADJUSTMENTS: Lie angle and length to get center of face impact
- Hit balls w/ Impact tape
- Hit balls on launch monitor for ball flight
BUDGET?
The fitting is pricey, but so is golf - save up and do it. The purchase? That's where the budget comes in... I want irons, wedges and a driver. I'll get fit to the 3 wood but not sure I'm going to have cash to buy now. Depends. The Miura's are throwing a curve into the situation with their cost. I'm considering switching to the MP-64 for cost reasons but I don't want to. I may be asking my wife for a driver for my birthday... hope I can still fit in the golf trip or will she ask me to pick... DRIVER OR TRIP?... "Both?"
The fitting is pricey, but so is golf - save up and do it. The purchase? That's where the budget comes in... I want irons, wedges and a driver. I'll get fit to the 3 wood but not sure I'm going to have cash to buy now. Depends. The Miura's are throwing a curve into the situation with their cost. I'm considering switching to the MP-64 for cost reasons but I don't want to. I may be asking my wife for a driver for my birthday... hope I can still fit in the golf trip or will she ask me to pick... DRIVER OR TRIP?... "Both?"
