Club Fitting Process
Everyone, new golfer to expert, can benefit from getting a customized set of golf clubs for no more of an investment than off the rack clubs. You owe it to yourself to be fitted! Now there will be those of you who will delay this customizing until your skills have improved…then it will be a good investment…you will then be “worthy” of spending some money on your golf equipment. Hog Wash! Do it NOW!!! You may not be able to improve until the equipment rewards your skills! Imagine for a moment that you are an expert ice skater…you have all the skills to challenge an Olympic Gold Medalist. Now, imagine that you have a pair of skates given to you…or for the Ladies…handed down to some of you by your husbands…how well are you going to perform with those skates? Hey…skates are skates…you’ll make them work! Right….and run the risk of injuring yourself, which is happening more and more amongst all golfers who are adapting to ill-fitted clubs! Now there’s a huge price to pay!
Okay…now there will be some of you who are saying…”but what if I don’t like this game? I don’t want to invest in custom clubs only to really hate this game.” Without the proper equipment, there s a higher probability that you won’t like the game because performance will be compromised and progress will be slow to non-existent. I would rather see a person get just a couple of clubs that are fitted to them rather than the bargain of the week that puts 14 clubs in their bag that will only lead to frustration and ultimately leaving the sport forever due to lack of enjoyment. Again, a huge price to pay.
Then there are those of you who are saying…”but what happens when I improve? Will I need new clubs again?” This is good news! You are improving. Getting more efficient with your swing. So yes you may need to upgrade your clubs to continue your improvement…isn’t that what you want? To improve? YES!!!! So then you trade in your current set to upgrade to the next level or in some situations your current set can be revamped to match your newfound skills. In either scenario, the end result is a swing and a game that you are pleased with.
Convinced? Good! Now let’s look at what needs to be fitted. First and foremost, find a qualified fitter like Master Club Fitter PGA Professional Nick Wiseman and Jane Frost! This team of fitters has all of the newest technology available right here at The Jane Frost Golf Performance Center. The goal of a proper club fitting is to match components of the golf club to your most efficient and effective swing motion. The results are more consistent golf shots that are long and straight to the target.
What are those components?
Lie Angle: Greatly affects the direction that the ball will travel. This is the angle created between the sole of the club and the hosel / neck of the club. The really good manufacturers will offer this as an option recognizing the significant impact on success this little adjustment can make.
Length: Yes, size does matter! Particularly with centeredness of contact. A club that is too short will result in shots that are either topped or hit thinly and a club that is too long often times results in shots that are hit “fat”…in other words the club chunks into the ground way behind the ball. I like to give students the very longest club possible (to improve getting more distance) that doesn’t sacrifice the centeredness of contact. Length is not always related to your height. Be like Goldilocks…find the length that is just right for you and allows the ball to be struck in the sweet spot.
Shaft Flex: Getting the right flex allows the clubface to square off at impact to the ball. This is basically determined by your swing speed. The slower and more timed your swing is, you may benefit from a shaft that is more flexible. If you are a quick swinger with lots of club head speed, then you will benefit from a little firmer shaft.
Grip Size: This also helps at squaring off the clubface at impact. This should be a match to your hand size. Too small a grip and you will tend to be an unhappy hooker and too big a grip will lead to banana slices…not splits!
Loft: This is predominantly on your driver and I will be very emphatic about this: MORE IS BETTER! Thankfully within the industry, there are more manufacturers offering drivers with far greater lofts than ever before. If you’re looking for more distance off of the tee then start thinking about the correct launch angle and loft to be the leader down the fairway.
Set Make-up: No…not cosmetics! What clubs do you really use the most of and what gives you the proper gapping to your game.You don’t have to have the full complement of 14 clubs…only the ones you use the most and have the most success with. Fewer may be better. And let’s be sure to include Hybrids plus lot's of Wedges for your scoring shots.
You are now ready to make your appointment with one of our fitting experts who will guide you to the optimal set of clubs designed just for you.
Jane Frost Performance Center uses Trackman Launch Monitors and is proud to be a certified fitting center for: Callaway; Cleveland; Mizuno; TaylorMade; Srixon; Titleist; XXIO; PLUS Edel Custom Putters and Edel Custom Wedges. For more information about Edel please visit www.edelgolf.com