Fitting for beginner

[downshift]

Hi Guys

I'm thinking about replacing my irons this year and wondering about fitting.

I'm a pretty new golfer playing in the high 90's low 100s so my swing isn't very consistent. Because of this, I see myself continuing to tweak my swing form / posture over the coming years.

With this, do you think it would be worth it to get a fitting for clubs at this point? Or should I wait until my swing is more consistent?

The main reason i want to get fit is for length because I often feel that off the shelf clubs are a bit long for me.

Thanks

[TourIQ]

Re: Fitting for beginner

Being outside the normal standard range, the short answer is a bigger Yes Get Fitted. I just worked with a 40 year old guy who couldn't hit a mid to short iron, as he topped the ball. His clubs were to short, too weak in flex and grips too small (needed Jumbo). We also fixed his grip to more neutral and posture with less knee flex.

He will probably drop 20 strokes by the end of the season. I'm surprised he didn't give up the game.

[ballana]

Re: Fitting for beginner

If you are still working on your swing and improving and making changes, then I would not necessarily invest a whole lot into fitting since as your swing changes, so too will your optimal setup. Having said that, there are options such as Golf Town who give you a free fitting if you are buying the clubs off them at the time of the fitting (they charge for fitting but apply the charge towards the cost of clubs when you order them). The good thing is that for current models, custom ordered clubs cost the same as the off-the-rack clubs directly from the manufacturer for you (as long as the shaft and grips you select are a standard option, otherwise there could be upcharges). Ping in Oakville does free fittings too but is quite popular and can be a bit of a wait. Well worth it if you get in though, and they would simply give you your optimal specs which you could take to Golf Town and order for yourself.

As another option, Ping also has a good static fitting tool that you can plug in factors like your height and other related measures to identify whether you are in fact better served with shafts cut a bit shorter than standard:

http://www.ping.com/fitting/nflightweb.aspx

[TLT Dan]

Re: Fitting for beginner

Hi Guys

I'm thinking about replacing my irons this year and wondering about fitting.

I'm a pretty new golfer playing in the high 90's low 100s so my swing isn't very consistent. Because of this, I see myself continuing to tweak my swing form / posture over the coming years.

With this, do you think it would be worth it to get a fitting for clubs at this point? Or should I wait until my swing is more consistent?

The main reason i want to get fit is for length because I often feel that off the shelf clubs are a bit long for me.

Thanks

If you are serious about improving your game then getting fit is an absolute must. By playing with clubs that do not fit you will develop all sorts of bad habits, corrections or adjustments in your address - and these inconsistencies can stay with you for a very long time.

Since you are fairly new to the game this is the time to develop that strong athletic address position - and use this same address for all your clubs. If you continue to play with ill fit clubs you start doing corrections to your swing - corrections that you do not want to do.

A True Length Technology set will help you develop a sound swing and consistent swing plane - something you do want.

Please review my site and let me know if I can help.

[4underthru9]

Re: Fitting for beginner

Hi Guys
I'm thinking about replacing my irons this year and wondering about fitting. I'm a pretty new golfer playing in the high 90's low 100s so my swing isn't very consistent. Because of this, I see myself continuing to tweak my swing form / posture over the coming years. With this, do you think it would be worth it to get a fitting for clubs at this point? Or should I wait until my swing is more consistent? The main reason i want to get fit is for length because I often feel that off the shelf clubs are a bit long for me.
Thanks

If you truly love the game and want to improve, IMO you should do the fitting first, see above posts, by the fitters on here. Fitters by the nature of the trade also know some important things about swing mechanics so they usually can help you through that to obtain your goal. The last thing a fitter wants to hear is that the clubs he built did not work for you, so they will generally go out of their way to make sure they do.

[TourIQ]

Re: Fitting for beginner

ballana a fitter can fit for a future state, so what s/he gets now for properly fitted equipment, will not quickly become obsolete once they demonstrate improvement. When a person has to deviate from off-the-rack, then all the more reason to get fitted early in the process. Where new golfers get stung, is they use a hack for a instructor and a hack for a fitter and pay for inconsistent cut and glue clubs.

[golfunderpar18]

Re: Fitting for beginner

Hi Guys

I'm thinking about replacing my irons this year and wondering about fitting.

I'm a pretty new golfer playing in the high 90's low 100s so my swing isn't very consistent. Because of this, I see myself continuing to tweak my swing form / posture over the coming years.

With this, do you think it would be worth it to get a fitting for clubs at this point? Or should I wait until my swing is more consistent?

The main reason i want to get fit is for length because I often feel that off the shelf clubs are a bit long for me.

Thanks

A fitting is a good investment, but i think a couple lessons with the basics around posture, set up, etc is a better FIRST investment then do the fitting. Agree you should take advantage of the free or inexpensive fittings. Get a couple lessons from a reputable instructor in your area or at your local Golftown and do a fitting as well. I did the Modern Golf fitting last year -- expensive but for me was worth it. I've golfed for 37 years and it was my first true fitting.

You are on the right track though. No need to spend $$ with off the shelf stuff before hand or if you don't feel they are a good fit.

[gcee]

Re: Fitting for beginner

I agree with Ballana. Unless you are way out of standard, say 5' or 6'5 then it would be hard to justify spending $200-$500 on a fitting when you are still learning proper mechanics. Unless the money is insignificant to you then of course no one would argue there would be some benefits.

Also, I would second going to ping or GT to get fitted due to the lower cost and that can hold you over until you have a more repeatable swing and actually determine that you are planning to stick with this game long term.

[TourIQ]

Re: Fitting for beginner

Lots of opportunities for a new golfer to get fitted for free to under $100. I'm sure some sponsors waive the fee if you spend money in their shop. It doesn't have to cost a car payment.

[Smittyman]

Re: Fitting for beginner

I agree with Ballana. Unless you are way out of standard, say 5' or 6'5 then it would be hard to justify spending $200-$500 on a fitting when you are still learning proper mechanics. Unless the money is insignificant to you then of course no one would argue there would be some benefits.

Also, I would second going to ping or GT to get fitted due to the lower cost and that can hold you over until you have a more repeatable swing and actually determine that you are planning to stick with this game long term.

gcee is correct, PING is now lower cost but NOT free. PING used to be free as Ballana stated but as of Jan 1 it now costs $50/hour and each type of club is basically a one hour fitting (driver = 1 hour, irons = 1 hour, wedges = 1 hour, etc.). The only exception is the putter which is 30 minutes. Still much less than MG or Golf Lab but sadly no longer free. And of course you only get fitted for PING.

[nearace]

Re: Fitting for beginner

gcee is correct, PING is now lower cost but NOT free. PING used to be free as Ballana stated but as of Jan 1 it now costs $50/hour and each type of club is basically a one hour fitting (driver = 1 hour, irons = 1 hour, wedges = 1 hour, etc.). The only exception is the putter which is 30 minutes. Still much less than MG or Golf Lab but sadly no longer free. And of course you only get fitted for PING.

I think ping is the way to go, they won't have any reason to up sell you.Posting prices for the fitting is also reassuring.

[Smittyman]

Re: Fitting for beginner

I think ping is the way to go, they won't have any reason to up sell you.Posting prices for the fitting is also reassuring.

A look at my WITB will tell that I'm not going argue.

[downshift]

Re: Fitting for beginner

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

Contacted Ping in oakville and appears their facilities will be closed for the next few weeks. They suggested that I check out one of their fitting/demo days at an outdoor range and most likely, one of their reps from oakville will be there so the experience would be similar.

[TourIQ]

Re: Fitting for beginner

Anyone have a list of Ping demo days for this season?

[dc89]

Re: Fitting for beginner

Anyone have a list of Ping demo days for this season?

Found these through the Ping website for the GTA region.

5/17/2015
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Whitby Golf & Country Club Ltd
Royal Ashburn Golf Club
995 Myrtle Rd West
Ashburn, ON L0B 1A0
905-686-1121

6/7/2015
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Rhgc Management Ltd.
Richmond Hill Golf Club
8755 Bathurst St
Richmond Hill, ON L4C 0H4
905-889-4653

7/2/2015
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Clublink Corporation
The Club at Bond Head
4805 7th Line
Bond Head, ON L0G 1B0
905-778-9400