Yes, worth it for me. My driver gained distance and accuracy with the right shaft and it was not an upgrade. Same for 3 high loft wood. My irons we more accurate but no extra distance ( didn’t want extra distance) again shaft was not an upgrade. I bought driver and 3 wood new, I was fortunate to find a demo set of irons for a great price with my specs, only the 6 iron had been hit.
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As a high capper in the 20's...I did a Driver and Iron fitting at TXG afew years back...bought their recommendation, and have been lowering my cap steadily since. The Driver gave me more distance...Irons gave me more height on my ball flight and less dispersion, similar distance.
Generally, the fitted clubs gave me more confidence to swing freely...well worth the fitting fee.
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I'd never do an iron or wedge fitting off a mat.
Fitting is useless if the irons built out of spec.Adams XTD Ti 12.5* / TightLies 2 Ti / Super 9031 Tour / Ping WRX i20 Irons
Ping WRX Tour Gorge / YES Natalie Putter B-CG / Leupold GX-4 Rangefinder
Personal Best: 79, hoping for another sub 80 round before the Twilight Zone
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as a "new player" you need only be concerned with getting fit into the 3 most important parameters.
The appropriate shaft flex, dynamic lie angle ,and the proper loft separation to create yardage differences.
The difference between the static and dynamic lie angle is a direct function of your correct shaft flex.
The correct flex provides the proper amount of "toe droop" which will enable consistent contact with the "sweet spot"
IMHO, the fitters main task is to put you into the proper shaft flex and weight first, and everything else will follow from there.
things change
Maga Lies Matter
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Originally posted by bl8d View Postas a "new player" you need only be concerned with getting fit into the 3 most important parameters.
The appropriate shaft flex, dynamic lie angle ,and the proper loft separation to create yardage differences.
The difference between the static and dynamic lie angle is a direct function of your correct shaft flex.
The correct flex provides the proper amount of "toe droop" which will enable consistent contact with the "sweet spot"
IMHO, the fitters main task is to put you into the proper shaft flex and weight first, and everything else will follow from there.
Adams XTD Ti 12.5* / TightLies 2 Ti / Super 9031 Tour / Ping WRX i20 Irons
Ping WRX Tour Gorge / YES Natalie Putter B-CG / Leupold GX-4 Rangefinder
Personal Best: 79, hoping for another sub 80 round before the Twilight Zone
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I have found value in it over the years even if I dable in the used market once in a while. It helps to narrow down shafts, flex and weight. I think it also depends on whether u will perform decent with someone watching you. I know people who just can’t do fittings because of that fact (nervous or whatever)
a lot of times if u are part of a club u can do the fit days to try new equipment and while biased towards that manufacturer they will for sure out you on the right path.
also keep in mind your fit will change if u do any lessons or are making other changes (speed training). This has happened to me in the past years what fit me a few years back didn’t anymore
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Obviously the answer is on an individual basis and unfortunately you have to go thru the fitting process yourself to find out.
However I can offer what I've observed with my regular playing partner.
He wanted to take his game to the next level. He normally shoots low 80s and odd mid 90s round. He thought getting fitted would help break that barrier. He got the cadillac of all fittings via TXG with Ian.
He played last season with his fitted clubs and shot 80 on the dot 7 times.... Fast forward to this year, his 2nd season with fitted clubs, he's actually gotten worse, shooting mid to high 90s more regularly than not. I'm not sure what changed as the volume of play is the same.
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Originally posted by sunshiNee View PostObviously the answer is on an individual basis and unfortunately you have to go thru the fitting process yourself to find out.
However I can offer what I've observed with my regular playing partner.
He wanted to take his game to the next level. He normally shoots low 80s and odd mid 90s round. He thought getting fitted would help break that barrier. He got the cadillac of all fittings via TXG with Ian.
He played last season with his fitted clubs and shot 80 on the dot 7 times.... Fast forward to this year, his 2nd season with fitted clubs, he's actually gotten worse, shooting mid to high 90s more regularly than not. I'm not sure what changed as the volume of play is the same.
In the Hamilton Golf + CC Embroidered Ping Hoofer
Club Champion Callaway AI Smoke 11*, Aldila Ascent 40 A Flex​​
Srixon F45 4-wood, 17*, KuroKage 606 S
TXG Custom T. Made SIM Max 21* 7-wood, Accra FX 140 2.0 M2
TXG Custom Cobra Tech 5-hybrid, KBS TGI 75 R
TXG Custom PXG 0211 6-Pw, 1* up, Recoil ESX 460 R
PXG 0211 GW, 50*, UST Recoil Dart R
TXG Custom Cleveland CBX 54*, Tour Issue DG Spinner 115
Ping Glide 4.0, 58* TS/6, Nippon 115 S
Tour Velvet Midsize Grips, Custom TXG Signature Putter Grip
TXG Custom King Cobra Nova, 25 gram weights, KBS CT Tour Shaft
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Originally posted by rgk5 View Post
Obviously, his swing and/or mental attitude changed for the worse as the equiipment did not.
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What a fitting does is give you the confidence on your "good" swings you will hit a desireable and repeatable shot. No fitting will magically correct a bad swing or stop them from happening.
My buddy was a 14 cap never broke 80. Ive been telling him for years to goto Modern or TXG (he was using reg shafts and should be in stiff or extra) does a full bag gets new irons and woods. He never used to draw the ball now does. Hes broken 80 4x this year with a best round of 74 (2 over at national pines a tough course)
Does he still have bad days yes of course. He shot 96 yesterday. Thats why we are handicap golfers not pros.
Got to have realistic expectations. If you go for a fitting and dont hit it well that day tell your fitter. Any good one will bring you back. If youre hitting it well and the fitter improves that then youre golden. Will it make you a pro hell no. But you know when youre swinging well youll have full confidence in your equipment and never second guess your equipment.
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I agree that fitting is an important aspect of getting the best equipment for you and your game. What I question is the methods many of these "fitting" companies use nowadays. IMO.......swapping shafts and heads out to get some kind of trackman number is NOT fitting. Fitting is going to a club builder who has a system they use with components they have tested in their particular system and have confidence.in. Unfortunately the art of club building is disappearing and being replaced by big expensive computerized retailers who are charging a lot of money for not much of an upgrade, at least IMO.
My old guy only used 2 shafts and one brand name of heads for his customers but was able to build anything to suit them. His supplier was Alpha and the shafts he used was FST for steel and Alpha shafts for graphite. The reason why he only used those components is because he did extensive testing with each shaft and knew how to trim them to achieve the frequency numbers he was trying to achieve for each build.
When he built my set each specification of my clubs was confirmed during the installation process. Firstly, each head was weighed raw and lofts confirmed by either the quality control sticker on the head for woods & hybrids and then on the loft/lie machine for the irons. Next each club was frequency matched ungripped to make sure each frequency number was correct. My swing speed was assessed and then matched with FM number. Lastly each club was swing weighted after gripping to make sure it matched manufacturer specs.
Most club companies have tolerances of +/- 1* loft and if you don't know the ACTUAL loft then what should be a 3* gap for example from a 3wd-5wd may only be 1* if one head is weak and the other is strong. My driver for example has 9* stamped on the sole but it spec'd out at 10* which was a good loft for me. My 3wd came in at 16* so 1* weak and the 5wd was 17*, 1* strong. So I was able to tweak my setup accordingly and decided to just go to a 19* 3hy instead of the extra fairway wood. I'll use the 5wd for a future set.
This is what you get with good quality component companies like Alpha, KZG or Tom Wishon or even Maltby for example. This is why I turned my back on OE stuff a decade ago and I worked in the industry at all levels for 15+ years, including retail sales. I shake my head at some of the stuff they pull on consumers who are paying a lot of money for equipment that isn't what it is being presented as. For example huge upcharges for shafts that if you look on Golfworks are half of what the retailer is charging.
I was able to "custom" fit my Hogan heads for a 2nd set and because I have a good idea of where I am right now in terms of my swing specs I did a pretty good job. I swapped out my 100gr steel shafts for 80gr low torque graphite and it worked. My ball flight returned and I got a bit more distance which is what I needed now pushing into my late 50s.
Before dropping a lot of money for a custom fit with these emerging custom fit retailers who again will spend a lot of time switching out heads and shafts until you can see a line on a screen and numbers on the right hand side of the screen that the dude is giving you Fonzies on have a look at a component club builder who has a proven system that they have been using for a long time to fit golfers of many levels. Those guys will have confidence in what they are doing.
A good club builder knows how to assess each persons swing. When I was working retail about 10 years ago kind of at the beginning of this "new" OE custom build trend I would say that clubhead speed is obviously important but HOW that speed is generated needs to be evaluated as well. I always used Fred Couples and Nick Price as an example. Each probably had a similar club speed but each had a completely different way of generating that speed. Freddy with his syrupy smooth swing could make a lighter more flexible shaft work unlike Nick who was fast and deliberate. That is an intangible asset that only time in and experience can offer. A seasoned club builder will have that to offer, someone working at a retail outlet maybe yes, maybe no.
My first club builder, who is no longer doing it, always said he put people in the most flexible shaft he could without sacrificing dispersion because it allowed the equipment to perform the best for the golfer. I was on the cusp at that time of either a 5.5 or 6.0 Rifle/Project X shaft which is the shaft I wanted and he put me in the 5.5 because he said at that time in my mid 40s the 5.5 would have a better lifespan for me. He said for example if I was 5 years younger then he would say 6.0. This is another example of "eyeing" up the individual and what will work for them, not just today but also tomorrow.
A similar example outside of club fitting would be to compare Harvey Penick as a teacher vs. someone else who relies on video/technology for instruction. Technology is great but it isn't the answer, it's just another tool and if it's the ONLY tool you will find your result will not be as good.
I know many cub builders have bailed and gone to these big OE custom fit retailers and those guys do have enough knowledge to do a good job for most. I just question when there are so many options out there now it's just a crap shoot and then there's always upcharges for shafts that are pricing out at say Golfworks for half of what the retailer is charging. You shouldn't pay any upcharge for a shaft. If you want an expensive shaft, fine, but just because the OE company uses KBS as an example for their stock shafts you shouldn't pay more if you want a Project for example. Sure the Project may be a few dollars more or whatever, but not $100 like what I've heard some of the steel shaft "upgrades" are being sold as.
Keep it simple when going through this process. If you are a high handicapper go with some kind of cavity back offset head that will allow you a better chance to sqaure it impact, feel isn't as important. If you are a single digit young strong kid a forged blade will give you the purest feedback and more penetrating ball flight. The weight of the shaft and its kickpoint are the 2 most important aspects and heavier shafts will generally have higher kickpoints. Graphite shafts are torque rated and the lower the torque generally speaking the lower the ball flight.
My current set I play regularly is the Alpha C2Fly which are a soft forged cavity back offset head. I have the low torque 60gr Alpha Platinum shaft which works very well for me. Even though it is very light the tip stability is amazing and I don't get a lot of ballooning, because it was properly frequency matched to me. Even though I am still a single digit handicap the fact I'm getting older and don't play and practice like I used to I thought the idea of giving myself the best chance to square the face at impact was the way to go. I was a traditional blade or muscle back guy before but these heads have helped me maintain a decent game. My old Hogan Apex Edge Pro's with Graffaloy Blue 80gr shafts I use on the smaller courses I play with my wife and I still love hitting them but I like my misses with the Alphas better.
Sorry for the rant but as I said being in the racket of golf for as long as I was made me somewhat cynical as to the magic wands being peddled by some of the retailers these days.Last edited by hogannut; Jun 25, 2022, 09:45 AM.WHAT SITS ON MY CLIC-GEAR
Alpha Golf C830.4 SP700 Plasma 10* Platinum 65 gr
Alpha Golf Version 5 3wd 15* Platinum 65gr
Alpha Golf C830 19* Platinum 60 gr
Alpha C2 Fly 4- G/W Platinum 60 gr
Snake Eyes 675 WB 54* & 58* FST 90 gr
Heavy Putter A1 33"
" The secret is in the dirt "....... Ben Hogan
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Originally posted by bl8d View Post^^^^.^^ Hogannut ,thankyou for taking the time and posting such a fine critique. cheers
I'm just saying there are other options out there and considering a custom set of clubs these days can be many thousands of dollars as a consumer you should know all your options.
Take Golfsmith as an example. For 40 years it was a very successful component golf supply company. I remember going to the Mississauga to get grips and tape etc. THey had their own clubs (Snake eyes) that Tom Wishon contributed to before going out on his own. I still have the last generation of the 675WB wedges, awesome wedge(s).
Then they decided to become a retailer and went out of business in about 5 years.
I have a high expectation of my equipment and once I found a club builder and learned about the component industry I was sold. It was difficult for me because I was still working in golf and selling OE equipment. So I had to essentially keep my mouth shut at work and do my job.
Go to one of these component web pages and look at the information they provide. Tolerance levels, manufacturing processes and the type of metal used for their manufacturing. Compare that to the OE sites that don't give you as much information. Not saying their tolerances and manufacturing is worse. Not at all, in fact the complete opposite. The reality is, it should matter more how the clubheads are made not the name stamped on them.
I am not saying you won't get a good build from these custom fit centres, I'm just saying there are other options out there. I know people who have gone OE and are going back and forth trying to get the set to the level they want. When I have those questions/issues I show up at my builders place and I leave shortly thereafter, problem usually solved or at least he will say......try this out and let me know.
Also, for what it is worth IMO always chose the easier option. Go with a muscle over a blade if you aren't playing everyday and are a very good ball striker who also puts in range time. If you look at the KZG site it will ask your handicap range. My current cap is 5 but I chose the 10-20 range because those heads will give me a better chance to hit a decent shot but will still have a lot of the feel of a more performance type head. Go with the lighter shaft, it will help you. Shafts, especially lightweight steel have improved so much in the last decade. Make the game easier for yourself. Is it worth to miss greens for example with your blades in order to get that one or two pure shots in on any given round? Your choice ultimately.
A buddy of mine who is very similar to me in our games got fitted a few years ago by TM. They put him in a 790 blade with a lightweight steel shaft. I didn't say anything to him, not going to put negative thoughts in his head but his game has not improved at all compared to the AP1's he was using before. Way better misses with the AP1's vs. a blade. Every time you get a new set of clubs your game should improve a bit, isn't that why you are getting new clubs to begin with? My game improved when I got my Alpha's because I got a head that would help me be more consistent and a shaft that was the proper specs for my game at the time and hopefully for the next 5-10 years. As we all know and even up to the pro on TV level golf is all about your misses not your perfect shots which are few and far between for most of us.
A quick comment on lightweight steel vs. graphite. First of all it is still probably true that a steel shaft is more consistent that a graphite shaft simply in the fact the manufacturing of a graphite shaft is more complicated and therefore more can go "wrong". However there are many who are probably on the cusp of going graphite but the person they are working with will put them in lightweight steel because of the cost. I got 10 years back on my ball flight when I went to graphite in my mid 50s and that was going from a lightweight steel (FST 90) to a 80gr graphite. Graphite shafts have really improved and for us recreational players who are losing clubhead speed will give more benefits back in distance and ball flight vs. increased dispersion. But, knowing what you are looking for is half the battle. My iron shafts are around 2.5 torque so are very tip stable but the lighter weight allows the ball to get up in the air.
Not only that you are usually supporting a small local business with component builders. Just my 2 cents.Last edited by hogannut; Jun 26, 2022, 09:47 AM.WHAT SITS ON MY CLIC-GEAR
Alpha Golf C830.4 SP700 Plasma 10* Platinum 65 gr
Alpha Golf Version 5 3wd 15* Platinum 65gr
Alpha Golf C830 19* Platinum 60 gr
Alpha C2 Fly 4- G/W Platinum 60 gr
Snake Eyes 675 WB 54* & 58* FST 90 gr
Heavy Putter A1 33"
" The secret is in the dirt "....... Ben Hogan
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