An In-depth Look at Club Fitting

ShriekingSheet

I would really, really be interested in seeing some research done on what actually goes in the area of club fitting. I know alot about golf, and golf equipment, but I have to admit, the more I hear about club fitting methods, reasoning and theory, the more I realise I've very little clue about the whole area. It's also very apparent to me that there are a considerable amount of golfers who consider themselves to be well informed in the area, and are in truth, just as ignorant as I am.

Regardless, what I'd like to see done is three golfers, of varying ability going to 5 club fitters in Ireland. I would love to see the results. I'd be shocked if all fitters recommended the same spec.

dnjoyce

Would be happy to be one of the guinea pigs for this! although fitters normally charge you for the service and deduct it from subsequent club purchases - so we might need a sponsor to cover that cost!

BUACHAILL

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

I would really, really be interested in seeing some research done on what actually goes in the area of club fitting. I know alot about golf, and golf equipment, but I have to admit, the more I hear about club fitting methods, reasoning and theory, the more I realise I've very little clue about the whole area. It's also very apparent to me that there are a considerable amount of golfers who consider themselves to be well informed in the area, and are in truth, just as ignorant as I am.

Regardless, what I'd like to see done is three golfers, of varying ability going to 5 club fitters in Ireland. I would love to see the results. I'd be shocked if all fitters recommended the same spec.

Great topic, I would be the exact same

ryaner77

Not sure how to link to the thread i started but it's near the top " what would you do with €300 "

but i'm planning on getting a new set of custom irons fitted soon. Prob the end of november ?

There charging me €30 in mcguirks to fit them.

Are you going to complete this study your self or do you just want info on what people's experience are ?

spacecoyote

Yeah, I would probably be a willing guinea pig, as I've build up a nice little fund to upgrade my irons with and was planning on a custom fit anyway! Although it'll be a while before i'm going for the fit, as I'm still in a cast with a broken ankle. But the cast is off next tuesday, so once i've gone through the physio & got back to the gym I'll be itching to get the new set.

ShriekingSheet

If I had an excess of cash I'd go do it, but I don't. It just seems to me that this whole business of club fitting has gone from an elite tour player tweak, to must-have for every John Tendegree.

Even on this forum, every mention of "what club should I buy?" is met immediately with "get fitted". And the ridiculous notion that a couple of degrees here or there can make considerable difference to the irregular swing of a novice is pure marketing. Because the vast, vast majority of us are novices, and that's where the money is.

If you've a good technique, and are spending big bucks on new gear it can make sense to spend a relatively small amount extra to get advice from a fitter. But the amount of people who either a) have been convinced they can get benefit out of it or b) do it for bravado reasons to tell people "my clubs are custom made" is just beyond me.

Sure even if you take their theory at face value, fitting clubs exactly to your personal set-up... what's the first thing a pro does in a lesson?? Adjust your set-up!! Do you need to go back and get a new custom fit then?

ryaner77

good point about the lessons ! never thought about it that way.

I've never even had a complete set of irons before so with this one being my first one i can't see any harm in spending the extra €30 on getting them altered ?

as i've said i'll be using them for the next 10 years so i'm sure my swing will change dramatically in that time.

Going a bit off topic but still in regards of customisation, i play hurling and there is nothing better than finding a hurl that fits perfect or altering it to the right length and weight for yourself.

Just picking a hurl up from the shelf you have a 100/1 chance of finding one that suits you.

ha ha I know i sound like the bad workman who blames his tools !

i dont think it's that big of an expense when you consider some of the prices for golf equipment these days. And for me €30 is a great price for something that'll give me a lot of confidence when i take it out of the bag.

spacecoyote

thing is that usually it won't cost you the €30 as they knock that cost off the price of the clubs if you buy from them.

I can see where Sheet is coming from, to be honest I don't think it'll take much tweaking of the clubs to fit me, as I would say I'm of average height & build, only real thing i could see would be type of shaft, as I've never had my swing speed measured, and suspect that I may need something stiffer than I currently use?

But hey, I've gotten a few quid to spend on the clubs, so why not get what best suits me, if its not going to cost me anything more anyway. Have been for a few lessons at this stage so I'm relatively happy with my current set-up anyway

GreeBo

If i was getting fitted I wouldnt do it at the time of purchasing from the likes of McGuirks etc.

I think youd get a better job getting it done from a pro as part of lessons.

stockdam

Sounds like an idea for Kevin's next book as he explores the myths and mystic around club-fitting.

ShriekingSheet

stockdam wrote: »

Sounds like an idea for Kevin's next book as he explores the myths and mystic around club-fitting.

Ha, yeah, I've a few more for him too!

Anyway, this is not something specific to golf. It simply boils down to marketing or more percisely, a simple practice known as Creative Marketing.

Using advertising, player sponsorship etc to leverage people's existing needs and wants is just business-as-usual marketing. But if you can create a new need or want among your customers, that means they have to spend that bit more, you can bump up the average amount spent by every punter.

So all they've done is plant the idea in people's head, that if you're not hitting a nice consistant high draw everytime, "it's probably because you're clubs haven't been tailored to your swing. And by the way, Steve Downtheroad and Paul Aroundthecorner have gotten their clubs custom fitted... are you going to risk your place on the Pierce Purcell team by letting them get an edge on you?"

Let me reiterate that I do think there is some merit in club fitting, it's just of no real benefit to the majority of us, regardless of what the industry says.

Daithio9

This thread has officially been renamed "An inept look at club fitting".

f22

Daithio9 wrote: »

This thread has officially been renamed "An inepth look at club fitting".

A most valuable contribution if I ever saw one!

spacecoyote

Daithio9 wrote: »

This thread has officially been renamed "An inepth look at club fitting".

This post has officially been renamed "An Inept posting in the "An In-depth Look at Club Fitting" thread " (sorry just had to say it )

BombSquad

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

Let me reiterate that I do think there is some merit in club fitting, it's just of no real benefit to the majority of us, regardless of what the industry says.

It might not be of merit to the average ~50 year old 18 handicapper but I'd say the demographic on boards, who are probably younger, more serious, looking to improve and in general play to a higher standard, would certainly benefit from custom fitting. I know I have. I started out like most people with standard regular flex clubs. My driver swing speed was measured at upwards of 115 mph. The old clubs were totally unsuitable and my ball flight has changed dramatically for the good since getting custom fitted (pity my short game hasn't!). I don't think the marketing people are creating a need. The need was always there. It's just being addressed now.

The one problem I see with custom fitting is that people have yet another reason to spend money on equipment when a good lesson and some practice would probably be far more beneficial. In this case though, the problem is not with custom fitting but with the lazy golfer who expects to buy a lower handicap/better game....

f22

Even at it's most basic levels fitting has it's merits.

Regular v stiff shaft, and loft/lie make a pretty big difference to a player of any skill level in my opinion.

Daithio9

f22 wrote: »

A most valuable contribution if I ever saw one!

Just like this thread it's invaluable.

kagni

"Search for the Perfect Golf Club" by Tom Wishon is a great book about clubfitting and golf club tecnology in general. Well worth getting if you are interested in this stuff.

conman

BombSquad wrote: »

The one problem I see with custom fitting is that people have yet another reason to spend money on equipment when a good lesson and some practice would probably be far more beneficial. In this case though, the problem is not with custom fitting but with the lazy golfer who expects to buy a lower handicap/better game....

Thats exactly it, Club Fitting is worthwhile and not a con,
but you need to have your swing stable and in good shape before you try to match your clubs to it.

DonkeyPokerTour

First Let me state I'm neither for or against club fitting, like Sheet I've not put enough research into finding out all the details.

The problem I see is that its very hard to scientifically test people to find out if the fitting has actually improved their game, or has it just had a positive mental adjustment and improved their game.

If I'm a respected profesional and I hand you a club and say this fits you perfectly and its perfect for you, mentally your more likely to be positive about it and probably hit it better than if I tell you this is off the shelf and bog standard.

The only real way I can see of proving what whether it makes a difference is a blind test. Two identical sets of clubs, one custom fitted to the person, the other off the shelf and they hit a few shots with both clubs before deciding which he finds best.

Also, as a 15HC i know that some days my swing is "in the slot" and other days its not. When my swing is "in the slot" I drive and hit my irons very straight, when its not "in the slot" I tend to slice almost everything. I'd say at the moment I'm 2/3rds good days and 1/3 bad days. So if i'm fitted on a day when I'm not "in the slot" well then on a day when I'm playing well, will i start to hook everything because the fitter has made an adjustment to allow for the slice?

Swinging Looney

I was fitted first about 2 years ago. Initially changing from graphite shaft irons to stiff steel shaft gave me an average of 15 yards extra with every club in the bag. Lie was set a 1.5 degrees upright which suited my then steep swing. With the standard lie I was occasionally coming into the ball steep enough to hit the ground toe first which opened the club face a fraction causing misses right. My swing is less steep now and lies are standard but there is no doubt in my mind that proper club fitting made a huge and very observable change to my game.

spacecoyote

Something that you might find as an interesting read?

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/equipment/features/misc/custom_fitting/custom_club_fitting.html

jimmystars

Booked a fitting session for next week and will report back when its complete. Going to get fitted for woods and irons. Cost 60 euro.

Want to know should i take my measurements/ specs after the fitting and shop around or is it going to make a difference if i buy off the fitter. I was told by a friend that this place would be very expensive to buy from and i should look online. He told me he paid 1350 for a full set:eek:.
Anyone have any experience of getting custom made irons of the net.

george67

A friend of mine got fitted in the old golfworks , he hits a high fade plays a FTI draw driver regular shaft . Was fitted for Mizuno MP60s stiff shaft 2 degree flat (he has a short upright swing )as a result his drives are on average 5-10 yards shorter than mine but his irons are 2-3 clubs more . So much for club fitting .
Anybody playing regular golf will have a fair idea of what suits them best

george67

spacecoyote wrote: »

Something that you might find as an interesting read?

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/equipment/features/misc/custom_fitting/custom_club_fitting.html

Don't get caught up in magazine articles that generally slap there biggest advertiser's on the back .

If you look at their (HOT LISTS) every 3 months you will find a common biased towards certain makes (probably depends on their revenue)

spacecoyote

george67 wrote: »

Don't get caught up in magazine articles that generally slap there biggest advertiser's on the back .

If you look at their (HOT LISTS) every 3 months you will find a common biased towards certain makes (probably depends on their revenue)

I agree, but I wasn' looking at the actual recommendations in the article, moreso the detail on different elements of golf clubs themselves is a bit more comprehensive than any other articles I've seen

george67

What I find disturbing is the lack of knowledge a lot of "fitters" have . All the shaft makers put stock in what type of swing a player has fast transition or smooth transition as much as swing speed or if you hit it high or low but i have never heard it mentioned to me and when I ask the question I i get kind off fobbed off .
Don't get me wrong I'm the biggest golf techophobe there is. I believe there is a head or shaft to suit everyone you just have to find it .

I'm off for a game now ta ta

Scottty2Hottty

Something to bear in mind. All off the rack clubs are massed produced and therefore there are degrees of tolerance to the specs to which they are made for example: On a standard set of irons there should be exactly four degrees of loft between each iron so if your 5 iron has 27degrees of loft your 6 Iron should have 31 etc.

HOWEVER most major manufactures work within a 1 degree of tolerance, that may not sound like much but if your 5 iron comes with 28degrees of loft and your 6 iron with 30 degrees, what should be a 12 yard gap between clubs becomes a 6 yard gap, and if your 7 iron happens to come in with 36 degrees of loft the gap between 6 and 7 becomes 18 yards!!

The same applies to the lie of clubs(flat/Upright), off the rack clubs have degrees of tolerance however custom fit clubs are made exactly to the measurements set forward by the fitter.

For those of you still going to pop into your major high street retailer and buy the prettiest/shiniest looking clubs. Buy Ping as it has the least amount of Tolerance of any of the major manufacturers, in my experience.

All that being said, one thing remains constant, 'it's not the arrow, but the Indian, at fault for the vast majority of bad golf'!

ShriekingSheet

Scottty2Hottty wrote: »

Something to bear in mind. All off the rack clubs are massed produced and therefore there are degrees of tolerance to the specs to which they are made for example: On a standard set of irons there should be exactly four degrees of loft between each iron so if your 5 iron has 27degrees of loft your 6 Iron should have 31 etc.

HOWEVER most major manufactures work within a 1 degree of tolerance, that may not sound like much but if your 5 iron comes with 28degrees of loft and your 6 iron with 30 degrees, what should be a 12 yard gap between clubs becomes a 6 yard gap, and if your 7 iron happens to come in with 36 degrees of loft the gap between 6 and 7 becomes 18 yards!!

The same applies to the lie of clubs(flat/Upright), off the rack clubs have degrees of tolerance however custom fit clubs are made exactly to the measurements set forward by the fitter.

For those of you still going to pop into your major high street retailer and buy the prettiest/shiniest looking clubs. Buy Ping as it has the least amount of Tolerance of any of the major manufacturers, in my experience.

All that being said, one thing remains constant, 'it's not the arrow, but the Indian, at fault for the vast majority of bad golf'!

This is exactly the kind of tripe that the industry thrives on. You couuuuld just buy clubs off the shelf... but they couuuuld be a couple of degrees wrong and you'll end up losing the captain's prize on the last hole because you're 6 iron is actually a 5 iron...

Besides, you haven't got your facts straight. The distances your irons go is far more to do with the length of the shaft than the loft. There is no way in hell a club that is half an inch shorter, and 2 degrees weaker will fly within 6 yards of the next iron in the bag.

In reality, the worst case you'll find when mass produced clubs are fractionally out is a certain iron flying slightly lower than it should, or a yard or two shorter/longer. Nothing that would concern 99.9% of amateur golfers.

It p*sses me off. Basically scaring people into paying extra for needless customisation, because after reading bullsh*t like the above, some guys can't have peace of mind when buying off the shelf. Expecially when you base your point on incorrect logic.

Scotty, this is not just you I'm having a go at, or you specifically that I'm p*ssed off at. You may have no stake in the industry at all. But either way, you've bought into the bullsh*t. And you're spreading the message to others on the forum. I'm not okay with that.

kagni

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

This is exactly the kind of tripe that the industry thrives on. You couuuuld just buy clubs off the shelf... but they couuuuld be a couple of degrees wrong and you'll end up losing the captain's prize on the last hole because you're 6 iron is actually a 5 iron...

Besides, you haven't got your facts straight. The distances your irons go is far more to do with the length of the shaft than the loft. There is no way in hell a club that is half an inch shorter, and 2 degrees weaker will fly within 6 yards of the next iron in the bag.

In reality, the worst case you'll find when mass produced clubs are fractionally out is a certain iron flying slightly lower than it should, or a yard or two shorter/longer. Nothing that would concern 99.9% of amateur golfers.

It p*sses me off. Basically scaring people into paying extra for needless customisation, because after reading bullsh*t like the above, some guys can't have peace of mind when buying off the shelf. Expecially when you base your point on incorrect logic.

Scotty, this is not just you I'm having a go at, or you specifically that I'm p*ssed off at. You may have no stake in the industry at all. But either way, you've bought into the bullsh*t. And you're spreading the message to others on the forum. I'm not okay with that.

A bit aggressive there Sheet. And the point you make above (in bold) is wrong. Club loft is the main factor in determining distance, not club length.
For example, at one time Greg Norman carried three clubs that were 7-iron length, the only difference was the loft.

Also some might find this interesting -- http://www.twgolftech.com/performance_factors.php
I am interested in custom fitting but am doubtful that there are many in this country who would do a competent job. I haven't ever been custom fit myself.

stumpypeeps

kagni wrote: »

A bit aggressive there Sheet. And the point you make above (in bold) is wrong. Club loft is the main factor in determining distance, not club length.
For example, at one time Greg Norman carried three clubs that were 7-iron length, the only difference was the loft.

In fairness to Sheet. I can knock 20 yards off a 7 iron just by dropping my grip an inch.

kagni

stumpypeeps wrote: »

In fairness to Sheet. I can knock 20 yards off a 7 iron just by dropping my grip an inch.

Could you hit it 20 yards further if you had it lengthened an inch?

ShriekingSheet

kagni wrote: »

Could you hit it 20 yards further if you had it lengthened an inch?

Eh... not far off! I have just a 1/2 an inch on mine and there's the best part of a club in the difference. An extra inch on an iron makes a world of difference.

Where's your argument coming from here? You've never had a custom fit? Have you trried clubs of different lengths?
We have about 10 sets in our house, about half are standard and half are +1/2 inch as there's three of us very tall and two non-freaks. Honestly, a 1/2 inch makes a big difference without any adjustment to loft. An inch is a huge change.

Scottty2Hottty

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

This is exactly the kind of tripe that the industry thrives on. You couuuuld just buy clubs off the shelf... but they couuuuld be a couple of degrees wrong and you'll end up losing the captain's prize on the last hole because you're 6 iron is actually a 5 iron...

Besides, you haven't got your facts straight. The distances your irons go is far more to do with the length of the shaft than the loft. There is no way in hell a club that is half an inch shorter, and 2 degrees weaker will fly within 6 yards of the next iron in the bag.

In reality, the worst case you'll find when mass produced clubs are fractionally out is a certain iron flying slightly lower than it should, or a yard or two shorter/longer. Nothing that would concern 99.9% of amateur golfers.

It p*sses me off. Basically scaring people into paying extra for needless customisation, because after reading bullsh*t like the above, some guys can't have peace of mind when buying off the shelf. Expecially when you base your point on incorrect logic.

Scotty, this is not just you I'm having a go at, or you specifically that I'm p*ssed off at. You may have no stake in the industry at all. But either way, you've bought into the bullsh*t. And you're spreading the message to others on the forum. I'm not okay with that.

Firstly I'm not scaring anybody, I'm simply explaining the benefits of custom fitting. Obviously there is no substitute for hard work and if the average golfer put in an hours extra practice a week with their existing clubs then it would have a more beneficial effect on their scores/handicap than getting custom fit.

As regards going spending 'extra for needless customization', any decent professional will at the very least do a quick static and dynamic fit for you, it only takes 20min. Some manufacturer's have a FREE :eek: online Static fit calculator, you can do yourself online. Working off height, wrist-floor, longest finger measurements, general shot shape etc.

It's up to everyone to make up their own mind, but as far as I am concerned if you are investing a substantial amount of money in a new set of clubs then I would recommend getting your clubs fit to suit you. It shouldn't cost you any extra (if you shop around) and it should hopefully stand to you.

Once again if you're serious about an investment in golf equipment then make sure you do your homework, if you want to take a few quid off the lads this weekend, get to the range or the putting green, if you want to remain as you are, be a cynic and disregard all I've said and years of research as buls**t.

stumpypeeps

kagni wrote: »

Could you hit it 20 yards further if you had it lengthened an inch?

I don't know to be honest. I doubt it. I' sure it would go some distance further though.

For instance long drive champions, to achieve greater distances, lengthen their shafts.

Any how, its all a bit of a moot point. Its more than likely a harmonization of loft and shaft length that determines distance. I do think however, having the lofts of your irons set is something only the purest of ball strikers need. That pretty much precludes everyone playing amateur golf.

kagni

I don't disagree that the length of the shaft has an influence on distance, but loft has more of an influence IMO. Long drivers also use 5-6 deg heads:)

ShriekingSheet

Scottty2Hottty wrote: »

Firstly I'm not scaring anybody, I'm simply explaining the benefits of custom fitting.

No you're not, you've giving wrong information to support your argument.

Scottty2Hottty wrote: »

if you want to remain as you are, be a cynic and disregard all I've said and years of research as buls**t.

Ridiculous. This is exactly what I'm talking about.

What's your stake in this argument? I've never seen you post before, and now you show up vehemently defending this business.

For my own part, I'm making the argument because I feel alot of people are spending money on something that's not delivering anything like the benefits pitched by those who stand to make money from it.

stumpypeeps

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

No you're not, you've giving wrong information to support your argument.



Ridiculous. This is exactly what I'm talking about.

What's your stake in this argument? I've never seen you post before, and now you show up vehemently defending this business.

For my own part, I'm making the argument because I feel alot of people are spending money on something that's not delivering anything like the benefits pitched by those who stand to make money from it.

+1

I'm started playing golf about two years ago, so I'm far from an expert. Although I do work as a Greenkeeper. But I began to understand that golf, as an amateur, is a sport. Not a technical science as a lot of equipment manufacturers would lead you to believe.
I feel two hours a week practicing your short game will deliver more results than 600 quid on a customised set of irons.

kagni

stumpypeeps wrote: »

+1

I'm started playing golf about two years ago, so I'm far from an expert. Although I do work as a Greenkeeper. But I began to understand that golf, as an amateur, is a sport. Not a technical science as a lot of equipment manufacturers would lead you to believe.
I feel two hours a week practicing your short game will deliver more results than 600 quid on a customised set of irons.

Where exactly did anyone say any different.

Scottty2Hottty wrote:

Obviously there is no substitute for hard work and if the average golfer put in an hours extra practice a week with their existing clubs then it would have a more beneficial effect on their scores/handicap than getting custom fit.

Everything S2H has said is correct and perfectly reasonable. But it seems that if you don't have 1000+ posts in the golf forum that you are not allowed an opposing opinion, or worse, you have an "agenda".:(

stumpypeeps

kagni wrote: »

Where exactly did anyone say any different.

No where. I'm just stating the obvious. I just think if people get away from wondering whether or not the loft of their 7 iron is a degree off and just thought about hitting the ball in the general direction of the hole, the whole golfing experience would be much more enjoyable.

ShriekingSheet

kagni wrote: »

Where exactly did anyone say any different.

Everything S2H has said is correct and perfectly reasonable. But it seems that if you don't have 1000+ posts in the golf forum that you are not allowed an opposing opinion, or worse, you have an "agenda".:(

No he isn't correct about the example he gave of two irons hitting 6 yards in the difference. Absolutely incorrect. I've told you how I know it's incorrect, and asked you what your basing your knowledge on and you didn't answer? I've tried shed-loads of different length irons over the years, and went back and forth between standard and +1/2 inch. I know what I'm talking about. You've never been custom fit. Call me wrong if you like but at least back it up.

And for all your time in the forum, do you not think it's reasonable to ask the question of a new poster who so staunchly takes a side in a debate? Especially when there's money-making involved?

ryaner77

Getting fitted for clubs for the first time tonight in kinsealy, I've hit 100 balls on the range with an off the shelf set of mx100's and really really enjoyed them. Decided as it was very litttle extra to get them custom fitted. I know it's not the same as on course conditions but as soon as i get my custom set back the first thing i'll do is hit another bucket of 100 balls with them.

I'll let you know if there's any difference.

But for only €30 extra to get custom fitted why not go for it ? Often it's included free of charge with a new set ?

It's not like it's massive money, and it's only a once off payment.

would you honestly feel you got ripped off if you paid it ?

Hobart

I think you are being way way over the top here Sheet. I don't think that Scotty said that the loft is the main factor in different distances, but he did say it was a factor. I do believe that both length of shaft + loft can make a difference with distance, if one has more prevalence over another, I would agree that it is the length of the shaft, but I am not qualified to say tbh.

What I do know, however, is that both have an effect.

I do also believe that custom fitting (not just length and loft fitting) can be beneficial to a lot of golfers, and I'd base it on the the fact that there are very few golfers I know that are the same height/build/flexibility etc.... I also believe, that if one is going to buy a set of irons, or invest in a set of woods, custom fitting them is not a huge expense.

Having said that, I would imagine that the incorrect advice is as detrimental to your game as the correct advice would be beneficial.

kagni

The problem with you saying that you hit a 1/2" overlength 7-iron 15 yards (or whatever) further than a standard length 7-iron is that it isn't objective. As was stated earlier these things need to be conducted in a "blind test". Similar to the statements earlier in this thread in regards to custom fitting - the golfer knows he is supposed to hit it further so may subconsciously swing that little bit harder.

I read a physics argument about the contribution of club length to shot distance a while ago, I had a look and I can't find the source so I'll summarize as best I can. I'm not pretending to be an expert on any of this but to my mind this makes sense ...
The golf swing, for physics purposes, is usually viewed as a hinged arm swinging around a fixed point.
The fixed point is generally seen as a point somewhere between your two shoulders.
The length of the arm is the length of your own arm plus the length of the club.
(In the pic below it would be roughly the distance from the left shoulder to the clubhead when they are in a straight line at impact with the ball.)

Increasing the length of the arm increases the speed at which the point at the end of the arm (the clubhead) moves. This relationship is linear - the clubhead speed increases in direct proportion to the increase in the length of the arm.
If you take a 38" 5-iron and say your arm measures 24" then adding 1/2" to the clublength will increase the overall length by 0.8% (1/124). This means that you will add only 0.8% to your clubhead speed by addin 1/2" to your 5-iron (unless it makes you swing harder then it's anyone guess).


Sheet, you can take whatever you want from that, I have no interest in trying to convince anyone either way.
I just disagree that clublength makes more of a difference to distance than loft.
The length versus loft argument is abit of red herring anyway in relation to the overall point of this thread.

george67

I've tried shed-loads of different length irons over the years, and went back and forth between standard and +1/2 inch. I know what I'm talking about.

And which irons do you play with now Sheet, +1/2 inch or standard ?

mag

scientifically : all other things being equal, the longer the shaft the more speed of the clubhead.
practically : my experience was the same as ShriekingSheet. i have a set of 60mbs that were bought at standard length. i used them for a while and got them lengthned to +1/2", which for a seven iron added about 13 yards.

Scottty2Hottty

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

And for all your time in the forum, do you not think it's reasonable to ask the question of a new poster who so staunchly takes a side in a debate? Especially when there's money-making involved?

I am not staunchly taking any side. I saw the thread and gave my honest opinion I've said all along that practice and dedictation is the key to improvement. I just don't like to see people wasting money on clubs that don't suit them(something I see all the time).

I'm not trying to make money by replying to this thread I'm just giving an honest informed opinion. I don't have a huge amount of free time online hence the infrequent posts.

Anybody looking for the scientific basis behind all the club fitting malarky, should check out.

The Search for the Perfect Golf Club, By Tom Wishon, with Tom Grundner
(Selected as the 2005-06 Book of the Year by the International Network of Golf, people whp also know a thing or two :rolleyes:)

and

Search for the Perfect Swing, Alastair J. Cochran (Author), John Stobbs (Author) Its a 6year scientific study by two scientists(physics, ballistics, anatomy, bio-mechanics, ergonomics, and cybernetics)

ShriekingSheet

george67 wrote: »

And which irons do you play with now Sheet, +1/2 inch or standard ?

The +1/2 inch ones. There's pros and cons for either. I really like what I have now though.

Hobart wrote: »

I think you are being way way over the top here Sheet.

You're right there. And as Kagni pointed out, the length/loft thing is a pointless sideline to the main point I wanted to make.

ShriekingSheet

Scottty2Hottty wrote: »

I am not staunchly taking any side. I saw the thread and gave my honest opinion I've said all along that practice and dedictation is the key to improvement. I just don't like to see people wasting money on clubs that don't suit them(something I see all the time).

I'm not trying to make money by replying to this thread I'm just giving an honest informed opinion. I don't have a huge amount of free time online hence the infrequent posts.

Not staunchly taking a side? Practice and dedication? Would you get the boat.

I'll tell you why a lot of retailers don't like seeing customers "wasting money on clubs that don't suit them". It's because there's feck all mark-up on the clubs alone, and there's nothing like "customisation to your specific needs" to wring that extra few quid out of the consumer.

BombSquad

ShriekingSheet wrote: »

I'll tell you why a lot of retailers don't like seeing customers "wasting money on clubs that don't suit them". It's because there's feck all mark-up on the clubs alone, and there's nothing like "customisation to your specific needs" to wring that extra few quid out of the consumer.

Well, I got a set during the Summer with +1/2 inch X100s and they cost a few quid extra as they had to be ordered in. I'm presuming that the manufacturer would charge the shop extra for non-standard clubs (with potentially more expensive components) and that charge would be passed on to the customer. I dont' see a problem with that. Buy a bespoke suit or a car with extras and you'll be charged more. Same in the golf industry.

Is your problem with the extra cost not being justified or with clowns who spend money thinking that custom fitting will magically fix that slice?


There were plenty of people wasting money trying to buy a better game/ longer drives before custom fitting became popular. They upgraded to the latest driver every year with little or no change in form. I don't see why custom fitting or the outlets offering it should be seen as evil/bad when the stupid consumer is still the problem.

george67

I would think that the clubs being a 1/2 inch longer that would put your swing in the "groove" as well as the extra lenght that gives MAg Sheet and others the extra distance .You would also have to check if you were changing from graphite to steel as the graphite is longer .
Different makes have different specs also a Callaway x22 pw has a shaft lenght off 35.25 inches while a Taylormade burner plus pw is 36 inches in lenght .
Not to mention the different lie angles .

So Sheet you're telling us that your clubs are custom fit and they are the ones that you prefer but that you don't agree with it :rolleyes: