Best place for impartial advise and custom fitting ?

championc

I have a set of Callaway X12's which I've had for donkeys years and I was given them so they owe me nothing but in addition, I do wonder whether they really are the correct clubs for me. I only play society golf, about 8 rounds a year but know I could play better with more practice so I would rate myself as a potential 15 - 18 hc. So I'll blame my weapons for my current 26 !!

So in Dublin, where would people suggest for being able to test various brands (in one of these indoor test rooms/nets) and for equipment and / or staff who can direct you toward the right kit to match your swing.

Thanks


C

stebed

You only need to scroll through the last few posts to find your answers. Foregolf in Nass, Derek is the world club fitter of the year, there are others around but Derek is the best in the world €100 will see him go through your whole bag and make recommendations. Search youtube for him there is an RTE interview with him.

championc

I see the 6 Iron post which has the answer embedded in it. I was looking at Titles and that's why I made a new posting.

Anyway, is paying €100 for custom fitting worth it for an 18 h'caper ? Which shops around greater Dublin have indoor ranges / test rigs and do free consultation ? Or maybe, does Derek charge only if you don't buy a set of clubs from him ?


C

stebed

Ok, Foregolf charge €100 for a full bag, €50 for driver fitting, that fee is payable even if you buy a full bag from them I believe. I don't think anyshop will do a full fitting for you for free but they may knock it off a set of irons purchased.

Ask yourself some simple questions, that will enable you to fit yourself if you are only going to play 8 rounds a year.

1. Flat par 3, 150 yards no wind what club do you use?
2. How tall are you
3. How far do you hit your driver (really)

From those answers I can calculate your swing speed and from that you could narrow your search and make any fitting session easier and more cost effective.

Chances are for 8 rounds a year you would find a game improvement iron with regular shafts easier to use.

GorHugh

championc wrote: »

I see the 6 Iron post which has the answer embedded in it. I was looking at Titles and that's why I made a new posting.

Anyway, is paying €100 for custom fitting worth it for an 18 h'caper ? Which shops around greater Dublin have indoor ranges / test rigs and do free consultation ? Or maybe, does Derek charge only if you don't buy a set of clubs from him ?


C

if you want to save on the 100 yoyo's , head to McGuirks or Halpenny golf , they will fit you and help you select the right clubs for you , If you let them know your budget they won't try and sell you the top priced ones either . They waive the 35 fitting fee once you buy with them .

I would be inclined to say work on your game first though , No point buying new clubs when you don't have a consistant swing . You could get fitted for new clubs next week and then start playing alot more golf and find the new clubs don't suit you afterall ...

rafared

championc wrote: »

I have a set of Callaway X12's which I've had for donkeys years and I was given them so they owe me nothing but in addition, I do wonder whether they really are the correct clubs for me. I only play society golf, about 8 rounds a year but know I could play better with more practice so I would rate myself as a potential 15 - 18 hc. So I'll blame my weapons for my current 26 !!

So in Dublin, where would people suggest for being able to test various brands (in one of these indoor test rooms/nets) and for equipment and / or staff who can direct you toward the right kit to match your swing.

Thanks


C

If you only play 8 rounds a year then your equipment may not make that much of a difference. I would look for a demo day at a club or range near you and go and at least try some different shaft and head combos. Then look for a 2nd hand set with at least a shaft and head combo that suits your swing style/speed and handiap.

championc

stebed wrote: »

Ok, Foregolf charge €100 for a full bag, €50 for driver fitting, that fee is payable even if you buy a full bag from them I believe. I don't think anyshop will do a full fitting for you for free but they may knock it off a set of irons purchased.

Ask yourself some simple questions, that will enable you to fit yourself if you are only going to play 8 rounds a year.

1. Flat par 3, 150 yards no wind what club do you use?
2. How tall are you
3. How far do you hit your driver (really)

From those answers I can calculate your swing speed and from that you could narrow your search and make any fitting session easier and more cost effective.

Chances are for 8 rounds a year you would find a game improvement iron with regular shafts easier to use.

I played alot as a juvenile but married and with kids now, disappearing off for a couple of hours ever weekend isn't on the radar. So knowing this, there's no point in me joining a club yet either because I won't get to play 1,200 worth of golf per year, yet alone justify a joining fee.

If I play a few outings in close sucsession, I can see consistency coming in my play. So basically, I wouldn't consider myself a beginner by any means.

1. I'd hit a 6 iron for 150 yards (callaway X12's)
2. I'm 5'9
3. About 220 to 240 with the odd moments of real brillance over 250 (Ping Rapture 10.5 deg - chinese clone - but can't tell the difference)



C

brians947

I play of 21. I went to foregolf last thursday week. I wasn't to sure about it as i also thought going to mcguirks would be the cheaper option. Am not one bit sorry i paid 100 euro for the fitting. It was excellent. You wont get the same service any where else in irleand. You can see the difference straight away

championc

brians947 wrote: »

I play of 21. I went to foregolf last thursday week. I wasn't to sure about it as i also thought going to mcguirks would be the cheaper option. Am not one bit sorry i paid 100 euro for the fitting. It was excellent. You wont get the same service any where else in irleand. You can see the difference straight away

And were the sets then reasonably priced ?


C

brians947

He's changing the shafts on my existing clubs. If i wanted new ones he priced Mizuno MX 200 for 540.

rafared

brians947 wrote: »

He's changing the shafts on my existing clubs. If i wanted new ones he priced Mizuno MX 200 for 540.

Thats a bit on the expensive side. They are E467 in McGuirks at the moment and that would include a custom fit for loft and lie.

Jimdagym

rafared wrote: »

Thats a bit on the expensive side. They are E467 in McGuirks at the moment and that would include a custom fit for loft and lie.

I dont think 83e extra is a lot for your clubs to be adjusted by the very best in the world.
(I realise you would have already paid 100e to be assessed, still think its fair).

championc

But obviously you didn't buy the 540 set. I assume the 540 set would have been with the shafts that would have best suited you and not necessarily the ones that would be on the general McGuirks set ?

The thing that interests me here is the fact you kept your existing heads. Certainly from reading the Fore Golf website, the thing that seems to strike me most seems to be that the shafts seem to play a far more important role than I would have given them credit for. This article made very interesting reading - http://itsforegolf.blogspot.com/2009/12/foregolf-dishes-dirt-on-how-to-get.html

Anyone else go the shaft replacement route. Were they encouraging you to change the shafts or buy a new set ?


C

brians947

He understands money these days is tight. The thing with me is i play of 21. He didn't feel i would gain much from changing heads. The heads i have are ok. They are Taylormade RAC and there isn't much difference with the heads between them and the mizuno. They are different shafts than what you get on over the counter sets. Therefor your paying for the shafts and the rebuild along with new grips. For my 4 to 9 iron its costing me 270. He is also extending my wedges and re-balancing them. Makes a huge difference. He trys to use the exsisting clubs with in your bag. Read the post on the 6 iron. He went to mcguirks. See what he says. Derek in foregolf didn't even use the launch monitor on me. He just said get up and hit the balls. Never mind moving the ball up and down in your stance. I'll suit the club to your swing. When your hitting a 6 iron dead straight every time the confidence in your swing just flows. Best 100 i ever spent on my golf. I know my handicap will drop.

rafared

Most custom fitters will give you a free fit for a set of Irons if you buy the set from them. When I bought my last set they were custom fit by a qualified mizuno fitter who had all the shaft, heads lofts and lie options in his fitting cart. The cost of the session was 30E but that was included in the total cost if you bought the clubs from him. That was a few years ago and my game and handicap have improved a lot since. I was on the border between needing a stiff shaft and in the end chose regular because I felt I could take a bit off it and keep it under control.
The reason I chose mizuno clubs was because I went to the range near the airport where Mcguirks had a base (not sure if they still do), hit a load of different 6 irons by every manufacturer available and the forged Mizuno clubs just felt right.
Im sure the guy in Fore golf is very good at what he does and custom fit clubs are the way to go but I just feel that the service is a bit steep cost wise. Again thats only my opinion and I wouldnt knock anyone for paying for a service that they are happy with.
By the way the Pro who fit me didnt build the set, they were made up in scotland and shipped over by Mizuno.