Club fitting

slingerz · 02-01-2021 6:10pm #1

I recently visited a club fitter who recommended a new makeup of clubs for irons, wedges and driver.

My question is really is it worth it? It’s approx a 2K outlay for everything with the irons being 1K of that.

For those that have gone that route, have you seen the benefits? And would you consider them to be real or to be psychological?

rickis tache · 02-01-2021 6:36pm

Went to Foregolf and only wish I had done it sooner.

Now you have to understand I didn't save for it but had a windfall about a month before and spent 2300 on my set from driver to wedge.

Dropped 4 shots in a short enough time and had best best round 3 weeks after getting them ( shot a 75 gross with a handicap of 16).

Now there's been days were no matter what, I play poor but with a good bit of concentration I can play very well.

It's an expensive thing to do to splash out what I did but I have no regrets.
Gonna be using them for at least another 5 years.
Found the wedges to be the best part of the package.

copacetic · 02-01-2021 6:53pm

It massively depends on what you currently play and how different the clubs are. Eg If you play recent enough forgiving irons, standard length, loft and lie and they have fitted you for the same then you will see little or no difference. Eg If you play standard blades, but have been fitted for 1 inch longer, 2 up, p790s you will see a big difference in shot results.

dan_ep82 · 02-01-2021 7:03pm

I'm had a similar experience to Rickis.

Got a club fit voucher for christmas and had the fitting. The wedges and drivers couldn't be improved upon ( wedges were a good fit and woods were technique) but the irons I seen a noticeable difference ( lighter and 3.5° iirc difference) matched with the numbers I bought them and a utility iron.

Once I spent the money I practiced more and played more to justify them so the clubs were not the only reason I dropped shots but they did get rid of a big miss I had,now its a much smaller miss if it occurs. I have them now 3 years later ( i think) and I've come down around 10 shots. I've no plans to change the irons.

I wouldn't go in expecting them alone to change your golf game, but a good fit ( by a fitter or not i suppose) with practice is where you will see real gains.

If you have money you want to spend on shiny new stuff thats fine aswell.If you expect instant shots knocked off, unless your clubs are wildly un suited to you I would hold off. I went in with no confidence im my irons and came out with some and shiny clubs to boot so I was happy

slingerz · 02-01-2021 11:31pm

Thanks folks some interesting replies there.

My advice was for a shorter driver as I wasn’t getting the most of my speed and a lower lofted (9’) heavier & stiffer shaft for driver would make me more accurate getting more run on my drives. My drives are pretty decent usually so I am sceptical as to the gains I would actually see.

For irons it was recommended to get longer irons (1/2”) that lie should be +1 upright with a stiffer shaft than present. The irons selected are less forgiving than those I currently play and the belief is they would be more penetrating ball flight and a tighter dispersion on shots.

Wedges follow the same as the irons

It’s a big chunk of change and I’m struggling to see or perhaps understand the benefit I would get. I was thinking of bringing in the changes piecemeal by going driver + wedges given my home course would mean I wouldn’t be hitting irons to many greens anyway

copacetic · 03-01-2021 12:22am

I’d go see someone else, shorter shafted driver and looking for ‘more run’ are out of date ideas. Your fitting should have been all about speed, launch angles etc.

chalky_ie · 03-01-2021 12:45am

You could take the advice they gave on some stuff and do it yourself, buy a set of shafts online and have a local shop fit them, and bend your irons? If you're happy enough with the driver I'd leave it. I was fitted into a shorter driver by fore golf 2 years ago, have spent every day since wondering if I should get rid of it for a longer one.

plumber77 · 03-01-2021 12:49am

Its possible that a slightly shorter shaft may have his strikes closer to centre and therefore giving him more confidence to increase swing speed. Did you get to actually drive the recommended driver set up? Indoor or outdoor fitting?

slingerz · 03-01-2021 11:09am

plumber77 wrote: »

Its possible that a slightly shorter shaft may have his strikes closer to centre and therefore giving him more confidence to increase swing speed. Did you get to actually drive the recommended driver set up? Indoor or outdoor fitting?

Yep I did drive the recommended setup and it was out doors. The flight was lower and more penetrating and apparently the dispersion was tighter. I wonder about the sample size being sufficient however

slingerz · 03-01-2021 11:10am

conor-w wrote: »

You could take the advice they gave on some stuff and do it yourself, buy a set of shafts online and have a local shop fit them, and bend your irons? If you're happy enough with the driver I'd leave it. I was fitted into a shorter driver by fore golf 2 years ago, have spent every day since wondering if I should get rid of it for a longer one.

I might look into buying the shafts online but it is possible to buy the club heads as well individually?

slingerz · 03-01-2021 11:11am

copacetic wrote: »

I’d go see someone else, shorter shafted driver and looking for ‘more run’ are out of date ideas. Your fitting should have been all about speed, launch angles etc.

Interesting. My swing speed was averaging 112 but the strikes were more centred with the shorter driver. I did think it was odd when the pro’s are looking at longer drivers

plumber77 · 03-01-2021 11:35am

I was fitted at Foregolf a couple of years back. I've massive spin on my driver, due to a Jim Furyk type swing. The recommended driver they not help at all. Since been to a pro in Cork and the difference a heavier/shorter shaft makes for me personally was eye opening.

Finlay Harp · 03-01-2021 11:57am

I was an advocate of Foregolf until recently. Fitted for a wood that really wasn’t what I wanted and price was overinflated but went with it as I believed the hype. Visited a golf pro before Christmas with similar setup for iron fitting and was delighted with results and price.
I think the prices the OP is quoting are for high end gear. Better prices and advice to be had by looking at other options including a good pro in a local club.

bmay529 · 03-01-2021 12:49pm

slingerz wrote: »

Thanks folks some interesting replies there.

My advice was for a shorter driver as I wasn’t getting the most of my speed and a lower lofted (9’) heavier & stiffer shaft for driver would make me more accurate getting more run on my drives. My drives are pretty decent usually so I am sceptical as to the gains I would actually see.

For irons it was recommended to get longer irons (1/2”) that lie should be +1 upright with a stiffer shaft than present. The irons selected are less forgiving than those I currently play and the belief is they would be more penetrating ball flight and a tighter dispersion on shots.

Wedges follow the same as the irons

It’s a big chunk of change and I’m struggling to see or perhaps understand the benefit I would get. I was thinking of bringing in the changes piecemeal by going driver + wedges given my home course would mean I wouldn’t be hitting irons to many greens anyway

For what it's worth I'm 6'2" and in a fitting a few years ago was recommended irons 1/2" longer and 2deg up than standard. They worked great for me and much improved my strike. Prior to that I often noted when using my clubs with a standard lie the divot would show the toe digging a bit into the ground which disappeared with the new setup.

I use a Ping G400 Max driver with a stiff Alta shaft which as standard is 45.75". I found I was getting more consistent contact with the sweet spot without any great loss of distance when I gripped the club about 1" down the shaft. As a result I picked up a used shaft and cut it to 45" and am very happy with the result. I did not change the head weight though I have heard this is suggested if you want to maintain the same swing weight. If I really connected with the sweet spot at 45.75" it will go further but was far more accurate at the shorter length and got me into far less trouble. I know length gives distance and is very trendy at the moment but the vast majority of Pros still use a 45" or less driver, I suspect for good reason. If you are very fit and/or your timing is spot on you will hit a longer driver further with accuracy.

For me a fitting is well worth it but I would have to have 100% confidence in the fitter before I would fork out a lot of money. I think I would get a fitting from two reputable fitters and compare results. If similar go for the one you prefer. If different one is definitely wrong and you might have saved yourself an expensive mistake.

redzerdrog · 03-01-2021 1:56pm

I have never gotten fitted but have often toyed with the idea.

My view is I would want to get fitted after a series of lessons and being happy with my swing. As mid hcap golf I feel like I swing the club differently on any given week. I recently got a lesson and went from an ott move to something else that I am still working on.

If I'd got fitted 3, 6, 9 months ago I would then have a set of clubs fitted to a movement or swing that I dont constantly replicate which is why I am weary of getting fitted

slingerz · 03-01-2021 5:09pm

Finlay Harp wrote: »

I was an advocate of Foregolf until recently. Fitted for a wood that really wasn’t what I wanted and price was overinflated but went with it as I believed the hype. Visited a golf pro before Christmas with similar setup for iron fitting and was delighted with results and price.
I think the prices the OP is quoting are for high end gear. Better prices and advice to be had by looking at other options including a good pro in a local club.

This wasn’t with foregolf. I think another poster had a similar experience with a shorter shafted driver as to what was proposed with me. My setup was for everything from driver, irons and wedges so I wouldnt consider it to be high end really

copacetic · 03-01-2021 5:59pm

As noted above, no-one can say for sure what is best for you. A second fitting, trying some of their ideas, etc. Personally I’ve been fitted for multiple clubs and have never found them to work much better than ‘self fit’ or trying different clubs to see which works best for you out on the course over a few rounds.

I was recommended at one stage an x flex ultra low spin head and shaft to reduce spin, went for a second opinion and was shown it could help numbers but a couple of small tweaks to setup stopped me hitting down so much and sorted it much better than trying to let the club do it. Was also given the shorter driver spiel too, but again second opinion showed I was just reducing chances of long drives and turning driver into 10 yards longer than 3 wood club. A ‘best numbers’ on the day fitting for an entire bag is pretty risky unless you have a very repeatable swing and are not planning on changing it at all.

tigerwoods · 03-01-2021 6:30pm

slingerz wrote: »

I recently visited a club fitter who recommended a new makeup of clubs for irons, wedges and driver.

My question is really is it worth it? It’s approx a 2K outlay for everything with the irons being 1K of that.

For those that have gone that route, have you seen the benefits? And would you consider them to be real or to be psychological?

Having been to Fore golf twice, they are very good at what they do and cannot fault them. In my opinion it all depends of what level you play the game at. A 25 handicapper dropping 2k on clubs is not going to drop 10 shots based on equipment. Best piece of advice I can give is to book a couple of lessons with your club pro and work on your game and take it from there. If you are serious about your game by all means invest in equipment in conjunction with your local club pro who won't do you wrong as he will be looking at your face every week where as F/G will only see you every couple of years.
F/G offer alot of different shaft options which you cannot get in other shops so it is hard to do a like for like comparison.

bailey99 · 03-01-2021 8:42pm

plumber77 wrote: »

I was fitted at Foregolf a couple of years back. I've massive spin on my driver, due to a Jim Furyk type swing. The recommended driver they not help at all. Since been to a pro in Cork and the difference a heavier/shorter shaft makes for me personally was eye opening.

Might I ask the pro? I'm in cork and looking for a fitting and a recommendation for same.

plumber77 · 03-01-2021 9:15pm

Pm sent

kennethrhcp · 03-01-2021 10:59pm

plumber77 wrote: »

Pm sent

could you let me know aswell please

plumber77 · 03-01-2021 11:33pm

Went to Padraig Dooley of Drive Golf performance on the recommendation from a friend

slingerz · 03-01-2021 11:41pm

plumber77 wrote: »

Went to Padraig Dooley of Drive Golf performance on the recommendation from a friend

That’s where I was also.

bailey99 · 04-01-2021 1:38am

Was he must dearer buying a fitted club from him than buying a stock option from say mcguirks.

plumber77 · 04-01-2021 9:17am

The only difference in price was the additional cost of the fitting session. 100e for 1hr30mins to 2hrs.

blue note · 24-11-2021 11:46am

Oh no. The wife was looking for something to get me for Christmas. I don't really need anything so suggested getting fitted for a new 3w as the one I have is a regular shaft which is probably the wrong flex for me. That said, I tend to be fairly long and straight with it, but it solves the problem of having to get me s something for Christmas.

Got chatting to the fitter and decided to book in for a full bag assessment, I just thought I'd enjoy it. I loved the driver fitting I did, so thought this would be a real treat.

I then got chatting about my current equipment. I got my irons 10 years ago on a great deal. R11s, stiff shaft, Ex demo set - 9 irons for €450. It was about half of what I'd have paid in halfpenny at the time. And I love them, love the look and feel and I can really smack them. However, it turns out my shaft is designed for high trajectory, high spin and distance. I went for a lesson a few weeks ago to try to address the problem that hitting into the wind, the high irons just don't stop climbing. 8i carries over 140m with no wind, into a stiff breeze it could start coming back to me and go 80m. And well left or right once it goes up there. From looking at those shafts now, it seems that they've secretly been conspiring against me this whole time.

So now I have two problems. Firstly, I was intending to spend a couple hundred on a wood. Now I'm looking at spending god knows what on a set of irons. And secondly, while I can see that this could lower my scores, a part of me doesn't want to change how I hit the ball. I like that I'm longer than pretty much everyone I play with with my irons. Usually much longer. I like that if I have to hit over trees it's rarely intimidating. I like that I don't have to think about my ball running much on greens. A well struck 4i into a green is probably going to run about 2m. So if I have to clear a bunker, unless I fly it over the green entirely, I'm more than likely putting if I carry the bunker.

It'll just be an adjustment to my mindset that's needed. If I decide to part with the money of course. I love the look of the Wilson cb irons. But 4i to pw you're probably looking at €1,200. That's a lot of money!

DuckSlice · 24-11-2021 12:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118214968#Comment_118214968

If it was me i would want to be able to play all the shots with the irons i have. It sounds like you really struggle into the wind for distance so i think you need something in between. But your irons should allow you to play the high/mid/low ball as you need to. That is a skill that you should be using to dictate the height of the shot not the club dictating you can only play high shots. How do you manage on windy days?

Was there much difference in distance between the old and suggested new irons? or have you not had the fitting yet?

blue note · 24-11-2021 1:07pm

I want to have the option to play it lower - that's specifically why I went for the lesson. But if the clubs are set up for max spin and height, it must be harder to do with them than a more neutral set. So maybe a change could make those shots easier.

I wouldn't say it's as straightforward as I struggle for distance into the wind. A 4 or 5 iron will still travel a good distance into a wind. 6 or 7 irons aren't bad. But by the time I get to an 8 iron there's definitely a problem. All dependent on just how windy it is of course.

And the wind is a massive problem for my game now. Previously it wasn't too bad. Because on longer courses when playing into a wind you're hitting lower irons or even woods into greens. And they're not as big a problem. The problem now is that on the course I play the longer irons are too long for my approach shots, even on windy days. So I end up hitting it into the air and hoping for the best or taking a lower lofted club, ball back in my stance, gripped down, half swing. I've been trying to make this sort of shot natural to me for a long time now and I just can't get it. So the result is anything really - bladed through a green, chunked short, shank, sliced, hooked. All of these can be scratched holes. As I say on a very windy day I could throw it up into the air and it could blow miles left or right and I might be hoping it'll fly 110m and it ends up going 80m. That can also be a scratched hole.

If a different set could let me swing closer to my normal swing and not keep climbing endlessly into the wind, my life would be easier.

And I haven't been fitted yet. Maybe I won't lose all that much distance, but if I do it shouldn't bother me. It would actually be to my advantage if I could play full shots closer to the hole. If I'm further away I could just hit an extra club. I'm just being honest and admitting that I enjoy when people ask what I played into a hole and it was a 7 iron, whereas they might have a 4 in their hand. What I should enjoy more is when someone asks on the first tee what my handicap is and I can say 15 instead of 18 or something, but I have my faults.

blue note · 29-11-2021 11:23am

God I love the fitting experience! I bought my irons about 10 years ago. Ex demo set, stiff shafts which was great because I've a relatively fast swing. I loved them and it never dawned on me to be honest that they were unsuitable for me.

It turns out that the shaft was very wrong for me and definitely adds to the problem of me hitting it so high. And I always enjoyed hitting it longer than others. Turns out the clubs were extra long as well! And offset just for the craic.

In particular with the shafts, they made an immediate difference. I was spinning at around 10k on the 7 iron. When I got a better angle of attack (I'm on the shallow side) I got it up to 12k. I believe it's supposed to be closer to 7k. So I've to confirm with the fitter (and club builder in fairness to him) that I'm going ahead with the purchase but I think I'll be going towards the Srixon zx7s. They really are lovely clubs. The fit is a tad aspirational, but I think that's a good thing. I've a good backswing, but then tend to cut off my actual swing. So if I don't stop cutting it off, it doesn't really matter what the fit is. But that was the thing that was mentioned to me at the lesson I went to a few months ago. So it was something I intended to address anyway.

It's bloody expensive though! I didn't intend to get anything, but then the wife was looking to get me something for Christmas so I suggested a new golf club, so I was thinking of a new 3w or something for a couple hundred. Now I can add a grand to that and it's not her that will be paying it!

DuckSlice · 29-11-2021 12:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118238595#Comment_118238595

Sounds like you had a successful fitting. Is the fitted 7iron spinning at 10K?

Where did you get the fitting done?

blue note · 29-11-2021 1:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118239053#Comment_118239053

I got it done in Tramore with Peter Doyle - Precision fitting. He was excellent. The spin rate was way down on the fitted irons - 6-7 thousand.

I'm really going to miss my old irons. Hitting the ball a long way and stopping it quickly is a great trick. If I was going for a par 5 in two, I could carry my second over 180m with the 4i and holding the green wasn't a concern. Hitting it was obviously, but if I hit it I was unlikely to run off. But hitting it so high just doesn't work on a windy day. The ball goes into the clouds and hangs there. Even if it's a cross wind and not that strong it can still move my ball 20m. If you're offline to begin with you can miss by 40m without being all that far from executing the shot the way you intended. Hitting into the wind it's impossible to know how to play it.

I used to get away with this when I was a member in Tramore. I'd launch it at a green and if I blew offline I'd probably have a chip onto the green. So if I did it on three holes there's a good chance I'd be coming out with a par and two bogies or something. Whereas going that far offline in Corballis - you're relieved each time you find one. And my handicap has gone out 7 shots from what it was in Tramore. I don't believe I'm playing all that much worse. So hopefully this new set of irons will help me play a more controlled game.

DuckSlice · 29-11-2021 2:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118239280#Comment_118239280

That's great, once you get used to the new irons the lower height wont be an issue. Was there much difference in distance between new and old? i would be surprised if you are losing any distance and they will still probably stop fairly quickly.

blue note · 30-11-2021 11:23am

The new ones were probably going a bit further. I was carrying it about 100m with a 6i. I was hitting into a huge wind! Which was perfect, exactly what I wanted to see. The big difference between the two clubs was that mine would hang in the air and blow further off line. Whereas the new ones held that little bit better.

They're not going to bring me into single figures overnight. And the fit is a tad aspirational. If I don't finish my swing every time I won't see any benefit from them other than they look nice. But if I improve my swing, I think I'll be better with these than I would be with my current ones.

DuckSlice · 30-11-2021 12:44pm

Yea you will still take time to get used to them even though you are fitted. Good Luck with them :)

blue note · 28-12-2021 12:25pm

Well balls anyway! I picked up the clubs yesterday and they're just things of beauty. I'm supposed to be trying them on the course right now, but a couple of hours after getting home my sister tested positive for covid on an antigen! Then my other sister the same. So I've had to cancel golf today and I assume I will for new years eve too. I can't see how I won't, I'm just hoping for a Christmas miracle I suppose. €1200 on new irons - I don't think I've ever spent that amount of money on a toy before. And I can't even play with them!

I went to Peter Doyle in tramore and the fitting is a whole other experience to the one I had in the halpenny before. I loved the fitting in the halpenny for the driver, but it was just another level in tramore. Even collecting them I was with him for an hour and a half hitting them. They're a tad aspirational, so he was just reinforcing how to get the most out of them.

TheDoc · 30-12-2021 2:53pm

Best way to look at fitting (if its not immediately obvious why its a good thing) is a bit like getting shirts.

If you've never got a shirt before, you probably need to work out what size you are (For golf, thats your shaft type. Regular/stiff/x-stiff/senior).

That can be enough for a while, but then you realise there is different types of shirts, materials, buttons and styles. For your shafts, that's where you get into things like weight, torque etc.

Fitting back when I was a teen was a low handicapper thing. You needed a repeatable swing as it was expensive to get fitted and wasn't widely available. Nowadays you would be mad not too.Even if your swing changes or whatever, you can go back and get refit.

But I think its important to know what your general specs are

opinionated3 · 04-01-2022 10:45pm

Anybody know of any good fitters fitting for the latest mizunos? Love the look of the new 223 iron. Foregolf still not accepting lefties so hoping there's someone else offering this product?

kod12 · 05-01-2022 11:57am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118418706#Comment_118418706

Bernard Quigley in Naas pro shop stocks the mizunos and is a great fitter

charlieIRL · 05-01-2022 12:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118420265#Comment_118420265

I got my driver off him when he was in Tullamore, found him great at the time.

copacetic · 07-01-2022 11:41pm

Recently got fitted for irons, a lot of it to confirm some stuff that’s been going on with swing changes, have always preferred a certain shaft than helps me keep ball low. With sing changes have been trying a more neutral shaft in what in theory are a much less forgiving iron and hitting them a lot better. Which is weird enough. Fitting confirmed that basically with one shaft I’ve lost a sense of where the head is altogether, fats, pushes, thins, hooks, the whole shebang. Same brand, flex, weight, different profile and striping the ball, miss becomes the odd slight block or thin a groove or two low. So fitting gave me a new spec of iron but also confirmed can just play away with less forgiving irons for now until bottom out the swing changes.

Sipper · 08-01-2022 5:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118418706#Comment_118418706

Mark Heinemann, Killarney Golf & Fishing Club.

blue note · 09-01-2022 1:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118381229#Comment_118381229

I finally got to try my new clubs yesterday. And they're just beautiful. They'll definitely take some getting used to and as well as the new clubs I'm trying to change my swing too, so it's doubly difficult. I had a concern that they wouldn't be forgiving enough for me, but that was fine. The good hits were great and the less good (within reason) were still okay. I think they're less forgiving than my previous set, but that's okay.

I was wondering what way distance would go too. I'm definitely not losing a whole club or anything like that, but they might have slightly less distance. But I think I'll only know that for sure after a few months. And it's probably a good thing if it lets me play a full shot from closer in.

But the big difference was how they will fare in wind and how high they'll go. That was my motivation for changing and in this regard they simply work. They definitely fly lower and when they're not hanging in the wind like my previous ones, that's real positive change. The concern I had with this was that since I was lowering flight and taking off backspin that they'd run a mile on the greens. They were perfect in this regard. There wasn't a huge difference to my old ones. We'll see what they're like in summer, but it won't be anything ridiculous anyway.

The one area which will take much more time to get used which I didn't think about was chipping. They're completely different to chip with to my old clubs. I tend to chip with my 8 iron and I'd rate it as a strength of mine. But my old 8 iron pops off the club face, whereas this one stays lower. So where it lands is different which gives a totally different result! That's just something I'll have to get used to though.

The other problem was that I hadn't played since November. So my putting was pretty bad (4 three putts) as way my driving (hit the driver 6 times, lost 3 and hit one into trouble but found it). I won't blame the irons for those.

dan_ep82 · 09-01-2022 4:08pm

Temps have dropped alot since November so it will be hard for you to compare distances until the summer kicks off.

Ivefoundgod · 12-01-2022 10:48pm

Anyone that has gone to fore golf, is it a mat setup for the fitting? I'm looking at getting the full fitting in March though primarily looking for irons. I assume I can put in an order on the day for the irons and then potentially follow up with the Driver, wedges if I decide to after the fact? If its off a mat I don't think I'll bother, long way to travel for me and I can hit off grass in Mount Juliet and get fit, albeit with a smaller range of clubs or go to Carton house which is grass as well I believe.

dan_ep82 · 13-01-2022 5:59am

It's off a mat. It's better than your normal range mat but definitely not grass.

Ivefoundgod · 13-01-2022 1:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118465535#Comment_118465535

Thats a shame. Any reason for that? I'd have thought that devalues the proposition completely?

dan_ep82 · 13-01-2022 1:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118466881#Comment_118466881

Fitting in all weather, controlled environment or some such I guess.

It worked out for me and I can't say a bad thing about what I was fit to but I'd agree grass and real balls are best.

Ivefoundgod · 28-03-2022 10:49am

To follow up on my posts here for anyone thinking about going to Foregolf. I went last Friday for the full bag fitting session (€100 for the fitting and you pay €200 deposit against clubs, I think this only applies if you don't order anything on the day). Overall its a fantastic service, I was a bit worried about hitting off a mat but when you have the data in front of you and are speaking to Dave going through the process its not an issue. My main requirement was new irons as my current set are old and didn't fit my eye. They are game improvement TM Speed Blades in a regular shaft. I arrived way ahead of time and drove in to a parking space with my name on it which was a nice touch. Was met at the door and I asked for a few balls to go up to the driving range beside it to warm up and get loose after a long drive up. The woman advised not to hit too many as I'd be tired for the actual fitting so I just went up and hit maybe 3/4 shots with a wedge, 7iron and driver. Range is lovely there too by the way.

On to the fitting itself, I had a quick chat about what I wanted to get out of the session and said about the irons being the priority, my driver has been good so wasn't sure on changing that, same with my wedges though I wanted to look at my 50d Vokey as for full shots I struggle to get much distance with it. I hit a few shots with my 7iron and talked about my most common misses with them, straight away Dave identified the offset was too much for my swing and the shafts weren't right at all. I was getting about 156yards avg with my club. Within about 10 minutes of trying different heads we'd landed on the P790 and I was trying different shafts. I'd gained 12 yards on average in distance with the 7i and my distance control went from +/- 12.1 yards to 1.9 so I was getting much more consistency with my distance on the p790 than the current 7i as well as an extra 12 yards distance from 156 to 168. Seeing the shots out on the range combined with the data on screen is really good because it just confirms what you are seeing with your eyes with data. Much preferable IMO to hitting into a screen. I then hit my 50d wedge and we spoke about getting more out of that club, tried a GW in the p790 and decided on that to replace the vokey 50. Didn't seem any value in changing my 54 or 58 vokeys as I'm happy with them and they're only a year old. After settling on the p790 we moved on to my 3wood and the gap I have between it and 4i, I've struggled with hybrids in the past so wasn't sure about them but he put me in a Cobra Radspeed hybrid that I was striping pretty much instantly, genuinely a revelation for me and can't wait to get that in the bag as it was easily going 210+ without much effort. Last thing was the driver, I am very happy with the SIM I have so wasn't sure anything could match it. Having hit a few shots with it Dave agreed it would be hard to beat but that we could try some options just to see if there are any gains to be had. I hit the Rogue ST, Cobra LTDx and LS and the Stealth Plus. Rogue wasn't a good match at all, Stealth felt very similar to my SIM and not much gained at all there. The Cobra LTDx LS however was longer and more consistent with my mishits, gained about 6 yards distance but distance control went from +/- 12.3 on my SIM to 4.3 with the Cobra so much more consistent with my distance with it.

We then went back to hitting the p790 just to confirm the spec and all was good. I ordered the irons and hybrid after the session and can order the Cobra anytime I'd like if I want to. Overall a really good experience and not at all they pushy sales tactic thing you can come across in the shops. The fitter was very knowledgable and explained his thought process for trying different shafts and setups as well as experimenting to see if I could gain anything more than what we had already. If you are on the fence about it I can't recommend it further, really great experience. Delivery expected toward end of April which is great too.

opinionated3 · 28-03-2022 11:15am

Unfortunately they are booked solid for the next few months so I'm on a waiting list...... At this stage I'll wait till next season before getting fitted for new irons.

coleen · 28-03-2022 9:29pm

I am looking at getting a few new clubs a driver and 3/5 wood. I am wondering if it is worth getting a fitting.

My HI is 21 and I have a slow swing speed. My drives would be around 160 yards a bit longer with a run in summer.

The pro in my club gave me a set of Taylormade Sim 2 Ladies Driver 5 wood and a 3 wood that he said was really like a 4wood. I liked the feel of them and I hit them well. I am considering buying them but would I get better choices if I did a fitting.

I enjoy playing at least twice a week so I would like to get the best out of my game.

ShivasIrons · 28-03-2022 10:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118848922#Comment_118848922

Go for the fitting, it's an information gathering exercise and you can see the difference in the recommended clubs and your own.

There is no requirement to buy after a fitting, going for a fitting is a no-lose exercise. There is no downside to going for one.

Club fitting

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