EQUIPMENT: Why Every Golfer Should Get Fit for Golf Clubs

By, Kevin Kirk

Senior Director of Instruction

Woodlands Performance Center

Did you have a new year's resolution to improve your golf game…maybe to attempt beating your personal best? Was it to beat a friend you have been trying to beat for a long time? It could have been to enjoy the game more. No matter what your goals are, there are things that you can do to improve your game.

Maybe your swing technique, or physical fitness level could use some improvement, or it could be poor equipment that affects both of the previous two. Here is a little insight on what to look for in properly fit golf clubs. There are two methods that are commonly used to fit golf clubs. The first, made popular by Karsten Solheim, the founder of Ping, used measurements of the body to determine what length, lie and grip size are best suited for a particular golfer. This method is referred to as “static fitting.”

The other method, called Dynamic Fitting, is quickly growing in popularity. Dynamic fittings are usually done with a lie board and tape that is stuck on the sole of the club. The ball is placed on the lie board (which is usually made of a flexible plastic) and hit, after which the fitter can look at the bottom of the club to see if it struck in the center of the golf club, thus determining whether it needs to be bent more upright or flat. The problem with lie boards is that they do not sit level with the ground, which now requires the fitter to guess what would happen if the lie board had not been there. Another unfortunate thing is that most dynamic fittings don't take into consideration swing technique or whether the person is taking lessons and possibly improving their game techniques.

When someone comes for a fitting, professional club fitters are looking at a few different aspects to correctly fit someone.
Is the person going through swing improvements?
If so, what improvements are they trying to make?
Can we give them a club that is going to assist them in those improvements.

Let's say it is one of our athletes that has been working at improving their technique over the winter. As they are learning and adapting to the new techniques, we will do a static fitting, to ensure that the clubs fit their body correctly and the weight of the club is manageable. As we get closer to the season we would start doing exercises that are more dynamic based. Except, we wouldn’t use lie boards.

For irons and wedges the best way to tell what needs to be done is ball flight and divot patterns. For hybrids and fairway woods we are looking for the correct yardage gaping. For drivers we are looking for playable launch and spin. Launch monitors are another great tool to see ideal performance numbers like launch angle, spin rate, shot dispersion, angle of attack, and carry yardage.

We think the largest factor that is often overlooked is set building. How often do you go to a demo day and hit driver after driver until you find one you think you like and then get it to the course and it does not perform the same way? You can have clubs that do not match each other. A properly fit set of golf clubs should at least give the same consistent miss. (Not that we want you thinking about your misses, but we think it will help you improve when you don't have to worry about it going both ways.)

Fitting example: a golfer comes in for a fitting and says “I love my irons and wedges, but I can't hit my fairway woods and driver with any consistency," After some investigation, we can usually find an issue with one or all of the following:
· Length
· Weight
· Shaft Properties
· Head Properties
· Flex
· Loft
· Lie
· Grip Size

Once these are addressed, the golfer will find themselves worrying less about their equipment and more about where they want the shot to go.

If you're missing it one direction with one club, we want you to miss in that same direction with all of your clubs. When that happens, you can either address the reason why you miss it that direction with instruction, or for those of you that don't want to take lessons, you can adjust your starting line to accommodate. The thing we don't want to have happen is for you to stand over a shot and have no idea which direction it is going.

In summary, if you are still trying to improve your game, you need to get with an instructor and let them know that you are looking for new golf clubs. Either they can fit you for those clubs, or they can talk to the club fitter so that the fitter understands the improvements you are attempting. Therefore, you will hopefully end up with golf clubs that can assist with your improvements, as well as still being able to perform once those improvements have taken hold.