One of the most common misconceptions about custom club fitting is that most middle and high handicap golfers believe they are “not good enough to be custom fit.” Here’s an absolute fact about custom fitting – the less skilled the golfer, the MORE they need to be accurately fit to play to the best of their ability.
Another way of looking at independent custom club fitting for the average to less skilled golfer specifically is not merely to increase the number of good shots, its to improve the consistency of shots overall while reducing the severity and frequency of the poor shots.
Good fitting will improve the number of good shots, but more predominantly, it allows the golfer to achieve better misses!
Because of their superior athletic and kinetic skills, low handicap golfers could play almost as well with quite a wide variety of different golf club specifications. Middle and high handicap golfers do not have the same level of athletic coordination or control over their swing motions, so custom fitting stands as a way for average golfers to, 1) gain immediate benefit in their shot-making performance, 2) benefit more from swing coaching advice because clubs which are better fit to the golfer can make it easier for the golfer to make swing changes advised in a lesson.
Following is a list of the custom fitting parameters that are extremely important for middle to high handicap players to investigate to get the most out of their games:
Club Length
The length of your clubs is one of the most critical fitting parameters that can mean success or failure in hitting the ball solid and on centre. Being able to successfully hit longer length clubs requires a very high level of athletic and swing ability. It is of UTMOST IMPORTANCE that middle and high handicap players be properly fit for the right length which will result in their ability to control the clubs more easily, and from that, increase their percentage of solid, on-centre hits.
Iron Lie Angles
If all golfers were the same height, had the same arm length and swung the club the same way, the standard lie angles designed on the clubs bought “off the shelf” would be fine. But golfers are very different in their size, strength, athletic ability and swing characteristics. If golfers want to eliminate the inevitability of an improperly fit lie angle causing off-line shots, every golfer must be custom fit for the lie angle of the irons and wedges. Every golfer.
Wood head Face Angle
Middle and high handicap golfers typically cannot deliver the clubface square to the ball as often as can a low handicap player. Custom fitting the face angle of the woods will reduce a miss-direction tendency and definitely allow the middle to high handicap golfer to keep the ball more in play a much higher percentage of the time.
Driver and Wood Loft
It is estimated that at least 90% of all middle and high handicap golfers are not playing with enough loft on their driver to fully maximize their distance off the tee. If your driver swing speed is 90mph or lower, 90% of you are going to need a driver loft of 12, 13 or 14 degrees to be able to achieve the launch angle that will keep the ball in the air long enough to carry the ball as far as your swing speed will allow. See the accompanying chart for a very general recommendation of driver loft vs swing speed.
Driver Swing Speed Driver Loft
50 mph 15 – 17 degs
60mph 14-16 degs
70mph 13 – 15 degs
80mph 12 – 14 degs
90 mph 11-13 degs
100mph 9.5 – 11.5 degs
110 mph 8 – 10 degs
Ranges are offered because of differences in the angle of attack with the clubhead into the ball. When the angle of attack is downward, more loft is required. When the angle of attack is upward, less loft is needed.
Swing weight and Total Weight
If all golfers had the same physical strength and swung with the same tempo, rhythm and sense of swing timing, then all golfers could play with one standard swing weight and total weight. No middle or high handicap golfer can hope to develop any level of consistency in their swing unless the total weight and the swing weight of their clubs are properly matched to their individual strength and swing tempo tendencies.
Shaft Flex and Bend Profile
If any golfer uses a shaft that is too stiff for their swing speed and swing mechanics, they will suffer from a lower launch angle, loss of distance, and a poor feeling of impact. Thus, it is very important for middle and high handicap golfers to be properly fit to the correct shaft weight and shaft bend profile (overall flex design).
Grip Size
No golfer can hope to achieve a level of swing repeatability unless their hands and forearms are secure to the grip but yet still relaxed when they begin the swing. The grip size is a key element in allowing all golfers to be able to feel as comfortable as possible holding on to the club, and from that, to be able to keep the tension in the hands and the forearms at a bare minimum from the address position to the execution of the swing. We recommend that all golfers get their glove hand measured on a grip measurement chart and have their grips built to the correct size that suits them, grips that are too small can sometimes allow the hands to rotate through the shot too quickly and grips that are too big can restrict the hands working properly, so correct grip sizing is a must!
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