Golf Club Fitting and Why It's Important

I'm a big believer in golf club fitting. I figure there are already too many variables out there on the golf course that can affect my score on any given day: temperature, humidity, wind velocity, wind direction, whether it's raining or not, how rested I am at the beginning of the round, what and how much I had to eat and drink before playing, how well-hydrated I manage to stay, are the balls I'm using new or old and "used up," what I bring to eat with me during the round, and so on. Sometimes it even seems like how I comb my hair before leaving for the course affects how I'll play that day (just kidding). My point is, a lot of things can affect the quality of your ball striking and putting on any particular day.

So, with all those factors already going on, why not eliminate at least one thing that can potentially interfere with how well you play? Golf club fitting lets you do exactly that by ensuring you're playing with the sticks that are right for you and your swing.

Your clubs are one of the most important factors in how well you play, and it's important to ensure that the clubs you're using suit your swing and physical characteristics. The best and most effective way to do this is through a process called club fitting.

This can be done several ways, and each method has its advantages and drawbacks. A very basic process involves using a golf club fitting chart or a golf club fitting guide. Typically, these fitting charts and guides are free - you can use your favorite search engine to find some. The results are pretty rudimentary, but using this method to identify the right clubs is probably better than walking into a big box sporting goods store and buying a set of clubs off the rack.

Golf club fitting online is a step up from using a simple fitting chart or guide. Typically, this type of approach is also free. It's usually a multi-step process that an online wizard guides you through. The results are often better than provided by golf equipment fitting charts and guides, but not up to the same precision you'd get from a fitting session done in person, performed by a trained, professional golf club fitter.

The most sophisticated and effective customization is always done in person, with proper golf club fitting equipment - a launch monitor, lie board and so forth. This method is much more expensive than the others, but it's a personalized, custom process that ensures you'll get the right clubs.

Why it is Important

Golf club fitting matters, but in case you're not convinced, here's some information that can help you understand how it can improve your game.

When you walk into a shop to look at clubs, you'll see a bunch of them standing in racks. Basically, other than loft (for a driver) and some different shaft flex options (stiff, regular, seniors or ladies), these "rack clubs" are "one size fits all."

But everyone has a different swing and a different body. Things like your swing speed, height, hand size, arm length and gender all have an effect on the specifications of the clubs you should use. For example, clubs that are the right length for someone who is 5'6" probably will be completely wrong for someone who is 6'4".

The clubs you can buy straight off the rack - the "one size fits all clubs" - are almost sure to be wrong for you in at least one way, if not more than one. With proper fitting, however, you're able to buy clubs with the specifications that are precisely correct for your own individual swing and body. Using properly fitted golf clubs will help you strike the ball more consistently and confidently, help you hit the ball farther and straighter, and take strokes off your scores. The process can help your game, whether you're highly skilled or a beginning golfer.

Golf is a tough enough game to begin with. There's no need to make it even harder by using clubs that simply don't fit you. Make things easier - and potentially lower your scores - by going through the process and getting clubs that have been matched to your swing and body type.

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