Club fitting is often associated with improving one’s scores. How important is club fitting, especially for the average Joes in golf?
I think that there are several questions that always come up when discussing club fitting, for example: “Will club fitting improve my scores?”, “When should I get my clubs fitted?”, “Can I get my clubs fitted as a beginner? 5-handicapper? 15-handicapper?”
I had my first club fitting session right around when I started playing competitively in the amateur circuit (around the age of 15). It’s safe to say, that session and what I got out of it made me rather apprehensive about club fitting. Basically, I got a set that was fitted for a man, not a 15-year-old girl. In other words, it was way too heavy for me. Could I hit it? Yes, I could. But did it help my game? Absolutely not. Golf is a game of endurance; it’s played over 18 holes and yes, I might be able to hit these heavy clubs straighter, and maybe even a little bit further … but for how many holes?
After paying to be fitted and paying for a brand new set, I didn’t even end up using it because although it was “fitted”, it wasn’t fitted for me. After that I ended up buying things off the shelves at the proshop. However, I knew that as I got older and became more skilled in golf, club fitting was something that I would inevitably need. Especially because of the level that I was playing at or wanted to play at, I could not simply buy the same gear that everybody else was buying. I wondered … there must surely be a reason why professional golfers get fitted for golf clubs.
It wasn’t until after college that I met my current club fitter, Eric, who works out of Kelab Darul Ehsan. Eric showed me that club fitting CAN actually benefit a golfer … IF done right.
So back to the questions. Will club fitting improve your scores? And when should you get fitted? In my opinion, these two go hand in hand for several reasons. Firstly, if you are a pure beginner, you should not be able to even be fitted for golf clubs. Why? Because a fitting means that you are building golf clubs for a person’s swing and game. How can you be fitted when you don’t even have a swing? Could you purchase clubs that are more suited for you? Absolutely. But I do not think that this would require the kind of proper club fitting discussed here.
So when is the appropriate time to get fitted?
Working with Eric and watching him do club fitting sessions for golfers over the years, I have learnt that club fitting is not for everyone. Eric goes through a session, which can be as short as 10 minutes or as long as an hour, and most of the time, this can end in two ways – either he fits you for something that is going to help your game, or he’s going to tell you that fitting you for new clubs right now might cut one stroke from your game, but ultimately, what you need is a golf lesson.
What this usually means is that your swing isn’t yet consistent enough to be repeatable where your clubs are holding you back, but rather, it would be more beneficial for you to build a more consistent, repeatable swing and then work your way from there. Now, although this might seem harsh, it is much better than spending hundreds or thousands of ringgit for a brand new set and shooting the exact same scores.
Furthermore, this is what an actual club fitting should be like. I find that most players go to a fitting emphasising on the want to hit it further. There are many ways to make your ball go further. However, what we want out of a fitting is to ultimately walk out of it with a set that is going to help you perform your best … and performing your best means shooting better scores, not hitting it further.
In conclusion, can club fitting help improve your scores? Yes, it can – if you find the right fitter that actually knows what they’re doing, and not just someone who is looking to make money off you by convincing you to buy new golf clubs.
If you already have a club fitter that you trust, that’s great. But if you don’t, there is no harm in giving Eric a call and booking a session (and no, he did not sponsor this article; this is just my genuine experience). As I mentioned, you will either walk out of there with new clubs, or with the knowledge that you need to improve your swing before you improve your clubs. Either way, in my opinion, that’s a win-win.
