Better Golf Really is Just a Fit Away

Reasons I don't go to a club fitter:

1 - Club fitters keep total prices a secret. (I've checked dozens of websites.) It does me no good to know that a fitting session will cost $X. I want to know what comes next. What does a typical set of clubs that gets recommended cost? Give me an upper bound and a lower bound. Right now I fear that fitters only recommend $1000 club sets. If my own clubs can be "fixed" what will that cost? Will a fitter give me specs that I can take anywhere to buy clubs? If I don't buy the $1000 clubs from the fitter, is the cost of my fitting wasted?

2- Fitters don't post reviews from customers. I don't care that all the pros have custom fit clubs. I want to see reviews from real ordinary golfers who can tell me if they think the whole process was worth it.

3- My swing changes regularly, sometimes because I better understand what I should be trying to do, sometimes because what used to work doesn't anymore, and sometimes because I came across a "hot" idea. I don't see how a fitting for one swing can work on a different swing.

Wow have you have had a bad experience or either gotten some really bad information from somewhere.

I hope you don't lump all fitters into a "group" and think you have us all figured out just because of a previous experience maybe.

Let's deal with number 1. How can you put a price for a typical set on a web site? First, what the heck is a typical set? I'll wager that if you contacted any of our certified fitters that we'd all be happy to give you a ball park figure as to what you could expect to pay for a range of club options. I do this quite often. Of course your own clubs could also be fixed and the things involved in that would be discussed as well as the cost involved. Our fitters would also be glad to give you your specs. You paid for them. However, unless you went to another professional builder you'd not be able to take the specs to a retail store and have them get a set built for you as they have no clue as to doing frequency matching, moi matching, puring a shaft, and I could continue. I guess it would be a matter of opinion if you don't buy anything if the fitting fee would be wasted. That I would think would have to be determined by you. If paying for a persons time, expertise, and information is a waste of money then maybe it would be a waste.

2. I've got reviews from customers posted all over my website and I know others of our fitters do too. I don't have tons posted as it would seem self serving (at least to me)

3. This shows quite a misunderstanding of what a fitting is all about. It has absolutely nothing to do with the kind of swing, the quality of swing, or anything to do with ability or how it's done. A fitting is a time of gathering data that we use to determine proper head design, shaft material and profile, lie angle, and so forth. These are dynamics that don't change simply because you do something different in your swing.

As I said previously, you have a bit of a tainted view and perception of what a fitting is and certainly what a professional fitter will do for you and the information that he will share. Sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees and our preconceived notions can prevent us from experiencing something that would be of great benefit.

Ok! You wanted a response from someone who got a club fitting. I have played golf for many years and the fittings of past years were close to a joke. In some cases they still are today. You are correct in thinking that a different fitting might be needed if you use a "Rotational Swing" as I did for years or convert to Don Trahan's PPGS which I did. I was fit for clubs by Doc Griffin in Reno, NV in June 2013, I will agree the fitting and club purchase were expensive. I am sure Doc would give you the cost of a fitting. The cost of the clubs will be dependent on some variables that you mention. Can you get the clubs made by someone else? Yes, but you better be sure the builder knows what he is doing and don't think the big names will made "em perfect either!
The reason this is expensive is that the qualified club fitter must have some very expensive equipment to do things properly. He/she must have an extensive collection of test clubs and shafts, a launch monitor, a Frequency Meter, a swing weight scale, loft and lie bender and so on. Then that person must have the training and knowledge to use it all. Doc Griffin is also a PGA professional and that designation does not come cheap or easy. I sound like I must we well acquainted with Mr. Griffin. I am not. I met him the one time in Reno! As to the testimonial: I am now almost 88 years of age, but because I switched to the PPGS swing I am able to play without pain. My old clubs did not work with the new swing. The new ones did! I shoot below my age almost every time I play and I have the lowest handicap in a group of about 127 over the hill swingers that I play with weekly. 'nough said!

Just had to take a few minutes and add my two-cents worth about my personal experiences with Doc Griffin and club fitting. Six or seven years ago I figured out something was really wrong with my game and after finding this website, I realized I was playing with "crooked arrows". I had tried most of the top brands, even played 3 years with single-length clubs, and simply was not getting any better. So, I called Doc Griffin and he very graciously walked me thru the whole process, cost, options, and etc. I did a "long-distance" fitting with him and sent him a video of my swing. He started by building me a driver, then some irons, and then some hybrids and a wedge, as I could afford them. I also had the opportunity to personally meet Doc Griffin in Las Vegas a couple of years ago and he checked all my clubs to make sure they were right for me. He also gave me a lesson to make sure I was on the right track with the PPGS. Long story made short; I have lowered my handicap from 25 to 9. I won our local club Men's Senior Championship two years in a row. I'm 71 years old now and playing the best golf of my life! The reasons are very, very simple. I have equipment that fits me properly. I understand the PPGS swing and know how to fix my swing when it "goes south"! Needless to say, if you want to play better golf and enjoy it, you need to have equipment that fits you! R2

My journey in golf over the past 15 years has been an arduous one, visiting many coaches and spending heaps money/time practising to lower my handicap and feel that coming from a background of limited sporting ability, have a pretty good understanding of the issues and problems that a learner golfer endures. I'm still unsure at this stage whether one should get fitted first or later in their development as I did both and in the latter found it the most successful. Even saying this, I look back on the standard of coaching/fitting received was at best mediocre even though the credentials of the individuals was considered to be of PGA quality. Now, even after 15 years of coaching/fitting, only the last couple of years I have an understanding of golfing mechanics, whereas I believe this should have happened a long time ago. I know Doc & Surge and have met them several times both in the US and OZ and believe both gentlemen are a credit to their profession, but when I reflect on my early years, find it difficult to see how I could have been fitted having a swing that was so unorthodox, could have been fitted properly.
To me, if I was a teaching golf professional would have addressed the situation from day one, prior to fitting. I would imagine that most golfers would possess the fundamentals, thereby the fitting would come first, but for someone like me who actually just started, would come after some basic fundamentals were in place.

Would love to hear what Doc has to say, over to you.

I have not been fitted yet, but sometime in 2016 after I relocate to Apex, NC, I will be looking to see Doc and determine if what I have can be improved. I need more distance and a little better directional control. I currently use a Taylor Made R9 driver 10.5Deg and Adams Tight Lies (original series) fairway woods. I am sure all of them could be fixed or replaced to make them easier to hit and get the ball flight correct (do not get a lot of height all the time right now) ... I would expect this to be in $2K to $3K range or so and given that a golfer can buy an off the shelf club for between $250 & $400 that would not be an unreasonable cost

Had a club fit and the Doc said"I'll make you a great set of clubs" Well he lived up to his promise
Only one regret,I didn't do it earlier This guy is fantastic at what he does and his sense of humour is a bonus Well done Doc I'm happy to recommend your club fitting AA

I continue to ask the question, if you are going to learn any "sport' skill,how can you do so with equipment that is ill fit and actually working against you? Shooting a bow and arrow properly not only requires knowledge but it requires straight arrows. Whether a swing is orthodox or not is irrelevant. The fitting process is not fitting a swing. I have said this many times before. The information gathered is to the dynamics of the swing, ie club head speed, physical measurements such as WTF, tempo, release, etc etc. Certainly these measurable dynamics may change a bit but not enough to alter results. As in your case, we did you a driver years ago and the driver still fits. You were finally successful in the swing concept this past visit in February. The simple fact is that equipment can hinder the learning and performance of a good swing but the correct equipment does not in and of itself create the understanding and execution of the swing either. But, and I still stand by my premise of this video, fitting is for everyone and the sooner the better so that the chances to learn and perform the proper swing are enhanced and bad habits are not learning and therefore having to be unlearned.

Add one more testimonial here for Doc's skill and integrity. He custom fit me for a driver a few years ago through his distance fitting program and it is the best driver I've ever had. I also venture to guess that most of the golfers on this page have paid as much or more for an off-the-rack driver as I paid for Doc's time, skill, and supplies in making this club for me. As soon as finances allow, I'll be seeing him for a full set of clubs to stop torturing myself with the set I'm using now (well, the 8 and 9 irons are good, but...). You can see my videos and you can ask Don himself as I've been at one of his schools (he threatened to send me home after seeing me stick my 9 iron on the flag he had me hit to) that I have a solid swing. But I have inconsistent results because I can't trust my current off-the-rack clubs to react consistently. They say it's a poor workman who blames his tools, but if you're trying to drive a screw with an awl...

And, Doc, I was thinking about this today already as I had some time before an appointment and wandered into a nearby Golfsmith to play with the test clubs for fun. Anyone who doesn't believe the clubs can make a difference should try that. Most I could make decent contact with, two felt very nice, a few were like my aforementioned metaphorical awl.

See, the problem is one of perception. The golfer is not the bow either. The bow and the arrow are both equipment that require an operator with a certain degree of understanding and skill. Given the right pound test in the bow and sight and the best trimmed arrows, it still does no unsure success. The problem here is that you can not develop skill in you are having to use something that causes you to compensate for it. Let's just deal with golf now. Lie angles too upright or too flat cause a negative result and force the golfer to compensate. Clubs that are too long or too short cause the golfer to compensate. Clubs that are too light or too have cause the golfer to compensate. Clubs with incorrect shaft profiles cause a golfer to compensate. Now, does a beginning golfer need clubs
"tweeked" to the tee? No! But it is important that has the basics such as length, lie, weight, and profile of shaft. This will make it easier to learn. Now, I repeat, just because you have proper equipment does not ensure success. You struggled a good bit and I know it. It was due mostly to inaccurate understanding of how to execute the PPGS swing. However, having the proper driver did not hurt, not in this case did it help. But once you understood the swing, you killed it.

Thanks to everyone for the comments and replies.

I'm more than a little skeptical about Doc's statement: "It has absolutely nothing to do with the kind of swing". I've tried a lot of swings over the years with the extremes being a "rotational" swing where I feel like I am almost lying down at address and a "2 plane" swing where I feel like I am standing at attention. The lie angle, club length ... for these must be different. For the PPGS swing, Surge basically says a shorter driver will work better.

Cost is a major issue with me. I am willing to pay for expertise if the person I am paying actually has any. I have never been to a fitter. I have been to the golf store where I hit a few balls and then got a recommendation for the most expensive clubs in the store. (I did not buy them.) I have friends who have been to local "fitters," bought expensive clubs, didn't play any better, and are back to buying the latest new whatever, whenever they can afford it.

I'm obviously giving serious consideration to club fitting. I've played golf for very close to 60 years. The years when my flexibility and reflexes were so good that I could have played well with a rock tied to a stick are in the distant past. (Oh, how I long for those days when I couldn't do anything wrong.)

The web sites I have visited have been for fitters within 2 or 3 hundred miles of my home. My comments apply to them. Basically, they say club fitting is good, I'm good, trust me. Today I visited Doc's website. I'm impressed and, because of the good things that you guys have said about him, I'm thinking about a long distance fitting or maybe a trip there.

In all honesty I seriously question the efficacy of club fitting as I did a club fitting last year with Doc Griffin. The total cost of the clubs (5 thru 9 and a driver) and fitting was in excess of $1300. I have recently returned to using my Cobra driver with more success and the irons have been good but frankly don't rate the cost incurred. I could have gotten a full set of Pings for less expense with equal or better performance. I might be an exception to the rule, but I'm just relating my situation. I'm almost ready to go back to my previous set of Adams clubs.

I was fitted by a Swing Surgeon Certified Fitter - Bill Weitzel here in Cincinnati Ohio.
I am glad that I went through a good fitting with Bill 3 years ago and had him rebuild my current clubs Mizuno 800 PRO's to fit me. They are a great set of clubs and would not trade them for anything yet. There was a big difference in playing with these clubs after I got them back after having them rebuilt I am more consistent and have had better scoring 70- 80.
In saying all this you can have the best built set of clubs in the world but if you do not put the time in and practice properly you will not get your best out of them.
I do not know Don or Doc personally but Bill does and he has met them both and told me that they are some of the nicest people that you would ever want to know and meet and are very knowledgeable in there respective fields.

When people ask me about what I think about getting fit properly for golf equipment I tell them that it depends on what you want out of golf. If you Play 1 or 2 times a month and do not have time to practice you may not want to go through the expense of a good fitting and having good clubs built and if your happy with that fine. If you want to improve then get fit and have your equipment rebuilt or new equipment built and practice more and get some good lesson from a PPGS certified instructor.

Mike,
So, you're saying it's not just enough to have straight arrows? You have to have a level of skill to go with it? : )

Well said. Been on that soap box for years. Just getting the right equipment will not transform your game. (I actually had one customer that expected the new equipment to magically transform his swing) What it will do is work with you rather than against you and will allow you to execute a good swing and develop consistency and not have to make compensations of one type or another.

To add to what Mike in KY had to say, I also had Bill Weitzel in Ohio do a driver fitting and build for me. The swing analysis probably helped me as much as the driver itself. I now know how crappy my swing has been, and why, and I have a driver to help with that. Later I had my irons analyzed also and a good set built. I experienced some of the best iron play I have ever had, that following summer. However, this year, I have had some pretty bad iron play in my once a week league, so I went to the range and worked on my swing errors. Lo and behold, good shots the next week from the fairway. The clubs Do Matter, and so the The Swing.
Mike in Hamilton

Doc,

Just looking at the latest Golfweek reviews of Calloway's new Bertha Mini 1.5 in at 235cc. Looks like they finally got your message!

Kevin