Golfing Talk

Getting A Golf Club Fitting – 3 Must Know Facts

Custom made clubs can only do so much for you. At times people often wish that their clubs were just that couple of inches shorter or longer, so as to fit their style of play to the t. Well, that’s where golf club fitting comes into the scene. Most sports stores that sell clubs would do this for you, as would websites that market the equipment provided you can give them the accurate dimensions that they require. Read on to find about more about this wonderful aspect of getting your kit prepared.

1. Information needed

When you want a golf club fitting at a merchandiser, they will need to ask you for a few vital measuring units to help fit your kit better. They will ask you for your height within your socks, and your gender will be evident, unless you are doing this over the telephone or email. And then they need to know the height from your wrists to the floor without putting on your shoes. They may even need to know your age and skill level or handicap at the game of golf. Finally they will evaluate your striking power by asking you something like what club you may use to hit a hundred and fifty yarder.

The initial two or three measurements are used to determine the lengths of your clubs and the rest help them pinpoint the amount of flexibility you will require.

2. A little about lengths and flexibility

The complete lengths of your clubs are mostly keeping your height and gender in mind. It is pretty obvious that a taller man would require slightly longer clubs than a short person. Simple physics tells us that the longer the shaft, the more is the force that you can deploy, at the sacrifice of control of course. The correct balance between control and force is what is critical here.
By flexibility we mean the thickness of your clubs’ shafts. If your natural striking power is high you do not need too much flexibility on the shaft. A pro like Tiger Woods generates a huge amount of energy with every shot, so he would need a good stiff shaft while an elderly amateur will want a little flexibility to get those extra yards.

3. Loft and lie

These are variations that are sometimes applied to existing golf clubs but we do not recommend it too much. The lie adjustment could help here and there, but then again you can only get this done on your irons and wedges, and to a limited extent. The lie variations are best done personally so you get it just right. The loft adjustment is definitely a bad idea, since you need to bend the clubs this way and that to get it done, thereby weakening the shafts. We recommend you use a different club when you need a change in these adjustments, rather than ruin a perfectly good one to suit the need of the moment.

Tags: Golf Clubs // Add Comment »