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What are Custom Clubs?

It’s time to make the move to custom clubs. You have seen the pros shoot lower and lower scores. You have read articles touting its benefits and you have probably even heard the TV announcers talk about getting custom fit clubs. But you still have questions. What exactly happens during a fitting? Does this mean I have to buy a new set of clubs? Does a high handicapper benefit from custom clubs? These are but a few of the many questions that need to be answered.

What happens during a custom club fitting session?

After filling out a comprehensive player information sheet that includes set makeup, current club specifications, swing tendencies and playing goals, we move onto the first and most important fitting criteria which is club length.

Swinging clubs that are either too long or too short could result in the golfer developing bad habits as well as inconsistency and accuracy problems. During this fitting phase, the golfer hits various length clubs with impact labels on the clubface to determine the longest length club they can hit for both distance and accuracy. The club that he/she hits the most consistently on the center of the clubface with the most accuracy and feel is the optimum club length for that particular golfer. The golfer is also asked for any feedback regarding weight, length and overall feel of each of the different length clubs.

Lie angle.

The second most important fitting parameter, lie angle is the point on the bottom of the clubhead that makes contact with the ground during a swing. For example, clubs that are too flat for a golfer will tend to show hitting marks more on the toe. This could result in the golfer hitting most of his/her shots to the right of the target because as the toe digs into the turf first, the clubface tends to open, pushing the shot to the right. A lie angle that is fit to the golfer is where the impact mark is directly in the center on the bottom of the clubhead. Each and every club should be checked and adjusted for proper lie angle, but the scoring clubs (6-PW) are the most important.

Shaft flex and torque are measured.

Shaft flex is the relative stiffness of the shaft and its ability to bend or flex during the golf swing. It is important to note that no two shafts are alike in regard to flex. A Callaway R flex shaft is not necessarily the same as a Titleist R flex shaft and so on. Each company measures their shafts using different performance criteria and therefore you can’t assume that just because it says R on the shaft that it will perform like an R from another company.

Torque is the ability of the shaft to resist twisting. It is the combination of both flex and torque that make up the overall stiffness of the shaft. To determine shaft flex and torque the swing speed and tempo are measured. Without some sort of measuring device it is very difficult to accurately determine swing speed and tempo, which are the cornerstones to fitting the proper shaft flex.

Tempo has a direct impact on torque. The faster a player swings from the top of the back swing to the ball, the more load or torque that is placed on the shaft. Therefore, a fast swinger will require a lower torque shaft to help square the clubface at impact.

The last fitting procedure, actual club head.

Does the golfer prefer/require a blade, a cavity backed head or maybe an offset? Does he/she prefer a thin or thick top line? Each of these types of club heads has different performance characteristics and is better suited to a specific type of golfer.

Although there are other fitting items to consider such as swing weight, grip size, steel or graphite shafts, etc., this completes the basic fitting process. .