Experiences
A number of years ago I played with a very strong amateur champion from
Virginia. He used irons that were a little too long but he choked down and hit them
as consistently as anyone I've ever played with. He had MacGregor strongly hook
faced woods which, at address, he set almost on their backs to keep them open faced. What
a competitor!
This is what I refer to as 'adaptive fitting'. Except for a few situations
which I'll relate below, almost any club can be used by almost any player effectively.
You can choke down on a long club; hold a short club with your palm overlapping the
butt; a thin putter grip can be taped; light clubs can have lead tape applied; open faced
clubs can be set closed and vice versa; a lie too upright can be corrected by aiming a
little right of target. I believe that most dealer or pro shop clubs bought off the shelf
can be adaptively fit to most amateurs. For pros who play 5 or more times per week,
it's a different story and even a few cycles per minute of extra stiffness might make a
difference. But for most of us, we really only need to satisfy a few basic fitting
parameters. Besides, most of us are constantly trying to improve our game and that
means we're almost always making corrections to our swing. Why get a 100 % fit to a
swing today that may be quite different next week?
But if you want to do it right..
The best source for proper club fitting is a book from Golfsmith Inc.
written by Tom Wishon in 1996. In it he gives the cause and effect for various swing
types, club technology and fitting options. The book is 448 pages and takes some
re-reading to really appreciate. I've thumbnailed the 5 forms used to aid the
fitting process below so if you feel that you want to get professionally fitted then you
should buy this book and work through the details with a competent golf teacher.
But if you don't have the time to do
it right..
Or, if you you simply want to acquire some clubs that
produce better results than you are now achieving, then you need to focus on only a few
items.
In the Facts of Golf section of this website I
describe club weight and swingweight. Almost any basic text on the golfswing will suggest
it is important to 'feel the head' of the club during the swing and that's what
swingweight is all about. If swingweight is too low you don't feel the head; if too high,
it'll feel like a sledgehammer and you can't get the club around fast enough.
Surprisingly, many golfers swing clubs that are much too light resulting in shots all over
the lot. Recently I was playing with a low handicap assistant pro who was given a
beautiful persimmon headed driver; it was hard to believe he could only hit about 1 in 5
with his strong game. I swingweighted the club for him at a C5 which is light for a
typical woman's club - almost no strong swinger could effectively use that club.
To determine your optimal swingweight you should first find
a light weight driver at a shop with a driving net or a range. Have the clubmaker/pro
measure the swingweight and make sure it is light, say, a C9 or D0. If possible,
men can start the process with a women's driver; even though the grip is smaller it will
establish what it's like to swing a club too light. Hit some balls and determine a feel
for the head. If you can't feel the head on the end when you are swinging, the club
needs some weight added to the head. Add some lead tape to the head. You need to add
tape equal to the weight of a quarter (about 5 grams; which on the end of the driver will
add about 2 swingweights) to notice any difference in swingweight. It will only take
one to three 'quarter' equivalents to increase the swingweight considerably. When
you comfortably 'feel' the clubhead you have discovered the correct swingweight for you.
Have the swingweight measured and remember it because it will be useful to future
club buying.
The common wisdom regarding shaft flex is that you should use the
whippyest that you can control. This is a very complex subject which is covered
under shaft flex under the Facts of Golf. While you can do some experiments
with flexible and stiff shafts it is easier to use some rudimentary rules based on how far
you fly the ball with a driver. This table is from Ralph Maltby's Golf Club Design
Book:
| Carry Distance with Driver |
Recommended Shaft Flex |
| 160 yards or less |
L |
| 160-185 yards |
A |
| 175-220 yards |
R |
| 210-250 yards |
S |
| 240+ yards |
X |
Therefore, ego aside, if you generally hit the ball with a driver
approximately 185 yards on the fly, you should probably be using an A (amateur or senior)
flex shaft. I've known far too many men golfer's that hit the ball that length (with roll
about 210-215 yards) but are unwilling to use an A shaft. And that's a shame since the
club would feel livelier and distance would almost assuredly increase with 'loading' the
more flexible shaft with a softer swing.
Irons, on the other hand, should lean toward the stiffer flex because
stiffer shafts correlate better with control. With a stiffer shaft you will not have
as much feel for the shot as with a more flexible club and it will not travel quite as far
BUT you will likely keep the ball much more playable. If you are a real competitor
you know the great feeling of watching your near-bladed 6 iron shot hit just short of the
green and bouncing to the front fringe while your opponent hits a crisp, truly wonderful 7
iron that just hooks into the left hand sand bunker. I know, I know, he hit the
better shot .. but you won the day.
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