Don’t Ever Buy A Golf Club Again…

…unless you get fitted first! You’ll be wasting your money.

Don’t give a club to your kid or your husband or accept a club from your Uncle Harry! It’s a waste of money and time. Honest!

At first blush, it may seem to be a way to save money to use someone else’s old golf clubs, but unless you are very lucky, it’s most likely that old club will not fit your swing. If you don’t play with the right clubs, you’ll be struggling to make the clubs work for you, you’ll never get any better at the game and eventually — you’ll just say the heck with it and quit!

If you’re going to succeed at playing golf, you have to play with equipment that fits you. That means clubs that fit your height, your grip and your swing. It’s not just a matter of picking a club off the shelf that looks pretty, or that feels nice when you swing it. And if your husband or Aunt Gladys want to give you one of their old clubs to use, say “Thanks, but no thanks.”

What’s the smart thing to do if you are in the market for new golf clubs? The answer is to get fitted!

Bob Quirk

Bob Quirk

Find a golf pro who is a trained club fitter in your area and make an appointment to get fitted for clubs. Just recently I went to see Master Club Fitter, Bob Quirk at the Jane Frost Golf Performance Center here on Cape Cod. He’s a great guy with years of experience and a great sense of humor! AND a lot of patience.

That’s what it takes to watch and evaluate a golfer’s swing. Bob used state of the art equipment: FlightScope and ForeSight Launch Monitors to measure my swing. We spent two hours together, going through each of the clubs in my bag; testing the components of each club to see if they really fit me.

Fitting Center

Golf Performance fitting center.

He tested for Lie Angle, Length, Shaft Flex, Grip Size, and Loft. (To see an explanation for each of these components check out the Club Fitting Process page at Jane Frost’s website.)

I had been fitted for my Callaway irons several years ago, and luckily they are still a good fit! But that 4 Hybrid club I picked up on my own at a trade show a few years back, just does not work for me. It was a good price, and looked pretty on the shelf so I bought it. But it has never really fit my game. And now I know why. The shaft is too short, and the shaft flex is all wrong. Once Bob figured that out, he wrote a prescription for me with all the specs I need for the right 4 hybrid I should be swinging. Now I can take that prescription to any manufacturer I choose and have them make my custom club. (Note: Most local golf retailers do not have a wide selection of shafts, heads, etc. so you are more likely to have greater success by going to a manufacturer’s website and selecting “Custom” clubs.)

But what about giving golf clubs to a friend or family member as a gift?

Is it smart to give an “off the shelf” set to that young 12 year old who is just itching to get out and play golf with you? Does he or she really need to get fitted for clubs? The answer is yes.

Don’t buy them golf clubs. Instead, buy a gift certificate for a club fitting. Let the pros help your friend or young golfer choose the right clubs. Get them fitted first.

Take the time to build a set of clubs using the prescription the club fitter determines. That’s the smart way to build and grow the proper clubs for the game. You don’t need to buy every club in your bag at the same time. If you use the same prescription when you go to your club maker, every stick in your bag will fit you properly.

When the clubs fit right, you play right, you get better at the game and it becomes a sport you can play and enjoy for years to come.


Have you been fitted for your clubs? Ever wonder why there are some clubs in your bag you never use? Add your comments and ideas in the space below. I really want to hear from you.


 

  3 comments for “Don’t Ever Buy A Golf Club Again…

  1. Joanne says:

    I agree that “fitted clubs” are the way to go, but ONLY after someone has made the commitment to the game and intends to pursue it on an “ongoing” basis.

    Why spend the money for fitted clubs if you’ll only play once a month?
    You have to give golf a try FIRST before you fork out the dough!

    A committed golfer – absolutely yes!
    A casual golfer – not so sure

    • Golf Gurls Admin says:

      Good point. But if you enjoy playing and hope to improve at the game, then it might be worth it to go to your local pro and check what the cost would be to get fitted. The first time I did that I discovered there would be no charge for the fitting as long as I purchased at least one club. During the fitting the pro should give you the specs for the clubs that do fit you…. and you can always use those specs to purchase clubs one at a time in the future if that fits your budget and your skill.

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