7 Golf Club Fitting Myths Debunked

It sounds complicated, time-consuming, and, yes, expensive. It’s really serious stuff, too, going for a custom fitting, something you should only consider if you’re a real hardcore golfer, not just a part-time handicap player.

These are just a few custom-fitting misconceptions that still exist, despite club fitters, PGA professionals, golf club manufacturers and various forms of media continually banging the drum about just how important it is for every golfer, regardless of skill level.

In fact, it’s the mid to high handicapper who stands to improve the most from a custom fitting - so let’s right that wrong straight away, that you should be playing to a high level before even considering getting your clubs dialled in by an expert.

To help address the most common custom-fitting myths, we asked two senior figures at PXG - Jason Parajeckas and Robert Tierney - to help us do some debunking.

Although both play the game to a high standard (Parajeckas once pursued the professional tour player dream), it’s clear that their true passion lies in helping the average club golfer realise their potential.

If by the end of these insights from the team at PXG you’re still sceptical about the benefits of getting custom fit, we can only assume you’re not really that fussed about shooting lower scores and maximising your enjoyment from the game…

‘MY SWING ISN’T CONSISTENT ENOUGH’

JP
“This is the game of golf - it revolves around inconsistency. With a custom club fitting, however, the PXG team are able to identify any flaws in your swing that relate to the equipment that you’re playing with.

“Most amateur golfers start with hand-me-down sets or something off the rack, so they’re not tailored for them. This will often mean that they adjust to the clubs and create a swing for those clubs.

“With a golf club custom fitting, we’re going to do the opposite. It’s our job to minimise these inconsistencies by tailoring the equipment to your golf swing.”

RT
“What feels inconsistent to the golfer is actually relatively consistent with a general area of the swing - so the path is always going to be outside-to-in or inside-to-out. This doesn’t usually change that dramatically.

“Yes, when we see numbers such as descent angle and the strike, there is a lot of inconsistency. However, having custom-fit clubs from PXG will help tighten up the consistency of the result.”

‘THERE’S NO POINT. I JUST CAN’T HIT LONG IRONS AND FAIRWAY WOODS’

JP “This can be that intimidation factor. That so many golfers don’t even allow themselves to come and try multiple variations is a real shame.

“It’s understandable. You’ve got someone staring at you, and that can be pretty intimidating. However, it’s our job at PXG to help alleviate that at the beginning.

“We just want to understand where we need to go so you can grow - and we get a real buzz out of seeing that look in a player’s eye, that amazement when it clicks.

“So, yes, this can be one of those barriers, but the question I always ask is this: Have you ever even tried? If you come and try it, we’ll find something for you.”

RT “If anything, it’s a bigger priority for the mid to high handicappers to get fit. There are only so many variations for a tour level. They’re all playing blades to cavity back forged irons, 120-130X shaft. For the amateur golfer, that range is huge.”

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‘I DON’T HAVE TIME/ONE SESSION ISN’T LONG ENOUGH’

RT “A really good fitter knows within a few swings what combination that golfer needs to be in - the shaft, the weight, the lie angle, and they probably know the head. It’s just a matter of tweaking it from there and maybe trying a couple more variations just to get confirmation.

“A lot of golfers try all sorts of different head and shaft combinations, and that can lead to a lot of indecision. All of a sudden, they’ve hit a 7-iron sixty times - and that’s unlikely to be beneficial.

“For a really good player, there may be some more subtle tweaks that are necessary. However, for the majority of golfers, we can dial it to where we need to be fairly quickly.”

JP “I would say that if you put a time limit on it, you’re going to want to meet that. I’d also argue that it’s our job to provide quality, not quantity.

“It can take an hour, and you can see some folks take 30 swings, and you can see some golfers take 130 swings.

“Before you show up, we’ll give you a call to talk this through. What are your typical misses? How far do you typically hit your 7-iron? What are you looking to get out of the fitting?

“On the day, the PXG fitters are actually interested in seeing the shots that you don’t like, and helping you to understand how our product can improve your game.”

‘CUSTOM FITTING IS ALL ABOUT GETTING EXTRA DISTANCE’

RT “I think most golfers want a little extra, but there comes a point, especially if you have any speed at all, where you just don’t need it.

“Yes, a custom fitting can unlock extra distance, but this is just one aspect. Say we help you to get your 7-iron carry up to 150 yards - that’s no use at all if it’s not a playable 150 yards.

“This is a big part of what our engineers work on: controllable distance. If we're talking about extra distance, we're not going to sacrifice playability and dispersion.

“So, there is in fact a lot more to a custom fitting.”

‘I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE’

RT “Let’s say you come across the ball at 13 degrees and the clubface is square. We know the ball is going to go right, maybe 60 yards.

“With a custom fitting, we can get that miss right down. So, to the person who says, ‘I’m not going to notice the difference….’ You will if it's the difference between being in the trees on the right versus being in the right rough with a shot at the green.

“Suddenly, you’re not punching the ball out from underneath the trees. Now that is a big difference.”

JP “When I hear players saying they won’t notice the difference, I just love the challenge. If you go and buy a nice suit and you don’t get it tailored, it’s not going to fit you - it’s going to fit everybody.

“Your equipment could be played by anybody. We’ll never know, and you’ll never know if you don’t go through a custom fitting, whether there’s a benefit to it.”

‘I CAN GET WHAT I NEED OFF THE SHELF’

JP “I don’t know what the chances are you'll manage to land with the right clubs straight off the shelf, but let’s call it one in a hundred, because everything is going to be standard. Standard lie angle, standard loft adjustments, a 95, 115, or 130 gram shaft.

“The standard 7-iron length, for example, is 37 inches. So you’re going to need a lot of luck to pick a set that’s right for you.

“I’ve mentioned the suit. It’s the same with a pair of shoes. You’re going to want to try them on, have a walk around the store, maybe go for a couple of sprints. What about when you buy a car? You’re going to want to take it for a test drive, aren’t you?

“If you’re going to invest in a set of golf clubs that you want to perform well with, make you feel better, and help you to perform, you need to get custom fit.”

‘IT’S TOO EXPENSIVE’

JP “At PXG, we have this conversation almost every day. However, we don’t sacrifice anything when it comes to our engineering and the process of how we build a set of golf clubs for somebody, from the time we take from the solid block of steel that begins the forging process to the injection moulding.

“What can be really expensive for a golfer is when they buy a standard set of golf clubs and realise fairly quickly that they aren’t performing - that’s to say they haven’t been custom fit.

“Suddenly, you can find yourself buying this club or that club, or another whole set, when you’d have been better off, financially and in terms of your performance, with getting the right specs and right make-up for your bag from the outset.”