This is one of the most frequently asked questions of me by individuals looking to improve their golf game. A close second would be, 'Should I wait until my swing gets better before I get fit?'
I usually answer that question with a question. If you play baseball, how important is it to have the proper size glove and correct weight bat? If you run track, how important is it to have the correct size shoes? Ever try to play basketball, football, or soccer with an under inflated ball? So, if the right equipment, properly 'fitted' is key to success in playing all these other sports, why do golfers spend thousands on their equipment but so little on the right fit? Truth be told, the clubs can have a huge influence on your ability to hit a good golf shot. To illustrate this point, I am going to share the results from two actual and recent fittings.
The first fitting involved a gentleman who had a very good swing but as he had forewarned me in an email, he hit everything to the right. I mean, he hit everything to the right. His swing was technically sound and there was really no good reason for the ball to be going right. He was playing a newer set of the larger headed clubs that had been 'custom fit' by one on the high end places. He had literally spent thousands of dollars on these clubs. After watching him labor to hit the golf ball with negative results, I went into the fitting lab and returned with a small headed, muscle back blade. I asked him to just hit a few shots with this club and let's see what happened. He hit the first ball, nice high soft draw. His second ball was a nice high soft draw. Third ball, same thing and on and on it went.
Now, what was happening? By putting a smaller club head in his hands he was able to get the club face to come back to squaring rather than being left wide open and thus be rewarded for his good swings. In fact, everything else about the blade that I handed him was an ill fit for him. The shaft was a heavy shaft and it was a very stiff shaft for his swing. In fact, it was a 6.0 rifle and he would need something in the 3.5 range with his club head speed and strength. The point to this is that even with the wrong shaft he was able to hit great shots with the correct head.
The second case history involved a gentleman that is on the other end of the scale from the first gentleman. While the first fellow was a bit on the weaker side, this man was big and quite strong. His club head speed was well on up there. He wasn't on the scale of a tour pro but it was higher than the average golfer.
Again, he had a set of the larger club heads but this set was one of those that is made to be very light. His shot pattern was a very pronounced slice with a shot dispersion of about 25 yards and somewhat short for his club head speed. As I watched his swing, I noticed he made a move like a lumber jack rather than a golfer. I went into the fitting lab and returned with a club in the midsized range but it had a heavier shaft and a heavier feel at the club head. His swing immediately showed much less of an over the top move, his shot went from a slice to a very nice little fade, and he picked up about 15 yards because he wasn't ballooning the ball. Another really nice thing was that his shot dispersion went from 25 yards to 5 yards.
Now, I have just picked out two of the more recent and dramatic examples of what can happen with clubs that don't fit and the positive results that can be achieved from getting the right equipment. So, my advice to all that are unhappy with their present equipment is to go get fit by a professional fitter. It could have a very dramatic and positive effect. There is no good reason to wait until your swing gets better. As with these two gentlemen, the swing would not have gotten better with the equipment that they were using. The things measured in a fitting that have to do with the dynamics of the swing do not change a significant amount with an improved swing. An improved swing results in better scoring and properly fitted equipment allows you to improve your swing.
One premise that I have always stood by is that great golf is impossible without a positive mental attitude, a sound swing, and properly fitted equipment. Remove any one of the three and the game goes south. Do yourself and your game a favor, don't let the equipment be the missing link.
J. Lynn Griffin, Master Fitter/Builder, PPGS Certified Instructor