This month I am going to explain Golf Club Fitting. This is a process that is vitally important for every golfer from the complete beginner to the top professionals.

Fact: If the golf clubs aren't correct for the individual then it can produce a bad shot even with a perfect swing. The most expensive clubs are the ones that don't suit, regardless of price.

Golf club fitting is a process that will take around an hour with an experienced club fitter for the full set. A driver fitting or a putter fitting may take about 1/2 an hour. It can be done as a "Static Fitting" which deals only on figures and without hitting any shots but I am going to discuss what will happen in a typical GLF iron fitting out on the Driving Range. We have developed a system which is designed for golfers of all capabilities and finds the most suitable clubs for each individual.

There are 5 basic elements that have to be analysed and documented for each individual. Remember everyone is built and plays differently so just like if you were buying a bicycle then the characteristics are for each person different. I hear a lot "My golf is not good enough for a fitting and it doesn't matter" Well it is just the opposite, The clubs must fit the person and not, as is the case in standard clubs, the person fits the clubs.

These five elements are Club length, Shaft flexibility, Grip size, Clubhead lie angle and Clubhead design. Through our GLF Fitting Process we measure various things like height, hand to floor, hand and finger size. We then will measure, amongst other things, clubhead speed, ball speed and smash factor which is ball speed divided by club speed.Smash Factor relates to the amount of energy transferred from the club head to the golf ball.

From these measurements we can determine the correct length of shaft, flex of shaft, material of shaft and grip size. I see many ladies making the mistake, often due to bad advice or lack of alternatives, of fitting mens grips on their clubs without having large hands. This will change the swingweight of a club by up to 2 or 3 points, making it feel much lighter and changing the characteristics of the club. If larger grips are fitted then the swing weight must also change accordingly!

Next up is the lie angle - which is the angle between the club head and the shaft. This is the most important element of a iron fitting. The image below will show you what will happen when the lie angle is incorrect for the player.

When all this has been analysed only then will we look at different companies, trying as much as possible to not let the person getting fitted know which makes of clubs they are trying. Most people come with pre-conceived ideas in their heads about which clubs suit them best. They may be correct but we like to give everyone the opportunity to try all makes so that we can get the correct result.

Fittings are nothing to be scared of and at the end of the session the correct clubs will be found for each individual. This guarantees that with the correct swing the ball will go in the intended direction and even if the swing is less than perfect you will give yourself the best possible chance of a good shot.

This was a brief description of what happens on a GLF Club Fitting and if anyone wishes further details or wants to discuss please phone me, Gordon, on 0401 726598 or e-mail: info@glfonline.com.au

Until our next tip, keep it on the Fairway

Thanks for reading,

Gordon