A lifetime clubfiting is absolutely priceless. Why? Because a lot of things change in the course of your golfing career that can change the specifications of clubs that fit your swing. We have offered a lifetime clubbfitting for over ten years and totally believe it has helped our golfers achieve their goals…faster. And, our golfers know that we have their best interests in mind. Here are the main reasons to get fit more than one time in your lifetime:
1. Age
At the risk of being “Captain Obvious” as we get older, our strength, flexibility, reflexes all change dramatically It is most evident in the junior golfers we fit as they grow both in stature and strength. We recommend fitting juniors after any growth spurt of two inches or more, or once a year if they are playing competitively. Junior golfers in general are much more flexible so that is not usually an issue. The same applies to older golfers, say 50 years old and up. As we age, our metabolism slows and we also start naturally losing strength That is why so many of us in our 60’s are trying to get back the distance we had in our 30’s and 40’s! Once you hit 50, we recommend doing a re-fit every two-three years.
2. Physical changes
Golfers that have gained or lost a lot of weight can see significant changes in their fitting recommendations. If you gain a LOT of weight you may need longer clubs just to manage your change in girth and flexibility. If you have lost a lot of weight, your strength and flexibility may have changed a lot and modified the flex and weight needed to make solid contact. Changes like lack of flexibility due to arthritis or other maladies can also change fitting requirements. We fit a retired 89 year old doctor into clubs 2 inches over length because back issues kept him from bending over. He promptly went out and shot two holes in one over the next year!
3. Strength and conditioning
With the cross fit craze, we see a lot of golfers that have picked up significant strength and speed and are now needing stiffer and sometimes heavier equipment. And when you stop a strength and conditioning program, you may need lighter, softer flex equipment to maintain your consistency. You should get re-fit once a year in these cases.
4. Injury
Again, obviously you may need different equipment if you have a significant injury. One of our customers injured a shoulder in a skiing accident and we re-fit him once a year for three years until he fully recovered. We were honest with him about what he needed to do with his existing equipment and we made some changes until he regained his strength.
5. Equipment changes from Manufacturers
Just when we think we have see all the changes in technology that can happen and still be within USGA guidelines, something new comes along. Slot technology, groove rule changes, new titanium alloys, shaft technology improvements, etc. We recommend that a golfer get re-fit at least every three years just to see what new technology has been introduced and how it may help their performance. Again, the benchmark is the golfer’s current equipment. If we cannot improve with the latest technology, then why change?
6. Swing changes
If you are making swing changes,especially flattening or steepening your swing plane, changing posture, ball position, and release point, these can have a significant impact on club length, lie angle, and loft. Usually your swing dynamics (tempo and transition) will not change but everything needs to be checked at least once a year.
A golfer recently had a specific question on seeing his specs change from 1 degree up and 1/2 inch over to 2 degrees up and 3/4 inch over. It could be from a significant swing change. For a lot of golfers, however, they get used to a particular fitting from say Titleist ( 1 degree up, 1/2 inch over) and are surprised when a fitting by Mizuno (2 degrees up and 3/4 inch over) may be the exact same finished specs (38 inch 6 iron at 63 degree lie) because each manufacturer’s base length, loft and lie are different. Throw Ping and TaylorMade into the mix and it is a free-for-all. As for a different shaft, there are a LOT more shaft options today, especially in steel, so it is not surprising that your fitter recommended a different shaft than you may be used to. That could be based upon launch, spin, ball flight apex, descent angle, etc. Again, you are in control of what feels good yet gives the right performance so a shaft change has to make performance improve.
I think it is absolutely important for the avid golfer to get fit at least every two years because of the things I just mentioned above. We may not be able to improve distance, accuracy and consistency much once we have fit that golfer, but at least he/she will have the peace of mind that what they currently have still works the best!
Dan Sueltz
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