Does Custom Fitting Make That Much of a Difference?
Absolutely! Golf Magazine did a players test that showed that custom fit equipment took four strokes off a 16 handicapper’s score in back to back rounds. Now, you might say it was course knowledge, but the golfer swears his custom clubs were more consistent, more accurate, and felt better. In a recent Golf Digest survey, over 80% of the respondents said they believed custom fit equipment would help them play better, however, only 35% have had clubs custom fit for their swing. Our experience at D’Lance Golf after fitting nearly 15,000 golfers is an improvement of 2 to 20 strokes. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!
Aren’t All Custom Fit Clubs the Same?
Unfortunately, not. All major manufacturers like Callaway, Titleist, and Ping have their own fitting system and fitting standards. Even their recommended club lengths are different. A standard club length in Ping will be ½” longer than a standard club length in Callaway, for example. Lofts and lies for irons are also quite different. Taylor Made, Ping and Callaway lofts are much stronger than Titleist and Mizuno resulting in lower ball flight with the same shaft flex. Most fitting systems will get you the correct length, lie and swing weight, but the correct flex recommendation is still an art.
Drivers and fairway woods are even more difficult to fit. The only true way to determine which loft driver is best for you is to test a driver with the correct length, shaft flex, and tee height on a launch monitor. A Cleveland Launcher will hit the ball much higher in the same loft than a Taylor 500 series. This is because of the design of the club head, not the effective loft.
Are Custom Fit Clubs Actually Custom Built?
Not at all. The lengths are custom cut. The lies are adjusted before they are sent to you. And the lofts of the irons are usually adjusted to manufacturer’s specifications. What is not custom fit is the shaft flex. Each different style of club head has a different weight distribution that can affect the true flex of the finished club. If a club head is too heavy the flex will be too soft resulting in a wide shot dispersion. If the club heads are too light, the shaft will be too stiff resulting in low, weak shots with a loss of distance. If you ordered graphite shafts, watch out. Because of the inconsistencies of most graphite shafts, the shafts will vary dramatically from club to club in shaft flex. To paraphrase from a popular movie, “Graphite shafts are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.”
What is Custom Built?
At D’Lance Golf, we build each club to the exact length, weight and flex as determined by the True Temper Shaft Lab. We believe the most important part of your equipment is the golf shaft. It is the only moving part in the club. The correct length, weight and flex will give you the consistency, accuracy and distance you need to play better golf and have more fun! By building each club to the exact flex throughout your set, you can take the same swing with each and every club in your bag with the confidence that you will get the same result each time. We frequency match each club so that your clubs are within a tenth of a flex. Because each club head has a different weight, and is drilled to a different hosel depth, cutting the shafts to a manufacturer’s standard will not give you the correct flex.
Have More Fun
Playing with clubs that are specifically built to your swing will allow you to enjoy the game like it should be. The results speak for themselves. Ask Tom and Vivian Beebe, Ken Murphy, Ken Anderson, Mark Voytko, Rod Barber, Bill Ellis and hundreds more like them. More distance, improved accuracy, and better feel will give you a more enjoyable experience on the course.
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