Is it worth me getting fitted clubs if I don’t have a consistent swing?

[Luchnia]

There are solid arguments on both side of this fence. IMO it is always helpful if someone with the proper experience can see you perform and then give the proper advice about whether a fitting is worthwhile or not. If someone has not developed at least a decent constant swing with a 6 iron, a fitting might be challenging.

Don't see a problem with a somewhat of a newby getting fitted as long as they are wise about it. I think getting fitted too early can be problematic. One could go to club champion and only get the iron fitting and make sure you get the data. You could then return, study the data, and get on the hunt for a used set of clubs that won't set you back so much.

Go out and play some and see what happens. As you progress you can move up as needed. If you have someone that is experienced and knowledgeable that can work with you, you may not need to get fitted as they could help you find a decent set of used clubs to get you on your journey. Experience goes a long ways in golf.

I do find a lot of guys are not playing clubs that are best suited for them. You see guys on the course with narrow small faced irons splaying the ball all over the place when a GI iron, or better fitted club, would much better suite them at their stage in golf.

There are also some that get fitted and it doesn't help at all because they cannot repeat a decent swing enough to hit well. For example a golfing buddy of mine got fitted this year and nothing has really changed for him. His game has not improved at all, but it is because he needs to work on his swing and develop better ball striking.

 

[Tenja]

I’m in your same situation and am actively looking to get a fitting. I’ve been told it’s money well spent i lieu of throwing it at random clubs to test. at A minimum you should see what shafts you should be looking at, ballpark.

 

[Nick20UK]

Another thought.

As Mark Crossfield often says on his channel, a fitting can be as much a lesson as an equipment buying session.

Pick a fitter or place who use PGA Pros to do their fittings, whether that's a box store or a specialised club shop. They'll not only be able to help you find the right equipment but also give you some simple tips on how to get yourself a bit more consistent with striking and face angle.

Tell them up front that's what you're looking for and that you're open to lessons with them if you find the fitting helpful, and I'm sure they'll be happy to help you as much as they can.

If they can't or won't do that, cut your losses and go somewhere else.

 

[V14_Heels]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

I’m quite lucky in that both my local range and PXG are offering me free fittings and I’m only looking at irons in the 600-700 range so I’m not talking about thousands on custom clubs. Just improvement irons with custom options in length/lie/shaft/grip.

That being said, I’m not sure they’ll offer me a free fitting twice in a year so I’m keen to do it when it will offer me the most value.

In terms of how bad I am, that’s hard to answer. I do know what a pure iron strike feels like as I have carried a 7 iron 150 before with a feeling of good compression but I’ve really lost that recently. This over the top swing is an absolute killer! Causes me to early extend, tilt my wrists down to the ball then ‘scoop’ in the follow-through. Flight shape is a fade/slice too which costs distance. In recent weeks I’ve been down to a 130-140 carry on the 7 iron.

I’ve got 1 range session and a lesson before the fitting I booked so I highly doubt I’m suddenly going to completely cure it in that time.

If you have the option to get a free fitting by all means do it. There's just not a whole lot drawbacks there haha. There's just alot to a fitting, and you've gotten some responses in this post from guys FAR FAR more experienced, better and smarter than I who say "go get fitted." Vgolfman is legit and definitely a guy to listen to.

Ultimately, most fittings are geared around sales though and I think it's important to keep that in perspective. They're trying to sell clubs. Not saying that they won't still fit you for your best option, but it absolutely creates a bias. That's how they make their money.

Just a couple things I would advise you do...
1.Make sure you hit your original sticks early but again late in the fitting process. Most fitters will have you hit your current gamers right out of the gate, you wont' be warm and more than likely you will hit those better later rather than early, so make sure you get those baseline numbers at the beginning and after you've tested some things.

2. Ask about the lofts in actual clubs your testing. Usually fitters are gonna have you hit one club across several different brands of heads and shafts. So for example a 7i. Well that 7i could be +/- 5 degrees compared to your current gamer either because it comes that way from the manufacture or they've bent it somewhere along the line in another fitting. Well if it's 3 degrees upright against your current gamer and you get 10 more yards out of it, it's because your hitting your 6i equivalent, not because the tech is actually doing something for you, so just make sure you'r aware of that.

3. I've personally not come across a fitter that fits you using last years model or 2019's or 2018's. They only fit against the new stuff, which is EXPENSIVE. So with a 600-700 range you really don't have a massive amount of options. There are some, don't get me wrong, but that's gonna be mostly stock shafts, and although you might get something that does work, I can't say it will necessarily be the BEST. This is where I wish a fitter would work within the budgets to look at something like a 2019 line which opens up a ton more variety but keeps someone within budget. But I haven't found one that will do that.

4. Don't be scared of graphite. There's this persona out there that graphite is for old people (I have no idea how old you are), but I went from steel to graphite and I love them. Try to leave your pre-conceived notions at the door.

I'm not a fitting hater. I think it is absolutely critical to ones game, but there are definitely some things to be aware of. Great fitters are hard to find, and I PERSONALLY wish I would've waited on my iron fitting. Nonetheless, mine wasn't free so...

 

[echico]

There is no magic that all of the sudden or within months you will be better. That can be taken 2 ways. 1. The amount of work you put into changing your swing will take you a long time to get a consistent repeatable swing and 2. No club will change swing deficiencies. You asked if you should get fit and the answer is yes. Will you grow out of the irons you pick within 3 months/6 months/2 yrs? Doubtful. The most important thing is to get you into the right length (seems to be an issue) and type of shaft. I think getting you into properly fit equipment will get you to improve faster.

 

[Nappy]

I was in the same boat last year when I went for my driver fitting. I didn't know if it was worth it - so I just went for the one club to see how it went. Unfortunately my experience with GolfTec wasn't the best. They just wanted to sell me on lessons, at their store of course. And I still question whether I got the best options for me. That said I would absolutely go get fit again. The knowledge I learned about my swing and my tendencies was enough to help my game. I got numbers and data that I don't generally have access to and I was able to help my game immensely.

 

[GolfMT36]

Let me give you an alternative that no one else has brought up here. Go to the fitting or don't go. A fitting only gives you a snap shot of what to expect from the equipment. How you might play with clubs once your body is used to them can and will change in many cases regardless of whether you are a 25 or a scratch golfer. Just look how many pro golfers struggle a little, switch out a driver shaft (presumably because of better launch monitor results), and then end up going back to their old shaft. Your body reacts to equipment changes (aka variables) in one way immediately and over time this changes.

An inconsistent swing is only going to add more variables to a fitting and variables are never good if we are trying to be scientific about this.

What I would recommend is get your current clubs extended and regripped with midsize grips. One of your two pros or a fitter should be able to give you at least a ball park idea of how much length to add. This will run you around $15 per club depending on what grip you choose. The benefit of this is being able to use the clubs long term with minimal cost. Length and grip size are the most important specs of properly fit golf clubs.

If proper fitting is a pyramid, these are the large base portions. The rest is fine tuning and better left to a time when your swing is more consistent.

 

[luckydutch]

If you have the option to get a free fitting by all means do it. There's just not a whole lot drawbacks there haha. There's just alot to a fitting, and you've gotten some responses in this post from guys FAR FAR more experienced, better and smarter than I who say "go get fitted." Vgolfman is legit and definitely a guy to listen to.

Ultimately, most fittings are geared around sales though and I think it's important to keep that in perspective. They're trying to sell clubs. Not saying that they won't still fit you for your best option, but it absolutely creates a bias. That's how they make their money.

Just a couple things I would advise you do...
1.Make sure you hit your original sticks early but again late in the fitting process. Most fitters will have you hit your current gamers right out of the gate, you wont' be warm and more than likely you will hit those better later rather than early, so make sure you get those baseline numbers at the beginning and after you've tested some things.

2. Ask about the lofts in actual clubs your testing. Usually fitters are gonna have you hit one club across several different brands of heads and shafts. So for example a 7i. Well that 7i could be +/- 5 degrees compared to your current gamer either because it comes that way from the manufacture or they've bent it somewhere along the line in another fitting. Well if it's 3 degrees upright against your current gamer and you get 10 more yards out of it, it's because your hitting your 6i equivalent, not because the tech is actually doing something for you, so just make sure you'r aware of that.

3. I've personally not come across a fitter that fits you using last years model or 2019's or 2018's. They only fit against the new stuff, which is EXPENSIVE. So with a 600-700 range you really don't have a massive amount of options. There are some, don't get me wrong, but that's gonna be mostly stock shafts, and although you might get something that does work, I can't say it will necessarily be the BEST. This is where I wish a fitter would work within the budgets to look at something like a 2019 line which opens up a ton more variety but keeps someone within budget. But I haven't found one that will do that.

4. Don't be scared of graphite. There's this persona out there that graphite is for old people (I have no idea how old you are), but I went from steel to graphite and I love them. Try to leave your pre-conceived notions at the door.

I'm not a fitting hater. I think it is absolutely critical to ones game, but there are definitely some things to be aware of. Great fitters are hard to find, and I PERSONALLY wish I would've waited on my iron fitting. Nonetheless, mine wasn't free so...

Really helpful tips, thanks.

Definitely will make sure I do some swings with my own throughout the process to act as a baseline.

I'm aware of the loft issue too. Particularly within the improvement irons, the range of lofts can be massive! If one goes 10 yards further than another but is 2-5 degrees stronger lofted, that's not actually helpful to me because it will just cause a gapping issue with wedges and the mid irons will start encroaching on my longer clubs. I can shave 30 strokes off my score with a 7 iron that carries 150 yards if I can hit it properly. I don't need it to carry 190 like some of these crazy lofted irons can.

I'm getting a PXG fitting as well as a general club fitting and although the pricing of the 0211 DC irons is attractive, the crazy lofts are not. Can't help but think they're to fool people into thinking they're magically causing them to hit further. Without having swung any yet, I'm naturally more attracted to clubs like the Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metals because they have solid distance but their lofts aren't super aggressive so I'll hopefully get good spin, decent angles and minimal gapping issues.

I will definitely test out graphite. They do seem to offer stiffer graphite options. I guess there is also the downside that graphite irons tend to be more expensive. Adding expensive shafts is what will catapult a club out of my price range.

 

[luckydutch]

Let me give you an alternative that no one else has brought up here. Go to the fitting or don't go. A fitting only gives you a snap shot of what to expect from the equipment. How you might play with clubs once your body is used to them can and will change in many cases regardless of whether you are a 25 or a scratch golfer. Just look how many pro golfers struggle a little, switch out a driver shaft (presumably because of better launch monitor results), and then end up going back to their old shaft. Your body reacts to equipment changes (aka variables) in one way immediately and over time this changes.

An inconsistent swing is only going to add more variables to a fitting and variables are never good if we are trying to be scientific about this.

What I would recommend is get your current clubs extended and regripped with midsize grips. One of your two pros or a fitter should be able to give you at least a ball park idea of how much length to add. This will run you around $15 per club depending on what grip you choose. The benefit of this is being able to use the clubs long term with minimal cost. Length and grip size are the most important specs of properly fit golf clubs.

If proper fitting is a pyramid, these are the large base portions. The rest is fine tuning and better left to a time when your swing is more consistent.

I did actually look into extending and regripping my irons a few months ago. One of the pros I get lessons said he could do it for me but it would be 10 for the extension and 15 for the grip per club so I was looking at 150+ to refit 20+ year-old clubs. Felt like false economy.

I can afford to buy myself some new or near-new irons. Did well at work this year and can justify treating myself. I was just concerned about falling into the trap of getting fitted as a beginner and finding my specs are wildly different a year from now and I've actually wasted 700+ on irons that only last me a year.

Based on all the comments here in this thread, that seems unlikely. The only thing that might potentially change is what would be the optimal shaft and lie angle but even with lie angle, what I recorded testing my dynamic lie matches perfectly with what the ping chart recommends for static lie so it's probably just right for me arm length relative to height.

 

[V14_Heels]

Really helpful tips, thanks.

Definitely will make sure I do some swings with my own throughout the process to act as a baseline.

I'm aware of the loft issue too. Particularly within the improvement irons, the range of lofts can be massive! If one goes 10 yards further than another but is 2-5 degrees stronger lofted, that's not actually helpful to me because it will just cause a gapping issue with wedges and the mid irons will start encroaching on my longer clubs. I can shave 30 strokes off my score with a 7 iron that carries 150 yards if I can hit it properly. I don't need it to carry 190 like some of these crazy lofted irons can.

I'm getting a PXG fitting as well as a general club fitting and although the pricing of the 0211 DC irons is attractive, the crazy lofts are not. Can't help but think they're to fool people into thinking they're magically causing them to hit further. Without having swung any yet, I'm naturally more attracted to clubs like the Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metals because they have solid distance but their lofts aren't super aggressive so I'll hopefully get good spin, decent angles and minimal gapping issues.

I will definitely test out graphite. They do seem to offer stiffer graphite options. I guess there is also the downside that graphite irons tend to be more expensive. Adding expensive shafts is what will catapult a club out of my price range.

Ironically enough I was fit into Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metal Pros for my fitting with Aerotech Steelfibers. I love them, but I just couldn't fork out the cash.

 

[Desmond]

If you have the option to get a free fitting by all means do it. There's just not a whole lot drawbacks there haha. There's just alot to a fitting, and you've gotten some responses in this post from guys FAR FAR more experienced, better and smarter than I who say "go get fitted." Vgolfman is legit and definitely a guy to listen to.

Ultimately, most fittings are geared around sales though and I think it's important to keep that in perspective. They're trying to sell clubs. Not saying that they won't still fit you for your best option, but it absolutely creates a bias. That's how they make their money.

Just a couple things I would advise you do...
1.Make sure you hit your original sticks early but again late in the fitting process. Most fitters will have you hit your current gamers right out of the gate, you wont' be warm and more than likely you will hit those better later rather than early, so make sure you get those baseline numbers at the beginning and after you've tested some things.

2. Ask about the lofts in actual clubs your testing. Usually fitters are gonna have you hit one club across several different brands of heads and shafts. So for example a 7i. Well that 7i could be +/- 5 degrees compared to your current gamer either because it comes that way from the manufacture or they've bent it somewhere along the line in another fitting. Well if it's 3 degrees upright against your current gamer and you get 10 more yards out of it, it's because your hitting your 6i equivalent, not because the tech is actually doing something for you, so just make sure you'r aware of that.

3. I've personally not come across a fitter that fits you using last years model or 2019's or 2018's. They only fit against the new stuff, which is EXPENSIVE. So with a 600-700 range you really don't have a massive amount of options. There are some, don't get me wrong, but that's gonna be mostly stock shafts, and although you might get something that does work, I can't say it will necessarily be the BEST. This is where I wish a fitter would work within the budgets to look at something like a 2019 line which opens up a ton more variety but keeps someone within budget. But I haven't found one that will do that.

4. Don't be scared of graphite. There's this persona out there that graphite is for old people (I have no idea how old you are), but I went from steel to graphite and I love them. Try to leave your pre-conceived notions at the door.

I'm not a fitting hater. I think it is absolutely critical to ones game, but there are definitely some things to be aware of. Great fitters are hard to find, and I PERSONALLY wish I would've waited on my iron fitting. Nonetheless, mine wasn't free so...

Well, I disagree with one point above - the TECH does do something for you. Club design involves more than lowering lofts.

 

[V14_Heels]

Well, I disagree with one point above - the TECH does do something for you. Club design involves more than lowering lofts.

You might be misinterpreting my point. Tech ABSOLUTELY does something.

But if the comparison is I hit my current gamer (lets say some Ping iron from 2015) that is at a loft of 33 degrees against a new JPX921 Hot Metal Pro which is sitting at 29 degrees, well, we aren't comparing apples to apples. So if I'm getting 10 yards further on that JPX21 and the fitter is like "whoa your crushing this thing 10-15 yards further than your gamer" that PROBABLY doesn't have anything to do with the tech in the modern club. Probably has alot more to do with the loft shift, and it's definitely a trick fitters use to sell clubs. I know alot of people will disagree with the word "trick" i just used, but...that to me is where you have to be careful in fitting.

And I totally understand there's dispersion, trajectory, spin rate, and all these other things that go into a fitting, but as a new golfer that is golfing in the 105-115's most aren't going to know what any of those numbers mean. Yardage is the key buzz word.

 

[Desmond]

You might be misinterpreting my point. Tech ABSOLUTELY does something.

But if the comparison is I hit my current gamer (lets say some Ping iron from 2015) that is at a loft of 33 degrees against a new JPX921 Hot Metal Pro which is sitting at 29 degrees, well, we aren't comparing apples to apples. So if I'm getting 10 yards further on that JPX21 and the fitter is like "whoa your crushing this thing 10-15 yards further than your gamer" that PROBABLY doesn't have anything to do with the tech in the modern club. Probably has alot more to do with the loft shift, and it's definitely a trick fitters use to sell clubs. I know alot of people will disagree with the word "trick" i just used, but...that to me is where you have to be careful in fitting.

And I totally understand there's dispersion, trajectory, spin rate, and all these other things that go into a fitting, but as a new golfer that is golfing in the 105-115's most aren't going to know what any of those numbers mean. Yardage is the key buzz word.

Agreed.

 

[Bernoulli]

I was just concerned about falling into the trap of getting fitted as a beginner and finding my specs are wildly different a year from now and I've actually wasted 700+ on irons that only last me a year.

This is a legitimate concern to ask. This is something that I always ask myself anytime I think about an iron fitting.

 

[luckydutch]

And I totally understand there's dispersion, trajectory, spin rate, and all these other things that go into a fitting, but as a new golfer that is golfing in the 105-115's most aren't going to know what any of those numbers mean. Yardage is the key buzz word.

To be fair, I do actually know what all those numbers mean and their implications. I’ve not been playing long but I’m obsessive and analytical so I have read/watched A LOT!

I’m pretty solid on knowledge and theory at this point. Incorporating it into my swing is very different…!

Hopefully that means I’ll at least be able to employ my ******** detector in the fitting, even if my ability isn’t there yet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[V14_Heels]

This is a legitimate concern to ask. This is something that I always ask myself anytime I think about an iron fitting.

Yup. This is a really good concern.

And even for those that are saying well at least get fit for length and lie, I still have questions there for a ultra high handicapper that might have a ton of fundamental shifts. The moment I found a good instructor, he changed my grip probably won't impact lie and length, but then he had me stand up way straighter, he had me straighten my legs and take a ton of the bend out of them that I had, he had me position the club far more upright in my backswing to increase my descent attack angle, he had me narrow my stance by quite a bit, and he brought my hands closer to my body at address. In just two lessons all that occurred.

So I guess I would ask, how didn't all of that effect length and lie that would've been measured before all that change? I was probably standing an inch or two taller, the club was way more upright at address, I was coming down with an entirely different descent angle, so I just would think that would've drastically changed whatever I got fit into, but maybe this where I'm wrong and those changes are marginal.

Then we worked on getting the hips turned out and sequencing and I added close to 10-15 mph of clubhead speed within weeks. So I just have a tough time believing all that stuff wouldn't of heavily effected what I was fit into in kind of a before and after picture. Hence why I wish I would've waited before spending the money on the fitting and irons I ended up with.

 

[Bernoulli]

Yup. This is a really good concern.

And even for those that are saying well at least get fit for length and lie, I still have questions there for a ultra high handicapper that might have a ton of fundamental shifts. The moment I found a good instructor, he changed my grip probably won't impact lie and length, but then he had me stand up way straighter, he had me straighten my legs and take a ton of the bend out of them that I had, he had me position the club far more upright in my backswing to increase my descent attack angle, he had me narrow my stance by quite a bit, and he brought my hands closer to my body at address. In just two lessons all that occurred.

So I guess I would ask, how in didn't all of that effect length and lie? I was probably standing an inch or two taller, the club was way more upright at address, I was coming down with an entirely different descent angle, so I just would think that would've drastically changed whatever I got fit into, but maybe this where I'm wrong and those changes are marginal.

Then we worked on getting the hips turned out and sequencing and I added close to 10-15 mph of clubhead speed within weeks. So I just have a tough time believing all that stuff wouldn't of heavily effected what I was fit into in kind of a before and after picture. Hence why I wish I would've waited before spending the money on the fitting and irons I ended up with.

I can definitely see where you are coming from. As indicated, it's a question that I always have. And for me, someone saying you can always get the irons bent if your swing changes is not an answer for me. I'm more likely that not to take lessons in the spring to address an OTT tendency. I'm putting off any thought of new irons until I see where that leads.

 

[Desmond]

Yup. This is a really good concern.

And even for those that are saying well at least get fit for length and lie, I still have questions there for a ultra high handicapper that might have a ton of fundamental shifts. The moment I found a good instructor, he changed my grip probably won't impact lie and length, but then he had me stand up way straighter, he had me straighten my legs and take a ton of the bend out of them that I had, he had me position the club far more upright in my backswing to increase my descent attack angle, he had me narrow my stance by quite a bit, and he brought my hands closer to my body at address. In just two lessons all that occurred.

So I guess I would ask, how didn't all of that effect length and lie that would've been measured before all that change? I was probably standing an inch or two taller, the club was way more upright at address, I was coming down with an entirely different descent angle, so I just would think that would've drastically changed whatever I got fit into, but maybe this where I'm wrong and those changes are marginal.

Then we worked on getting the hips turned out and sequencing and I added close to 10-15 mph of clubhead speed within weeks. So I just have a tough time believing all that stuff wouldn't of heavily effected what I was fit into in kind of a before and after picture. Hence why I wish I would've waited before spending the money on the fitting and irons I ended up with.

If you have a good fitter or pro measure you statically beforehand and placing you in the correct "positions," that will give you length and a decent lie angle. Static in the "correct" positions can only do so much

 

[RatFink]

I believe it is worth it. I thought my swing was horrendously inconsistent but it turned out that it was my old set of irons just not being able to keep up from being whippy and 'wrong' for weighting/balance. Enter the fitting and new shafts and a balance combination that felt more 'natural' and now I feel like I have a real base to improve on.

 

[V14_Heels]

If you have a good fitter or pro measure you statically beforehand and placing you in the correct "positions," that will give you length and a decent lie angle. Static in the "correct" positions can only do so much

That's a fair point, but if I walk out of the fitting and then go back to my "normal" swing/stance/posture he really just fit me against "correct" positions that I won't be back in though?

For me the number is around 23 handicap. Will that vary from golfer to golfer, yes, but that's where I'm putting my purely biased baseline haha. But to me you should be able to somewhat consistently shoot around that 95-97 mark on a normal course before getting a fitting for irons. That's still a high handicap, but to me that's kind of where you need to be. You gotta have SOME solid strikes and at 110 you don't have a whole lot of solid strikes coming about in a round. There's a big difference between when I golfed 110 and 95.

Again though, this is purely opinion. I don't think there is a wrong answer to this question, but just speaking from my personal experience.

 

[Dawg 1]

I think the post JB linked is incredible for the reasoning why a bad golfer SHOULD get fitted, but overall I'm in the minority and still say no, an ultra high handicapper shouldn't. I think it's a waste of money to get a true "Club Champion" style fitting (that's not knock on club champion, there just kind of the big one out there). I had no idea what I was doing and was being offered some custom set of clubs that were just way too much money for my game at the time. I wasn't just bad...i really had no understanding of what a purely struck ball felt or sounded like, and to me that is the distinction that is needed.

But it also depends on how bad you really are, and if you plan to take lessons to change to get better. I got fitted for irons midway through lessons and I had not found a swing where I could actually get the trajectory and spin on an iron like it should. I'm talking I NEVER hit irons pure. I shot roughly 105-115, my best 7i would go 120 yards.

A few months later stuff started to click, and I finally understood what a pure iron should look and sound like, and it was just night and day from how I was swinging during my fitting, so it kind of felt like a waste of money at that point. I don't think one has to be even a remotely good golfer to get fitted, but I do think it's important that you've at least found some sort of consistency in your swing, and your able to purely strike a ball every now and then. That might be 1 out of 7 times, but you should still know what it feels like...

In my personal opinion...take the money that you would spend on custom clubs, and the fitting and find a good instructor. It doesn't have to be dozens of lessons. I had 3 lessons with the RIGHT guy and it clicked. I dropped from 105-115 down into the mid to low 90's within a couple months. I sound exactly like you. My short game was the only thing letting me breath, so my vote is no you shouldn't get fit yet...but...it's a very debatable topic.

Agreed

I would get lessons first and improve my swing before a fitting

 

[Desmond]

That's a fair point, but if I walk out of the fitting and then go back to my "normal" swing/stance/posture he really just fit me against "correct" positions that I won't be back in though?

For me the number is around 23 handicap. Will that vary from golfer to golfer, yes, but that's where I'm putting my purely biased baseline haha. But to me you should be able to somewhat consistently shoot around that 95-97 mark on a normal course before getting a fitting for irons. That's still a high handicap, but to me that's kind of where you need to be. You gotta have SOME solid strikes and at 110 you don't have a whole lot of solid strikes coming about in a round. There's a big difference between when I golfed 110 and 95.

Again though, this is purely opinion. I don't think there is a wrong answer to this question, but just speaking from my personal experience.

My experience is that you get static fit, buy something within a range of forgiveness where you don't mind the look, and take lessons. I think you've got to take the leap with the caveat of lessons.

 

[luckydutch]

Yup. This is a really good concern.

And even for those that are saying well at least get fit for length and lie, I still have questions there for a ultra high handicapper that might have a ton of fundamental shifts. The moment I found a good instructor, he changed my grip probably won't impact lie and length, but then he had me stand up way straighter, he had me straighten my legs and take a ton of the bend out of them that I had, he had me position the club far more upright in my backswing to increase my descent attack angle, he had me narrow my stance by quite a bit, and he brought my hands closer to my body at address. In just two lessons all that occurred.

So I guess I would ask, how didn't all of that effect length and lie that would've been measured before all that change? I was probably standing an inch or two taller, the club was way more upright at address, I was coming down with an entirely different descent angle, so I just would think that would've drastically changed whatever I got fit into, but maybe this where I'm wrong and those changes are marginal.

Then we worked on getting the hips turned out and sequencing and I added close to 10-15 mph of clubhead speed within weeks. So I just have a tough time believing all that stuff wouldn't of heavily effected what I was fit into in kind of a before and after picture. Hence why I wish I would've waited before spending the money on the fitting and irons I ended up with.

I've been reading up on this in the past few hours and your 'natural' length and lie will basically never change. It is determined by your natural biomechanics.

Your 'dynamic lie' (i.e. the lie that you actually deliver the club at) is affected by your swing but there seems to be a lot of people saying that unless you're a really low handicap (<10), you should not get fit around dynamic lie as it'll change literally month-by-month if you're taking lessons.

Kinda makes sense.

 

[Luchnia]

I've been reading up on this in the past few hours and your 'natural' length and lie will basically never change. It is determined by your natural biomechanics.

Your 'dynamic lie' (i.e. the lie that you actually deliver the club at) is affected by your swing but there seems to be a lot of people saying that unless you're a really low handicap (<10), you should not get fit around dynamic lie as it'll change literally month-by-month if you're taking lessons.

Kinda makes sense.

I think there has to be some caution here. For instance, when I first started I got into what they call an "athletic" stance. Well later on I simply could not make that work for me. I think a person can learn and build different swings just as they can change planes and so on. I know some that have changed their swing in such ways.

I started straightening up more which definitely changes your length and I would guess your lie if you tend to get more vertical, or horizontal, with your swing. I built the swing in the position that I found to be most comfortable for me and produced the best results - maybe because I am an older dude and in my brain I knew that I would hurt myself over time.