Opinion & Analysis

Why haven’t you been fit?

Published

4 years ago

Feb 15, 2020

Ryan Barath

“Why haven’t you been fit?”

It’s a question I pose to most golfers when talking about equipment.

This conversation usually starts on the course after a few holes when playing with random golfers of varying skill levels. As someone who has worked for years as a fitter and club builder, it doesn’t take long to determine the likelihood that a golfer was fit for their clubs; seeing poor shot tendencies develop and a quick look into someone’s golf bag can put the puzzle pieces together pretty quickly.

I’m not out to shame or annoy people, rather, I’m here to try to help! Thanks to most golfers now having an adjustable driver, it can be as simple as a few quick clicks of a wrench to see improvements.

Let’s take a look at the most common reasons for not getting fit and see if we can help with your next equipment purchase.

“I’m not good enough”

This is the most common answer I hear when it comes to fitting, and if you are are in any way serious about getting the most enjoyment out of your time on the course, a simple fitting should be part of that. A basic level fitting includes: getting the right grip size and texture, length adjustment, lie adjustment, and shaft flex—including shaft material (graphite or steel). If you are a stronger player, then steel is generally the way to go. For players looking for extra speed or some shock absorption, graphite will provide the best option. At this level, it’s all about building a set that is going to provide the best opportunity to hit good shots more often.

“I always thought it was expensive”

The perception that a custom fitting is expensive has been drawn out for too long. Depending on where you are purchasing clubs, many retailers wave the cost of the process when purchasing. This can even include clubs that are being bought off the rack and getting basic adjustments. NOTE: You should expect to pay for grips if you decide to get them changed.

On the other side of the coin, getting custom fit top-to-bottom with the latest and greatest from an appointment-only independent shop is an expensive process. You should expect to pay close to $500 for the fitting, which will be on top of the cost of any clubs.

“I only buy used clubs”

This statement hits home. I love hunting down used clubs. However, the idea that used clubs can’t be fit is seriously misconstrued and often stems from the fact that with online shopping, we can’t talk to a knowledgeable person face-to-face and clubs are sold as-is. Considering the often large cost savings of purchasing used clubs, for just a bit extra, you can make sure they are just right for you.

The first option is available before you even start looking for used clubs: book a professional fitting—generally between $75 – $100 per “piece” of equipment; irons, driver and woods, etc.—and buy used based on those specs. Just be sure to let your fitter know in advance you are just looking for your specs and will buying used. This can be an intimidating thing to say, but you should know it is a common practice.

The second option is to buy based on the knowledge you have from what you may be using now and then take those clubs to a fitter and have them adjusted accordingly. Basic adjustments like lie and loft are around $5 per club, and the cost of grips varies depending on the models you are looking at. A more wholesale change like shafts can become more expensive, but you can mostly avoid that by taking some time to understand your needs before purchasing.

Everyone should have a set of clubs that allows them to get the most enjoyment from playing golf, and regardless of the avenue you take to purchasing your equipment, it doesn’t take much extra to make sure they are right for you.

(Photo Credit: Club Champion Fitting Studios )

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Ryan Barath

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

14 Comments

JM

Feb 26, 2020 at 12:54 am

Hey Ryan, who would you recommend for a fitting in Alberta? I live in Edmonton but would be willing to go to Calgary. Love the pod!

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Mike

Feb 16, 2020 at 9:11 pm

When eBay or online retailers offer fitting — I will consider getting fit.

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Merion

Feb 16, 2020 at 7:15 pm

Club Champion is an absolute joke. The fitting process is absolutely unlike a course setting and the grip/shaft options are severely limited. A few memories from my “fitting” I went for the $150 iron fitting. Recommended jumbo grips at 30 a piece to install without letting me hit any on trackman. Recommended 2 degrees flat to help fight a hook without ever considering the divot pattern. Mind you, the fitting is indoors on a super forgiving turf may. Tried a few generic shaft options and there you have it, a ” TOUR LEVEL FITTING” yeah right. Clubfitters that work at big retail like club Champion have sold their soul. A set of $900 cobra irons was going to cost $1900 from club Champion. Ctaper shafts and jumbo grips were the only mods. Wow

Reply Report comment
- Bay Hill
  
  Feb 16, 2020 at 8:25 pm
  
  Merion,
  
  Couldn’t agree more.
  
  Reply Report comment
- you know
  
  Feb 17, 2020 at 12:02 pm
  
  Built to swingweight and guaranteed to perform? You sometimes get what you pay for, no?
  
  Reply Report comment
- Kevin
  
  Feb 22, 2020 at 9:51 am
  
  I agree. I went to Club Champion last year. Bought into it hook, line and sinker, and I can’t tell you how much I regret it. The Trackman of a mat to a screen tells you nothing. I’ve seen no improvement in distance or accuracy. Put me in heavier shafts, then had to add hosel weights to correct swing weights from heavier shafts. Iron fittings are with a 6-iron, which I’ve realized I can’t hit consistently, so results are meaningless. I spent a ton of money, and my HCP index went up by 4 strokes.
  
  Reply Report comment
Tom S.

Feb 16, 2020 at 1:05 pm

Prove it really works first. Get a bunch of mid handicappers and give them an expensive fit and measure the results over a month or two. Then “unfit” them with the standard setup and re-measure for a month or two. Color me skeptical. Most people will simply adjust to the idiosyncrasies of their clubs and play about the same. They will hit their 150 yard club when they are 150 yards away.

Alternately compare results between an expensive fitting and golf instruction.

The marketing drive to get fit seems a little religious and data free in my view.

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Brandon

Feb 16, 2020 at 11:33 am

Some of the clubs that worked the best for me have been used clubs that I just took a shot in the dark with.

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Harpua

Feb 16, 2020 at 11:24 am

I think the main reason is the lack of quality fitters. Most fittings are just a scam. Unless you can try out irons outside on a grass range with a trackman, a fitting is useless. Hitting off mats into a screen ten feet away from you does not tell you anything. Especially with irons where it’s been proven that mats increase launch angles and reduce spin. These are not real world scenarios.

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JThunder

Feb 16, 2020 at 1:37 am

I wouldn’t get “fit” for a golf club at a big box store any more than I’d get “fit” for a suit at Wal-mart.

Playing golf with ill-fitting clubs is like running with ill-fitting shoes. It won’t be a positive experience.

Anyone who plays regularly should get fit. Either by a specialty store, a good independent golf shop, or a teaching pro.

This concept will be a hard sell in the USA, because “I know better than everybody else”, “nobody can tell me what to do”, “everything is a rip-off”, and buying 10 drivers a year to find one that “works” is much more capitalist than buying one driver properly.

Reply Report comment
SV

Feb 15, 2020 at 5:17 pm

Yes fitting is expensive. If you go to a fitter such as Club Champion, True Spec, etc expect to not only pay a fitting fee, but the cost of the club and probably an upgrade shaft of varying amounts. Your “stock” driver will now cost $800-$850 (500+150+150-200 for the shaft). I have been fit for a driver. With the fitting fee and $200 upgrade shaft the driver would have cost me $780 and this is with a half price fitting fee coupon.
My thought is that unless your handicap it less than 5 you are just as well off having a retailer fit you for either a regular of stiff flex shaft in your driver. You probably know what you need, but check to be sure.
I had irons fit by a custom club maker years ago and still use that lie in my irons. Therefore I know pretty well what I need. Again a competent retailer can check the lie angle.

Reply Report comment
- Funkaholic
  
  Feb 17, 2020 at 12:50 pm
  
  That all depends on your perspective, I don’t fit off the rack clubs, my fit is actually pretty odd and I am not a 5 handicap. When you get in the booth with endless options it is very eye opening. The booths at the PGA store are pretty suspect and lacking in useful data, track man is the way to go. It isn’t like you have to buy the club from that fitter if you don’t want to, I can build a lot of things myself, specs are important to improve. A lot of low handicap guys playing off the rack are adjusting to bad fits which is just foolish in my opinion. If you are serious about your game, get lessons and get fit.
  
  Reply Report comment
REJ

Feb 15, 2020 at 3:08 pm

It all boils down to the same thing. Keep spending your money at the golf shops. Imagine getting fit for a house or a car? I’ll fit myself thank you.

Reply Report comment
- Moosejaw McWilligher
  
  Feb 16, 2020 at 1:32 am
  
  Some people are knowledgeable enough to buy a house without a realtor or home inspector. Most are not.
  
  Would you purchase a car you had only driven in a simulator?
  
  Reply Report comment

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Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 1

Published

23 hours ago

Apr 18, 2024

Terry Koehler

Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.

Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.

But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.

To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.

Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.

If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.

In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.

Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.

While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.

So, what about grooves and face texture?

Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.

Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.

But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?

The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.

So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.

And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.

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Golf's Perfect Imperfections

Golf’s Perfect Imperfections: Amazing Session with Performance Coach Savannah Meyer-Clement

Published

24 hours ago

Apr 18, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

In this week’s episode, we spent some time with performance coach Savannah Meyer-Clement who provides many useful insights that you’ll be able to implement on the golf course.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 RBC Heritage betting preview: Patrick Cantlay ready to get back inside winner’s circle

Published

4 days ago

Apr 15, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

Just a two-hour drive from Augusta National, the PGA TOUR heads to Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Hilton Head Island is a golfer’s paradise and Harbour Town is one of the most beautiful and scenic courses on the PGA TOUR.

Harbour Town Golf Links is a par-71 that measures 7,121 yards and features Bermuda grass greens. A Pete Dye design, the course is heavily tree lined and features small greens and many dog legs, protecting it from “bomb-and-gauge” type golfers.

The field is loaded this week with 69 golfers with no cut. Last year was quite possibly the best field in RBC Heritage history and the event this week is yet another designated event, meaning there is a $20 million prize pool.

Most of the big names on the PGA Tour will be in attendance this week with the exceptions of Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland. Additionally, Webb Simpson, Shane Lowry, Gary Woodland and Kevin Kisner have been granted sponsors exemptions.

Past Winners at Harbour Town

2023: Matt Fitzpatrick (-17)
2022: Jordan Spieth (-13)
2021: Stewart Cink (-19)
2020: Webb Simpson (-22)
2019: CT Pan (-12)
2018: Sotoshi Kodaira (-12)
2017: Wesley Bryan (-13)
2016: Branden Grace (-9)
2015: Jim Furyk (-18)

In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value).

Key Stats For Harbour Town

Let’s take a look at key metrics for Harbour Town Golf Links to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their past 24 rounds.

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Approach is exceedingly important this week. The greens at Harbour Town are about half the size of PGA TOUR average and feature the second-smallest greens on the tour. Typical of a Pete Dye design, golfers will pay the price for missed greens.

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

Scottie Scheffler (+1.27)
Tom Hoge (+1.27)
Corey Conners (+1.16)
Austin Eckroat (+0.95)
Cameron Young (+0.93)

Good Drive %

The fairways at Harbour Town are tree lined and feature many dog legs. Bombers tend to struggle at the course because it forces layups and doesn’t allow long drivers to overpower it. Accuracy is far more important than power.

Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds

Brice Garnett (88.8%)
Shane Lowry (+87.2%)
Akshay Bhatia (+86.0%)
Si Woo Kim (+85.8%)
Sepp Straka (+85.1%)

Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye Designs

Pete Dye specialists tend to play very well at Harbour Town. Si Woo Kim, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Webb Simpson are all Pete Dye specialists who have had great success here. It is likely we see some more specialists near the top of the leaderboard this week.

SG: TOT Pete Dye per round over past 36 rounds:

Xander Schauffele (+2.27)
Scottie Scheffler (+2.24)
Ludvig Aberg (+2.11)
Brian Harman (+1.89)
Sungjae Im (+1.58)

4. Strokes Gained: Short Game (Bermuda)

Strokes Gained: Short Game factors in both around the green and putting. With many green-side bunkers and tricky green complexes, both statistics will be important. Past winners — such as Jim Furyk, Wes Bryan and Webb Simpson — highlight how crucial the short game skill set is around Harbour Town.

SG: SG Over Past 24 Rounds

Jordan Spieth (+1.11)
Taylor Moore (+1.02)
Wyndham Clark (+0.98)
Mackenzie Hughes (+0.86)
Andrew Putnam (+0.83)

5. Greens in Regulation %

The recipe for success at Harbour Town Golf Links is hitting fairways and greens. Missing either will prove to be consequential — golfers must be in total control of the ball to win.

Greens in Regulation % over past 24 rounds:

Brice Garnett (+75.0%)
Scottie Scheffler (+69.9%)
Corey Conners (+69.0%)
Shane Lowry (+68.3%)
Patrick Rodgers (+67.6%)

6. Course History

Harbour Town is a course where players who have strong past results at the course always tend to pop up.

Course History over past 24 rounds:

Patrick Cantlay (+2.34)
Cam Davis (+2.05)
J.T. Poston (+1.69)
Justin Rose (+1.68)
Tommy Fleetwood (+1.59)

The RBC Heritage Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (24%), Good Drives (20%), SG: SG (14%), SG: Pete Dye (14%), GIR (14%), and Course History (14%)

Shane Lowry
Russell Henley
Scottie Scheffler
Xander Schauffele
Corey Conners
Wyndham Clark
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Matt Fitzpatrick
Cameron Young
Ludvig Aberg

2024 RBC Heritage Picks

Patrick Cantlay +2000 (FanDuel)

With the exception of Scottie Scheffler, the PGA Tour has yet to have any of their star players show peak form during the 2024 season. Last week, Patrick Cantlay, who I believe is a top-5 players on the PGA Tour, took one step closer to regaining the form that’s helped him win eight events on Tour since 2017.

Cantlay limped into the Masters in poor form, but figured it out at Augusta National, finishing in a tie for 20th and ranking 17th for the week in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. The former FedEx Cup champion will now head to one of his favorite golf courses in Harbour Town, where he’s had immaculate results over the years. In his six trips to the course, he’s only finished worse than 7th one time. The other finishes include three third places (2017, 2019, 2023) and one runner-up finish (2022). In his past 36 rounds at Harbour Town, Cantlay ranks 1st in Strokes Gained: Total per round at the course by a wide margin (+2.36).

Cantlay is winless since the 2022 BMW Championship, which is far too long for a player of his caliber. With signs pointing to the 32-year-old returning to form, a “signature event” at Harbour Town is just what he needs to get back on the winning track.

Tommy Fleetwood +3000 (FanDuel)

I truly believe Tommy Fleetwood will figure out a way to win on American soil in 2024. It’s certainly been a bugaboo for him throughout his career, but he is simply too talented to go another season without winning a PGA Tour event.

At last week’s Masters Tournament, Fleetwood made a Sunday charge and ended up finishing T3 in the event, which was his best ever finish at The Masters. For the week, the Englishman ranked 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 10th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Harbour Town is a perfect layout for Fleetwood, and he’s had relative success at this Pete Dye design in the past. In his four trips to the course, he’s finished inside of the top 25 three times, with his best finish, T10, coming in 2022. The course is pretty short and can’t be overpowered, which gives an advantage to more accurate players such as Fleetwood. Tommy ranks 8th in the field in Good Drive % and should be able to plot his way along this golf course.

The win is coming for Tommy lad. I believe there’s a chance this treasure of a golf course may be the perfect one for him to finally break through on Tour.

Cameron Young +3300 (FanDuel)

Cameron Young had a solid Masters Tournament last week, which is exactly what I’m looking for in players who I anticipate playing well this week at the RBC Heritage. He finished in a tie for 9th, but never felt the pressure of contending in the event. For the week, Young ranked 6th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 6th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

Despite being one of the longest players off the tee on the PGA Tour, Young has actually played some really good golf on shorter tracks. He finished T3 at Harbour Town in 2023 and ranks 20th in the field in Good Drive% and 16th in Greens in Regulation in his past 24 rounds. He also has strong finishes at other shorter courses that can take driver out of a players hand such as Copperhead and PGA National.

Young is simply one of the best players on the PGA Tour in 2024, and I strongly believe has what it takes to win a PGA Tour event in the very near future.

Corey Conners +5500 (FanDuel)

Corey Conners has had a disappointing year thus far on the PGA Tour, but absolutely loves Harbour Town.

At last week’s Masters Tournament, the Canadian finished T30 but ranked 20th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach. In his past 24 rounds, Conners ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 3rd in Greens in Regulation % and 24th in Good Drive %.

In Conners’ last four trips to Harbour Town, his worst finish was T31, last season. He finished T4 in 2021, T12 in 2022 and ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course over his past 36 rounds.

Conners hasn’t been contending, but his recent finishes have been encouraging as he has finished in the top-25 in each of his past three starts prior to The Masters, including an impressive T13 at The PLAYERS. His recent improvement in ball striking as well as his suitability for Harbour Town makes Conners a high upside bet this week.

Shane Lowry (+7500) (FanDuel)

When these odds were posted after Lowry was announced in the field, I have to admit I was pretty stunned. Despite not offering much win equity on the PGA Tour over the last handful of years, Shane Lowry is still a top caliber player who has the ability to rise to the top of a signature event.

Lowry struggled to score at The Masters last week, but he actually hit the ball really well. The Irishman ranked 1st for Strokes Gained: Approach on the week and 7th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. As usual, it was the putter that let him down, as he ranked 60th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Harbour Town is most definitely one of Lowry’s favorite courses on the PGA Tour. In his six starts there, he’s finished in the top 10 three times, including third twice. Lowry is sensational at Pete Dye designs and ranks 7th in Strokes Gained: Total in his past 36 rounds on Dye tracks.

Lowry is perfect for Harbour Town. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 5th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 2nd in Good Drive% and 5th in Green in Regulation %. If he figures it out on the greens, Shane could have his first win in America since 2015.

Lucas Glover +12000 (FanDuel)

This is one of my weekly “bet the number” plays as I strongly believe the odds are just too long for a player of Glover’s caliber. The odds have been too long on Glover for a few weeks now, but this is the first event that I can get behind the veteran being able to actually contend at.

Glover is quietly playing good golf and returning to the form he had after the understandable regression after his two massive victories at the end of 2023. He finished T20 at The Masters, which was his best ever finish at Augusta National. For the week, Lucas ranked 18th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 20th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

Over his past 24 rounds, Glover ranks 9th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th in Good Drive %. Harbour Town is a short course that the 44-year-old will be able to keep up with the top players on Tour off the tee. He’s played the course more than 20 times, with mixed results. His best finishes at Harbour Town include a T7 in 2008, but recently has a finish of T21 in 2020.

Glover has proven he can contend with the stars of the Tour on any given week, and this number is flat out disrespectful.

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