Opinion & Analysis
Confessions of a Golf Equipment Tech Rep
It seems like a dream job, doesn’t it? Golf equipment tech reps spend hours on the driving ranges of some of the most prestigious courses. They have access to all the new gear from a golf equipment company and get to talk golf with like-minded individuals.
Let me tell you, it’s a ton of fun, but just like any “job” it does have its challenges. Here’s an inside look into what it’s really like to work as a summer tech rep for a golf equipment company.
The Travel
The commute can be one of the most challenging parts of any job, but traveling to golf courses really isn’t that bad. Most demo days are in the afternoon or around the lunch hour, so traffic in most cities is pretty light. Also, the majority of courses are located around the outskirts of the downtown cores just off arterial roads. The trick is avoiding the evening rush hour, but that’s easy when you have your clubs and an endless bucket of premium golf balls.
In contrast to my car (cover image), this is car of a full-time Ping rep. He built a shelf for his van.
The most difficult task actually is trying to get everything to fit into your car. Full-time reps have the luxury of either a company van or have made the decision to own a large vehicle. Tech reps, on the other hand, are not always so well prepared. I, for example, own a (humble brag) 2009 Toyota Matrix. It’s not a large car by any stretch of the imagination, but on the plus side it is a hatchback. A few other guys have small to mid-sized sedans. In another life, we must have all been very good Tetris players, because we somehow always get everything to fit (including the pop-up canopy tents). Speaking to the camaraderie, I’ve seen reps help each other out by taking an extra staff bag or two to the next event if for some reason it won’t fit in a rep’s car.
The Other Reps
Since we spend so much time together during the busy summer demo-day months, we’re more of a band of brothers than rival tribesman. When working with customers, it’s all business, but during off times we hit each other’s gear and trade golf balls and war stories. We even play golf together after demo days wrap up.
When it comes to finding the right piece of equipment, someone is either going to end up with our gear or move on down the line. We always do our best to make sure every golfer that comes out is giving our gear a fair shake and tries what’s right for them, but we all know people have brand biases, too. The one thing we all abide by is the unspoken etiquette of the range, which includes never interrupting another rep during a conversation with a golfer. We’re also never “that guy” who walks all the way to the other side of the range to push a product onto someone at another booth. We’re not new to the golf industry, and we’re all in it together. Our job is ultimately to fit and sell clubs, but at the end of the day, regardless of what equipment the golfer decides to purchase, it’s more important to represent your company the right way and make sure every golfer has a positive experience.
The Food
Each course we visit treats us amazing, from the head professionals all the way to the back-shop and range teams. Plus, since they want us to be good guests and stay with their members on the range, lunch is provided and delivered.
I’ve made the joke many times now that, by the end of the summer, I will be able to rank every sausage, hamburger, and chicken-caesar wrap from every private club in and around the Greater Toronto Area. So far, they’ve all received top marks.
The Fitting Experience
One of the best things about being on the range with golfers at their own club is that they’re comfortable in their surroundings and familiar with course conditions. This, to me, is one of the best ways to fit a golfer, especially one that plays a majority of their golf at their club.
Fittings move very quickly when a golfer can see ball flight and make an apple-to-apples comparison with their own clubs on their own range with an outdoor launch monitor. The benefits of new equipment are quick to spot and problems are easy to correct.
The Golfers
From scratch club champs to weekend warriors, we fit them all. The better golfers are easier to fit them since their swings are more repeatable. Most better players are also able to more accurately describe what they are “feeling” swing after swing.
When testing equipment, it helps to clean your clubs in between shots. It also helps a tech rep!
The one thing that still shocks me is the lack of understanding golfers have on simple fitting principles. Many are stuck in the past with what they know about technology. So many golfers also have misconceptions about what leads to gains in distance, accuracy and consistency. It’s part of our job to help make things simple to understand, and something we take pride in. Here are the top-5 misconceptions I hear from golfers on demo days:
- Hitting it higher with a driver causes distance loss.
- Graphite shafts are only meant for the slowest swingers.
- Forged irons are only for highly skilled players.
- “I don’t need to get fit. Just give me off-the-rack clubs.”
- All “stiff” shafts and all “regular” shafts are the same.
The other difficulty lies in the outliers: the guys who are 6-feet, 6-inches tall and have club head speeds in excess of 120 mph with hands the size of bear paws. These are tough fits since most carts don’t have mid-sized grips. And as far as aftermarket shaft options go, it’s really hard to carry more than what’s already offered by golf equipment manufacturers. The great thing about the Mizuno fitting cart, particularly the company’s iron shafts, is that there aren’t many people I can’t fit given the wide amount of options.
The Weather
This is the one thing that is beyond our control. I’ve experienced days where it’s blowing 30 mph directly into golfers on the range and that’s a tough place to be. Not only that, but be prepared for at least one face full of dirt and sand along the way. No lie, on an extremely gusty day, I once saw a rep get thrown 8 feet into the air trying to save his tent. Thankfully, he walked away unscathed, but I can’t say the same for the tent (he crushed it when he landed inside of it, upside down).
And rain… even the thought or possibility of it scares people away, which can lead to pretty slow days on the range. We all know how much it sucks to have to dry out your entire golf bag after a soggy round. Imagine doing that with 5-6 golf bags after a few extra hours in the rain.
Golfers, don’t let the sun get away with anything, either. One of the first lessons as a tech rep is to load up on sunscreen or risk a very bad sunburn. If you think a golfer’s tan is bad, a rep tan can be even worse.
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To all the golfers headed to the demo day, make sure to stop by and say hello to us tech reps. Don’t be nervous or embarrassed to make a swing in front of us; we hold no judgement. And please, ask as many questions as you’d like. We’ve heard them all, and want you to learn and enjoy trying out some new gear. You might just be surprised what ends up working for you, and you may even have a great conversation with one of unsung road warriors of the industry.
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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
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
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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Chris Downing
Apr 23, 2018 at 5:49 am
I think Ryan thought he boss would read this before he submitted it. In the past I have worked as a rep in a lot of industries – pluses are new cars supplied to you, quite a lot of freedom – downs – not all customers are nice, targets you need to hit causes stress, hours wasted on the road. Because you get a car and lots of people want the job it depresses the salary. It’s also not a particularly well respected career – as my mother said,” Couldn’t you get a proper job?” Ouch!
D williams
Mar 29, 2019 at 7:18 pm
I have been the top tech rep in Texas for many years. I command top dollar from any company. The things that have been said are BS. Tech reps will never be more than that and most tech reps I know don’t have the ambition to be more. I have worked for multiple companies at same time I’ve worked full time Year around. In closing if you want to be a tech rep good luck maybe get a real job
ooffa
Jun 25, 2017 at 6:42 am
Calm down dude. If some one wants to get fitted let it be. Why are you always freaking about stuff?
High handicapper, low handicapper, so what, let people enjoy themselves a bit. Stop being such a know it all downer. You must be a whole lot of fun at the monthly member mingler.
Ward Wayne
Jul 1, 2017 at 12:32 pm
What?! Are you responding to the comment above?
Dave R
Jun 25, 2017 at 12:02 am
Very good article and well explained. Every time I went to demo days I was always treated with respect . And showed the same in return . Never did I feel that I was being pressured into buying. And yes would strongly advise before you buy get fitted by someone who knows what they are doing. Expensive is not always the answer.
Tom1
Jun 24, 2017 at 5:12 pm
you rep’s need larger vehicles
Compressthis
Jun 23, 2017 at 12:54 pm
Long time Cobra demo tech in the Midwest. Liked the article, we are a band of friends at all events looking to only set up anyone with the clubs that best fit their swing. Of course I will do my best to explain why my clubs would be the best when you hit them as I believe like everyone that we have the clubs to fit your swing. You are still the one making the decision to purchase. It is your job to take the launch monitor readings, ball flight information, feel and performance observations and narrow down your ideal club selections for final comparison. We all have no problem going head to head with each other because the customer walks away satisfied knowing he got the best club for him. Not sure where the tech reps are shoving new product down people’s throats, that is not the case here. If you are not interested in hearing about or trying the new equipment why are you at a demo day anyway? Hopefully your response isn’t for the free balls to hit! ????
Bobbyeggroll
Jun 23, 2017 at 12:37 pm
Best time for me was when working a driving range I received a few new clubs and put them in the demo bag for an afternoon demo day. I set everything up and while getting setup a few keeners went looking in my bags and took a new hybrid out and started hitting it. This person wasn’t the best golfer but made reasonable contact and brought the club back to me and said they really liked it particularly the grip. Amusingly the protective plastic was still on the grip as I had only got the head plastic off. Slipped the club in the bag and said I was glad they liked it and could I order it for them? They came back later and bought one through the proshop and I never heard anything negative from the transaction and never told the pro the story.
mr b
Jun 23, 2017 at 11:04 am
always been something i wanted to do….but…there just wasn’t any money in it from what i saw. but if money wasn’t a concern it’d be a dream job for this guy.
Me
Jun 23, 2017 at 9:17 am
I too am a Club fitter, have been for over 10 years. The amount of stock & custom upgrade-able shafts, fitting heads for both Right and lefties- there is no way I could fit in a small SUV. I travel with more club and shaft selections ( including driver shafts in different lengths} that any superstore could possibly offer at any time. I have full sets of lefties, ladies, even full sets of ladies lefties. In addition I have the latest Trackman launch monitor not for consumers ego, but to be fitted. It amazes me that some large club companies, send a guy out with a tent and 2 staff bags, no launch monitor of any kind, a folding table with table cloth, a 1/2 dozen iron & driver fitting heads and conduct a demo day. A “demo day” consisting of hitting free range balls is not the way to conduct business. A fitting day on the other hand, with appointments is a partnership(s) between the Pro, vendor and consumer/member….Sadly many “pros” do not understand this & act like they are too busy. PXG, Taylormade and Titleist understands appointment driven fitting days, the consumer loves the attention to detail and often buys. The pros that do get it, see in an up tick in business profits and often an increase in lessons by these purchasers investing in their game.
Thomas Murphy
Jun 23, 2017 at 10:17 am
Yay a full set of lefties. I hate when I go to fitting events and they have like 30 RH 6 irons of the same model and no LH. And I also agree that models like Titleist with “fitting thursdays” and appointments is great though at times I am not wanting a “fitting” I just want to try(demo) stuff but more directed models are great.
Mike Sykes
Jun 23, 2017 at 4:03 pm
I am a Titleist Product Specialist (Tech Rep.). Titleist Thursdays serve both purposes…Fitting Appts. offer 45-min. total attention to a player’s wants & needs. If a player just wants to demo clubs & ask questions, they just need to walk up..no appt. needed. A somewhat consistent swing does help in fitting and player feedback during the fitting is critical. We are there to help players with their equipment. No-pressure selling here. If I can’t help improve their game, in their opinion….thanks for coming out!
Nick
Jun 23, 2017 at 8:59 pm
Mike I to am a Product Specialist which Rep do you work for? I am on the west side of Michigan.
Bert
Jun 23, 2017 at 9:04 am
Best quote in the article is scratch golfers are easier to fit than bogey golfers.
” The better golfers are easier to fit them since their swings are more repeatable. Most better players are also able to more accurately describe what they are “feeling” swing after swing”.
Said this for years and still believe it. If you can’t repeat a swing, it’s difficult at best to be fit. Fitting is normally, hit this, hit this, I think this will fit you best, your numbers are better.
Dat
Jun 23, 2017 at 9:43 am
This IS the truth. Not everyone can benefit from a true fitting unless you have a consistent swing. Truly has nothing to do with handicap or the size/shape of the golfer. The best question I was ever asked was if I had a “Flex Shaft” for a gentleman to try out…
Was
Jun 23, 2017 at 9:55 am
Well you know why men ask for e “Flex” shaft, don’t you? They’re too ashamed to ask for a “Soft” one. Ego gets them every time.
Steve
Jun 23, 2017 at 10:49 am
Launch monitors have really smoothed out that shaft flex thing for me…my motto is your best fit driver will hit the fairway, best fit irons will hit the green and if you find a putter that will put the ball in the hole I want one….
Ude
Jun 23, 2017 at 6:04 pm
New club designs — stronger lofts and softer shafts — more distance and more flex for higher shots — and the OEMs don’t tell you about it because golfer’s egos would suffer
Bishop
Jun 23, 2017 at 12:23 pm
I’m personally on the fence about this statement. I think that though the low ‘cap may be easier, even a high handicapper would be easy to fit, so long as their swing is consistent (which I completely agree, is absolutely necessary). To play Devil’s Advocate, I have a couple of friends who are 35 handicappers, but have a very consistent and repeatable swing (one in particular has a high handicap because he doesn’t line up for his 20 yard slice to land in the fairway, and thus his second shot is almost always out of the rough).
stephenf
Jun 23, 2017 at 2:58 pm
Absolutely. A _lot_ of higher-handicap players have distressingly consistent swings. From a teacher’s perspective, the typical challenge is to get them out of those consistent patterns.
Dave
Jun 25, 2017 at 7:50 am
He should line up to see that a 20 yard slice ends up in the fairway he should determine what is causing that slice and FIX it. I speak from painful experience.
Dave
Jun 25, 2017 at 7:53 am
That should say SHOULD NOT line up …. doggone bad typist.
Double Mocha Man
Jun 25, 2017 at 2:29 pm
You sliced that one. 🙂
Double Mocha Man
Jun 25, 2017 at 2:30 pm
You sliced that one! 🙂