News

Find a Great Club Fitter, Then TRUST Them.

Published

19 years ago

Sep 25, 2007

R Hetzel

Finding the right club fitter will do wonders for the average golfer’s game.

In fact, I would argue that the average joe golfer stands more to gain from a good club fitting session than a professional golfer. I tried two other club fitters before the 3rd one had me fitted correctly. That’s right, the third time was the charm. Quite possibly the best club fitter in southwest Ohio is Mr. Kirby Bolen of Golfstix. Golfstix recently relocated within the Swingview Indoor Golf Facility (more on that technology real soon) in Loveland, Ohio.

A proper golf club fitting will tune you in to the right golf club, the right shaft, kick point, tip stiffness, shaft torque, and the right loft among many other variables. Believe me, there are a lot of them. The first club fitter I visited had me swing a driver on his launch monitor about ten times and then said 10.5 degrees and a regular Grafalloy Pro Lite 35R shaft. Let me tell you, he was dead wrong. I went back to him and said that the shaft is too weak, I am hitting it high and to the right very consistently. Then I asked about tipping the shaft. He said, "Nope it’s the right shaft for you". I never went back to him again and I sold that driver on eBay.

The second club fitter analyzed my swing correctly and told me I should play a 12 degree lofted driver because of my ball flight’s tendency to not climb enough. He was correct in that I don’t "hit up enough on the ball". Everyone swings differently, so the loft number on the club’s sole really may not matter. For example; I was launching the 10.5 degree test driver at about 8.5 degrees fairly consistently. That might be fine if I had a 100+ mph swing speed, but I do not. However, he was dead sold on a certain brand of golf shafts, none of which seemed to really fit me correctly. He really wasn’t interested in getting me aligned with the proper shaft. Since I seem to fall between a stiff and regular I seem to be a tough person to fit with the proper graphite shaft. Again, I never went back to him and my father in law got himself a brand new, barely hit driver that I pretty much hated.

About 3 weeks after the seeing the second club fitter, I stopped in at Golfstix in Cincinnati on a whim in 2006 and was fitted for a new driver, again. Kirby also took into account that even though my swingspeed wasn’t off the charts, I made a strong move at the ball and utilize a pretty strong grip. He recommended a 12 degree driver as well, but this time I was fitted with a Graphite Design YS 6+ stiff shaft. Once I combined that with the KZG Gemini driver I was set! I was hitting the ball pretty straight and even gained some yardage. Or so I thought.

While playing Black Lake Golf Club in upstate Michigan this past summer I made the mistake of trying out another guy’s Cleveland High Bore with a Grafalloy Pro Launch Blue shaft in it. I killed this guy’s driver, not once, but three times and right down the middle. This had me thinking that I could get more height and distance (we all want that right?) with the Pro Launch Blue shaft. I took my driver to Golfstix and and asked Kirby about swapping shafts so I could try it out. Afterall, I was convinced the Pro Launch Blue was a better shaft for me than the Graphite Design. Kirby told me right off the bat, "You won’t like it". However, he humored me, swapped the shafts around and off to the range I went. It took me less than 10 range balls to figure out that I was dead wrong. I took the club back, ready and prepared to eat some crow, but all Kirby did was smile, and rehaft the driver with the Graphite Design shaft. I won’t be trying anyone’s driver anytime soon, if I ever do again.

Kirby Bolen was recently named the International Professional Association of Clubfitter’s Clubfitter of the Year. He obviously knows what he is doing when fitting all types of golfers. Kirby got into the club fitting business purely by accident. While golfing in Myrtle Beach he went to see a custom golf club fitter for custom clubs and was amazed at what it did for his own golf game. His handicap dropped from a 7 to a 3, practically overnight. He was impressed so much that he went back to Myrtle Beach and trained under that same club fitter. He then left his job in commercial and industrial sales and started Golfstix in Cincinnati.

Kirby Bolen was selected as the 2006 Club Fitter of the Year.

Many of us have visited the big box golf stores, hit into the indoor range monitor and walked out with expensive golf clubs based upon the sales clerk’s quick recommendations. These recommendations will most likely fit a wide variety of golfers to a point, but the golf clubs will not be ideally suited for you as an individual. If you are thinking of visiting a clubfitter, ask around for recommendations, and when you get there, be open to what they have to say, ask the technical questions about shafts, lie adjustments and the other components that vary based upon your personal swing tendencies. A great club fitter, like Kirby Bolen, not only fits you properly, but explains things so that you can understand what is actually going on.

Although Kirby is an authorized KZG dealer, he will repair, or improve anything that you might bring him. It’s OK if your dead set on that old Burner Bubble driver that is smaller than any new 3 wood available today. Want to check or adjust the lie on your irons? Not a problem. He’ll work with you personally and without the car salesman sales pitches.

I am sure that many of you have had similar club fitting experiences and understand the importance of finding the right club fitter for you. If you seek to take your game to the next level, and feel that a proper club fitting is in your near future you’ll more than likely reap great rewards once on the golf course.

Kirby Bolen can be contacted here:

News

5 Things we Learned: Thursday at the U.S.. Women’s Open

Published

23 hours ago

Jun 5, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Gone are the days when the U.S. Women’s Open was held at Scenic Hills or Churchill Valley. Fine courses that they are (or were, as Churchill Valley went bankrupt a decade ago) there is something to be said for the venue. Not all Women’s Open playings need to take place on Men’s Open venues, but some should. This week in Los Angeles, the Women’s Open visits Riviera Country Club for the first time. Down the road, we will visit Inverness, Oakmont, Interlachen, Oak Hill, Chicago Golf, and Merion. That is quite the murderer’s row (1927 Yankees reference) of golf clubs.

What can we expect from the 2026 tournament? Greatness and uncertainty. Unlike the PGA Tour, which visits Riviera each February, the LPGA does not, so the women will not have nearly the body of work over the George C. Thomas layout. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe they’ll play #10 smarter than the men do. Maybe they’ll figure some things out that their male counterparts can not. For today, we’ll try to find five things to learn, and share them with you.

First, this ain’t your momma’s U.S. Open course

How do we know? Well, so far, only one previous champion currently sits inside the top thirty. That would be Minjee Lee, the 2022 winner at Southern (NC) Pines. Lee made par on her first nine holes, the inward side at Riviera. She dropped birdie putts on the first and ninth holes (ten and eighteen for her day) and tallied another seven pars, for 69. She sits three shots off Jennifer Kupcho’s opening 66. Don’t worry about Kupcho; we’ll get to her. After Lee, defending champion Maja Stark ranks T30 at even par, joined by three other, former winners.

What Minjee did, is the sort of thing that wins U.S. Open titles. She guided her ship safely past swells, and made a move when the waters calmed. The fewer the bogeys, the more likely Minjee figures in the outcome on Sunday evening in Pacific Palisades. Off the tee, Lee was unmatched. She hit 14 of 14 fairways. Her iron play was a bit loose in comparison. She putted for birdie on 12 of 18 holes, which meant that her recovery short game was on point. Lee was ten yards longer on measured driving holes than the field average, and was below the field average (a good thing) in putting.

Second, the amateurs beat a loud drum

Three of the world’s top amateur golfer posted 70, placing them four off the lead, in a tie for 14th place. Canada’s Aphrodite Deng, Spain’s Paula Francisco Llaño, and Colombia’s Maria José Marin, showed the professional world that their game is strong. Both Deng and Francisco Llaño collected five birdies on the day. Should they match that output on day two, and minimize the foozles, they’ll be the topic of conversation on Saturday morning. Marin, the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion and an NCAA team semifinalist last week, played a game similar to Minjee Lee: few mistakes and few taken risks.

The last amateur to post the low medal score for 72 holes was Jenny Chuasiriporn in 1998. She lost a playoff to Se Ri Pak, who matched her plus-six effort at Blackwolf Run. The last amateur to win the U.S. Women’s Open was Catherine Lacoste in 1967. The amateurs are stronger than they’ve ever been, but the professionals have not allowed them to close the gap. A victory by one of the college set would be a cannon shot heard round the world. Could it happen? Absolutely. Is it likely? Not at all.

Third, let’s talk Kupcho

Jennifer Kupcho won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She won three times on tour in 2022, including the Chevron, a major title. She won a fourth event in 2025, but has not established the winning credentials projected on her after 2022’s marvelous coming-out.

Kupcho hails from Colorado, and spent four years in the Carolina Piedmont, at Wake Forest Universtiy. Neither of those locales cries out I’ll be at home at Riviera, but here we are, after a seven-birdie performance. Kupcho posted birdie on each of her first three holes, and added four more (against two bogeys) to assume a one-shot advantage over Korea’s Sei Young Kim.

Kupcho drove the ball decently, approached moderately well, but putted lights out on Thursday. Her 26 putts were tied for best in show on day one. There might just be something about the putting surfaces at Riviera that aligns with Kupcho’s vibe. If that is the case, just get the ball on the green, anywhere, and let the flatstick do the lifting.

Fourth, how young is Sei Young?

Sei (pronounced “So”) Young Kim won a dozen times from 2015 to 2020. She took time off from winning until 2025, shen she captured a thirteenth LPGA title. Like Kupcho, Kim has hardware from one major event, the 2020 Women’s PGA Championship. How to explain the five years away from victory? No idea. When Sei Young was in contention during the prime of her career, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

What to expect over the next three days at Riviera? Anyone’s guess. It might be the 2015-2020 Sei Young, or it could be the 2021-2025 version. Kim began her day with birdies at 10 and 11, then settled into a stretch of pars before her solitary bogey at the 4th (her 13th) hole. Kim regained her composure and reeled in three birdies to close the front nine. Her four-under performance trails Kupcho alone, and there is a real chance that Sei Young will produce a second score in the 60s and take a bit of control of the tournament.

Fifth, we’re giddy for Gaby

Although I cannot place my finger on why, it seems that each year, Gaby Lopez pops up on the U.S. Open leaderboard. She hasn’t figure out how to remain in contention, but here we are, in 2026, and Lopez is once again in the mix. The three-time champion on the LPGA circuit had a stunning first nine holes, turning in minus-five. She reached six deep at her tenth hole, but then gave three shots back coming home. Which Gaby will show up on Friday, and for how long? If back-nine Gaby can somehow channel front-nine Gaby, all outcomes are within reach. If the loose play continues, Lopez’ wiki page will add one more T41 to her majors column.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open

Published

3 days ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer made the trip from the Memorial Tournament across the country to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera. Check out links to all the photos below!

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

5 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.

In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums