Written by Geoff Pinheiro, Director of Purchasing

Is custom fitting for golf clubs really necessary? The answer is YES! Custom fitting isn’t just for professionals. Today’s golf equipment is so much more technically advanced compared to clubs built five or ten years ago, so it’s really important to get any club fit before you purchase, whether you are a beginner or two handicap golfer.

Performance Fitting

Not so long ago, golf clubs (mainly iron sets, but some woods as well) were grouped by “skill level”.  I remember hearing terms like “high handicap” or “mid-handicap” iron set being used to describe specific types of sets. The same also went for woods, specifically drivers, when talking about the size of the head.

Generally speaking, a larger head (460cc) tends to be more forgiving, but they are harder to control the shape of your shot. Smaller heads (440cc) are less forgiving but easier to shape your shot and have a lower ball flight then a larger head.  While some of these characteristics may be true when comparing different heads, why is it that when you look at Tour players, more often then not, they choose the 460cc driver? The skill level of a tour player is incredibly high, so to say the 440cc is not forgiving enough sounds wrong.  The same can be said about irons, if you look at all the models of irons in play these days on Tour, you’ll see a wide variety of irons from cast to forged, thicker or thinner soles and sometimes even within the same player’s bag. The term “split set” has become popular again, and it is derived from players combining two or more different sets to make one “gamer” set.  An example of a split set would be using Titleist AP2’s from 4 iron to 6 iron and then using Titleist CB irons from 7 iron to pitching wedge to complete the set. TaylorMade has recently released a set of P760 which were born from the fact that Tour players were doing this very thing.  It’s also very common on Tour to end your set at the 9 iron and then “gap” your wedges to finish your set.

So why are we seeing this trend? Well, the answer is Performance.

Performance should always be the deciding factor when selecting any new club to go into your bag.  That makes it extremely important to have information ready for your fitting to optimize your abilities and lower your scores.  The most important piece of information you can have ready when going into Golf Town for a custom fitting is knowing how or what area of your game you want to improve.

Let’s look at an iron fitting and how performance should dictate your fitting versus simply selecting a “game improvement” iron and going on your way. 

Ball Flight

Ball flight is a very important factor to consider when purchasing a set of irons. Are you a low ball hitter? High ball hitter? Do you know the difference? Does your ball hold the green or roll off even on well struck shots? While there are trajectories and spin rates that are suggested or optimal, shot shapes that fit your eye and style of play are extremely important factors and should always get the deciding vote when making a purchase.  Part of going through a fitting is to tailor your clubs to your game and not the other way around.

Which ever ball flight you’re looking for, the first area of an iron head to look at when trying to decide what an iron was designed for is the sole of the club (bottom normally where the iron numbers are stamped).  In general, the wider the sole, the higher the flight. Irons with a thinner sole normally produce a lower or flatter shot.  The reason for this is the mass or weight is below the center of gravity.  Normally you will find clubs with wider soles also have hotter faces and very large hitting areas that make the ball fly higher with added technology to help with speed.

Here are some good examples of wide sole designs of iron sets.

Titleist 718 AP1

Launch it high and land it soft with a lower CG and refined tungsten weighting for each individual iron. Hit longer shots that hold the green more often, putting you in a better scoring position.

Callaway Big Bertha

The suspended energy core is the engine of the new Big Bertha irons. It’s designed to deliver easy launch, long consistent distance, and incredible sound and feel.

PING G400

This face-flexing technology launches the ball faster and higher to give you tour-level distance and stopping power with forgiveness and feel.

If you’re looking for a lower flighted shot shape, a few good iron sets to look at would be:

Titleist 718 AP2

Having a competitive advantage like Jordan Spieth, these irons raise the bar for tour excellence with the ultimate playability and consistent distance with forgiveness.

TaylorMade P760

These irons have a progressive set structure that provides Tour-Caliber shaping and performance that individually optimizes for each club.

Mizuno MP18 SC

A slightly wider sole makes this iron more playable than Mizuno’s muscle-back; however, the size and shape are only a fraction larger, making it easy to blend into a combo set.

Playability

Playability equals forgiveness. Most of us are going to miss a few iron shots during the course of a round so forgiveness is always welcome, right?  Once again it’s important to understand your game and style of play. Most of us are extremely happy to hit the ball straight and in the general vicinity of where we were aiming. But some players like to shape the ball from right to left and left to right during a round, playing the shot the golf course designer wanted you to hit to get the ball close to a tucked flag.  In general, irons that are less forgiving are also easier to shape.  If you’re looking to start hitting a draw or fade on command, then a set of irons designed to be more of a “performance” iron may be what you’re looking for. Here are a few examples.

Titleist 718 CB irons

A classically styled cavity back that plays exactly how you expect. It has shot control when you most want it and a forgiving performance where you need it on the fairway.

Callaway X Forged

These X forged irons have 20V grooves that are built in to promote a high level of control and excellent spin out of any playing conditions. 

PING iBlades

This inspiring iron is by far the softest and purest feel PING has ever achieved in an iron with the workability and control to shape shots on command.

It’s not to say you can’t hit a draw or fade with a super game improvement iron, but you do need to exaggerate things a bit to get the ball to move around.

Feel

This is an area that can stir quite a debate. Feel of an iron is very subjective and what feels good to me may not feel good to another player. Generally, most golfers go by the rule that forged irons are soft and hard to hit and cast irons feel harder and more forgiving. Sound familiar? Well, I don’t agree with this statement at all. For starters, let’s look at forged versus cast. These are examples of different manufacturing processes that have produced irons that top players in the world have played in past years, so I would say those sets felt pretty good to them. The process by which you make an iron really doesn’t make it harder or easier to hit, the design of the iron decides that.

Also, a major part of feel is sound, which is why manufacturers spend so much time and money on tuning sound in irons and woods. This is where different materials come into play. By using different badges on the back of iron heads, different polymers to fill spaces, sound can be altered, which also changes the feel in clubs. If you’ve never done it before, try hitting a few irons with ear plugs in and try to pick the softer feeling club. So, while it is true that the forging process typically  uses softer steel which helps the club feel softer, cast clubs can feel equally as great.  Which ever feel you prefer, remember it’s always best to try out several irons, from several manufacturers that are both forged and cast. This way you can make the most informed decision you can having hit everything available.

PING’s i500 irons have a forged face, feel great and are forgiving. After hitting this sleek, blade-style iron you’ll be amazed at its incredible speed, distance, and towering trajectory, with stopping power that gives you a real competitive advantage.

Custom Performance Fitting

For all of these reasons I feel the term “custom fitting” should really be changed to Custom Performance Fitting, as there are many layers to build on when choosing a new set.  Performance, flight and feel are just three areas we focus on when looking to help customers select a new set of irons. Shaft type and flex, grip type and sizing, are also equally as important and play an important role in the overall performance of a club.

Just remember, our Golf Town Master Fitters are here to help you make the best choice you can, and improve your game. To book an appointment, you can call or e-mail your nearest store.