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 But since most of us only have one set, why not make sure it's catered as much as possible to your swing? That's where clubfitting comes in. Getting all your clubs tailored for elements such as driver loft and iron shaft length is imperative for getting the most out of your game. "It's really an honest way of finding out what you need," said Jim Pooler, a clubfitter at Mission Viejo's Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club. "Seeing is believing." Even a one-degree change in the lie angle of your irons or a shaft with slightly less flex can alter how the clubhead impacts the ball. "It's knowing that you're comfortable with what you have," Pooler said of the clubfitting process. "Spend an hour and give yourself a better shot that you know what you're doing." It's also important to know the different types of fitting. Irons When it comes to irons, the components emphasized are shaft and lie angle. Typically, a fitter watches a few iron shots to understand a golfer's game and study his trajectory and shot dispersion. To pinpoint where a golfer is striking the ball on the clubface, impact tape is used to show where contact is made. Swing flaws aside, a pattern of off-center hits could suggest an improper shaft. Another pivotal process in iron fitting is the deflection test, which gauges proper lie angle. A thinner piece of tape is applied to the sole of the clubhead, and a golfer hits a few shots off a plastic board that again leaves a dark mark to denote contact with the ground. Again, a pattern of off-center contact could indicate a lie angle that is either too flat or too upright. "It is extremely important for [golfers] to have the correct lie angle on their irons depending upon posture and how they come into the ball," said Pooler, who recommends trying as many shafts from as many manufacturers as possible. Drivers and woods One of the most fun types of fitting is for drivers. While interchangeable shaft and clubhead technology is about to become more common for irons, it is already prevalent for drivers, as there are thousands of combinations golfers can try by twisting any shaft to any clubhead. That makes it imperative to get fit at a place that offers this technology. Another key technology for driver fitting is launch monitor software. A small board positioned next to the ball is able to photograph the ball coming off the clubface, and the software analyzes the photos to determine factors such as launch angle, sidespin and ball speed. Once the fitter has a grasp on these variables, he can make the best recommendations for a particular shaft (flex, material, brand) and clubhead (loft, material, weight, brand). "A lot of the time, the most important things are shaft and loft," Pooler said. The same processes for drivers can be applied to fairway woods and hybrids. Retrofitting If you're not interested in a new set of clubs and only want to ensure you're getting the most out of your current sticks, retrofitting is the way to go. "We take the person's clubs that they currently have and we check out how they work for them," Pooler said. Sometimes, iron sets and drivers deviate from specifications listed by the manufacturer. Although different brands have different tolerances for variation, a great way to guarantee your clubs have the specs you want is by retrofitting. A fitter goes club by club, ensuring that the loft, lie and shaft characteristics fit the player. Retrofitting can also consist of refurbishing clubs, such as refinishing the shine of an iron or regrooving a wedge. Putter and gap fitting Two of the lesser known kinds of fitting are putter and gap fitting. But for those looking to shave strokes, they should be common knowledge. "Putter fitting is huge, and it's the last thing that people think about," Pooler said. "Most people have a putter that doesn't fit them." The factors of putter fitting are usually lie angle and shaft length. Without a solid foundation, golfers could be setting themselves up for inconsistent alignment and contact. Gap fitting is not so much analyzing the technical specifications of a club as it is tuning the yardages in a golfer's long and short games. A different shaft in a 5-wood or a new hybrid could produce a more desirable yardage gap, or a stronger sand wedge loft could provide more versatility from short approach shots. "Some people can hit their 3-wood farther than their driver. There are reasons for that," Pooler said. "It's because of how they swing and the type of loft and spin that they generate." |
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