Custom Clubfitting is MORE Beneficial for Mid-High Handicap than Low Handicap Golfers

One of the most common misconceptions about custom clubfitting is that most middle and high handicap golfers believe they are “not good enough to be custom fit.”  Even worse is the condescending ill-informed attitude of good players to believe the same thing.  Here’s an absolute fact about custom fitting – the less skilled the golfer, the MORE they need to be accurately fit to play to the best of their ability and the more improvement they can achieve.

Because of their superior athletic and typically more precise neuromuscular skills, low handicap golfers can play almost as well with quite a wide variety of different golf club specifications.  They may not like the clubs to play with permanently but their superior ability will enable them to make the adjustments necessary to keep their swing under control with the clubs and play reasonably well. 

On the other hand middle and high handicap golfers do not have the same level of athletic coordination or control over their swing motions to be able to adjust to ill-fit clubs.  With less skilled golfers, very poorly fit clubs especially for the length and weighting will force them into more swing mistakes.   As a result professional full specs custom fitting stands as a way for average golfers to,  1) prevent the clubs from forcing them into much worse swing motions, 2) gain immediate benefit in their shotmaking performance, and  3) benefit more from swing coaching advice because clubs which are professionally fit to the golfer can make it easier for the golfer to make swing changes advised in a lesson.

Following is a list of the custom fitting parameters that are extremely important for middle to high handicap players to investigate to get the most out of their games:

1. Club Length

The length of your clubs is one of the most critical fitting parameters that can mean success or failure in hitting the ball solid and on center.  Being able to successfully hit longer length clubs requires a very high level of athletic and swing ability.  It is of UTMOST IMPORTANCE that middle and high handicap players are properly fit for the right length which will result in their ability to control the clubs more easily, and from that, increase their percentage of solid, on-center hits.

2. Iron Lie Angles

If all golfers were the same average height, had the same average arm length and swung the club the same way, the standard lie angles designed on the clubs bought “off the shelf” would be fine.  But golfers are very different in their size, strength, athletic ability and swing characteristics.  If golfers want to eliminate the inevitability of an improperly fit lie angle causing off-line shots, every golfer must be custom fit for the lie angle of the irons and wedges.  Every golfer.  Beginners too. 

3. Woodhead Face Angle

Middle and high handicap golfers typically cannot deliver the clubface square to the ball as often as a low handicap player.  Custom fitting the face angle of the woods to counteract the golfer’s off-line tendency for the driver and woods will reduce misdirection tendency and definitely allow the middle to high handicap golfer to keep the ball more in play a much higher percentage of the time.

4. Driver and Wood Loft

The lower your clubhead speed AND the more downward the angle of attack into the ball, the higher the loft of the driver has to be to get the ball up high enough to maximize carry distance.  It is estimated that at least 90% of all middle and high handicap golfers are not playing with enough loft on their driver to fully maximize their distance off the tee.  If your driver swing speed is under 90mph, 90% of you are going to need a driver loft of 12, 13 or 14 degrees to be able to achieve the launch angle that will keep the ball in the air long enough to carry the ball as far as your swing speed will allow.  See the accompanying chart for a very general recommendation of driver loft vs swing speed.

Driver Swing Speed                Driver Loft
50 mph                                    15 – 17 degs
60mph                                     14-16 degs
70mph                                     13 – 15 degs
80mph                                     12 – 14 degs
90 mph                                    11-13 degs
100mph                                   9.5 – 11.5 degs
110 mph                                  8 – 10 degs

Ranges are offered because of differences in the angle of attack of the clubhead into the ball.  When the angle of attack is more downward, more loft is required.  If the A or A is more upward, less loft is needed for any given swing speed. 

5. Swingweight and Total Weight

If all golfers had the same physical strength and swung with the same tempo, rhythm and sense of swing timing, then all golfers could play with one standard swingweight and total weight.  But golfers range from weak to very strong, backswing lengths vary from short to past parallel, downswing transition force ranges from smooth with a pause to quick and forceful, and swing tempo exists from smooth and passive to very quick and aggressive.  All these variations in the swing require different weighting in the clubs to enable each golfer to achieve as consistent of a swing as possible.  No middle or high handicap golfer can hope to develop any level of consistency in their swing unless the total weight and the swingweight of their clubs are properly matched to their individual strength and swing tempo tendencies.

6. Shaft Flex and Bend Profile

If any golfer uses a shaft that is too stiff for their swing speed and swing mechanics, they will suffer from a lower launch angle, loss of distance, and a less solid feeling of impact.  Thus, it is very important for middle and high handicap golfers to be properly fit to the correct shaft weight and shaft bend profile (overall flex design).

7. Grip Size

No golfer can hope to achieve a level of swing repeatability unless their hands can securely hold the club with the least amount of grip pressure so the forearms are relaxed when they begin the swing.  The grip size is a key element in allowing all golfers to be able to feel as comfortable as possible holding on to the club, and from that, to be able to keep the tension in the hands and the forearms at a bare minimum from the address position to the execution of the swing.

If you are a mid to high handicap golfer and want desperately to take your game to the next level, don’t hesitate one more year, go and FIND A CLUBFITTER and you will see dramatic improvements in your game!

Tom