Why Custom Fitting is The ONLY Option For Golfers

Early warning - I am about to get on my soap box to address a subject that I have tackled before. And I make no apology for doing so again. 

There are a number of things about our incredible sport that wind me up. These include slow play, joining fees (don’t get me started), clubs that take your money as a visitor and then treat you like a second-class citizen, overpriced clubhouse drinks and food, LIV Golf, people who spend 18 holes with their mobile phones stuck to their ears, bad language, temper tantrums - and people who spend a small fortune buying golf clubs off the shelf.

If you were going to buy a new suit would anybody out there just hand over the money and take it home without trying it on? 

Do you know anybody who would ever consider buying a car without first taking it for a test drive? Of course not.

So why, oh why, would anybody want to fork out upwards of £3,000 for a set of golf clubs without being certain that they can use them? It makes absolutely no sense to me.

When you next get to the golf club, take a look at the other members of your fourball. They will be taller or shorter than you; they will be older or younger; they will have a different body shape; and they will have an entirely different swing speed from yours.

Now take a look in all four golf bags and the chances are that the weapons contained within each are more or less identical. And people wonder why they struggle.

For me, when considering buying new equipment, custom-fitting is an absolute no-brainer. And I speak from experience.

I have had four sets of custom-fitted clubs and I will never again walk into a shop and buy any club off the shelf.

I was sold from day one. 

And as you get older your swing is going to change, so you need to keep going back to the well.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

When I returned to the game after an injury lay-off I knew that the Wilson Staff irons, Ping driver and TaylorMade woods that had served me so well before I had to stop playing were no longer right for me. And that is exactly how it turned out.

I visited Precision Golf and hitting a number of shots using their Trackman technology proved what I already knew. I no longer swing the club at the same speed I did five years ago. 

I walked away having been fitted for a full set of clubs that felt entirely different - and that’s because they were. They were built for me and all my idiosyncrasies and I love each and every one of them. It took a while to get my driver sorted out but a trip to our very own Ryan Rastall resolved that issue too.

It goes without saying that if I gave my clubs to a friend he would almost certainly struggle. In fact, I have proved the point with my TaylorMade Qi10 driver. After spending a great deal of time on the range I have managed to rediscover my trademark draw and am now hitting the ball consistently well from the tee. A couple of weeks ago, one of my closest friends asked if he could could try it - I warned him that it was fitted with a shorter than standard lightweight shaft. And he duly sliced the ball miles right. He put another ball down and did precisely the same thing again. And thus he proved my point about the benefits of custom fitting.

I have also been fitted for my wedges. And it may surprise you to learn that about 15 years ago I also went for a putter fitting. I had been using a Ping Anser and after just a few putts I was told by the fitter that it was all wrong for my putting stroke. I was advised that I would benefit from using a mallet-style putter - and the benefits were immediate. That putter remains in my bag to this day.

Golf is a difficult game, we all know that. But if you try to play it with the wrong equipment it becomes harder still. Trust me when I tell you that the average club golfer would not be able to get the ball into the air with the driver used by Bryson DeChamnbeau. The American swings the club at the speed of sound. You and I don’t! And he and every other Tour professional in the world have a bag full of clubs that have been built especially for their swings.

They cannot all be wrong. If you are considering buying new clubs in 2025 I would urge you to go for a custom-fitting session. Even if you are not, you have nothing to lose by going to see your local pro and asking him if the clubs in your bag are right for you. We all play this game because we love it and want to improve - you can only do that if you have the right equipment in your hands.

Related Content

This Senior Golfer Gained 20 Yards With a Driver Fitting

Reviewing a Full Bag Club Fitting at Precision Golf

Watch a Golf Pro Get Custom Fitted For Titleist Irons

Titleist Vokey Wedges Custom Fit

How a TaylorMade Qi10 Driver Changed My Game