Custom Iron Fitting Advice

5,624 Views | 33 Replies | Last: 8 yr ago by AggieC07
TresPuertas
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AG
So I've made the decision to invest in some new irons, and have learned from my previous mistake of buying off the rack and not being fitted.

Here's where I need help: apparently there are different kinds of fittings and I have no idea what to do. From what I understand you can just go into golfsmith,PGA superstore, etc and they'll measure you for you new irons and that's that.

A friend of mine told me about a place in Hurst called the Golf Station that will do a complete fitting with shafts and it's apparently intensive. It's apparently also pretty pricey as well.

Is there anyone on here that has any experience with any of these kinds of fittings? Is the extensive one worth is?

Also, if anyone knows of any other places in the Dallas area I'm all ears. I just want to make sure I'm not getting ripped off.

Thanks
shaynew1
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AG
I had a great experience at Leonard golf Links in ft worth. Took some measurements, that mizuno tempo thing, lie board. Hit all of his recommendations and any other configuration I was curious about. Nice driving range also, so could see different ball flights on each set up. Steve is their fitters name I think, I want to say the fitting was $50 that could go towards any club purchase you made.
Westicles
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Club Champion

Just did it in Houston for irons and Driver and I highly recommend it. Believe there is one in DFW somewhere too.
jj9000
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quote:
Club Champion

Just did it in Houston for irons and Driver and I highly recommend it. Believe there is one in DFW somewhere too.


Correct.

There's one at Park and Preston.

I've been through the whole bag fiting there and they are top notch, with every exotic shaft you can think of.

Also, they have a 50% off full bag fittings, or 33% off any one fitting going on through the end of the year.
oldschool87
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AG
Plus one for Lenaerd golf links!!!!!
mavsfan4ever
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AG
I'm going to be getting a set of irons in January and I think I'm going to try out Leonard.

Does anyone know of any websites that will allow you to rent 3-4 demo clubs of different sets and then you return them After you've used them? I guess I won't need that if I'm going to go to Leonard, but someone told me they thought there was a website that did that.
Ag_07
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AG
I did club champion for a driver fitting and it is top notch and very thorough.

However, if you buy from there it's crazy expensive. They wanted $800 for a driver.

Take your spec sheet print out and look online to find what you need. I found my exact head and shaft online for about $400 and had Golfsmith put the shaft in.

I'll be going back for irons when I'm ready.
TresPuertas
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AG
Went and met with Joel and Club Champion and it was awesome. Ended up buying the new Mizuno JPX EZ forged irons. Being built now and I should have them by Christmas. Pretty pumped

That being said, if anyone on here is interested, I'm now selling my Taylormade Burner 2.0 irons. Not really all that sure how much they are worth, but its a 4-AW set and in pretty good shape.

If you look online, it appears that these go from $175-250 and I just put them up for $150. Anyway, if you are interested, heres a link to the classifieds board:

http://texags.com/forums/50/topics/2705175/replies/45001830
grego
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AG
quote:
I had a great experience at Leonard golf Links in ft worth. Took some measurements, that mizuno tempo thing, lie board. Hit all of his recommendations and any other configuration I was curious about. Nice driving range also, so could see different ball flights on each set up. Steve is their fitters name I think, I want to say the fitting was $50 that could go towards any club purchase you made.

Yes. Steve Russell.
Just an Ag
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AG
quote:

Here's where I need help: apparently there are different kinds of fittings and I have no idea what to do. From what I understand you can just go into golfsmith,PGA superstore, etc and they'll measure you for you new irons and that's that.



Just "measuring" one for club is not a fitting, lol. A fitting pertains to fitting clubs to ones swing to get the clubs that perform best for that person. Golfsmith in Houston will do a fitting where they put you on the swing machine and measure your shots for spin, trajectory, and allow you to trade out shafts with different heads - the whole deal, and they about the spin rates need to be and how to adjust the club variables to get better numbers. I bought a set of irons there, too. I already knew pretty much what irons I wanted so I don't recall too much about it, but they had the demo clubs there to find the right length and lie angle. It is all done as a courtesy to the customer - no extra charge. For 95% of all golfers it is adequate.
mavsfan4ever
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AG
So how does the Golfsmith fitting compare to the fitting at Leonard or Club Champion? Last time I bought irons (15 years ago), they just had me hit with a demo with tape on a board and determined the length/lie angle I needed. I'm sure Golfsmith and other places are much more advanced than that method these days. But how is the Leonard/Club Champion fitting different from the Golfsmith fitting?
TitanAGGIE09
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AG
Been to Steve about 4-5 times now for different things. Highly recommend.
AggieC07
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AG
I'm in the market for some new irons and I want to make sure I do it right.

So is the consensus to stay away from the big stores (golf galaxy, golf smith etc)?

It seems like most people on here are recommending club champion (I'm in Houston), do they charge a fee to get fitted if you purchase irons through them?

TIA
Ag_07
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Yes Club Champion charges for a fitting regardless of whether you buy from them or not.

As I mentioned earlier in the thread their clubs are expensive. You'll probably be better off taking your spec sheet they print out and find what you need elsewhere. You can buy the heads, shafts, and grips somewhere else and just pay Club Champion or a big box to put them together for you.
AggieC07
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AG
I was most recently in a Golf Galaxy and they don't charge for fitting if you buy a set through them. I've been out of the equipment game for a while now and wasn't sure if the fitting process is straightforward enough that the big box retailers can do them (I've noticed some of the sales people not so sharp when it comes to golf knowledge - not an indictment).

Also, was surprised how hard it is to find a set that comes with a 3 iron.
Swollen Thumb
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AG
In Houston, I would highly recommend GolfTec (Galleria). Was recently fitted their for irons and driver. They do all the bits described above. Basic size measurements (even hand size for grips), lie angle, spin, trajectory, fade/draw bias, etc with different club/shaft combos (and loft for drivers). They can order all clubs directly and will match Golf Smith's current pricing. Their fitting specialist, Johnny Lee, knows his stuff...spent many years as a Tour fitter for Mizuno.
AggieC07
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AG
quote:
In Houston, I would highly recommend GolfTec (Galleria). Was recently fitted their for irons and driver. They do all the bits described above. Basic size measurements (even hand size for grips), lie angle, spin, trajectory, fade/draw bias, etc with different club/shaft combos (and loft for drivers). They can order all clubs directly and will match Golf Smith's current pricing. Their fitting specialist, Johnny Lee, knows his stuff...spent many years as a Tour fitter for Mizuno.
Thanks for the rec, that's pretty close to where I live so I'll have to go check them out.
bagger05
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AG
FWIW, grip sizing is allegedly not very useful. Supposedly grip size will influence your hand and wrist action. Some people need more, other people need less. The only way to know is to actually hit using different grip sizes.

http://www.golf.com/instruction/youre-playing-wrong-size-grips

quote:
Only 5 of 24 golfers (21%) hit their best shots with the grip size that matched their measured grip size in terms of left/right accuracy. These weren't always the grip size the golfers preferred, either.

Only 3 of these golfers (13% total) hit the best shots with the grip size that matched their measured grip size in terms of distance control.

Only 1 golfer (4%) hit the ball straighter and with greater distance control with the grip size that matched their measured grip size.
98Ag99Grad
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AG
I used to take lessons at that Golftec and they are all good guys. As mentioned, Johnny worked for Mizuno for a long time and really knows his stuff. If you have no objections to being fitted indoors (I personally do not) then I would recommend them as well.
AggieC07
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quote:
I used to take lessons at that Golftec and they are all good guys. As mentioned, Johnny worked for Mizuno for a long time and really knows his stuff. If you have no objections to being fitted indoors (I personally do not) then I would recommend them as well.
Thanks, my game is not sophisticated enough to where being fitted indoors our outdoors should make any difference
98Ag99Grad
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AG
I hear ya. I know some guys just hate hitting off a mat vs grass outside is all.
AggieC07
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If I purchase my irons through Golftec, is fitting included? If not, do you guys know how much fitting typically runs?

Edit: Just read a review and it appears that the fitting will run $99. Not too shabby.
Swollen Thumb
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AG
In don't believe they charge if you order clubs.
DadAG10
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quote:
Also, was surprised how hard it is to find a set that comes with a 3 iron.
Sets will have one with that loft, it will now be called a 4 or 5 iron.
AggieC07
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AG
quote:
quote:
Also, was surprised how hard it is to find a set that comes with a 3 iron.
Sets will have one with that loft, it will now be called a 4 or 5 iron.
Man, you weren't kidding just compared lofts of the Callaway XR, TM Rsi 1/2 and Ping i/G25 to my old MP-14s, they are a club lower. Especially the Rsi 1s.
AggieC07
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Have a club fitting set up with Darren at the GolfTec in the Galleria. I'll try to update you guys when I finish up.

AggieC07
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Got fitted over the weekend at the GolfTec with Johnny. Really enjoyable experience and the guys had some good stories to tell. It turns out my old clubs weren't really in the ball park as far as fitting goes, so I'm very interested to see what the results will be when I game with the new set.

I will be going back to get my woods and wedges fitted (they don't recommend doing woods and irons together due to the amount of balls you will be hitting).

Also, everyone there uses Mizuno - so to me if felt like there was a little bit of a Mizuno slant. As someone mentioned earlier, Johnny used to work for Mizuno, so its also probably what he knows best and is most comfortable with.

I would recommend checking them out if you are in the market to get fitted.
Swollen Thumb
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AG
I recommended Johnny in a post above...thought he was great. Was in a while back for irons and back in last week for driver. For both, he recommended brands other than Mizuno (based on my data) and I didn't get the feeling he was pushing a specific brand. Really love the new irons and can't wait until the new big stick comes in!
AggieC07
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I thought it was very subtle but I'm not detracting from the experience at all, just my observation. Than again I left there were a new set of Mizunos.
REMARCH11
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DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT go to the Golf Station! I know those guys better than I should and they are a complete rip off! Had them build me a set of Miura's, they were supposed to be frequency matched, hard-stepped the whole nine yards, paid for the whole deal. Did not get what I paid for. Shafts were not purred, or matched! Frequencies were all over the place.

Best fitters in DFW!
1. Club Campion - you will get what you pay for. I recommend the full bag, it's 350 but they fit you for you Driver, Fairway wood, Hybrid, irons, wedges and putter. This is who I went to and it's the best most complete fitting I've ever had, and their prices are very reasonable.

2. Compu Golf - Bill Chung, he's in Carrolton. Great fitter, not as much as Club Champion but good fitter.

PGA SS and Golfsmith, well.......you get what you pay for.

Custom clubs are a serious investment, trust me, get it done right. I've had 3 sets of custom clubs and it makes a huge difference. My last set of OEM clubs was in 2004 Ping S59's. Since then I've had KZG's ZO Blades and Evolutions, and Miura CB301.

Next set will be either Miura 501, PXG 311, or Ping S55

If you have any other questions PM me.
jj9000
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AG
quote:
Best fitters in DFW!
1. Club Campion - you will get what you pay for. I recommend the full bag, it's 350 but they fit you for you Driver, Fairway wood, Hybrid, irons, wedges and putter. This is who I went to and it's the best most complete fitting I've ever had, and their prices are very reasonable.

I agree with the Club Champion fitting experience. IMO, they really are the best.

I disagree relative to pricing...unless price is no object.
REMARCH11
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AG
quote:
quote:
Best fitters in DFW!
1. Club Campion - you will get what you pay for. I recommend the full bag, it's 350 but they fit you for you Driver, Fairway wood, Hybrid, irons, wedges and putter. This is who I went to and it's the best most complete fitting I've ever had, and their prices are very reasonable.

I agree with the Club Champion fitting experience. IMO, they really are the best.

I disagree relative to pricing...unless price is no object.
True, some of their pricing is high. Their Miura 501 price was 160.00 a head, that's not bad. Now depending on what shaft you go with is where everything goes a little awry. Their Ping S55 heads were 115 I believe, now that is just for the head and Ping's pricing is about 140.00 a club! So it's not to far off, especially considering it fitted.
mavsfan4ever
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AG
I've got an appointment at Leonard Golf Links this coming Saturday. I'll let y'all know how it goes.
mavsfan4ever
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I went to Leaonard Golf Links this past Saturday and ended up going with the Callaway forged Apex Pro 16's. The overall process took about 2 hours. I enjoyed it and really liked Steve Russell, the club fitter at Leonard. I told him generally what I was looking for and we started with 5-6 brands/clubs and then began eliminating a club one by one. I'd basically hit 3 balls with each club and then eliminate if I wanted to. if I couldn't decide, I'd hit another round with each club. We eventually narrowed it down to two clubs, and then I hit quite a few balls with each. In the end I liked the look/feel of the Callaways the best and felt like I hit them the best. I was actually surprised I ended up picking the Callaways because for some reason in my head I've never been a huge Callaway fan when it comes to irons (but that's probably because when I bought my last Iron set Callaway wasn't big in the iron game yet).

Steven also tinkered with the shafts and the lie of the clubs and measured me for length, grip size, etc.

I enjoyed the experience. I will say that it was a little less high-tech than I thought it would be. It seemed like it was basically just me hitting balls and Steve tinkering with the shaft and lie a little, until I decided on a set. It would have been cool to have some video or computer testing done to actually tell me exactly what I needed. But, the range was in fantastic shape and I wanted to go somewhere where I could hit off of a range and not into a net or on a simulator.

Obviously, the clubs weren't cheap but I didn't want to try and save money since I know I'll be keeping them for a long time (have had my last set for 15 years). The iron set was $1199 and then I also got two Callaway wedges to go with them, a 52 and 58 degree. Also had to pay a charge per club for a grip upgrade.

I might go back sometime later this year to get fitted for a driver. He mentioned that the shaft I have in my current driver is not a good fit at all for me. I'm a little worried about getting fitted for the driver though, because I don't want to spend $500 on a driver. I usually just get a driver for around $200 or so after the price tag has dropped a little (when it's not the newest version out anymore).

Does anyone have any experience with drivers? What's the average price you can expect to pay? Or could I just get fitted and put whatever shaft he recommends on my current driver?
AggieC07
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AG
When I went to GolfTec, a lot of data was used to figure out what shaft/iron ect was a fit for me.

I am actually in the process of fitting my driver/3 wood. When I was fitted for my driver, I was led toward the TM M1 but for some reason, I didn't hit it very well. Not to mention the $500 price tag was a little too steep for me, especially when I still needed a 3 wood as well. I believe TM will charge you an upcharge if you get an upgraded shaft.

I went and did some more research, went to the big box retailers and hit some other drivers. I have an idea of what my numbers should look like (from the driver fitting I did). I hit the Ping G and really liked it but yet again the price was $470, heck even the G30 (last years model is still over $400).

I ended up finding a Ping G30LS Tec with a Tour65X shaft which was exactly what I was looking for (second hand for less than half). I was a little torn between the 65 gram and the 80 gram shaft but opted lighter.

I'm still looking for a 3 wood and will probably choose between the G and the M1 for that.

Good luck!
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