Huge thanks to the folks at Cleveland / Srixon for hosting us! I really enjoyed my visit and learned a ton about equipment and the club fitting process.
Reader Club Fitting Questions:
We sent out an email before our visit and got some great questions about equipment and the club fitting process. Ruben was a treasure trove of knowledge and we were able to get many of your questions answered. I highly recommend watching the full video but I have also summarized a few of them for you below.
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Q: Can you have a “bad” day at your fitting just like you can have a bad day on the course? And what can you do about it?
A: Yes, it can happen, but there are a few reasons not to worry too much. For one, the fitting will always be based on the good shots you hit with the poor shots being ignored in the data. You’ll be taking a lot of swings so as long as you hit some good ones your pro will be able to get enough info for a proper fit. Another reason not to worry too much is that some of what we’re looking at is more about things that don’t change day to day… you grip size, shaft length, and your approximate swing speed to determine the proper shaft flex.
Q: Do you have to be at a certain ability level before club fitting is for you?
A: Ideally you want to have some level of consistency from swing to swing. Ruben’s rule of thumb is that anyone under a 25 handicap is a good candidate for a professional fitting, but even beginners need to make sure they aren’t playing clubs designed for advanced players or that are too long, heavy, or stiff.
Q: Who should get a club fitting?
A: The short answer is just about every category of player can benefit! If you’ve gone through a recent swing change it’s always a good idea to get your equipment checked. Junior players should get checked out frequently as their swings can change dramatically as they grow. Even our 25+ handicappers will benefit from the proper grip sizes, shaft lengths and flexes.
Some of the most common mistakes I see are golfers playing with shafts that are too heavy or too stiff. I have students all the time who come in with equipment that I know is throwing them off balance, promoting bad habits, and hurting their game. For example, the wrong lie angle on your irons makes it almost impossible to hit the sweet spot consistently and can cause you to hit hooks or slices which have nothing to do with your swing and everything to do with an improper fit. Just another reason it’s so important to get your equipment checked out!
Q: Driver shaft length is a hot topic these days… what is the optimal length?
A: It’s not as simple as one length being the best, it really depends on the individual golfer and on the specific driver head. This is something you just need to go in for a fitting to get the right length for you.
Q: How much backspin do I want with my driver?
A: Backspin affects driver distance in 2 important and opposing ways, and so a big part of a driver fitting is finding the optimal rate for you.
On the one hand, the higher your spin rate the longer your ball will stay in the air. With a low spin rate your ball will tend to drop out of the sky faster – much like a knuckleball in baseball.
But on the other hand, the higher your spin rate the less your ball will roll once it does land.
The talk of the tour right now is all about low spin, but it’s important to realize that all of the pros have a super high ball speed. This means they can keep the ball in the air even with lower spin rates… so they get the carry they need plus the benefit of the extra roll.
The average golfer with a lower ball speed will do better with more backspin to keep their ball up in the air longer. Sure they will sacrifice some rollout but overall it’s a better combination for their game.
Sounds complicated but a good club fitter will be able to look at your numbers and make adjustments to find the optimal rate for you… another reason going in for a fitting is a great idea!
Q: Do you ever recommend splitting the iron set up between 2 different models?
A: Yes! I have put many golfers into the Srixon 565 (more forgiving) longer irons and then into Srixon 765s (more feel) for 7-iron on down.
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OK thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did! Part 2 of our visit to Cleveland / Srixon will be posting very soon and I’ll send out an email as soon as that’s ready.
If you enjoyed today’s video and want to take your game to the next level, go ahead and take a look at my Ballstriking Blueprint training program. It’s jam-packed full of my best drills and lessons to help you become a better ballstriker!