Club Fitting Advice

We take great pride at the United States Golf Academy in our ability to fit the correct golf equipment to our students and customers. We believe having the right equipment to be an integral part of a student’s success. Not only should every club have the correct dimensions and shaft option, but equally as important is finding the right set configuration. Each time a student steps up to a shot, they have the right tool for the task.

Analyze each club in your set. Is each club performing to expectations? One hundred years ago your clubs were built for you one at a time. You purchased a driver, a long fairway club, middle fairway club, short fairway club, specialty clubs for rough or sand, and specific clubs for around the green. I believe this is still the best way to accumulate a set of clubs. More and more we see the industry moving back to the original concept of one club at a time.

As you analyze your clubs you can’t assume that a “set” of clubs will give you the equipment you need for your distance requirements. Try this process. First, find a driver that gives you the best results. Then find a putter that fits you. These are the two most important clubs in terms of scoring with the putter being the most overlooked when it comes to fitting. This is a huge mistake, as getting a putter that fits you and your particular stroke will reap the greatest rewards. Next, find a fairway club that gives you the best combination of distance and trajectory. This is not necessarily a 3 wood. This will be some combination of loft and length that gives you the most possible distance from a shot struck of the turf. For example we fit many 17 degree golf clubs at 42.5 inches in length as the “3 wood”. Not traditional specifications, but the best results. Now move to the shortest distance and chose the wedge loft that best suits your needs around the green. This will be a club with between 54 and 64 degrees. Then compare the distance between the shortest club and your long fairway club. What is the distance you hit each of these clubs? Let’s say the best fairway club you can find is 200 yards and the wedge you chose goes 68. Since you have chosen a driver, fairway club, wedge and a putter you have ten available clubs to cover the gap of 132 yards. A reasonable gap between clubs is about 12 yards. So we find a club for each yardage. With the advent of hybrids and super game improvement clubs the options are countless.

Building a “set” of club clubs in this manner has two great has two great advantages. First, it makes you a better player with a better understanding of your equipment. Second, it is a lot of fun to build your personal set.