Having the right golf clubs can seriously help you improve as a golfer. As with every sport, if you don’t have the right equipment, you’re going to struggle to play well, and if you don’t have the right kit when playing golf, you’re going to struggle to hit low scores.
In total, a club fitting is very important. If you want to play better golf, find more fairways, and lower your score, you’ll need the right set of golf clubs for your height and strength. Not everyone is suited to a stock set of clubs, so it is essential to get fitted for your next set.
In this guide, we’ll be looking at how a club fitting can help you, why going for a fitting is very important for beginners, and whether a club fitting is worth the extra cost.
We’ll also be shedding some light on what you’ll do in a club fitting and how the club pro will help you pick out the right clubs during that session.
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Is A Club Fitting Worth It?
As a general rule club fittings are worth the cost, especially for a beginner golfer. Club fittings ensure you receive the correct fitted club head and shaft for your ability, body type, and strength. Poorly fitted equipment leads to bad swing development making the game more frustrating.
During a club fitting session, you will be accompanied by either a club pro or a golfing expert. I love going to club-fitting sessions, not just because I get to try out all the latest golfing equipment, I can also pick the brains of these golfing experts who have fountains of golfing insights and knowledge.
I see a club-fitting session as a kind of lesson. You can find out many things about your swing in a fitting session, and sometimes the pros will give you a bit of advice on how to hit the ball with the clubs you’re using.
But before you attend the fitting session is wise to know your height and arm length. That’ll help you establish what size golf clubs you should look to use, as not everyone is suitable for the stock size golf clubs.
If you planning a fitting session, you should come prepared, if you’re wondering what else you’ll need to take with you, then check out my guide on the nine things not to forget at your next club fitting session.
Now that you have your height and arm length, your club pro will help you find the right size golf club for you. The golf club size guide works up and down from the standard stock size of golf clubs, which are best for those between 5’6″ and 6’0″.
How long should golf clubs be for my height?
| Player Height | Club Size |
| 6’9” – 7’0” | Add 2” to standard length |
| 6’6” – 6’9” | Add 1.5” to standard length |
| 6’3” – 6’6” | Add 1” to standard length |
| 6’0” – 6’3” | Add 0.5” to standard length |
| 5’9” – 6’0” | Standard length |
| 5’6” – 5’9” | Subtract 0.5” from standard length |
| 5’3” – 5’6” | Subtract 1” from standard length |
| 5’0” – 5’3” | Subtract 1.5” from standard length |
| 4’9” – 5’0” | Subtract 2” from standard length |
Ascertaining the correct club for your height is critical because if you’re using, for example, a club that is too long, you’re likely to hit your shots fat. On the other hand, if you’re using a club that’s too short, you’ll top the shot.
We go into much more detail on the impact of your club length on your golf shot in my size analysis guide, which you should read if you’re having issues with hitting the ball fat. But it’s important to note that during your fitting session, your coach will customize the shaft’s length to ensure you get the right club length for your height.
During the session, the club pro will analyze your swing and power using their trackman digital range systems; this is an enjoyable part of the session as they’re looking to identify how you swing the ball and how much spin and speed you get through the shot.
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If you have a fast clubhead speed, you should use a stiffer club shaft to help you rip your club through the air better. Conversely, it’s better to get a more flexible club shaft if you have a slower swing speed. Flexi shafts can help you get whip and pace through your downswing and produce greater ball speed through the air for those who don’t generate as much power through their shots.
Many people don’t realize the impact that club shaft flex can have on their game, and attending a club fitting session can help ascertain the right flex club for you. But it is hugely important to help you find the golf club that can give you the most power off the tee.
Next, the club pro will move on to helping you find the right clubhead for your abilities, and that goes for both your irons and your driver; this is perhaps the most important part of the session. For example, with the wrong clubhead, a bladed iron, you might struggle to hit the ball well if you’ve not used a bladed club before.
It’s worth getting a fitting session for that reason alone. The club pro will know each club’s different attributes and how much forgiveness each club can give you. One tip that I learned at a club fitting session was that the wider the heel of the golf club, the more forgiveness it can give you if you’re prone to hitting fat shots.
Most pros during a fitting session will advise you that the majority of cavity-backed clubs are much more forgiving than bladed or cavity-backed irons. That means they are both easier to use and will give you a much sweeter connection on the golf shot. For more information on whether beginners should use bladed irons, check out my guide here!
Things get a lot more technical when it comes to finetuning the right driver for you. Drivers come with all sorts of bells and whistles on them that not many people who haven’t been to a fitting session know how to use!
With many high-performance drivers, the weight inside the club can be re-disbursed using weights and keys, which can help you change the shape of the shot you want to hit. One of the real benefits of having a session is that your club pro will help you configure that driver to help you either add more draw on your shot or hit the ball straighter.
Getting this level of finetuning on your equipment can seriously help you save shots off your round. As a general rule, golfers don’t need to have the best equipment on the market, they need to have the right clubs for them, and they need to know how to get the most out of that equipment.
Going to a fitting session and getting the low down on which clubs are best for you, your size, and your swing can seriously help you improve your golfing game and take a lot of strokes off your handicap.
The best thing about a fitting session is that if you do not end up buying a set of clubs, the session is free! It’s a no-brainer from my point of view, and it’s not just about finding a new set of clubs that are great for your abilities. Simply put, the additional tips, lessons, and golfing tricks you’ll pick up from your club pro at your fitting session make these appointments almost invaluable.
How Important Is A Club Fitting For Beginners?
Club fitting sessions are important for beginners, the benefits of custom-fitted golf clubs are true for all golfing levels even a novice golfer needs consistency in their game. As a beginner finding the correct clubs will help you develop a solid swing making golf far more enjoyable.
It’s easy to get trapped into the perils of golf advertising. It happens to every golfer, especially the beginners. We all want to splash our cash on the latest, high-tech equipment that can help you smash the ball further than Bryson DeChambeau. T
The problem is that many beginners can blindly go into the sport and waste money on a top-of-the-range set of Titleist T100 clubs, (see if Titleist clubs are worth the price here), which they will inevitably struggle to use.
When you’re starting, it’s best to avoid the top-of-the-range gear. It’s harder to use, and it won’t help you get better as a golfer. That is why it’s so important for beginners to have a club fitting session.
The guidance you’ll receive from your club pro will help you find the right equipment to improve your swing and become a much better golfer all around.
Beginners shouldn’t spend a lot of money on their first set of golf clubs. If you get better and better, then one day, you may be able to spend a lot of money on a high-quality set of golf clubs later on in your golfing career.
But it’s wise to avoid splashing the cash so early on, and if you’re stuck on how much you should spend, check out my guide on buying beginner golf clubs for more advice on what you should be spending.
Most beginners will have an idea of the types of clubs they’ll need, but it’s that extra bit of experience from a club pro that will help you tailor your club selection to help you get the right golf clubs. Guiding you away from the top-of-the-range gear, they will help you find a cost-effective set of clubs that will be much better for your abilities.
Although club pros are there to sell you the clubs ultimately, they want to ensure that you get the best deal and that you’re buying the right clubs for you. They are essentially golf coaches and people who love the sport so much that they want to see new players getting into the sport.
That’s where the benefits of going to a fitting session come in. As a beginner, the reassurance of taking advice from a club pro can improve your confidence that you know you’ll be getting a set of clubs that will help you progress in the sport. For that reason alone, seeking specialist advice can be so beneficial.
You could even ask your coach what clubs they think would benefit you during your lesson. Typically a coach should advise any beginner during their first few lessons on what type of clubs you should look to purchase if you’re wondering what to expect from those lessons, check out my article, giving you the best insight into what it’s like to have a golf lesson if you’ve never played golf before.
When it comes to picking the clubs you want to buy, the decision is ultimately yours, but your club pro will help guide you on that decision through your fitting session. The great thing about the sessions is that you can usually try as many clubs as you want and get a good feel for the different clubs the pro thinks are good.
They can then give you more tips on how each club can help improve your game. For example, you might struggle with a bad hook when you hit shots. But your club shop might have a set of irons that can have a low moment of inertia, which in layman’s terms are a set of clubs that don’t twist as much on impact with the ball, helping you to hit your shot truer and straighter.
You can then try these clubs to see if you like them or would prefer a different set of clubs that might be better for a golfer who, for example, struggles with hitting fat shots.
One important thing a fitting session will take into account with beginner golfers is the longevity of the golf clubs. You’re going to be spending a few hundred dollars on your clubs, so your fitting session coach will also want to help you pick a set of clubs that will cater to your needs but also last you a long time.
As a beginner, it’s good to have an idea of what you want to achieve in golf. For example, are you going to be playing on the PGA tour in 10 years? Are you a social weekend golfer? What areas of your game do you want to improve on? To see why I think golf lessons are worth it see my article.
Taking these points into account during the fitting session will help you establish the clubs that will benefit you the most; if you’re buying for junior golfers, they will likely overgrow the clubs, so you may want to get them a set of clubs that they can grow into but can still use now to help them develop basic golfing skills.
The most valuable part of going to a club fitting session is the extra tips and pieces of advice you’ll pick up from your golf pro. You should almost think of it as a free lesson, as every club pro will feed you pieces of information and advice on the clubs and on your swing that you perhaps won’t get from anywhere else.
My final piece of advice is if you have any friends who are experienced golfers, bring them along to your fitting session as well. As experienced, golfers will help you make the selection and ensure you’re getting the correct clubs for your abilities.
The great thing about a club fitting session is that in the majority of the time they are free if you end up buying a set of clubs at the end of the session- how does that sound to you?
It’s always wise to test the clubs you’re going to buy before actually getting your credit card out, so take your time and seek help from the pros. You’ll be surprised at the insights they can give you!
See the latest pricing for the best golf equipment on Amazon below.