Club Fitting? Read this first!
- Oct 19
- 3 min read
Golfing in the Chicagoland area is one of the great benefits of living in the region, with scores of great tracks to choose from less than 2 hours from Lake County - in season golf is well spent focusing on enjoyment of the game and the comradery it brings. Unfortunately, the cold weather moves our games indoors, as we enjoy simulator golf life waiting for our courses to reopen in March.
More and more each year I hear golfers talk about waiting to the end of the season to "get fit" as part of an greater off season effort to improve their game. Off season is a great time to get fitted for a set of clubs. Here are a few tips we at LCGA recommend before you purchase a club, set, or putter for your game.
1) Know your goal
If you like new shiny things to enjoy on the course, then jumping into a fitting is for you! A good fitter will have a myriad of options to choose from and will do their best to match the equipment to your swing. For everyone else, take the time to consider what you'd like new equipment to bring to your game.
2) Start with a baseline assessment
Whether you do it yourself, or have LCGA pros assist, we recommend you benchmark your performance with your current set of clubs in a 30 minute session. Record your results if possible using a launch monitor. Focus on these attributes:
Swing speed and max swing speed
Swing Path/Plane (and its dispersion)
Club Face to Path (FTP) dispersion
Angle of Attack at impact (AOA)
A good club fitter will also fit your club length / lie angle / to match your swing type.
You will not have enough time in a fitting to properly establish a baseline! By doing the pre work you can focus "fitting time" on finding the right set for you.
3) If you plan to make swing improvements after getting a new set - beware!
In most cases, golf instruction is looking to change the plane you deliver the club through the ball on - doing this will change much of the characteristic of the ball flight you were fitted on. We recommend you perform the fitting in the middle of a multiple session series (5 or 7) so that the instructor can assist in maximizing the fit of your new clubs to meet the direction your game is headed. Not doing this can result in negative feedback from the ground because the instructed swing plane doesn't match the clubs' fit. i.e. the turf impact will cause you to swing like the "old you".
4) Golf Balls Matter (in your fitting):
Bring the golf ball make/model you use on course for your fitting - in case your fitter doesn't have them. Insist on using new balls for your fitting!
Spin, spin, spin! How far a golf ball flies in the air for a given shot has a LOT to do with how much spin that ball is given at impact. Changing balls changes spin. Lower spin balls than the Titleist ProV1 or TP5x most fitters use can result in ball flights of as much as 15y difference than your fitting with a 6iron. If you are about to invest a few thousand dollars in your game, don't ignore this detail!
5) Beware of the fitting upcharges
Big box retailers are notorious for compounding services...and their profits.
A good fitting session should give you a pragmatic option that can deliver the potential for a positive impact to your game. Exotic shafts and services such as "pure-ing" and shaft matching will give you very tempting options. But are they for you? At LCGA we believe the answer is "it depends", but we have the tools to help you make the best decision for your goals, and cut through the marketing hype.
Ken Krozel is a lead instructor at Lake County Golf Academy. He instructs for LCGA at Bittersweet Golf Course in Gurnee, IL and X-Golf, Libertyville, IL. Ken Krozel and Steven Hedlund founded the Lake County Golf Academy in June 2023.
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