Custom fitting golf clubs involves several easy measurements
and a quick self-assessment of your game. You will see many
fitting methods out there in the golf universe, but most
of them center around the same pieces of information. This
method is simple, accurate, and effective. To custom fit
your golf clubs, you need to know:
- Your gender (male or female)
- Your height in your stockings or socks
- The distance from your wrist (where it bends) to the floor
(without shoes)
- Your age
- Your handicap or skill level
- How fast you swing a golf club
- What club you use at the 150 yard marker
Gender is used to put you into the correct fitting scale.
The golf industry uses different definitions of "standard
length" for men and women.
Your height and the distance in inches from your wrist
to the floor are used together to determine the length of
golf club that is appropriate for you. The starting point
for club length can vary up to 3 1/2" ranging from
ladies to mens plus 1 1/2". A tall person with long
arms can very easily require shorter clubs than an average
height person with short arms. About 80% of golfers are
Standard length.
Your age, handicap (if you happen to have one), self-assessed
skill level, estimated golf swing speed and club you use
at the 150 yard marker are all combined to determined the
shaft flex that is appropriate for you.
Paul Williams Golf.com has built an automated Custom Fitting
Wizard that collects this information and quickly provides
you with your custom fitting result.
Club Length & Flex
What should I know about golf club length? Length is simply
how long the golf club is as measured from the butt end
of the grip down the back side of the club down to where
the club meets the ground. A longer golf club will hit further
given the same swing speed — so length can be a good
thing. However, since the swing arc is longer, it often
is also harder to keep under control — so length can
be a bad thing. All things being equal, most golfers will
opt for longer length to the sacrifice of greater control.
The standard length of a steel shafted Driver for a man
is 43 inches. Graphite shafted drivers are manufactured
1 inch longer than steel shafted clubs because graphite
shafts weigh less than steel shafts allowing us to produce
a longer club with the same swing weight (a fulcrum measurement
of the proper balance and feel of a golf club).
The proper length of a golf club is a function of your
height and the length of your arms. We provide a Custom
Fitting Wizard that determines the correct length for you
with just two simple measurements.
How long is a golf club? There is no exact industry standard
for golf club length. To make everything clear, we are letting
you know our standard club lengths for men and women using
both graphite and steel shafts. The measurement is made
with the golf club in "address position" —
club head resting on the floor, grip end in your hands.
The measurement is made from the floor up the back side
of the golf club to the butt end of the grip.
What should I know about golf club flex? Flex is the torsional
stiffness of the golf club, which is provided by the type
of golf club shaft that is used. Generally, stiffer shafts
are better for stronger hitting golfers. Common shaft flexes
are Men's Regular, Stiff, Extra Stiff, Senior, and Ladies.
Interestingly, graphite shaft flex terminology uses Firm
and Extra Firm instead of Stiff — we don't know why,
they are just the words the golf industry uses.
The proper flex of a golf club is a function of your strength
and golfing skills. Determining the correct flex is most important for your
Woods and longer Irons. Short irons, wedges and putters
are not impacted very much by the different flexes as the
differences between flexes becomes very small in the shorter
clubs.
Often associated with flex, is "kick-point" —
especially with graphite shafts. Less experienced golfers
generally benefit from lower kick-point shafts, which help
get the ball up in the air. Better golfers tend to favor
higher kick points.
Loft & Lie Adjustments
A word about loft and lie adjustments. Paul Williams Golf.com can adjust
the lie on irons and wedges.
A lie adjustment requires bending the hardened metal in
which an iron is cast. We strongly advise getting your lie
fitting done in person.Some players
are more naturally upright and some like to â??lean
intoâ? the ball. Once you have lie adjusted
a club it is usually not a good idea to re-adjust if you
later find it was the wrong adjustment.
From years of fitting experience we find it rare to need
more than a 2 degree adjustment upright or flat, therefore
we only perform lie adjustments to either extreme.
Woods, hybrid clubs and putters can not be adjusted. The
reason these clubs can not be adjusted is because the hosel
of each is cast in a way where physically bending the head
at all will cause damage. In woods and hybrids it will crack
or bend the crown of the club, and putter hosels are not
made with the strength required for adjustment after the
casting process.
Loft adjustments require a different type of bend than a lie adjustment.
Some people receive advice in which they require a certain loft
adjustment. We have never understood loft adjustments since it merely
changes the loft of the club. We recommend buying golf clubs matching
loft you seek and avoid custom loft adjustments. Bending the loft
of an iron weakens the hardened metal and can lead to future metal
fatigue, since the actual bend twists the metal to an extent. If
the loft of your 5 iron is too strong, use a 6 iron. If it is too
weak, use a 4 iron.
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CUSTOMISE YOUR CLUBS
