I’ve conducted a lot of club fittings in my career and have also been on the other side of the equation getting fit by both brand-agnostic fitters and individual OEMs.

If there is one piece of advice beyond properly preparing for your fitting, it is to approach the entire experience with an open mind—because the one thing that has ruined just as many fittings as it has rounds of golf is ego.

Having the ability to check your ego at the door and not letting any preconceived notions dictate results is difficult, but it is by far the best way to make sure you end up with the best-fitted clubs for you.

Now don’t confuse checking ego, and being inquisitive. You should still ask questions and speak up about anything you may not feel comfortable about during your fitting because that is equally important—but whether its a style of club, driver loft, or even shaft flex, remember there is no official industry standard, so what you might think you need may be very different from final recommendations.

Monitors don’t lie – they just interpret data

Launch monitors, whether camera or radar-based, only interpret the data they are given, and if calibrated properly it is extremely rare to see unusual results. One of the most important things that can be manually set on most monitors is the altitude above sea-level which can throw results off. If you happen to play most of your golf at a different elevation than where you are getting fit be sure to mention it to your fitter because it can play a role in final results: Lofting up for altitude.

Carry distance is key

When talking with fitters the number one comment I hear over and over is that most golfers overestimate how far they hit their clubs, especially irons, and attribute any “lack of distance” in a fitting to an issue with the launch monitor. The largest reason for this is too many golfers only ever see what the golf ball ends up rather than when it lands, and if you don’t play a course with a lot of forced carries it can be a surprising bit of information if you haven’t been on a launch monitor before.

I wrote a piece earlier this year about descent angle and why it plays such a large factor in scoring (you check out the entire piece here: The most important fitting parameter for irons) but for those looking for a summary – the better you can increase descent angle and stop the ball quicker, the easier it is to get close to the hole and give your self a better opportunity to score.

Scoring should be your only concern

A lot of manufacturers talk distance, the same way car companies talk about 0-60mph, but that distance isn’t relevant if you don’t know where it’s going the same way trying to accelerate in a traffic jam isn’t the best way to get from point A to point B.

Being able to improve consistency, and reduce dispersion should be the main goal with every club in your bag, and if you can do that you are going to play better golf regardless of how fast you swing or how far you hit your clubs and it will lead to lower scores.