In our forums, one user has come forth with an interesting chicken-or-egg style question, namely, whether they should invest in a club fitting and properly fitting clubs now to avoid bad habits, or if they should get better before being fit.

User @Stylez777 wrote:

“Hello WRXers…I am a very green, inconsistent golfer looking to finally commit to practicing and taking regular lessons with a PGA pro. I want to make sure my equipment isn’t actively hindering my ability to learn properly.

My Profile & Data:
Physical Fit: Taller golfer 6’2″ 290lbs. Recently assessed by a tech who measured my wrist-to-floor at 39″ and recommended +1″ length and 2° upright lie angle Irons.

Current Irons: JPX EZ 2016 Hand-me-down standard length/lie irons with 60g graphite senior-flex shafts.

Current 7-Iron Stats: Carry distance on that sim averaged around 125 yards. Club speed was around 67 mph.

Tested 7-Iron Stats (+1″ Stiff Steel Callaway XR 26): Distance jumped to 145–150 yards with a 1.3 smash factor.

The tech told me that swinging my lightweight senior flex at my size is killing my ability to develop a proper, repeatable swing. He was pushing an all-in-one Callaway XR 26 box set, but I know I can custom-order current game-improvement heads (like Srixon ZXiR, Callaway Ai Smoke, or Mizuno JPX 925) in my exact specs online. I also already have a driver and just bought a new Cleveland HB Soft 2 putter.

My Questions for the Forum:
Change now or wait? For where I am in my journey, should I replace my current irons for proper +1″ and 2° upright clubs immediately, or is it better to stick with the standard senior flex Irons I have now until my swing develops more? I’m most concerned with fighting ill-fitting equipment and if it truly is going to hinder my ability to develop a better swing.

Custom GI Set vs. Box Set: If I do pull the trigger, am I better off piecing together a custom-spec game-improvement set (like a 6–PW) or buying an off-the-shelf “long” package set? (Selling my current Iron and Driver)

I don’t want to needlessly spend money thinking a club will magically make me better, I just want the correct baseline tools to learn the game properly. I appreciate any insights!

Members in the forum chimed in with their own philosophies, with some encouraging a proper fitting and others suggesting lessons before a financial gear investment. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• Lord Helmet: “I dont know the answer. But as with any sport golf has fundamentals (grip, posture, alignment, etc) that you can work on regardless of what club you have in your hand. If it were me I would find an instructor who will work with what you bring to the table and not try to pigeonhole you into a book illustration of positions in the swing. I would discuss with them your situation with clubs, etc. and get their advice and opinion. Your current setup wont hinder you IMHO but after developing a repeatable motion you could then look at what might serve you better. Im a reformed golfer in that I fully embrace the fact that the equipment should work for your swing and how you deliver the club to the ball (Used to just buy stuff and do whatever I could to make it work). Once I started doing this I became a better golfer and can score in the mid 70s now when playing well. I dont hit 300yd bombs and I dont hit my PW 160 yards either. Based on your height and weight, you should be hitting a 7i further unless you have a physical limitation so my guess on paper is that you have some swing stuff to sort out. Even with the new stick, the smash of 1.3 is IMHO low, further leading me to believe that if you sort the swing first you will be off and running and can then decide which clubs work the best for you. G luck!”
• BowMain42: “The tech was full of crap. To echo Helmet, get some lessons with your current clubs (great call on that HB, btw… fantastic putters) to get a swing grooved before you go get new ones. Fixing the swing will increase swing speed just due to the better mechanics (i.e. a better swing) and setup improvements will also impact the specs. Getting new clubs first and then taking good lessons is like getting fitted for a suit and then going on a bulk. And your pro could probably give you a general idea what kinds of things to look for when you DO go club shopping after a few lessons.”
• Jraallen: “Without going too deep, if it were me I’d look for a cheap used set of regular flex irons on eBay for like 2-250. If your current irons are too whippy and wobbly and you’re feeling that in the swing then yea it can be messing with you. You can of course adjust your swing to fit them, but it might make life and learning a lot easier to be able to swing a bit more naturally. But at this stage I think you’d be wasting money on a fitted set. Then I’d look into getting fitted down the line once you’ve practiced more and have a more repeatable swing. But that’s just me.”

Entire Thread: “Am I fighting my gear and do I need new clubs?”

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