“What should I expect during a club fitting?”

“I booked a fitting — now what?”

These are questions we hear frequently at GolfWRX. As advocates for fitting as the best way to find the optimal equipment for your game (and optimize equipment purchased “off the rack”), we know it’s important to be able to offer GolfWRXers answers. In order to respond to these common questions, we’re partnering with Club Champion, which has more than 85 club fitting locations nationwide, to break down the process for both novices and those who have only had the antiquated “lie board and impact labels” fitting experience.

Check out the answers to common questions about club fittings below.

What should I bring?

A few things: most importantly, your full bag. Even if you’re just fitting the driver, your fitter may want to reference something else in the bag. Your glove, athletic shoes or golf shoes, comfortable clothes, and a water bottle are all suggested as well. You’ll be taking lots of swings, so a snack might help too, though we do provide refreshments at our studios.

It’s also recommended to bring a budget and a general idea of the goals you’d like to achieve with your golf game. The budget helps your fitter ensure that he/she is only showing you viable options and the goals help them zero in on the metrics that mean the most to you in the long run.

What should my expectations be?

Depends! Every golfer who gets fit at Club Champion can expect to try a variety of options from a variety of brands. They should also expect to get an in-depth look at their game using TrackMan and/or SAM PuttLab technology. Some fitting types are very specific, like a wedge fitting, so those golfers should expect to learn a ton about that particular part of their game. It’s reasonable to expect to improve distance, dispersion/accuracy, comfort, and overall performance if your current clubs are even just a few years old, and it’s not uncommon for our fitters to find another 20+ yards off the tee. It’s even reasonable to expect a lower score once the fitted clubs arrive since our customers see an average improvement of six strokes per round. It’s most important to voice your expectations with your fitter so they can let you know what’s reasonable.

What you should NOT expect is a lesson. While many of our fitters are former instructors or have PGA status, we aren’t here to correct swing flaws. They might give a tip here or there but we are looking to meet your goals through equipment that matches your natural swing, as opposed to tweaking that natural swing.

What is this process going to include from start to finish? (i.e. What’s going to happen?)

We have a ton of videos on our YouTube channel, but the general process is:

1. You’ll be greeted by your fitter or asked to hang out in our lounge if you’re early.
2. Your fitter will start the appointment with a sit-down to discuss your game, your goals, and any budget caps you’d like to set. After this, you’re encouraged to stretch.
3. Then you’ll move into the fitting bay, where you’ll warm up and set baseline data with your existing set. Your fitter wants to see your stock distances and other metrics so they know what numbers to beat.
4. Then comes the fun part — the testing! We’ll dial in your shaft first, taking a look at everything from length to profile.
5. Once we have a shaft that works for your swing, we dial in the best clubhead for your game. Face shape, loft, even the look at address will play into the final decision but what we’re really looking for will be on-screen: the data. We can see your improvements in real-time using TrackMan swing analysis and the numbers are recorded so we can send them to you after the fitting.
6. Once you have the perfect shaft and head combo, we’ll talk grips. Size, material, even color will be decided so we can optimize your only connection to the club.
7. At this point, your fitter will show you the recommended clubs, the costs and discuss any additional services like SST PUREing, stamping, paint fill, etc. that might make sense for you. If you’re retro-fitting your existing set, they’ll talk to you about the process of breaking down and rebuilding those clubs with the new components you found during your fitting.
8. No one is required to purchase from Club Champion so you’re welcome to take your specs and TrackMan/SAM PuttLab data home. If you do choose to have your clubs hand-built to the tightest tolerances in the industry by our master builders, your order will be placed and you’ll be updated via email as the clubs progress through the building process.

Am I going to need to buy all new clubs or are some/all of my current ones going to be adjusted?

No one needs to buy any equipment after a Club Champion fitting. We can absolutely fit your existing set, which may be as simple as adjusting lofts or might require some updated shafts and grips. We can also upgrade some clubs and not others — just because you’re fitted for a full bag does not mean you need to take the plunge on 14 new clubs at once. If you know you’ll get the most use out of a fitted driver + putter, start with those and update the rest of the bag over time. You’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to the investment you make in your game; we’re just here to guide you to the equipment that’ll help achieve your goals.

What will I learn about my golf swing and game (from a fitter’s perspective)?

A ton! Since a fitting is not a lesson, you’ll focus on the equipment and how it impacts your success on the course. You’ll learn your stock distances, what sort of shaft profile makes the most sense for your swing speed, what loft/lie makes sense for your attack angle, your smash factor, your spin rate, what swingweight helps you swing effortlessly, and so much more. If you’re going through a putter fitting, you’ll take a look at everything from head shape and toe hang to shaft length and grip size to better understand how each element adds up to fewer three-putts and more confidence on the green.

It’s also important to ask questions during your fitting. If there’s something you want to address specifically (i.e. spin rate with your wedges), talk to your fitter about your experiences on the course and ask as many questions as you need to understand their recommendation. The data provides most of the answers but it’s important that you understand how those numbers translate to on-course results.

How does getting fit help lower scores?

Fittings lead to lower scores for many reasons, and it all depends on what part of the bag you dialed in. Our Statistically Speaking series on YouTube breaks this down shot-by-shot, but the general answer is this: with better distance and accuracy, you’re finding more fairways and greens in regulation, and with a putter you can rely upon, you’re sinking more putts. We find an average of 22 extra yards off the tee, 13 additional yards with irons, and six fewer strokes per round, just to name a few stats.

What happens next?

If you bought your clubs through Club Champion, the next step is to get them built by our master builders. Once they arrive and are checked out by your fitter one last time, you can pick them up and start shooting your best scores. If for some reason you aren’t seeing the same results on the course that you saw in the fitting bay, our Perfect Fit Guarantee has you covered. Additionally, it’s important to maintain your club specs — we offer free loft/lie adjustments for the lifetime of the club when you build through us. You can also regrip through your local Club Champion to ensure your best performance for every round.

Will I need a follow-up to my fitting? How often should I get fit?

Aside from updating your lofts/lies and regripping, you will not need to check back in with your fitter for your newly fitted clubs until it’s time for a new fitting. Fitting frequency depends entirely on your individual circumstances — if you’re wearing our your wedge grooves every season, you should be fitted for new wedges that frequently. If you only play casually and are properly storing and protecting your clubs, you can easily get a few years out of your fitted set. New club technology launches every year so there’s always something new to test, but you should plan to be fitted as frequently as it makes sense for your game.

Be sure to check out “Addressing club fitting’s biggest myth: It’s only for good players”and “How to prepare for a club fitting.”