We’ve mentioned in countless articles how important it is to get a custom fitting at a specialty golf shop before buying your golf clubs. While this may sound like an “extra” step, or a luxury that isn’t necessary for every golfer, it is actually an essential step that is perfectly accessible to most golfers. The majority of specialty golf shops offer free fittings and can help you select the perfect club and configuration for you, ensuring you get the most out of your money.

But what happens at a golf fitting? What is so important about them? In this guide to getting fitted for golf clubs, we are going to cover:

• What takes place at a golf fitting
• Why they are important
• How to get a golf fitting

Let’s break down everything you need to know about getting fitted for golf clubs.

What Happens at a Golf Fitting

Getting a golf fitting may seem a little intimidating, but it is really just like any other professional service experience: 

Consultation	Everything starts with a conversation where the fitter asks about your golf experience, goals, and what you’re looking for in a club.
Swing Evaluation	The fitter will analyze your swing and give tips or small corrections if necessary to ensure the fitting process is productive.
Measurements	You’ll either give or get a height measurement, and they’ll take a wrist-to-floor measurement as well.
Practice Shots	After checking out your swing, the fitter will have you take some practice shots to analyze more about how you hit a golf ball.
Club Trial	The fitter will have you try a few of the golf clubs you’re interested in to see which best suits your game.
Advice	After analyzing everything, your fitter will tell you what configuration you’ll need for each of your clubs and also give some insight on what the right clubs for you are.

Consultation

The beginning of a golf fitting will simply be you meeting your fitter and discussing your golf experience and goals. They’ll likely ask how long you’ve been golfing, if you carry a handicap, what you do well at, what you’d like to improve on, and what you’re looking for out of a golf club. This will guide the fitting process and dictate which clubs you’ll be swinging throughout.

Measurements

The fitter will ask for your height (or measure it themselves) and take a wrist-to-floor measurement to decide the right size club for you and ensure the lie angle is correct. They will sometimes double-check this measurement by having you try clubs in a couple of different sizes to see what is most comfortable for you to hold in a position that isn’t too upright or too flat, and what shaft length puts your eyes in the right position relative to the ball. They may also measure your hands to see what the right size golf grip is for you.

Swing Evaluation

After getting an idea of the clubs you’re looking to try and what you want out of them, the fitter will have you take some practice swings to see what your swing looks like. They’ll also make small corrections if needed to ensure you’re swinging properly and consistently. This will also help confirm that you’re getting clubs that aren’t simply covering up bad habits but actually improving your game even as you refine your swing.

Practice Shots

Once you’re warmed up, the fitter will have you take some practice shots in a hitting bay (or practice putts on a putting mat) to measure the various aspects of your swing. This includes your swing speed, ball speed, launch angle, ball spin rate, and many others. These will be compared against quality benchmarks to identify what you need the most help with, and this will inform the fitter on exactly what you need in regard to the shaft, grip, and alterations for your clubs.

Club Trial

After establishing a baseline, the fitter will have you try different clubs that you’re interested in or clubs that they think will help you improve where you need to. They will take all of the same measurements as before with these different clubs to see which does the best job at improving your game. They will also take into account what feels best to you.

Advice

Once all of these steps are complete, the fitter will be able to tell you exactly what you need on whatever club you buy in terms of:

• Shaft length
• Shaft material/flex
• Lie angle
• Loft adjustment
• Grip size/material

Outside of these more general bits of advice, they will also be able to tell you what clubs suit you best, considering your personal preferences and marrying it with their expertise and measurements taken throughout the fitting.

Why Are Golf Fittings Important?

Hitting a golf club with the wrong size shaft, the wrong shaft flex, or the wrong lie/loft adjustment can severely impact how much success you have with that club. By spending the same exact amount of money but doing a golf fitting beforehand, you can drastically improve your results on the course.

This is even the case if you already know exactly what clubs you want because a fitting covers a number of measurables that apply to any club you buy. So, even those who are dead set on the clubs that they want should still go in to get them custom-fitted. It costs nothing and can extract so much more value out of the money that you spend– and golf clubs aren’t cheap.

Getting Fitted for Golf Clubs at Worldwide Golf

Getting fitted for golf clubs at a Worldwide Golf location, or any golf shop, is usually as simple as walking into the store and asking for one. Even if you’re not buying clubs that day, you can get a free fitting just to gather information on what you’d like to buy in the future. As we’ve said countless times, you should avoid buying clubs without getting a fitting first. So, we make it as easy as possible to do so.

Worldwide Golf provides next-level service to customers of all experience levels, with the best-trained staff in the industry. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide guidance to beginners and to share pro tips with even our most experienced clientele, making us one of the best places to get clubs.

Check out our online store to see our industry-standard variety of all of the following:

• Golf clubs 
• Golf carts
• Footwear
• Golf apparel
• Golf accessories 
• GPS and tech

At Worldwide Golf, we take pride in offering brands that we guarantee will provide the highest level of value to our diverse range of golfers. Our knowledgeable staff is ready to assist you in finding the perfect golf gear. Find a store near you today!