Retirement and Golf
Sort of like … Sonny and Cher, Cagney and Lacey, Gretzky and Messier, Simon and Garfunkel, Lucy and Desi, Ike and Tina, Yogi and Boo-Boo, Shaq and Kobe, Cheech and Chong, Starsky and Hutch, Batman and Robin, Frodo and Samwise, … you get the idea. Things that go together and are generally always associated with one another.
OK, so not everybody plays golf in retirement, but a lot of people do. The beauty of golfing at this stage of life is that you finally have the free time to play as much as you want and ideally have the time to devote to improving your game. I am pretty sure I have mentioned this before in other golf-related writings, golf is one of those sports you can play for as long as you can stand up and swing a stick.
Because you are golfing more it becomes even more important that you are playing with the equipment that is best suited to your game. Having the right tools to accomplish the task in the best manner possible is of the utmost importance.
You probably know some people who understand and are committed to having the right tool for the right job. The folks who make sure they have … sharp knives in the kitchen, tools for lawn care, proper paints and brushes for artwork, precise tools for building or woodworking, sturdy scissors and needles for sewing or tailoring, or state of the art computing hardware and software for techno-weenies like me. 🙂 You might even understand the importance of several of these combos yourself.
You Need to Use Golf Tools Specific to Your Game
That said, I am frequently struck by the number of people who are still playing with clubs they bought decades ago and probably didn’t give any thought to whether they are using the best possible technology for the job or not. These are the golfers who are playing with clubs that they purchased because they thought they looked good, or that someone gave them, or that they bought because they were on sale, or because they fell victim to some really good marketing – not clubs tailored to their playing ability or style.
Obviously, this article is about getting fitted with proper golf clubs – in my case, a set of new irons and a new rescue club. You may already understand that getting properly fitted for golf clubs is important but perhaps you are not aware that there are elements of golf club selection that are often overlooked by buyers. For example, do you have the proper grips on your clubs, or are they are equipped with the shafts appropriate for your swing speed? It’s not just the club-head which strikes the ball that matters.
Perhaps the most overlooked golf tool is the golf ball. Golf balls come in a wide range of “compression” which must be matched to the speed at which an individual swings a club. We older, slower swinging golfers really should all be using low compression balls. Yet many of us are still choosing to hit very expensive high-compression Titleist Pro V1 balls, which in fact may be negatively impacting our game scores. A different discussion for another day. Let’s talk golf clubs.
My Old Clubs
Up until just recently, I was using TaylorMade SpeedBlade irons. I bought these in 2013 when they first came out. They were sold as “game improvement” clubs. That means, more forgiving for higher handicap golfers. I was fitted for them, and it was at Golf Town. I would have to say that I have been very happy with them because they were a noticeable improvement over the clubs that I was playing with before that, – TaylorMade 320 irons.
As a sad footnote to all of this, I bought the TaylorMade 320 irons because they were the “sexy” choice at the time. There was no real “fitting” involved. I ended up hitting the golf ball noticeably shorter than I had with my original very old Wilson 1200 set of irons that I’d been using since I first started to get semi-serious about golf.
When I say I was fitted for the SpeedBlade Irons, I mean that, with the assistance of a club fitter, I tried a variety of different manufacturers’ off-the-shelf clubs that were in the store, and they produced the best result. That type of fitting, of course, is better than nothing, but it really does not take into account the role of other essentials, like the shaft. In my case, I ended up with steel shafts, when I would have been better suited to have the lighter graphite shafts, which can be swung faster. Lesson learned.
For the record, here are all the clubs I was packing prior to getting fitted for new irons and the rescue club this summer. And yes, I do carry two putters. My pro tells me that it is perfectly legal. Who am I to doubt him? 🙂
Golf Town
I should say a few words about Golf Town before I take you through my two club fittings. I will reference Golf Town a lot here, but that is not to say that I am explicitly endorsing them as a preferred location to get fitted for clubs. They are the largest retailer of equipment and golf fashion in the country, and the only large national retail brand that I am aware of.
I have been fulfilling all my golf needs there since a store opened in our area, but I do recognize that there are probably lots of smaller retailers that are great at what they do and will be a suitable alternative at which you can get fitted. There may not be a Golf Town in your area, so don’t let that stop you from searching out some other retailer or individual who could help you get properly fitted for clubs.
That said, Golf Town is all about custom golf club fittings. From their website:
“We have 230 Certified Master Club Fitters across Canada and are committed to growing that number to 300+.”
If you are interested, you can read about Golf Town’s club fitting experience here on their website.
I believe I am correct in saying that all Golf Town outlets have at least one bay like the ones shown in the image below where you can go and get fitted. These convenient testing facilities allow you to spend an hour or so testing out a variety of different manufacturers’ clubs under the guidance of a trained fitter and have them provide you with data about how each is performing. Having the data is very important in the club selection and purchase process.
However, a few but an increasing number of Golf Town stores, now have an advanced fitting area called “Studio X”, where you can really get even more accurately fitted by having the opportunity to mix and match club-heads, and shafts… and probably even grips if you really wanted to. And I am fortunate enough to have one within driving distance of where we live. You do have to pay for a Studio X fitting, but it is well worth the money.
You have to book fittings in advance. You cannot just walk in and expect to get help. When you book, they will probably remind you to bring an iron you are currently using, typically your 7-Iron, with you, and to be sure to bring your golf glove and even your shoes. I also took some of the balls that I am currently playing with to get the most authentic comparison.
You can check out a video about their special Studio X here.
My Fitting
1. The Studio X facility is a separate enclosed room, which is chock-full of golf club parts and high-level electronic equipment and software that will collect data about your swing, and the different clubs that you will be trying out. Here, my local golf fitting hero, Scott Allen is getting the technology all set up for my session.
2. Time to start. I did say it was a room filled with golf equipment parts. Check out the amazing number of different shafts they have for the trained? fitter to choose from for you to try. As you can see, Scott has several clubs leaned up against the counter, ready to go for my session.
3. Not to mention, the multiple drawers filled with various club-heads to match up with the shafts.
4. To facilitate the gathering of data from the club head as it swings to and through the ball strike, dots are placed on the club face.
5. With each club you try out, you hit multiple balls into the screen. As you can see, you get to watch the simulated flight of the ball and then see in the data column to the left how far you have hit it. Data is collected from every swing. I am not actually swinging here. I am just posing like I’m swinging. In real life, my golf swing does not look that awkward or flat-footed… That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 🙂
6. Once you have had multiple tries with the clubs to be tested, the fitter can show you the data collected on the large screen. The numbers shown are the average/mean of all the swings for each individual club.
7. Because you will be taking swing after swing after swing, it’s easy to get tired and a bit worn out. The Studio provides energy bars and other snacks to help keep your energy level up.
8. They also have a fridge full of drinks for your use. These drinks and snacks are included in the fee you pay for the fitting.
9. And, if you are looking for a new putter, they have a special area to help you select the right putter.
10. When your session is finished. You are provided with aggregated data for a variety of criteria assessed. The data reveals the club that works best for you in comparison to the club you brought in with you and the other manufactures’ clubs you tried out. In this case, the “Iron” in blue is my SpeedBlade 7-Iron. The iron that worked best for me was the “PXG Black Ops” iron fitted with a Cypher 5.0 shaft. Check out the significant difference in “Total Yards”.
11. Of particular interest to me was that it was clear that I was consistently hitting the Black Ops club in the middle of the face where it should be struck. With my old iron I tended to be hitting it a little further out near the toe – Not good. As I talked about it with Scott, he pointed out that the shaft I was using on the Black Ops iron was slightly longer than the shaft on my old iron. A small difference in club length was making a big difference in how I struck the ball.
12. And here are the beauties I ended up buying.
13. You don’t go home with your new irons. They must be custom-made for you, of course, so you have to wait for a week or two to get them. Here we prepare for the official unboxing. Woot!
14. Ooh-la-la! Having played with them for a while now, it is clear this was an excellent choice for me. To all you golfers, it made a “two-club difference” in my club selections. In real play, the ball goes further with every club, the flight of the ball is much higher, and I generally feel contact is more precise, and that the ball flies straighter compared to the clubs I was playing with before.
15. My second fitting this past summer involved upgrading one of my rescue clubs … the one I use most often. I have been playing with these Adams clubs for several years now. I selected them to play with because at some point a number of years ago, they went on sale for $49.95 and I snatched them up. Again, not a great way to select a club.
16. Data for my Adams club, and the equivalent Black Ops, TaylorMade QI 35 and Cobra 4H clubs. Again, the Black Ops club provided greater distance with a nice low spin rate.
17. More data. The Black Ops was better in virtually every category.
18. Here it is. Still patiently waiting for it to arrive at the store. 🙂
Getting properly fitted clubs provided me with the dual benefit of acquiring the most current technology available and configuring them precisely to match my own unique golf swing. This was definitely a good move on my part this golf season. My best golf outing of the year, if you will. 🙂 This probably will be the last set of golf clubs I ever buy, so I am very comfortable with having spent money on the upgrade.
You might want to consider doing this yourself before the next golf season begins. And now might even be the time of year to do it, given that outdoor golf is quickly winding down. It’s never too early to start thinking ahead to next year’s golf season.
FORE!
Note – Golf Town images used are from the Golf Town website
