# Custom fit golf clubs or more lessons



## BobbyFowler (17 Aug 2007)

I'm playing off 17 & have been for 2 years or so.  A few of the lads have recommended getting clubs custom fit.  ForeGolf charge 200 Euro for an hour to work out your swing & then 895 Euro to get a new set of Titleist Clubs Custom Fit or whatever it costs to get your own set done up.  Anyone with any experience of whether this makes much difference or am I just as well to get a few lessons?


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## Firefly (17 Aug 2007)

*Re: Custom Fit Clubs or More Lessons*

Sounds a lot..what clubs do you have at the moment?


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## Diddles (17 Aug 2007)

*Re: Custom Fit Clubs or More Lessons*

Spend the money on lessons!!!!!!!
Thats unless you are 6ft + or less than 5ft7 then get your clubs fitted.
Titliest are one of the harder sets of clubs to play with.What are the range they are selling you for €900??
Log on to TGW.COM and put the model in to see the true value....
Get lessons though ,it always works...........................

If you were playing off 7 then maybe get the fitted but off 17 Im not sure it will work


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## dieter1 (17 Aug 2007)

I'd second that.  No need to get custom fit.  Premier golf at the red cow have a good set up where they analyse your swing speed etc for free. and then fit accordingly using callaways/titleist/tm/cobra etc....I used it, then bought the clubs in the states.  

As everyone knows the only solution to getting your handicap down is practice. lessons and clubs are like band aids


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## RonanC (17 Aug 2007)

Practice, practice, practice !!!

Throw in a few lessons and you will notice you game improving far quicker than a set of expensive "fitted" clubs. 

When you get your handicap into single figures then think about a set of custom fit clubs. 

But most of all enjoy playing and never lose the head when you hit a bad shot.


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## KalEl (17 Aug 2007)

Which Titleist set are the recommending? As an earlier poster pointed out these may not be the most suitable given your handicap.


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## BobbyFowler (17 Aug 2007)

I hear 'ya. I do get a lot of practice on the course (play once or twice a week) but am wondering where I'm going to knock shots off.  Have got lessons in the past (say about 12 in total over the 6 years I've been playing) & they've worked out ok.  I thought that after 6 years I'd be down a bit lower than 17 (I certainly play enough!)


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## RonanC (17 Aug 2007)

where do you feel your game is letting you down? green? around the green? off the tee ?? 

I always seem to drop stupid shots around the green and I know with a little practice in this area i'd knock maybe 4 or 5 shots off my score. Some say that pitch and put is great for the short game.


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## Sim Two (17 Aug 2007)

Bobby 

The biggest difference between a low handicapper and high handicapper is “around the green”.  But how many golfers do you see chipping onto the practice green or putting.  Almost none.   

Many years ago, on the advice of my Dad, I started to log the following details after each round of golf. 

How many putts, how many fairways hit from the tee, how many bunkers founds, how many sand saves etc. 

From this, I have the following guidelines  

If I am on the green in regulation, I aim to walk off with a par 85% of the time.  

If I am just off the green, I aim to walk off with a par 65% of the time.

If I am between 40 – 100 yrds short of the green, I aim to walk off with a par 40% of the time.  


Most golfers will reach a par four in two shots.  Now they might be 60 yards short or twenty yards right or they might be on the green.   It’s what happens after that that will make the biggest difference to your handicap. 

Sim


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## BobbyFowler (17 Aug 2007)

Good bit of info Sim - think I'll start checking that out.  To be honest, if it wasn't for the fact that there's been placing at our own course for so long, reckon I'd have knocked 1 or 2 shots off the handicap this summer. I'm pretty good around the greens & my drives are ok. It's my irons that let me down more often than not.


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## z109 (17 Aug 2007)

If your irons are letting you down, then it may mean you are striking the ball inconsistently. This could be a swing issue, so lessons may help. But what I reckon you want to do is make sure that you 'know' your swing, so you know what a normal swing is for a club and where you will end up with it (so you should have a yardage in mind for each club you use when you address the ball, based on an identical swing for all of them).

The best golfer I played with (scratch and a bit) used old Dunlop blades; he knew where the ball was going to land with every iron shot.

Golf for Dummies really worked for me - really basic advice, but then I was getting down from 28 to 20. I would have gone further, but I couldn't get to grips with putting!


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## SOM42 (17 Aug 2007)

BobbyFowler 
I'm in a similar position to you as regards handicap and playing habits and have the same problems i.e. iron play.  I invested in a new set of Callaway irons this year to see if it would make any difference.  Granted the old ones were 12 years. To be honest I wouldn't bother with custom fitting unless you are extra tall or short or have exceptionally long arms.  At our handicap level they will not make a huge difference.  Sim Two made some excellent points.  I would advise lessons rather than spending big money on custom fits.  The standard clubs are fine for most and much better value than custom fits.  eg €500-750 euro will buy an excellent set of irons.  Just my two cents.


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## BobbyFowler (18 Aug 2007)

I'll be hitting the course this afternoon, armed with an Excel Spreadsheet to record the goings on!  Honestly though, sometimes it can be hard enough to know how many shots you've taken, whatever about Greens In Regulation etc. Sim Two - are you writing down 6 different stats for every hole? Sure I'll give it a go today & see how it works.  The lads will be wondering why I'm not all chat.


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## KalEl (18 Aug 2007)

BobbyFowler said:


> I'll be hitting the course this afternoon, armed with an Excel Spreadsheet to record the goings on! Honestly though, sometimes it can be hard enough to know how many shots you've taken, whatever about Greens In Regulation etc. Sim Two - are you writing down 6 different stats for every hole? Sure I'll give it a go today & see how it works. The lads will be wondering why I'm not all chat.


 
You don't have to bring a spreadsheet...just take a second card and use the player section (A,B,C,D) Number of putts, up and downs, GIR and fairways hit should be recorded. Just mark sand saves as an up and down with an asterix. To be honest given your handicap it's pretty obvious where the problem will be...the up and downs. playing off 17 you can hit the ball fine but I dare say you rarely get up and down. On a par 4 if you miss the green you probably think "chip it on, two putts for a 5 and two points...happy days"
It's getting up and down that makes the difference  between 17 and 12 (or maybe even lower)


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## Sim Two (18 Aug 2007)

Bobby 

As Kalel says, use a spare card and before you tee off on the next hole, detail the shots you played at the last.  Takes less then 30 seconds.  

We amateurs don’t do course management like the pros do.  We stand in the middle of the fairway, 280 yards out, 180 yards to carry the water and immediately we reach for the 3-wood and try to hit it as far as we can.  Why not hit a 6 iron short of the water and another onto the green.  

Most golf course have 4 par 3s, 10 par 4s and 4 par 5s.  An 18-handicapper would usually go around in c.95 – 100 gross.  40 – 45 of these will be used to reach the green and the other 50 – 55 will be around the green.  

There is very little chance of reducing the number of shots to reach the green – it’s up around the green that big shot reductions can be made.

Sim


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## KalEl (18 Aug 2007)

Absolutely...a two foot putt is worth the same as a 300 yard drive. Spawell driving range always amazes me...go up there and you'll see loads of people whaling away with their driver and irons in the bays. Go down to the practice bunker or out to the green beside the pitch and putt course and there's never anyone, yet this is where you make a score. One further thing...try and use the grass bays in a driving range. They're far more realistic and much better for your joints in the long term as the concrete below most mats is very bad for your body.


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## InfoSeeker (20 Aug 2007)

Pretend ur playing off 14 for a few weeks and try and shoot 36pts off this.
Often golf is more a mental issue than anything else, ie you are 6 above level 2s' with 4 holes to go and ur sweating.......another day you playing hopeless with 4 holes to go and ur relaxed and play the last 4 holes well.

It sounds easy but it is so so difficult to do.

The short game is where you will reduce your handicap.

I played Pitch & Putt from 10yrs of age and played everyday, took up golf at 14 and in just over a year I was off 5 handicap even though I could not drive.......n years on I am still off 5 handicap and now I cannot pitch & putt as I gave it up when I was 16


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## BobbyFowler (21 Aug 2007)

I was kidding on the Excel Spreadsheet thing.  A 2nd card sounds good. Went out on Sat & got my 38 pts.  Didn't mark up all the stats though.  One thing I did notice was that when I pitched low onto the green I was always going too far past for an easy putt.  I'll take out that 2nd card next time.


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## KalEl (21 Aug 2007)

BobbyFowler said:


> I was kidding on the Excel Spreadsheet thing. A 2nd card sounds good. Went out on Sat & got my 38 pts. Didn't mark up all the stats though. One thing I did notice was that when I pitched low onto the green I was always going too far past for an easy putt. I'll take out that 2nd card next time.


 
You should probably look at getting a lob wedge then...plus it's evidence that your short game is somewhere you can save a few more strokes. Had you got up and down those times you might have got 40 points or more.


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## rugbyjackol (21 Aug 2007)

The Pro in Limerick County Golf Club is excellent. Supplying  clubs custom fitted and with all the hi-Tech equipment to advise and gives great lessons. Reasonable rates too and the service is  second to  none.


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## droileen (21 Aug 2007)

I got a set of GENEX clubs a year or two ago & they have made a huge difference (better) to my game.  The woods are like "rescue clubs" and are very easy to use both off the Tee box & the fairway.

The irons are "filled-in" at the cavity and are easy to use & make sweet contact with the ball.

They are only supplied from 5 iron to pitching wedge (no sand iron).

In other words you would use a 3/4 or 5 wood instead of a 3 or 4 iron.
The 6 & 7 woods are excellent for hitting shots out of the rough into the green.


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## steph1 (21 Aug 2007)

RonanC said:


> where do you feel your game is letting you down? green? around the green? off the tee ??
> 
> I always seem to drop stupid shots around the green and I know with a little practice in this area i'd knock maybe 4 or 5 shots off my score. Some say that pitch and put is great for the short game.



Definitely agree with pitch and putt being good for the short game.
Before I took up 'the long game' I played pitch and putt for years and it has definitely stood to me especially around the greens.  Practice your chipping from different ranges into the green and try not to 3 putt lol


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## getoffthepot (21 Aug 2007)

This is the way I play and it will help to get your h'cap down. You may know all of this but I'll share it with you anyway !

1. You need to hit the ball straight off the tee. Use 3 wood on tight holes if driver is not consistent.
2. Eliminate 3 putts. Pace/speed is very important on greens. if you havent got time to practice putting before starting your round take putts for speed on the first few holes as you leave the green. You don't have to aim at the hole to do this.
3. Also take your punishment when you get in trouble. Get it out on the fairway and then put it on the green. (accept bogey and eliminate double bogey)
4. Be a good iron player - you should always be able to hit the green with 8 iron or less i.e. 8 - sw.
5. In general aim for the middle off the green especially with irons less than 9.
Don't aim at pins on left and right of green. if you miss a green on the right when the pin is on the right you are screwed. Always aim at 'centre of green' side of the pin.
Anywhere on the green is better than off the green !
6. There are certain holes where you accept bogey - like index 1 or some holes against the wind. Lay up with 2nd shot. Hit 5 or 6 iron or whatever puts you in the fairway to ensure you stay out of trouble. Then put 3rd on green (p wedge) and maybe get the putt for par but 2 putts is good and bogey is acceptable. You have so many holes where you can accept bogey !
7. Also when playing to the green it is usually better to hit the yardage that takes you to the centre of the green. Trouble is usually front and short. i.e bunkers. When deciding on club I ask myself if unsure between 6 or 7 iron. Will the 6 put me over the green? If not that's the club unless pin is very near front of green.

You have to think your way round - there is a lot more to it than just hitting goods shots. It's how good your bad shots are that counts ! (VIP) You don't have to hit it miles - the most important thing is to hit it straight, keep out of trouble, get it on the green and 2 putts or less.

There is a proper way to play every hole. Where is the best place to play your shot to the green from ?
This is where you target your drive or 2nd shots on par 5's.
As you play holes review whether you should have played it differently or where you should have aimed the previous shot.
Never ever give up. If you have had a bad start use the round for practice. It's a game of stamina as well, particularly on the last 6 holes.

Grind out your score.
It's the score that counts at the end of the day.

Also see the pro - get a good pro that you are happy with and go back to him. Better if there are mirrors in the bay where he teaches so you can see what he wants you to do. it takes 5 to 6 weeks for lessons to really kick in. You can go through the horrors. Go back to the pro if no change after 4 weeks and go back every 8 weeks if you want to improve.

end of round analysis:
Fairways hit ?
Greens in reg ?
total putts - 32 or less is acceptable
% up and down from of the green ?

Good Luck


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## KalEl (21 Aug 2007)

getoffthepot said:


> This is the way I play and it will help to get your h'cap down.2. Eliminate 3 putts. Pace/speed is very important on greens. if you havent got time to practice putting before starting your round take putts for speed on the first few holes as you leave the green. You don't have to aim at the hole to do this.


 
Hopefully not in strokeplay or stableford competitions as it isn't allowed!


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## ajapale (21 Aug 2007)

Moved from Good Deals,Bad Deals & Consumer Issues moved to *Letting Off Steam* which is the forum for "discussing current affairs, sports etc." LOS is restricted to Frequent Posters.


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## getoffthepot (21 Aug 2007)

KalEl said:


> Hopefully not in strokeplay or stableford competitions as it isn't allowed!



Check the rules - it is allowed.


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## KalEl (21 Aug 2007)

getoffthepot said:


> Check the rules - it is allowed.


 
Practice putting after you've holed out in medal play?
You can but not if it delays play...in most clubs it is frowned upon


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## getoffthepot (22 Aug 2007)

You can't practice putt is if you are playing in the first 18 of a 36 hole scratch cup. Otherwise it is allowed.

It shouldn't delay play if you are smart about it. 

Obviously you don't hold up the group behind so it is not always possible.


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