Published in: Features | Game Improvement | Golf Equipment |
31 October, 2007 | By Lee McLaughlan

With thanks to Cleveland Golf and The Belfry's Jon Watts

I could hit the ball, so why waste all that time and money to fix something that you don't consider broke?

Having hacked away with 'off the shelf' clubs for years I was about to be taught the error of my ways - and how custom fitting with the likes of PING, Titleist and Cleveland is the true path to golfing heaven. And brothers and sisters of this parish I can only urge you to see the light and get in on the act.

No professional golfer worth his salt would walk out on the course with a set of clubs straight off the shelf - so why should we. OK, we're not paid to endorse clubs, but the myth that custom fitting will cost the earth is not the case at all and is certainly far cheaper than buying a club you think will truly enhance your game.

Despite this, up and down the country thousands of amateurs are hitting the fairways with off the shelf clubs - like yours truly. In my own blinkered world, I could hit the ball, so why waste all that time and money to fix something that you don't consider broke. Well, that tune has certainly been changed after fitting for just one club - a driver - let alone the whole lot.

My now ex-driver, which was indeed bought off the shelf following a couple of swishes and because the price was right, hardly ever sees the light of day when it's in my bag because, in all honesty, it fails to instil any faith in the shot I'm about to play.

While it could and should be the most potent weapon in my bag, it is predominantly as useful as a chocolate teapot and consequently a confidence-sapping piece of equipment. But that isn't how it should be and it has taken just one hour in a state-of-the-art custom fit centre at PGA National Academy at the Belfry to correct that and ensure that when the driver next comes out it will do exactly what is says on the tin. And this was how it happened.

After a few looseners with my mid-irons - a warm up is must - it was down to business with PGA professional and custom fit specialist Jon Watts. Thrust into my sweaty palm, the nerves and adrenaline were truly flowing, was a driver with a 10.5 degree loft (the same as the one in my bag).

It had a standard grip and was fitted with a regular shaft as at this point Jon knew nothing about my swing. The process was well and truly under way and with each passing tee shot the appliance of science was coming to the fore with the aid of the very latest technology.

Each ball was teed up in front of a launch monitor, which with each passing swing computed a whole host of readings. The key ones here that would decide the inch-perfect measurements of the club to suit me were launch angle, swing speed, ball speed, as well as both back spin and side spin rate. A whole host of other readings litter the screen, including carry distance, but while these may help they are less key to the analysis.

Not so much a slice but a giant arc that if performed by Tiger Woods would have resulted in the ball landing on the M6

Before I hit a ball a label was put on the face of the club. Over the next eight shots the relevance of this became evident with each thwack of the ball leaving an imprint, which would explain why the majority of my strikes started straight and then veered with some magnitude to the right and well off target.

The imprint indicated that I was striking the ball from the heel of the club, and although the shots were positioned at a good height on the face, they were well away from the 'sweet spot', which according to Jon is no bigger than a pin prick and when the infamous MOI (moment of inertia) kicks in. With the face analysed it was on to the figures I'd generated.

Launch angle: I had an average of around 11 degrees, with only the odd one meeting the ideal average of between 13 and 16. The science of this is the ball doesn't gain enough height so will come down a lot quicker and thus not travel as far - as was blatantly evident when watching the ball. The solution is to increase the loft of the club.

Swing speed: I was generating an average speed of 86mph. From that it was deduced a regular shaft suited both the speed and style of my swing. As was explained, it's down to the torque or flexibility in the shaft. The faster your swing the less flexibility you need in the shaft, while the slower your swing the reverse is opposite. The torque on mine was 3.8, while someone like Tiger Woods would need a stiffer shaft, maybe as low as 1 or 1.5 as a result of the speed he generates when he swings. The importance of this is to give greater control and consequently greater consistency with each shot.

Ball speed: This was zipping at 123mph - however the pros can generate this up to 160mph. The key to ball speed is the gap it creates with your swing speed, which is around 50mph for professionals and perfection would be 55mph. Mine was 37mph, but by increasing this you should add distance to your shots. The right shaft and loft should start to achieve that. Then it's down to practice!

Back spin: My average was high at 3,700 and should ideally be around the 3,000 mark for an effective ball flight. Mine was going off the scale because of the huge slice (see below).

Side spin: Not so much a slice but a giant arc that if performed by Tiger Woods would have resulted in the ball landing on the M6 - according to my custom fit expert! This reading was coming in at an average of 1600 - way too high - and was not helped by the fact I was already hitting it right off the tee. The reason for the spin was all down to the fact the ball was being hit off the heel. A driver where you can affect the weighting is perfect to iron out slicing or hooking.

The slice also affected the distance of the ball which, for a driver, was only travelling a disappointing 180-odd yards on average.

So at the end of this first stage the conclusions were simple. The graphite shaft had the perfect flexibility but the club head needed more loft, to increase the launch angle, increase distance, reduce side spin and increase the gap between the speed measurements.

In less than hour, my driving had gone from wayward to wahey!

For the next set of balls I teed off with a club head of 11.5 degrees. The difference was instantly noticeable from the first shot as not only did the ball rise higher, the previous slice was now down to a sliver. Fairway heaven. Each shot was noticeably better, and although the ball was still not being hit off the centre of the club, it wasn't off the heel. For me to hit the sweet spot the answer was to shorten the shaft by half an inch, which would be done when it was being built for my specifications.

As for the figures, swing speed remained constant but ball speed had increased to push it past the 40mph gap. Launch angle was now a more steady and acceptable 14 degrees. Back spin had come down to nearer the 3,000 mark as a result of drastically reducing side spin in half. The ball was also not going right off the tee and carrying an average of 200-yards before hitting the ground.

In less than hour, my driving had gone from wayward to wahey and certainly increased my confidence in using my driver more. For those who think they know it all, think again. Custom fitting is very much the essence of great golf.

With thanks to Cleveland Golf and The Belfry's Jon Watts. To get custom fit at the PGA National Academy, call 01675 470 301.