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Properly fitted clubs allow for better play
CHOOSING THE CORRECT
golf club can
be difficult and costly, and often, players
purchase equipment that never delivers
the results the player is after.
As a consequence, two things
inevitably occur. Either the player
continues to needlessly purchase more
equipment that doesn’t work any better
than their previous clubs, or they
continue to struggle with poorly-fitted
equipment and stays frustrated for an
extended period of time.
Equipment referrals from friends
rarely pan out. Ad campaigns promising
longer and straighter drives lure players
in, only to leave them with equipment
that, at best, works well some of the
time. It’s like buying new shoes year
after year without being properly fit by a
knowledgeable salesperson as to size
and comfort. Eventually a player might
hit on a pair that fits, but this is more
luck than anything else.
All correctly fitted equipment shares
common characteristics. Lies, lengths
and lofts are correctly spaced
throughout the set and are appropriate
for the player being fitted. Shaft weight
is correctly staggered throughout the set
and calibrated for the player as well. In
fact, shaft weight is arguably the most
important component of a properly fit
set of clubs. It is the weight of the shaft
that determines the weight of the club
more so than the weight of the head, as
most iron heads are very similar in
weight.
A properly constructed set of clubs
should have five different shaft weights:
driver, fairway, hybrid, irons and
wedges. The longest club, the driver, has
the lightest shaft, while the shortest
wedge has the heaviest. Fairway wood
shafts should be heavier than the driver
shaft and hybrid shafts heavier than the
fairway woods. Iron shafts should be
heavier than the hybrid shafts while the
wedge shafts are heavier still.
Here is a good example of a properly
staggered set:
• Driver shaft: 62 grams
• Fairway shaft: 72 grams
• Hybrid shaft: 85 grams
• Iron shafts: 100 grams
• Wedge shafts: 120 grams
Regardless of the model or
manufacturer of the equipment, if the
shaft weights are not properly staggered,
surely there will be problems on the golf
course with some or all of your clubs.
Because most players purchase woods,
hybrids and wedges separately, they
unknowingly purchase clubs that have
shafts that are either too light or too
heavy as they relate to the rest of the set.
So, check your set. If the driver has a
70-gram shaft and the 3-wood has a
60-gram shaft, chances are one of them
doesn’t work for you, if not both.
For more information on getting your
full set checked or to get properly fitted
for your swing, call Club Champion
at 630-654-8887 or visit online at
www.clubchampiongolf.com.
—Joseph Jung
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