What if we could prove that custom fitting really could change a golfer’s game? That taking the time and effort to be measured, rather than pulling the nearest set of irons off the shop shelf, had a measurable and provable impact?
That’s what we set out to discover when we sent our club golf editor Steve Carroll on a fact-finding mission.
Steve was forever swapping clubs and mixing and matching his set. A new toy was never far away from his bag, but there was never any consistency to his game.
But what would happen if he received a full 14-club and ball fitting? Would his results be transformed?
Steve went to Titleist’s national fitting centre at St Ives where, last October, he was fit into the ultimate set – from the 718 irons to the Pro V1 ball.
He compiled stats for three months at the back end of last season prior to the fitting, and then did the same for the first three months of this campaign to see what the differences might be.
What were the results?
Titleist custom fitting: Steve’s final view
So does custom fitting really work? Well, I have to say it has been really beneficial to my game – even if my handicap hasn’t fallen as I might have hoped.
I went up half a shot overall, from 10.6 to 11.1, but 50% of that increase came in the last three weeks of the test when I hit a patch of poor form and was trying to push for a good result.
I must admit, I’ve found the process of having every shot in competition recorded a bit of a burden at times and it’s a pressure I’m looking forward to shedding.
I’ve also tried to force things if, for example, I’d gone through the first four holes without hitting a green in regulation.
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It will be interesting to see, now that the only numbers that will count are the ones on the scorecard at the end of a round, if I will relax through the rest of the season and let things take their course.
