Are your clubs really right for you?

THE best thing about custom fittings to my mind is being able to stand on the 1st tee knowing that every club is right for you.

However, over the life of a set of clubs, your swing changes and not many of us can afford to keep going back and getting newly fitted sticks.

If you want to regain that peace of mind – or simply see if your off-the-shelf set is working for you – head to your local Direct Golf store. The company are offering free equipment MOTs that assess how suitable your clubs are for your swing.

I went along to the brand’s Huddersfield branch. You start by warming up with a 7 iron while more is being found out about your game. As I was shanking away, Chris Lander took down notes and examined every piece of equipment in my bag to get a feel for my game.

I wanted to know if I should carry a driver or an extra wedge. Basically, I am not only incredibly scared of the driver and my 3 wood goes further anyway. So the main thing I wanted to find out was whether an extra wedge would tighten gaps at the bottom of my bag or the driver would be useful for when I am confident.
Simply put, I find it hard to see why anyone wouldn’t give this a go – you learn a lot about yourself, your clubs, your swing and it’s absolutely free. Several hits on the launch monitor revealed that not only am I one of the least consistent drivers of the ball in history, I also have a large gap between my pitching wedge and 54˚. Chris and I agreed that, because I can hit my 3 wood far enough, I should bench the driver and put a strong wedge in the satchel.

Chris then examined each club. I hit irons and wedges off a lie board to ensure they were correctly fitted and he measured my wrist-to-floor distance to check I had the correct lengths. He also made sure the head types I was using suited my launch conditions and my grips were the right size.

With the assessment complete, if they think your bag can’t be improved, they’ll simply say so.
My irons and wedges should be 0.5˚ flatter and 1/4” longer, while my grips could do with thickening up to stop me hooking the ball. You never know – your slice could be caused by grips that are too thick!

If it isn’t, your expert will make some observations on how to improve your swing, too, so it’s almost like having a mini lesson.

I find it hard to see why anyone wouldn’t give this a go – you learn a lot about yourself, your clubs, your swing and it’s absolutely free. What more could you ask for?