There’s a surprisingly long list of factors to consider when getting yourself a personal golf club. Along with your style of play, you also need to accurately determine your shaft flex, shaft length, grip size, and lie angle measurement.
This guide goes through everything you need to know on how to fit golf clubs, including the best way to get fitted and how much a professional fitting usually costs.
How to Fit Golf Clubs: A Comprehensive Step-by-Step Guide
Whether you’re a hobbyist or a seasoned golfer, using the right-fitted golf club is the key to your success. Fitted clubs increase your performance and skill. Along with being able to hit your irons straighter, your wedge game will significantly improve.
Here are five easy steps to get you started with golf club fitting!
Step 1: Get Your Basic Body Measurements
Golf clubs come in multiple shapes and sizes. In order to properly determine the club fitting length you need, you’ll first need to measure your height. Once you’ve recorded your height, measure the distance between your wrist and the ground.
For best results, ask a friend or a family member to help you with your measurements.
Step 2: Measure Your Shaft Flex and Grip
The next step to golf fitting is to find the shaft flex and grip most suited for you. You can do so by determining your golf swing speed based on your style of play. This is usually performed in front of a professional fitter, where they’ll guide you through all the basic information required to accurately measure your flex and grip.
Professional golf club fitters will have access to an electronic launch monitor and a radar machine, both of which have the capacity to measure and record your play speed.
The chart below will help determine your flex:
| Yards | Meters | Flex |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 180 | Less than 165 | Ladies Flex |
| 181-200 | 166-183 | Senior Flex |
| 200-235 | 184-215 | Regular Flex |
| 236-275 | 216-251 | Stiff Flex |
| 275+ | 252+ | Extra Stiff Flex |
Step 3: Test Out Several Golf Clubs
Now that you’ve got the measurements out of the way, let’s get to the fun part: testing out the clubs!
Custom club fitting is fairly expensive, which is why you should take your time and see how each golf club feels in your hands before investing in a new set. This step will also determine if the golf clubs you’re using are too long or too short.
If your clubs are too long, you’ll find it difficult to move your lower body while swinging. Moreover, the club’s shaft might feel increasingly weak. Other indicating factors include:
- The ball is constantly hitting the toe of the golf club
- The ball flies off too high and mostly to the left
- Your position is almost completely straight when swinging your golf club
On the other hand, if your clubs are too short, you might have difficulties with your tempo and swing. You’d also have to bend too much at the waist and on the knees, which can become increasingly annoying and painful after several hits. Plus, instead of the ball flying straight out, it might go to the right due to it hitting the club’s heel.
Testing out clubs also helps you get the right clubs for your loft. If your hits are flying higher than you’d like them to, you might want to go for a club with less loft. If it’s too low, consider getting a higher loft.
Step 4: Choose the Right Putter
The putter’s size, length, and design are incredibly important if you want to improve your game. The putter increases your overall accuracy and control, improves your speed, and prevents off-center shots and missed tendencies.
There are multiple putter head designs on the market today, including blade putters, peripheral weighted putters, and mallet putters. The putter you choose depends on your play style.
Step 5: Follow Your Gut
If the numbers contradict your play style, it’s better to go with what feels right. Golf club measurements aren’t always perfect.
Try various shots in multiple different distances and situations and see what works best for you. If the golf club you tried feels comfortable and easy in your grip but falls out of the “standard” measurements listed above, trust what your gut and experience say.
How Do You Measure Yourself for Golf Clubs?
There are two different ways to custom-fit a golf club: static fitting and dynamic fitting. Static fitting is the easiest and most commonly used, as it only consists of measuring your height from top to bottom and from wrist to bottom.
The length of the club is usually measured from the distance between your hands to the end of the grip cap. To accurately determine the right club for your height, measure your height from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet.
Use a sturdy straight-edge aluminum ruler, preferably 48 inches or longer. Then, measure your wrist-floor length from the beginning of your wrists to the ground. While doing so, get yourself into an athletic stance; keep your back and arms straight.
Dynamic fitting is a little bit more complicated. In this fitting method, you’ll need to measure your ball speed and spin rate, along with your dispersion and launch angle.
Compared to static fitting, dynamic fitting is much more reliable because the measurements taken are based on the player’s skill. All these factors are taken with the help of a launch monitor and a professional golf club fitter.
What Length of Golf Clubs Do I Need?
Finding the right golf club length is similar to shopping for jeans. It has to fit just right to be comfortable.
Once you’ve taken the two measurements above, you can now determine the club length required. You’ll then be able to go to a golf store and request a custom fitting.
Golf Club Length Chart
Follow the guidelines below to determine the club length best suited for you:
| Height | Wrist to Floor | Club Length |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 6’8” | Less than 42” | Add 2” |
| 6’6” – 6’8” | 41” to 42” | Add 1.5” |
| 6’4” – 6’6” | 40” – 41” | Add 1” |
| 6’2” – 6’4” | 38.5” – 40” | Add 0.5” |
| 6’1” – 6’2” | 37” – 38.5” | Add 0.25” |
| 5’7” – 6’1” | 34” – 37” | Standard length |
| 5’4” – 5’7” | 32” – 34” | Minus 0.25” |
| 5’2 – 5’4” | 29” – 34” | Minus 0.5” |
| 5’ – 5’2” | 27” – 29” | Minus 1” |
| 4’10”- 5’ | 25” – 27” | Minus 1.5” |
| Less than 4’10” | Less than 25” | Minus 2” |
Standard Length Explained
The “standard length” of a golf club depends on your gender and golf club type. For instance, if you’re a man who’s using a 7-iron steel golf club, the standard length is 37 inches. If it’s a 7-iron graphite golf club, it’ll be 37.5 inches. Therefore, if you’re a man who stands at 6 feet 4 inches and has a wrist-to-floor of 40 inches, add an additional inch to your golf club.
On the other hand, if you’re a woman using a 17-hybrid graphite golf club, the standard length is 39 inches. So, if you’re a woman who stands at 5 foot 4 inches and has a wrist-to-floor of 34 inches, you need to subtract a quarter of an inch from your golf club length.
GolfWorks created a detailed standard length guide that’s extremely useful for beginners and professionals alike.
What Is the Best Way to Get Fitted for Golf Clubs?
Golf club custom fitting used to only be available to professional golfers. But as personalized clubs become more and more popular, it has luckily become available for amateurs and hobbyists.
There are five ways to get fitted for golf clubs.
Professional Fitters
The first option is to go to professional club fitters who are specifically trained in the art of customizing golf clubs.
These professionals would often provide in-depth analysis and guidance, along with a full breakdown of your fitting results and suggested golf club brands and models.
Golf Retailers
Arguably the most popular and convenient way to get a custom fitting is to book an appointment in a golf retailer or golf superstores, including Callaway Golf, Fairway Golf USA, and Direct Golf.
These stores will have a ton of models for you to choose from and test. Some even allow golfers to try them out in a nearby golfing range.
Golf Clubs
Some golf clubs offer custom fitting depending on your subscription and the club’s facilities. This is one of the most convenient methods as you don’t have to search high and low for an independent fitter or a trusted golf retailer. Plus, all the required equipment is within arm’s reach. You also get to practice said golf club for however long you want, as long as the club allows it.
National Custom Fitting Centers
The fourth option is to get in touch with a national custom fitting center. These venues have every golf club brand and model imaginable, and the latest in launch monitor technology.
The only downside is that these centers often have a long waiting list, so if you want to have a golf club fitted ASAP, it’s best to contact them straight away.
Demo Days
Finally, you can also get a custom fitting on a demo day. These scheduled events give you the chance to try different golf clubs and equipment at your convenience. Golf club companies use demo days to demonstrate and advertise their latest equipment to golfers.
How Much Does It Cost to Get Fitted for Golf Clubs?
It depends on the channel. Some golf retailers provide free custom-fit services if you buy any of their products, while others, like Club Champion, ask for a fee between $80 to $350.
It also depends on what type of fitting you want. For instance, full bag fittings generally cost anywhere between $250 to $600. Driver, iron, and hybrid fittings, on the other hand, usually cost $50 to $200.
National custom fit centers may charge you for fitting, and reduce the cost of the equipment you purchase if you place an order.
Independent fitters may charge you a set fee per session, regardless of whether you purchase a club from them or not.
Final Thoughts
Custom fitting a golf club is often a long and tiring process. Along with finding the ideal custom fitter, you’ll also have to accurately determine the perfect shaft length and flex, and lie angle through your golf swing speed. Plus, being fitted by a trained professional can be quite expensive, costing several hundred dollars per session.
However, if you’re a serious golfer who’d like to improve your performance and skill, having a golf club custom fitting is something you should absolutely do. In the end, the effort and the price are worth it!
