The quest to prove Winston Churchill wrong (or was it Woodrow Wilson?) – namely, that golf’s “implements” are “singularly ill-designed for the purpose” – is nearly as old as the sentiment itself. But thanks to the modern-day clubfitter, that search, once a purely artisanal guessing game, is now a science-powered technological force that offers the most hope for golf’s future. Nothing helps your game as instantaneously as properly fit clubs.
International clubfitting powerhouse Club Champion’s research shows its customers drop an average of nearly four strokes after a fitting. And yet a recent study by Golf Datatech reveals that even among serious golfers, a third have never been fit for their clubs. (For all golfers, that number is decidedly higher.) The common objection: “I’m not good enough.” To that, we politely say, “Child, please,” or as one of our clubfitting experts reminds us, “You’re not good enough not to get fit.”
So we offer 50 Great Australian Clubfitters as inspiration to change your perspective. These facilities represent the range of fitting experiences, from national chain stores to high-tech golf studios that can optimise every element of your game. What follows is some of their best general clubfitting advice. Once you’re inspired, check our list to find the location ready to give a whole
new purpose to your implements.
i’m not good enough to be fit, right? how can you fit my inconsistent swing?
I love this question! My first response is, how do you know it’s not the equipment that’s causing the inconsistency? By that logic, the pros should never guide a ball into the trees, hit one short of the green or even miss a four-footer. But they do. A fitting is not based on one shot, it’s an average of shots. A good fitter can differentiate among good and bad shots to ensure you get the right specifications for new sticks.
if i got fit for my driver a year ago, is there any reason to get fit for another new driver this year? what if i was fit three years ago? five years ago?
Get fit when you feel like you’re not getting the most out of your equipment. If that’s a year, then, yes, get fit, but more likely it’s going to be every three to five years. Sometimes you don’t feel like you’re getting everything from your clubs, but you really are. A fitting will confirm that, and you can have the confidence that you’re playing your best. That said, during a three-week period last year, we tested every piece of new 2018 equipment with 20 golfers of different handicaps, most of whom had recently been fit. We found that in each category – driver, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters – there was always one piece of new gear that provided an improvement over a golfer’s existing equipment.
i know my specs, know what i like. what is a fitter going to tell me that i don’t already know?
A lot! First of all, are you aware that your “specs” might not apply to the clubs you’re looking to purchase? Specs aren’t the same from brand to brand, or even within the same manufacturer. I can show any golfer within a few minutes whether their specs match the clubs they want to buy. Even if you think you know what you like, chances are you haven’t tried everything. Trust me. There are so many models and aftermarket shafts that might work better for your game.
why wouldn’t i choose the driver that produced the single longest hit of all the ones i tried?
Golf is not a home-run sport. The best driver for you might not be the longest. Example: driver A’s longest hit is 280, but the average drive is 250. Driver B’s longest is 270, but the average is 260. I’ll give you Driver B all day. Pay attention to the dispersion, too. Launch monitors show you distance plus how far off line your shots fly. Drives that land in a fairway consistently roll farther and make the game easier. But be careful: a launch monitor sometimes gives the same roll to the shots that go straight and the ones that fly 40 metres off line and most likely out-of-bounds.
launch monitors are now used in iron fittings. what numbers matter?
Start with ball speed, launch angle and spin rate. Then look at landing angle, launch direction and spin axis. The first three are the key to fitting full-swing clubs. A player who can optimise those will maximise distance and control. Among the next three, landing angle reveals a player’s ability to stop the ball on the green. If that angle drops below 40 degrees, shots won’t hold the green, especially if you’re going for a tucked pin. Launch direction and spin axis offer accuracy clues. Too much draw or hook means distance consistency will suffer. Distance is great, but control is how you score.
how do you know if my swings at the end of a fitting session are the same as the ones at the beginning?
Most people, including the pros, vary from swing to swing, at least a little. When we collect the data in a fitting, we look at the averages of all your swings. If you make a great swing and flush it once or twice, those might be the shots that you remember, but we don’t want to build your clubs around outliers. We want the clubs you receive from a fitting to give you playable results for your less-than-perfect swings as well.
is the driver the most important club in the bag to get fit for?
Driver is one of the most important, but we believe more people should get fitted for putters and wedges. Whether it’s understanding wedge gapping or knowing that different hosels match different putting strokes, the short game is the quickest way amateurs can shave strokes.
what are the keys to knowing one shaft is better for me than another?
There is no universally magic shaft that makes all drives go farther. But there might be a shaft that’s magical for you. When you find a shaft in the fitting that helps you produce a much more consistent and tighter impact location, that’s the one! Shaft to shaft, we don’t find a lot of variation in swing speed. But we do see a great deal of differences in terms of impact patterns on the face. Once you start making more consistent contact, it’s amazing how launch dynamics and results improve.
Where to go to get fit
Our list of 50 great australian clubfitters is the result of detailed polling of industry sources (including equipment manufacturers) and our nearly 200-member course-ratings panel. We also considered submissions and reader recommendations of the hundreds of facilities (shops, fitting studios, golf courses, practice ranges, teaching academies). If you can’t find the right fit here, you’re not looking hard enough!
Australian Capital Territory
Mike Seres
Pete’s Golf Connection, ACT
(02) 6232 6611
New South Wales
Lee Hunt
Bankstown GC, NSW
(02) 9773 0628
Graeme Stockley
Belmont Golf Club, NSW
(02) 4945 2058
Shane Wieck
Canterbury Golf Course, NSW
(02) 9759 5444
Matthew Allen
Coffs Harbour Golf Club, NSW
(02) 6652 3266
Mark Alison
Concord Golf Club, NSW
(02) 9743 6111
Darren Chivas
Everglades Country Club, NSW
(02) 4341 3399
Jason Laws
Jason Laws Academy, NSW
(02) 4928 1664
Bobby Walia
Moore Park Golf Course, NSW
(02) 9662 5109
Nick Odze
Power Golf-Castle Hill, NSW
(02) 9634 1477
Ray Hawkins
Precision Golf, NSW
(02) 9417 7704
Glenn Whittle
Tempe Driving Range, NSW
(02) 9559 1162
Simon Deep
Terrey Hills Driving Range, NSW
(02) 9450 2155
Josh Rindfleish
The Australian Golf Club, NSW
(02) 9663 2515
Dan Goodes
The Ridge Golf Complex, NSW
(02) 9541 4960
Steve Aisbett
Thornleigh Golf Centre, NSW
(02) 9875 5445
Northern Territory
Stephen Tieck
Alice Springs Golf Club, NT
(08) 8952 6575
Queensland
Lee Eagleton
Brisbane Golf Club, QLD
(07) 3848 1008
Zane Navie
Cool Clubs, QLD
0478 913 929
Craig Parker
Indooroopilly Golf Club, QLD
(07) 3721 2122
Jeff Reid
Mackay Golf Club, QLD
(07) 4942 1521
Sean Seymour
Maroochy River Golf Club, QLD
(07) 5457 0900
Peter Harrington
Palm Meadows Driving Range, QLD
(07) 5594 2666
Chris Gibson
Royal Queensland Golf Club, QLD
(07) 3633 6500
Shane Revell
The House of Golf Bundall, QLD
(07) 5538 2699
Tim Lynch
Victoria Park Golf Complex, QLD
(07) 3252 0666
South Australia
Shane Robinson
Glenelg Golf Club, SA
(08) 8350 3200
Cameron Howell
Royal Adelaide Golf Club, SA
(08) 8356 8508
Warren Mercer
The Grange Golf Club, SA
(08) 8356 3070
Chris West
The Range at O’Halloran Hill, SA
(08) 8358 3444
Tasmania
Matt Docking
Royal Hobart Golf Club, TAS
(03) 6248 6161
Aiden Withers
Seabrook Golf Club, TAS
(03) 6442 2173
Victoria
Bryan Ferguson
Albert Park Driving Range, VIC
(03) 9696 4653
Ashley Andrews
Barwon Heads Golf Club, VIC
(03) 5255 6255
Andrew Long
Black Bull Golf Course, VIC
(03) 5744 0044
Mark Auhl
Cranbourne Golf Club, VIC
(03) 5991 3400
Warren Young
Centenary Park Golf Course, VIC
(03) 9789 1480
Matthew Tudor
Golf Fitting Hub, VIC
(03) 9510 5588
Mark Jackson
Melton Valley Golf Club, VIC
(03) 9743 2590
Brian Fitzgerald
Morack Golf Course, VIC
(03) 9801 4479
Alan Patterson
Patterson River Golf Club,VIC
(03) 9772 1972
Euan Walters
Riversdale Golf Club, VIC
(03) 9807 1411
Matt Bolton
Rosebud Country Club, VIC
(03) 5950 0888
Scott Barradell
The Eastern Golf Course, VIC
(03) 9739 0110
Craig Bonney
Warrnambool Golf Club, VIC
(03) 5562 8528
Western Australia
Rob Farley
Marangaroo Golf Course, WA
(08) 9247 1733
Vernon Sexton-Finck
Perth Golf Academy, WA
(08) 9332 7497
Brad Logan
Royal Perth Golf Club, WA
(08) 6436 4900
Tristan McCallum
Seaview Golf Course, WA
(08) 9384 8879
Mark Patriarca
Wembley Golf Complex, WA
(08) 6280 1300
*Australian Golf Digest approached Titleist (Australia/NZ) but they declined to participate in the feature, while TaylorMade Golf South Pacific did not respond to our requests at time of print.
