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HCL Concord Golf
Fitting Guide
1. Introduction
2. Starting the Process
3. Standard Lengths - woods & irons
4. Irons & Wedges
5. Shaft Flexes - woods
6. Other Considerations - Woods
7. Lofts - woods
8. Women
9. Selection Summary - checklist
OR click here for our free club fitting recommendation
1. Introduction
Over the years we have worked with the LPGA, their teaching division, PGA pro's, the Senior Tour, for several companies as designers and consultants, and have built a large data base of information on proper fitting and proper club slection. Additionally we have spent many years custom fitting the public directly, by web correspondence, or at personal sessions with thousands of players at the practice ranges. We believe this information to be valuable to the player and share that knowledge with you as a free service.
The premise of this section is that you have a good idea of what your problems are and what areas of your set need attention.Our aim is to give you enough data to find your particular concerns and solve them.
The selection process is more than picking a model or style of club and the material it is made out of, but is also getting the details of length, loft and shaft flex correctly sorted out, along with head face height and face width, so square, firm contact with the ball can be made without having to strain against your equipment. With a little effort on your part, you should do this quite nicely. For those who already know what they need, we hope that some of our points are of interest anyway.
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2. Starting the Process
The first thing you want to do is relax and take your time. You may want to buy clubs at a discount, but a hasty decision could lead to a wrong outcome. The swings of golfers are as individual as their fingerprints. First scan this section and see what is important for you.You may also want to scan the Technology Tutorial section where additional detailed data is also given.
Remember, the golf swing is a dynamic event, and fitting cannot be a series of static choices, such as, the length is determined by how tall you are, etc. Or swing speed charts alone tell the whole story of shaft selection. Most of what passes for custom fitting does not recognize this fact. This sort of thing is wrong and leads to a waste of money.
If you have any problems, or find any points points unclear, just fill out our questionaire and we will do it for you. Be sure to enumerate your aims and difficulties in the comments portion so we have a better understanding of your needs.
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3. Standard Lengths - woods and irons
Should you select "standard", you will receive clubs made to the following lengths:-
Men - Irons
iron graphite steel
# 2 40.0" 39.5"
# 3 39.5" 39.0"
# 4 39.0" 38.5"
# 5 38.5" 38.0"
# 6 38.0" 37.5"
# 7 37.5" 37.0"
# 8 37.0" 36.5"
# 9 36.5" 36.0"
PW 36.5" 36.0"
SW 36.5" 36.0"
LW 36.5" 36.5"
- women's standard lengths are 1 inch shorter
Woods - graphite shafts only
Men women
Wood - driver 45" 44"
# 3 44" 43"
# 5 43" 42"
# 7 42" 41"
# 9 41" 40"
# 11 40" 39"
Selections longer and shorter may be made, in 1/2" increments.
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4. Irons & Wedges
Irons
- set configuation
- Today irons are made with much stronger lofts than in the past.
- Many have problems hitting long irons!
- For the low handicappers the recommended set is # 3 thru the PW.
- If they feel they cannot draw the ball as well as they want they should use more offset models.
- If they feel they their launch angle is low they should select models with less offset.
- In general low handicappers are better off with small offsets.
- Generally low handicappers will want steel shafts for control and less twist at impact. However,
some who are slower swingers but score well might want to use graphite shafts, especially
on their long clubs such as the 3 and 4 irons.
- For the high handicappers the recommended set is # 5 thru the PW.
- Some higher handicappers are strong but do not score well due to lack of play. They should
also consider steel shafts. However they should seriously consider using Hybrids for
their long clubs, 3, 4 and possibly the 5 iron for ease of use.
- The slower swingers can use steel shafts too, if the flex selected matches their swing. If,
however they have to use a 5 iron for 150 yard or less shots, the graphite shafts are
recommended.
- The slower swingers should substitute fairway woods in place of irons to gain ease of use and
distance. Or hybrid irons which will act similar to fairway woods when swung.
# 5 wood replaces a 2 iron
# 7 wood replaces a 3 iron
# 9 wood replaces a 4 iron
# 11 wood replaces a 5 iron
- The slower swinger should select iron heads with the most offset.
- Lengths:-
- Clubs are made longer today, both in steel and graphite shafts!
steel graphite
# 9 was 35.5", now 36.0" was 35.5", now 36.5"
# 8 was 36.0", now 36.5" was 36.0", now 37.0"
# 7 was 36.5", now 37.0" was 36.5", now 37.5"
etcetera
- Unless the player is exceptionally tall, longer than standard is not recommended!
- Less than standard should also be limited to just those who are very short.
- Shaft flex selection:-
- These are general guidlines, using a # 5 iron as the basis -
- If you hit your 5 iron - 190 yards or more XS (extra stiff )
180 to 190 yards S (stiff )
165 to 180 yards F ( firm )
140 to 165 yards R ( regular )
100 to 140 yards S ( senior )
Less than 100 yards L ( ladies )
Wedges
- All players should have at least 3 wedges!
- At an average, players miss the majority of greens in regulation. They need this many for
the various recovery shots faced.
- Low handicappers have the ability to open the face on a wedge to create more loft. Some
may choose to have a strong 46 or 47 deg. PW as part of their iron set; and a 52 deg. PW
as an intermediate distance club; and SW for sand and high finesse shots.
- High handicappers should have a 52 deg. PW; a 55 or 56 deg. SW, and a 60 LW. The
LW (lob wedge) can be used for high launch angles at very short distances, as well as
from the sand. In the sand they can be hit by aiming the face straight at the target, due
to their high loft.
- Any player can be well served by having all 4 wedges - many Tour players have all 4.
Bounce:-
- Our wedges have - 46, 47 deg. PW's - 4 to 6 deg. bounce
52 deg. PW's - 6 to 8 deg. bounce
56 deg. SW's - 12 to 14 deg. bounce
60 deg. LW's - 6 to 12 deg. bounce
- We find any of these work well for most people.
Lengths:-
- All wedges are offered at a standard 36.0" for steel shafts - 36.5" for graphite shafts.
They should be the same length as your 9 iron in any given iron set. If your irons
are longer or shorter than standard, you stiil match the wedges to the 9 iron.
Shaft flex selection:-
- From the irons' table above use the same flex as you would pick for your 5 iron.
- For those who hit their 5 iron less than 100 yards, graphite shafts are recommended.
- For those who hit their 5 iron less than 140 yards we recommend a grahite shaft for the
PWs, but steel shafts for the SW and LW.
- For the low handicappers we suggest that they use steel shafts on all their wedges
for control.
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5. Shaft Flexes - woods
In general, you should use the following table, illustrating various swing speeds and ball carry in the air, while using a driver:-
flex swing speed carry in yards
XS extra stiff > 105mph 260 +
S stiff 95 - 105 mph 235 - 260
F firm 90 - 100 mph 210 - 240
R regular 80 - 95 mph 180 - 210
S senior 70 - 80 mph 160 - 180
L ladies < 70 mph < 160
Swing speed alone is not sufficient to precisely determine the correct flex:-
- If you play once a month or less you should consider one lower stiffness value.
- If you have a very quick tempo you should consider one higher stiffness value.
- If you have a flat swing, more like a baseball plane, you should consider moving
up one stiffness value.
- If you have a very upright swing you should consider one lower stiffness value.
- If you are taking serious lessons and are improving your swing speed, you should
consider one stiffness value higher to match your eventual gain.
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6. Other Considerations - woods
- Due to the advent of graphite shafts, which are much lighter than steel shafts, standard lengths have increased by about one inch, or in the case of Ti alloys, two inches, over what they were just a few years back. The "standard" in the above table will fit most players rather well. It is tempting for some to make their woods longer than standard in the hope of gaining greater distance. In theory, an increase of driver length of another inch, say 45" to 46", may produce another 7 yards. However, the moment of inertia of the club increases correspondingly, and some players may find it difficult to square up the head at impact, as a result. Also, the shaft on a 1 inch more club necessarily becomes a little whippier, which is not good if you cannot control it. If you can adjust, then it will add to your distance. We do not recommend drivers longer than 45".
- Height charts are not included for length selection. They fail to take into account the player's address position, posture and the other parameters that determine proper club length. Additionally there are tall people with long arms. Standard lengths may be perfectly fine for that player. And short players with short arms who are well fitted with clubs longer standard lengths. You probably have enough experience already that you know what range you belong in. Since the graphite shafted clubs are already an inch longer than the past, we find that the "standard" lengths of today are good for most players, and generally not too short for the tall player.
- In the sketch below, we see a player with good posture, at the point of impact with the ball:-
- His chin is not too far forward towards the ball. The sternum is over his toes. His rear is above his heels. His arms are in a natural extension, hanging freely from his shoulders. His knees are slightly flexed, not straight up and down or in a squat position. His back is flat. He started with good posture at address and arrived at the same overall position at impact. All fitting starts with good address position and good posture!
- For all clubs, it is not the distance off the ground your wrists happen to be that is important. It is the length of club you need that yields you good posture. As you assume good posture, if you have to flatten your wrists to be almost parallel with the shaft in order to reach the ground, then the club is too short. Likewise, if the toe of the club is off the ground at address, then the club is too long. This is what makes iron fitting so difficult. You really need a good observer to watch you, as you try to assume a good position of address, so you can be sure you are properly measuring. As soon as you decide to lengthen or reduce a club from standard, you are simutaneously changing the lie angle you need from standard. For the slicers, very often slightly more upright clubs are actually a help. The heel of the iron will tend to hit the ground and help to pull the ball to the left.
-Fortunately, the bulk of the population tends to do very well with standard lengths and standard lies, because the lengths of all clubs today are longer than before, while the lies are about the same.
-The first question is whether or not the club is too short. You probably own clubs and already know that answer. Again, with the longer lengths of today, most people fit nicely into standard lengths. You can check this rather easily on your own. Take a driver and stand in front of a mirror. Assume an address like the image above, but keep the club about a foot off the floor. Slowly rotate your wrists until the clubhead touches the floor. Hold your posture throughout. Don't lean over towards the ball. If the angle formed is similar to the one above and your wrists are not too flattened, you know the club is not too short. Too short a club can be deadly. You may find yourself leaning over towards the ball, somewhat out of balance. From that position it is very difficult to accelerate the club to a maximum. It is also very difficult to make an on line swing that brings the club to a square position, so that the ball and the cm of the club head are in line. Failure to strike the ball in the face center, in line with the head cm, reduces the effective mass from the clubhead. You lose both distance as well as accuracy.
- If you have a slicing problem with the driver, select a model with a face width
of 100 mm's or less.
- It will have less inertial drag and you will more readily turn the toe of the club square
to the ball at impact.
- If you fight a hook with a driver then select a wide face club of more than 100mm's.
- The inertial drag of the wide head will retard the toe for strraighter shots.
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7. Lofts - woods
- If you have trouble getting the ball on a high enough launch angle with your driver, you would generally want to consider the clubs with the higher lofts, generally speaking. Stainless steel heads tend to yield a little lower ball flight than the Ti alloys.
- There is a tendency for players to choose lofts that are too strong for them. If you are above a 12 handicap, or cannot play any more than once a week, it is not prudent to use strong lofts. Low lofted clubs tend to slice more. It is much better to loft the ball without strain onto the fairway . Your average drive will be much better. Square contact and accuracy will be better. Yes, you might lose 5 yards on your best drive of the month, but forgiving lofts will soon translate into lower scores.
Our driver general recommendations are:-
- 8 deg. - For players who carry the ball from 235 yards and up
-10 deg, For players who carry the ball from 190 yards and up.
- 12 deg. For players who carry the ball 160 to 180 yards.
- 14 deg. For players who carry the ball less than 160 yards.
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8. Women
The ladies should be fit just as you fit men, without regard to gender. There are many strong, tall, and athletic women today who can readily use so called "men's" clubs. If it so happens that the particular lady in question just fits into the parameters of "ladies" shafts, then that is what you select. The shafts themselves are necessary for a segment of the population. The label is given to us by tradition and we are forced to use it, regrettably.
It is also a pejorative to many men who may be slow swing speed players and should be selecting these shafts for a proper fit.
For example, if the woman in question has a swing speed of close to 80mph, then a senior flex is chosen. Or, if the swing speed is a little higher, then a regular flex is chosen. And so on.
Head selection is done without respect to gender. If the woman has a slicing problem, then an offset head of the proper loft is the proper pick, irrespective of the fact that it is not labeled as a "ladies head".
Or, if getting a higher ball flight is desired, a higher lofted head is selected at 11 deg. or more, depending on the need. We can imagine a lady with a very low swing speed who has trouble getting the ball airborne with her driver. Here you would select a "ladies" shaft flex (it fits her swing speed) and, say, a 14 deg. driver head. Since her swing speed is low, she has a problem squaring up the head at contact with the ball. Here a slightly shorter shaft length of 42.5 or 42.0 inches would best serve her.
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OR let us give you a fitting reccomendation!
9. Selection Summary - checklist
- Since you are custom fitting yourself in this section, only you know the problems
you are having, and what your are trying to accomplish. These could be:-
- You want more distance from your driver.
- You are slicing your woods and long irons.
- You want more distance from all your clubs, irons and woods.
- You need recovery clubs - wedges - around the greens.
- You want to draw the ball.
- You want to fade the ball.
- You want to hit lower or higher shots.
- You want better accuracy.
- You need something to ease your long iron difficulties.
If you have those aims clear then material above in this section will greatly aid
you in selecting the right shaft, the right lofts, the right offsets, the general specs. of
the right heads, and the proper length for each club.
You will then have to go to the specific product page - woods, irons/hybrids, wedges -
to find the model that fits in the specs. you have developed.
Putters
You simply pick the model you want that best fits your eye. Then select a length that is comfortable. Length is something you must sort out yourself. Only you can figure out the posture you need to put your eyes directly above the ball, in line with the path you have selected to the hole. This determines the length. An easy way of doing that is to take a 36 inch ruler and experiment. See where the butt of the top hand is when you settle into a comfortable position. This will determine your length. If you are going to err, then err a little on the long side. You can always choke down on the club in practice if it is a hair too long. Lie angle should not be a problem since the sole of these putters are reasonably arced from heel to toe to accomodate most people.
All of the putters are "milled face" to ensure that you are striking the ball with a genuinely flat surface. The golf courses are designed for Par 72 mainly, with 36 swings and 36 putts contemplated. Since putting is half the game, a proper striking surface is very important to scoring.
- Problems?
We recognize that this fitting process is not the easiest thing to do. If you have any doubts or confusion, please send us an e- mail to hcl@hclconcord.meridian1.net describing the difficulty. We will get right back to you.
OR let us give you a fitting recommendation!
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