Custom fitting is fast becoming an essential part of improving your golf equipment - helping you to play the best you can.  People come in all different shapes and sizes, so why are the golf clubs we buy built “standard”?  It is unlikely that we will all suit a standard set of golf clubs.  At the All Golf Swing Centre, with the help of the Vector Pro launch system, I can provide you with in-depth details of the best equipment to suit your swing.

The Vector Pro launch system is trusted by major golf equipment manufacturers for research and development purposes as well as for fitting tour professionals.  It works by accurately reading data from just a few of your golf shots.  It takes two pictures of the ball leaving the clubface recording ball speed, launch angle, back spin, side spin and side angle (push/pull).  Vector Pro uses the best flight

model in the industry to depict accurate ball flight for both indoor and outdoor environments.                      

Drivers:

Which one suits your swing the best?  The longest club in the bag and for many, the one that provides most satisfaction when hit correctly. Gone are the days when you would see the ball soar out low from the driver and then climb into the air at the end of its flight. This has been proven by all manufacturers to be the least effective way to penetrate a ball from the tee. Nowadays you want to get the ball in the air much quicker with the correct back spin to suit your club head speed. This gives you a longer carry and more run, resulting in more distance. The initial launch height can be controlled by the loft of the club, with the total height and spin being controlled by the shaft. With the aid of the Vector Pro,  I can work out:- your optimal launch angle (determines the trajectory and carry distance), back spin rate (determines how efficiently the ball flies and how far it runs) and club head speed (determines which shaft flex suits you).  With this information, together with my own knowledge, I can work out what driver spec suits you the best.

Irons:

As with the driver, your irons need the correct lofts and shaft flexes, but more importantly, the correct lie.  The lie of a golf club is one of the major factors which customises your irons to your swing.  The lie is the angle that the shaft comes out of the head and can affect the flight and direction of the golf ball, despite you making a perfect swing.  If the lie of a golf club is too flat for you, when you make a swing and contact the ground the toe of the club will dig in at impact, allowing the heel to overtake and force the blade to open causing the ball to fade, slice or push straight right (vice versa for a club that is too upright).  At the All Golf Swing Centre I can take some measurements and do tests that determine if your current set of irons need altered.  If they do, then I have a well-equipped repair centre where I can do most alterations for you.  Alternatively, if you are looking to get a new set of irons, I can use the data to establish your correct spec, ensuring your new clubs will suit your individual swing.

Wedges:

Wedges need a different approach when custom fitting, mainly because their role in the game is slightly different.  Wedges are more finesse clubs; they aren’t designed to hit the ball far.  To get the right wedge for your swing you need to take into consideration the angle of attack of the swing and the ground condition of the course you are playing.  The correct wedge will need to have the right bounce. ‘Bounce’ is the curve on the sole of the club and determines the strike of the shot in hand.  Lets say you are playing a links course in the middle of summer when the ground condition is very hard.  If you had a wedge with a lot of bounce (more curve on the sole), the leading edge wouldn’t get under the ball and as a result, you would probably thin the shot. However, if you are playing a course with a lot of sand in the bunkers, you may want a wedge with more bounce to stop the wedge digging into the sand.

Putters:

Putters are the most used clubs in the bag but probably receive the least amount of attention when it comes to getting one custom-fitted!  I am a strong believer that the putter you like the look of is very personal and will give you more confidence when you putt with it.  Whatever shape you choose, there are three points you need to consider when selecting a putter.  First of all is the length  - broom handle, belly or conventional.  Secondly, you should consider the lie of the putter - very similar to the lie of irons detailed above, but in addition, if the putter doesn’t sit correctly then you will raise the sweet spot and find it hard to get a consistent strike and roll.  Finally, whether the putter is face-balanced or toe down.  A face-balanced putter will tend to stay square through the stroke which is better for players who rock their shoulders rather than an “in-to-square-to-in” stroke (hinged door stroke).  To find out whether your putter is face-balanced, lay your putter across your finger about 8 inches from the head.  You should see that the face of the club points to the sky.  If the toe of the putter points to the ground, it is not face-balanced.  These putter characteristics need to be matched to your individual stroke, thus highlighting the importance of custom-fitting your putter.

Custom Ball Fitting:

Golf balls perform differently for every golfer.  They play different roles between drivers, irons, wedges and putters. There is no such thing as a perfect golf ball because each part of the game demands different outcomes. In general you want less spin with the driver, more spin with the irons and wedges and soft feel with the putter. If you read the back of most golf ball packs they all say that they do the above. So which ball is right for you? 

The correct golf ball for you will depend on how fast you swing, how much spin you create and whether you want more distance off the tee or more feel around the green. If you’re looking for more spin with your wedges or softer feel around the green then I can guarantee the ball for you will not be the longest on the market . The opposite will apply to the longest ball on the market - it will not stop on the greens as quickly. In order for you to get good feel and good distance, you will have to make a compromise somewhere.  You can get a ball that does both reasonably well and using the Vector Pro launch system to gather specific golf ball performance data, I can recommend the optimal ball for your individual swing. At the All Golf Swing Centre I have a variety of top brand golf balls for you to try onsite.