After personally redesigning my web site, I did a google search to see who’s providing high end club fitting and club making in Greenwich, CT. While testing out SEO (Search Engine Optimization), I discovered that there are two Arizona based companies claiming to be the best club fitters and club makers in Greenwich, CT. They’ve also developed mini web pages for other cities and towns outside their fitting locations.
Now they may have fitting studios nearby, but their fitters are using software to fit you. Why software? Well, 10 years ago, the founder of both companies said in a seminar that he had to develop a fitting software to standardize his fittings. Why? Because when some customers had issues with their fitted clubs, the founder would ask, “who fit you for these poorly fitted clubs?”, and the customer would point down two fitting bays, and say”that guy!” It made sense for founder x to standardize fittings using software to make recommendation. But do you want to play top dollar to get fitted by software?
Let me provide you with a case study of why you don’t. I recently worked with an assistant of a top instructor (regularly featured on the Golf Channel). He had had an iron fitting at one of these AZ based companies CT studio. Even though he had 90 mph swing speed with his 6 iron, generating 120 mph ball speed, the fitter, using software, recommended KBS tour R shafts for his irons. He asked me to build a new set of irons (including SST Puring) to those specs. But I told him the shaft fitting recommendation made no sense – especially since his 6 iron spin rate was 6,500+ RPM – so we went through a shaft fitting. He saw the light, and is going with much stiffer, and more tip stiff shaft (KBS C-Taper shafts).
The bottom line, is that the founder of these companies is a great club fitter, but he cannot duplicate himself with software. If he could, OEM (original equipment manufacturers) would develop similar software and quickly drive him (and me for that matter) out of business.
So I advise anyone going for a fitting to seek the top fitters, those who have the analytical ability to both interpret ball and clubhead metrics, and most importantly have great listening skills (like an outstanding physician or PA). I also recommend having your clubs built or retrofitted where you have your fittings. This will facilitate solving any club issues.
I will never get rich doing all the fitting myself, and personally building every club I fit, but I’m rich in the satisfaction that the clubs have been properly fit and built. At the Greenwich Golf Fitting Studio, all clubs are fit and built by one person. If there are any issues, you only have one person to deal with afterwards — me!