They say a bad workman always blames his tools, but as every golfer knows, this isn’t always true – which might explain the recent surge in popularity of using golf club fitting technology.
No matter your motivation, whether it’s to become a scratch golfer or just beating your buddies on a Sunday – it looks like the days of buying used golf clubs are gone.
Instead, using cutting-edge monitoring and analysis technology, master fitters can now tailor your golf clubs to suit your swing while also pinpointing areas where you can improve your game.
So, how does golf club fitting work?
No longer the preserve of PGA Tour pros, we’ll investigate how technology such as 3D imagining cameras, launch monitors, and virtual simulators are helping to change the game of golf one swing at a time.
Golf Swing Analysis Technology
Let’s kick start with the primary element of every golfer’s game – the golf swing.
Just like your fingerprints, every swing is unique, and whereas before, corrections and adjustments were made by watching video replays or having golf pros visually commenting from the sidelines. Nowadays, high-tech golf swing analysis equipment measures every swing metric you can imagine.
Technology like Wilson Fit AI can monitor 12,000 different swing points and provide a detailed analysis after only five swings. Here, advanced multi-camera systems and golf clubs’ sensors can instantaneously detect factors that include your club swing speed and angle of attack during every shot.
Using this data, the on-site experts can then calculate your ideal club length, weight, and flex to identify and create custom-fitted golf clubs that will enhance your game.
It won’t have you challenging Scottie Scheffler and his immense net worth on the PGA Tour anytime soon, but it could shave a number of strokes of your handicap.
3D Imaging Cameras
Often used in conjunction with golf swing analysis, the 3D imaging camera is perfect for detecting errors in your swing.
Throughout the process, cameras create a detailed digital model that provides biofeedback on your stance, backswing, downswing, position at impact, and shot follow-through.
Unlike simply watching an instant replay, 3D systems such as K-MOTION register a vast array of data points, which golf technicians use to correct any imperfections through suggested adjustments to improve your swing mechanics.
Not only can 3D imaging govern which custom golf club set suits your swing, but improving your stance, posture, and swing plane can enhance performance and reduce the risk of injury.
Launch Monitors
Of course, assessing your golf swing provides valuable insights; however, launch monitors are the preferred tool for evaluating how you connect with the ball at impact and beyond.
A variety of golf club fitting technologies can be used in launch monitor analysis, from high-speed image capture, through to Doppler radar and infrared sensors.
The purpose of a lunch monitor is to capture critical data related to the club speed, angle of attack, and the club face angle when connecting with the golf ball.
This ultimately determines the resulting ball speed, trajectory, and apex post-connection, indicating which custom-fit golf clubs would be the best fit but also highlighting opportunities to improve this element of your game.
Virtual Simulators
Frequently used by experts to tailor personalized golf equipment, virtual simulations visually demonstrate how your shot would have looked if you were out on the golf course.
Here, master fitters use virtual simulations to illustrate not only how far the ball would travel but also whether you’re hooking or slicing the ball after contact and whether you’ve landed on the fairway or the green.
Manufacturers love virtual simulation technology as they can provide visible evidence of how providing a tailor-made golf club can change a golfer’s game and ultimately lower their handicap.
Not just limited to custom golf club fitting outfits, virtual simulator packages such as Optishot Golf provide a fully immersive golfing experience at home.
They let you take on your buddies at some of the most famous courses in the world. Not only can you try and win money betting on the PGA Tour from the comfort of home, now you can take money off your friends too.
These virtual packages also allow you to practice and improve by utilizing golf mats, nets and monitors to give you constant feedback on your game.
In-House Putting Greens
Let’s face it: putters are different beasts when it comes to customizing your golf club bag.
Unlike irons, woods, and wedges, putting relies much more on that hard-to-define thing, fell. But, just like for other areas of your game, a customized putter is important.
Specialist golf manufacturers such as PXG provide on-site putting greens that demonstrate how different putter head designs and weights can boost your confidence on the greens, as well as your putting ability.
Combined with your other custom golf clubs, a customized putter based on the ideal club length, shaft, and putter head design can help finesse your game, turning those pars and bogies into birdies and eagles.