If you’re planning to invest $1,000 or more in a new set of irons, undergoing a professional club fitting is not just recommended—it’s essential. This Golf Club Fitting Guide aims to provide a comprehensive overview of what to expect during an iron fitting session, covering both the fundamental aspects and the more nuanced details that a Master Trackman Fitter considers.
Iron Fitting 101
The foundation of any effective iron fitting process rests on four key elements. These are basic criteria that any competent fitter, whether at a sporting goods store or a golf club professional, should address:
Clubhead Type
The spectrum of iron clubheads ranges from traditional muscle back blades to ultra-forgiving game improvement models. The majority of golfers, around 95% in my experience, find their ideal match somewhere along this spectrum. Several factors are crucial when selecting a clubhead, including forgiveness, workability, launch angle, spin rate, loft, center of gravity (CG), and offset. Each manufacturer employs unique design philosophies across their club lines to cater to different ball-striking tendencies. Choosing clubheads that are mismatched to your swing mechanics can significantly increase the difficulty of the game.
Aesthetic preference is also a valid consideration. Don’t let a fitter dismiss the visual aspect. If you are not comfortable with the look of the clubhead, it’s unlikely to be the right fit for you.
For a deeper dive into the characteristics of different iron sets, refer to these reviews:
Shaft Type
The discussion around iron shafts has evolved beyond a simple steel versus graphite debate. Today, the focus is more on optimizing launch conditions, personal weight preferences, and feel. In recent fittings, I’ve successfully fitted one player with 110-gram graphite shafts and, just days later, another with 80-gram steel shafts, highlighting the personalized nature of shaft selection.
The shaft acts as the transmission of your golf swing, channeling your power to the golf ball. An improperly fitted shaft will lead to losses in power, accuracy, and consistency. Choosing the right shaft is a critical part of the fitting process. It significantly influences the feel of your irons, as well as the launch, spin, landing angle, and overall distance of your shots.
It’s also important to note that shaft flex designations lack standardization across the golf industry. A “stiff” shaft from one manufacturer may be equivalent to a “regular” shaft from another. This lack of uniformity underscores the importance of not making assumptions based solely on swing speed charts. The nuances are significant, which is why consulting with a qualified club fitter is highly recommended. Achieving the correct shaft weight, flex, and bend profile is paramount for optimal performance.
Lie Angle
Lie angle is a critical specification that must be accurately determined during an iron fitting. An incorrect lie angle can severely compromise accuracy and make hitting greens in regulation significantly more challenging.
Traditionally, lie angle assessment involved analyzing divot patterns or using sole tape and a lie board to identify strike points as centered, toe-down, or heel-down. Modern fitting techniques increasingly rely on tracking the strike point on the clubface and analyzing dispersion patterns. Advanced launch monitors, like the Foresight GCQuad, can even directly measure the “delivered lie angle” at impact.
Aaron Dill, Titleist’s PGA Tour representative for Vokey wedges, famously stated that “lie boards lie,” emphasizing their potential to mislead.
Consider this example: I fitted a low-handicap player whose primary miss was to the left. Using a lie board, his strikes indicated a “toe-down” contact, suggesting a need for MORE upright clubs. However, upright clubs tend to exacerbate leftward misses. Bending his clubs more upright might have produced cleaner divots on the lie board but would have worsened his left miss. This is a clear illustration of how lie boards can be deceptive. In this case, the player’s slightly closed clubface at impact was causing the toe to appear low, leading to a false lie angle reading from the lie board.
Shaft Length
Resist the temptation to rely solely on generic online charts that suggest club length based on height or wrist-to-floor measurements. These can be a starting point, but they are far from definitive.
Posture, torso length, leg length, arm span relative to height, flexibility, and even age can all influence a player’s optimal shaft length.
I’m 6’2” tall, and I work with two other fitters of the same height. Yet, we all use different length clubs. I also fit a player who is 6’4” whose clubs are shorter than mine. Static measurements provide a useful initial reference, but they don’t capture the full picture. A skilled fitter will monitor your strike point, low point in the swing, and posture stability throughout your swing to determine the ideal shaft length for you.
Questions You Must Address During Your Next Iron Fitting
Assuming the fundamental aspects of iron fitting have been thoroughly addressed, let’s explore some crucial questions to consider to ensure a truly optimized club fitting experience.
Will these irons improve my flight, forgiveness, and consistency?
Often, the motivation behind purchasing new clubs is to address specific weaknesses or areas for improvement in our game. Therefore, one of the first questions I typically ask is:
“What specific improvements are you hoping to achieve with new irons?”
Common goals include: higher ball flight, increased distance, enhanced workability, reduced left or right misses, or simply greater consistency.
Achieving the golfer’s stated goals should be the primary focus of the fitting process. Maximizing results in these areas requires significant expertise and understanding from the fitter. Simply providing a player with a set of irons like Mavrik with stronger lofts might increase distance, but what about launch height, spin rate, and stopping power on the greens?
Proper club fitting demands in-depth knowledge. A fitter must understand which shafts can promote higher or lower ball flight, which reduce spin, and which offer different feels while maintaining similar launch characteristics.
Ultimately, you need to understand the tangible benefits a new set of irons will deliver compared to your current set. Sometimes, new irons aren’t even necessary. A simple lie angle adjustment to your existing set might be the solution.
Are these clubs going to be built properly for all the shots I like to hit?
This consideration largely revolves around your preferred approach to handling in-between yardages. One of the key questions I ask early in a fitting is how a golfer prefers to manage “tweener” distances.
Do you favor hitting a harder 8-iron or a softer 7-iron? Highly skilled players might respond, “it depends,” which is a valid point. I then refine the question with a scenario: “Imagine you’re on the 18th hole, center fairway, no wind, pin in the center of the green. What shot gives you the best chance to put it close and finish strong?”
While we aim to fit clubs suitable for both full and finesse shots, I want to tailor the fitting to your specific playing tendencies. Certain iron shafts are better suited for players with quicker tempos (often those who tend to hit harder), while others perform better with smoother swing deliveries. Understanding your preference here helps guide us toward the optimal shaft bend profile.
How will my new clubs gap into my set?
This aspect is less critical if you are also replacing your wedges during the same fitting. However, even if you’re not, your fitter should discuss your overall gapping and any adjustments needed moving forward. Sometimes, replacing a gap wedge or adjusting the loft of your existing gap wedge by a degree or two is advisable.
Consider the longest iron-like club you want to carry. Think about the club you prefer for low, punch-out recovery shots. Also, consider the club you want to use for longer par 3s you frequently encounter. I specify “iron-like club” because incorporating utility irons at the top end of the set has become a common practice in over half of my fittings. Manufacturers like Callaway, Taylormade, Ping, Titleist, Mizuno, Cobra, and Srixon all offer utility irons that provide significant performance advantages compared to traditional long irons.
Does it make sense to “stretch the fingers” in your longer irons? Evaluate the distance gaps in your longer clubs. I frequently encounter golfers (often in their 40s, 50s, and 60s) who report minimal distance difference between their 4, 5, and even 6 irons, sometimes only around 5 yards. These inefficient gaps often result from a combination of ill-fitting (or outdated) shafts, incorrect lie angles, and standard 3-degree loft gaps between clubs.
