How a Proper Golf Club Fitting Can Help You Shoot Lower Scores

If you’re like most golfers I know, you spent December making promises to yourself. This year is going to be different. Maybe you’ll finally break 80, or 90, or at least stop losing so many balls on the front nine. You’ve watched the YouTube videos, promised to practice more, and you really mean it this time.

But nobody wants to hear this: if you’re playing with clubs that don’t fit you, you’re trying to run a marathon in shoes two sizes too small. You can have the best swing in the world, but when your equipment is working against you, you’re making golf harder than it needs to be.

I’ve been teaching this game for over two decades now. The number of times I’ve watched someone struggle for months, only to find out their driver shaft is way too stiff or their irons are the wrong length or their lie angles are so far off they’re aiming at the next fairway before they even start their backswing… it happens more than you’d think.

Getting fitted at the start of the year makes sense. You have the whole season ahead. Every round with properly fitted clubs helps you build good habits and see real improvement. If you wait until August, it still helps, but you’ve already spent months adjusting to the wrong equipment.

Also, fitting centers and pro shops are slower in January. You’re not competing with everyone trying to get fitted before their buddy trip to Myrtle Beach — more time with the fitter, more attention to what you actually need, better service overall.

If you’ve never been fitted before, you might think it’s complicated or intimidating, but it’s not. A good fitter watches you hit balls, studies your swing, and uses technology to see what happens when the club meets the ball. They check your swing speed, attack angle, where you hit the ball on the face, and how the ball flies.

Then they make adjustments, like changing the shaft flex, adjusting the lie angle on your irons, or trying a different grip. You’ll notice the difference right away. When you find the right setup, the ball flies better. It’s not magic; it’s just physics.

A full bag fitting with new clubs can be expensive. I understand. But you don’t have to do it all at once.

If you want to prioritize, start with your driver. You use it about 14 times a round, and it sets up the rest of your game. A properly fitted driver gives you more distance and accuracy, so you’ll have shorter shots into the greens. That makes a difference.

Next, focus on your irons. These clubs do most of the work. If the lie angles are wrong, you’ll be fighting a pull or push on every approach shot and may never know the real reason.

The putter matters more than people think. I know it seems simple. Just a putter, right? Wrong. Length, loft, lie angle, weight distribution… all of it matters. Three-putting because your putter doesn’t match your stroke costs you more strokes than you realize.

What stands out to me is the confidence you gain. When you know your clubs fit you, you stop second-guessing your decisions. You stop wondering if a miss was your fault or the equipment’s. You just play golf.

I had a student last year who’d been playing the same irons for twelve years. Good irons, but completely wrong for him. After his fitting, he texted me after his first round: “I feel like I’ve been playing a different sport.”

That’s the benefit of having the right equipment. It won’t fix a bad swing, but it allows your swing — whatever it looks like — to get the best possible results.

So this year, consider skipping the new training aid or fancy rangefinder for now. Get fitted instead. Your future self, standing on the 18th green with your best score, will thank you.