There are many reasons to experience a custom club fitting. The most obvious one, of course, is that properly fit equipment can help golfers of all ages and abilities to play better. Last month, we spotlighted Alex Caron, 37, who’s picked up 25 yards off the tee to date with a new custom driver and seen his handicap index go from 10.0 to 7.1 (the equivalent of four strokes per round). Our year-long research study, where we track players’ performance with their old driver and new custom gamer, continues with 66-year-old Tom Clark (handicap index: 13.3).
Clark, a part-time personal financial representative and retired insurance agent, bought an “off-the-rack” driver last summer. It’s clear now that he was leaving a lot in the bag.
Earlier this year, Clark went through a fitting session at Club Champion headquarters just outside of Chicago. Working in concert with CJ Marshall, one of the company’s Master Club Fitters and Builders, the pair determined the best head-shaft combination for Tom’s game. A few weeks later, Clark came back to pick up the custom-built club. While there, he took more swings with both drivers (see TrackMan launch monitor numbers). “I’d never been custom-fit,” he said. “I never paid attention to spin, swing speed, smash factor and ball speed. I learned a lot [during the fitting] and am thrilled with the results.”
