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.”
On both days, Clark generated significantly more clubhead speed and ball speed with his new driver than the “off-the-rack” one. The ball speed numbers were also more consistent from shot to shot. “The differences we saw could be the [new] shaft he’s using,” said Marshall. The 45-gram shaft, which is 10 grams lighter than Clark had been playing, is relatively soft in the butt section and stiffer in the mid-section and tip, making it a good match for smooth swingers like him.
All signs were positive during the indoor fitting. However, our study focuses on performance over the course of several rounds. And, there again, the new driver earned high praise. “I loved my old driver. But I really love the new one. I’m hitting it great,” said Clark. “I get a lot more distance with it and shots fly on a straight line, whereas I used to have to play a fade. I feel proud that at age 66, I can still crush it on occasion.”
Clark added, “My drives on the first hole at the course I play used to leave me 115 to 125 yards from the pin. Now, I’m 100 yards or less to the pin.” And, that’s no one-off, either. Sweet drives are the norm. “Recently, I played in an event with a buddy of mine. It was alternate shot for 9-holes and scramble for 9-holes,” recalled Clark, who volunteers as a mentor to homeless families and also runs a golf league with 32 players. “Many of my tee shots were perfect and set up my partner for great iron shots. We shot even-par gross.”
The Arccos Caddie shot-tracking system, which collects real-time stats using sensors on each club, confirms Clark’s on-course improvement (see below). So far this year, he’s played 11 rounds with the old driver and 20 rounds with his new custom-fit one.
Impressive gains across the board. Yet, there is one slight disappointment. Despite the longer, straighter, more consistent drives, Clark’s scores haven’t improved as much as he’d like. “My irons and putting haven’t kept pace with the improved driver performance. I’m contemplating new shafts in the irons. I also need to get the lie angles adjusted. Now, I really see the importance of being fit for all my clubs.”