This past weekend, Jason Kokrak won on the PGA Tour for his first win (in over 10 seasons on Tour). He did it with a breezy 64 on Sunday, missing only two fairways and putting incredibly.

In his winner’s interview, Kokrak credited his caddie (former mini-tour player, David Robinson) with helping him read putts and recommending a 36″ putter awhile ago. If you’re familiar with Kokrak, he is a big dude. Apparently the longer length putter helps him with his arms hanging more naturally.

Another recent example of players winning on Tour after adjusting their clubs, is Stewart Cink. As talented as he is, Cink hadn’t won on Tour since his 2009 British Open win. With his son on the bag and citing a recent “deep-dive” into all of his clubs with his PING reps (to ensure proper fits, what-not), Cink won the Safeway Open.

Professional golfers are sticklers for having clubs that fit.

Should you get fitted?

All of this to say: should we regular golfers get fitted for clubs? I have to admit that I’ve only been fitted once for golf clubs. Usually, I have opted to play off-the-shelf clubs or hand-me-downs that seemed to fit and I made work. But, have wondered, “what would happen if I got a proper fitting?” “Would I play any different?”

I like to think that if the pros are doing something, it’s probably worth trying or implementing in our game. There’s a reason they’re doing it. Now, I’m not sure we all need to get green-reading books – but much of what they are doing is worth looking into.

Golf club fitting is definitely one of these things we ought to implement. Many of us can “get away” with standard length and lie clubs – but if we’re paying full price for a set of clubs, why not ensure they fit your body type / swing?

Where can I get fitted for clubs?

There are many places that you can get fitted for golf clubs. Here’s just a few:

• Your local PGA professional (check out the PGA’s website directory for one in your area)
• Golf store
• Website

With regards to a PGA professional in your area – inquire about their experience fitting golfers with clubs. Some are apprentices and may not have as much experience. This is the route I took when I got fitted. It didn’t take a long time – and the cost was nominal. This is probably the best route to get fitted, as they will take you to the range at their club and watch you hit balls.

If you decide to go to a local golf store, ensure someone on staff is PGA certified or has a lot of experience fitting clubs. They may not have a range that you can go and hit balls at (which I think is crucial) – but only an indoor bay. While there are tools like Trackman which can track the flight of the ball and measure swing / ball speeds – I still think it is important to be outside where a fitter can see you in playing conditions.

The last (and probably least recommended) way to get fitted is to use a website. One such club manufacturer that allows users to go through an online club fitting option, is Sub70. I’ve recently become acquainted with this company through social media. They seem very customer-focused and the clubs are nice looking and reasonably priced. After you enter a few details about yourself (height, distance from wrist to floor, ie), the site will output custom settings for your golf clubs. My results seemed on par with what I received from the PGA pro.

What are your thoughts?

If you’ve been fitted for clubs, how has it changed your game? Did you play better (worse)? Any other thoughts or recommendations for other golfers in getting fit for clubs?