Since I'm getting a little "longer in the tooth" in the golf equipment business these days, I have noted (with a bit of a smirk) that there is a new, more "techie" term being bandied about to describe an "old" procedure that I am sure some of you are considering for your clubs. "Retro-Fitting" is the procedure we clubmaking old-timers know as "re-shafting" and/or "re-gripping" your existing clubs with the intent of making them perform better.
Actually, it probably would be more appropriate for it to have drawn its new handle from today's appetite for reality TV shows. Thus, are you considering putting your clubs through an "extreme makeover?"
If the answer's yes, you'd be well advised to keep reading so you will know if Retro-Fitting is a wise step toward the performance enhancements you seek, or whether your game improvement desires would be better accomplished through a full-out REAL Fitting.
There are a number of reasons more golfers are heading to the local clubmaker's shop for a shaft switch and/or a grip swap. Of these, only one stands as a good reason to part with the numerous Ben Franklins such a procedure could cost these days.
The first reason changing shafts and grips has enjoyed a resurgence is because of the recent introduction of new shaft designs being heavily promoted on the PGA Tour. Guess what? These specialty shafts approach, exceed and shatter a price of $100 -- EACH!
Japanese shaft maker Fujikura can be credited with pioneering this trend toward very pricey graphite shafts when they introduced their Speeder? series of graphite shafts for (gulp) $300. Since then, just about every branded shaft maker has developed high-priced shafts that eclipse the old high-end price level for a graphite shaft. And golfers are dying to know whether or not the following line of thought is true: "If Tiger plays one, and it costs that much, doesn't it have to be better?"
Another reason golfers are contemplating retro-fitting of their current clubs with new shafts and grips is because a number of players are starting to believe that with the USGA's handcuffs on the COR, size and length of clubheads, technology in golf equipment has hit the proverbial brick wall. So in turn, that leads to the thought that, "If they can't make a better clubhead, then I'll get new shafts to make my clubs play better."
And yet one more reason some golfers are mulling over a makeover is because they think the standard shafts installed in their off-the-rack clubs are just not designed to be well matched to their swing. The club companies that sell standard-made clubs off the rack in your local pro shops and off-course retail golf stores do offer different flexes for sure, but almost always in one shaft model/design of weight, torque and bend profile only. There are some golfers who believe that these standard shafts that are designed for average golfers are just not right for the way they swing and play.
So what's a golfer to do who has the thought of changing the shafts in their current clubs? The only one of these three reasons that truly holds water and stands as a valid reason for making a change is the last one, and here's why.
First, the shafts that Tiger, Ernie, Phil, Sergio, Vijay and their contemporaries play on tour are ALL designed to match perfectly to the way THEY swing, and to deliver the bending feel, control and shot trajectory the pros desire. So if you have the same swing fundamentals as the on touring pros, then okay -- reason No. 1 here is a valid reason to go shaft searching for your clubs. Be honest though. If you do not swing with a full shoulder turn, if you do not have a strong, athletic move to start and maintain during the downswing, if you do not hold your wrist-cock until late in the downswing and if you do not reach impact with a straight line down from your left shoulder through the hands and down the shaft, you are not a candidate for one of the shafts being used by the tour pros... even if you do "step down a flex."
The shaft does its thing for a golfer only when the shaft's design is well matched to the golfer's swing fundamentals. Thus, because the pros typically swing with the fundamentals I just listed, the shafts they tend to like are designed to be a little heavier and with a stiffer grip end, lower degrees of torque and a stiffer head end. Such "butt firm, tip firm, lower torque, heavier" shafts will perform as designed for strong players with a full turn, strong transition and acceleration, late release and straight left wrist position at impact. If you don't have these swing moves and you use one of these shafts, more than likely you will hit the ball lower, shorter, possibly a little to the right and the feeling of impact even when you make contact in the middle of the face will be more "dead and boardy," i.e. less solid feeling.
Next, while the USGA has enacted some limits on clubheads in the rules, these controls are certainly not such that all golfers are dead in the water when it comes to clubhead designs being able to help them hit the ball better and score lower. It is estimated that more than 90 percent of all golfers have never been through a REAL fitting session in which the loft angles, lie angles, face angle of the woods, length of the clubs, swingweight balance of the clubs, size of the grips, set makeup and yes, weight/flex and bend profile of the shafts are all individually checked and matched to the physical characteristics, strength, athletic ability and swing moves of the golfer. A mouthful to be sure, but all of those aspects factor into you playing to the best of your ability. The USGA has no rules limiting REAL fitting in any of these specifications that make up your clubs. Well, there is still one -- you can't carry more than 14 clubs, but that's enough if each one of those clubs is matched to you and your swing through a REAL fitting.
So that leaves the matter of how do you possibly know whether a retro-fitting is going to fill your bag with clubs that allow you to hit the ball better (and hopefully score lower), or whether your hard-earned Franklins are better spent on a real fitting? Here I present the nuts and bolts on that.
If you are slicing or hooking the ball to the point that you're deep in the rough or out of play far more than on the short grass, a real fitting to address the proper face angle of the woods, lie angle of the irons, length of the clubs, size of the grips and swingweight balance of the clubs will get you so much more in-play than a change of shafts and grips could ever do. Reason is that accuracy is far more controlled by the specifications of the clubhead than the shafts and grips.
If you are hunting for more distance either with the woods or irons so the end result is you can hit at least one to two lower numbers on the clubs for your approach shots, well then, your needs are going to be far better served by being properly fit for: the right loft angles, the best length of your clubs, the swingweight balance of your clubs, and yes, the shaft, too. But more for the shaft's contribution to the total weight of your clubs so you might squeeze out a little more swing speed. Once again, because there are so many golfers playing with drivers that have too little loft to optimize their launch angle for their swing speed, the clubhead combined with the right length will play more of a role in achieving greater distance than will the shaft.
Finally, the answer for whether you are better off with a retro-fitting to change shafts in your current clubs goes like this:
If your accuracy is not really a problem...
If your distance is decent, but you don't like the bending feel of the shafts when you hit shots...
Or the trajectory of your shots is not what you would prefer...
Then by all means take your existing clubs to your favorite clubmaker and work to find the best shaft design that will match well to your swing characteristics.
That's it. That's the scoop on Retro versus Real Fitting. Now go out and make the best decision for YOUR game in order to better celebrate this the greatest of all games humankind has ever invented!
