Two rules for buying new golf clubs
Are you looking for new golf clubs? Maybe you need a new driver. Maybe your putter literally broke in half this season (yep, this happened to me). Maybe you are looking to dial in your short game by getting fitted for new wedges.
Here are my two simple rules about buying new clubs:
The right time to buy golf clubs is when YOU want to buy them.
Book a golf club fitting before you buy (or at least TRY the clubs before you buy them).
Rule #1: The right time to buy is…
when YOU want to buy them! Don’t let anybody tell you…
your’e not good enough yet
you don’t play golf enough
you don’t practice enough
you are “too new” to the sport or you’re not “committed enough”
I have faith that you are a grown ass woman who knows what she wants, and if what you want is new golf clubs - for WHATEVER the reason - then you should get them. Maybe your reason is
you're not getting the distance you want out of your clubs
your clubs are too heavy
your clubs are too long or too short
your clubs are too stiff …
…or maybe they are too flingy or bouncy
you simply don’t like the look or feel of the clubs
you want to invest in a set that fits you because you are very interested… maybe even very committed to learning and improving.
Importantly, getting golf clubs that fit you sooner rather than later will benefit you in the long term. The worst thing you can do is alter your swing to compensate for ill fitting golf equipment.
Yes it’s an investment. Budget is going to come into play here. Again, you’re a grown woman who can make a decision about how much money to carve out of her budget to spend on golf clubs. For anywhere from $300-$800, you can get a brand new, beautiful starter set and a golf bag.
For example, here are a few starter sets that I have tried out. Keep in mind these links are standard length & right handed clubs.
(full disclosure I do get a small commission if you end up buying through these links)
Again: The right time to buy is when you want to buy clubs. This decision is yours alone to make and it is not dependent upon your current level of golf skill or commitment or practice. Having your own set of clubs that you love and that fit you well will make you want to play & practice more, and will help you improve your skills faster. Especially if you are currently playing with clubs that are too heavy or too long (or short) for you. (My first two years of golf I played with my aunt’s old clubs, which I later found out were actually my uncle’s before hers, and I could barely carry the bag by myself they were so heavy).
Rule #2: Book a golf club fitting
Why? Because any promises or claims that new clubs will help you get more distance, or putt better are just not realistic to expect without going through the fitting process. This golden rule holds true even if you ultimately intend to buy a starter set like the ones linked above, and not opt for a fully custom set of golf clubs.
Having a golf club fitting is the BEST thing you can do for your golf game. If you are looking to buy new clubs, book a golf club fitting first.
What’s a golf club fitting?
When you book a club fitting, you will meet with a professional club fitter in a fitting studio, or fitting bay.
You’ll want to bring your existing golf clubs with you. A good fitter will first have you hit the clubs you have now to get your baseline performance data. The fitter will use technology such as TrackMan to record data about how you hit your clubs: examples include your launch angle, shot distance, curvature of the shot and your shot dispersion.
Then he or she will have you try different club builds in order to determine which are best for you. The fitter will change things like club heads, shafts, weights and flex types. The objective is to find a club build that gives the best results for your specific golf swing.
At the end of the fitting, you will receive a profile or a “build sheet” with specifications detailing the best clubs for you.
Many golf equipment stores waive the cost of the fitting if you choose to purchase clubs as a result of the fitting (not all of them do this, so ask up front). Many stores also have a 30 day policy so - you don’t have to worry about the pressure to purchase equipment right away at the fitting. You can get credit towards your equipment purchase if you buy within the timeframe. Let’s say after your fitting, you wanted to shop around for the best deals on your build sheet specifications. If, at the end of 30 days, you decided the best route to purchase was through your fitter, then the fitting fee will be deducted from the cost of the clubs you are purchasing. Again, make sure you ask about the specific policies of the fitter you choose - but this is a pretty common thing to find that the cost of the fitting can be credited towards the golf club purchase.
If you are going invest any amount of money in new golf clubs, which are expensive, don’t you want be sure that you will see improvements in your golf game? Even if you are just looking for one club - let’s say a new driver - going through the fitting process will pay off when you get the cost of the fitting deducted from the cost of the club purchase.
The key here is this: the clubs need to fit the swing you have today. Don’t waste time and energy adjusting your swing to adapt to golf clubs that don’t fit you properly. I’m not saying don’t go to lessons and don’t work on improving your swing - definitely do that with your golf coach! But if you are changing your swing, make sure you are not trying to change it to adapt to ill fitted golf clubs.
Tips for your club fitting:
Bring your golf clubs that you currently play with - the fitter should take baseline measurements using your current clubs
Be clear with the fitter about your budget - he or she should provide you with options based on what you’re willing to spend, including looking at previous models or used clubs.
Wear what you’d normally wear to the golf course, so that you feel comfortable and in “golf mode.” This includes wearing your golf shoes, as the difference between your sneakers/trainers and golf shoes can make a bit of a difference in your swing.
You’ll probably be nervous having the fitter watch you hit golf balls. You will likely hit a lot of bad shots. They see this ALL THE TIME. Just try to shake it off and relax as best you can.
Don’t bite off too much at once - an hour of hitting golf balls is A LOT. If you are going to be fit for the full bag, you’ll likely want to break your fitting up into a couple sessions. Consider booking the fitting for just part of your bag. For example, you could book a fitting for just one of these areas to focus on:
Driver / Woods
Irons
Wedges
Putter
You don’t have to get fitted for the full golf bag, you can just focus on one area. Think about your current set of golf clubs - maybe you don’t need to change all of them but just add one or two clubs to fill in gaps. For example, I don’t have any clubs in my bag for 60, 70 or 80 yard shots. I basically use my pitching wedge for all 3 distances and choke up to meet the shorter yardages. I have a gap there so I want to do a fitting to address that in 2025.
Book with a fitter who will provide you multiple brands to try. For example if you book a fitting at PXG, that’s cool, but know that you will only be trying one brand of golf clubs there.
PS: If you really do not want to book a fitting, please at least try clubs out before buying them. It’s totally normally to ask to try golf clubs out before buying. The golf store employee will pull a 7 iron from the sets you want to try, put some painters tape over the face, and then you can swing away.
If you are in Cincinnati, here are some local places you could book a club fitting:
Swing Fit Golf Club (Blue Ash)
All in Golf (Anderson)
World of Golf (Florence, Kentucky)
Golf Exchange (various locations)
Miles of Golf (Fairfield)
Let me know if you have other questions about club fittings and please reach out if you go for a fitting. I want to hear how it went!
