Are the days of walking into a golf retail store and buying something off the floor officially over?
I operate the Mizuno DNA Fitting Centre in Melbourne and I see on average 10 to 12 golfers a week. I cannot remember the last time I fitted someone into standard length, standard lie, stock shaft, stock grip 4-iron to pitching wedge. With all the possibilities available, it just does not happen that way. Some golfers can be very close to a ‘standard’ set up, but with no extra cost involved in getting fitted it does not make too much sense to go down that path. More than 95 percent of our builds here in Melbourne are custom sets. Maybe you can walk in to a retail store and buy a golf bag and some balls?
‘I cannot remember the last time I fitted someone into standard length, standard lie, stock shaft, stock grip 4-iron to pitching wedge.’
How should someone prepare for a clubfitting?
I think one of the great things about the Mizuno PFS (Professional Fitting System) is that it can be as in-depth or simple as you want it to be. Three swings with the Optimizer is all you need to make a start in the shaft selection process, arguably the most important ingredient when searching for the best matched golf club. From here we need 20 to 30 swings with the top ranked shafts recommended by the Mizuno PFS software to find what works and feels the best for each individual golfer’s needs. In terms of preparation, be ready to hit 20-30 shots!
What separates a clubfitting at Mizuno from anywhere else?
Our obvious point of difference is the Mizuno Shaft Optimizer and Swing DNA software. Once we have collected the data to get a player’s Swing DNA it will make a recommendation from our 42 shaft options (more than 75 with varied lengths, soft-stepped, etc.), all at no up-charge. A decision was made a couple of years ago by Mizuno to take away any extra costs when choosing from our extensive shaft range, letting the consumer make a choice purely based on feel and performance, not dollars. The PFS software will not only recommend shafts, but take you through the entire fitting, from model choice, shaft, length, lie, set make up, grip, wedge gapping and now will also give a shaft recommendation for woods and hybrids based on your Swing DNA numbers.
The Mizuno Shaft Optimizer and Swing DNA has been an industry-leading fitting system at local golf club level since its introduction in 2009. Tell us more about how it works?
Within the Optimizer are a series of strain gauges that measure the sequence of forces your golf swing creates. In just three swings we can measure everything we need without checking ball flight. The Mizuno Optimizer screen displays five data points that map out each golfer’s Swing DNA. Because we are physically measuring the movement of the shaft, the pressure on the player to hit a perfect shot is lower. The readings we get for a good or poor contact are almost identical; the way individual golfers load the shaft is incredibly consistent although sometimes the resulting shots are not. From your Mizuno DNA we can shortlist the three most suitable shafts for you to try. Although the Optimizer is extremely accurate, it cannot factor in each golfer’s preference for weight, feel and sound. That is down to each individual, though the process is made much easier when selecting from the three best-matched shafts rather than the seemingly endless possibilities of today. The Mizuno Optimizer is an amazing tool for not only streamlining a clubfitting session but also collecting accurate data not accessible from any other devices.
