very golfer has experienced it. Chunking a shot on a par-3 hole that was surely going to be a hole-in-one. Slicing that fi rst tee shot out of bounds even
though the swing felt great. Missing putts that could-a-should-a-would-a been made with your eyes closed, time after time. Yes, some of these mishaps are
player execution—but how big of a role do the clubs you play with have in these errant shots? A huge role, actually. “Golfers that have properly
fi tted clubs have a narrower tolerance of mishits, and more repetitive, consistent ball strikes,” says Laird Small, director of instruction at Pebble Beach Golf Academy and Practice Facility. “Technology is mov- ing so quickly and making the game much easier and more fun to play. There is no doubt that golfers should take
advantage of custom-fi t clubs to maximize their fun on the course.” Upon opening in January 2014,
Pebble Beach Golf Academy established itself as one of the most technologically advanced learning centers in the world—featuring the instructors, technology and resources to help golfers fi x what ails them. Now, with the recent addition of the TaylorMade Fitting Center to the state-of-the-art facility, custom club- fi tting has a more prominent role than ever in helping golfers who visit the Pebble Beach facility. “Ill-fi tting clubs are the equiva-
lent to, let’s say, ill-fi tted shoes,” says Small. “You can’t dance very well in shoes that don’t fi t, so don’t expect to be able to play golf with clubs that don’t fi t, either.” While highly sophisticated in a
technical sense, the clubfi tting experi- ence is actually quite simple. First, the instructor establishes whether you are looking for clubs to fi t your current
swing, or to grow with you while you improve your swing over a period of time. The fi tting process then takes to the lab, where laser technology, vari- ous test clubs and the fi tter’s expertise evaluate 11 separate components of the swing, such as loft, lie and length. Finally, the club-fi tting system takes dynamic, accurate measurements of your club head and ball speed on the driving range. Data from the club- fi tting system is used to select proper- fi tting equipment, including the newest from TaylorMade like the M1 driver, PSi irons and Ghost Tour putter. Fittings range from 30-45 minutes
depending on whether you are being fi tted for metalwoods, irons or a putter, and the end result is the ability to pin- point the equipment that will produce the best results on the golf course. “An especially critical benefi t of
clubfi tting is the ability to fi t clubs to the distance that golfers hit each club, which helps with irons-gapping,” Small stresses. “This helps golfers know that
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