Can you get your current golf clubs fitted- Complexity & Cost Explained

I just got fitted recently to clubs I already own. Bought a set of J38’s a month ago with PX 5.5 flighted at a steal. Plus I wanted to try out a fitting to see what may need to be adjusted.

After hitting with my clubs and trying out different shafts, I was told that I would need to adjust the lie and that I was getting better launch and spin numbers with a different shaft.

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Problem is, installation of new shafts is going to cost more than what I paid for my clubs!

Plus, I hit pretty poorly the day of the fitting, so I’m not sure if I would get different readings on a better day.

So, You might have lot many questions about custom fitting your existing clubs. here I am going Explain it all to you.

Can you get your current golf clubs fitted?

Yes! any golfer can get their current clubs custom fitted for them.

The custom fitting of your existing clubs aims to put golf clubs in your hands that have the best shaft, lie angle, loft, and grip for your physical dimensions, strength, stance, and swing.

Custom fitting for golf clubs can benefit any golfer, regardless of skill level, but what if you already have a set of clubs that you like but were not custom-fitted for you?

Is it possible to have your current golf clubs custom fitted if you so desire?

Almost any existing golf club that a player owns can be custom fitted.The most common changes are grip, loft, and lie, but the complexity and cost of retrofitting a golfer’s current clubs increases as more changes are made, making the case for simply getting new clubs.

Also Read: Are Golf Clubs still good to use?

Not all fitting changes to your existing clubs are simple.

By the time beginner golfers have played for a while, they will most likely have built their set by collecting different ones from various locations along the way.

Or, if you’re like me and have been playing for a long time, you may have been using the same set of clubs for a number of years and never seriously considered changing them because they seem fine.

These golfers, as well as those who have simply purchased standard clubs off the shelf, may have a set of clubs that have not been custom fitted for them.

However, now that many players are aware of the benefits of custom fitting, the question for many of them is whether you can get clubs fitted after they have been purchased.

Usually, when you get fit for irons you get fit for the following things (assuming you’ve decided on the model of the club already):

• Length
• Lie Angle
• Shaft (Model and Flex)
• Grip Size
• Set Makeup
• Head design Changes

Some of these things are easy to change, some of them are more difficult (and more expensive).

Expensive & quite complex Changes

Lie Angle will depend a little bit on your body measurement and a little on your swing depending on how far off of standard you are it may or may not be worth changing. 

Forged irons can be bent easily, but cast irons are harder and many shops won’t bend them and if they do, they won’t bend them very far. You can do everything right and still break one, but 1-2 degrees usually isn’t that big of a deal.

Shaft will be an expensive one to change. If you have to re-shift I’d just sell yours and buy new custom fit irons if you can. 

This will be mostly dependent on your club-head speed, but other factors will be involved as well. Different models of the shaft can help with spin, trajectory, etc.

Set makeup would require buying extra clubs and depends on your distance gaps and what long irons and wedges you feel comfortable with.

InExpensive and Easy Changes

Length is usually some combination of height, arm length, and where you’re making an impact on the face. 

Assuming the grips can be saved, having clubs cut down or extended is relatively inexpensive.

Grip size is easy and relatively inexpensive. If standard grips are too small you can either get new bigger grips or have your current grips removed and built up with extra tape.

Altering the lengths of your current clubs

If you are taller or shorter than the average golfer and purchased off-the-rack clubs, some adjustments may be necessary.

It could be a simple lie angle change, but another club change that can be made to achieve the best fit length for your current clubs is to make them shorter or longer.

Again, an experienced club fitter can cut your clubs down to size or extend them, but this is not as simple as it may appear at first.

Current Set Makeup Changes

If you look on ebay, gumtree, or the bargain bin, you can find a decent set of clubs 3–4 generations behind in good condition for very little money.

This is especially true if you are just starting out. Golf bags and trolleys are also available at the flea market. 

Collared shirts and decent pants are acceptable. Purchase new golf shoes that will last.

Club head design changes

The most significant change to an existing club would be, of course, a change in the club head.

Although it may seem strange to want to change the club head of an existing club, it is technically possible to put a different clubhead on the shafts and grips of existing clubs.

However, the purpose of doing so is highly dubious.

Not only does it necessitate some analysis by an experienced club fitter to determine whether it is possible for your current clubs, but if the club head of your existing club or clubs is indeed incorrect for you and your swing, it would seem a very odd approach not to simply purchase another club or set of clubs.

The Grip Changes

Certainly not. Being wealthy, in my opinion, may give an individual an advantage when it comes to purchasing certain equipment, playing at or belonging to certain facilities, being able to pay for lessons, and so on.

But, in terms of learning the correct fundamentals, technique, and etiquette of the game itself, I don’t believe it provides any advantage.

Loft and Lie Angle Alterations

Certainly not. Being wealthy, in my opinion, may give an individual an advantage when it comes to purchasing certain equipment, playing at or belonging to certain facilities, being able to pay for lessons, and so on.

But, in terms of learning the correct fundamentals, technique, and etiquette of the game itself, I don’t believe it provides any advantage.

Shaft changes

Another change that can be made to your current clubs is to replace the old shaft with a new one. This is something that a club fitter can do.

However, while changing shafts is certainly a practical option, it is not the only factor to consider when swapping out the shafts in your current clubs.

To begin with, it is not as simple to swap out shafts and test them on some older clubs as it is on modern original equipment manufacturer clubs and their fitting systems.

Many of Changes can Get You Closer to a New Set

We’ve gone over the list of things you can change on clubs you already own – grips, lofts, lies, shafts, lengths, and so on – with a custom fitting.

Even if the limitations we’ve already discussed don’t apply to your set and all of your changes are possible, there’s always the main factor to consider.

And then there’s the matter of money.

Assume you only want to change the most obvious thing on your existing clubs – the grips. On average, re-gripping a club costs around $10, so changing grips on the entire set of 14 clubs costs $140.

Add in a loft and lie change for your current irons and you’re probably looking at around $30-50 for the club fitter’s time then another $30 on the cheaper end to bend 7 or 8 clubs.

Changing the shafts on a few clubs will cost you hundreds of dollars. Especially if you start looking into the more specialised custom options.

So it’s easy to see how it could get expensive if the custom fitting assessment of your current clubs reveals that the shafts are incorrect and you need new grips as well as loft and lie adjustments.

In addition, you run the risk of damaging your clubs during the bending process.

Consider this: suppose your current clubs, which you want to have custom-fitted, cost $600 two years ago.

A two-year-old golf club will depreciate by approximately 60% on average, which means that by the time of the custom fitting, it will be worth $300

What other piece of equipment do you have that you would potentially invest the same amount or more of its value in?

Especially when that investment could potentially cover more than half of the cost of a fully custom-fitted new set.

Don’t get me wrong.

I’m not saying that buying new clubs is a good investment. Given how quickly golf clubs depreciate, it isn’t and never will be.

I’m also not saying that having custom fitting changes made to existing sets is always a bad idea.

Wrapping up

A golf club is a golf club, and if you don’t want to give up your current set, doesn’t it make sense to have changes made to your current set to get the best of both worlds?

The advantages of custom fitting but without the expense and hassle of purchasing a new set.

Unfortunately, getting changes made to your existing set is not always easy, and you must be careful that the changes you want to make do not alter your current clubs to the point where they no longer feel like your set.

Or that the total cost of all the changes equals or exceeds the cost of purchasing a brand new custom set!