| Custom golf clubs are anything from a single | | | | |
| club to a full set of woods, irons and putter | | | | Shafts, the most important part of the club, |
| which have been custom specified and | | | | are made by a very few companies, but |
| assembled just for you. They may work for | | | | normally China, Bangladesh, Japan, etc. None |
| somebody else and other people will probably | | | | of the big names make their own shafts, the |
| love your custom built golf clubs, but they | | | | majority fitting True Temper shafts, |
| are yours. | | | | sometimes branded with their own name but |
| | | | never manufactured by them. |
| To make an analogy that most of you will be | | | | |
| familiar with we will compare buying a new | | | | Now when you pick up the magazines or |
| set of golf clubs to buying a new suit or | | | | discount shop offers are you looking for what |
| dress, there are three ways you can go about | | | | suits you best or, more likely, the same |
| this; | | | | clubs you thought Tiger or Vijay or Ernie or |
| | | | Annika were winning with last weekend? |
| Option 1 - You go to a clothes shop and | | | | |
| browse around until you see something | | | | This is a good time to dispel a widely held |
| fashionable and then buy it and hope it fits | | | | belief, the only similarity between the clubs |
| you OK and is comfortable. That is the normal | | | | you can buy and the clubs winning major pro |
| way most people buy their golf clubs. | | | | tournaments is the branding. These pro |
| | | | golfers are paid anything up to seven figure |
| Option 2 - You can go to the same shops and | | | | sums of money to use these brands, they and |
| try a few different designs, maybe even mix | | | | their coaches specify every head, shaft and |
| and match top and bottom of the outfit, and | | | | grip that makes up that set and somebody has |
| eventually you will get something that fits | | | | to pay for that. So when you buy your set of |
| OK but you may need to have altered, within | | | | Z43 Super Pingaway irons you are paying for |
| the leeway the existing clothing gives on | | | | the components, the plush headquarters and |
| sizes and lengths and quite a lot of people | | | | the massive advertising and endorsements that |
| will get a reasonable fit. This is very | | | | made you notice them in the first place. |
| similar to custom fitting your new golf | | | | |
| clubs, you are still limited to the small | | | | A good custom club builder will use |
| number of shafts and flexes that that | | | | components made from at least as good raw |
| manufacturer provides and most will only | | | | materials as the big boys, often from the |
| extend or reduce by 1/2" and at the most 2 | | | | same factories to produce the heads, they |
| degrees loft and lie. The shaft flexes will | | | | offer the same shafts and grips AND take the |
| only be those stamped on the side of the | | | | same sort of time to analyse your game and |
| shaft and are different for every shaft | | | | physique as those top pros get, but because |
| manufacturer, very rarely are these actually | | | | they don't pay for the names on their |
| measured and you better match one of the five | | | | components, that set of clubs, designed just |
| or six flexes available. For a lot of people | | | | for you, is an affordable possibility. |
| that just isn't enough, and this can still | | | | |
| take many weeks. | | | | Again a good clubmaker, and there are bad |
| | | | ones as in any walk of life, will be more |
| Option 3 - If you wanted something that would | | | | concerned about the results of your fitting |
| last a long time and fitted really well from | | | | than you spending money. |
| day one you would go to a bespoke outfitters, | | | | |
| they would take all your measurements, find | | | | There are many ways of fitting but during the |
| out exactly what you wanted the item for, how | | | | fitting ask your clubmaker what they think of |
| often it would be used, etc. This would cost | | | | your game, does it match with your and your |
| a relative fortune but gives great results | | | | friends impressions of your shot shape and |
| every time. This is the same as custom club | | | | distance or are they just telling you things |
| building, but the good news is, unlike the | | | | to make you sepnd money. If it doesn't meet |
| clothing market this is normally less | | | | expectations can they justify their |
| expensive, and rarely more expensive, than | | | | statements without resorting to technobabble? |
| the first option. So how does that work? | | | | |
| | | | The best part about about custom building |
| Well, almost all golf club heads, with very | | | | should be when you go back to your clubmaker |
| few exceptions - if any - are made in the far | | | | and tell them "I've just shot my lowest ever |
| east, mainly China. We believe that all heads | | | | score" or "I've just won my first ever |
| are made there but several of the big | | | | competition" or "I've just hit my best ever |
| manufacturers just will not give a straight | | | | shot" or, and my favourite, "That's the most |
| answer, try them! | | | | I've enjoyed a game of golf for years". |