Clubfitting Information

The Mike Bender Golf Academy offers a comprehensive club fitting and repair services to cover all of your equipment needs. Custom fit golf clubs will make a big difference in your game no matter your skill level. During the fitting process, we use the top major golf brands and manufacturers in the industry such as PXG, Callaway, Cleveland/Srixon and more. We also use Mitchell Golf equipment to measure lie angles, shaft types; length, weighting, flex and more, to precisely measure each club. When you purchase a set of clubs from the Mike Bender Golf Academy, every set is checked upon arrival assuring that each and every club is perfect.

We also use the latest technology in TrackMan 4, which uses a dual radar system that precisely tracks the flight of the golf ball and provides data such as launch conditions, spin rates, ball speeds, smash factors and much more to help in dialing in the perfect club for every golfer.

Lastly, our expert club-fitter, Matt Wilkes, uses his teaching skills and expertise to make certain that the clubs are perfect for the players swing. Having an experienced and educated teacher enhances the fitting experience and offers the player a first-class experience.

THE FITTING PROCESS

You will want to bring your set of clubs with you for your fitter to initially assess what you currently have been playing. This will also serve as a good comparison to what the benefits will be as you test new equipment in finding the exact fit. Both a visual look at your posture and set up along with a static test will be done initially. You will then hit balls using the TrackMan Launch Monitor, which is the finest piece of equipment in the business and used by all major manufacturers. Then depending on your Track Man numbers* (see Track Man info), goals for your game, and practice habits vs. playing time, our Master fitter will give you a series of combinations of heads and shafts, monitoring each combination and pin pointing your exact fit. This process takes approximately 1 hour for irons only or driver only and approximately 3 hours per whole set of clubs, which includes wedges and putter.

IRONS: Iron fittings have a few more considerations than a driver as you have the short, mid and long irons. As of recent times you now have hybrids replacing long irons so the gapping and specific lofts need to be carefully considered.

DRIVER: With the new technology in driver head adjustments it usually takes the whole hour to dial in the exact shaft, loft and lie of the new drivers. Since all drivers use graphite shafts which have a multitude of different characteristics and the heads have so many possibilities it takes time to get the combination correct. It is also another reason why it is so important that you have an expert club fitter who has many years of experience and is educated with all the newest technology.

WEDGES: Wedge fitting and gapping should also be considered when optimizing your set of clubs. There are so many options of lofts and bounces these days that it often becomes very confusing as to what you should be using. By today’s standards most pitching wedges are around 47 degrees of loft, give or take one degree. Your sand wedge gapping needs to be even amount between them and the pitching wedge for example. 47 degree PW, 53 degree gap wedge and 59 degree lob wedge. That would be a 6 degree gap between each club. Some players prefer a 5 degree gap while others like to carry 4 wedges and have a 4 degree difference between them. These options will all be discussed with your fitter. The amount of bounce on each club needs to vary as well depending upon your swing shape and your talent level.

PUTTER: Most golfers underestimate the value and need of a properly fitted putter. The length of putters was initially decided to be 35 inches long, so that they can stick out of a standard size golf bag. However, because golfers come in all heights with different arm lengths, it is ridiculous to think that one size fits all. The putter is also the most used club in your bag and you will take more strokes with it than any other club. For that reason ,you owe it to your game to get properly fit. For standard style putters, the biggest three variables for putter fitting are the length, swing weight and balance characteristics of the putter head. Belly putting and the long putter are now on the endangered species list, according to the USGA, so will soon be outlawed. Grip size and putter head shape are somewhat individual preferences.

What People Are Saying:

Many places offer fittings with the use of technology but none of them have the Academy’s knowledge of the golf swing, and what made those numbers occur. The fitting process truly helped my son understand his golf swing even better. Every club in my son’s bag has been fit properly by Matt, and purchased from the Academy. My family will not buy clubs from anywhere else as this has been the best purchase we have made.

— Rich Werblo, Academy Student

What People Are Saying:

I have known for awhile that club fitting is important. Trouble is, in the past, I had been fitted for my improper swing. The Mike Bender Golf Academy is training me with the proper swing fundamentals, which is what Matt used to fit me with. Once he flattened my lie angles, it helped me to produce a better swing! My only regret is that I did not get properly fit a long time ago. I have seen great results on the range, and with my scores since getting my clubs fit properly.

–Todd Wilson, CFO NASCAR

What People Are Saying:

After Matt fit my entire set of clubs, they finally became my own. It is definitely a necessity for people who want to improve their game, and he has the magic touch that gets the job done!

–Rohan, NCAA Collegiate Player

What People Are Saying:

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Matt twice to have my son Jack fitted for clubs. In the initial fitting, Matt took his time making sure that Jack was in the proper club and shaft for his size, swing speed, and game. Not only did he use the Trackman to give us statistical feedback, but also made sure that the clubs FELT right so Jack was confident that he was getting into the right equipment. Because he took into consideration Jack’s future growth, when the time came for him to move into a longer and different shaft type the transition was seamless. One thing is for sure, Jack can no longer blame his clubs for a bad shot!

–Rob Snedaker – Parent of junior golfer

What People Are Saying:

Matt made my fitting experience by far the best I’ve ever had. He made the process simple, easy and fun. I felt great about the fitting because I was able to blend what I wanted and with Matt’s knowledge and he was able to find the right shafts for me. With my new irons, I’ve tightened up all my patterns. I also gained more distance and much tighter ball flight with my e fit new driver. I’ve never been this excited and confident with my equipment in my career. I can’t thank Matt enough for all his help. I highly recommend Matt to anyone looking to be fit with the right equipment.

–Nanette Hill, LPGA Tour Player

FITTING PRICING:

Fitting options at the Mike Bender Golf Academy include:

Irons Fitting (1 hour) – $175
Driver/Wood Fitting (1 hour) – $175
Putter Fitting and Stroke Analysis (1 hour) – $175
Club fitting Experience (Every Club in Bag – Approx. 3 Hours) – $ 350