Do You Know Your Swing Speed?

Have you ever been in a golf shop, picked up a new driver and said "this is the one"? (you can just feel it) Your buddy says, that's gotta be the one that will fix your hook. So, you run the checklist in your head. How much does it cost? Can I trade in my 2003 King Cobra? Will my wife kill me? You look at the price tag, it's $499.99. And you think, hell, that's only half my house payment. So, without blinking, you walk to the counter and tell the Pro, I gotta have this. Plop down your Visa and WHAMO, you have a new driver.

The checklist you should have run: What's the flex? What's the loft? What's the bend point? What's the recommended Swing Speed? And of course, is my wife gonna kill me?

When you walked it to the counter, the Pro should have said, "This is a stiff shaft, what's your swing speed? But, in this economy, all he wants to do is sell the driver, cause his sales are down 30% and the GM is ready to fire the whole staff.

So, you walk out to your bag, take out the old Cobra and put in the new driver. Over the loud speaker, they call you to the first tee. You're pumped, new driver, beautiful day, what could possibly be wrong? You're group wants you to hit first with the new driver. So, you tee up your Pinnacle, and take 4 practice swings. Then, take a deep breath, and swing for the fences. The ball comes off the toe of the club and goes 50 yards right of the fairway into the driving range.
The guys are laughing their butts off. After everybody hits, you tee up another brand new Pinnacle and guess what? SAME RESULT. You spend the rest of the round trying to aim far enough left so that you can maybe hit a fairway. You're brand new driver cost you $499, you lost 7 new Pinnacles, and $5.10 in dime bets. You are ready to give up the game forever. Plus, when you get home, she's gonna chew you out for spending that kind of money on a stupid golf club. What a great day, huh?

It takes about an hour at a good fitting center to get properly fitted. They will check your swing speed, the flex you need, the loft that's best for you, the flex point, and almost anything else you can think of. In the end, they will recommend the best driver for YOU. Then you can make an educated selection for a new driver. Plus, if you go to an independent club fitter, he or she can probably do all this, and then build you a driver that fits you exactly. But, who wants a driver that isn't a big name? I mean if you only hit every fairway and play the best golf you have ever played, who wants that?

Get fitted, you will play better golf and isn't that the point?