WHY YOU SHOULD GET FIT FOR CLUBS

THREE EDITORS AND A RABBI WALK INTO A CLUB FITTING. YES, THEY WALK OUT WITH NEW GEAR BUT ALSO HOPE FOR WHERE THEIR GAMES ARE HEADED

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For the entire 18-year history of the Hot List, there has been one constant: the undisputed value of getting custom-fit for new clubs. Although we frequently extoll the virtues of club fitting, it’s not often we tell you what it’s like to get fit, how the experience is no less—and no more—daunting than hitting a shot off the first tee on a busy Saturday morning, and, most importantly, how results can be both game-changing and soul-soothing. What follows are four stories on recent fittings from three of our editors and our part-time contributor and full-time spiritual advisor Rabbi Marc Gellman. Let their wisdom be an inspiration to see how far new clubs—the right clubs—can take you.

NAME: STEVE HENNESSEY, 32 HANDICAP: 14 TYPE OF FITTING: DRIVER

A driver fitting at off-course retail: Trust the process

Investing in a clubfitting shouldn’t be a tough sell, but golfers find excuses. I’m not good enough to get fit, or I hit my driver just fine, or the new stuff’s not any better than what I play—all might sound like you. That was me—until I received a proper clubfitting. Golf Digest 100 Best Clubfitter Paul Ferrone at Downtown Golf in Stamford, Conn., got me dialed in with new irons two years ago. After a session with that kind of insightful golf-gear expert, your mind opens up to the possibilities. That’s why I accepted the assignment of getting fit for a driver in December, despite loving my recently purchased gamer, an anti-slice model that I thought was working just fine.