Iron Fitting
Ninety minutes, one hundred seventy five dollars. The longest single-category session, because there are the most heads to measure.
Every Head Goes on the Gauge Before Anything Else
An iron set is not one club, it is seven or eight clubs that are supposed to behave as a family. When one head has drifted two degrees flat and its neighbour has drifted a degree upright, the set stops being a ladder and starts being a collection of individual clubs that happen to share a finish.
This is spectacularly common in sets more than three seasons old, and nearly universal in forged sets played on firm Texas ground. It is also invisible from the ball flight, because the golfer has been unconsciously compensating for it.
So the first twenty minutes of an I-4 appointment is measurement. Loft, lie, length and swingweight for every head, written down before a single ball is struck.
Lie Angle Before Shaft, Always
Lie angle is the most influential specification on direction with an iron, and it is also the cheapest to correct. Testing shafts on a set whose lie angles are wrong produces conclusions that evaporate as soon as the lie is fixed.
Lie is assessed dynamically, off a board that records sole contact at impact, and then confirmed with a static measurement. Static measurement alone assumes a standard posture and a standard shaft deflection, and neither assumption survives contact with a real golfer.
Then Length, Then Shaft, Then Head
- Length changes posture and effective lie simultaneously, so it comes right after lie
- Shaft weight is chosen against transition speed, not against handicap or age
- Shaft flex is verified by frequency across the whole set, not by the letter on the label
- Head style is the last decision and usually the smallest one
Session Facts
| Code | I-4 |
|---|---|
| Length | 90 minutes |
| Fee | $175 |
| Fitter | Ruben |
| Fee credit | Half toward build labour |
| Recheck | Every 18 months |
Set Makeup Review
Included at no extra charge. We look at whether the set should start at a four, five or six iron, whether the bottom of the set should hand off to specialty wedges, and whether any two clubs are duplicating a yardage.
Forged Heads Move, and They Move Faster Here
| Head Type | Drift Over 18 Months | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Soft forged carbon steel | 1.0 to 2.0 degrees | Most susceptible. Bends easily, which is also what makes it adjustable. |
| Cast stainless, game improvement | 0.5 to 1.0 degrees | Holds spec better but is harder to correct when it does move. |
| Multi-material heads | Variable | Depends entirely on hosel construction. Some cannot be bent at all. |
Figures are what our gauge reads on local sets at recheck, not manufacturer specifications. Golfers who play more than sixty rounds a year tend toward the upper end.
Get the Whole Set Measured
Ninety minutes, every head on the gauge, and a written record you keep regardless of what you buy.