7 Questions To Ask Before A Metalwood Fitting

Ask these seven questions before a metalwood fitting to get the best performance from your clubs and unlock your scoring potential

7 Questions To Ask Before A Metalwood Fitting

There are numerous performance gains to be had from a metalwood fitting. However, to really take advantage of the latest game-changing technology, be sure to ask yourself the following questions - consider the answers carefully and you'll be far more likely to bag something that will help you play better golf.

1 Is Your Ball Flight Optimised?

What's the most important club in your bag - driver or putter? It's an interesting debate, for sure, but it's the big stick that's responsible for getting your ball in play, and if you're struggling to find the right ball flight, your scoring potential is going to be limited.

Do you need help launching the ball? Alternatively, does the ball tend to balloon in the wind? A metalwood fitting will help you to find the best combination of launch angle and spin to maximise your distance and accuracy. Every golfer delivers the club differently to the ball and creates a different flight so finding a model to help maximise your strengths and mitigate your weaknesses is key!

RELATED: TaylorMade SIM2 Drivers Review

2 How Much Forgiveness Do You Need?

Everyone needs a degree of forgiveness from their driver, no matter what level they play at. However, think about how you perform in competition, under pressure. Do you tend to use a little more of the clubface? If this is the case, you're probably going to want a driver that offers maximum forgiveness on off-centre hits. As you go through a fitting, you need to think about how playable the driver will be in all situations so choosing something that instils confidence is a must.

RELATED: Tommy Fleetwood What's In The Bag?

3 What's Your Most Common Miss?

This should not be viewed as a negative - it's one of the most important questions to ask. You might hit the ball perfectly straight on the day of a fitting, but it's vital that you discuss your shot pattern with the fitter, who can make adjustments to the set-up to help guard against your problem shot.

If your driver can get you round the golf course when you're not swinging your best, it can make all the difference to that number you sign for.

4 Distance Or Accuracy?

What would make the biggest difference to your game? For some, consistently finding the fairway is relatively easy but they leave themselves too much ground to cover with their second shots. If that's you, a good fitter can unlock a set up that will help maximise your distance without giving up on accuracy. For other players, keeping lost balls to a minimum is where the biggest gains can be made. Think about this aspect, be honest with yourself and then communicate what you need with your fitter.

5 How Important Are Looks And Feel?

These are the unquantifiable ingredients that can make a big difference. Yes, we all want a set of metalwoods that look good in the bag. Of greater importance, however, is how they look at address. It's an important part of the equation, because if they have that confidence-inspiring look when you're standing over the ball, the chances are you're going to make a confident swing.

In terms of feel, it can be hard to get a true sense of this in an indoor setting. How the club sounds through impact is what gives you that feel. So, if possible, hit a few balls on an outside range to get a better idea.

6 What About Gapping? 

It's no use having two clubs that go the exact same distance. Just like you want your wedges to tick off every yardage from 130 yards and in, you want consistent gapping at the top end of your bag too.

A fitter will want to know how far you hit your longest iron, so they can ensure your metals fulfil their intended role. This aspect of the fitting can transform your performance on long par 4s, and give you the tools you need to pick up shots on the par 5s, which, beforehand, may have felt completely out of reach.

RELATED: Dustin Johnson What's In The Bag?

7 Do You Need A Second Option Off The Tee?

Some golf courses are so tight that accuracy becomes far more important while on other layouts, hazards in key areas will force you to lay back off the tee. That's why having a second option for off the tee is so important - and very often this will be a fairway wood. Today's fairway wood offerings have evolved drastically and have become far easier to hit, both off the tee and from the deck.

With enhanced materials and technologies, the best fairway woods can help you find distance and consistency from the tee, plus they're playable from the short grass and can even be effective from the rough or around the greens.

Whatever your shot pattern and whatever your most consistent misses are, there should be something in the TaylorMade metalwood line-up to help you play better in 2021.