In Indio, GolfTec offers indoor and outdoor fitting services with a variety of head and shaft combinations.
PHOTO COURTESY GOLFTEC
“Golf is a challenging sport,” says Tim Newbolt, master club fitter at True Spec Golf in Palm Desert. “That’s why it’s important to be properly fit and have golf clubs built for your specific needs and unique swing. This doesn’t just improve your score — it makes the game more enjoyable overall.”
Several factors should be considered when selecting where to get fit for clubs. It’s important to weigh the costs and find out which heads and shafts are available to test. If you hit indoors, weather conditions will be neutralized, which is more conducive to experimenting with different golf balls (an area that’s often overlooked). Outdoor fittings bring the elements back into play, allowing you to choose between different targets, sightlines, shot shapes, and types of turf and lie.
Find the equipment and environment that best suit your game. Here are five places to get fit for golf clubs in Greater Palm Springs.
Head for Cover
The indoor hitting bays at PGA Tour Superstore eliminate variables, making for a great place to start. The Palm Desert facility offers free fittings (by appointment or walk-in) for every club in the bag and from all the major club makers. With both stock and upgrade shafts available, the selection will cover almost every player’s swing. If your swing dynamics fall outside the available off-the-shelf club components, for a fee, the Superstore’s newly opened private fitting studio provides access to premium and custom shafts that may not be available when purchasing direct from manufacturers.
Mariott’s Shadow Ridge Golf Club is home to True Spec Golf, an outdoor facility with the largest selection of components available for open-air demos.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY TRUE SPEC GOLF
Beyond the Fit
A longtime leader in instruction, GolfTec also excels in club fitting. The national brand has a location in Indio. “With access to a wide range of manufacturers, we ensure a personalized fitting experience that optimizes distance, accuracy, and consistency,” says John Spagnola, GolfTec’s vice president of marketing. Beyond its indoor services, GolfTec offers outdoor services at The Golf Club at Terra Lago, also in Indio. Fittings can be purchased à la carte or as part of an instruction package, making for a one-stop game-improvement training facility.
Take It Outside
The largest selection of components available to demo outdoors in the valley can be found at True Spec Golf at Marriott’s Shadow Ridge Golf Club in Palm Desert. The fitting bay, situated on practice grounds designed by six-time major champion Nick Faldo, features exceptional turf and premium range balls.
If, however, you’d like to confirm launch monitor data and flight characteristics with a specific ball, a hitting net will ensure you don’t sacrifice any precious projectiles for the sake of science. “We fit players of all abilities,” says master club fitter Tim Newbolt. “Whether you are an aspiring tour professional, brand-new to the game, or anyone in between, all can benefit from the process.”
True Spec Golf.
PHOTO COURTESY TRUE SPEC GOLF
Swingers Club
Club Champion offers more than 65,000 possible head and shaft combinations from a fleet of more than 65 companies — the most of any fitter. This includes access to direct-to-consumer brands that tend to be harder to find, like PXG and Edel, as well as sought-after Japanese forgings from the likes of Miura and Honma. Fill out your bag and leave no stone unturned with a putter fitting from their similarly endless selection of flatsticks. Fittings are conducted indoors, negating any environmental factors and allowing for consistent data acquisition. After your fitting, once you’ve received your equipment, avail yourself of the many Club Champion membership perks, such as Trackman time based on your total spend and lifetime loft and lie adjustments.