Successful golfers don't seek out a custom clubmaker to find inexpensive clubs, although they may well be a bargain.
Custom clubmakers build clubs that are designed and built to fit the unique specifications of an individual golfer.
Custom built clubs provide the golfer with the opportunity to play his best golf, confident that his clubs are helping, not hurting his game.
The factors that a qualified clubfitter will take into consideration are also factors that all serious golfers should know and understand.
The clubmaker will consider a number of characteristics about the golfer.
These include: Height & weight; age; strength; years of playing experience; average score, current handicap, average 5 iron carry; average driver carry, wrist to floor measurement, typical ball flight (high, low, hook, draw, straight, fade, slice).
These variables and some discussion will assist the clubmaker in understanding your physical makeup and your capabilities as a golfer.
He would also want to know what the golfer hopes to get out of new clubs - more distance, correcting a ball flight problem, more consistent contact, etc.
Clubmakers would also want to have a dynamic fitting session with the golfer if at all possible.
This means taking swing measurements in conjunction with observing ball flight.
At this point the golfer and clubmaker begin to consider variations in component design which are best suited to the golfer's needs.
Here are some of the variables in the three club components - head, shaft and grip - and how they can have an impact on the performance of your clubs.
Clubheads Iron heads come in two basic designs, 'blade' and 'cavity back' or 'perimeter weighted'.
Blades are compact, simple heads with no cavity or concave section in the back.
They have a very small sweet spot and are best suited for very low handicap players who want to manoeuvre the balls' flight.
Blades produce good results only for those golfers with a very well developed and precise swing.
For others they are very difficult to hit consistently well.
Cavity Back irons range in size from so-called mid to oversize.
They have much of the weight of the head distributed around the back edges (perimeter) of the head, creating a cavity, thus the term, perimeter weighting.
This design enlarges the sweet spot making the club much more forgiving on off centre hits.
The clubhead resists twisting, and mis-hit shots fly straighter and farther than with blades.
The vast majority of players benefit from cavity back irons, and many low handicappers and pros use them as well.
The lie on irons is a critical factor.
Lie is the angle created between the shaft line and the bottom of the clubface.
Most heads are built to a standard specification but can be altered to various degrees of upright or flat lies.
A taller golfer may need a more upright lie, a shorter one a flatter lie.
This specification has a direct and most definite effect on control.
Clubs that are too upright for the right handed golfer (toe up at address) will make the ball go left.
Too flat a lie (toe down) will make the ball go right.
This effect is more pronounced in the shorter irons.
Metal wood heads also employ perimeter weighting but the distribution of weight takes place inside the head.
The range of size in today's metal wood is big, bigger and biggest.
Larger sizes tend to increase confidence and are particularly beneficial in today's over length drivers.
The use of titanium versus steel in the construction of metal heads allows heads to be built larger and lighter while maintaining strength.
Shafts There those who say that the shaft is the most critical component in a club and with good reason.
The major categories of shafts are, of course steel and graphite.
Graphite shafts do not inherently hit the ball farther but, because of their lighter weight, allow clubs to be built longer yet be swung and controlled as easily as a heavier, shorter steel shafted club.
Graphite shafts are also more difficult to manufacture to strict, consistent specifications and are not as consistently accurate as steel shafts.
This is why you see most pros playing with graphite shafted woods and steel-shafted irons.
Graphite shafts also have shock absorption capability, which makes them appealing to golfers sensitive to the shock of impact.
Design variables in both steel and graphite include weight, length, flex point and, of course, flex.
Forget about the flex rating stamped on a shaft.
There is no industry standard for establishing flex - one manufacturer's stiff is another's regular.
Component suppliers Golfsmith and Dynacraft have developed shaft rating systems which are far more objective and allow the clubmaker to choose a shaft based on a golfers' swing speed.
A shaft can have a high, mid or low flex point.
A higher flex point shaft tends to hit the ball lower, has a somewhat stiffer feel and tends to feel less solid on off centre hits.
Low flex point shafts are just the opposite, tending toward a higher ball flight, softer feel and more solid feel on off centre hits.
As you might guess a mid flex point shafts' ball flight tendency is in the middle of these.
The length of the shaft is critical.
Generally, the longer the shaft the farther the ball will fly and the more difficult the club is to control.
This same kind of formula applies to weight.
The lighter the shaft, the easier the club is to swing, thus the club can be built longer and the farther the ball can be hit, until you reach the point of reduction of control.
Grips Grips vary in weight, size, design, and composition material.
Grips are available in lighter and lighter weights in response to the interest in building longer and longer clubs.
The lighter weight results in a lighter overall club that is easier to control, especially at longer lengths.
Grip designs can include smooth, rough, multiple texture variations, etc.
Composition effects the feel, from soft to more firm.
Older golfers or those with arthritic conditions often benefit from larger grips with some shock absorbing capacity.
Grip size is a key fitting component.
While comfort is very important to playability, proper grip sizing can make more of a difference in performance.
If a grip is too small it can cause a golfer to lose control of the club at the top of the swing.
A too large grip can stifle wrist action while a smaller one can enhance it.
That's a brief overview that should begin to give you a sense of the kinds of variables in a club that can have a real impact on your game.
Certainly, golf is hard enough without having your clubs working against you.
Beginners and low handicappers alike benefit from fitted clubs.