The Benefits of Getting Customized Golf Gear
An estimated 37.5 million Americans above the age of 5 played golf either on or off the course in 2021. If you’re among them, you may be wondering whether customized golf gear is worth the investment. Getting a single club fitted can run $100, and a whole bag may cost $275. If you go beyond the fitting and opt for full customization instead of adjustments to your existing clubs, you can expect to spend more — possibly as much as a few thousand dollars.
However, custom clubs and golf balls do come with some benefits. As a result, avid golfers may find the investment worthwhile. Here’s a look at the benefits of customized golf gear.
Custom Clubs
Custom golf clubs usually come in two forms: fitted and fully customized. Golf club fittings make adjustments to clubs you purchase off the rack, while fully customized golf clubs are created based on your provided specifications.
In either case, you get similar benefits with custom clubs. The clubs are designed to fit your body, making using them more comfortable. Adjustments are also available that account for your swing style. With those, you typically become more accurate and end up with more control, which leads to stronger performance on the course.
How to Get Fitted
In most cases, you can get golf clubs fitted in two places: golf courses and golf stores. Many of those locations have golf club fitters on staff, giving you convenient access to a fitting at a spot you might already visit regularly.
Typically, it’s best to schedule an appointment with the golf club fitter in advance. The process can take some time, particularly if you want to fit every club in your bag. By having an appointment, you ensure that the fitter has the time available. Plus, you can choose a time that works best with your schedule and provide some preliminary information that may speed up the process.
Custom Balls
Custom golf balls aren’t structurally different from the ones you typically use on the course; instead, they’re simply golf balls that feature a design of your choosing on the surface.
Typically, the biggest benefit is that you can easily identify your golf ball on the course, which is incredibly helpful if your shot lands next to another golfer’s ball. While some people resort to using a marker on the surface instead, those don’t last. With custom golf balls, the designs hold up better during play and when exposed to the elements, reducing the odds that they’ll wear off.
In some cases, you can get aiming lines printed on golf balls. For some – especially beginners – that could lead to greater accuracy on the green.
What Are the Options?
With custom golf balls, the options are only limited by what’s available through the shop you use for the purchase. Most can print monograms or simple images on your golf balls. Some can take it further, printing multi-color designs, as you find with many logos.
However, providing a high-quality image to the shop is critical, as lower resolutions are often pixelated, which harms the result. Additionally, the amount of detail needs to be appropriate for the size of the image. Finally, shops might not print designs that are copyright protected by another entity.
What to Consider Before You Customize
Generally, you want to consider a few points before customizing any golf gear. Your current skill level is a factor. If you’re new to the game, waiting to invest until you’re sure it’s a hobby you’ll pursue long-term isn’t a bad idea. Plus, your swing and stance may shift as your skill level grows, making previous customization more of a hindrance than a help.
Additionally, whether you struggle in specific areas or want to boost your performance overall helps you determine if customizing a single club or an entire bag makes more sense. Finally, whether you plan on getting new clubs soon is a point to consider, as investing in customization might not be wise if you’re replacing the clubs shortly.
