GolfTec Club Fitting Review: Pros & Cons Plus Helpful Hacks

GolfTec club fittings cost $150 for each type of club, or you can opt for a full bag fitting for $300. Expect an iron, driver, or wedge fitting to take 60 to 90 minutes.

My GolfTec iron fitting began with a pre-fitting interview. This is an important first step in the process, because it’s an opportunity to get on the same page as your fitter. They can learn about your game, what your goals are on the course, and what your goals are for the fitting session. 

My fitter had mistakenly thought I was there for a swing evaluation, so we got most of the way through the swing evaluation interview before realizing I had really booked a fitting. He never asked me what my goals for the fitting were, so later, after getting a baseline with my current clubs, I offered up that information.

My goals for my iron fitting were straightforward: find an iron that will help me hit more greens.

I explained to my fitter that in addition to looking for better lateral dispersion, I was tired of seeing balls land on the green but roll through. A steeper angle of descent and more backspin were priorities over added distance.

I have one significant complaint about my GolfTec iron fitting. In addition to testing the game improvement range, I mentioned to my fitter that I also wanted to hit a couple muscle back irons, if nothing else, simply for comparison’s sake. 

He seemed perplexed that I would even ask, and even though he pulled three muscle back heads for me, he only actually assembled one of them for testing, the TaylorMade P790. I assumed this was because the numbers supported the assumption that I belonged squarely in the GI segment, although he didn’t give feedback on the data from each club. 

When I returned home and looked at my data, I was surprised to learn that the P790 outperformed every game improvement iron I tested in backspin, lateral dispersion, and descent angle. These are the metrics we established as top priorities to help me hit and hold more greens. On top of that, the smash factor (efficiency) with the P790 was as good as the best game improvement irons I tested.

The P790 fell behind in speed and distance, and I swung them 2.5 MPH slower than the rest of the pack. Was I putting a more controlled swing on them because I knew they were less forgiving? Would a different shaft flex or weight help bring that speed up? You never know until you test, and since we never tested them further, we’ll never know. This was a pretty disappointing takeaway.

At the end of my fitting, I saw how each of my top contenders compared to each other, and to the M5 irons I currently use. It’s really satisfying to compare the tradeoffs of one set with another, especially for people who like their data.

At the end of the day, my current irons outperformed everything I tested in backspin and dispersion and gave up about two degrees of descent angle and seven yards of carry compared to the best performers from the fitting. 

The Callaway Rogue and Paradym irons performed pretty similarly for me, and at nearly half the cost, I choose the Rogue as my top pick from the bunch. However, at around $1,000 for the set to gain a few yards – with some dispersion and backspin tradeoffs – it was an easy decision to stick with my M5 irons.

This information alone was worth the cost of admission.

I had almost too many takeaways to count from my iron fitting at GolfTec. Here are the most important pros and cons that I think you should weigh before you book a GolfTec club fitting.

• The 90-minute time slot was the right amount of time for a thorough fitting without feeling rushed
• The fitter took the time to take my wrist-to-floor and hand measurements, and tested my lie and adjustment
• At the end of the fitting, my fitter explained the exact price of the selected set, down to the penny, and sent the data comparison of those clubs to my gamers, along with the breakdown of cost, via email
• The cost of my final recommended build was just under $1,000 for eight clubs, which is quite reasonable by today’s standards
• For $95, the information I learned from the fitting, my current clubs, and today’s newest releases was easily worth the money even without upgrading equipment as a result

• Even though you can test tons of head and shaft combos, don’t expect that you’ll be able to test every combination you want. I had hoped to compare Cobra one-length irons to standard irons, but couldn’t, and also couldn’t hit some head/shaft combinations that could have been beneficial
• GolfTec fitters are not necessarily Master Club Fitters, meaning they may lack some training that would help you get the most out of your fitting, which I experienced in a couple different ways
• My fitter seemed more interested in highlighting distance gains than performance that correlated to my goals of hitting more greens

This is a lot of information, and if you go to a 90-minute club fitting of any kind at GolfTec, you’re going to get a ton of information in that 90 minutes. 

The good news is that for the most part, it’s good information, like how your swing performs with different club heads, shafts, and club profiles. You’ll also learn how your existing equipment stacks up to the newest releases, and get all the information you need to determine if an upgrade is worth the cost.

I thoroughly enjoyed my iron fitting experience at GolfTec, and even though I had a couple disappointing takeaways, I’d happily spend that money again a few years from now to find out if I’m still truly playing the best equipment for my swing. 

The one caveat to that statement is, if I had a similarly priced alternative with a Master Club Fitter, I would favor the option with a Master Fitter. While having that credential is not a deal breaker, there are some noticeable benefits you get from working with a fitter who has passed extensive club fitting training.