Fall Is The Best Time To Get Fit For New Clubs. Here's Why.

We all love new golf equipment, and for most golfers, the traditional time of year to buy is spring, when new clubs are being debuted, and the gear world is a buzz with tech words and flashy slogans. But what most fail to realize is that buying in the spring can bring its own group of issues, especially if you haven't played golf in a while. This is why I propose that if you want to be serious about your game, now is the best time to get fit, and here are my top reasons why.

This is my number one point, because as someone who has worked extensively in the club fitting world, I can’t begin to tell you how many people I have seen be excited to get fit for new gear, but thanks to the off-season haven't swung a club in months. In almost every case, this results in substandard results and less-than-ideal fitting conditions.

When you get fit in the fall, you’ve been playing all season, and whether you have stats to back up what you are looking to improve on or just a better understanding of your swing at the time of your fitting, I find more golfers see better results this time of year. Now, if you love to practice all off-season, then that’s a different story, but if you’re like most golfers who put the clubs away in the winter, I can't recommend this enough.

Nobody wants to be an early adopter, only to realize they should have maybe waited a bit longer to test out all the options available. This is why when you get fit at the end of the year, you already know what is out, and as a bonus, fitters have had a full season fitting with the new clubs to better understand what works for certain players.

Not only that but, if you’ve been thinking about new clubs, you’ve likely been to a demo day or two to get an idea of what you like and what you don’t so you don’t go into your fitting blind.

One of the unfortunate things about ordering clubs early in the season is that they can face unexpected backorders, and I know for a fact that nobody likes to wait more than they have to for their new clubs.

Late in the season is a whole other ball game, because manufacturers have already received all of their product for the season (barring any unusual circumstances) and are likely already taking or preparing to take on inventory for the next year, meaning you (hopefully) won’t have to wait as long for your new clubs.

Speaking of waiting, one great thing about getting your clubs in the fall is that you have the opportunity to use them for any indoor golf, practice, or golf getaways you have planned for the off-season, meaning that when the season does arrive, you’re already locked in.

As much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, it is true that the price of golf clubs has continued to rise over the last few years, and I don’t see any signs that the trend is going to change. With manufacturers and retailers moving into a much tighter inventory structure, it has slowly become more difficult to find clubs a couple generations old in shops at great deals unless you are buying used.

So if you feel your swing is in a good place and you want to get a jump start on next season, there really is no better time than now to get fit.