Why Custom Clubs?

Many golfers hold the mistaken belief that custom made golf clubs are only for ‘better players’, or, that custom fitting should only be considered when the golfer improves to a certain level of skill in the game. Nothing could be farther than the truth. Proper fitting of the performance specifications of golf clubs has been proven countless times with golfers of ALL handicaps and athletic ability to maximize the ability of the golfer, and to offset or overcome many of the different mistakes golfers make in their swing. True custom fitting involves a careful analysis to be able to recommend the individual specifications of the clubheads, shafts, grips and their assembly to be able to maximize the swing movements and physical abilities of any golfer.

Within the golf equipment industry there exist a number of different options for golfers to obtain ‘custom made’ sets of clubs. Many of the companies engaged in the business of offering standard made sets of golf clubs sold through pro-shops and off-course retail stores also have fitting carts filled with an array of different versions of their standard models to allow golfers to hit test in an effort to determine the best fit.
Every clubfitter should use video in their fittings. It dispels a lot of myths about fitting (particularly issues related to club length, lie angle, and impact point), and increases the client's perception of your expertise, professionalism, and commitment to improving their game.

The number of fitting options available through these fitting carts is limited to different lengths, different lie angles of the irons, and different flexes of the same shaft model, each built with a limited option of one or two clubhead models. While such cart fitting methods are better than simply buying golf clubs in one standard form “off the rack”, they fall well short of the extent of analysis and selection that is possible to achieve through an independent professional clubmaker.

In the recommendation of the clubheads for the golfer, the professional clubmaker will make their selection from an extensive assortment of clubheads designed from different materials, and offered in different sizes and shapes to meet the desire of the golfer. However, not simply isolated to material and shape, the clubmaker will use information obtained in the fitting session with the golfer to make the all-important recommendation of the individual performance specifications of the clubheads to address and complement the swing and playing characteristics of the golfer.

In the woodhead model of the golfer’s preferred material and size/shape, a true fitting session involves taking care to fit the golfer for the most important performance specifications of face angle, loft, center of gravity, and headweight to address the accuracy, distance and trajectory needs of the golfer. In the ironhead model of the golfer’s preferred material, size and shape, the true fitting session will address the correct specifications for the golfer in the loft, center of gravity, headweight, offset, sole angle and lie angle. Within a fitting cart approach, woodhead fitting options are likely only available in loft, while ironhead selections would be limited to lie angle.
In addition, the true fitting session can be specialized to also include the proper individual selection of the wedges and putter, two of the most important scoring areas within golf equipment. Within the golf equipment retail environment, these two critical equipment areas are virtually ignored when it comes to proper fitting to the needs of the player.

In the selection of the shaft, a true fitting session will involve measuring the golfer’s swing speed separately for the woods and irons, and evaluating the golfer’s individual characteristics of swing tempo, back-to-downswing transition movement, strength, wrist-cock release and swing fundamentals to determine the shaft with the best weight, torque, overall flex bend profile and length to allow the golfer to maximize their playing ability. Within the most sophisticated clubmaking shops, the shaft selection will also include an evaluation of the golfer’s launch parameters as determined by an electronic launch monitor. To meet all of these individual shaft fitting needs, a true fitting session will make the shaft recommendation for the golfer from hundreds of different models of shafts, covering a variety of shaft weights, torque and bending profiles. Within a fitting cart approach, the golfer can choose a different flex, but only from a single shaft model of the same weight, torque and bending profile.
For the grip, a true fitting session will analyze not just the proper size, but the proper size for both of the golfer’s hands, as well as the golfer’s preference for the appearance, feel and texture of the grip. The grip recommendation in a true fitting will also be made from a wide assortment of different grip models and designs. With the fitting cart, the golfer may be able to choose a comfortable size, but within a single grip model.

In a true fitting session, once the clubheads, shafts and grips are determined, the extremely important aspect of determining the clubs’ length and swing balance for the individual needs of the golfer are determined as the guide for the assembly of the clubs. In fitting through a cart of clubs, options for length may be included, but there will be only one possible swing balance offered for each length.

To make a more appropriate contrast, buying golf clubs off the rack with no attention to fitting is like trying to make one size of shirt and pants fit every person. Buying a custom option through a fitting cart is like buying a suit from a department store – you will have a limited selection of styles but you will be able to secure the proper inseam, waist and sleeve length. But buying golf clubs through a professional clubmaker offering a true fitting session is like buying a suit from a custom tailor in which everything from the fabric, buttons, style and every conceivable aspect of the fit is taken into consideration.



What are Component Clubs?

This question comes up regularly, but most often from golfers not familiar with the component clubmaking industry. Component Clubs are simply clubs assembled from individual club heads, shafts and grips. All the components used by BAHL are designed to high standards, built to exacting specifications, and assembled with quality and performance in mind.

People often make an incorrect assumption that due to the typically lower prices of component golf clubs when compared to brand name equipment - or OEM equipment - that quality is lacking in component clubs. As long as you are dealing with a reputable component club designer and supplier, nothing could be further from the truth.

Component clubmakers have a virtually unlimited selection of high quality clubheads, shafts and grips to select from when assembling clubs. The component clubmaker's choices here are guided by the playing characteristics that the customer desires, as well as the goals that the clubmaker has for a given set of clubs.

What many people don't realize is that nearly all the OEMs and component houses use the same foundries to actually manufacture their club heads! The shafts are all made by the same shaft manufacturers, and everyone uses grips from the same grip manufacturers. What makes an OEM Driver cost $500, when a comparable component driver may only cost $250? It's simple; The OEM spends much more money on PGA Tour sponsorships, marketing to Pro shops, and advertising in very expensive magazines like Forbes, Time, Newsweek, etc. The component club manufacturer rarely spends this kind of money on advertising and marketing, so the savings are passed on to us, the clubmakers, and ultimately to you, the customer.

If you consider the limited number of clubheads that a typical OEM offers, and compare this with the literally unlimited models available to the component clubmaker - we have the advantage when building your clubs!

Another advantage of component clubmaking is the personal touch that your clubs receive. We build your clubs one at a time, with care and attention to detail that you can't get in an OEM assembly line. You don't have to worry about whether the line worker who is spreading epoxy on your shaft had a good night, or had a fight with his girlfriend, or is late for lunch - so he rushes your clubs. The component clubmaker will take the time needed to make sure your clubs are built correctly, every time. After all, his reputation is on the line with every club that goes out the door. He is not simply an assembly line robot stuffing shafts into hosels all day long - he is a craftsman who performs every step of the assembly process, and cares deeply about his craft. He wants to make sure you love his finished product!

By trusting the clubmakers at BAHL with your golf club needs, you are putting yourself in expert, caring hands. We take the time to understand what it means to build a high quality golf club, and stand behind our work 100%.