We've found FlightScope gives our customers the confidence to buy. Golfers are cottoning on to the fact there is no such thing as ‘standard' in golf equipment fitting; and if someone's looking to spend the sort of money clubs cost these days, he wants to know he's getting value and something that is good for him. This system backs up the fitting advice we're giving to them, which makes it an easier sale.
FlightScope Kudu's technology tracks the ball for up to 200 yards, which generally takes us past the pinnacle of the ball's flight. That was the key reason for us to change from our previous system, which took a picture at impact and used that to calculate ball speed and spin rates. It was pretty accurate, but not to FlightScope standards. This gives the customer extra confidence, and helps us feel we're on top of giving the best service possible.
Fittings generally take 45 minutes to an hour. The system can be used indoors or outdoors, but we tend to use it on the range to give the customer the animated ball flight, the real ball flight and the numbers to back it all up. Again, this set-up breeds confidence.
We'll start by getting the player to hit the club he wants changed; let's say it's a driver. This offers a neutral start point. He'll hit six or seven shots. From there we look at the numbers, the most important being ball speed off the face.
The ball speed tells us where we are going to go next. We'll either look at spin rate, or launch angle, or both. Generally, lower ball speed players don't generate enough speed to develop excessive spin, so we'll then focus on optimising the launch angle. We'll start with the head and its loft, and also aim to create a better efficiency between clubhead speed and ball speed. Then we'll look at shafts, and kick points to create maximum carry with maximum roll. We're looking to get the ball to land ‘on a concrete highway', but without minimising carry through the air.
This part is dependent not just on the golfer's technique but also on what type of course they generally play. For a links golfer, roll is more import: for the parkland player picking his way around heather, it's more on the carry.
As the session unfolds we'll use components from the Nike 360 fitting cart, the TaylorMade SelectFit and the Callaway i-MIX system, plus cart. If the customer has a budget that does not run to these premium brands, we'll fit to his budget as best we can from some of the lower price-point brands we stock.
Ease of use
What impresses the customer - and, in fact us - about FlightScope is its ease of use. It's a very simple and clear thing to relate data back to the consumer. The clarity of the graphics means that (1) the customer can see the numbers and (2) he can visually see the difference in his shot pattern. When you ally that to the fact he can see the real ball flight too, you have a very credible and powerful tool.
The other thing FlightScope enables us to do is clear up misconceptions. Most people think they hit the ball further than they do, and are surprised by the readings. The other big one is that ‘the less loft on the face the lower the ball flight'. We can prove otherwise by altering kick points and shafts. When people see this with their own eyes, on such sophisticated technology, they have to change their opinion.
Consistent
I think the average club golfer is increasingly accepting of custom-fitting, but where some are still sceptical is that they don't believe they are consistent enough warrant being custom fitted.
My view on that is that the club golfer is more consistent than he or she thinks. The player who hooks one shot, slices the next and skies the third is inconsistent only because he is trying to do something different on each swing, because of the previous shot. In fact, if they left their swing alone and just hit the ball, they'd find they are more consistent than they think.
Of course, that consistency may be a repeating slice. If that's the case we will first look at how much difference we can make with the club. We're not there to give swing thoughts; we're there to give people a club that suits their swing. If the slice is very bad, we'll then explain where it comes from and how they need to fix it... and how doing so might affect the fitting.
Stimulate your business
The bottom line is that using this sort of technology is a great way of getting people to come to see you. It allows you to make use of your specialised knowledge. You can also use FlightScope for teaching as it records swing path, point of release of the shaft, and angle of attack into the ball. This is a system that gives you a lot that you can't see in the swing.
I also believe that now is the time for club pros and retailers to get into sophisticated custom-fitting. Companies can't do much more with the heads now and are starting to bring clubs out in component form. With the public's interest in individual expert fitting on the rise, this sort of service can only stimulate your business.
