There are an infinite number of excuses in golf for hitting a bad shot, but few sound more irrational than blaming your clubs.

But in some cases, blaming a bad shot on your clubs may not be ridiculous at all.

Having your clubs fitted specifically for your own swing can have a massive impact on your game.

If your clubs aren’t fitted to your personal specifications, you could well be sacrificing critical elements of your swing to make up for it.

For an example of how big a part clubs play in your game, just take a look back at Phil Mickelson’s win in the 2006 Masters. He basically had two different drivers in his bag, one which produced a draw and the other which produced a fade. And he didn’t change his swing at all.

Now I can’t really say that there is a set list of benefits to getting your shafts properly fitted, but if you think about it, no two people’s swing is exactly the same.

So if you are using equipment that is set up for somebody else, then you are going to be sacrificing your own swing in an effort to make the equipment work.

Obviously this is backwards to the way things are meant to be. In the ideal situation, your equipment should complement your swing. Then any problems associated with your shots can be easily targeted as physical problems and fixed more quickly.

Seeing as club fitting has become so crucial these days, most golfing facilities will be able to help you out with a fitting session, which usually only costs around $100 (depending on where you are).

One of the most important aspects to consider is lie angle, which can relate to the length of the shaft too. It is said that if the lie angle is out by just a few degrees, then your shots could land as far as 40yards either side of where you were aiming.

Other things they will measure are clubhead speed, launch angle, club lie angle, ball contact position and plenty more (again depending on where you get the fitting done).

Alternatively, getting custom fitted can be easy and painless with web-based fitting tools like the 'club fitting wizard' at Pinemeadow Golf or the 'e-fit System' at GigaGolf. It helps to have a partner who assists with some of the measurements required.

So if you are looking for a new set of clubs, before you make any quick decisions, it’s definitely best to get yourself fitted to begin with, saving all the hassles later on. Or if there are so many problems with your shots that you really don’t know where to start, then I’d definitely recommend to look at getting some properly fitted clubs first.

MEMBERS COMMENTS VIEWING 1 - 2 OUT OF 2 COMMENTS From: FrogHairs 10/21/2007 12:33:57 I have to agree that fitted clubs are the way to go. In fact I would have more faith in a good club fitter than a swing coach who knew nothing about club fitting. My question is does anyone have an opinion on how to know you have chosen a good club fitter, who actually knows what they are doing?........ Frog   From: elfisgregory 10/18/2007 05:01:40 Being only 5'4", it was almost a given that I have my shafts cut down. Shaft flex was chosen by answering a couple of questions. I would like to have my swing speed checked to see if shaft flex might make a difference but I'm pretty happy with my clubs right now. The Pinemeadow web site was very helpfull and  I would recommend it highly.