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Get fitted out to get better results

Gainsborough Golf Club: The home of PING in the UK © Gainsborough Golf Club

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I've lost count of the number of times I've stepped onto the tee alongside someone I've played with before and duly seen them hit the ball further and with a far better ball flight. The answer to my question 'where did that come from?' was the same for all: 'I got fitted out for some clubs'.

So many people have spoken in glowing terms about custom fitting that I decided to take the plunge and book myself in for a session. The options available are vast, as high street shops, clubs and golf centres offer fitting, while the big companies travel the country with mobile trucks to complement their state-of-the-art headquarters.

It was to PING's HQ at Gainsborough Golf Club that I took my ropey old swing and bag of archaic clubs to see if improvement could be eked out.

PING has a storied reputation in club-making, dating back to 1959 when Karsten Solheim started making putters in his own garage. Such was the take-up of Solheim's putters that he extended his range to irons and woods from the company's base in Phoenix.

The famous PING Man swing tracking aid was the first step on the road to custom fitting and PING remains at the forefront of clubmaking.

Gainsborough Golf Club, which is fully owned by PING, is the company's European base and is a well-appointed venue with 36 holes on offer. But it was the fitting station that was my focus and there are three fitting bays, along with a VIP area where PING professionals can occasionally be found working on some improvements.

nFlight is PING's most advanced fitting tool and it is what is offered up to all visitors to its Gainsborough HQ. In layman's terms, following an interview to confirm height, weight and grip size, a camera is placed behind the player and the data is fed back into a computer.

With the help of one of PING's trained fitters, nFlight comes up with recommendations of club options - right the way from driver to wedges - while an app is used to make recommendations for putters.

After working through four possible iron options, I was recommended the G25 game improvement iron. And the test showed that when compared to my own set, I was hitting a seven iron 15 yards further.

PING custom fits every club, rather than having sets pre-built and pulled off the shelf. And as part of my visit, I was given a tour of PING's factory which is a couple of minutes' drive from Gainsborough Golf Club.

The factory tour was as much of an eye opener as the fitting itself. PING imports the shafts and heads from its bases in Phoenix and Asia, but the build process is all done in-house. The club makers are aided by both state-of-the-art and tried and trusted technologies to get each club to the right specification. And one thing that was not lacking was the use of quality control with repeated checks going on throughout the process to ensure the club is exactly what has been ordered.

Having been deeply impressed with the fitting and watching the clubs being built, it is ultimately about results. So armed with new clubs, I went down to my local course. I had craved a higher ball flight and that is exactly what I received. I wasn't hitting the ball miles further, but a few yards were added to each club and I was happier with my ball striking.

Like any sport, confidence is a huge factor in golf and I was happier stood over the ball which I am convinced contributed to the improvement in my scoring.

Buying a set of clubs is not a cheap business, but if you are going to invest then it makes total sense to get fitted out.

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