2nd Swing phone fitting: Different methods, same results

By Drew Mahowald -- 2nd Swing Staff Writer

2nd Swing’s award-winning club fitting services aren’t just recognized by the fitting experiences that take place at the five stores or Tour Van locations.

Those experiences truly are superb, thanks largely to 2nd Swing’s tremendous staff of club fitters and state-of-the-art technology at each location. However, for many golfers, scheduling a fitting in person is difficult due to time or travel constraints.

That’s where 2nd Swing’s phone fitting services come into play.

Contrary to popular belief, golfers can get fit for new clubs through a phone conversation with a 2nd Swing certified master fitter just as accurately as an in-person fitting.

2nd Swing certified master fitter Brent Loudon believes a phone fitting can be just as accurate because it’s based on the golfer’s tendencies rather than several swings into a projector screen.

“For me, it’s not about what you do now. It’s about what your tendencies are on the course,” Loudon said.

He adds that many times, customers will swing differently when hitting indoors or make contact differently on artificial turf as opposed to natural grass. 

To carry out a phone fitting, 2nd Swing’s staff of phone fitters will essentially interview the customer to gain as much information possible about the equipment he or she is currently playing, and what the customer wants improved. 

The fitters will even ask for aesthetic measurements such as height and wrist-to-floor, which help dial in the specifications even further. The more information the customer can provide, the more accurate the fitting.

“When customers call in, I first ask what they’re currently playing to get the specifications and what they don’t like about what they’re playing so we can improve it. If I know the clubs, I can figure out what kind of tendencies they have,” Loudon said. “From what they tell us about the shaft or shafts they’re playing with their current clubs, their tendencies, and their aesthetic measurements, we can dial in what they need in terms of shaft flex, lie angle, and head type.”

Loudon has figured out that there are a few simple questions that he can ask customers in addition that can spark insightful answers. He says he’ll ask if the customer has ever been fitted before, what the customer’s swing tempo is like, what club the customer hits from 150 yards, the ball flight tendencies the customer currently has, and the ball flight tendencies the customer desires.

He says the answers to these questions generally create some impactful revelations.

“I like to ask what club they hit from 150 yards to figure out shaft flex,” Loudon said. “If someone is hitting it all over the place with a regular flex shaft but is using just an 8-iron from 150 yards, then I’ll recommend a stiff flex shaft to straighten and control ball flight. So right there, I’m already solving some key issues.”

Just like an in-store fitting, a phone fitting can also help golfers of any skill level. The phone fitters at 2nd Swing communicate daily with beginners, scratch golfers, and everything in between. The process may differ for the various skill levels, but the end goal remains finding the correct clubs for the customer’s swing.

And if you’re a beginner purchasing your very first set of clubs, well, that’s okay too.

“For beginners, we get their aesthetic measurements and then ask how they will grip the club. If they grip the club hard, they’ll lose some flex in the shaft,” Loudon said. “We don’t ask about tendencies because they don’t have any. So we start there. And then what I always say is once you get your clubs, go hit them a few times and give me a call and let me know how they’re doing.”

2nd Swing’s 30-day play guarantee offers customers a tremendous security blanket for their purchases. Golfers can play a few rounds with their new clubs to get a feel for the performance. If unsatisfied, they can return the clubs after 30 days and receive a store credit for the full original purchase price.

This offer is to ensure that customers not only wind up with new clubs that fit their swing, but also clubs that they are comfortable with and confident in.

“If you call us up and say these clubs aren’t working, we want to find you what’s best,” Loudon said. “As a fitter, I’m trying to fine tune. I don’t want to get you something just to sell you something. I’m trying to fine tune your game.”

If you’re among our many customers who is unable to travel to one of our five stores for an in-person fitting, please call (612) 216-4152 to speak with a certified master fitter on the phone.

You might be surprised by the result and it can be the first step in playing better golf.