THE WORLD’S TOP 100 CLUBFITTERS
It’s unanimous. Every teaching pro, touring pro and avid golfer will tell you that to play your best and to improve, you must be fit. Even the PGA of America admonishes: “It’s no longer an ‘option’, it’s a ‘must’.”
Unfortunately, over 90% of golfers are still playing with the wrong clubs. No surprise given the fact that over 60% of all clubs are sold on-line. Many more are purchased in store, but “off-the-rack”.
The balance of golfers at least attempt to get “fitted” but still miss out on a real first-class fitting. Some golfers opt to have their teacher fit them from a “fitting bag” without the benefit of a launch monitor. Others go to large retail store or fit center where they only get a quick fit job and a hard sell. The turnover in these facilities is usually quite high … and the “fitters” usually lack experience and adequate training.
Some publications, list their Top ClubFitters as large chain stores and fitting centers. The list fails to name any individual professionals who have the years of experience, skill and reputation to actually earn the title.
Then there are golfers who decide to be their own experts. They go into a fitting center and say, “I want what Koepka is playing” or “I want that latest “XYZ Club” that is being advertised”. Many retailers are happy to accommodate. But it is the fitter with integrity who will ask: “But sir, is your game like Koepka’s?” or “would you be open to test some demos using a launch monitor to see what actually performs the best for you?”.
Industry insiders estimate the number of truly skilled fitters to be around 800 for the entire world. The golfing public has the impossible task of discerning the good fitters, from the mediocre and the bad.
The World’s Top 100 Professional ClubFitters List is designed to help golfers find legitimate fitters who are highly skilled, have earned outstanding reputations and who have integrity. No brick and mortar listed here. Each professional listed has years of experience, has attended numerous seminars to hone their skills, and who have actually built-up a solid reputation for helping golfers play their best. See at the end of this article, the criteria for selecting the Top 100.
WORLD’S TOP 100 CLUBFITTERS
CONGRATULATIONS TO EACH OF THE WORLD’S TOP 100 PROFESSIONAL CLUBFITTERS FOR 2020:
| AUSTRALIA | WA | Greg Ashton | GolfStix |
| WA | Martin Ridgway | El Caballo Golf Course | |
| VIC | Bryan Ferguson | Golf Tutor | |
| NSW | Jeff Mansfield | Jeff Mansfield Golf Solutions | |
| ACT | Craig Smith | Point N Putt Golf | |
| NSW | Graeme Trew | Murwillumbah Golf Club | |
| QLD | Nigel Lane | Brisbane Golf Academy | |
| AUSTRIA | Gerold Fiechtl | GF Clubfitting | |
| Andreas Lauss | Diamond Golfclub Ottenstein | ||
| CANADA | AB | Lyle Helland | Simply Golf |
| AB | Jordy McKenzie | Alberta Golf Works | |
| BC | Terry Stav | Golf West | |
| BC | Chris Knight | Vista Ridge Golf | |
| NS | Bob Spicer | RJS Custom Clubs | |
| ON | Don Irving | Artisan Golf Co. | |
| ON | Rene Grandmaison | Grand Lynx Golf Centre | |
| ON | Kurtis Sweeting | Sweetings Custom Clubs | |
| ON | Conrad Riley | Oslerbrook Golf Academy | |
| ON | John Wade | Precision Golf Clubs | |
| PQ | Peter Lamothe | Golf Options | |
| CZECH REPUBLIC | Jiri Votroubek | Golf 59 | |
| Milan Vantuch | Golf 59 | ||
| ENGLAND | Matt Pearson | Performance Fitting Center @ Waterton | |
| FRANCE | Olivier Chalon | C.O. Golf | |
| Jean-Michel Queva | Queva Clubfitting | ||
| Marc Brossard | MB Clubs | ||
| Alexandre D'Incau | Pro Clubmaker | ||
| Arnaud Smaghe | Gard & Golf | ||
| Herve Francillon | BackSpin Golf Fitting | ||
| Jean-Christophe Jarrige | Bretagne Clubmaking | ||
| Michel Lavergne | ML Clubfitting | ||
| GERMANY | Erik Muschalla | Sportscreative | |
| Gerald Friz | Golf+IT | ||
| Joerg von der Gathen | Club Align Golf | ||
| Richard Phillips | Richard Phillips Proshop M/S Tinnen | ||
| IRELAND | Nigel Shaw | NS Golf Tech @ Warrenpoint Golf Club | |
| NETHERLANDS | Marcel Bal | Golf Op Maat | |
| Peter Graham | Peter Graham Golf Center | ||
| Marcel de Jager | Golfhunter | ||
| Vincent Willems | P&P Golf Fitting n' Fun | ||
| PHILIPPINES | Francis Go | Custom Clubmakers International | |
| Jake Ong | Custom Clubmakers International | ||
| SINGAPORE | Joseph Loo | XLNgolf Pte Ltd | |
| Ignatius Tan | XLNgolf Pte Ltd | ||
| SLOVENIA | Viljem Kern | Kern Golf | |
| SOUTH KOREA | Brian Choi | Tayoon Golf | |
| SPAIN | Juan Carlos Garcia Diaz | Golf Planet - Oviedo | |
| Agustin Sanchez | Golfinteligente | ||
| Mateo Noel | Fit & Golf | ||
| Angel Martinez | Golf Planet - Mallorca | ||
| SWEDEN | Tony Guelli | Golf Performance Sweden AB | |
| Marten Nord | Golfverket Custom Fitting | ||
| Johanna Pyk-Jargard | Johanna's Golf Shop | ||
| SWITZERLAND | Giuseppe "Pepe" Naula | Pepe's Golf-Clinic | |
| Norbert Studer | R&L Customer Golf Clubfitting | ||
| Willi Vogt | R&L Customer Golf Clubfitting | ||
| UNITED STATES | AK | John Gose | Full Swing Golf of Alaska |
| AR | Robert Mapes | Golfstx | |
| AR | Trevor Shanke | Golfstx | |
| AZ | Greg Marsh | Hole Out Golf Academy | |
| AZ | Tim Avis | Hole Out Golf Academy | |
| CA | Chad Dietz | The Bunker Golf Center | |
| CA | Dan Rogers | The Bunker Golf Center | |
| CA | Brad Whalen | KZG Golf Performance Center | |
| CA | Mark Goulet | KZG Golf Performance Center | |
| CA | Brad Benkey | KZG Golf Performance Center | |
| CA | Phil Moore | Phil's Custom Golf | |
| CA | Anthony Stagno | Mammoni Golf | |
| CA | Dan Groves | Garden Island Golf - Apple Valley | |
| CA | Steve Tanis | Phil's Custom Golf | |
| CO | Bryan "Buddy" Beem | Bryan "Buddy" Been Custom Golf Clubs | |
| FL | Dick Cicero | Pin High Enterprises | |
| FL | Glenn Southworth | Southy Custom Golf | |
| ID | Bill Moseley | Golf 365 | |
| KY | Tom Barron | 21st Golf Technology | |
| LA | John Joy | N'Joy Golf @ La Triomphe Golf Academy | |
| NC | Kelly York | Kelly's Custom Golf | |
| NC | Curtis Eudy | Leatherman Golf Learning Center | |
| ND | Andrew Baumann | Golf Etc. - Bismarck | |
| ND | Matt Rueb | Golf Etc. - Bismarck | |
| NY | Michael Callahan | Michael Callahan Golf | |
| OH | Dave Freed | DV Golf | |
| OR | Bob Duncan | G P S Players Academy | |
| PA | Bernie Dunne | Bernie Dunne Custom Clubs | |
| PA | Jerry Hintze | Clubmakers Shop | |
| PA | Dave Gedris | Oakmont Golf Center | |
| PR | Hector "Blanco" Matos | Play Better Golf | |
| WA | Chris Garrison | Camas Meadows Golf Club | |
| WA | Bryce Poulin | Camas Meadows Golf Club | |
| WI | Henry Fink | Scratch Golf Shop |
THE CRITERIA FOR THE WORLD’S TOP 100
An independent panel of industry experts have set the criteria necessary to be considered one of the World’s Top 100 Professional ClubFitters. The panel includes: Clay Long, renowned club designer and personal fitter for Jack Nicklaus; Gene Parente, President of Golf Laboratories, Inc., the premier golf equipment testing facility and producer of robot testing utilized by virtually every equipment manufacturer; Dr. King, President and founder of KZG, the #1 Custom ProLine; and Dr. Christian Reichardt, doctor of sports medicine and author of “Pain Free Golf”.
A 100 point system based on the criteria was generated to objectively evaluate each applicant. They include:
1-10 points for each of the following:
√ A sincere commitment to help every golfer play their best and a reputation for honesty and integrity in their community
√ An ability to converse with the golfer to assess the golfer’s goals, understand any disabilities
√ An ability to educate the golfer every step of the fitting process
√ Number of years as a club fitter and the success of his business in the community
√ Regular attendance at schools and seminars to maintain knowledge and raise the bar for their profession
√ Knowledge of golf club head specifications, design features and manufacturing processes
√ Knowledge of shaft profiles, design features and manufacturing processes
√ Knowledge of interpreting analysis data and use of launch monitors, frequency analyzers and videos during their fittings
√ Maintains a wide selection of heads and shafts and ability to select the optimum combination for any given golfer
√ Assumes responsibility for the build of the custom clubs; checks that fitting instructions are adhered to perfectly and double checks all specifications before handing clubs to the golfer