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