when to Customize Clubs?

I was wondering what the thoughts are on when a person should customize their irons? Would it be wise to do it before or after lessons?

I would only customize my irons if I had a repeatable swing that I was not planning to do any major changes to. If you are just starting out, make sure you have lessons and plenty of time to practice. My own personal opinion would be to wait until you can break some sort of personal goal, then reward yourself with fitted clubs ex: when I break 90 I will get my clubs fitted.

let me ask this, then. i have cleveland ta5's latest updated ta5 model before they disco'd them, and i have heard that clevelands are difficult to customize. is this true?

Not that I have heard - most adjustments that are made are length (which is an adjustment to the shaft, has nothing to do with the make/model of the club) and the lie. The lie is rarely ever adjusted by more than 2 or 3 degrees, so whether the club is forged or cast, this adjustment can be made (make sure you get the lie adjusted by a professional club maker!!!).

is the lie an adjustment on the club head forwards or backwards a few degrees? i think i tested for a +1* on pings website. what direction would that be?

thanks for all the help.

a +1 lie would require your clubs being bent 1* upright. If you are looking at 1* upright, this is a VERY small adjustment. Before making an adjustment based on the Ping site, ensure that you are tested out on a lie board to see which part of your club is striking the ground (heel, toe, centre or some variation.) This will tell you what your real requirements are based on your swing, instead of Ping's system based on your height. Also, manufacturers have different stock lies so a Ping +1 maybe 0 for someone else, +2 for another company.

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

Exactly. If you are going to get ping clubs, then you should get customized through ping. I would also go to a ping rep to get fitted not online. If you go to a demo where ping is there, you will be able to get fitted and then you can get clubs like that. If you are getting your other clubs customized make sure you get a pro to do it.