Your best fitting will be on turf as opposed to artificial carpeting. Did you ask the Regional center if they would discount the fitting if you purchased the set through them? Even at private clubs, most will do fittings for the public as a possible third option to use a local club that does fittings. Before you insist on AP2, let the fitter see which of the AP1/2/3 irons work best for you. You might find an off the rack 716 set discounted, but if they don't fit your game, that's way more costly than getting fit. Be they AP1/2/3, properly fit clubs will help you achieve your best improvement. Besides equipment, going from 18 to 10 will likely involve using a coach to go with your practice. Equipment alone is rarely good for more than a 3-5 handicap change.

Although I'm not very experienced I'll tell you my story. I recently got into golf. My first clubs were not Titleist and were fitted at a retail store. I never really adjusted to them. Knowing, or believing, that Titleist was the quality company which it is, when I had enough I went to a Titleist fitter and went from my old clubs to 716 AP2's. The difference was incredible. I am so totally pleased with the result that my bag is now all Titleist and although I'm not great- golf is way more enjoyable that it used to be. My advice- Titleist fitting.

First of all the tech difference from 1991 to today is like driving an old Model T Ford. Secondly and most important, if you are going to make this type of investment there's no doubt where to go to get fit and that's a Titleist fitter. Instead of driving yourself crazy with questions, put yourself in the hands of the experts and believe me you will not be disappointed. You will be put into the right club with the right shaft for you. Use the fitting tool on this site or speak to one of the Titleist Club Concierges such as Cathi and they will set you on the right path.

I prefer to hit balls on a range, rather than indoors, so I will only go to a Titleist fitting center. I would not worry about having a bad day during the fitting. Honestly, my fitted clubs are more beneficial to me, with mishits, because they were selected to get the best outcome in those instances.

I've been fitted twice by Titleist and both experiences were well worth the time and expense.

Good Luck.

You should get fit by Titleist. They do have Titleist Thursdays. It just depends which part of the country you are in. They will start up again in May in the rest of Canada but I see they have some coming up in Ontario. Aurora and Burlington. I have not had great experience with Golf Town for fittings. Your local club Pro should be your second option. Check out "find an event" on the top of the TT webpage for Titleist Thursdays.

I am a product specialist with Titleist so my advice would obviously be get fitted through Titleist. However, even if I wasn't I would still suggest the same. Im guessing your in Canada, but here in the states most areas have the Thursdays that you asked about. I don't know why they don't have them, could be a staffing issue. Try and find a golf course that has the full fitting cart, and they can get you pretty close. The product specialist have a full set of fitting equipment including Trackman which is the best way to get fit. You might be able to find a demo day that holds appointments which will give you a 45 min fitting. Also try and find a place that fits you outside so you can see true ball flight as well as get the numbers to back it all up.

I got fit at Golftown, as I want to develop for a few years. Then when I feel my game is going well, I plan on going to the Eagles Nest to get a full set of Titleist clubs. This is going to be my 10 year anniversary gift from my wife. She gets a new ring, I get clubs. Sounds fair!

That's just the way I'm handling it. I thought the Golftown fitting was great, but you hit off a mat indoors.

Let us know what you do.

Get fitted by Titleist. End of story.... best money you'll ever spend AND they'll have more options (shafts especially) for you to try out and get the numbers you're looking for..

And last piece of advice, go to the fitting with an open mind and let the fitters do their job.. Best advice I ever got when I went to Manchester Lane.

I would look to see if there are any Titleist Thursday Events near you and get fit from there. If none are available I would break it down like this:

If you get fit from Golftown it should be ok and the price of your fitting will be applied to your purchase of irons? The person fitting you may or may not be as knowledgeable as a certified Titleist fitter at a regional fitting center.

If you get fit from a regional Titleist fitter you're paying for someone that knows the products and how to work with the person being fit for the best possible combination of head, shaft, grip for their swing.

If you're going to go all in on clubs why would you want to buy them off the rack. Look at clubs as an investment and take the time to get fitted to ensure there are no questions in your mind.

If you don't there will always be that "what if" in your brain...

The guys at Golftown are good and are trained on all brands, but if you want a Titleist specific fitting where almost every head and shaft combination is available, then go to a regional fitting center. It is allot of fun and can get very detailed
There are Titleist Thursdays in Canada as well and those are free.

I would definitely want to ensure that the fitter is a Titleist certified fitter and that he is using the Trackman monitor. It will give all the necessary information to get the correct fit. Personally I prefer a Titleist fitter.

I would bypass GolfTown and go to Titleist or find an advanced fitter..IMHO

Hi AWells ... I am based in Canada too. I've been fitted by both Golf Town and by Titleist over the years.

In Canada, we do have Titleist Thursdays ... I am not sure where you are based/living in Canada, but most of the major urban centres have Titleist Thursdays. In the greater Vancouver area, the Regional Fitting Centre at Northview has a "Titleist Thursday" program so you can go get fitted for irons, drivers, etc.

In regards to the fitting experience, my suggestions would be to check to make sure that the people doing the fitting are "Certified Titleist Fitters" and have the options for the various shafts, etc. to be tested in your fitting session.

Also, as Chuck Z. mentioned, make sure that they have a Trackman ... I prefer the Trackman and Flightscope over the other types of launch monitors as I prefer that they be based behind me and not next to the ball/strike zone, but that is probably just a personal preference.

The major advantage to the Titleist fitting is that I can go there and test the various clubs on turf conditions - which I really prefer when it comes to irons, wedges and hybrids/woods.

The Driver is the only club that I don't mind being tested off of a mat as the mat is really redundant. Regardless, I also prefer seeing the ball's trajectory as well. I can see how well the ball comes off of the club(s) and penetrates the wind, its peak height, flight and movement of the ball, and it is all backed up by the Trackman data.

I hope that you find some value in this and welcome back to golf - as it has been said before "Golf is a deceptively simple game and is endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening -- and it is without doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.". -- Arnold Palmer

Hi AWells, do you mind if I ask you what you decided to do? I am in the exact situation as you (not having played in many years, getting married, kids, mtg...lol), living in Canada. Last year, got in about 10 rounds. I realized how much I missed it and want to play more and play better (planning on some lessons). My clubs are from 1999 (off the rack) and was also looking to upgrade. But at the same time, my swing was terrible last year and I think it might more beneficial to wait for my swing to improve and then go get fitted, or is the problem my old clubs. I know at Gtown its cheaper and they apply the fee to your purchase but like everyone in this discussion is saying, I would feel better going a Titleist expert. I am now debating b/w the regional fitting center or taking a trip down to Eagle's Nest where I have only read great things about. Anyone else have any thoughts? Thanks!

Just a basic question, if i pay for the Titleist Performance fitting package, are the clubs included in the price? Or am I just paying to just find out what clubs are best fitted for me and would have to buy the clubs separately?

TPI is one of the places the pro's go to evaluate and get fit for new equipment. Also, they do "body fittings" to look at flexibility and any other physical limitations. Separate session from the club fitting. Both services are at or are the best in the industry. The club fitting alone is in the $600 range for a full bag and ends with a spec sheet to take to your Titleist retailer/pro shop to order clubs. If you end up with no up-charge shafts Titleist will custom build your set for the same price as off the rack set in a box store. To compare to the companies that fit and build Titleist (and other OEM heads) clubs on site, the cost of the fitting and custom building the clubs will be a comparable expense. Except they fitted you indoors on plastic and their fitter hasn't worked with numerous pros on tour.

If you take your game seriously, there is no better option at any price that exceeds the value at TPI. The best dollar value is a free Titleist Thursday fitting with fitters well versed in club technology and the best shaft selection outside of going to TPI (Manchester Lane in Mass. is the East Coast equivalent)