More often the mom and pop shop is better. We have Golf Mart, Golfsmith and Golf Galaxy in SD.  Also have Fairway Golf (a small store) and I highly recommend Jesse and his group (they'll give some golf tips during the fitting too).  Also Golf Galaxy (Carmel Mountain store) is my 2nd choice (they have a PGA professional who is part of the repair department staff).  Many years ago they had a good fitter at Golfsmith and he knew his stuff on club repair.  Golf Mart is luck of the draw as to who is in the repair shop.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. 

You can't beat going outside and beating balls down a range to see how the club hits.  At an actual fitting, there will also be a gadget on the ground that measures spin, ball speed, club head speed, and launch loft and plot a descent angle.  While you are there, you can try multiple heads (AP1, AP2, etc), all with multiple shaft combinations to get you the ideal launch and distance for your swing.  A gadget on a shaft is better than nothing, but the simulation is just that - an estimate of what could happen if you strike the ball.  I'd rather know what happens when I do hit the ball.

Titleist isn't in the business of selling sets off the rack (although you can easily do that at a large retailer) and the products are priced as eaches, so you only need to buy the clubs that work for you.  You can mix and match irons with hybrids and Vokey wedges, as well as a combo set of AP1/AP2 or AP2/CB (...or whatever).  Find a pro shop or dealer with an outdoor fitting, preferably an advanced fitting center, or even a regional center that is reasonably convenient.  They are listed under Golf Clubs -> Golf Club Fitting on the Titleist site.

Even with the same swing speed, 2 golfers may not use the same flex.  Transition speed and angle of attack will change the performance.  The more and better data you can put into a fitting, the more accurate the results.  Before I spend $800-1000 for a new set of irons, investing a C-note into a fitting to get it right the first time is a great investment.  Many will discount the fitting if you order the set while you are there.

...90% of golfers do not get the best fit with a standard set...  Unfortunately, I found out I'm in the majority and bought a minority position for my first set.

I discovered that I also am in the 90%.  When I started playing golf in the 1970s, pretty much the available golf sets were 1-3-4 woods,  2-PW and you had to buy a sand wedge (with the wide bottom flange).  NW and BH made things like lofted fairway woods.   For those of us that didn't fare well with a driver there was a 2 wood. The longest iron I have been using since 2006 is a 6 iron.  I also discovered a 7 wood at that time because I couldn't hit a 3 iron hybrid.  The other thing I discovered was a 64* wedge.   The longest iron I have carried since 2006 is a 7 iron and found out that a 34* hybrid is much less work.  The other thing I found out is that there is no value added in carrying a gap wedge (for me anyhow) and I use a 54* wedge as a sand club; furthermore, I have been pretty adept at working a PW. I also got into clubmaking in 2009 and played with DIY irons for 2 years.   Finally, 3 years ago (purely by accident) I found out I hit the ball better with a 13* draw driver vs a 10.5 neutral.

My bag has pretty much been 1-4-7 woods, 5-7H, 7-PW, 54, 60, 64, P since 2006.  I have generally been playing around 85 for 18 holes on a par 72 course since 2009 and I broke 80 last year.  Best score on any course is +1 for 9 holes.  Because of the way I have the lofts set up for the AP1 8-PW (36-41-46), I use a DIY 31* hybrid in place of the 6 and 7 irons (this has worked well for 2 years now). 

Mike,

After the Oceanside Experience, and seeing the level of expertise Titleist expects of it's fitters, I would strongly suggest you invest in being fitted by someone who is Titleist-Certified. It's easy to find someone relatively close to you. You seem ready to make a big purchase with the AP2's, which is the best looking and feeling iron I've ever used. Why not invest in working with someone who is specially trained by Titleist to help you find the AP2 setup that fits your game? The confidence it builds is priceless, and your shot-making should be noticeably more consistent.

Thank you all for your input. I really do appreciate it.  I think I'm going to seek a Titleist professional for a proper fit just to be sure before I decide to drop a gran.

Thanks again!

Cheers

Hi Mike,  We have a lot of fitters in your area that have fitting carts and several Advanced fitters a little further away.  The two Advanced fitters are Jim Pooler at Roger Dunn - 714.558.0074, Santa Ana and Erik, Min or Karen over at Tustin Ranch - 714.734.2106.   

Cathi, I am ready to go with a full bag of Titleist clubs, Driver to Wedges. Who in your opinion is the best fitter in my area ( Sebastian,FL ). With this kind of investment, I certainly want to be "on the mark". Thanks.

                                                                                                       Frank P

Mike Warobick is at US 1 Golf Center in Rockledge, FL - 321.632.5461, Ryan Crysler is at The Floridian and you can email him for details and pricing at:  rcrysler@thefloridian.com, Mark Drenga is at PGA CC in Port St. Lucie - 800.800.4653

All three are Advanced fitters anad have launch monitors.

Went to US1 Golf Center today for a fitting today. Mike Warobick did a tremendous job with my fitting. He spent almost 2 hours with me. He took the time to try various head and shaft combos and didn't try to sell me clubs that were not an improvement over what I already had, as he also had me hit clubs in my current set. Here is what we came up with. 913 D2 Driver 12 deg. Bassara  R Shaft + 1". 913 F Fairway 21 deg. Bassara R Shaft. 714 AP1 Irons 7-W KuroKage 65 R Shafts + 1/2". Again, I would strongly recommend Mike as a fitter for anyone in my area. Thanks Cathi, for the tip.

                                                                               Frank P

Hi Frank,  Glad to hear that you enjoyed the fitting and came away with specs that were an improvement over your current sticks.  I will pass on your message to Mike - I agree, he is definitely a fitter to recommend. 

I have added 2- SM4 wedges, 54-14 and 60-10 W/ XP-95 R-100 +1/2". I like the little bit of extra overall weight in the 2 close in wedges vs. KuroKage 65 in my other irons.

After having been fit at Titleist TPI Oceanside I can tell you the use of a trackman in the process is invaluable.  Did either of these people have one in use?? Also, hitting off of mats I have been told can be misleading a little so if you hit off of grass that measurement might be the most accurate.  I would recommend you finding out for your area who is an advanced club fitter for Titleist...normally I have had lots of success with those individuals in recent years!  They can be found off the Titleist Website http://www.titleist.com/find-a-golf-shop/?fitter=1

Good Luck!

Chris