• Your gender (male or female)
• Your height in your stockings or socks;
• The distance from your wrist (where it bends) to the floor with your shoes off;
• Your age;
• Your handicap or skill level;
• How fast you swing a golf club;
• What club you use at the 150 yard marker.

Each of these measurements are used to determine the various elements of customisation that will go into the finished golf club or putter.

Your Gender
Gender is used to determine the correct fitting scale for custom golf clubs. The golf industry uses different definitions of "standard length" for men and women.

Your Height
Your height and the distance in inches from your wrist to the floor are used together to determine the length of a custom golf club that is appropriate for you. The standard length of golf club can vary up to 3 ½-inch from ladies and up to over 1 ½-inches for a man. A tall person with long arms may require shorter clubs than an average height person with short arms. On average,about 80 percent of golfers are standard length.

Your Age, Handicap and Club speed
Your age, handicap (if you happen to have one), self-assessed skill level, estimated golf swing speed and club you use at the 150 yard marker are all combined to determined the custom golf club's shaft flex that is appropriate for you.  This is the amount of bend in the shaft that is optimum for you as an individual.

One benefit of a custom fitting is that custom fitting golf clubs can fix your slice. If you slice the ball then it means that the toe of the club is leading into the ball which in turn opens the face of the club. That may be a result of a swing fault, but it could also be because the club is too flat. So as part of the custom fitting process you are able to make the custom golf club more upright to help with this. This will mean that the toe of the club will be slightly off the ground at  the address to compensate for this  The result is no more slicing.

There are different methods of fitting according to the different golf club manufacturers but ultimately they are all trying to improve your game. To begin with, simple measurements such as wrist-to-floor, height and hand size are taken and will point you to the right size club and at what angle it should be to the ground. Then you will try out a golf club and hit some balls. The purpose of this is to establish how you hit the ball.  One method is to place impact tape on the bottom of the custom golf club and an impact board on the floor.

As you hit the ball on the board you will leave a mark on the tape showing whether the heel or the toe of the custom golf club is striking the floor first. The resulting mark will show whether the club face needs to be flatter or more upright. Then things get a bit more advanced. Analysis equipment can measure everything from your club speed to the side spin of the ball so that you can get maximum distance from your shot. You can also measure the launch angle of the ball, how much backspin you generate and impact efficiency - all which affect distance. The angle in which the custom golf club approaches the ball and its sidespin can help put right any problems with your game too.

Rather than trying to adjust your old clubs, it might be better to start from scratch. It's a big misconception that custom fitting is only for good golfers. Anyone can benefit. That said, if you plan to upgrade a new set of clubs with the same manufacturer they may be able to adjust your old set to become a new set of custom golf clubs. 

Custom fitting won't cure all your bad shots. Coaching will sort that out. But if you do make a good swing, then the custom golf club will arrive correctly at impact and should produce a straight shot at your target. That alone will save shots during a round.

Lastly, custom fitting is often free of charge. But it is usually on the condition that you buy some clubs once you've been fitted. So it really depends on what your budget is. If you're prepared to buy a new set of clubs it's definitely worth getting fitted.

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