Someone asked me a question about ChatGPT and could you use it for club fitting. I thought That’s crazy, but probably. With the knowledge base it has, it can look up anything and provide information at your fingertips. This, however, is a classic example of how ChatGPT can help you and in no way replace you.

It’s cheating, you might say. I say no way!! Do you use any reference materials when you fit? Google? I have. Callaway Flip Book? I do in every fitting. This is another reference tool. That is all.

The short answer is – No, it’s not going to fit clubs for you. But… it can help you be faster, sharper, and a more prepared fitter – IF you know how to use it, and what to ask it. YOU still have to have the experience. YOU still have to see the ball flight and the data. YOU still have to interact with the player. NO computer can replace your eyes, ears or instincts. As you see below, It may not answer as you need it to, so you have to be smart enough to know when to question it. That being said, can you take a complete newbie, and say here’s a launch monitor, an open ChatGPT connection and some fitting clubs – go fit Mr. Smith. That’s a disaster waiting to happen.

However, IF you know what to ask it… And you have some experience. But are maybe a little uncomfortable… It can be a super helpful tool.

Let me walk you through how I might use it:

I “role played” with ChatGPT to walk through a fitting. Here is what I asked and a portion of each response:

Step one. In advance. Craft a Personalized Pre-Fit interview.

Here’s what I fed it:

I have a club fitting with Tom Smith later today. He’s a 13.1 index player. He’s got a decent short game, but he drives it into trouble on occasion, makes some questionable decisions on the golf course. He doesn’t hit a lot of greens, which leads to a typical 13 handicapper. He does not take any lessons from me, No physical issues that I know of, but we should ask. Can you help me come up with a 5 question pre-fit interview? I’m fitting him for irons. He mentioned Callaway or Titleist.

The response (in 5 seconds):

Awesome — love how you set that up.

You gave me just the right amount of background — now let’s build a 5-question pre-fit interview to really set the table for Tom’s iron fitting.

Since he’s a 13.1 index, misses some greens, and makes occasional course management mistakes, we want questions that will:

• Understand his ball striking tendencies
• Understand his distance needs
• Sniff out any physical limitations
• Understand what “better” looks like for him
• Gauge what he’s open to (forgiveness, shaft feel, set composition)

🎯 Here’s the 

5-Question Pre-Fit Interview

 for Tom:

1. “Tell me about your current irons. What do you like — and what would you like to see better?” (Get him talking about his baseline: distance, consistency, feel, misses.)
2. “When you miss with your irons, what does the miss usually look like?” (Left? Right? Short? Thin? Chunky? This will steer us toward launch/forgiveness needs.)
3. “Are there any aches, pains, or injuries I should know about before we get started today?” (Quick physical check-in. Even if he says ‘no,’ it builds trust.)
4. “If I could wave a magic wand and fix one thing about your iron play, what would it be?” (Find out his real pain point — launch, distance, consistency, control.)
5. “When you picture an upgrade, is it more about performance, feel, or just something newer?”(Helps you balance performance vs emotional satisfaction — some guys want both.)

🛠️ Bonus Tip (if you want to dig a little deeper):

If he mentions “forgiveness” or “distance,” ask:

➔ “Are you more concerned about forgiveness on off-center hits or adding a few more yards?”

(This will tell you if he needs something like Paradym X vs T150.)

Would you also like me to sketch a super quick Game Plan Tree based on how he answers? (Example: If he says “I hit a lot of chunks,” → steer toward forgiving soles and turf interaction.)

It’ll feel like we’re live fitting him together! 🎯

Pretty cool, eh? You could modify this, but it gives you a pretty good starting point. If you don’t know the player, you could craft questions that are more about his background, etc. ?

Step two. In advance. Prep from what he has. Look in his bag. Ask ChatGPT to do some legwork before the fitting.

Here’s what I asked it:

Thanks. I’ll use these questions. OK. Before we go to the range, can you please help set me up with where you think I should go with this fitting. This is what he has: TaylorMade RBZ Irons, 4-PW, Steel Regular flex shafts. He has an RBZ 4 Hybrid, a Ping 3 wood, and a Callaway Epic Driver. It’s a 10.5* with the Original Hzrdus Grey shaft in a 60-gram regular flex. Any thoughts on where I should start with Titleist and Callaway irons and some shaft choices? Perhaps give me some set make-up ideas for the conclusion of the fitting?

The Response:

Perfect — this is super clear. Thanks for laying it out the way a real fitter would think about it.

Let’s approach it in three smart steps, just like you would in your bay:

🛠️ Pre-Range Plan for Tom Smith:

Player Profile Summary:

• 13.1 index.
• Average ball striker (misses greens).
• Decent short game.
• Plays older tech (RBZ irons = mid-high launch, not super forgiving today by modern standards).
• Likely playing too much club (4-iron) and maybe a little too much shaft weight.
• Steel regular flex now, but it’s older and may be playing a little soft.

1. 🏌️‍♂️ Starting Point: Fitting Goals

• Easier launch → Slightly more modern lofts but NOT “players distance” hot faces.
• Tighter dispersion → Forgiveness through better sole design and better CG placement.
• Better gapping → Smarter set composition (bye-bye 4-iron? Hello 5h or 6i start?)
• Shaft update → Modern lightweight steel or graphite could help smooth out bad swings.

2. 🏆 Clubs to Start With

🏌️‍♂️ Titleist Options:

• T200 — Best fit to start.
• Players distance, but very playable forgiveness.
• Looks great, but much better launch and forgiveness than his RBZs.
• T350 (if he struggles early)
• Max forgiveness, still looks great behind the ball.
• Higher launch, bigger sole, bigger safety net.

Start him in T200 unless early launch window / ball striking demands T350.

🏌️‍♂️ Callaway Options:

• Paradym (not X) — Mid forgiveness, great look.
• Forgiveness without a super hot jump-face feel.
• Paradym X (if he needs launch and distance help)
• Much more offset and hotter.
• Only go here if his strike pattern is really low on the face or if carry numbers are way short.

Start him in regular Paradym first.

3. 🏹 Shaft Options to Try

(Based on his profile, smoother tempo, regular flex today, and age of equipment)

Shaft

Why Try It

True Temper Elevate 95 VSS (R flex)

Easy launch, smooth feel, lighter weight (~94g). Natural upgrade from RBZ steel.

True Temper AMT Red (R300)

Progressive weight, easy launch in long irons.

Fujikura Axiom 75R (graphite)

If he feels any fatigue or shows any slow down — amazing for smoothing out inconsistencies.

Project X IO 5.5 (95g)

Smooth, tighter flight for a player who still swings a little faster.

General starting point: Lightweight steel unless he really feels better with graphite.

4. 🧠 Set Makeup Game Plan

At Conclusion of Fitting, Recommend:

• 5-PW irons — not 4-PW.
• Replace 4-iron with a hybrid or 5h (match to iron set or fairway line).
• Check 3-wood loft and gap spacing — maybe tweak or loft down depending on distance gaps.
• Gap wedge to match iron set (e.g., T200 or Paradym “AW”) — helps fill 45–50° yardage gap cleanly.
• Recommend eventual driver upgrade if needed — that Epic with old HZRDUS Grey may not be optimizing carry.

🧠Key Watch Items on Range:

• Launch window (esp. long irons)
• Spin rates (keep >4500 rpm with mid irons if possible)
• Striking consistency (for T200 vs T350 or Paradym vs Paradym X decision)

I wanted Elyte instead of Paradym, so I asked for that. I also mentioned that some of the shafts were outdated.

I asked for this:

Would you please use the Callaway Elyte irons instead of Paradym? Also, I think the Elevate shafts are retired. Do you have the current and appropriate shaft options options for True Temper, Nippon, KBS, UST and Project X (graphite)? Would you please update your previous response?

The Response: (Sparing the entire thing)

Yes — great call. Thanks for catching that. Let’s update everything properly:

• Use Callaway ELyte irons instead of Paradym.
• Use current, available shaft options across True Temper, Nippon, KBS, UST, and Project X (graphite).
• Keep everything else about the fitting plan the same.

Here’s your full updated fitting plan — clean, detailed, and accurate to today’s lineups:

This was the updated shaft list:

True Temper

Dynamic Gold Mid 100 (R300)

Mid-weight (100g), smooth launch profile, slightly easier to launch than OG DG.

Nippon

N.S. Pro 950GH neo (R flex)

Light (around 95g), smooth, higher launch, perfect transition from RBZ shafts.

KBS

KBS Tour Lite 95 (R flex)

Very stable feel, mid-launch, lightweight, designed for smoother swings.

UST

UST Recoil Dart 90 (F3 Regular)

Graphite, ultra-smooth feel, around 90g, mid-launch, great if he shows signs of fatigue or wrist tenderness.

Project X Graphite

Project X IO 5.5

95g, lighter tip section, slightly higher launch than traditional Project X steel, very “neutral” feeling.

This can continue as long as you like. As you look at this dialog, recognize this – I had to know what to ask it. It preps things for me so I don’t have to do it for myself. I know enough of what I’m doing, so this particular exercise didn’t help me too much. Many fitters, though, get uncomfortable with certain stages of the process.

-I can’t think of good questions to ask during the pre-fit interview. For example, when you say to yourself:

-I know the heads, but not the shafts.

-I don’t know the specs.

-I know the shaft, but not the head.

If you say “I have a club fitting this afternoon, what do I do?” you’ll get a generic answer that will leave you with more questions than answers. It’ll give you a guideline on how to fit clubs with a lot of tech talk that you may not understand. Drill it down, get specific with your questions and you’ll get specific answers.

If you can ask the Specific questions, ChatGPT can help you figure it out, but, YOU have to know what questions to ask. Take what you DO know and formulate good questions from there. The more specific you ask, the more specific your answers will be. Can this replace you? Absolutely not. But it can certainly help you. You just have to know how to ask it to help you.

Like a launch monitor, ChatGPT is a tool. YOU’RE STILL THE FITTER.

Happy Fitting!!!

Jim Yeager, PGA