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Find a Great Club Fitter, Then TRUST Them.
Finding the right club fitter will do wonders for the average golfer’s game.
In fact, I would argue that the average joe golfer stands more to gain from a good club fitting session than a professional golfer. I tried two other club fitters before the 3rd one had me fitted correctly. That’s right, the third time was the charm. Quite possibly the best club fitter in southwest Ohio is Mr. Kirby Bolen of Golfstix. Golfstix recently relocated within the Swingview Indoor Golf Facility (more on that technology real soon) in Loveland, Ohio.
A proper golf club fitting will tune you in to the right golf club, the right shaft, kick point, tip stiffness, shaft torque, and the right loft among many other variables. Believe me, there are a lot of them. The first club fitter I visited had me swing a driver on his launch monitor about ten times and then said 10.5 degrees and a regular Grafalloy Pro Lite 35R shaft. Let me tell you, he was dead wrong. I went back to him and said that the shaft is too weak, I am hitting it high and to the right very consistently. Then I asked about tipping the shaft. He said, "Nope it’s the right shaft for you". I never went back to him again and I sold that driver on eBay.
The second club fitter analyzed my swing correctly and told me I should play a 12 degree lofted driver because of my ball flight’s tendency to not climb enough. He was correct in that I don’t "hit up enough on the ball". Everyone swings differently, so the loft number on the club’s sole really may not matter. For example; I was launching the 10.5 degree test driver at about 8.5 degrees fairly consistently. That might be fine if I had a 100+ mph swing speed, but I do not. However, he was dead sold on a certain brand of golf shafts, none of which seemed to really fit me correctly. He really wasn’t interested in getting me aligned with the proper shaft. Since I seem to fall between a stiff and regular I seem to be a tough person to fit with the proper graphite shaft. Again, I never went back to him and my father in law got himself a brand new, barely hit driver that I pretty much hated.
About 3 weeks after the seeing the second club fitter, I stopped in at Golfstix in Cincinnati on a whim in 2006 and was fitted for a new driver, again. Kirby also took into account that even though my swingspeed wasn’t off the charts, I made a strong move at the ball and utilize a pretty strong grip. He recommended a 12 degree driver as well, but this time I was fitted with a Graphite Design YS 6+ stiff shaft. Once I combined that with the KZG Gemini driver I was set! I was hitting the ball pretty straight and even gained some yardage. Or so I thought.
While playing Black Lake Golf Club in upstate Michigan this past summer I made the mistake of trying out another guy’s Cleveland High Bore with a Grafalloy Pro Launch Blue shaft in it. I killed this guy’s driver, not once, but three times and right down the middle. This had me thinking that I could get more height and distance (we all want that right?) with the Pro Launch Blue shaft. I took my driver to Golfstix and and asked Kirby about swapping shafts so I could try it out. Afterall, I was convinced the Pro Launch Blue was a better shaft for me than the Graphite Design. Kirby told me right off the bat, "You won’t like it". However, he humored me, swapped the shafts around and off to the range I went. It took me less than 10 range balls to figure out that I was dead wrong. I took the club back, ready and prepared to eat some crow, but all Kirby did was smile, and rehaft the driver with the Graphite Design shaft. I won’t be trying anyone’s driver anytime soon, if I ever do again.
Kirby Bolen was recently named the International Professional Association of Clubfitter’s Clubfitter of the Year. He obviously knows what he is doing when fitting all types of golfers. Kirby got into the club fitting business purely by accident. While golfing in Myrtle Beach he went to see a custom golf club fitter for custom clubs and was amazed at what it did for his own golf game. His handicap dropped from a 7 to a 3, practically overnight. He was impressed so much that he went back to Myrtle Beach and trained under that same club fitter. He then left his job in commercial and industrial sales and started Golfstix in Cincinnati.
Kirby Bolen was selected as the 2006 Club Fitter of the Year.
Many of us have visited the big box golf stores, hit into the indoor range monitor and walked out with expensive golf clubs based upon the sales clerk’s quick recommendations. These recommendations will most likely fit a wide variety of golfers to a point, but the golf clubs will not be ideally suited for you as an individual. If you are thinking of visiting a clubfitter, ask around for recommendations, and when you get there, be open to what they have to say, ask the technical questions about shafts, lie adjustments and the other components that vary based upon your personal swing tendencies. A great club fitter, like Kirby Bolen, not only fits you properly, but explains things so that you can understand what is actually going on.
Although Kirby is an authorized KZG dealer, he will repair, or improve anything that you might bring him. It’s OK if your dead set on that old Burner Bubble driver that is smaller than any new 3 wood available today. Want to check or adjust the lie on your irons? Not a problem. He’ll work with you personally and without the car salesman sales pitches.
I am sure that many of you have had similar club fitting experiences and understand the importance of finding the right club fitter for you. If you seek to take your game to the next level, and feel that a proper club fitting is in your near future you’ll more than likely reap great rewards once on the golf course.
Kirby Bolen can be contacted here: 
I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear
OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.
LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break
Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.
Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.
On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.
On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.
On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.
PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home
Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.
On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.
Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?
Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.
Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?
PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates
Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.
Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.
Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.
Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.
We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg
— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025
GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.
Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.
Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.
General Albums
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX
7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Attorney
Aug 13, 2013 at 7:23 pm
Hi. Outstanding job. I didn’t expect this. This is a excellent story. Thanks!