In a perfect world, club fitting would be completely empirical. The results of the fit will be based on evidence you can see, measure and test. Preconceived notions and feelings should not apply.
We know, however, that this is not always the case.
Most often a little pixie dust is included. He lavishes himself on guesswork, subjective data and trying to fit a full fit into a 60-minute window. You have assemblers who rely heavily on data and others who rely heavily on spiff and inventory.
What we are left with is an imperfect system. It’s not uncommon for two different devices with two different fitters on two different days to produce two completely different results, even though both fitters may, in fact, have your best interest at heart.
It’s very easy, at that point, to throw the baby out with the bath water and say the club placement is a scam or some other such nonsense. But the truth is that there are more good assemblers than bad. Each horror story can be compared to 10 to 20 stories of great experiences that yield great results.
All of this is why I am so fascinated by the new Wilson Fit AI system. It is a proprietary, artificial intelligence-driven assembly application developed by Wilson that integrates directly into a GC Quad launch monitor. Then, within seconds, it instantly turns your launch monitor numbers into a suitable recommendation and several alternatives.
This, my friends, is definitely worth looking into further.
Wilson Fit AI: What it is and what it isn’t
Wilson Fit AI is a self-learning fit algorithm powered by artificial intelligence. Introduced in 2023 as a Blast Motion sensor in a special fitting club, the Wilson Fit AI has grown. in March, Wilson launched his new versionan app-based program that connects directly to a GC Quad launch monitor (Trackman compatibility coming soon). The app uses an enhanced AI engine to give you a quick and accurate fit. It might give you something to work with after about five swings. The more data you give it, the more detailed it can get.
This is a little different than the industry’s other fitting tool, the Mizuno Shaft Optimizer 3D with Swing DNA technology. This can create an entire Mizuno bag for you, from driver to wedge to wedge within five swings. Wilson Fit AI will fit you for irons and drivers now (wedges and putters are coming) and gives you detailed data, targets and options. Most importantly, it gives a good fitter the opportunity to add his or her wisdom and experience to optimize the end result.
But is the Wilson Fit AI accurate? Will it lock you into something you don’t want? Does that mean every idiot who can run an app will now be an assembler?
These are all strong and reasonable questions. Let’s see if we can answer some of them for you.
The Wilson Fit AI process
I was lucky enough to experience Wilson Fit AI at the Wilson Innovation Center in suburban Chicago a few weeks ago with Wilson’s Ed Garland. The process begins by providing the app with some basic information to work with, such as player experience, goals, handicap index, 7-iron carry distance, and preferred iron shot shape.
Next, the fitter takes height and wrist measurements on the floor.
That’s enough to get you into a club to begin with. In my case, it was Wilson Staff Model XBwith a standard length solid Nippon Modus 110 shaft. Then you hit some shots.
The Wilson Fit AI app then interprets in real time all the club and ball data the GC Quad receives. It measures more than 25 total swing metrics, including club speed, attack angle, carry and off-line distances, ball speed, spin, launch angle and direction, where on the face you’re making impact, spin axis and descent angle. The app also gives you a graphical display of your shots including a side view with distance and height, as well as a top-down view with distance and spread. The best photos are outlined in green and you can select an individual photo to get those specs.
My first round with the XB 7-iron showed an average club speed of 83 mph, an attack angle of 1.6 degrees (the greens defenders love me – I don’t get big parts), ball speed of 113.6 mph, spin of 5,172 rpm and 162 yards of carry. The concern was off the line, 19 yards to the left. I have a draw with a tendency to over cook.
Almost every fit I’ve had over the past decade has recommended a flatter lie angle for this very reason. I didn’t tell Ed that came in, but he got it after maybe two swings.
Next steps
Ed also said that the 5,127 rpm spin was a little low for that swing speed. The old wives tale that a 7-iron should spin at about 7,000 rpm is good if you swing your 7-iron at 100 mph. For every 10 mph below that, you should lower your rev expectations by 1,000 rpm. So if you swing your 7-iron around 90 you aim for 6000 rpm and at 80 you should aim for 5000 rpm. At 83 mph, 5.127 wasn’t bad, but he thought we could do a little better.
The club data were also interesting. The app shows vertical and horizontal impact (I was capturing it in the center, but only slightly up) and compares it head-to-head. I had an easy inside-out fairway but with a square face – so 19 yards remained.
At the end of Wilson Fit AI The screen is an Analyze button. It compares your performance to ideal targets based on a growing database of shots at your movement speed and handicap range. The app targeted a launch angle of 20.9 degrees (mine was 19.4) and 5,500 rpm. He also suggested an angle of 45.4 degrees. Mine was close to 44.8.
She started going with a softer lie almost as quickly as Ed did. From there, Wilson Fit AI gives the fitter the ability to dive deeper and try different builds to find a better fit. He suggested trying a Dynamic Gold Mid 115, a KBS Tour and a KBS $-Taper. He also recommended several graphite options including a shaft I had never tried before: Aerotech SteelFiber i95.
“Since we’re here at the candy store, let’s see what happens,” Ed said.
boombaby!
Ed built flat options with Mid 115 and $-Taper. They were okay, but neither made the nostrils flare. Then we tested the Steelfiber i95 in stiffness.
After two swings, we both knew. My brother-in-law was watching. He knew it too. The guy making prototype tennis rackets in the other wing of the Wilson Innovation Center knew. Hell, somewhere the Ghosts of Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead surely knew.
The app collected all the data and let the data do the talking. Clubhead speed peaked at 84.5 mph. I was worried I’d be all over the place with the lighter shaft, but I had the tightest distribution of impact on the face of any shaft I tried (and we tried a few more). Carry dropped a mark to the 160, but my linebacker dropped from 19 yards left to two yards left. The launch angle was set and my pull-spin axis was a little more under control.
Just to show that the assembler doesn’t have to be a slave to the application, Ed suggested trying flat one degree, just for fun. This small fix brought the offline down to just a single yard.
The two biggest eye-openers: 5,731 rpm worth of spin and a 48.5-degree descent angle.
That, friends, is a license to go hunting.
At this point, even the app knew: “Congratulations,” it read. “You’ve been in shape.”
Just for fun, we tried the Steelfiber i110. It was definitely heavier, which changed the swing dynamics somewhat. I caught some that rivaled the i95, but the durability wasn’t there. We also tried the Nippon Modus 105 on the XS, thinking we’d all have a good laugh. Surprisingly, my left-right distribution was pretty good with it. Unfortunately, my front end was not. With the i95, my overall distribution was the size of a picnic blanket.
Wilson Fit AI Conclusion: An effective tool
The key word here, friends, is tool. It won’t replace your assembler with some sort of R2D2-looking robotic kiosk. Well, it can, I suppose, but that’s not a suitable experience I’d sign up for. In the right hands, it’s a tool to a: make the process go a little faster and b: provide the player and golfer with data, targets, and benchmarking information that’s hard to argue with.
While I’m not against graphite shafts, I had never considered Aerotech Steelfiber before. As mentioned, my concern was stability, especially with something so light. However, based on its algorithms and swing database that were similar to mine, the Wilson Fit AI at least made the suggestion. It was Ed who said what the hell, let’s try it.
Interestingly, the Wilson Fit AI app is a free download on the Apple App Store (not available for Android at the moment), but it won’t do anything for you. It’s designed for Wilson partner fitters and requires a company-supplied pin to actually use (not to mention a GC Quad).
Is there a world where a typical golfer can use something like this to suit themselves? Maybe, but remember the whole reason Wilson built this AI app in the first place: to help Wilson fitters sell Wilson clubs. Whether that goal will change in the coming years is anyone’s guess, but Wilson is in the club business, not the app business.
I wouldn’t hold my breath. However, if you’re looking to get in shape, I’d highly recommend finding a Wilson Fit AI-equipped fitter. It’s fast and can take you places you never thought possible. It’s worth the effort.
For a list of Wilson Fit AI fitters and fitment locations, see Wilson Golf website.
