Why Arnold Palmer’s Golf Clubs Were His Own Creation

To many golfers Arnold Palmer was and still is “The King,” but he was also an equipment junky. He amassed a collection of over 10,000 golf clubs, which included almost 2,000 putters, most of which he built himself. He would often be seen with two bags on his cart at his home course in Florida and each bag could have up to 50 clubs in it!  He still wrapped his own leather grips even late into his spectacular life.  
Not all of us have the time or the skills to build all of our own golf equipment, but learning a little bit about Arnold Palmer’s golf clubs and the overall process of building custom fit golf clubs can help anyone to better understand how a club’s parts all work together. 
The more you know about clubs, the better informed you can be about your own performance. Plus, when you go to get fitted for golf clubs, you’ll have a better understanding of the decisions that need to be made, especially if you’re going for custom fit golf clubs like Mr. Palmer. 

What Clubs Did Arnold Palmer Use?

Arnold Palmer’s initial interest in building clubs may have started when he first started playing golf using hand-me-down equipment from his parents, but once he became a golf sensation, he was using golf clubs he crafted himself. Building his clubs with his own hands gave him a deeper connection with his equipment and a better understanding of how the clubs worked.  
It’s said that Arnold Palmer would sometimes play with entirely different clubs over the course of several days of a tournament, relying entirely on how the clubs felt in his hands that day. This gives us insight into how Arnold Palmer’s golf clubs were more than just equipment; they were an extension of him in a way based on how he was feeling.
In addition to the golfing benefits Arnold Palmer’s clubs gave him, there are also benefits of taking the time to build your own golf clubs. Research has shown that using your hands can help to relieve anxiety, decrease stress and improve overall mental health. In today’s tech-driven society, there are very few opportunities to sit down and build something with our hands. 

Benefits of Using Custom Fit Golf Clubs

So many people miss this hidden, golden opportunity to block out the anxieties of everyday life and build something with their hands. Many sports offer these opportunities; tennis players wrap their own grips, baseball players restring their own gloves, golfers change their own grips. These actions can be therapeutic and can increase an understanding of how your equipment was designed to function, increasing your chances to play your best. 
But the next best thing to building your clubs by hand like Arnold Palmer is getting custom fit golf clubs that are specifically tailored to your game. This means each part of the club is designed to address aspects of your game or help you meet the goals you’re looking for in every swing or putt.
Custom fit golf clubs allow you to target a specific area of your performance, from hitting your irons straighter to gaining distance. And your performance will improve when you have the right equipment to narrow in on each of these focus areas. 
Getting custom fit golf clubs starts with fitting golf clubs with an expert who knows how to evaluate your current skills and understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s greater forgiveness or more distance. 
Working with a professional can give you greater insight into each part of the golf club and help you better understand the relationship between your physical movements and the golf clubs. 

How to Fit Golf Clubs

Knowing how to fit golf clubs and where to get fitted for golf clubs are the most important first steps to getting your ideal custom fit golf clubs. It’s important to find experts who are knowledgeable about the top equipment on the market and who know exactly what to recommend depending on your current skills.
When getting fitted for golf clubs, you typically start with an evaluation where the professional watches how you move, how you swing and how you hit the ball to determine what you need to improve. At The Golf Performance Center, our experts offer rigorous evaluations using world class technology to analyze your performance and create custom fit golf clubs for every part of your game.
Another piece of advice for fitting golf clubs for the most individualized experience is to go for a brand agnostic experience. What this means is allowing your custom fit golf clubs to be crafted with the parts most ideal for your performance, rather than limiting yourself to one specific brand. Staying open to the variety of clubheads or shafts that will help you maximize your potential is much more powerful than being narrow minded or focused only on the brand. 
Arnold Palmer’s golf clubs certainly gave him the opportunity to get creative and build based on feel alone. To follow in his footsteps and reap the benefits of custom fit golf clubs, look into getting fitted for golf clubs today.