This is the best time of the year. A full season of golf awaits, and you want to get out and play.

Making this your best season yet means starting the year off on the right foot. But to do that, you need more than just practice and coaching. You need the right gear.

Research done by Golf Magazine showed that golfers who used custom-fit clubs gained 22 yards off the tee, 15 yards with their irons and lowered their scores by an average of 3 strokes per round.

To lower your scores, here are three tips to find the perfect custom-fit clubs.

1. Find the ideal shaft

The choices in shafts extend far beyond steel and graphite. It’s a matter of flex and it can mean something different for every manufacturer. Flex is significantly impacted by torque, one of the most misunderstood shaft specifications. Higher torque shafts are better for smoother, slower swingers. Lower torque is better for players that swing aggressively.

Club Champion, for example, starts all fittings by looking at the shaft to identify not just the proper shaft flex but also the proper weight. To do this, they use a unique coupling system that allows you to hit any of 35,000 head and shaft combinations. The result is a combination that addresses your unique problems and fixes them.

2. Match the correct clubhead

There are many clubhead options. Each brand or model has its own distinctive characteristics that affect launch angle, spin rate and ball speed. To buy a driver that has the right launch, spin and forgiveness for your swing, be sure to use a launch monitor and look for the highest smash factor, ball speed and spin that generates the greatest distance. It’s also important to ensure that the clubhead you select is the perfect match for your ideal shaft.

Iron heads are more complex. Design features like offset, non-offset, blade or cavity back impact ease of playability and whether you hit a draw or fade or hit it high or low. Custom fitting will uncover your best options.

3. Buy the right swingweight

Swingweight is the weight distribution of the club or how your driver feels when you’re swinging. With widely variable shaft, grip and clubhead weighting, swingweight is more important than ever. It affects how you swing the club and ultimately how you deliver it at impact. A heavier swingweight, for example, will make a shaft play looser; a lighter swingweight will make it play stiffer.

The most important thing to remember is you should be matching clubs within a set. If your clubs aren’t matched properly, it will impact your game.

Take steps to improve your game today

Practice and lessons are important, but you need the right gear in your hands. Custom-fit clubs can help you hit the ball farther and straighter and ultimately lower your scores. Isn’t that what golf is all about?

Top instructor David Leadbetter concludes, “It never ceases to amaze me that golfers buy clubs off the shelf and assume they’re right for them. Whether you’re a great golfer or a casual one, getting a custom club fitting is one of the quickest ways to improve your game. Lessons are critical but if you’re fighting your equipment, you can only progress so far.”

With thousands of options on the market, it’s nearly impossible for a golfer to find equipment that performs best for them without professional help. Find a skilled fitter with a launch monitor to show you how to maximize your swing to its fullest potential.

To learn more about how Club Champion can help find the right equipment and improve your play, visit clubchampiongolf.com.