Using
Bogeyboys definition of custom....
I am not sure if a golfer needs to be at a certain level to gain the most from fitting. We know the tour pros still play with equipment to change flight characteristics. I question whether it matters to a beginner who cannot yet hit the ball consistently the same. I am not a professional so I have no data on that....
When I am in the market for clubs I usually begin by going through the selection process myself. A lot of it is how the club looks, then I hit some to see how it performs. Personally, I never buy a club off the shelf without hitting it at a range where I can feel the impact and I can see the flight of the ball.
If it is irons I MAY ask the pro at my club to watch me and see if changing lie angle/shaft changes the flight, but not always.
If it is a driver I will spend more time getting information. Like irons I can tell based on how the ball flies, but if there is a machine around and professional fitter that shows the spin characteristics it is a great tool.
What I have never done is be fitted for a ball. I would like to do this next time the opportunity arises. I believe the average golfer is often playing the wrong ball.
In the end even with the perfect equipment the only thing they cannot fix is my brain which is the most important tool in golf.
