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Whether it’s improving your distance, perfecting ball trajectory, mastering your wedge shots, or honing other key elements of your golf game, a professional club fitting can make a huge difference.
You’ll find one of the nation’s top master club fitters, Charlie Rodi, at the PGA WEST® Golf Academy helping golfers of all abilities reach peak performance. He works with major manufacturers TaylorMade, Callaway, Titleist, Ping, Cobra and XXIO and sits on the TaylorMade National Council.
A San Diego native, Rodi excelled as a junior golfer during high school, winning a San Diego City match play tournament in 1991. He was fortunate he says, to play with future PGA Tour players Phil Mickelson. Fairbanks Ranch Country Club Director of Golf Richard “Tag” Merritt was Rodi’s instructor and mentor in the golf industry. Tag was in the forefront of the fitting industry and influenced Rodi to become a fitter. One thing that has always stuck with Rodi was Tag’s commitment to fitting clubs to enhance positive golf club delivery.
Rodi relocated to Greater Palm Springs area in 1994, working as a teaching instructor at the PGA WEST® Pete Dye Mountain Course while also establishing a club fitting business. Over a full-time club fitting career that spans 25 years, Rodi has work with 13 champions across all major tours, including 2019 Charles Schwab Cup Champion Scott McCarron.
Back in his early days, Rodi honed his fitting skills with his eye by watching ball flight on the driving range. Today, he incorporates state-of-the-art Trackman and launch monitor technology that provides 20+ data points—carry distance, ball speed, launch angles and more— to enhance a player’s game.
“I’m really an educator on range—educating players where they are now and how they can potentially get to the next level,” says Rodi. “My main goal is to help them design their bags so they don’t have two clubs that do the same thing.” He stresses the importance of having clubs fitted, likening it to getting the ideal fit for a running shoe for a marathon runner.
“Everybody’s swing is unique so we can modify the equipment to achieve the main goal from the instructional side, which is to hit in the center of the club,” he explains. “When you have the right club head and shaft combination that fits you appropriately, your game will improve."
As players progress over time, they may reach a point where their improvement levels off, indicating the need for a refit. Case in point: one of Rodi’s clients who had lost some distance with his driver. Once refitted, the player’s ball speed improved, his backspin decreased, and he picked up 20 yards in the air in relationship to his old driver.
Thanks to Rodi’s years of experience, he can make fast and effective changes to someone’s game in the space of a one-hour session (although note that a full bag fitting will take longer than an hour).
“It’s really rewarding and fun to watch people get excited when they hit one further or straighter or higher,” he says.
Rodi collaborates closely with the entire PGA WEST® Golf Academy instructional team to ensure students are fully supported in their efforts and goals.
For those interested in a career in golf club fitting, Rodi encourages them to start from the playing side and surround themselves with excellent instructors. “I have a better view of how the golf club should be designed for a player.” He also emphasizes the importance of having a good understanding of technology, how to interpret the data of launch monitor systems like Trackman, and the metrics derived from that data. This knowledge enables club fitters to diagnoses a player’s game, pinpoint strengths and weaknesses, and provide tailored adjustments and fittings to help improve their performance on the golf course.
For more information and to reserve a club fitting session, call the PGA WEST® Golf Academy at (760) 564-7144, email Rodi at crodi@pgawest.com or call him directly at (760) 799-5236.
