If you are thinking of starting a business to repair, build and or custom fit golf clubs there are a number of ways to gain an education.
Certification:
If you are an AGCP member and you want to learn your craft and obtain your certification the information for the Certification test can be found by reading the books listed. Another good source to explaining what you read are the videos from the RT convention in the Video Club on this site.
Non AGCP members who are seeking certification: You must first be an AGCP members paying full dues (special memberships to do not qualify you) to obtain AGCP certification. You must also be a member to gain access to the AGCP Video club.
Schools:
There are schools at Golfworks for Fitting & Assembly, for Clubfitting, for Fitting Assembly & Repair, and for Club Repair. Schools last several days to a week and give you a basic understanding of the subject matter and offer hands on experience with trained experienced coaches. There are beginners schools and more advanced schools but none give you everything you need to be successful. It’s what you learn after you go to the schools that will determine how successful you will be. It takes 3 or 5 years experience to be a top notch builder and repairman and even longer to learn the science and arts of clubfitting.
Books:
There are a number of books that will give you the information you need to help you become a great club maker and a great clubfitter. Some are available to order here and some you will find elsewhere. A good source for many books is Amazon.com. Click on the Title of any of the books below to order the book.
- The best overall book for learning about golf club alteration and repair that also gets into club design and fitting to some degree is Ralph Maltby’s Blue Book available at Golfworks www.golfworks.com “Golf Club Design, Fitting, Alteration, & Repair… The principles and procedures”
- The best overall book for learning about Clubfitting is Tom Wishon’s “Common Sense Clubfitting The Wishon Method”
- Search for the Perfect Swing: The Proven Scientific Approach to Fundamentally Improving Your Game – by Alastair Cochran (Author), John Stobbs (Author)
- Search for the Perfect Golf Club – Tom Wishon with Tom Grundner
- The Custom Clubfitter & Custom Clubmaker Business Primer – How to Run a Successful Business.– Roy Nix
- Cracker Jack Clubfitter – Roy Nix
Continuing Education – Conventions:
The AGCP Annual RT Clubmaker and Clubfitter Convention in Columbus, GA. Register on this site. For continuing education the AGCP holds a convention each year and spends 2 or 3 days in classes to teach the most current technology and how to use it for fitting and building golf clubs. Mostly very advanced classes and wonderful after hours get togethers at the host hotel afterwards to get one on one and group discussions with some of the best clubfitters and club builders in the world.
Videos:
As an AGCP member you will have access to the entire catalog of DVDs published by the AGCP online. DVDs are from 9 years of convention classes and feature advanced techniques and instructions from some of the best clubfitters and club builders in the world and some of the engineers and designers from shaft manufacturers and from Flightscope engineers and instructors.
Recommended videos would be any by an AGCP Master of Golf Club Technology. The Masters are listed in our Master Clubfitter Directory on the site.
In Particular watch videos about BMT and shafts by Jerry Hoefling and Keith Chatham. A good many questions come from material covered in the RT Convention Videos. There are any number of good videos by Dana Upshaw and Bob Uebelhor. Also information in videos by shaft manufacturers and shaft engineers are helpful.
AGCP Member Only E-Mail List:
AGCP members have a private, member only e-mail list where they carry on an ongoing conversation 24/7/365 about their craft. This is an opportunity to ask questions of some of the best clubfitters and club builders and repairmen in the world. Many members will tell you that you pay back your dues each year by the end of your first month on the email list. When you join the AGCP as a full member and paying full dues you will have access to the list. Web members and VIP Web members do not have access to this list.