I think it depends on what your goals are.
I believe that clubmakers tend to overlook the concept that clubs that may fit a golfer's swing isn't always good for them in the long run. And if they fit a set of clubs for a golfer's swing, that may just help ingrain bad mechanics.
I believe that if you make clubs more upright in their lie angles, the golfer's downswing plane will likely get more upright (risking coming OTT more). Also, you risk them getting the path too far out to the right because the handle has to get higher at impact for more upright lie angles and a higher handle means more inside-to-out path.
I think clubfitting has really hindered my game. I think I got too upright lie angles as a way to cure the toe-hit and that caused me to come OTT. But since I play and hit balls a lot and I'm a pretty good player, I more or less taught myself to how to re-route the club so I wouldn't hit slices and shanks with that OTT. And the way I did that was with a high handle at impact and a very upright shoulder turn in the downswing (which is hard to break out of).
All because I was hitting shots off the toe.
Plus, clubfitters tend to focus on optimization instead of accuracy, consistency and traj. windows. For instance, I had a clubfitter who wanted me to go to graphite shafted irons. When I would hit them well, I could hit them just as straight and 15 yards further. But that didn't account for the times I would get too fast on the downswing and hook them off the planet or when I hit shots a mile high.
Here's my general tips for clubfitting:
1. Clubshaft length for irons should be no more than +1/4" to -1/4". The standard 5-iron length for irons is 37.75" long, so I wouldn't go any more than 38" to 37.5" long. There's a reason why irons are that length.
2. I would avoid upright lie angles. Standard 5-irons today are 61* lie angle. I would not go above that unless you are 6'6" or taller.
3. Driver length should be about the distance from the ground to 1" above your belly button. This will allow you to get the proper wait bend and allow you turn your shoulders in approximately a 90* angle to the spine. I'm 6'4" tall and from the ground to 1" above my belly button is 44.75". Imagine these 5'8" golfers using 46" drivers. Yikes.
4. Keep your shaft weights in the irons at no lighter than 115 grams. Light shafts make for bad swing mechanics.
5. You should probably keep your swinweights at least at d-2 with the irons if you are remotely serious about improving your golf swing. D-4 is probably better. D-0 swingweights are for the hacker in mind.
6. Don't use a lie board, use the line test to figure out lie angles (although keep in mind, you're better off avoiding upright lie angles). I read a research paper awhile ago (wish I could find it) that said that lie boards will read for more upright lie angles than the golfer actually needs. Which makes sense because I've never seen a golfer on a lie board that was told that they need flat lie angles. Here's the video on the 'line test' to find the lie angle
www.dirters.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&view=video&id=256&videotitle=Dynamic+Lie+Angle&Itemid=66I would suggest that you try the line test *before* you go and see a clubfitter because I don't know of any clubfitter that does it (there probably are some who do, I just don't know who).
When I get my clubs fitted next year, I plan on doing this before hand and just avoid doing the lie board test all together as I like to say 'lie boards lie.'
As far as clubfitters go in the US, the top places are either Cool Clubs in Texas and Arizona (www.coolclubs.com) or Fuzion Golf in Florida (www.fuziongolf.com)
3JACK
