Virtually every major OEM in golf is leveraging artificial intelligence as an integral part of its R&D process.
When it comes to club fitting, however, you can count only two that are dipping their toes into that end of the pool. The interesting part is that neither is part of what we would refer to as The Big Five.
One is Mizuno with its Swing DNA technology and its Shaft Optimizer 3D. That’s probably not a surprise to many of you. What may come as a surprise is that the other is Wilson which introduced its Wilson FitAi in December 2023.
That system used a Blast Motion sensor and a proprietary algorithm that could fit you into a club head and shaft with length and lie specs inside of five swings. Now Wilson is announcing an extensive update to the FitAi system and this one could be a club-fitting game changer.
As Alec Baldwin famously asked: Oh, have I got your attention now?
Are you interested? I know you are, because coffee is for closers.
The new Wilson FitAI
The original Wilson FitAi used a dedicated fitting 7-iron, a sensor and an app to conduct your fitting. The systems measured dozens of swing metrics and referenced a huge database of swings to make a recommendation. Then a fitter would adjust the recommendation based on what he was seeing.
The updated Wilson FitAI system does away with sensors, fitting clubs and any other external hardware. Instead, it integrates directly with leading launch monitor technology and leverages an enhanced AI engine for faster, more accurate fittings. Additionally, the new Wilson FitAi system has expanded to include drivers as well as irons.
“Our goal was to remove unnecessary friction from the fitting process while improving accuracy and consistency,” says Wilson R&D Director Ninad Trifale. “By integrating directly with leading launch monitors and applying a proprietary AI-driven optimization engine, we’re able to deliver recommendations that are truly tailored to each golfer’s unique swing characteristics.”
The new system integrates directly with Foresight launch monitors. Wilson will soon include full Trackman integration as well. It can be used with other launch monitors through manual data entry.
How does Wilson FitAi work?
We won’t bore you with inside information on how artificial intelligence works or the finer points of mathematical algorithms. The short version: Wilson FitAi feeds real-time club and ball data collected by a launch monitor into its proprietary fitting algorithm. That algorithm is designed to maximize distance, consistency and other performance characteristics to find the best combination of club head and shaft.
After a short questionnaire covering carry distance, player height and performance goals, the system recommends a baseline configuration to establish swing data. At the golfer swings, the AI interface analyzes launch angle, spin rate, ball speed and spin axis in real time. The system then builds a final summary capturing every configuration tested, complete with supporting data.
The fitting results are highly specific. Wilson FitAi will not only recommend a Wilson club head and shaft flex, it also provides lie and loft specs (including adjustable driver configurations), as well as head weight, shaft model and shaft length. According to Wilson’s press release, each recommendation is dynamically refined as additional swing data is captured. That’s intended to “guide golfers toward optimal performance windows through an interactive fitting process.”
It’s a fitter’s tool
It’s important to note that Wilson FitAi is intended to be a tool to help fitters, not a tool to replace fitters.
That’s an important distinction. The fitter remains an integral part of the equation. In the big picture, the system isn’t doing anything the fitter can’t do. It just does it much quicker, leveraging an ever-growing database of swing analytics and fitting dynamics. The fitter can certainly adjust the AI findings based on his experience and what he’s seeing in front of him. To use a baseball stadium analogy, Wilson FitAi not only gets you in the ballpark, it quickly finds the right gate, section and row. The fitter ultimately makes sure you get the right seat.
“This next generation of Wilson FitAi represents a major step forward in custom fitting by providing the best, most accurate, data-powered fitting tool to help golfers around the globe,” says Markus McCaine, Wilson’s Global Product and Marketing Director. “It will be a huge step forward for golfers and we’re proud to be pioneers in bringing this technology to the market.”
As mentioned, the updated Wilson FitAi joins Mizuno’s Swing DNA platform as leaders in AI-fueled fitting technology. Mizuno’s system can, within a few swings, map out an entire bag from wedge to driver for you. It uses Mizuno’s Shaft Analyzer to measure basic swing metrics. The original Wilson FitAi took the same approach using a Blast Motion sensor. This new, upgraded system takes a more direct approach, using actual launch monitor data to fuel the AI engine.
The new Wilson FitAi system is in the field now. You can find locations near you on the Wilson website.
vito
4 months ago
“It’s important to note that Wilson FitAi is intended to be a tool to help fitters, not a tool to replace fitters.’ That, my friends, is only a matter of time. AI will quickly consolidate data and get smarter and more accurate over the next few years. I’ll bet that within a few years ANYONE will be able to perform the “fitting function” without experience or knowledge.