Champions Digest December 2018 | Page 11

Meet the Team CLUB FITTER JUSTIN LLOYD This semester, Justin Lloyd, joined GGGA’s golf support team to provide expertise in club fitting. Justin, a Florida native, has been in the retail golf industry for 19 years and doing club fitting for over 10 years. What led you to a career in golf? When I was ten-years-old, I saw some some clubs in my friend’s garage. We took them out, hit some balls, and I fell in love with the game. I went home and told my dad. Having played a little while in the service, my dad used his military experience to create a training program for me. He made me hit range balls at least three days per week for six months before he ever let me step foot on a golf course. Yeah, it seems tough but it really helped me enjoy the game becaue the first time I played I could hit the ball and I knew where it was going. I’ve been playing ever since. I played junior golf and also played on a great team in high school. You’ve got a lot of certifications. Tell us a little about your training and what it all means. Yes, I’m certified with all the major club companies...Callaway, Titleist, Ping, Muzuno, and Golf Pride to name a few. I’ve also got flight scope training and launch monitor expertise. And while training is important, the hands on experience is definitely most important. When you work with a variety of golfers every single day, you really have to react and gain an understanding of each individual as you help them to achieve the same goal. It’s something you can’t get from a certification course. You own two retail stores where you provide club fitting. What made you want partner with GGGA? When I visited for the first time, I was thoroughly impressed with GGGA. The great thing about GGGA is that they provide experts in every area that junior golfer needs. This allows each of us to concentrate on our area of expertise without worrying about the other parts. We all work together as a team to help these junior golfers reach their potential. Having been a junior golfer myself, it’s a natural fit for me. Working with GGGA gives me the opportunity to give back by making sure these young golfers receive good information. It’s fun to watch them develop as players. Why is club fitting so important in Junior Golf? Everyone has a unique swing. With juniors, they are growing quickly and changing. When you are struggling, it’s important to look at everything and club fitting is sometimes the solution. It’s great for these juniors to be able to get their clubs checked whenever they need it. So what’s your best fitting tip? Take your time! Too often I find that people want immediate gratification. Don’t sacrifice getting something done right so you can have it right now. Take the time to get a correct fit. If it takes an extra hour for the fitting or if it takes an extra week to get the right clubs, do it. What are you looking forward to at GGGA? I’m looking forward to the continued connection with the students. Getting to talk to them, following their successes, that’s the part I love. It’s just great to start building relationships with the students, getting to know them and their personalities. What keeps you motivated? My family. I’ve been married to my wife, Amber, for fifteen years this may. We have a biological daughter and a foster daughter who are both twelve-years- old. We are very involved in our church and we foster older children. Older children have often endured difficult experiences and we firmly believe we can get through to them. Sometimes we have children for only a few days and sometimes much longer. We’ll actually be adopting our foster daughter very soon. The biggest thing we can do in life is to give back.