DOES It Matter - The 2010 Version....

On the home page for my web site, I pose the question "Does It Matter?" - do professionally fitted clubs really make a difference in how people play golf.


This year I was able to help people answer that question YES when I built clubs to fit their swings and games. The Yes answers included putting people in drivers that are the right length and have the right shaft to produce more consistent drives, iron shafts that match their swing speeds and release characteristics, wedges that spin the ball and help them to hit more consistent short game shots, putter weighting that is optimized for their putting strokes.


As the year ends I thank my clients (and also Des Mahoney, the Teaching Professional at Centenial Golf Course) who helped to more than double Game Improvement Golf sales this year. And looking toward next year, I am very excited because I will soon be obtaining new equipment to help me show players even more clearly that professionally fitted clubs do matter. I will be upgrading my driver fitting test clubs to allow me to do even better length and weight fitting. And I am evaluating a number of measurement systems so that I can accurately measure the effects of club and shaft weighting on clubface angle and club path. In the next few weeks I will present details on these new fitting systems and equipment.


And finally, I am looking forward to continuing to work closly with great club component companies like Tom Wishon Golf, Infiniti Golf, SK Fiber, ACCRA, Alpha Golf, Scratch Golf, Global Tour Golf, Tour Lock, Swing Science, Golfworks, and Golfsmith to provide quality clubheads, shafts, and grips that can help players lower their scores and enjoy golf more.


Thanks to all of you who read this weekly blog - and have a Happy New Golfing Year!!


Tony

ReMax Long Drive 2009 - Always The Best!

I watched the ReMax long drive championship tonight - it was on ESPN on Sunday and I recorded it. Probably got in trouble with the boss since I was really focused on watching this.


As always, what a great show! 360 plus drives from Seniors and Super Seniors, 400 plus drives from the "younger" bombers. And the winner was........well, not fair, you do not really want me to tell you who it was.


They showed a lot more TrackMan launch monitor data this year than they have in the past. It was interesting to see that some of these guys got there with high launch and a bit higher spin and some got there with lower launch and lower spin. But it seemed to me the winning formula was to optimize roll, which most often means lower spin. There were a few shots that had spin rates in the range of 1,500 rpm or less................super low numbers.


There were OEM driver heads in the mix, but also other great heads like Alpha, Geek Golf, Krank Golf, and others. Most of the heads with lofts less than 7 degrees.


It was also great to see Jason Zuback in the mix again.................he was close to making the final four, and the poor guy could only hit it 380 in the quarters..........my can he hit that ball!


The ReMax is on again on Christmas Day I think at 2 pm on ESPN2. If you are on the down side of present opening, this is a good present to give to your self if you want to do some couch potato resting!


Merry Christmas to all!


Tony

Dear Santa - Bring me a Scratch Wedge!

I recently built four Scratch demo wedges particularly so a new client could test them. We did this testing today and he liked the playability of all of them. But he particularly liked the "Driver/Slider" grind with a KBS R flex wedge shaft. It was fun to watch, because he is a good player (3 handicap and has been lower) and has great feel with clubs. He could easily feel the difference between an S flex wedge shaft and the R flex one.......hitting the R flex shaft made less than full swing shots much easier to control.


When I order these wedge heads for him tomorrow, I think I will add a Digger/Driver grind cast wedge head for me. Scratch sells three wedge grinds - Sweeper/Slider, Driver/Slider, and Digger/Driver. I completed the Scratch Wedge Evaluation form on their web site and it is clear that the Digger/Driver is a good fit for the way I hit wedge shots......misses most often fat shots. This grind helps players like me to still get good shot results even when we hit a little behind the ball.


All wedges are simply not the same and do not play the same. Scratch is really on to something with their line of wedges, and their sales have skyrocketed since Ryan Moore started endorsing their clubs. I believe I am the only clubfitter selling Scratch wedges in East Tennessee......so if you are interested in them please get in touch with me and come to the Centenial Teaching/Fitting Center sometime to try one out.


Tony

Please Do Not Tell Emerson!

Emerson happens to be my #1 grandson at this time (I am sure many of you have a similar grandson). He turns 2 years old in two weeks.


The debate is - do I get him his first real set of golf clubs this birthday? And the answer is pretty easy to guess.....of course I do. Not totally sure when he will REALLY first use them though I will help him some when I see him at his birthday party.


A well kept secret in terms of golf clubs for children is AccuLength golf clubs (www.acculength.com). These clubs are unique because they are designed to be able to expand in length up to 4 inches - by adding individual 1 inch shaft pieces that can be epoxied into a specially designed shaft. They sell four different types of golf club sets, that allow clubs to be fit for length for children from 3 feet tall to 5 foot 4 inches tall. The set that will work best for Emerson is the AL500, which comes with a 24 degree wood, a pitching wedge, and a putter. Quite enough for a normal 2 year old don't you think?


I am not sure Emerson will be ready quite yet to play in a group with his dad and two granddads.....but might as well get him thinking along those lines. And...........I will try to keep his dad happy by including some soft golf ball substitutes.......to keep the windows in the house from intercepting golf balls!


Grandkid's are the BEST!


Tony

Is It Worth It?

This year for the first time I have had some pangs of guilt related to leaving for Thanksgiving - because I had to slow down some club builds for good clients. All in all guess this is a good thing, because it means my business is building as I have planned - but I hate saying to people that I cannot their clubs built "right away."


Thinking of this reminded me of one of the really great clubfitters and clubmakers I know tells his clients - that they need to expect it will take at least two weeks to get their clubs built. Truthfully it usually takes me at least this long to build a set of clubs, and here are the typical things that happen when I do a build....

1. After the fitting I order the components - heads, shafts, sometimes grips and ferrules - and it usually takes at least 3 business days to get them from suppliers.

2. As a result of doing a fitting - say for irons - I identify a good match to the right shaft flex and club MOI/Swingweight for the customer.

3. When I get the shafts for the club build, I use a "zone profiling" procedure I learned from Keith Chatham (an AGCP Master). At this time I do a first test of shaft "FLO" - the shaft orientation where the shaft will oscillate in one single plane. When I have the shafts zone profiled, I know which of the shafts would best go in the longer irons and which would best go into the shorter irons.

4. Then I often build at least a test 6 iron - and sometimes also a test 9 iron - for the customer to test. This testing usually involves some final adjustments as needed to the club MOI/SW based on feel and performance.

5. Once I find the final MOI/SW and shaft flex from this testing, I am ready to start building the set to the best MOI/SW and shaft flex. This requires identifying what the right amount of additional headweight to add to the club - or in some cases how much weight to take out of the clubhead - so that the set can be matched for MOI/SW and flex. I do this using a neat trick I learned from Dana Upshaw (another AGCP Master) - club blueprinting. Using one sacrificial shaft I can identify the correct amount of headweight to add/subtract for each club to MOI match the set (I MOI match all sets now). This procedure usually takes a couple of hours to do, but it is a critical one to allow me to build a truly matched set.

6. Once I have identified all of the appropriate headweights, I can then builid the set. I tip each shaft so that it has the right final flex, then cut each shaft to length, then do final shaft FLO and orientation with the clubhead, and then epoxy all of the heads and shafts. I use 24 hour epoxy for most builds, though there are some excellent epoxies that will cure faster.

7. Then - after 24 hours - I sand and polish all ferrules, install grips, and do a final check of the MOI/SW for all clubs to ensure that I build them as I had planned.


So yes..............it does take time to build truly matched set of clubs. Time well spent!


Tony

Thanksgiving!

Some of my Giving Thanks areas this year related to clubfitting and clubmaking....


1. Getting to partner with Des Mahoney at Centenial. Des is a superb golf teacher, and advocate of my clubfitting efforts, and a great friend. Two years ago when I first had the opportunity to team with him at Centenial, I would not have imagined what a good team we would become.


2. The Association of Golf Clubfitting Professionals (AGCP). The best clubfitting group that there is. Every week I learn new things from these guys. No question to them is a dumb question.


3. My clients. I am busier right now than ever before, and I thank the folks who have asked me to help them play better golf by getting clubs that truly fit them.


4. My wife. The one who puts up with me almost every night building clubs in the basement of our house. Could NOT do it without her support.


Thanks to all of you.

Tony


PS.........and one more thing............way to go Scott Stallings getting to the Final Stage of Q School!!

56 Blog Posts?

Tonight before I started writing my weekly Monday post, I noted that I have now done this 56 times. It is hard for me to believe that I have been doing this blog for more than a year.


I am in Atlanta tonight but miss the fact that my new Scratch Wedge Demo Heads came in the mail today. You might want to get on the Scratch Golf site..... www.scratchgolf.com. They are making some of the best-selling new wedge heads in golf. Their niche is that their wedge heads are designed for different kinds of club swingers. They sell three different designs of wedge heads for different kinds of wedge shot swings.....you can answer three simple questions on their web site and determine of Digger/Driver, Driver/Slider, or Sweeper/Slider wedge head designs will best fit your game. They sell both forged heads and cast heads.....and the cast heads are very good, some are in play on the Nationwide Tour.


My plan is to build 4 demo sand wedge clubs - one each of the cast and one of the forged - and allow you folks to try them and see what you think. If you are interested, come to Centenial on a Saturday sometime after the Thanksgiving holiday and hit some balls with these wedges....I think you will be presently surprised!


Tony

The SHORT and LONG of it....

The SHORT.... I received one of the best testimonials ever this weekend from Scott Masters, a local PGA professional - here it is....

"Tony,

Thanks so much for the help with the Tour Lock Pro putter weighting system. It has certainly made a difference in my putting.

After about a couple of weeks practicing with the system, I went 3-0 in a match play tournament and was named MVP of the team and the next week won the Knoxville PGA Chapter Championship. The system really works and I recommend it to any skill level to help putting.

Thanks again Tony"

The Tour Lock "Opti Vibe" putting weights - you locate a weight down the butt end of the putter shaft and vary the distance down the shaft to optimize the putter feel - are in the putters of at least 30 players on the Senior Tour, and are the real deal! You can truly vary the feel if a putter by varying the location of the Opti Vibe weight down the shaft. Scott came by the Centenial golf club this Saturday to have a second set of weights put into another putter.



And the LONG.... For months now I have been thinking of becoming an Alpha Golf dealer. They offer some terrific driver heads - one of which, the C830.2 Plasma, was the head used by players who took 2nd and 3rd place at the REMAX long drive championships a few weeks ago. This past week I bit the bullet and ordered some of the Alpha products....in particular the C830.2 head (well, ordered two of these so I could build one for me to "test") and some great fairway wood head that they offer. I look forward to offering these heads as a new option to customers.


And......................for the future....................there is Scratch Golf wedges (but more on them later!).


Tony

It NEVER Gets Old!

At the end of a very long day-job day, it was wonderful today to get a phone call from my latest client. I finished building him a set of irons this weekend (with some delay due to a frustrating 2+ hour power outage in my neighborhood....). He said he absolutely loved the clubs. Hit them great. Good distance. Good feel.


As someone who takes a lot of pride in clubfitting and clubmaking, this is the kind of call I always hope for, and even to some extent expect - since I believe I have done a great job for the people I build clubs for. And STILL.........I am always a little nervous when I hand over a new set of clubs to someone and say "let me know how they work....."


To me, this is the ultimate in how professional clubfitting and clubmaking is different than buying clubs in a store. I guarantee what I do will work and provide great results. I do not really think that golfers get the same kind of guarantee - and most likely get no guarantee - when they buy clubs in a store.


Clubs that are truly made for you - how can that get any better!


Tony

More AGCP Roundtable 4 Goodies....

There are a few specific tips and thoughts that I picked up from the RT4 clubfittting week. I thought some of you might be interested in them....


1. One of the big hits of the week was the "Swingrite" trainer available from Swingrite, an AGCP sponsor. I think everyone there who picked one up bought one! It helps you to learn the feel of a late release, a key to getting as much swing speed as you are capable of. I bought one too, I use it every morning before I go to work, and I think it works.


2. How to get hard-to-remove grip tape off shafts.........? Well I asked Keith Chatham from Precision Fit golf this and he immediately said Goo Gone. A citrus based cleaner that he uses to do this. Cannot wait to buy a bottle and try it.


3. There was a discussion about using tungsten powder down graphite shafts to increase club weight / MOI. Everyone said to not be afraid to do this with graphite, it does not create a problem.


4. Another AGCP sponsor sells the Silencer System....a system to allow you to put "rat glue" into a driver head to increase swing weight. I learned how to easily drill into the present hosel plug in a driver head and use the Silencer.


These are a couple of the best goodies I learned from the RT4................as usual, a week well spent!


Tony

AGCP Roundtable 4 - Education, Education, Education!

The Association of Golf Clubfitting Professionals (AGCP) held its 4th Annual Roundtable in Columbus, GA on October 14-17. For me, this event just keeps getting better and better! The best of the best clubfitters get together each year to learn from each other about different elements of professional clubfitting.


The theme of this Roundtable - and the previous Roundtables - was Education, Education, Education. It is an opportunity for the best clubfitters in the world to share their knowledge. Some of the major topics discussed during the Roundtable included:

- Club Grinding Techniques - discussions on key elements of grinding, and then a hands on session where attendees could learn some of these key elements;

- Presentations of how to address some key swing flaws in clubfitting sessions, and on some of the key components of good iron fitting;

- "Tricks of the Trade" - tips to help in fitting and building clubs;

- New techniques for profiling golf shafts, and use of high speed cameras during the fitting process;

- Using shaft profiling techniques in driver shaft fitting;

- Discussion on the influence of Club Balance Point in clubfitting;

- The Hows and Whys of Clubfitting;

- Putter fitting;

- Keys for operating a profitable clubfitting business.


In addition, I think 21 different sponsors were in attendance at the Roundtable. This included shaft manufacturers, custom club manufacturers, and companies that provide materials and services to improve clubfitting and clubmaking.


For me this was another great learning experience to help me get to a higher level of fitting and clubmaking expertise. Probably the best part of the Roundtable is the chance to ask questions of recognized experts, both during presentations and in the evenings.


Just another Wow! Roundtable - can't wait to see this group again next September.


Tony

If Tiger Says It, Is It True?....

The note below was in the November Golf Digest magazine....


ASK TIGER -- Golf Digest, Nov'09, p.280.

What is the best tip you would give to a beginner?(Anne Patterson, Boulder, CO)

A. Find clubs that fit you. It will save you a ton of aggravation from the start. Make sure they aren't too short, long or heavy. Otherwise, you'll adapt your swing to the equipment in a way that might not be technically sound. It's easy to get fit, and it really does matter.


Probably cannot say this any better than he did......thanks Tiger!



Full report next week from the AGCP 4th Roundtable!!


Tony

A Break In The Action? - Well.....

This week is the 3rd Annual St. Mary's Catholic Church golf tournament. Kind of a different focus for me, because I am co-chair of this. In truth, Nancy Howard who is the other co-chair is pretty amazing in terms of what she has accomplished in working to get things in place for this week.


I have a great appreciation for people who have chaired golf events for years and years. For example, the Oak Ridge KFI tournament has been going on for more than 30 years, and the people who organize it seem to have the same enthusiasm for making it work this year as they had in 1990 when I first played in it.


I also have a great appreciation for people who play in these kinds of events. We have 13 teams in the St. Marys tournament this year - more than last year, but not as many as we hoped. But there is another local tournament going on the same day, and I know of a third going on this week. We are delighted that we were able to attract 13 teams to play.


Our hope is that all of the players who are in the event will feel like they each got something out of it that made it worth it, besides the donation to the event. Today I was loading event goodie bags with some of the things that we purchased for the players.......and we think we have found some things to give to them that they will find worth their time.


So there you go................now down to final planning, putting it all together on Thursday, and in particular hoping for great weather! And being thankful for people who take the time to help make events like this work.


Next week..............blogging from Columbus, GA!!


Tony

Lefties Never Fear!

Up until about a month ago, I did not invest much in assembling left handed test clubs.......because I had no left handed clients.


Well, that has changed - I will be doing an iron fitting fairly soon for a left handed player. I asked some of my AGCP buddies what left handed iron heads they recommend and they provided some good options. By the end of the week I will have 5 left handed 6 iron test heads that I can use with all of the present set of test shafts that I have built.


The heads came from Infiniti Golf, Bang Golf, Wishon Golf, and Hireko Golf. All are very reputable club component companies (they do NOT make knock off club heads....). The Infiniti head is their Assure head....very forgiving and in fact the head that I play (I need all of the forgiveness I can get!). The other heads all look great and I think will be good options for future left handed clients.


Because I use the Club Conex (tm) FAZ FIT hosel and shaft connectors, all of the test shafts that I made up for use for right handed players will work just as well for left handed players. So I will be able to test for club length, shaft flex, shaft type (graphite or steel) and shaft weight - in a similar way as can be done for right handed players.


I do not expect Mr. Leftie (Phil Michelson, who won this weekend...) will be knocking on my door soon................but I look forward to being able to more easily fit left handed players.


COMING SOON......2 weeks from tonight, annual AGCP Roundtable. It is going to be the best yet, can't wait!


Tony

Advice - I wonder what will happen....

I am not against giving players a bit of advice on golf clubs sometimes.....usually about the simple things like driver length.


I had a meeting this weekend with a pleasant person who is interested in getting new clubs. I made a few measurements with him and identified that he will likely play best with clubs shorter than standard length. Maybe a 43 to 43-1/2 inch length driver, and irons perhaps a half inch shorter than standard (cannot know real best lengths without impact label testing....).


During our discussion, I was wondering what might be the result if he went into a golf store and said "I am pretty sure I would play my best golf with a 43-1/2 inch length driver, what can you do for me?"


To my knowledge, all of the stores carry drivers that are at least 45 inches long. Someone in a store MIGHT say "well I can just cut that driver down to length for you and that would work." Well, if you cut down a driver from 45 inches to 43-1/2 inches, you reduce the swingweight of that driver 9 swingweight points. Say the 45 inch driver had a swingweight of D2, the cut down one would have a swingweight of C3 - very very light and probably not good for this player.


The right way to modify a driver to a reduced length is to add appropriate weight to the head, and/or to reshaft the driver with a heavier shaft. It can be made to work....but simply cutting the shaft to a reduced length will typically not work.


Still, I would love to be a fly on the wall for the conversation with the salesman about reduced length clubs.....


Tony

Family Fixings....

My youngest brother visited this past weekend and we got to play golf together for 2 days. Beautiful fall weather here in Tennessee!


He plays something less than 10 times a year, but really enjoys playing when he does. Last year when we played together I built him a driver - shorter length, lighter flex shaft, lighter swingweight - to attempt to help him slice the ball less. I could see this year that he was hitting this club better than last year......but truthfully the biggest improvement he would get with a driver would come from taking some lessons.


This year I got him to try some graphite shafted fairway woods. A lot lighter than his previous woods, which had steel shafts....boy, these babies were HEAVY. He liked the feel of the lighter woods, and hit a few good shots with them on Sunday.


In thinking back to the weekend, I realize that there are lots of people playing golf - say 10 times or less a year - who have no idea that their clubs are a very poor fit for their games. The realist in me knows that for a lot of these folks, it is not likely that they care a lot if their clubs do not really fit them. BUT.....on the other hand......I think they DO care about their golf when they are actually playing (I know for sure that my brother does, he loves when he hits good shots). So I think some level of good clubfitting can also help folks who do not play a lot - particularly those who have clubs that are difficult to swing. Does it mean I am saying that these folks should be going for a really detailed fitting for their clubs - probably not. But they deserve to at least play clubs that are the right length, and that have flexes and weights that are a reasonable fit for the way they play.


I have a feeling that "someone" may be getting some even newer fairway woods for Christmas?


PS....One Month to the AGCP Roundtable 4 - can't wait!!


Tony

FEEL FEEL FEEL ..... A great 4 letter word!

Not every player I build clubs for is greatly sensitive to Club Feel. But almost all are to some extent. I am now midway into a fitting with a good player who is very sensitive to the desire to feel the clubhead. And about to start a fitting for a player who I know needs clubs that are a lot longer than normal......and for him Feel may be more important that for "standard" length players.


Feel is the Bottom Line of a golf club. I believe that if a club does not feel good in your hands you will never truly hit it well. When I do fittings I am constantly asking how one club feels vs another test club and I weigh highly what players tell me about feel.


What affects club feel? Just about everything! For sure the club MOI or swingweight are a measure of feel - and these are influenced by head weight, shaft weight, club length, and club flex.


I do not think it is easy to quantify what makes one club "feel" better than another - but that does not mean that finding the right feel for a player is not perhaps the most important thing that a professional clubfitter can do.


Tony

What IS My Driver Loft?

I think that everyone who buys a driver through a web site deserves to be sure they are getting what they think they are getting. I had some experiences this past week or so with clients that made me want to share some simple information with you about drivers.


If you buy a driver from a web service provider and the advertisement says that it is "10.5 degrees of loft" can you be SURE that is the loft of the driver? Well............maybe.............sort of. Here are some simple things that you should really know about buying a driver sight unseen!


1. There are two things that determine the True Loft of a driver AS YOU PLAY IT....The real measured loft of the face, and the FACE ANGLE of the driver.


2. In recent years, most drivers I have seen in stores have some amount of Closed Face Angle to them. This means that when you set the driver so the face is flat on the ground and you do not attempt to manipulate it so that the face is square to the target line, that the face will look a little shut to the target line. Some players can actually benefit from a closed face angle particularly if the slice the ball........the close face can help them to somewhat reduce the amount of their slice.


3. However.....if you have a driver that for example has 10 degrees of loft, and say it has a 2 degree closed face angle. Now if you set this driver face so that the face is square to the target line......the EFFECTIVE LOFT of the driver face will actually be 12 degrees. And you might wonder why you hit that driver higher than you think you should.


4. And the opposite holds true. If you have a driver with 10 degrees of loft and 2 degrees open face angle, and you square the face, then the Effective Loft of that driver will be 8 degrees.


My tip to you then, particularly if you want to play with a driver that has a face that is square to the target line at address...... Make sure you know what you are buying before you click "Purchase." If you want a 10 degree driver with 0 degree face angle, be sure that is what you are buying!


Tony

A Great Time With The Tennessee Guys!

This weekend we had a great day of clubfitting and some golfing with the members of the AGCP Tennessee Chapter. We did this at the Stoneybrook Golf Club in Columbia, TN. This is the third meeting of the TN Chapter that Jim Holley, one of the TN AGCP clubfitters, has organized. I had to miss the first two of these, and have been really looking forward to getting together with this group.


Dan Wilt - Link to the Links Custom Clubfitting - has a fitting and clubmaking facility at Stoneybrook, and he gave us a tour of his shop. Dan had his Zelocity launch monitor set up and most of us hit some drives and looked at the specs of our swing speed, etc. from the Zelocity.


One of the neat capabilities that Dan uses is directly linking the output from the Zelocity to another great clubfitting software package - Optimal Flight. Optimal Flight can be used to take driver (and other club) ball speed, launch angle, and ball spin data and identify optimal conditions to increase shot distance. I knew that this capability was available in Optimal Flight, but had never seen it in action. One of the things I took away from the meeting is that I need to set my Zelocity / Optimal Flight system up in a similar way to collect data directly into Optimal Flight.


We spent most of the morning outside under a tent at the driving range giving golfers who came to the range some fitting tips. There were a few players who hit some shots who could REALLY hit the ball far - but who also hit a lot of offline shots. For most of these players, having them hit a driver with a much heavier shaft - 75 to 85 grams instead of the 60 or so grams in most of the typical OEM clubs - resulted in some obvious improvements in their drives.


Then, because all of us are golf nuts, we played the Stoneybrook course in the afternoon. Some vendor representatives from Leaderboard Golf, SK Fiber Shafts, and Global Tour Golf, were also there and played with us. We did a blind draw two man point quota tournament, and closest to the pins on all par threes, and gave out some prizes for some winning teams and individual winners. Late in the day we parted ways, but all of us were excited about the first year of our state AGCP chapter.


It is exciting to see this small group chapter group growing little by little. Jim Holley is doing a great job of organizing get togethers, and each one seems to be a little better and the group is growing.


SHORT GAME MUSINGS.....I continue to, more and more, believe that improving the short game one of the fastest ways to improve your scoring. This weekend I tried a tip I read in a recent Golf Digest article by Raymond Floyd - in the September 2009 issue. He suggested you should never ground your club on short shots. I did this while playing, and all of my short shots were improved.....you might consider reading this article if you can get it!


Tony

Ah Tiger!

Now, I have to admit that I did not get to watch all of the PGA tournament yesterday. But I did see the start of the round and the last hole, and in between was calling my golf buddy for an update.


Y. E. Yang was amazing and the shot he hit over the tree on 18 was one that I think could only be hit by someone who was totally relaxed in his game. He deserved to win yesterday.


But I come out of the weekend having an even greater appreciation for Tiger and his talents, and I also believe that this loss is going to bring even greater success for him in the future.


How many of us - other than the money - would want to be Tiger? The totally unrealistic expectations, the fact that he is always under the spotlight? Few if any of us could handle what he has to go through every day.


I think he will come out an even better player in future majors......this loss might actually be what allows him to win a Grand Slam some time in the future. He no longer has the "what if I lose when I am ahead in the final round?" weight on his back..... If anything I believe he will look back and see the value in finally losing from the front. And maybe it will help him get the other weight off his back - to be able to come from behind in the final round of a major.....


I can't wait to see what happens next!


Tony

A Great Weekend!

My brother Harry comes every year to play the Oak Ridge Country Club Member Guest tournament with me. We played this past weekend, and did the best we ever did in the tournament - winning our flight, first round playoff match, and getting into a chip off on the first shootout playoff hole. For me this weekend is pretty much both the highlight of my golfing year and also the end of the summer golf season for me.


Both my brother and I now play clubs totally fitted and built by me. He plays an SMT Indio driver, Golfworks KE4 3, 5, and 7 woods, Wishon 785 HF 4 and 5 hybrids, and Wishon irons. I built him a new putter that he put in play this weekend and he putted great - the fit for him was about an inch shorter than his previous putter, and he liked an oversized Winn grip for the putter. He putted great with this the entire weekend. I play with an SMT 455DB driver, Wishon 3 and 5 woods, Wishon 785 HF 3, 4, and 5 hybrids, and Infiniti Assure irons and wedges. I play a Golfworks putter, and use the Opti Vibe putter optimization weights in the putter to improve its feel for me.


There were for me three great highlights of the weekend....

1. In our second match on Saturday - when we were down two holes - we were playing a par five and Harry hit a 200 yard 3 wood to a steeply uphill green to 30 feet, and sunk the putt for a birdie. It was one of the finest shots I have ever seen....I am still not sure how he did it!


2. In the first hole of the shootout - alternate shot - I stood on the tee to hit my drive - and I looked out on rows of carts of people watching the play and it was TOTALLY quiet....not sure I have ever experienced such a calm time on a golf course. I was enough in control of the moment to slow down and truly enjoy it.


3. Finally, today we played one more round and my brother shot his first ever 37 for 9 holes - one over par. He made two birdies in a row (first time ever) and easily could have shot even par. We were quietly rooting him on!


Golf never ceases to be a great sport to play. But getting to compete and sometimes succeed in tournaments - what a treat!


Tony

Happy "0" Day to Me!

Well.....................today is my 60th birthday. My family came over and everyone really spoiled me. I took the morning off, hit chips and pitches and sand shots for 1-1/2 hours and did not think once about day job. And a good friend called me tonight and said he likes the 4 hybrid that I built for him.


And that is about as good as it can get!! I am very blessed.


Tony

"Please Release Me!"

It has been a pretty quite week in Oak Ridge clubfitting land, because of big family visits for the baptism of grandbaby #2.


However, there are some interesting fitting developments coming up. I have been reading a number of posts lately related to fitting people who are hitting the ball High and Right (talking right handers....). And have had two similar discussions with local people who are having some similar results.


One is a single digit handicapper who is interested in getting more clubhead feel. I provided him some lead tape to put on the bottom of his club to test, and he said that adding 4 grams of lead tape was causing him to hit the ball high and right. Now, this is a player who has pretty good swing mechanics. So it is highly likely that the cause of high/right in this case is in fact due to the higher club swingweight and head weight that could be inhibiting him from closing the clubface - releasing the clubface - at the end of his swing. We are going to work together later this week with the Opti Vibe optimization weights - some weight down the shaft and some at the butt end, and vary the location of the weight down the shaft - to see if we can come up with an optimum club feel for him that can produce some more distance and not produce high/right shots.


Another case is just speculation at this time.....I got a call today from someone who hits his fairway woods well, but has the high/right shot pattern with his driver. I sent a post to the AGCP forum tonight asking for some feedback from others on solutions to high/right, and one of the answers from a fitter whose views I respect was Be Sure He Releases The Club (he said "Please Release Me!". And Ball Position can also be a cause of high/right.


It is also possible, however, that driver characteristics can be helping to promote High/Rightitis. If the driver is too long for this player (a good possibility...) then the player may not be setting up in an athletic position and may in fact not be able to release the club as he should. If the club swingweight/MOI is too high, then as much as he would like to be able to release the club, he might not be able to do so easily.


So no full answers on this yet - hopefully meeting with the second person later this week to get some club measurements as a start and then see if they tell me anything. And it is also clear that good swing mechanics are important - but also that sometimes club characteristics can keep a player from producing swings that provide good results. Bottom line - it is important to look at the combination of a player's swing and his clubs to find the true cause of mishit shots.


Tony

Putter Optimization - It Works!

Most of us, I believe, either buy a putter in a golf store or sometimes work with a clubfitter to get a putter made for us. When we do this, if we are fortunate, we get a putter that is the right length, lie, and putter loft for the way we set up to putt.


But what about the FEEL of the putter that we use? Most clubfitters and teaching professionals expect that the right range of swingweight for putters is something in the range of C8 to D6. Of course, how would you know if your putter is in that range of swingweight. You pretty much have to hope that you "like" the feel of the putter that you buy....or you simply adapt to the feel of that putter.


There is now, in fact, a way to truly optimize the feel of your putter so that you can find the putter feel that best works for you and that optimizes your ability to putt well.


This past weekend I did a successful Putter Optimization with Des Mahoney, the Teaching Pro at the Centenial Teaching and Fitting Center - Des and I partner at the Center.


We use the Tour Lock Pro "Opti Vibe" weights to do this optimization. I have 50 and 100 grams weights that can be inserted down the shaft of the putter, and we used a 12 gram counterweight in the butt end of the putter. I can insert the 50 and 100 gram weights between 3 and 12 inches down the shaft. Varying this weight and the insertion depth of the weight can significantly change the feel of the putter.


We set up a putting station on an outside putting green - 12 feet from the hole, straight putt. Des hit four putts, first with no weight, then with different weights and different weight insertion depths into the shaft. In the outdoor tests, we identified that either the 100 gram or 50 gram weight 3 inches down the shaft provided improved putting feel.


What was really great about doing this with Des is that he is not ABOUT to make a change in his putter configuration unless it provides better results. So if something works with him, you can be pretty darn sure that it is a real improvement.


Later in the day we did some more putting tests inside the Centenial Teaching and Fitting Center. Des identified that using a 50 gram weight 4 inches down the shaft seemed to provide the best putting results for him.


Des played golf on Sunday and wants to consider a slight weight adjustment - perhaps moving the internal weight to 5 inches down the shaft so that he can "feel" the putter head more. But overall he has told me that he loves the way his putter now feels.


So yes....we are still working to find the best way to optimize the feel of his putter. But this in itself shows that Putter Optimization is Real........there is an approach, using the Opti Vibe weight system, to change the feel of a putter for a player and provide real improvement.


If any of you reading this post are interested in doing a Free Putter Optimization session with me let me know and we can schedule it. Within about 30 minutes I believe that we can find a weight configuration that can improve the feel of how you putt - and what if you simply made one or two more putts a round......!


Tony

Can We Get Better As We Get Older?

This past Saturday when I was working at the Centennial Teaching and Fitting Center, I was talking with Des Mahoney about some of the recent success I have had since taking three lessons from him. Quite frankly, I have not been so excited about my golf and the potential to play great golf in years. Not only am I striking the ball more solidly, but I have learned things from the lessons with him that are also helping me to improve my short game - the part of my game where I most often lose strokes. If you are looking to improve your golf swing and golf game, I am confident he can help you - www.desmahoneygolf.com.


While I was talking with him, he said something that has stuck with me for the past few days. It was "Golf is one of the few games where we can get better as we get older." Wow - what a fun thing to contemplate!


Having said this, however - I do not think there is a magic bullet (too bad!). If someone truly wants to improve in golf as you get older (or actually at any age), here are what I would suggest are the key pieces to that puzzle....


1. Get great instruction - learn the key elements of a good golf swing. And this does not mean, I think, that you have to swing perfectly.


2. Commit to spending some time each day, if you can, to get the feel of the swing changes you are making. My "higher power" probably realizes I am making some practice swings in the basement before I go to work - for me this helps me to really get the feel of the improvements I am attempting to achieve.


3. Practice in such a way that you learn to make your swing improvements a habit. I can recommend here some of the past articles and posts in Carey Mumford's "Clear Key Golf" web site (I have discussed this site before...think it is www.clearkeygolf.com). Carey's "32 ball drill" is a good one - hit 4 shots working on mechanics, 4 shots where you hit shots as you would on the course, and repeat this sequence 4 times.


4. Play with clubs that fit your swing and how you swing. And this includes a proper putter fitting. Des and I are finding more and more that our teaming together in teaching and fitting is the best way to help golfers achieve the most rapid improvement.


5. And, no surprise - learn the key elements of a good short game - good chipping, pitching, and sand game technique, and a good putting stroke - and practice these to engrain them in your golf game habits.


The great thing about our game is that all of the above things are not impossible to do - and the carrot in doing them is lower scores, more pars and birdies, and more fun playing golf.


MORE PGA DRIVER LENGTH DATA.... There were two data points in the August Golf Digest. Dustin Johnson plays a 45 inch length driver. Bubba Watson, the longest driver on the PGA tour the past few years, plays a 44-1/2 inch driver. Length of most drivers that you can buy in golf stores - 45-1/2 inches to 46 inches.


Tony

The Rules of Golf Clubs and Balls

A week or so ago I was building a belly putter for a good friend, and I wanted to be sure I knew the rules on how upright putter lies can be. I could not find the USGA rule book that I had that provides this kind of info. and so I ordered another one.


The title of this booklet is "A Guide To The Rules On Clubs and Balls." Probably because I am a golf club geek I just love this little book. It is available from the USGA web site if anyone else wants to get it.


Here are a few of the rules that I think are pretty interesting from this booklet.....(dear USGA, hope there are no issues with me providing some of this info....!!). Here are some of them.....


1. First of all, back to what I was initially checking about - the lie angle of a putter cannot be greater than 80 degrees. This I believe is to prohibit putters that have a straight vertical shaft.


2. For irons and putters - when a club head is in its normal position, the distance from the heel to toe must be greater than the distance from the front to back of the club.


3. A putter is a club with a loft not greater than 10 degrees that is designed for use on a putting green.


4. The overall length of a golf club must be at least 18 inches and - except for putters - must not exceed 48 inches. (guess my grandson needs to wait for me to build him a golf club?)


5. A grip must be straight and plain in form, must extend to the end of the shaft, and must not be molded for any part of the hands. Remember the old "reminder grips" - they are not legal.


6. Putters may have two grips, if they each have a circular cross section, the axis of each coincides with the axis of the shaft, and they are separated by at least 1-1/2 inches. This is an important one for long putters, because these are often built with two grips. There was a case a few years ago where a PGA player was disqualified because his grip violated this rule.


7. The size of a clubhead must not exceed 460 cc, with a tolerance of 10 ccs (there was I believe a few years a driver advertised to be 460 + 10 cc in size...).


8. And finally (for tonight!) a golf ball has to have a diameter not less than 1.680 inches. However, it can be larger than that provided it does not weigh more than 1.620 ounces!


Tony

Golf Shafts - Some of the basics....

Since golf shafts connect "you" to the golf club, they have an important affect on how well you can play golf. Here are some basic golf shaft facts - to hopefully help you make more informed decisions on the golf shaft that can be the best for your game.


TWO MAJOR TYPES OF STEEL GOLF SHAFTS - The two major types of steel golf shafts are Taper Tip and Parallel Tip. Taper tip shafts increase in diameter from the tip of the shaft to a defined distance from the end of the tip; parallel tip shafts have a constant diameter section from the tip for a specific length depending on the type of shaft. Most golf clubs that you will purchase in golf stores have taper tip shafts in them.

There are, in fact, some manufacturers who make taper tip graphite shafts for use in irons. I am not aware of any taper tip shafts being used in woods.

So What? - Parallel tip shafts are designed so that you can increase the stiffness (flex) of the shaft by cutting some of the parallel tip section. Taper tip shafts are not specifically designed so that you can alter the flex of a club. There are some "tricks" that you can use with taper tips to alter the shaft stiffness for a given club - but in general it is easier to achieve a specific shaft flex with a parallel tip shaft.

Most clubs that you would purchase in golf stores are designed to accept taper tip shafts. However, these clubs can accept parallel tip shafts if their hosels are bored out to a constant diameter.


TWO MAJOR SHAFT MATERIALS - No surprise here - steel and graphite. These days irons can be purchased in golf stores with either steel or graphite shafts, and woods usually have graphite shafts.

So What? There are now a wide variety of weights of both steel and graphite shafts for irons. You can find graphite shafts that weigh as much or more as some steel shafts, and can also find some high quality very lightweight steel shafts. Typical iron steel shafts weights are between about 95 to 130 grams and there are some that weigh as little as 75 grams. Typical iron graphite shaft weights are between 60 and 100 grams, and you can find some that weigh more or less tha these normal weights. You can find wood graphite shafts between about 45 grams up to in the range of 100 grams.

Shaft weight is a very important variable in club fitting. Weight can obviously affect the feel of the club for a golfer. Weight can also influence the golfer's swing path and the normal flight (pull, push, etc.) of the golf ball for that golfer.


SHAFT BALANCE POINT - If you take a raw shaft and find the point along the shaft length where the shaft will not "tip," that is the balance point of that shaft. The balance point of a shaft is a measure of the weight distribution along a particular shaft.

So What? - Shaft balance point can influence the feel of a club for a golfer. Shafts with higher balance points can have lower swingweights and so feel lighter. In some cases, this improved feel can result in improved confidence and performance.


SHAFT FLEX AND SHAFT FREQUENCY - A Frequency Gauge is used to measure the stiffness of a given golf shaft for a given club length. Usually, measurements of club frequency are made without a grip on the shaft, and with the end of the shaft extended to the back end of the frequency gauge. The basic measurement made is of the cycles per minute - cpm - that the shaft vibrates with the clubhead connected on the tip end of the shaft. When the club frequency is measured with the butt end of the club at the back end of the gauge, this frequency is called the "butt frequency" of the club.

Shafts in golf clubs purchased in golf stores typically have "flexes" noted on the shafts like A, R, S, X - or sometimes notations like 4.0, 5,0, 6.0. These numbers are letters refer to "flexes" of the shafts - flex is a measure of the stiffness of a shaft For A Specific Length Of Club.

So What? - There have been some standards on club flex developed - specifically originally by FM Precision the inventors of Rifle Shafts, and elements of this standard were adopted by the Professional Clubmakers Society - for what A, R, etc. and 4.0, 5.0, etc. flex shaft flexes mean. However, these standards have not been adopted by the companies that sell golf clubs in stores. So a buyer has no way to know if for example the "A" flex of a club from one manufacturer is the same as the "A" flex from another (well, there is a way to compare these, have a professional clubmaker measure the flexes of the different clubs).


SHAFT FLEX PROFILE - Shaft flex is complicated by the fact that golf shafts do not have a constant stiffness (flex) across the length of the shafts. Some shafts, for example, can have very stiff tip sections relative to their butt stiffness, while others can have very soft tip sections relative to their butt stiffness.

So What? The shaft butt flex has always been recognized as one of the key clubfitting parameters for effective iron and wood fitting. However, it is now also well known that shafts with different flex profiles can perform significantly differently for golfers. This is because different golfers swing the golf club differently. For two golfers with, say, a 100 mph driver swing speed, one might release the club (uncock his wrists) late in his swing while the other release the club much earlier in his swing. These two golfers will need shafts with different flex profiles to each get good performance results. The same principle holds for iron shafts - they can have vastly different flex profiles and so perform differently for different golfers.



Well, there are a few basics on some of the key elements of golf shafts. Shaft flex, flex profile, shaft weight/type/balance point can all have important influences on golf club performance.


Tony

Walking the talk....

Last week I realized that I have achieved qualifications as an Assn. of Golf Clubfitting Professionals (AGCP) Level 9 Clubfitter. There are 10 levels of AGCP qualification, and I hope that achieving this brings greater credibility to my efforts to make great golf clubs for golfers.


However, three experiences with customers this week for me have been just as exciting and pleasing as achieving AGCP Level 9 quallfications:

1. I was building a 5 iron hybrid club for a long-time customer, and the shaft that I was using was "not quite" right in terms of allowing me to create the right shaft flex. Rather than ignoring this, I bought the right shaft (no extra cost to him...) and tonight built the club just the way it should be built for him;

2. One of my golf buddies wants to experiment with using a Belly Putter. I measured him to determine how much I could extend the shaft on his present putter to get the right length. However, I did not have a lot of experience with building Belly Putters, so I asked on the AGCP web forum for advice. I found out a lot of good tips on building Belly Putters the right way, and an AGCP putter guru - Bob Uebelhor - is sending me a shaft specifically built for use in Belly Putters. This way I can build this club to the best length, weight and shaft flex so that my friend will get a true test about how good a Belly Putter can be for him.

3. Today I got a call from someone asking me to reshaft a fairway wood for him. I did a little research on the club, and found out that he could buy another club for less than my cost to him for rebuilding the club. So I called him and told him this and he appreciated me providing him this information.


Qualifications are great and they are important. But doing what it takes to build the perfect clubs for golfers to help them improve is what I hope all of my customers get from me!


Tony

And The Driver Length Beat Goes On......

In my three years of professional clubfitting, I have not worked with one player who is playing a driver that is the right length for them. All too long. I think this is why I keep noting the lengths that PGA pros use for their drivers. I hope by doing this that as many readers of this blog will at least have an initial estimate made of what would be the best driver length for them.


This weekend I met a player who is taking lessons from Des Mahoney at Centenial, and Des steered him to me so that I could check his driver length. Another 46 inch driver, and in this case most likely he would hit his drives most solidly if he used a 44 to 44-1/2 inch driver.


And what is great about getting knowledge about the best driver length for you is that an initial fix for this is VERY easy. You can have a professional clubfitter cut some length from the end of shaft, add some lead tape to the bottom of the club so that the swingweight can be adjusted - cutting a half inch of lengh reduces swingweight by about 3 points, and adding 6 grams of weight increases swingweight the same 3 points.


The other often good element about adjusting swingweight by adding lead tape is that this also decreases the flex of the shaft. Many people are playing with store-purchased drivers that have shafts that are too stiff for their swings. So adding head weight can also have a positive influence on shaft flex for a lot of players.


When building drivers of lengths in the range of 44 to 44-1/2 inches, unless you use very heavy shafts it is necessary to add some weight in the hosel to achieve a swingweight that is a good fit for a player. Normally the best way to do this is to add "tip weights" that slip inside the shaft - 2 to 9 gram weights are typically available.


Today I purchased a new piece of equipment for my shop that will make adding appropriate weight to driver heads even easier. I bought the "Silencer System" from KC Products - it is a hot glue gun designed specifically for adding weight inside of driver heads. I believe this product is now used in many Tour club vans, and with it I will be able to add as much as 10 grams of addiitional weight inside of driver heads. My plan is to use this as a supplement for using tip weights to set the best driver swingweights for players.


If you are interested in finding out if you are playing the right length driver, I hope you will stop in to my Centenial fitting center on Saturdays or make an appointment to meet me there for some quick measurements. In 5 minutes I can do a quick evaluation of what your present driver length is and get a good approximation of what it should be. And you will have knowledge that can help you to play better golf.


Tony


PS - for the U.S. Open this week, a hard call as to who to root for more, Tiger or Phil. The best case is for the two of them to be playing in the final foursome on Sunday....how can it get any better than that!!

What Is The Biggest Risk?

In the past few days, there have been a group of magazine articles that to me - put together - provide some perspectives on professional clubfitting that all golfers should consider.....


1. There is an article on page 69-70 of the July 2009 issue of Golf Digest that talks about how golf driver shafts "unload" and why the choice of the right driver shaft is a key to driving accuracy and performance.


2. The Golf Digest article also noted that an R flex shaft for one company can have a different flex than an R flex shaft from another. The article noted that there is no industry standard for what different shaft flexes are (L, A, R, S, X....)


3. On page 15 of the June 8, 2009 issue of Golf World there is a discussion of Frequency Matching of irons - noting that Rocco Mediate has been an advocate of this for years (I would be surprised if any touring pros are playing with shafts that are not frequency matched). The article discussed the history of iron Frequency Matching and how shaft frequencies are measured.


4. Recent issues of Golf Digest and Golf Magazine showed club specifications for Boo Weekley and Luke Donald. Boo plays a 44-3/4 inch long driver, Luke plays a 44-1/2 inch long driver. As I have noted a number of times in this blog, most drivers that we mortals buy in stores are 45 inches long and often longer.....but the touring pros almost all play drivers that are around 44-1/2 inches in length.


None of this information is a surprise to professional clubfitters and clubmakers. We frequency match the iron sets that we make, we do driver fittings to find the best shaft for a golfer and know the real flex specifications for different available driver shafts, and we build drivers to the best length that gives players the most opportunity to produce on-center driver contact.


It is exciting that there are more and more articles in trade golfing magazines that illustrate the benefits of professional clubfitting. That said.....why do many golfers continue to play with clubs that are the wrong length, weight, and flex for their golf games - giving them sub par golfing results?


I think the answer to this question relates to the concept of RISK. The name brand club companies do great advertising of their clubs, and golfers see these advertisements anytime they watch golf events. So players are faced with a choice......should they buy name brand clubs that they are told will work well for them, or should they make what they might think is a risky choice to play clubs that are built specifically for them by professional clubmakers? Truthfully, it is easy to see how someone could have some fear of buying non-OEM clubs - we little guys cannot compete with the large advertising budgets of the big boys.


But....the truth is that all professional clubfitters have clear success stories that show that great clubfitting produces great golfing results. I had a conversation this weekend with a client who I built a 43 inch driver for last year (along with the rest of his clubs). He had NEVER had an experience of hitting a driver well, and now says that he hits this club great and has full confidence with it. It was great to hear that fitting has made such a positive influence on his game.


So I can see that it is hard for many to take the step to getting clubs that really fit their games. But more and more, as these recent golf magazines are reporting, there is a growing awareness that golfers can get clubs fit for them that will help them play better golf and enjoy the game more.


Tony

"Rules Are Nice, But Fitting Rules"

In an AGCP post today, Russ Ryden said the quote that I used as the title for this blog post. I think it is a terrific statement of what AGCP and other professional clubfitters do - and particularly what differentiates us from folks who do clubfitting in typical golf club sales stores.


Russ, by the way, has a terrific web site for his fitting business - www.fit2score.com.


There are a lot of technical elements to professional clubfitting - analyzing launch monitor data and building test clubs to specific flexes and lengths are some examples. And I believe we all want to find elements of clubfitting that we can reduce to a formula - like for example what specific iron flex would correspond to the best fit for a specific client swing speed. And there are parts of fitting that can be reduced to following some rules.


But I think there is also some art - based on experience - in doing great fitting. Using the basics to produce some initial ideas of what the right fit might be, but also then using what you have learned from past experiences to really produce a solution that is right for a golfer. Learning to listen to customers tell you what "feels" best and factoring that into fitting recommendations is another example.


This past weekend I did a driver fitting where the ultimate value was in moving past the basics into using past experience to find a good solution. The player is someone who has the capability to drive the ball well, but also pretty consistently pull hooks the ball. We did the basic things of identifying the right length club - 44-1/2 inches rather than his present 45 inches - and the right shaft flex profile for his swing. But if we had ended then he would still pull most likely pull-hook the ball on lots of his drives.


We made an approximate measurement of the swingweight of his present driver - D0. Many stock drivers you can buy in stores have this swingweight, and for some "average" golfer that might be a good club swingweight. But this club was too light for this golfer, and as a result he had to keep adjusting his swing to guard against pull hooking and often was not successful.


We added weight to his club - using lead tape - 2 grams at a time until we had added about 10 grams to the club - about a D5 swingweight now; he hit shots with each addition of weight. When we added this weight he hit some very good drives that started slightly right and then drew back to the middle. Beautiful. Before he left to play golf in the afternoon, I put 10 grams of lead tape onto the bottom of his present driver and asked him to tell me what the results were.


Today I talked with him, and his driving results were mixed but I think positive because of one thing that he said to me. He said when he remembered that I said to him to "relax and let the club hit the ball" that he hit his best drives. He knows that some lessons will help him hit the ball better, but he also knows that when I have rebuilt his driver to a D5 swingweight with a shaft chosen for his swing, he will be a playing a driver that works for the way HE hits the ball.


Fitting really does rule!


Tony

Your Best Iron Length - Extenders - MAYBE!!

This week I had two clients request some help with their golf clubs in terms of putting "extenders" in the end of their iron shafts. One client purchased a new set of clubs but knew they would not be the right length, and we identified the best length clubs for him. The other client had recently bought a set of clubs and had extenders put in, but they are coming loose - so he has asked me to repair this problem for him.


Extending the length of golf clubs is a fairly easy clubmaking operation to do. We purchase extenders from many club component companies, and there are different size and type extenders for different shaft sizes and shaft types. It is important to determine the right size extender, I would not put a small extender into a shaft and hope that it would epoxy together well. And there are a few "tricks" that I have picked up to make SURE that the extenders will fit snugly into the shafts, and that they will not come loose when they have been epoxied into the present shafts.


As a near term improvement, extenders are a great option for getting golfers into the right length clubs. This is particularly true for a golfer who does not play a lot of golf - say once a month or less.


If you play a LOT of golf, and really care about having clubs that truly fit your game, then you should be aware of the pluses and minuses of extenders. Definitely the plus is that they can help you be playing the right length clubs, and achieving more square impacts with your irons should improve your ballstriking.


Adding extenders will increase the swingweight of the clubs - about 2 to 3 swingweight points for each 1/2 inch of extender. My recommendation would be that if you want to extend your clubs much more than 1/2 inch in length, and you are really serious about your golf, then you should consider the option of playing with lighter shafts or shafts with different balance points so that the longer clubs will not feel too heavy for you. FEEL is a key element for all golfers - your clubs need to feel good to you for you to play well.


Bottom line - playing clubs that are the right length should be a given for any golfer. Using extenders is a great low-cost option for changing the length of your clubs so that they are the right length. In some cases, there may be a change in feel of the clubs that you do not like and if you so you should consider getting a professional clubfitter to help you find the right shafts for your clubs to get you the right length, swingweight/MOI, and shaft flex for your game. And for sure - if you do get extenders put into your clubs - make sure the job is done right; it is no fun to play with clubs that have shafts that twist at the end!!


MORE ON THE CLUBS WHERE EXTENDERS NOT WORKING.... After I finished writing my initial post, I went downstairs and pulled a grip for one of the clubs. Very interesting! Actually, the extender had NOT come apart. But what the person who put on the extender did was to put grip tape over the old grip tape rather than stripping all of the old tape off and starting with a clean shaft.....SO the grip end of the shaft with tape on was not the same diameter as the other part of the shaft....and the grip slipped at the end. In addition, the extender on this club was 2 inches - WAY too much, the swingweight of the gap wedge was E1, very high. Hopefully I have enough ammo to help this player find a better shaft option for him!


Tony

Hybrids - HATE the name, LOVE the performance!!

I was wondering tonight if calling hybrid clubs "Hybrids" puts a negative golf thought in our minds. These clubs in my view provide amazing performance. All golfers of all abilities need to consider having these clubs in their bags......


Many people do not really know why hybrid clubs really came about. I believe they started as a result of what Tom Wishon calls the "vanishing loft disease." If you look at the progression of the loft of a 5 iron over the past 20 or so years, you will see that the lofts of 5 irons get stronger and stronger - so that what is now a 5 iron was probably a 4 iron or even in some cases a 3 iron 20 years ago. Hybrid clubs became a rage because most normal golfers could not hit 3 irons, 4 irons, often 5 irons consistently. Thus clubs (hybrids...) that look a lot like fairway woods but are meant as a substitute for long irons.


I have had two great experiences, and one soon to be anticipated great experience, recently with building hybrids:

1. My best golfing buddy, who I relied on this weekend to make some pretty good cash in our club member member tournament, plays 4 and 5 hybrid clubs that I built for him. Wishon 785 HF heads, SK Fiber Pure Energy shafts. Once we settled on the right shaft flex and swingweight for him, he hit them well right away. What I have been surprised at is that he is now hitting them about 10 yards longer than I thought he could.


2. My other best golfing buddy - me! - also is playing Wishon 785 HF hybrid clubs - in my case the 3 hybrid and 4 hybrid. I have different shafts in them - Wishon GI-335 Tour weight R flex shafts. These shafts have a butt flex stiffer than what you might expect for an "R" flex and they are also tip soft. Since I put these in my bag I have hit them better than any other hybrid I have played - high and long. I hit the 3 hybrid about 190 yards, and have been using the 4 hybrid for shots from 170 to 180 yards. I like them so much that I ordered the head and shaft for building a 5 hybrid that will soon substitute for my present 5 iron.


3. One of my clients has been playing Taylor Made Burner hybrids. He likes the heads, but has not had good consistency with these clubs. They actually had two different shafts in them - one had a steel shaft, the other a graphite shaft. I recently reshafted his new Mizuno irons with Wishon Superlite R flex shafts and he loves the feel and performance of these clubs. So I convinced him that I should reshaft his hybrids with the same shaft. I just finished rebuilding his hybrids to the same shaft flex and club MOI that he liked in his irons. I believe they will have a very similar feel to his irons, and I expect they will provide the same great performance.


Hybrids clubs built to the right specifications for you are a great way to help lower your golf scores. They are the real deal!!


Tony

Lower Scores? - We All Know How!!

I wanted to put a Club Evaluation Form on my site a few months ago, but "day job" goodies and some needed R&R kept me from attending to that. But now this is active, and I encourage you to take a look and complete the form if you wish. I hope that doing this has value for you directly - to perhaps emphasize or re-emphasize those areas of your game where improvements are most likely to produce lower scores.


For me, my golf game for maybe a year is not close to what it had been. Until the past few weeks, and now I am seeing signs of my game coming back. While encouraged by that I also realize what is truly keeping me from shooting scores in the 70s again. Short game and putting. 20 to 50 yard wedge shots, chips around the green, putting. I think in every recent round I can count at least 5 to 6 shots, maybe more, where just a bit of improvement, reduced 3 putts, etc. would have turned an 85 into a 70 or better.


Is it really so hard to improve your short game? While I am sure there are some technique areas that can help, I think some of the following will also make a big difference:

- Wedges that have spin milled faces, so that when you need to you can get the ball to spin and stop. I am amazed how many wedges I have seen from OEM companies that do not have spin milled faces........these are easily available to anyone.

- Wedges that FEEL good.....the right swingweight and the right flex. Particularly, I believe, not too heavy and not too stiff. So that they are easy to swing.

- Putters that truly fit you....so that you do not have to adjust your stroke because the length and lie angle of the putter are incorrect. Often doing this fix for a putter that you like is not more difficult than adjusting the lie angle and or cutting or extending the length of the shaft.

- AND here is one more to think about. Yes, you may get some more yards with a ball that spins less....but does that really produce lower scores? Maybe playing a ball that spins more so that you have more control on short shots is not a bad idea, even if it produces a few yards less in driving distance....


I think of all of the things that players with handicaps in the range of 10 to 25 can do to improve their scores, getting the right scoring clubs in their hands is actually the easiest thing they can do to reduce their scores. And, in fact in the present cost conscious world, also the improvement with the most bang for the buck. So it is worth your golfing time to take a serious look at your scoring clubs and see if there are some simple improvements that you can make to them.


MORE ON TOUR PRO DRIVER LENGTHS.... In the latest Golf Magazine, it notes that the driver Geoff Ogilvy uses is 44-1/2 inches long. He hits it 290 yards......

BUT in the interest of full disclosure! - In the recent Golf Digest it says that Ernie Els uses a 45-1/2 inch driver. This is the first tour pro driver I have reported that is over 45 inches - but I think so far this is one out of five or six that I have reported.


Tony

Tiger's Driver Shaft.......BMT Driver Shaft Fitting?

I did not watch a lot of the tournament this weekend, but did hear on Thursday or Friday that Tiger was playing a new shaft in his driver, and then on Sunday (and today also) that he is going back to the shaft he was using previously.


I highly suspect that Tiger has intimate knowledge of the shaft flex profile in his driver shaft.....at least I hope so. I know from my relationships with AGCP clubfitters that shaft flex profile is a key variable in finding the right shaft for a player. Jerry Hoefling Sr., one of the AGCP Master clubfitters, developed an excellent system for fitting driver shafts based on their shaft flex profile in the butt, mid, and tip end of shafts - called the BMT fitting system.


This system is based on the theory - proven to work pretty well by experience of a number of clubfitters - that a player's swing speed, swing tempo, and release point - where he releases his wrist cock in the downswing - can be used to determine an appropriate shaft for that player. We have a database of measured shaft flex profiles based on 7 flex measurements along the length of a shaft. Jerry developed a system to correlate this profile to butt, mid, and tip shaft stiffnesses - and then relating these stiffnesses to a player's swing characteristics. Particularly for late releasers - players who hold their wrist cock until JUST before the ball - shaft tip stiffness is a key to identifying a shaft that will produce a minimum dispersion of drives for a player.


Measurement of the three key parameters is not too difficult - a launch monitor or swing speed meter can be used to measure swing speed, tempo timer to measure swing tempo, and review of video of a swing to determine where the player releases the club. The most difficult measurement to determine well, in my view, is the release point.....and with the right camera this is not too difficult to get either.


So Tiger.....all the best at the Players Championship this week. I suspect that going back to his normal shaft will produce better driving results for him.......but I have to admit I would LOVE to know the exact specs on the driver shaft he is using!! And I also know that there is no way these specs will be common knowledge.......


REMINDER........I will be at Centenial Golf Course on Wednesday from 3 to 7 pm - along with Bridgestone Golf and some OEM companies - and if you are I will provide you with some Launch Monitor measurements of your driving characteristics. And if there is time, I will interpret some of this data in terms of what could help you improve your driving distance. Perhaps I will see you then (assuming no rain!!).


Tony

Shaft Flex.....Are You Lucky?

An email from Dana Upshaw, AGCP (Assn. of Golf Clubfitting Professionals) member, to other AGCP members last week included a link to a Golf Digest equipment page writeup....some of the note is provided below.....


"Like every golfer, the week of The Masters always means the start of the season for me. Not just golf season, but Hot List season. That’s right, we get started on our research for the 2010 Hot List with our annual swing through Georgia visiting some manufacturers and getting an early read on what they’re working on. (Early word: It’s all about perfecting the fitting process. In the very near future, if you're not being fitted for a new club with some kind of adjustable process, you're pretty much just pretending to be getting the right clubs. And if you don’t believe that fitting matters, I offer you the wisdom of Dana Upshaw of Dana Golf in Warner Robins, Ga., who showed me by tweaking the shaft in my 5-iron, I could suddenly hit it 20 yards farther. I didn’t believe it either, but it was right there on his computer screen. Fact is, there are probably plenty of right shafts, but if you’ve got the wrong shaft inefficiency is going to happen, guaranteed. Impact is enough of a random event for me. I don't need equipment increasing the likelihood of a mis-hit.) "


Dana - who is without a doubt one of the most talented clubfitters alive - was rightly proud of the quote of his work and the results from it. And these are not just isolated results.....he has discussed with other AGCP members other instances where he has helped golfers significantly increase the distance and consistency they achieve with their irons. Dana is one of the great models that AGCP members have for improving their clubfitting skills.


I think a key to achieving real improvement in iron performance is to realize that One Size Does NOT Fit All. There is no doubt that if you buy clubs at a golf store they look beautiful and have this year's advertised improvement related to club head design. But when you buy that "R" flex shaft in that club, you buy into believing that R flex is for you - that differences in shaft flex, flex profile, shaft weight, and shaft type will not lead to improved performance. 200 people might buy that same set of clubs with R flex shafts, and their 5 iron swing speeds might vary by 10 to 20 mph or more - will these R flex clubs really produce optimum distance and performance results for everyone? Shaft flex and shaft profile DO MATTER - and not just the difference between an R and S flex, but small differences between flexes.


***** I will have the opportunity on MAY 6 - from 3 to 7 pm - to do some Launch Monitor Club Testing for golfers at the Centenial Range. There will actually be a number of OEM equipment vendors at Centenial at the same time. If you are a reader of my blog, come by that day and I will have have you hit 3 to 5 balls with your driver and give you some feedback on your performance - ball speed, spin, launch angle. I will also, if you mention that you have read my blog, give you some performance information on your present irons. I know (thank you Dana and AGCP!) what range of optimal performance can be achieved for different 5 or 6 iron swing speeds - and I can give you an idea of what might REALLY be possible with your irons if you were correctly fitted with the correct shaft length, type, and club swingweight/MOI. I look forward to working with lots of folks on May 6!!


Tony

What are your clubs REALLY like?

After being mostly on vacation for about 2 weeks I enjoyed doing some specs for a set of clubs that I will be reshafting soon. I think it must be the engineer in me, but I enjoy measuring club specifications to see if they are really what people think they are.


Tonight was not really a night of surprises - because the clubs that I evaluated had been built by a very talented clubfitter and clubbuilder - so I was not at all surprised to see that they have very consistent swingweights and club flexes. It was a pleasure to confirm what I expected, that these are a very well built set of clubs.


I think that all golfers - particularly those who play at least once a week - deserve to really know what the specs of their clubs are. The best time to have this done is when players have their clubs regripped - because the most accurate measurements of club flexes can be made without grips on the clubs. It does not take a lot of time to measure club lengths, weights, swingweights, MOI, and club flex - and learning what these are can sometimes show a player why he or she has a problem with a specific club.


So I make this offer to those of you who read this blog and are in need of club regripping. If you have me regrip your clubs and mention that you have read this note on my blog, I will provide you with specs for your clubs at no additional cost - through the end of May.


Happy golfing - once it stops raining!!


Tony

The BEST Kind of Golf!

I have been fortunate the past few days to get to play golf on Kiawah Island in South Carolina with three of my best friends. One of them has a beautiful place here and asked me to come last year but I could not.......but I have REALLY had a good time here. I do not play as much golf as I did before I started my clubfitting business, and 3 days in a row is a real treat.


But the best treat is getting to spend time with your best friends, catching up on families, beating each other up on the golf course. To me playing with friends is one of the great attractions and benefits of golf. It has been a great time. I cannot say I have played the best golf.....and the courses are tough here......but it has been a wonderful release from the day job world.


One of my buddies - are you reading this post since I gave you my business card? - plays great golf with Ping clubs that are about 8 years old. I am hopeful that he is going to really look into getting some new wedges - spin milled faces - and I think if he does he will see some great improvements in his short game. I know I have talked about these in the past, but they are a treat to play - being able to stop wedge shots on greens easily, even short wedge shots, is pretty darn easy with these types of heads.


NOW..........maybe that illusive first hole in one will happen tomorrow.......??


Tony

What - NO GOLF?

My wife and I are in Hawaii......I am writing this at 10:20 pm Kauai time, which is 4:20 am Oak Ridge time.

She is amazed that I am not interested this week in playing golf.....well, we DID go to the Poipu Bay course where many of the Grand Slam of Golf events have been played, and we DID get me a new golf shirt and hat there....but actually that is enough for this week. We have had a great time seeing the sites here.........and so golf can rest for a week......

I WILL share one club info. thing I learned last week.......related to Mr. Tiger and what he is playing. There was an article in Golf World that talked about what was in his bag for his win at Bay Hill a week or so ago. I was very interested to learn that he is playing a 15 degree 3 wood and a 19 degree 5 wood. Since I just made myself new fairway woods of the same loft, I was a little surprised at first......but to me these fairway wood lofts make a lot of sense. I think....though cannot confirm....that he uses these lofts so that he can land his bomber fairway wood shots softly on greens...... May or may not be true, but makes sense to me.

Tiger's fairway wood loft choice also cements in my mind that playing fairway wood lofts less than this make little sense for us mortals. More likely many of not all players would play better with 15 and maybe even 16 degree or higher loft 3 woods.

BUT.....for now, back to Kauai!!


Tony

Four Videos on Clubfitting - from Wishon Golf

Tonight I want to make you aware of some new videos that Tom Wishon of Wishon Golf Technology has created on his web site.


The web link for these is:

http://www.wishongolf.com/video_wishongolf.php


Tom Wishon has been in the custom club business for more than 37 years, and is the holder of a few hundred patents related to club design. There video titles at this link are...

- Custom Fit vs Standard Off the Rack

- What Does Custom Clubfitting Actually Do for Golfers?

- The Facts of Life About the Golf Equipment Industry

- The Basic Elements of Professional Shaft Fitting


Each of the videos is 4 to 9 minutes in length. If you view these and have any questions on the contents of them, feel free to email me at tony@gameimprovementgolf.com.


Tony

AGCP - My BUDDIES!!

The Association of Golf Clubfitting Professionals (AGCP). I thought it was time to give these guys a bit of a plug - though to tell you the truth many of the folks in this group are at a pretty incredible level of clubfitting and do not need any help from me!


I think it was about 2 years ago, probably around this time of year, that I found the AGCP web site. Something about them, the resources and approaches that they promoted, and the fact that they have a yearly "Roundtable" meeting where clubfitters get together to talk details of clubfitting, seemed attractive. So I joined.....and it was the best move I have ever made in clubfitting.


The AGCP, lead by Roy Nix of Columbus, GA is one tremendous organization. They attempt to keep things simple in my view - How Can We All Improve As Clubfitters And Clubmakers? And they do it in a deceptively simple way - All members are encouraged to buy in the philosophy that There Are No Dumb Questions. This is an easy philosophy to say but not easy to realize - but it is the bread and butter of the AGCP. Questions come from clubfitters who are new, clubfitters like myself who have a few years of experience, clubfitters who have many years of experience - and answers come from people who have qualifications like International Clubmaker of the Year, and may others who have been the business and fully know ropes. And always the response is thanks for the question and here is your answer.


As a result, many of the really great clubfitting and clubmaking techniques that I have learned have come from being an AGCP member. Some of these include....

1. Zone profiling of iron shafts....to determine which shaft in a set of untipped shafts to use in which irons to get the most consistent shaft flex profile.

2. Using unscented baby wipes to clean epoxy off the outside of clubs when doing a build.

3. The "Butt-Mid+Tip" profiling technique for picking the best driver shaft for a player's swing speed, tempo, and release point.

4. 3M DP 810 epoxy, which has great strength characteristics and is playable in about 30 minutes.

And a lot more.


And the ROUNDTABLE events.....well, these are the highlights of being involved in the AGCP. In the late fall in 2007 and 2008 I attended these, with about 60 other clubfitters. Each time I came away with lots of new knowledge and connections and ways to improve my clubfitting techniques.


Now, clearly if you read this and are in the Knoxville area your clubfitter of choice ought to be me! (and I believe in fact I am the only AGCP fitter in this area). But if you are from another area of the country, and are looking for a great clubfitter to help improve your game, I suggest you get on the AGCP web site - www.agcpgolf.com - and look for an AGCP fitter in your area. You will be pleased with the results!


Tony

Opti Vibe Power Weights - The FEEL Word!!

I think there is an amazing trend in clubfitting in the area of Counterweighting. The concept of Counterweighting has been around a long time.....some of you probably know that Jack Nicklaus did this with his clubs - he put weight into the butt end of his clubs.

A company named Tour Lock Pro initially developed some counterweights to simply install in the butt end of golf clubs. They and their customers over the past few years have had a lot of success improving things like driver swing speed - in many cases increasing swing speed measureably, sometimes around 4 mph - and improving the performance of irons with counterweights.

They also have had great success with Putter Fitting - by putting more weight into the butt end of clubs players can often improve the Feel of their putting stroke. And particularly for folks who have some hand tremors, counterweighting of clubs can lead to great improvement in putting. I was told a year or so ago that most fitters have had about 85% success in improving putter feel using counterweights.

Now they have carried this a next step with what they call Opti Vibe Power Weights. In addition to putting some weight into the butt end of clubs (usually about 12 grams) they have developed weights that they can put DOWN the shaft to change the balance point and again FEEL of the golf club. I believe that they have usually used 15 or 25 gram weights down the shaft and again have had some great results with this to improve driver swing speed.

However, I think if you follow the golf world you are going to hear pretty soon about some great successes with professional golfers and the Opti Vibe Power Weights particularly for Putting. For improving putter feel, they typically put 50 to 100 gram weights down the shaft - between 4 inches and 12 inches down the shaft depending on what is the best feel. I cannot name names, but there are now a number of players on the Senior Tour using these weights in their putters and they love them.

I have not done much with the putting weights yet, but I am going to start experimenting with them soon. I bought the 50 and 100 gram weights, and in a week or so am going to "test" these with Des Mahoney at Centenial, and see if he experiences significant improvement in putter feel with them. I expect to find good results from these tests, and assuming so am going to start offering the opportunity for local players to test the Opti Vibe weights in their putters and see the results.

If you are interested in participating in some testing of these weights, email me at tony@gameimprovementgolf.com and I can arrange a time to do some testing with you.

In the meantime, if you are interested in more information here is a web site that you can go to for that:

www.golfclubcounterweighting.com


Tony

What You Do Not Know?....Can You Find Out??

I had another of those "is this really true?" golf club experiences last week.


In the first year or so of clubbuilding, more times than not I bought some shafts, thought they were a certain flex, and found out they were not close to that flex. Over time, and by being exposed to the folks from the Association of Golf Clubfitting Professionals (AGCP) who will answer any clubfitting and clubmaking question, experiences with being surprised by a shaft have lessened.


BUT..........I truly never thought it would happen with a name brand grip. Last week (a little later than I had expected because of the arrival of my second grandchild, lovely little Julia!) I came home from my day job all pumped up to finish a set of clubs for a client. He chose some name brand grips, and all of my past experiences with these grips is that they are made to specifications to give a certain grip size (measured 2 inches and 5 inches from the end of the shaft) when you use a standard amount of grip tape on the shaft.


I tend to be anal about measuring grip sizes, but have to admit I was thinking of not measuring these grips because surely they would be at spec. But I thought I had better measure at least ONE grip to be sure it sized right. I measured the butt end size of the shaft to ensure it was 0.600 inches diameter (pretty typical), put grip tape on, installed the grip, measured it - and it was more than 1/16 inch diameter under standard. I thought no way, pulled the grip off, put another one on.....same results. Now, the client REALLY wanted to have the clubs the next day....so I put a substitute grip on the clubs (a good one) and wondered all night if I did something wrong, or what had happened.


The next day I contacted the grip company and they ASSURED me that these were standard grips. I came home that night, put another one on an 0.600 diameter shaft, and same result again. These grips would be good for standard women's grips, but way undersized for standard men's grips.


In the end of this, I felt frustrated about the fact that the grips did not really work as expected and as the customer needed (he really needs grips that are a bit oversized, easy to do by adding some additional build up tape....). But I also felt good that I provided a service to someone who really wanted great clubs. He might have never realized that the grips were undersized, and most likely would do some adjusting of his swing to compensate for having smaller grips.


I think golfers deserve better. We deserve clubs that at a MINIMUM are the right length for us, and grips that are the right size for our hands. To me, this should be expected. But I suspect lots of folks who REALLY play a lot of golf play with clubs that are too long or too short, or play with grips that do not fit them. And this is not even mentioning the value of proper club flex and weight fitting.


So the next time you have your clubs regripped, see if you can find someone who will take your Wrist to Floor measurement, and who can give you at least a preliminary estimate about the proper length for your clubs. And who will also evaluate your present grip size and provide advice on the right size for you.


PS............Another driver length data point... In Golf Digest this month, it is noted that Geoff Ogilvy (another pretty good player, no?) plays with a 44-1/2 inch long driver and a 15 degree 3 wood. Still no 46 inch drivers by these pro guys!!


Tony

Club Balancing - "Swingweight" and "MOI" Matching

I recently took a big step in moving toward being able to make better "matched" golf clubs for my golf club clients. I purchased a device called the "MOI Speed Match" system from Tom Wishon golf. Tom Wishon has long been a proponent of using MOI matching instead of Swingweight matching of golf clubs - particularly for irons.

MOI matching and Swingweight matching of a set of irons are based on the same premise - having the full set of irons feel the same when you swing them.

Swingweight and MOI are based on somewhat different principles....

SWINGWEIGHT - I believe the concept of swingweight has been best defined by Ralph Maltby of Golfworks - "the measurement of a golf club's weight about a fulcrum point which is established at a specified distance from the grip end of the club." Swingweight is all about the weight distribution between the head of the golf club and the grip end of the golf club. Increasing the head weight and increasing shaft weight make swingweight increase, increasing the weight of the golf grip makes swingweight decrease. A relative weight scale was developed to denote different swingweights - so a D1 swingweight is larger than a C6 swingweight.

MOI - this is an actual physical measurement that is made for a golf club, it has dimensional units of mass/(length*length). It is a measure of how easy or difficult it is to swing a golf club. Interestingly, the weight of the grip has little if any influence on the measured MOI of a golf club.

How do swingweight matched clubs differ from MOI matched clubs? If you have a set of MOI matched clubs, you will find that the swingweights of the higher irons are lower than the swingweights of the shorter irons. Some fitters actually attempt to approximately MOI match a set of clubs by "progressive swingweighting" - increasing the club swingweight by typically 1/2 swingweight point between clubs - for example, the 6 iron swingweight would be 1/2 point higher than the 5 iron swingweight.

Proponents of iron swingweight matching believe that you should determine the best iron swingweight - which produces the best performance - and keep that constant for your main irons - for example 5 iron through 9 iron. Most swingweight proponents I believe feel that the wedges should have a bit higher swingweights than the other irons.

Proponents of MOI matching believe that you identify the best iron MOI for the player and then build the full set of irons to that MOI. They also believe that if you have a set of MOI matched clubs, that you can ask a player to swing their 5 iron and 9 iron with their eyes closed and they will not be able to tell you which one they are swinging.

So why am I making a commitment to moving to applying MOI matching in all of my iron fittings? It is largely from feedback from some of the most influential clubfitters in the country and the world. I am aware of one fitter who has done more than 1,500 MOI iron fittings with excellent results, and of another who has done hundreds of fittings and had only 1 poor result. I also recently learned that MOI matched clubs are starting to make their way on the professional golf tours.

Having golf clubs that feel the same when you swing them to me is an edge that golfers should have available to them.


Tony