What IS A Driver Fitting?

I have done a pretty large number of driver fittings in the last month or so. In doing these, I have realized that it is important to set appropriate expectations for what can and cannot be accomplished in driver fittings.


There is no question that everyone would love to get more distance with their present driver head or with another driver head. This is always a key focus for a driver fitting. It is important to know, though, that the maximum that a player can carry a driver is pretty much defined by physics. If you know a player's swing speed, you can get a pretty good estimate of their maximum carry distance by multiplying their swing speed by 2.5. 100 mph swing speed, max driver carry length will be about 250 yards.


A major focus in all driver fittings that I do is consistency. I work to find the right length driver that the player can hit in the center of the clubface the most. Finding the right shaft for the player - based on his swing speed, swing tempo, and club release point - has a major influence on the ability for a player to hit consistent drives with minimal dispersion of shots.


Another important focus that can help consistency is shaft weight and club MOI/SW. These two variables can influence swing path and the ability of the player to close the clubface when he hits the ball. The right choice of shaft weight and/or MOI/swingweight can help the player to hit straighter shots or at least to reduce the magnitude of pull and pushed shots (see the 9 Ball Flight Laws from last week's post.....).


And yes you can also provide help to increase driving distance. Some players can benefit from a different type head, from a head that is smaller (to help them to be able to close the clubface), and sometimes with a head that has some offset or closed face angle - to reduce the magnitude of a slice.


For players with very slow swing speeds who want more distance, you can use very lightweight shafts with very soft flexes - and can use a superlightweight grip for the player so that they have the lightest possible club to swing. Or, in some cases, you can help them more by building them a 3 wood with 13 to 15 degrees of loft, or can build a driver that has a higher loft than often played.


There are, then, a LOT of ways to help players to improve their driving. Some can lead to more distance, and in a lot of cases increased consistency can be as important or more important as more distance.


Tony

Is Lighter Longer? Is Longer Longer?

Great Masters this week, and Phil certainly deserved to win. Eagle, eagle, birdie.....amazing!


Watching these guys on TV, though, it is surprising how often they hit it into the trees. There has been a lot of discussion today on the AGCP forum that perhaps some of this is being caused by using shafts that are not the right weight for players.


Shaft weight has the biggest influence on the overall weight of a club. You all probably are seeing ads for how there are now REALLY light drivers being sold, because this is supposed to help players swing faster and hit it further. Maybe this is true for some, but also most likely not true for everyone.


In fact, I am in the process of building the lightest driver I have ever built for a client. It will probably come out to a total weight of about 275 grams, using an ultralight grip and very light shaft. This is more than 25 grams lighter than typical driver weights. For this player, I am sure that lighter is the way to go, and will lead to increased swing speed and added distance.


It gets different, though, when you are talking about folks who swing the driver at speeds of greater than 100 mph. For these players, light shafts may result in some increased swing speed, but most likely will also result on over the top swings and pull hooks. Yes, there will be some really long drives in there too..............but a lot more second shots played from the trees.


If you are really a "boomer" then - unless you are a long driver contestant and do not care if you hit more than 1 out of say 6 fairways - then you should think about getting a heavier shaft in your driver rather than lighter. Playing second shots from pretty green fairways rather than pine straw is a LOT more fun!! And most likely any loss of distance will be minimal.


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