Tonight I thought I would pass on some advice on making sure your clubs can be kept in good condition. In the summer months particularly, you should not leave your golf clubs in your car trunk. You may not think that temperatures can get high enough in your trunk to affect your clubs but - especially in the hot days in the south - temperatures can get well into the 200 degree levels, and this is hot enough for some epoxies to fail. I know of a recent experience of this happening from a post from another clubfitter. Even without failures directly from heat, you run the risk with steel shafted clubs of the combination of heat and humidity causing rust inside the shafts. Last year I reshafted a set of irons for a client due to rust in the shafts. Better safe than sorry - keep those clubs out of your trunk!
I also wanted to pass on an article from clubfitter who has done some recent great writing - J. Lynn Griffin, owner of The Golf Stop in Columbia, South Carolina. This article is right on the money related to fitting of the right driver and fairway wood lofts, shaft flexes, and substitutes of hybrids for irons. I hope that reading this will provide some of you with food for thought about the makeup of the clubs you play.
Here is the web address for the article:
http://www.peakperformancegolfswing.com/fairway-woods-hybrids/
Tony
Showing posts with label golf shafts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label golf shafts. Show all posts
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
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
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
Monday, December 28, 2009
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
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
Monday, June 29, 2009
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
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
Monday, May 18, 2009
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
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
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