Driver Fitting Basics......

There is presently a lot of buzz about some new driver heads that have weights about 25 grams or so lighter than present "conventional" driver heads. These are being promoted to produce more clubhead speed and more distance with the driver. One of the ads I saw for a light driver suggested it would be best to play with a 47.5 inch shaft. This is more than 1.5 inches longer than present driver shafts that you can purchase in stores, and this recommendation is being made so that the club swingweight will be heavy enough so that you can feel the clubhead.

While I am not convinced that lightweight drivers are a good option for most players, here are some basics that you might want to consider when you purchase your next driver - hopefully from a precision clubfitter:

1. The key fitting elements that affect the performance of a driver are the club length, shaft flex and flex profile, club swingweight/MOI - AND how you swing the driver (more on that later).

2. For any player of any level of skill, the maximum performance you will get from a driver in terms of Carry Distance is 2.5 times your swing speed. So if you have a swing speed of 100 mph, the maximum carry you will achieve will be 250 yards. No matter what anyone tells you, with whatever head and shaft combination you use, you will not carry the ball further than this. And this is with perfect contact on the sweet spot of the clubhead.

3. For players of swing speeds of 70 mph or lower, the 2.5 factor is more like 2.2. So for a player with a 70 mph swing speed, the most he will be able to carry his drives is about 154 yards. Again, with best contact on the sweet spot.

4. Contact with the sweet spot of the driver is king! So if you can find a club length, shaft, and swingweight/MOI combination that promotes the most consistent contact on the sweet spot, you will have the best opportunity to maximize carry distance.

5. For slower swing speeds, drivers with higher lofts can help to provide maximum carry distance.

6. Now beyond carry distance to total distance - roll out of the drive is influenced by ball speed, launch angle, and ball spin. The shaft can have some influence on ball spin, but most likely your technique will have a major influence on your ball spin. The ball you play with can also have an influence.

7. If you decide to have a fitting done for your driver, a key parameter that is measured as part of the fitting is the Power Transfer Ratio - PTR - which is the ratio of the ball speed divided by your swing speed. For drivers option PTR is about 1.48, and if your measured PTR is much below this you are not achieving optimum conditions with the driver you are testing.

8. Finally, of you do decide to hit some very long drivers with lengths in the range of 47-1/2 inches, if at all possible do some test with impact labels. If you see you are consistently hitting this driver in the center of the face great. But if not most likely this club is too long for you.

Happy driving!

Tony

Feel Is The Real Deal!

Finding the right golf club characteristics for a player is often as much a matter of the right Feel of the club as it is getting specific values of flex and MOI/swingweight for the player. The "numbers" may sometimes not be as important as putting a club in a player's hands that simply FEELS right.


In a driver fitting this weekend, we determined that the player needed a shaft that was quite a bit softer in flex than what he was playing. Also shorter in length than he was playing. And pretty high loft, about 15 degrees.


But then it got interesting. With the club that was the best first-level flex and length, we started adding weight to the clubhead to see how if affected how the club felt and how he could release the clubhead at impact. We got to a certain added head weight and he said "that feels really good."


We added 2 grams more weight - he could not close the clubhead as easily. I was looking to make some other changes to the feel of the clubhead, but he absolutely did NOT want anything but the one that "really feels good."


No doubt in my mind after that feedback that that club was the right one to build. Built it tonight to exactly the specs of the test club and hopefully the snow will stop enough soon so that he can get to hit it.


I am always a bit amazed at how players can hit on a club that is Absolutely the best feel for them, and how this is certainly the club that is the best fit. To me player feedback is at the same level of importance as that from launch monitors, impact labels, and precision test clubs.


Tony

October Golf Digest - A Must Buy!!

I have to admit that while I subscribe to a few golf magazines, I do my best to not take the instruction in them too seriously.


However, I believe that the October issue of Golf Digest is a must buy because of the feature - "Why You Can't Putt." Now clearly this is a grabbing title their marketing guys got this right. But there are about 20 pages in this issue that are well worth reading.


There is great information on the mental side of putting, some good tips from Dave Stockton (right now the hottest putting instructor out there), an article on how to read putts better, and a lot of information on how to have a putter correctly fit for you.


Page 68 presents a lot of good information on the basics of good putter fitting. Certainly getting the right putter length, lie anglei, and putter face loft (for most at least 4 degrees of loft) are musts. And then - at least for me - the putter needs to look good in your hands - you must believe that the head design is made for you. There are two other items that I think are sometimes overlooked but that are important to consider......

1. Putter length is a key fitting parameter. However, if say your present putter is 36 inches and you really should be playing a 34 inch putter, simply cutting the shaft to get to 34 inches is not enough. Like any golf club, when you cut the putter 2 inches you reduce the putter swingweight by about 12 swingweight points - the equivalent of adding about 24 grams of weight to the head. Good putter swingweights are typically in the range of about C6 up to about D4 - some like lighter some heavier. Consider if you are going to have your shaft cut to a shorter length getting some weight added back to the head - either with lead tape or by adding weight down the shaft.


2. Is the putter built correctly - when you sit the head on the ground does the putter face "square up" - is it square to your chosen target line? If not, then you have to adjust your stroke to compensate for this misalignment - and compensation in putting is a clear way to more strokes on the green.


Enjoy the October Golf Digest issue!!!


Tony

The Nine Ball Flight Laws....

Thanks to Dana Upshaw today for posting (through AGCP forum) this link that summarizes the key types of ball flight that are possible - what have been called the "Ball Flight Laws:"

http://www.hkprogolf.com/ball_flight_laws.html

This article discusses the nine ball flight types, which are...

Pull hook
Pull
Pull fade or slice
Draw or hook
Straight
Fade or slice
Push draw
Push
Push fade or slice


The article rightly notes some suggested swing thoughts and changes that can help a player to stop a particular type of flight. It also discusses the influence of shaft flex, shaft weight, grip size, lie angle, and grip size on these different ball flights.


The article rightly shows that "straight" shots are produced when the club travels from inside the target line to square at impact to back inside the target line.


In my view grip size is not likely to be a great contributor to the type of ball flight a player produces. Lie angle and shaft flex can make some contribution to which type of ball flight can be produced, and definitely should be evaluated. Shaft weight can have a major influence on swing path, and club swingweight/MOI can have a major influence on the club face angle relative to the swing path.


So what is your predominant ball flight?


Tony

Putter Swingweight - Rules of Thumb.....

I have been doing some putter length mods the past few weeks. I am learning that this again one of those "who would know?" areas of which club is right for a player. The Tom Wishon "Common Sense Clubfitting" book (one of the best references on key factors on fitting) suggests that in general putter swingweights should be between about C8 and D7 depending on the way a person swings the putter with best results. My personal bias for all golf clubs is that a player needs to somehow "feel the club head" to get consistent results.


Talking just about conventional putters now, there is clearly a relationship between what the clubhead weight should be for a specific length of putter. If a putter is a shorter length like 32 or 33 inches, the head needs to weight more than for a putter of length of 34, 35, or 36 inches.


I did swingweights for some specific putters before cutting them to length. While some of them turned out to be in the C8 - D7 range, others were in the mid E swingweight range and one tonight was F5 - really heavy! This putter should never have built as long as it was.......it would be very difficult to swing consistently.


The fix for a putter that has too low a swingweight is pretty easy - put some tungsten powder down the shaft to adjust the weight feel. Not as easy to adjust a putter that is too swingweight heavy. One good option for that is Opti Vibe weights down the shaft to change the weight feel of the putter.


Overall though - It is a good idea when you purchase a putter to buy one that has adjustable weights on the head so you can "tune" the feel of the putter. But if not that..........ask the person selling you the putter if he can measure the swingweight of it for you. And do not afraid to trust that if it feels either too heavy or too light for you it probably is - even it if has the most beautiful putter head know to man. You should not compromise on getting the "flat stick" fitted right for you.............you use it more than any other club in your golf bag!


Tony