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Monday, March 8, 2010
BrandwashedJust had an iron fitting that took more than an hour, even helping the customer with a few swing issues along
the way. We determined a good set up with 2* upright lie angle using a Tour Edge Exotic XCG set with graphite shafts.
When I asked if he wanted the set his reply was I don't buy off-brands. Funny, Tour Edge Exotics had MORE THAN 25 WINS & TOP 10 FINISHES ON THE 2009 PGA TOURS.
Summary: 1) the fitting specs and results were for that club design, a
different shaft or club design may not have the same play characteristics, 2) the customer will likely pay double plus for
the same setup, as Ping, Callaway or Taylormade will cost $900 to $1200 for a set with graphite. Tour Edge also offers a lifetime
warranty.
This was my worst case of brandwashing I have seen yet.
3:48 pm est
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Common Sense Golf Club Set FittingNext installment of our ongoing education series
- These are the things that most box retail box stores don't do. Their mission is to just sell you a bag of clubs.
The correct fitting of Set Makeup for all clubs in the bag starts
with obtaining the right information about each golfer from which the Set Makeup decisions will be made. The minimum fitting information required is as follows: • The golfer’s preference/confidence for different clubhead styles within the different Set Makeup
options
• What is the lowest loft of the
woods and of the irons that the golfer can hit comfortably and
confidently well up in the air off the fairway
• An evaluation of the golfer’s Transition, Tempo,
Release and Swing Path
• The player’s “golf athletic ability” i.e. overall
ball striking proficiency
Nowhere in the fitting process is common sense used to make fitting
decisions than for the Set Makeup. Without question, all Set Makeup decisions are based on finding which clubs in the golfer’s
existing set pose more difficulty for the golfer to hit consistently well, and to replace those clubs with clubs that hit the ball the same distance, but which are easier to hit consistently well up in the air
to fly.
The Three Primary Set Makeup Decisions In fitting each golfer
for the best Set Makeup, there are three main areas within the
full set of golf clubs that must be analyzed for making the best overall Set Makeup recommendation for the golfer.
1. “Second Longest Hitting Wood” Set
Makeup
2. Hybrid/Fairway Wood/Iron Set Makeup 3. Wedge Set Makeup
“Second Longest Hitting Wood” Set
Makeup For those of you not yet familiar
with this term, what we mean is to never, ever assume that the second longest hitting wood after the Driver should be a 3-wood. Most golfers simply do not have the ability
to hit a modern 3-wood loft well up to fly. Therefore,
job number one in fitting set makeup is to do whatever you can to HONESTLY learn what is the lowest wood loft that the golfer can consistently hit well up in the air from
a normal fairway lie.
That
becomes the golfer’s “second longest hitting wood” and starts the common sense procedures of fitting the proper set makeup for every golfer.
Hybrid/Fairway Wood/Iron Set Makeup We only views hybrid clubs or high loft fairway woods as a replacement for the hard to hit lower
loft irons. The best Set Makeup for the full set of irons for any golfer consists of hybrids or fairway woods to replace all of the irons the golfer has a difficult time hitting well up in
the air to fly, then followed by conventional irons.
The most important piece of Set Makeup fitting information for
determining how to fit the golfer for the full set
of irons is to truthfully know the lowest loft iron the
golfer can hit consistently and confidently well up in
the air from a normal lie. The common sense of Set Makeup
fitting says to fit the golfer with either hybrids or
high loft fairway woods up to the iron loft the golfer truly
can hit consistently and confidently well up in the air
from a normal lie.
As
to whether the golfer should use fairway woods or hybrids up to the conventional iron loft the golfer can hit consistently well, here are a few guidelines.
• First and foremost,
the golfer has to like the look of
the clubhead they are using to hit any shot. Some
golfers prefer the look of a fairway wood, while
others prefer the look of a hybrid clubhead.
• The more the golfer sweeps the ball off the grass, the earlier the wrist-cock release, the less aggressive the downswing
tempo, the more tendency to fit the golfer with high loft fairway woods
as replacements for the low loft irons they cannot
hit well up to fly. • Conversely, the more the golfer
can hit down and through the shot, the later the wrist-cock release, the more aggressive the downswing tempo, the more tendency
there is to fit the golfer with hybrid clubs as replacements for
the low loft irons. • Finally,
these above two points are tendencies only! The golfer’s confidence with the style of clubhead used as a low loft iron replacement is the most important consideration when
making the decision for a fairway woodhead vs hybrid clubhead as the replacement clubs for the low loft irons.
Wedge Set Makeup
Wedge Set Makeup is dictated as much by the design and
condition of the golf course as by the golfer’s playing characteristics and game improvement desires.
• Raised Greens, Small Greens, Undulating Greens, Fast/Firm
Greens means a wedge Set Makeup with higher lofts and/or more
wedges
• Level Greens, Large Greens,
Flatter Greens, Slower Greens, Softer Greens typically means a wedge Set Makeup with lower lofts and/or
fewer wedges
• Deep Bunkers, Small Greens, Undulating
Greens, Fast/Firm Greens means a Sand Wedge with higher loft, typically between 58-60°• Shallow Bunkers, Large Greens,
Flatter Greens, Slower/Softer Greens
means a Sand Wedge with lower loft, typically between
54-56°
• Deep Sand, Finer/Fluffier Sand (less sand resistance to the clubhead) opens
the option for fitting golfers with a Sand Wedge with a wider sole
or more bounce sole angle or both together
• Shallow Sand, Coarse/Grainy Sand (more sand resistance to the clubhead) offers the fitting potential for a Sand Wedge with a more narrow sole, less bounce sole angle, or both together
Golfer
Ability for Wedge Set Makeup
•
Steeper Angle of Attack, less clubhead acceleration through impact can typically point toward a sand wedge with more bounce
sole angle, a wider sole or both together
• Shallow Angle of Attack, more clubhead acceleration through impact is
better matched with wedges that are designed with less bounce sole angle, a more narrow sole, or both together
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Dynamic Gold Wins Phoenix Open and Panama Claro ChampionshipMEMPHIS, Tenn. - Delivering accuracy and consistency, Dynamic Gold shafts by True Temper scored double victories for the
second weekend in a row. True Temper won both the Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA TOUR and the Panama Claro Championship
on the Nationwide Tour.
The Phoenix Open champion played Dynamic Gold shafts to capture his second career PGA
TOUR victory and moved into sixth-place in the FedEx Cup standings. Overall, True Temper dominated the shaft count at the
desert tournament with 125 sets in play and was played by nine of the top 10 finishers.
Meanwhile, this week's Nationwide
Tour winner trusted Dynamic Gold shafts in his irons to win the Panama Claro Championship, his fourth Nationwide Tour victory.
"For 2010, True Temper shafts have certainly lived up to their winning legacy with seven out of eight PGA
Tour victories and a four-week winning streak for Dynamic Gold," Scott Hennessy, president and CEO of True Temper Sports
says. "Week after week, the shaft counts illustrate that players rely upon True Temper shafts more than any other brand.
Dynamic Gold is one of our cornerstone brands, and is favored among tour players for its internal tip reinforcement technology
which delivers distance control and tournament-winning accuracy in irons."
Featuring a high-flex, tour weight
design, Dynamic Gold steel shafts are played by better players who want a low, penetrating ball trajectory. Dynamic Gold shafts
are available in tapered and parallel irons and parallel woods.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Dynamic Gold Shafts Deliver a Big WeekendMEMPHIS, Tenn. - Golf shafts designed and manufactured by True Temper scored a big weekend, collecting both victories on
the PGA TOUR. The tour-proven Dynamic Gold iron shafts delivered first-place finishes at the World Golf Championships-Accenture
Match Play Championship and the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
At the Mayakoba Golf Classic, the winner finished at 15-under
269 on Sunday to claim his third career Dynamic Gold victory. Also among the Top 10 finishers, seven of the players trusted
Dynamic Gold, the No. 1 selling shaft in the world, in their irons.
At the WGC event, the English champion earned
his first PGA TOUR career victory and moved to No. 5 in the Official World Golf Rankings, playing Dynamic Gold in his irons.
"We congratulate the winners of both the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the Mayakoba Golf Classic
on great victories this weekend," says Scott Hennessy, president and CEO of True Temper Sports. "Week after week,
the best players in the world trust True Temper shafts to deliver victories around the globe. This season alone, True Temper
shafts have already scored 15 combined victories on the PGA and European Tours."
Featuring a high-flex, tour
weight design, Dynamic Gold steel shafts are played by better players who want a low, penetrating ball trajectory. Dynamic
Gold shafts are available in tapered and parallel irons and parallel woods.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Stop the MadnessWatching the Accenture Matchplay (congrats to Ian) this weekend & wow what
millions of dollars spent on marketing fluff by the club manufacturers.
I saw falcons, jet fighters, race cars and even ovens telling me that this club is fast. I got news for ya'll, clubs do
not create speed! You are the one responsible for that. No magic shafts, no club magic head designs create any measurable
speed other than overal weight of the club.
Adjustable shafts - will that really effect the average player out
there? not likely, 1) if you have a swing flaw that causes ball flights of left to right, no adjustable shaft is going to
fix that. 2) if you have trouble hitting the club face squarely or close to the center of the club, an adjustable shaft isn't
going to fix that. 3) if you have 85-90mph club speed and are expecting 20yds that's not going to happen 1mph = 2.2yds that
means gaining 5mph = 11yds. From Golf Digest Nike VR STR8-FIT
TOUR PLAYER COMMENTS: (M) "The silver hosel
is distracting, but I love the shape of the head." ... "Dead straight once you manage to get it adjusted."
NOT: If you can tell the difference between setting 27 and 28, you're either a robot or Nike's chief equipment
endorser.
Replaceable shafts - wow, buy a driver and change the shafts based on what you had for breakfast.
You do realize that most golfers do not have the flight control of Ben Hogan. Spending $399.99 to $499.99 then have to buy
extra shafts doesn't sound like spending your money wisely. This is the oldest marketing scheme around "razor &
blades". From Golf Digest - CALLAWAY FT-IZ NOT:The
adjustable I-Mix option is interesting, but its pricing structure (for shafts) is gulp-inducing.
Finally Nike's
Oven - they show the revolutionary method putter with Lucas Glover, what they should show you is the method putter with Crispin
Glover a.k.a George McFly of Back to the Future putting with it. Showing a professional with gear is not going to show you
how a club will act in the hands of a muni-course player.
Summary - throwing more technology & marketing at
an issue is only causing club prices to remain high. If technology could fix the average golfer then why hasn't the USGA handicap
average gone down over the past 20 years... Get a fitting, determine a good head design, loft & shaft, fix any swing
path issue if you can and then hit it better.
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