INFORMATION AND LINKS
Did You Know??
-
What may be a stiff flex shaft with one manufacturer could be a regular flex
shaft with another. There are no industry standards for shaft stiffness.
One of the surveys that I read estimates that 75% of all golfers are playing
shafts that are too stiff for their swing.
Over the
last 30 years the loft angles of irons have changed and gotten stronger.
Today's 5 iron would have been a 3 or 4 iron in 1980.
All driver heads weight the same (approx. 200 grams). It does
not matter whether it is an old maple head or a 460 cc titanium
head. If a club feels head light the problem is not the weight of the
head it is the swingweight of the total club.
A driver with less loft does not always equal more distance. The key to
driver distance is optimum trajectory, that may be with a 8, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11, 12 or 13.5
degrees of loft. Depends on the golfer and his/her club head speed. Also added
into this is flex of shaft, size of head and location of center of gravity of the head.
Swingweight is not a function of a golf club's weight, but
is a measurement using a reference point 14" from the butt end of the shaft. It
is relative to the head and butt weight about this point. Today men's driver will
normally have a swingweight of in the D-1 to D-6 range. Too low and you cannot feel the
head, too high the club will feel like a heavy rock on the end of a thin string.
I have been asked about grip size. Not all grips fit all shafts.
There are many different combinations. Some of the well known Clubmakers have gone
to shaft butt end sizes so that you must buy replacement grips from them. Some even
require special tools for grip installation. Any other questions on grips, please
ask.
New materials continue to be designed in an attempt to build a golf club that
will generate greater distance and accuracy. Some of these materials are stainless
steel, titanium, and beta titanium.
Any questions on these materials, please ask.
Favorites
These are some of my favorite Golf related Web Sites
Gold Mountain Golf
Course:
Bremerton, Washington
McCormick
Woods Golf Course:
Port Orchard, Washington
Trophy
Lake Golf and Casting: Port Orchard,
Washington
Wing Point Golf and
Country Club:
Private
Course Bainbridge Island, Washington
Meadowmeer
Golf and Country Club:
Public
Course Bainbridge Island, Washington
White Horse Golf Course:
Public Course Kingston, WA
Golfsmith
International:
Where
I buy the majority of my components. Information on the Harvey Penick Golf
Academy.
AeroTech Golf
Shafts: I consider these the
best graphite iron shaft in golf.
SST Pure:
Information on The Plane of Uniform Repeatability
Golfworks:
Good
source of clubmaking items and tools
PGA Tour Online/Golf
Web: I enjoy following several Pros and track how they are doing.
Golf Digest:
Golf Digest Magazine and other good information. Allows you to
read/print past articles.
USGA:
United
States Golf Association. Information on the USGA, Rules of Golf and much, much more.