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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Golfers- Don't Be Fooled By New Driver Heads. Get Fitted Today- JJ


BY:  James Jordan Jr.


     It's of paramount importance this day in age to get fitted with the right equipment. Don't be fooled by new high-tech driver heads or irons. Yes, it’s great to see club head dispersion with T.P. and draw biased drivers. Yet what’s most important within the golf swing today is shaft length ( control ) and shaft flex ( distance and ball flight ). Through a few years of studying golf equipment with my swing and great swings I’ve come in contact with,  nothing is of more important than being fitted correctly. Most drivers these days come stock 45 ½, to 46 inches in length. Unless you’re over 6 foot and your name is Els, Woods or Johnson, there’s no point in a driver that long.  Remember that when Mr. Woods had some of his best driving years on the tour, he had his driver playing @ 44 inches. Sure the extended length has increased distance, however it lacks more control. Personally, I go through 3 to 4 shafts a year and play a 44 ½ inch driver averaging 290 to 305 off the tee. Anything wrong with that? Nope. The point I want to make is like many,  I didn’t start driving it as well until I eliminated an inch plus on the driver shaft. Remember to compensate the weight when doing so, with a heavier shaft or lead tape. All in all I’ve entailed some great info to get you started. There’s also a Club Fitting link who will fit you in Simi Valley listed below. Please do yourself a favor and gain control. The more control you develop, the harder your swing speed will accumulate, hence distance will increase. Down the middle with gracious smiles is what this game is about. Play nice- JJ 

Flex and Frequency Matching - A general guide line for shaft flex selection is: 70 - 90 mph driver head speed = R; 90 - 100 mph = S; excess of 100 mph = X. Shaft flex can be determined by the vibration frequency, which is measured by fixing the butt of the shaft and attaching a 10-ounce weight on the tip of shaft and then vibrating it to the vertical direction. If the number of vibration or frequency is 280, the flex is defined as 8.0, and likewise the frequency of 260 becomes 6.0. Although there is no standard in the industry, generally for drivers, R is 5.5 and S is 6.5. Short irons are equipped with higher frequency shafts. The frequency matched golf clubs are built with shafts of synchronized vibration frequency throughout the set. (see "flow design" for more information).

Torque
 - Shaft torque describes how much a shaft would twist given a certain twisting force (1 oz weight is used for the measurement). A proper shaft torque in relation to the shaft flex, kick-point as well as club-head weight and position of CG influences your ability control ball trajectory. In principle, the lower the torque, the harder the feel and the less twisting feel (club-head turning around the shaft). Shaft torque of steel shafts does not vary too much, at around approximately 2.0, but that of graphite shafts varies more. It varies in the range of 1.8 to 12.0, although 3.5 to 5 appear to be the most common graphite shaft torque. If the torque of a shaft is less than 3, it is considered as a low torque shaft in general. Low torque, stiff shafts are difficult to use without sufficient head speed, while with a higher head speed, a high torque soft flex shaft causes off the target shots to the left. Without a sufficient club-head speed, a stiff low torque shaft tends to cause a push to the right.

Kick-point - It refers to a maximum bending point of the shaft, and it is also called flex-point or bend-point. The lower the kick-point, more tip-flex the shaft, which in turn makes you feel that the club-head moves more through impact, while a high kick-point shaft tends to make you feel the opposite. However, a high kick-point shaft is much easier to control the direction. Since more golf clubs are made with low center of gravity club-heads, low kick-point shafts seem to have lost its role to play to some extent.

Shaft Diameter Standard shaft diameters are 0.600" at butt, and 0.335" at tip for woods and 0.370" for irons. Two noticeable shaft technologies were introduced by Taylor Made ("Bubble Shaft") and Wilson ("Fat Shaft"). Wilson claims that the Fat Shaft employs larger tip diameters for better torsional stability, and therefore increasing the accuracy. While the standard shaft tip is 0.370", the shaft tip of Fat Shaft is 0.500", and the recent model offers even larger diameter at 0.540". Consistency in shaft torque  (normally lower torque) appears to become available by making the shafts with larger diameters. Particularly, the larger tip diameter is effective in making shaft torque lower. However, it has to be understood that larger tip diameters make the kick-point higher.

Shaft Length and Weigh
t
 - The standard shaft length is 35.5" for 9-iron and wedges and 43" to 50" for driver. While the standard shaft length of driver was 43", many drivers are equipped with 45" shafts and occasionally even longer. (The maximum legal length of a shaft is 48".) Long irons such as 2-irons and 3-irons come with 39" shafts.  As to weight, most steel driver shafts weigh between 90 to 120 grams, while graphite shafts are between 65 to 90 grams, with many ultra-light models weighing less than 60 grams or less up to approximately 40 grams. The weight of traditional shafts for irons vary in accordance with the length of shaft. The incremental for 1 club is normally 0.5", and the incremental weight is around 2 grams. The shaft weight of conventional long irons is approximately 120 grams, while that of short irons is approximately 110 grams. 


The chart below helps you determine if you should have your clubs altered from the standard size based on your height and wrist-to-floor measurement.
Note: Club length alterations given are in inches. For example, +1.75" means that your clubs should be made to be 1.75" longer than standard length. A -0.5" instructs us to build your clubs to be 0.5" shorter than standard length. A Std. means that the proper club length for you is Standard. Use the Chart to determine how much longer or shorter (than standard) your club length should be by finding where Your Height and Wrist-to-Floor Measurements intersect:
YOUR HEIGHT
4' 10" - 5' 0"5' 0" - 5' 2"5' 2" - 5' 4"5' 4" - 5' 7"5' 7" - 6' 0"6' 0" - 6' 2"6' 2" - 6' 4"6' 4" - 6' 7"6' 7" - 6' 9"
W
R
I
S
T
T
O

F
L
O
O
R

M
E
A
S
U
R
E
M
E
N
T


40"+2.25"+2.25"+2.25"+2"+2"+2"+2"+2"+2"
39.5"+2"+2"+2"+2"+2"+2"+1.75"+1.75"+1.75"
39"+2"+2"+2"+1.75"+1.75"+1.75"+1.5"+1.5"+1.5"
38.5"+1.75"+1.75"+1.75"+1.5"+1.5"+1.5"+1.25"+1.25"+1.25"
38"+1.5"+1.5"+1.5"+1.25"+1.25"+1.25"+1"+1"+1"
37.5"+1.25"+1.25"+1.25"+1"+1"+1"+0.75"+0.75"+0.75"
37"+1"+1"+1"+0.75"+0.75"+0.75"+0.5"+0.5"+0.5"
36.5"+0.75"+0.75"+0.75"+0.5"+0.5"+0.5"+0.25"+0.25"+0.25"
36"+0.5"+0.5"+0.5"+0.25"+0.25"+0.25"+0.25"+0.25"+0.25"
35.5"+0.25"+0.25"+0.25"+0.25"+0.25"+0.25"Std.Std.Std.
35"+0.25"+0.25"+0.25"Std.Std.Std.Std.Std.Std.
34.5"Std.Std.Std.Std.Std.Std.-0.25"-0.25"-0.25"
34"Std.Std.Std.-0.25"-0.25"-0.25"-0.25"-0.25"-0.25"
33.5"-0.25"-0.25"-0.25"-0.25"-0.25"-0.25"-0.5"-0.5"-0.5"
33"-0.25"-0.25"-0.25"-0.5"-0.5"-0.5"-0.5"-0.5"-0.5"
32.5"-0.5"-0.5"-0.5"-0.5"-0.5"-0.5"-0.75"-0.75"-0.75"
32"-0.5"-0.5"-0.5"-0.75"-0.75"-0.75"-0.75"-0.75"-0.75"
31.5"-0.75"-0.75"-0.75"-0.75"-0.75"-0.75"-1"-1"-1"
31"-0.75"-0.75"-0.75"-1"-1"-1"-1"-1"-1"
30.5"-1"-1"-1"-1"-1"-1"-1.25"-1.25"-1.25"
30"-1"-1"-1"-1.25"-1.25"-1.25"-1.5"-1.5"-1.5"
29.5"-1.25"-1.25"-1.25"-1.5"-1.5"-1.5"-1.75"-1.75"-1.75"
29"-1.5"-1.5"-1.5"-1.75"-1.75"-1.75"-2"-2"-2"

Shaft Flex

Shaft flex, a measurement of how much a shaft will bend under a certain load, is directly related to trajectory, distance and feel. The proper shaft flex for your swing speed helps produce the optimal trajectory for your shots. Flex Chart: Use the Charts below to determine the proper flex. The charts below are for consistent carry yardages only (don't include roll).
Distance Hit with a Driver
(Carry Distance Only)
Recommended Flex
Less than 180 YardsLadies Flex
From 181-200 YardsSenior Flex
From 200-235 YardsRegular Flex
From 236-285 YardsStiff Flex
Greater than 285 YardsExtra-Stiff Flex

Club Used from 150 YardsRecommended Flex
4 or 5 ironLadies Flex
5 ironSenior Flex
6 ironSoft Regular Flex
7 ironRegular Flex
7 or 8 ironMid Flex
8 ironStiff Flex
9 ironExtra-Stiff Flex

Shaft Length

Generally taller players require longer clubs and shorter players require shorter clubs. In metal woods your skill level will dictate the need for additional length. A shorter driver may increase distance for a player who has difficulty making solid contact. Putter length is based on a golfer's posture and hand position at address. Use the chart below to determine the proper shaft length.
           Men's Standard Shaft Lengths
Club
Length
Graphite Driver
45"
Steel Driver
44"
3 wood
43"
5 wood
42"
7 wood
41"
3 iron
39"
4 iron
38½"
5 iron
38"
6 iron
37½"
7 iron
37"
8 iron
36½"
9 iron
36"
PW
35¾"
SW
35½"

Grip Size

Grip size plays a significant role in the shape of every golfer's shot. Use the chart below to determine the proper grip size for the clubs. Too large a grip can limit the golfer's ability to properly release the wrists through the impact area (resulting in a block and/or fade), while too small a grip can cause an early release (resulting in a pull and/or draw).
Golf Glove SizeGrip Size
Cadet Extra LargeOversize
Extra LargeOversize
Cadet LargeMid Size
LargeStandard
Cadet Medium LargeStandard
Medium largeStandard
Cadet MediumStandard
MediumStandard
Cadet SmallLady Standard
SmallLady Standard


Get Fitted Today @ 

J's Club Shack
(805) 341-8163
Located at Simi Hills Golf Course

Custom Golf Club Fitting And Repair

Services Available:

Doppler Radar Club Fitting
Re-Griping While You Wait
Re-Shafting
Loft and Lie
Swing weight Balancing
Spine Alignment
Featuring Callaway & Cleveland
Custom Club Fitting

Plus Much More.....

Store Hours:
Monday 12:00pm to 6:00pm
 Saturday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm

Sunday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Location:
5031 Alamo Street
Simi Valley, Ca. 93063
(805)341-8163

2 comments:

  1. Great post, Jr. When I had separation and power, I would have loved to use the provided specs. They DO matter. You must know your ability level and swing speed for starters. Flex then can be determined by those factors. Play nice, Sr

    ReplyDelete
  2. All true. Thanks for chiming in with your knowledge- JJ Jr.

    ReplyDelete