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Club Fitting: Why Shafts Matter

Club Fitting

Think of the shaft as the engine of the golf club. You are swinging the club at 50, 70, or 120 mph and without the right shaft, there is little chance that you can return that club head to the ball consistently. An ill-fitted shaft will twist and bend during your swing in ways that make it nearly impossible to strike the ball squarely with any regularity. Look at slow motion golf swings on the internet and note how much a shaft will torque during the swing and that should confirm in your mind the need to have the right shaft in your clubs.

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Stock Shafts vs. After-Market Shafts

You’ll hear people ask if a shaft is “stock” or “after market.” What does this mean? A stock shaft is a shaft that comes standard in a golf club that you can purchase off-the-rack at any golf store. An after-market shaft refers to a shaft purchased separate from a club that typically requires a club builder to install it for you. Often you will see a high-end, after-market brand on your stock driver, but don’t think you just got a $300 driver shaft in your $299 driver purchase. The stock versions of these shaft brands are not constructed the same nor do they perform the same as their after-market cousins. See the image below for the real Matrix Ozik Xcon shaft (top) and the Taylor Made version of it.

On rare occasions, a true high-end shaft will be offered stock in golf clubs, but consumers generally won’t know one way or the other. The paint scheme on the stock shaft will be different, but the construction of the shaft may in fact be the real deal. Again, this is the rare exception to the rule and you’ll need to consult with your local club fitter to get the straight scoop.

Do I Need an After-Market Shaft?

The answer to this question varies. In irons, stock steel shafts are typically the same version as the after-market option. A club fitting can determine if you fit into a shaft offered stock in the club head that best suits your swing. Sometimes your swing may be best suited to an after-market shaft not offered by the manufacturer of the club you hit the best. Only a fitting can determine this.

With hybrids, fairway woods, and drivers, after market is typically the best route. Stock shafts offered in these clubs generally perform inconsistently. A common flaw is that they spin more than is optimal, reducing distance. Finding the right after-market shaft is no easy task though. Most golf stores don’t let you test these shafts so you end up buying shafts based on what you’ve heard from friends or what the employee tells you is a “good” shaft. Unfortunately, a “good” shaft may not be good for your swing. Find a club fitter that allows you to test these shafts before you purchase them.

The takeaway is that shafts matter. Quality shafts are manufactured to offer various spin, trajectory, and flex characteristics that should be expertly matched to your swing. Fitting after fitting confirms that most golfers play shafts that make it difficult to have any consistency in their ball flight. While your swing may have a lot to do with inconsistent ball striking, why add a layer of difficulty to the game by playing shafts that don’t produce your best shot when you put your best swing on the ball?

The Fitting Studio is a custom golf club fitting and building business located in Long Beach, CA. Partnered with The Fitting Studio is former professional golfer and UCLA All-American, Travis Matthew Johnson. Travis, who also founded the Travis Mathew Apparel brand, recently sold his interest in TM to pursue more business endeavors within the fashion world as well as the golf industry. For more information about The Fitting Studio, visit www.thefittingstudio.com or email at info@thefittingstudio.com.

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Facebook page: facebook.com/fittingstudio

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Club Fitting: For the Birds?

Club Fitting

The debate over club fitting never ceases.  Some contend the “Average Joe” golfer gains nothing from a fitting since his swing presumably changes as much as the wind direction on Soldier Field.  Others say the quickest way to improvement is to allow a fitting to find the arrow that the flawed Indian can shoot the straightest.  Which is it?

The first contingent has a valid argument if “Joe” tops most shots and whiffs the rest. The leading edge of most clubs will scull and top the ball about the same. Otherwise, a quality club fitting is the best first step to chip away at that pesky handicap.

Many a golfer will tell you he’s waiting until he fixes his swing to get a new custom set. Lessons are envisioned, range sessions are theoretically penciled in…but rarely do golfers find that the additional time they need to accomplish the feat. It’s hard enough to strike the ball well with properly-fitted equipment, let alone trying to “pure” a 12-year-old club with a licorice shaft.

What to look for when searching for a club fitter?

  • Hit off of grass. Golf is played on grass, not mats. Therefore, you should not rely on hitting balls off of a mat when making expensive purchases. This should be a no brainer.
  • Get fitted outdoors where you can watch the ball fly. Watching the ball fly for 10 feet does not give you any indication of how well you hit a club. A launch monitor attempts to extrapolate where the shot would have gone, but even with vastly improved technology, the data is wrong quite often. Your body subtly adjusts to what your eye sees, and hitting into a net does not let your brain process the visual feedback.
  • Ensure your club fitter builds your clubs. Wheeling out a fitting cart and ordering a set straight from the manufacturer is not a custom club fitting. Manufacturers have tolerances that allow for variations in each club which can cause a set to have many inconsistencies. You want your club fitter to determine what specs are best for you and then order the club components from the manufacturer so he can build your set. Having the fitter install the shafts correctly, bend the lofts and lies as they should be, and get the proper weight and shaft flex consistent throughout the set is critical.
  • Flightscope and Trackman both manufacture state-of-the-art launch monitors that actually follow the ball in flight. A good club fitter can do the majority of the fitting without spending much time analyzing the data from the launch monitor. HOWEVER…you, the customer, will benefit from seeing the results of each shot on the screen. Seeing is believing, and you’ll walk away confident if you can see the improvement in the numbers for yourself.
  • Doppler-radar launch monitors should be used. Flightscope and Trackman both manufacture state-of-the-art launch monitors that actually follow the ball in flight. A good club fitter can do the majority of the fitting without spending much time analyzing the data from the launch monitor. HOWEVER…you, the customer, will benefit from seeing the results of each shot on the screen. Seeing is believing, and you’ll walk away confident if you can see the improvement in the numbers for yourself.
  • After-market shafts should be available to demo. Shafts that come in stock clubs can range from good to horrible. Most professional golfers use aftermarket shafts and don’t get paid to do so. Why? Because aftermarket shaft options are higher quality and are built to perform better and be consistent from shot to shot. We’ll revisit this topic in more detail at a later date.

 

Playing with a custom set of clubs adds enjoyment to the game. You will hit the ball better with a custom set. Costs can sometimes be just a tad higher than an “off-the-rack” set. Be careful though…custom club fitting can be like taking your car to the mechanic. Insist on using a fitter with the previous five capabilities or you’ll leave some benefits on the table. You’ll probably encounter warehouse club fitters that will insist they can offer a comparable fitting indoors while hitting into a net, but common sense should tell you otherwise.

Conclusion: Custom club fitting is for you, if you want more birds!

The Fitting Studio is a custom golf club fitting and building business located in Long Beach, CA. Partnered with The Fitting Studio is former professional golfer and UCLA All-American, Travis Matthew Johnson. Travis, who also founded the Travis Mathew Apparel brand, recently sold his interest in TM to pursue more business endeavors within the fashion world as well as the golf industry. For more information about The Fitting Studio, visit www.thefittingstudio.com or email at info@thefittingstudio.com.

Follow us on Twitter! @tfsgolf
Facebook page: facebook.com/fittingstudio

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Aimpoint Clinic: My Personal Odyssey to Putting Enlightenment (Part II — some Q & A)

Aimpoint Byron Nelson 2010

Part 2 of our weekly series on Aimpoint.

If you don’t mind I’d like to hear how you do in your first round using this.

Aimpoint

I think it will take several rounds and several practice sessions to better understand the implementation. I am going to take the next 2 months and go out to my course in the evenings and study the greens. I will go so far as to make green charts, like yardage books, of each green. The explanation I gave refers to a straight planar green. when you have saddles and crowns it’s more complicated, and I don’t quite understand that yet.

It sounds interesting but i’m having a little difficulty grasping this zero line.

 

On a planar green, which is a flat tilted green… if you went around the hole and putted a 5 foot putt at each degree (so 360 degrees/putts), 2 of those putts would be 100% straight. That line is the zero line. Every break on every other putt is calculated off of that line.

In reality, for practical purposes, the actual zero line could span maybe 5 degrees, or the length of your foot. then you figure 30/60/90 degrees off of that zero line.

 

But how do you determine slope in degrees? For me I would think severe, not so severe, and non existent? Any way to pigeon hole these breaks?

 

They use %slope. flat= less than 1%, avg=2%, steep=3%, severe=4%. They say on tour, with greens running stimp >12, it’s never more than 2.5%… more than that the putt is too hard. Slopes more than 4% will rarely hold… they’ll roll down to a flatter surface. You might have to putt through a >4% slope.. they tell you how to handle that. But the charts they give you go up to 4%.

I bought a 9″ digital level that gives you %slope… so i’m going to calibrate my eyes to learn what these slopes look like.

About GK Member michaelko:
Our resident physical therapist from Northern California and one of the original GK Staffers. He is also one of the individuals responsible for making the GK Casual Golf Events possible. Way back when it was only an idea, michaelko, was one of those individuals that made it possible with our first outing of six members at Rio Hondo Country Club, Downey CA.

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Topdressing Greens — A Greenkeeper’s Viewpoint

Golf Course Maintenance - Topdressing Greens

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Golf Course Maintenance:  Topdressing Greens and Why

I am Iain Sturge, golf course superintendent
I am Iain Sturge, golf course superintendent

Why are you putting sand on the greens?
You’ve made them slow and bumpy!

Stop!

Really?

The practice of spreading sand on the greens — Topdressing — has been part of golf maintenance for ages. With so many benefits to the putting surface and overall health of the green, topdressing is truly a necessary evil for all. Trust me, do you think I would spend thousands of dollars a year to upset my paying customers; ruining the blades of my mowers for sadistic pleasure? No. Simply put, if you want greens to putt like glass, use what glass is made of — SAND!!!!!

The practice of working sand into the top layer of the green has benefits for the player as well as the superintendent. The

To properly topdress a green you need to work the sand into the greens; spread it around.
To properly topdress a green you need to work the sand into the greens; spread it around.

benefit to the player is obvious. Topdressing gives a smoother, firmer surface that will receive shots better, provided you can actually hit the green from yardage. For the superintendent we like smooth greens (we also play golf.) Seriously though a superintendent is concerned mainly with the dilution of thatch, the modification of soil structure to the top layers of the green, and to stop the greens from being scalped by the mower during the summer months. A side benefit, I am currently using sand to stop rabbits from chewing my greens. Simply put, the quickest way to achieve slow, bumpy greens is to STOP applying sand.

There are many different things to take into account before you put any sand on the greens. First, you should consider what sand or sand/soil mix was used during construction of the green. Matching particle size, shape, and organic contents is important to stop a layering effect in the green. Layering can prevent the movement of air, water, and nutrients through the soil profile leading to a black anaerobic layer. Second, you need to consider what you are trying to achieve by topdressing. If you

have an older green, heavy topdressing may be required to achieve a smoother more playable surface. On the other hand, if you have a new USGA spec green you will only need light, frequent topdressing through the growing seasons, mainly spring and fall. When growth of the plant slows during summer and winter it is not necessary to apply as much sand as the plant is not

Topdressing a green. It's necessary!
Topdressing a green. It’s necessary!

growing as much. The more your plant is growing the more topdressing is needed to keep thatch from accumulating beyond a manageable point. Topdressing is only one of several practices used to achieve the desired surface that golf is known for, others include verticutting, grooming, and of course aerification. We can touch on these on a later day.

Although you may think sand is sand, go the beach, it’s gotta be cheap there is tons of it. With the cost of the sand and trucking, a 25 ton load being delivered to the course can be anywhere from $1200-$1800 depending on the quality of sand and distance from the pit.

Next time you are at a golf course and you hear that the superintendent has been spreading sand, appreciate the fact that he is trying to make your greens smoother and in turn your game better.

Some Additional Information about Iain. . . .

Who the hell are you? I am Iain Sturge, golf course superintendent, Hidden Valley Golf Course, Norco, California, 34 year-old tall skinny guy from England. Been working on golf courses for around 25 years, different labor laws there. For those 25 years I have been lucky enough to work on some prestigious golf courses, including, Woburn Golf & Country Club, the host of the British Masters and the Ladies British Open, and happy to be part of the early stages of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, fantastic golf course to be playing every afternoon.

Educated at the Oakland Agricultural School in North London with pig farmers and horse breeders, which also covered turf horticulture. Moved to the big old U S of A, at 22 years-old, after 8 years, 6 states and a hell of a photo collection I have decided to call Southern California home.

After spending many a morning logging into the greenskeeper.org website and finding it amusing, reading peoples variety of opinions about their golf experiences based on course conditions. I will not lie to you, going to work on a Sunday morning, after no sex the night before, after spilling coffee down my white shirt, pulling up to the gate realizing my keys are still in the kitchen, then finally making it into the office with my coffee stained shirt, to see complaints about common maintenance practices, makes me fall off my trolley. So as my course is in Norco, Horsetown, USA, I decided to get off my high horse and if you can’t beat them join them — I volunteered to write a few columns on the site, just explaining why superintendents do what they need to do.

It is my hope a little knowledge will go a long way for many of you to understand what I do to make your golf experience enjoyable and memorable. Because let’s face it, any day is a good day if you’re playing golf.

Keyword:  Golf Course Maintenance, Topdressing, Golf Course Maintenance Schedule.

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