TIME TO RETOOL
TOP: ASSOCIATED PRESS; ILLUSTRATION: CHRIS PHILPOT
Even if you go to see a top clubfitter like
Hodson, it helps to arm yourself beforehand with a little knowledge about the latest technologies and trends in clubs today,
starting with the two biggest impulse buys:
drivers and putters. Serious golfers—defined
as those who play more than 24 rounds a
year—put new drivers in their bags about
every three years.
If it’s been that long since you’ve updated
yours, then it’s wise to consider recent driver
introductions, because the new crop will
likely make you longer—but only if you
set your ego aside. The key to more yards
off the tee is the combination of low spin
and high launch. Accordingly, equipment
manufacturers are, by design, manufacturing
clubs and balls that spin less, but most golfers
aren’t taking advantage of them because they
tend to stick with drivers that have eight and
a half or nine and a half degrees of loft.
“If that’s the case, you’re leaving some
distance behind due to a lack of understanding
of what’s been happening in the industry,”
says Tom Olsavsky, TaylorMade’s senior
director of product creation for metalwoods.
He adds that most golfers need at least
another half-degree of loft.
“If you’ve skipped three generations of
drivers, a new model in the same loft will spin
about 600 rpms less,” Olsavsky says. “And if
you’re not getting a higher launch, you’re not
getting the most distance.”
There was a time not too long ago that
12 degrees of launch and 2,500 rpms was
considered ideal. Not anymore. Olsavsky
likes “17/17,” as in 17 degrees of launch
and 1,700 rpms. Most clubfitters can
easily determine your angle of attack and
tHe SmArt Set
Consider going with a
4-wood instead of a 3-wood.
With the extra spin and an
increase in launch angle from
the little bit of extra loft, the
high-lofted wood tends to be
easier to hit.
Replace your 3- and
4-irons with friendlier utility or
hybrids clubs. Average golfers
often hit low-lofted irons a lot
w w w. v s g a . o r g
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clubhead speed.
“Now, that’s a pretty hard launch condition
to produce and only some tour players can do
that,” Olsavsky says, noting one of the longest
hitters on the PGA T
our, TaylorMade staff
player Dustin Johnson, clocks in at 15/2,100.
“He’s close to that optimum. The higher you
go and the less spin you have, the farther
you’re going to hit it.”
APPEARANCE APPEAL
While finding the right driver is all about the
numbers, choosing the best putter is, in many
cases, more about what looks right to your
eye. In other words, it’s more art than science.
Sure, you should be fit for a putter just like
any other club to make sure the length, lie
angle and dynamic loft at impact are right
for your stroke. That said, studies show that
what looks best to you will probably perform
optimally, too.
Ping conducted tests where they asked
golfers to choose a model from a row of
putters they thought they aligned best, then
used lasers to measure the results.
A variety of factors must be considered when
selecting the right clubs for your game, including grip
size, club length and lie angle, among other variables.
“And you know what? Their perception
was correct: the putter that they thought
they would align best was the one they
did,” says Brad Schweigert, Ping’s director of
engineering. “That was a big takeaway for me
because I was like, ‘All you have to do is ask
people which one they like?’ ”
PLENTIFUL, UPGRADED OPTIONS ON IRONS
Not surprisingly, irons are the clubs players
hold onto the longest, an average of about
five years for core golfers. Because they cost
so much, irons are not impulse buys like
drivers and putters. Golfers really do their
due diligence when it comes to buying a
new set.
“They research it more than any other
product,” says Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade’s
director of product creation for irons and
putters. “They spend the most amount
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If you’re thinking about putting new clubs in your bag, be aware of some
time-honored industry principles and innovations.
worse than they hit middle and
short irons, and hybrids with
larger heads and longer shafts
can help mitigate this falloff.
Don’t overlook your wedges.
They typically get more use than
any other club in the bag, save
the putter. The most important
factors to consider are whether
you make a shallow, medium,
or deep divot. Firm ground and
hard sand call for less bounce,
while softer turf and fluffy
bunkers call for more. Generally
speaking, however, bounce is
your friend so err on that side.
Bounce is the angle created
between the sole line and
ground line. A digger will
tend to perform better with a
wedge with more bounce.
September/OctOber 2013 | Virginia golfer
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8/30/13 8:38 AM