April will be here in just a few days, and with it will come PGA Free Fitting and Trade-Up Month. That's an opportunity for golfers around the country to visit PGA professionals for help with their golf equipment.
This program, sponsored by the PGA of America along with Golf Digest, the PGA Trade-In Network and the PGA.com Value Guide, gives golfers a free 15-minute consultation with a pro. The professional uses a profile sheet that includes information on the golfer and assesses how his or her clubs fit.
"The PGA Free Fitting and Trade-Up program will remind the public that PGA Professionals provide expert advice on club fitting as well as help golfers trade in their old clubs," said Andy Engelbrecht, PGA head professional at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla., in a press release. "It is important to get a proper equipment fitting from a PGA Professional, as properly fit golf equipment will result in more consistently struck shots, which leads to a more enjoyable overall golf experience."
How does clubfitting help the average amateur golfer to strike the ball more consistently? It makes sure you are not handicapped by your clubs.
If you are taller or shorter than the average, if you stand closer to the ball or further away, if you are strong or not so strong, or if you have a physical limitation like back problems or arthritis, off-the-rack equipment may not work best for you. If you are having to adjust your swing to overcome these issues, you will have more trouble replicating the same swing each time. Clubs that are too heavy or light, for example, can throw off your rhythm and timing, making it hard to use the same tempo each time you hit.
By some estimates, 90 percent of golfers play with equipment that either partially or completely does not fit their game.
A full clubfitting should start with your measurements, which tells the professional basic information about what length of club is appropriate. The pro will also watch how you address the ball and what your swing looks like. The session should also include hitting balls so the pro can observe ball flight.
If you are being fitted for a specific brand of clubs, that manufacturer may have specific fitting guidelines that your pro will use. Or you may choose to be fitted by that company's representative. For example, Ping -- the first mainstream manufacturer to market custom fitting to golfers -- has a fitting cart with several different clubs. The fitter evaluates how the golfer hits various clubs to determine the best fit. The almost 2,000 trained Ping clubfitters attend a three-day workshop to learn how to accurately finetune clubfitting for each individual.
Ping also uses a four-page fitting questionnaire that can be downloaded at www.pinggolf.com/pdfs/fittingquestionnaire.pdf, which covers existing clubs, ball flight, typical game, and preferences. Plus, you can start the fitting yourself with an online tool at www.pinggolf.com that gives you valuable information to take to your live clubfitting session.
In addition to Ping, most other major manufacturers now offer guidelines or training for clubfitting. Most also have some sort of demo days event, where you can meet with a company representative, try a variety of clubs and get fitted for what you might want to buy. Check the web sites of the manufacturers whose clubs you are interested in for these opportunities.
Buying clubs can be made easier with a PGA professional's advice, too. As part of the PGA Free Fitting and Trade-Up Month appointment, the participating pro can make recommendations on other equipment and allow each golfer to trade in existing clubs for a set that is better suited. The fair market value of the current clubs is determined by the PGA.com Value Guide.
"This program can only help break down that barrier of cost when golfers are thinking of new clubs," Engelbrecht said.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Hybrids Blend Best Of Both Worlds
Hybrids certainly are popular these days. We take something from one object, something from another and combine them to have the best of both worlds. Hybrid materials, hybrid cars and, of course, hybrid golf clubs.
Hybrid golf clubs are, essentially, a blend of the best features of fairway woods and long irons. They make it easier for the average golfer to get the ball in the air and can be hit from both fairway and rough, because they have a lower center of gravity.
Just about every major manufacturer offers hybrids -- sometimes called utility clubs -- and touts them as game improvement clubs. But increasingly, even professionals are putting the hybrids in their bags. The 1-iron, for example, has nearly become extinct, both for amateurs and tour players.
Popular especially on the Champions and LPGA tours, the hybrids are used by pros who swap long irons, fairway woods and utility clubs depending on the terrain and features of each course they play.
Adams Golf is one company name showing up in those professionals' bags quite a bit.
Nearly half of all the hybrids used on the Champions Tour last week turned out to be from Adams, and the company has ranked first in hybrids on that tour for six consecutive weeks.
"Our position on the tours continues to strengthen in the hybrid and fairway wood categories as indicated by the most recent Darrell Survey results," Adams Golf CEO Chip Brewer said.
Adams offers two types of hybrids, the IDEA a2 and a2 OS. The a2 is aimed at low-handicap players and pros, while the a2 OS is more forgiving for mid- to high-handicappers. Options in the lines include i-Woods, which have lower lofts and longer shafts that more closely resemble a fairway wood, and hybrid irons, which would be likely to replace mid-irons in the bag.
The a2s ship with an 85-gram graphite Aldila NV shaft specifically designed for hybrids, or a True Temper steel shaft. Grafalloy ProLaunch 75-gram shafts come in the a2 OS regular version clubs, while a 75-gram Aldila NVS shaft comes in the senior version of the set. Women's versions are also available.
Jerry Pate, an Adams Golf staff player, won last month's Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am with a 20-degree a2 hybrid.
Sonartec also manufactures a popular hybrid club on tour. The Md, introduced about three years ago, has found a place in professionals' bags based on strong performance over time. In February, for example, Kirk Triplett won the Chrysler Classic of Tucson with a 17-degree Sonartec Md, and Rory Sabbatini won the Nissan Open with a 19-degree version of the club.
"The Md has been played by more than 150 PGA Tour professionals since the 2004 season," said Bob Gotfredson, Sonartec's vice president of sales and marketing. "It continues to be the hybrid of choice for Tour professionals and amateurs alike."
Md clubs can replace any long iron, from a 1-iron to a 5-iron, and feature UST iRoD shafts made specifically for the hybrid.
Although hybrid clubs are nothing new for the amateur player, having been popular game improvement clubs for about three years, the momentum is picking up on the tours.
Hybrid golf clubs are, essentially, a blend of the best features of fairway woods and long irons. They make it easier for the average golfer to get the ball in the air and can be hit from both fairway and rough, because they have a lower center of gravity.
Just about every major manufacturer offers hybrids -- sometimes called utility clubs -- and touts them as game improvement clubs. But increasingly, even professionals are putting the hybrids in their bags. The 1-iron, for example, has nearly become extinct, both for amateurs and tour players.
Popular especially on the Champions and LPGA tours, the hybrids are used by pros who swap long irons, fairway woods and utility clubs depending on the terrain and features of each course they play.
Adams Golf is one company name showing up in those professionals' bags quite a bit.
Nearly half of all the hybrids used on the Champions Tour last week turned out to be from Adams, and the company has ranked first in hybrids on that tour for six consecutive weeks.
"Our position on the tours continues to strengthen in the hybrid and fairway wood categories as indicated by the most recent Darrell Survey results," Adams Golf CEO Chip Brewer said.
Adams offers two types of hybrids, the IDEA a2 and a2 OS. The a2 is aimed at low-handicap players and pros, while the a2 OS is more forgiving for mid- to high-handicappers. Options in the lines include i-Woods, which have lower lofts and longer shafts that more closely resemble a fairway wood, and hybrid irons, which would be likely to replace mid-irons in the bag.
The a2s ship with an 85-gram graphite Aldila NV shaft specifically designed for hybrids, or a True Temper steel shaft. Grafalloy ProLaunch 75-gram shafts come in the a2 OS regular version clubs, while a 75-gram Aldila NVS shaft comes in the senior version of the set. Women's versions are also available.
Jerry Pate, an Adams Golf staff player, won last month's Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am with a 20-degree a2 hybrid.
Sonartec also manufactures a popular hybrid club on tour. The Md, introduced about three years ago, has found a place in professionals' bags based on strong performance over time. In February, for example, Kirk Triplett won the Chrysler Classic of Tucson with a 17-degree Sonartec Md, and Rory Sabbatini won the Nissan Open with a 19-degree version of the club.
"The Md has been played by more than 150 PGA Tour professionals since the 2004 season," said Bob Gotfredson, Sonartec's vice president of sales and marketing. "It continues to be the hybrid of choice for Tour professionals and amateurs alike."
Md clubs can replace any long iron, from a 1-iron to a 5-iron, and feature UST iRoD shafts made specifically for the hybrid.
Although hybrid clubs are nothing new for the amateur player, having been popular game improvement clubs for about three years, the momentum is picking up on the tours.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Clubheads Take New Form
They're big. For a while, they were getting bigger all the time. But for the past two years, with U.S. Golf Association regulations curbing their growth, clubheads are maxing out at 460 cubic centimeters.
The increased clubhead size, made possible when construction of wooden clubheads turned from traditional persimmon to metal, gives golfers a larger hitting area and, in turn, more confidence that they will make contact. Even when the hit is less than ideal, the larger clubhead is more forgiving and can produce a decent hit from a less-than-perfectly struck shot.
As well, the larger clubhead doesn't twist as much when the ball is struck closer to the heel or toe of the club. So instead of a disaster -- a hit that goes off the fairway or worse, out of bounds -- the hit doesn't go so far offline. This resistance to twisting at impact is also known as "the moment of inertia" -- the longer the club stays in one place, the more opportunity to hit straighter shots it produces.
"Clubs are much more stable, easier to get into the air, hotter and forgiving than ever before," said Beth Gast, Nike Golf's public relations manager. "An average weekend golfer should have a much more pleasurable round with the new maximum-sized drivers. More fairways hit, shorter irons into greens, better scores."
But in the world of ever-better golf equipment, we've reached the limits on clubhead size. There are no more benefits to be gained by tweaking the clubhead -- or are there?
Take Nike's SasQuatch driver, for instance, which is sold with a 460 cc clubhead like many other drivers on the market. What's Nike doing to improve playability at that maximum clubhead size?
"It's all about geometry," Gast said. "Using geometry we have been able to both maximize the inertia -- stability -- and optimize the center of gravity -- lower and deeper -- which makes the SQ extremely forgiving, easy to get up and long."
This talk about geometry may be a little cryptic, but it gets down to the idea that clubmakers have reached their limit, though the possibilities for changing the shape and weight of that 460 cc clubheads is still almost limitless.
"We believe the optimal use of multi-materials to save weight that can be repositioned in the clubhead is the best technology currently available in driver design," said Larry Dorman, Callaway Golf's senior vice president of global press and public relations. "The superior intertial properties that result from combining an ultra-light carbon composite body with a hot titanium face, as we do with our Fusion FT-3 driver, are just now being widely understood."
The Fusion FT-3 uses a lighter carbon composite, Dorman says, in order to free up 44 grams of weight that can then be redistributed around the clubhead in ways that affect center of gravity and moment of inertia. Strides in club improvement continue to come without going bigger, due to new materials that permit differences in shape and weight.
Along these lines, club manufacturers are introducing clubheads where you can move the weight to best fit your own, individual swing. For example, TaylorMade's r7 460 provides at least two options for changing the weight based on what trajectory you're seeking (the 425 model has six options). Buy additional weights that the company sells separately, and you can take tweaking your club to an art form.
"Movable weights have a great impact on golfers' drives by allowing the golfer to fit the club to his swing much easier," said Tom Olsavsky, TaylorMade's director of product creation.
"Without movable weights a golfer has to learn how a club performs and then make some adjustments to his swing, aim or stance. These are very difficult for most golfers. With movable weights a golfer has a much better chance of getting the optimum combination for his game."
The r7's 425 model can vary 26 yards depending on whether it's weighted for a full fade or a full draw, Olsavsky says, and 15 yards from neutral to draw on the 460.
"These differences are discernable to almost all golfers below a 35 handicap," he said.
An added bonus: Retailers can benefit by carrying just one club and several small weights, instead of several different varieties of each club that are designed to produce different ball flights.
OK, but how many golfers really will take the time to work with a club and change the weighting to fit them?
"We have found, and the manufacturers of drivers with weight screws have admitted, that the vast majority of golfers do not reposition the weight screws after purchase," said Dorman in explaining why Callaway doesn't offer a club with this feature. "With a factory configuration such as the one available in the Callaway FT-3 driver, there is much more discretionary weight positioned where it can help golfers correct the flaw in their swing that leads to a slice or a hook than there is with moveable weight screws."
Clubhead size may have reached an end point, but look for clubhead weighting and materials to continue to change and improve.
The increased clubhead size, made possible when construction of wooden clubheads turned from traditional persimmon to metal, gives golfers a larger hitting area and, in turn, more confidence that they will make contact. Even when the hit is less than ideal, the larger clubhead is more forgiving and can produce a decent hit from a less-than-perfectly struck shot.
As well, the larger clubhead doesn't twist as much when the ball is struck closer to the heel or toe of the club. So instead of a disaster -- a hit that goes off the fairway or worse, out of bounds -- the hit doesn't go so far offline. This resistance to twisting at impact is also known as "the moment of inertia" -- the longer the club stays in one place, the more opportunity to hit straighter shots it produces.
"Clubs are much more stable, easier to get into the air, hotter and forgiving than ever before," said Beth Gast, Nike Golf's public relations manager. "An average weekend golfer should have a much more pleasurable round with the new maximum-sized drivers. More fairways hit, shorter irons into greens, better scores."
But in the world of ever-better golf equipment, we've reached the limits on clubhead size. There are no more benefits to be gained by tweaking the clubhead -- or are there?
Take Nike's SasQuatch driver, for instance, which is sold with a 460 cc clubhead like many other drivers on the market. What's Nike doing to improve playability at that maximum clubhead size?
"It's all about geometry," Gast said. "Using geometry we have been able to both maximize the inertia -- stability -- and optimize the center of gravity -- lower and deeper -- which makes the SQ extremely forgiving, easy to get up and long."
This talk about geometry may be a little cryptic, but it gets down to the idea that clubmakers have reached their limit, though the possibilities for changing the shape and weight of that 460 cc clubheads is still almost limitless.
"We believe the optimal use of multi-materials to save weight that can be repositioned in the clubhead is the best technology currently available in driver design," said Larry Dorman, Callaway Golf's senior vice president of global press and public relations. "The superior intertial properties that result from combining an ultra-light carbon composite body with a hot titanium face, as we do with our Fusion FT-3 driver, are just now being widely understood."
The Fusion FT-3 uses a lighter carbon composite, Dorman says, in order to free up 44 grams of weight that can then be redistributed around the clubhead in ways that affect center of gravity and moment of inertia. Strides in club improvement continue to come without going bigger, due to new materials that permit differences in shape and weight.
Along these lines, club manufacturers are introducing clubheads where you can move the weight to best fit your own, individual swing. For example, TaylorMade's r7 460 provides at least two options for changing the weight based on what trajectory you're seeking (the 425 model has six options). Buy additional weights that the company sells separately, and you can take tweaking your club to an art form.
"Movable weights have a great impact on golfers' drives by allowing the golfer to fit the club to his swing much easier," said Tom Olsavsky, TaylorMade's director of product creation.
"Without movable weights a golfer has to learn how a club performs and then make some adjustments to his swing, aim or stance. These are very difficult for most golfers. With movable weights a golfer has a much better chance of getting the optimum combination for his game."
The r7's 425 model can vary 26 yards depending on whether it's weighted for a full fade or a full draw, Olsavsky says, and 15 yards from neutral to draw on the 460.
"These differences are discernable to almost all golfers below a 35 handicap," he said.
An added bonus: Retailers can benefit by carrying just one club and several small weights, instead of several different varieties of each club that are designed to produce different ball flights.
OK, but how many golfers really will take the time to work with a club and change the weighting to fit them?
"We have found, and the manufacturers of drivers with weight screws have admitted, that the vast majority of golfers do not reposition the weight screws after purchase," said Dorman in explaining why Callaway doesn't offer a club with this feature. "With a factory configuration such as the one available in the Callaway FT-3 driver, there is much more discretionary weight positioned where it can help golfers correct the flaw in their swing that leads to a slice or a hook than there is with moveable weight screws."
Clubhead size may have reached an end point, but look for clubhead weighting and materials to continue to change and improve.
Thursday, March 9, 2006
Element 21 Wants to Launch
Heard of scandium? It's a metal that a Canadian company, Element 21 Golf, is putting in everything from drivers to putters to shafts. According to the company, its scandium alloy is 55 percent lighter and 25 percent stronger than titanium.
Plus, it's cheaper.
Recent independent testing showed that Element 21's Shock driver varied, on average, 7 yards off center, while titanium drivers averaged about 22 yards off. The lighter-weight material makes it easier to move weight around the clubhead and design a clubface that minimizes dispersion on both on-center hits, such as those that were tested, and drives hit off-center.
"The extensive computer simulations and player testing we, and others have seen in recent weeks, have been validated," said Dr. Nataliya Hearn, president and CEO of Element 21. "We feel this is a very significant game improving statistic that will benefit players of all handicaps."
Scandium has the potential to allow advances in clubhead technology that maximize distance while increasing accuracy. Sure, it has the potential of being nothing more than a fad, but so far the concept is gaining ground on the PGA and Champions tours. Pros -- as many as 80, according to Andy Harris, Element 21 director of tour operations -- have tried the company's Eagle One scandium shafts. While no tour winner has sported one of the shafts, golfers using Element 21 shafts have started to crack the top 20 this year.
Element 21 is not just interested in what tour players think. It has been working hard over the last six months to attract clubmakers. An equipment video and free shaft offer aimed at members of the Professional Clubmakers' Society drew response from nearly 30 percent of that group. They also have had a presence at PCS events, notably last week's International Symposium and Expo in Louisville, Ky.
"Re-shafting of clubs is an important part of the golf industry, with close to 20 million clubs being re-shafted each year," said Bill Dey, Element 21's executive vice president and general manager. "The professional club makers represent a significant portion of this business by working PGA teaching professionals, tour players, low handicap, aspiring or affluent golfers.
"The better players are usually first to try new technologies regardless of price to entry, and have so far proven to be our company's better ambassadors and conduits of information to the general public."
And now, drawing on the connection between scandium and space technology, Element 21 is trying to arrange for an astronaut on the International Space Station to hit a golf ball into orbit around the earth. NASA is considering allowing the drive, but concerns have been raised about adding to junk in space and about the safety of hitting a golf ball that could potentially join the same orbit as the space station.
"Every single record for distance in the golf industry will be shattered," a company press release states.
We will have to wait and see if Element 21 golf equipment makes it into space, but for now, it's showing up with increasing regularity on tour and in the workshops of professional clubmakers.
In addition to shafts, the company offers a new Shock driver, Eagle One irons and wedges, and hybrid clubs.
For more on Element 21, go to www.e21golf.com.
Plus, it's cheaper.
Recent independent testing showed that Element 21's Shock driver varied, on average, 7 yards off center, while titanium drivers averaged about 22 yards off. The lighter-weight material makes it easier to move weight around the clubhead and design a clubface that minimizes dispersion on both on-center hits, such as those that were tested, and drives hit off-center.
"The extensive computer simulations and player testing we, and others have seen in recent weeks, have been validated," said Dr. Nataliya Hearn, president and CEO of Element 21. "We feel this is a very significant game improving statistic that will benefit players of all handicaps."
Scandium has the potential to allow advances in clubhead technology that maximize distance while increasing accuracy. Sure, it has the potential of being nothing more than a fad, but so far the concept is gaining ground on the PGA and Champions tours. Pros -- as many as 80, according to Andy Harris, Element 21 director of tour operations -- have tried the company's Eagle One scandium shafts. While no tour winner has sported one of the shafts, golfers using Element 21 shafts have started to crack the top 20 this year.
Element 21 is not just interested in what tour players think. It has been working hard over the last six months to attract clubmakers. An equipment video and free shaft offer aimed at members of the Professional Clubmakers' Society drew response from nearly 30 percent of that group. They also have had a presence at PCS events, notably last week's International Symposium and Expo in Louisville, Ky.
"Re-shafting of clubs is an important part of the golf industry, with close to 20 million clubs being re-shafted each year," said Bill Dey, Element 21's executive vice president and general manager. "The professional club makers represent a significant portion of this business by working PGA teaching professionals, tour players, low handicap, aspiring or affluent golfers.
"The better players are usually first to try new technologies regardless of price to entry, and have so far proven to be our company's better ambassadors and conduits of information to the general public."
And now, drawing on the connection between scandium and space technology, Element 21 is trying to arrange for an astronaut on the International Space Station to hit a golf ball into orbit around the earth. NASA is considering allowing the drive, but concerns have been raised about adding to junk in space and about the safety of hitting a golf ball that could potentially join the same orbit as the space station.
"Every single record for distance in the golf industry will be shattered," a company press release states.
We will have to wait and see if Element 21 golf equipment makes it into space, but for now, it's showing up with increasing regularity on tour and in the workshops of professional clubmakers.
In addition to shafts, the company offers a new Shock driver, Eagle One irons and wedges, and hybrid clubs.
For more on Element 21, go to www.e21golf.com.
Thursday, March 2, 2006
Shaft Comes Of Age
In the world of golf equipment, a large portion of the attention goes to the new drivers, the giant clubheads, the funky putters that promise to shave strokes off your game. But over the last 20 years, as steel gave way to graphite and other strong, yet flexible materials, the shaft has changed and gained more respect. It's no longer just a piece of metal that connects the clubhead and grip.
"Going from steel to graphite allows golfers to hit it further because graphite shafts can be played at longer lengths without getting too heavy, and thus the player can swing the club faster to achieve increased ball velocity for greater distance," said Randy Stuart of United Shaft Technologies. "But be cautioned, shafts can get too long and actually reduce clubhead speed. So there is a balance."
Advances in shaft materials also allow shaft manufacturers to produce shafts that have lower torque -- less twisting -- for more accurate shots. And, the ability to manipulate these materials makes it even more important for the average golfer to find a shaft that works best for his or her ball flight and feel. As a result, the shaft has been getting more attention, to the point where club manufacturers give it high billing as an important game-improving feature.
"With USGA limitations on head designs, shafts are the new technology buzz in golf," Stuart said. "High performance golf shafts are becoming a popular topic of conversation around the golf shops, online forum threads and trade press. Thus, more golf consumers are becoming acutely aware of how important the shafts are to the overall performance of a golf club."
And all this talk about shafts is having an impact in how companies market their clubs.
"Many players believe that the shaft is at least as important as the clubhead," said Tom Olsavsky, director of product creation for TaylorMade Golf. "The challenge of producing distance and accuracy in drivers requires optimization of the head, shaft and the combination of those components into the full club."
You may have noticed TaylorMade's commercial for the r7 425 driver, where "shaft technology" is an important selling point. Once in the not-so-distant past, the shaft simply was not highlighted in the marketing for a club. Now it takes a prominent place as club companies focus attention on how the shafts they use will increase distance and accuracy.
"The new TaylorMade shafts are called REAX and contain technology to limit the shaft from ovaling out of round during the swing," Olsavsky said. "Ovaling occurs when the shaft is bent an high stress levels. A high strength woven graphite weave is used in the shaft to reduce the ovaling. This provides more consistency and better feel without making the shaft too stiff in flex."
But what golfers learn about the shaft may still be overshadowed by the belief that a stiffer shaft equals more distance. For the grip-it-and-rip-it crowd, an XS marking on the shaft may be more important than a correct fit. The wrong shaft flex creates a need for swing adjustments that compensate for the ill-fitting equipment, which impact accuracy and could be costing heavy hitters strokes overall.
"In a golf swing a shaft loads and unloads during the back swing and the down swing," said Todd Cassidy, vice president of AccuFLEX Golf. "When shafts are not properly fit, they may unload or begin to kick at the wrong time, causing the timing of impact to be off. If a shaft unloads too early or does not hardly unload at all, it can cause less than desirable shots. It is crucial to find the right flex for your individual swing profile as to provide consistency and allow the golfer to more easily make center contact with the face of the club."
Some manufacturers have eliminated flex measurements all together, using shaft weight as a differentiator instead. For example, UST's Proforce V2 shaft ranges from 55 to 95 grams, giving golfers more choices. Generally, a slower swing would require a lighter weight shaft, and incrementally weighted shafts give a golfer more customization than a flex weight designation does.
As shaft manufacturers invest more in research and testing of new materials as well as the improved marketing of their products, more and more offerings are available. So how do you compare shafts to find one that works best for you?
"Unfortunately, there are no real standards in the golf shaft industry," Cassidy says. "Golf shaft companies have their own way of designing, profiling and manufacturing shafts for the different types of golf swings out there.... I feel consumers should seek the advice of trained professionals when it comes to applying the technical aspects of golf shafts to fitting golf swings, ultimately."
Finding the right shaft might not be easy, but the search is worth the effort. A proper fitting shaft increases distance and accuracy, and the wide range of options actually makes this easier to achieve. The shaft has come a long way from the one-size-fits-most steel rod - it has come of age.
"Going from steel to graphite allows golfers to hit it further because graphite shafts can be played at longer lengths without getting too heavy, and thus the player can swing the club faster to achieve increased ball velocity for greater distance," said Randy Stuart of United Shaft Technologies. "But be cautioned, shafts can get too long and actually reduce clubhead speed. So there is a balance."
Advances in shaft materials also allow shaft manufacturers to produce shafts that have lower torque -- less twisting -- for more accurate shots. And, the ability to manipulate these materials makes it even more important for the average golfer to find a shaft that works best for his or her ball flight and feel. As a result, the shaft has been getting more attention, to the point where club manufacturers give it high billing as an important game-improving feature.
"With USGA limitations on head designs, shafts are the new technology buzz in golf," Stuart said. "High performance golf shafts are becoming a popular topic of conversation around the golf shops, online forum threads and trade press. Thus, more golf consumers are becoming acutely aware of how important the shafts are to the overall performance of a golf club."
And all this talk about shafts is having an impact in how companies market their clubs.
"Many players believe that the shaft is at least as important as the clubhead," said Tom Olsavsky, director of product creation for TaylorMade Golf. "The challenge of producing distance and accuracy in drivers requires optimization of the head, shaft and the combination of those components into the full club."
You may have noticed TaylorMade's commercial for the r7 425 driver, where "shaft technology" is an important selling point. Once in the not-so-distant past, the shaft simply was not highlighted in the marketing for a club. Now it takes a prominent place as club companies focus attention on how the shafts they use will increase distance and accuracy.
"The new TaylorMade shafts are called REAX and contain technology to limit the shaft from ovaling out of round during the swing," Olsavsky said. "Ovaling occurs when the shaft is bent an high stress levels. A high strength woven graphite weave is used in the shaft to reduce the ovaling. This provides more consistency and better feel without making the shaft too stiff in flex."
But what golfers learn about the shaft may still be overshadowed by the belief that a stiffer shaft equals more distance. For the grip-it-and-rip-it crowd, an XS marking on the shaft may be more important than a correct fit. The wrong shaft flex creates a need for swing adjustments that compensate for the ill-fitting equipment, which impact accuracy and could be costing heavy hitters strokes overall.
"In a golf swing a shaft loads and unloads during the back swing and the down swing," said Todd Cassidy, vice president of AccuFLEX Golf. "When shafts are not properly fit, they may unload or begin to kick at the wrong time, causing the timing of impact to be off. If a shaft unloads too early or does not hardly unload at all, it can cause less than desirable shots. It is crucial to find the right flex for your individual swing profile as to provide consistency and allow the golfer to more easily make center contact with the face of the club."
Some manufacturers have eliminated flex measurements all together, using shaft weight as a differentiator instead. For example, UST's Proforce V2 shaft ranges from 55 to 95 grams, giving golfers more choices. Generally, a slower swing would require a lighter weight shaft, and incrementally weighted shafts give a golfer more customization than a flex weight designation does.
As shaft manufacturers invest more in research and testing of new materials as well as the improved marketing of their products, more and more offerings are available. So how do you compare shafts to find one that works best for you?
"Unfortunately, there are no real standards in the golf shaft industry," Cassidy says. "Golf shaft companies have their own way of designing, profiling and manufacturing shafts for the different types of golf swings out there.... I feel consumers should seek the advice of trained professionals when it comes to applying the technical aspects of golf shafts to fitting golf swings, ultimately."
Finding the right shaft might not be easy, but the search is worth the effort. A proper fitting shaft increases distance and accuracy, and the wide range of options actually makes this easier to achieve. The shaft has come a long way from the one-size-fits-most steel rod - it has come of age.
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