Changing the length of a golf club

     Occasionally a customer will ask me to shorten or lengthen a club or a set of clubs. Usually the reason is the club or clubs feel either too long or too short for the person. What they often don't realize is changing the length also changes other characteristics of the club.

     An example would be a customer wanting his driver shortened from 46 inches to 44 inches for more control. His current driver has a swing weight of D-1 and a shaft frequency of 260 CPM. Shortening the club by 2 inches will change the swing weight to a C1,  the shaft is stiffer and the overall weight of the club is now lighter. Lengthening the club will have the opposite effect. The swing weight will be an E-1, the shaft will be softer and the overall weight will be heavier. In both cases the club now feels totally different and would be virtually unplayable.

      Components of club heads and shafts are designed based on that club being built to a specific length. This is to assure maximum performance, consistency and feel for the player.

    Custom fit clubs are often built with shorter or longer lengths. However, in these cases the manufacturer will pick the proper gram weighted heads and either soft step or hard step the shafts to insure the proper weight, flex and feel of the clubs so they will perform correctly.

     If you are considering changing the length of your club or set make sure to talk to a professional before doing so.
   

2018 Golf Digest Hot List

    Recently Golf Digest published their Hot List for 2018. Four of the drivers featured include the Ping G400, Callaway Rogue, Taylor Made M3 and M4 and the Mizuno ST180. We now have our demos in all these models in a variety of shafts and lofts.
    We have also received the new iron models that were featured for 2018. These include the Ping G700, Callaway Rogue & Apex CF, Taylor Made M3, M4 & P790 and Mizuno Forged MP-18 and MP-MMC.
    To have your current driver or irons evaluated (we will frequency test the shaft at no charge) and compare its performance against these new models call the shop to schedule a fitting appointment. 

What is torque in golf shafts?

     Torque is the property of golf shafts that resists twisting during a golf swing. The fact that the shaft attaches to the heel end of the golf club means all the club head weight is in front of the shaft. During the golf swing because of the weights location a twisting force is exerted on the shaft.

     Torque is measured in degrees. The lower the number is better the shaft resists twisting.The range on today's graphite shafts can be as high as 7 degrees and as low as 1 degree. A steel shaft's range, because of the material, is much narrower - a little more than 2 degrees to just under 4 degrees.

     The reason that torque is not a critical fitting factor today is because shaft makers design the torque of their shafts to coincide with the flex. Because a strong player with an aggressive tempo creates more twisting force on the shaft you rarely see S and X flex shafts with torque higher than 4 degrees. With R, A and L flex shafts are designed with higher degrees of torque because a slower swinger exerts less twisting force on the shaft.

    In summary for most players torque is not a factor to be concerned with in shaft fitting. For those who's swings warrant consideration of shaft torque it will apply only to graphite shafts and not steel.


     

Clubhead Speed Versus Headweight

     A reader sent in a question about headweight and how it affects distance. This is a great question and one that has stirred debate in the golf industry for years. Most people would agree that a lighter club would be better, but if you look closer that answer would need to be qualified.

     A typical driver today is 45 1/2 inches long, has a headweight of 200 grams and a swing weight of D-1. If swung around 100 mph the ball leaves at about 145 mph and carries a little over 245 yards. If you could swing a heavier club at the same 100 mph the ball would not go proportionately faster and  farther. A 400 gram head (twice the normal weight) swung at 100 mph would send the ball at 160 mph. It has also been shown that lightening the head does not substantially increase distance. As the clubhead is lightened a player can swing only slightly faster. 

    As a result we can say there are a wide range of weights and will usually produce the same length for a particular player. As the clubhead gets lighter (less mass) the swing speed increases and as the clubhead gets heavier (more mass) the swing speed decreases. Both of these produce approximately the same distance.

     Engineers and club manufacturers test a multitude of weight combinations to produce a club that maximizes distance. An experienced clubfitter will then customize the specifications - shaft weight, shaft flex and swing weight - based on each player's swing characteristics.   

Nashville Golf Show

      The 2nd Annual Nashville Golf Show is February 2nd, 3rd & 4th, 2018 at the Music City Convention Center. The show hours are Friday, Noon - 6 PM, Saturday, 10 AM - 6 PM and Sunday, 10 AM - 3 PM.
      I will be there each day to help attendees with their golf swings as well as their golf equipment. 
My station ( located at the hitting net ) will include a launch monitor, video camera, shaft frequency meter and fitting clubs to assist players.
      If you would like to reserve a time with me during the show please send an email to stevejkirkpatrick@comcast.net or call Golf Rx at 615 288-4539. Feel free to bring your driver or 7 iron with you. 
     For more information visit www.nashvillegolfshow.com

Adding weight to a putter

      I recently had a customer ask if I could add weight to his putter. He had tried a heavier model and liked the feel much better. Adding weight can be accomplished two ways. One is to add lead tape to the putter head until the desired weight is reached. The other is to remove the grip and pour lead powder down the shaft and secure it with a cork. Using a swing weight scale during the process enables you to create the desired swing weight the customer wants.
      Keep in mind shortening or lengthening a putter will alter the swing weight as well. Shortening a putter's length will decrease the swing weight of the putter - lengthening the putter will do the opposite.
     If you have a question about club repair or other equipment topics please email me at stevejkirkpatrick@comcast.net.

Question about driver shaft

    I recently received a question from a customer asking if his driver shaft can be stiffened without having to replace the shaft. The answer is yes, it can be stiffened without having to buy a new shaft.
     We accomplish this by removing the shaft and trimming length off the tip end. After re-installing the shaft we use a shaft extension in the butt end to make the driver the original length. The more you trim from the tip the stiffer the shaft becomes. By using a shaft frequency meter we can determine how much to trim for the required stiffness.
   If you have a question about club repair or clubs in general please send it to me at
stevejkirkpatrick@comcast.net. I will answer it on my blog page as soon as possible.