How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Our Ability to Score

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® MALTBY PLAY BETTER GOLF. HOW GOLF CLUBS WORK . . . & Affect Your Ability To Score By Ralph Maltby

Book manufactured in The United States of America ISBN 0-927956-13-6

For inquiries and/or additional copies contact: The GolfWorks 4820 Jacksontown Road • P.O. Box 3008 Newark, Ohio 43058-3008 1-800-848-8358 FAX 1-800-800-3290 www.golfworks.com All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or in whole in any form is expressly forbidden, except by written permission of the publisher, author or if specifically noted in this publication for certain forms to copy and fill out. About The GolfWorks

In 1976, Ralph Maltby founded The GolfWorks which manufactures and distributes golf clubs, shafts, grips, machines, gauges, tools and supplies worldwide to golf club repair shops, golf professionals, manufacturers and custom clubmakers. This equipment is uniquely designed and is known worldwide for excellent performance and highest quality.

The GolfWorks is the industry leader in research and development, technical services and education. Mr. Maltby has written numerous best selling technical books, two of which have been the official golf club design and fitting manuals for the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) for the past 30 years. Most of what we do has been a well kept secret with golfers but within our industry we have a far reaching and continuing significant influence.

Many PGA touring professionals visit The GolfWorks or send us clubs for exacting alterations to their specifications. Our reputation for precision, high quality work is unsurpassed.

Individuals from most foreign countries and from every state in the U.S.A. have experienced first hand the excitement of learning from the wide range of golf club technology we teach in our schools. Many of the Who’s Who in the golf industry have attended our schools which are acclaimed as the best in the world.

Our golf club fitting facility overlooks our 300 yard driving range. We have an indoor and outdoor putting green and practice tee area, and a sand bunker. We offer comprehensive golf club fitting sessions, standard fittings or you can address an area of weakness in your game for us to help.

4 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Our highly skilled craftsmen do all types of golf club repair, including re-grooving irons, re-chroming irons, modifying or welding broken hosels on irons or metal woods, re- furbishing classic persimmon woods and modern metal woods or frequency matching your set of clubs. We do it all, simply ask.

You are the very reason Ralph Maltby began this company, knowing he could make the game of golf more pleasurable and satisfying for every discern- ing player. In 2006 Ralph sold The GolfWorks to Golf Galaxy. The GolfWorks’ products and services are carried in a special section within each Golf Galaxy store. Many of the store personnel have completed “The Maltby Certification Program” which provides in-depth training on the latest, most accurate golf club fitting techniques and also provides additional technical training on all aspects of golf equipment so we can provide timely, accurate and thorough equipment information to our customers.

Mark McCormick CEO of The GolfWorks

5 Introduction

The main purpose of this book is to help you play better golf.

How are we going to help you play better? This is actually easier to do than you think; but it will take some of your time. First, time to read and understand the material in this book and secondly, to set your own goals and take time for the appropriate actions. For a small book, it covers a number of subjects, all of which are highly interesting to golfers. All of the subjects covered are concise, to the point and easily readable. Think of this book as a concentration of material turned into valuable golfer tips and interesting information. You can basically open it to any page and start reading about that subject to make golf either more understandable or lead you in the direction of improving your play.

Sometimes, to really help us play better, we need to look at our game and our equipment in a more analytical fashion. In some areas, the book asks the reader to take a pro-active approach, meaning you need to do something like play a round of golf and note a few things on a form or check something on your present equipment, etc. This is not only fun but it can also be very informative, educational and above all “eye opening.”

Golf is a great game, it can be addictive and it can be frustrating because if you beat it one day, it will surely be lying in wait to try and beat you the next. Think about it, golf is an individual sport, not a team sport; so we beat ourselves or we bask in the glory ourselves. Since we are all different and most of us would like to improve to be the best we can be; we each may approach the goal in differing ways. This book will help guide you into these different approaches so you can make your own decisions. At a minimum, it will give you, the golfer, something to think about. Hopefully it will guide you in the right direction so you enjoy and play better golf and more easily understand, “How Golf Clubs Work . . . & Affect Your Ability To Score.”

Ralph Maltby

6 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Table Of Contents

Page 8-13 Section One ...... THE FIVE P’S OF GOLF Page 14-37 Section Two ...... SEVEN GOLF CLUB FITTING VARIABLES THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Page 38-43 Section Three ...... WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN AVERAGE GOLFER HITS A DRIVE? Page 44 Section Four ...... UNDERSTANDING THE GOLF BALL “FLYER” EFFECT AND WHAT CAUSES IT Page 45 Section Five ...... DEFINING FEEL Page 46-49 Section Six ...... BALL DIRECTION AND CURVE (CLUB FACE ANGLE VS. CLUBHEAD PATH) Page 50-52 Section Seven ...... UNDERSTANDING MOMENT OF INERTIA (MOI) Page 53-56 Section Eight ...... HOW MOMENT OF INERTIA (MOI) AFFECTS DRIVER PLAYABILITY Page 57-64 Section Nine...... PUTTER FITTING VARIABLES – HOW TO PUTT BETTER Page 65-68 Section Ten ...... HOW AND WHY WEDGES WORK Page 69-74 Section Eleven ...... A DISCUSSION OF THE FIVE TYPES OF WEDGES Page 75-79 Section Twelve ...... THE WEDGE SCORE CARD Page 80-87 Section Thirteen...... WHAT WOMEN NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GOLF CLUBS TO PLAY BETTER Page 88-90 Section Fourteen ...... ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS Page 91-93 Section Fifteen...... THE FITTING SCORECARD: ANALYZING YOUR GAME Page 94-103 Section Sixteen ...... WHAT CAN A GOLFER DO TO GUARANTEE A BETTER CLUB FITTING AND GOLF CLUB BUYING EXPERIENCE? Page 104 Section Seventeen ...... THE SECRET TO PLAYING BETTER GOLF Page 105-111 Section Eighteen ...... DEFINITIONS OF GOLF TERMS Page 112-113 Section Nineteen ...... GOLF CLUB YARDAGE CHART Page 114-115 Section Twenty...... PERSONAL GOLF ROUND INFORMATION Page 116 Section Twenty One . . . . . GOLF BALL FITTING Page 119 Section Twenty Two . . . . . BUILDING YOUR OWN GOLF CLUBS IS ONE GREAT HOBBY!

7 Section One

THE FIVE P’S OF GOLF 1. PRACTICE We all want to improve at golf. I think Hitting a few balls and putts before you it is safe to say that most of us could go out and play is not practice, it is squeeze a little time from somewhere warming up. Sure, every ball you hit to pursue this goal. Today’s demands in your golfing life has some value to on our time from our family, job and it; but the real improvement benefits other activities puts a little additional come from well planned, controlled pressure on us. The addictive qualities and diverse practice sessions with one of golf; whether it’s the challenge, the or a few specific goals in mind. Going fun matches, being outside or just to the driving range and blasting off 60 being with good friends is reason to 100 balls with only your driver from enough to find a little (or a lot) of spare a range mat may be planned (albeit a time to improve at golf and hopefully poor one), but it probably will not feel better about ourselves. The tough- provide the type of improvement to est opponent you will ever play golf shoot lower scores. against is one whose handicap is coming down. So, why don’t you be Here is a good way to approach that opponent? practicing:

So, how do we improve? Think about it 1.First, decide what you need to work and you will probably guess two of on and/or correct. Examples would them: Play and Practice. Actually, be: slicing or hooking the ball there are five ways to improve your excessively, pushing the ball right or golf game. You can remember them by left, hitting it too high or too low. referring to them as the five P’s: Maybe your chipping and pitching needs help, you are taking 38 putts 1. Practice per round average, you have a great 2. Play fear of sand traps, etc.

3. Professional Swing 2. Pick 1, 2 or 3 of your problem areas Instruction for each practice session and set 4. Positive Attitude your goals to show improvement. Remember, practice that achieves 5. Properly Fit, Quality noticeable improvement to you also Equipment increases your confidence when you step out on the course. Confidence

8 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score and proper mental attitude cannot back in the reverse direction. be overstressed. Rotate your body around your hips 5 or 6 times while holding a club 3.Do not simply hit ball after ball in a horizontally above your head. Bend fairly rapid succession. Take your from side to side a few times. Do any time between shots; go through thing you like to stretch, loosen up your same routine as you do on the and relax. golf course. Step away and step back up before each shot. Check your 6. I like to start out hitting an 8 iron stance. Look at your grip. Most with only ½ to ¾ swings. As I start importantly, always aim at a target. to get my timing and rhythm down, I Never just hit balls for the sake of work up to full but still easy swings. hitting balls. Many players like to start with their wedge. I find that it is quite easy to 4.Regardless of your problem areas, hit a few fat shots on your first few always try to include all your club swings with a wedge which quickly types in every practice session. erodes ones confidence. The main What I mean by this is to hit your point here is to use the club that you driver, a fairway wood, a long iron, a feel most comfortable hitting. So, if mid iron, a short iron, a wedge or you use my 8 iron warm up method, two and the putter. This more simu- next hit a few pitching wedges and lates what would happen in a round possibly a couple fairway sand of golf. This doesn’t mean that you wedge shots. Now you can go to the switch from club to club after every mid irons, long irons, driver and shot. Hit some balls with each club fairway clubs. Again, do what feels until you feel comfortable and then comfortable. move on to the next club. 7. Manage your time between the 5.Before hitting the first shot always range and practice green. The short warm up by swinging a weighted game (chipping, pitching, sand shots club or two iron clubs held together. and putting) comprises anywhere Slowly work up to a full easy from 55% to 65% of your entire rhythmic swing. Next bend over score. Spend at least an equal or pre- slowly at the waist once or twice and ferably a greater amount of time in touch your golf shoes. This will this important scoring area. Proper stretch out your lower back. Bend practice techniques are the fastest slowly backwards to stretch your way I know to lower your score.

9 8. Putting Practice Drills: Have a different length grass cuts around match with someone on the putting the green. green. This puts the pressure on and increases your concentration. A 10.Sand Trap Practice: Most people small wager is nice and always adds rake the practice bunker and care- to the concentration factor. fully place each ball on the very top Place a ball one foot from the hole of the sand and hit sand shots. and knock it in. Next place it 2 feet While this is good fundamental from the hole and knock it in. Next practice, many times it is not real 3, 4, 5 feet and so on until you miss, world. Hit shots from various lies in then start all over. Once again this the bunker. Also, hit some sand applies pressure and concentration shots with the ball above and below to every putt. At first make your your feet. Toss a handful of balls into goal something like 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 feet the bunker and play them where without missing and do not leave they lie. It doesn’t hurt to step on one the putting green until you have every once in a while and see if you accomplished it. can get it out. (Hint: Hold on tight, swing firm with a more steeply Simply use random length putts for descending clubhead, hit the sand a specified time while you carefully 1" or 11/2" behind the ball and forget line up every putt. Your goal is to about any kind of follow through.) not three putt for the entire session. If you do have one or more three 2. PLAY putts simply keep track of how many and attempt to beat that score the This is what the game is all about, next practice putting session. being out on a golf course relaxing and enjoying the game. You must play the 9. Chipping Practice: Chip as long as game to keep improving. It mentally you like or until you chip one in. Be and mechanically tests your ability to sure you are using the correct club hit every shot at which you only get for each chipping situation. The 7, 8, one chance to do perfectly. Put yourself and 9 irons are easy to hit and work in a tournament or a tough friendly well for many chip and run shots. A match and this is pressure. You can number of players prefer chipping practice, practice, practice, but you with wedges. Simply find out what need to play and keep playing to see works best for you and gives you the how often you can repeat your swing, highest confidence level. Be sure to be mentally tough and come through get a feel for chipping out of the hole after hole in differing situations.

10 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Here is a way to practice while you 3.PROFESSIONAL SWING play and also help you determine your INSTRUCTION potential. Go out and play a round by yourself. Hit two drives from the first Your playing partners, husbands, tee and pick the best. Hit your next two wives or golfer friends are not golf shots from that spot and pick the best, professionals! Having someone tell you hit your next two shots and so on until what they think you are doing wrong you hole out. This is sort of a one per- is only bad if you listen to them. In a son scramble. The purpose of doing it few instances they may even be right is three fold: First, it’s more fun than but the bigger problem occurs if and just playing a normal round of golf all when they tell you how to correct by yourself. Second, you get to hit al- your problem. most twice as many shots during one round of golf. Third, you can see what A golf professional can watch you your score would be if you had a sec- swing and will know how you worked ond chance on every shot. True that into your problem, properly and fully there is less pressure, but this playing identify it, demonstrate to you what it method is still an eye opener and a con- is and finally, offer instruction and fidence builder showing what you can possibly some simple drills on how actually accomplish with your game. to correct it. Your score will be much lower than you would normally shoot making this A key element in golf professional in- a lot of fun to do. But here is the key: struction is the use of swing aids to You know that you have the ability to easily visualize your faults and also get your score down to this level but using time proven drills. These simple you need to eliminate the bad shots but very effective drills can make it and inconsistent play. Make mental easier for you to eliminate your swing notes and jot them down after playing problems and usually advance even so you know what areas of “The Five further in improving your swing and Ways to Improve Your Golf Game” you consequently your ball striking ability. need to address: 1. Practice, 2. Play, 3. Professional Swing Instruction, 4. Posi- Remember, you can take a lesson to get tive Attitude, 5. Properly Fit, Quality properly introduced to the game, build Equipment. Every one of the five P’s is an entirely new swing with the goal to interrelated to your game and each take your game to a professional level will have its own importance as we go or you can simply ask for a putting les- farther into your understanding of son. Talk to your golf professional and what it takes to play better golf. decide on a plan. Take it a step at a

11 time, work it into your schedule to attitude, all it takes is to put the back practice what you are learning and go nine tee shot in play coupled with a back for another lesson to keep im- few more shots hit well and the confi- proving. The key point here is that pro- dence level improves and the “momen- fessional instruction saves a lot of trial tum” starts to build. and error and advances anyone’s game more rapidly than they can do it on Remember the worse we play the more their own. bad breaks we get and the better we play the more good breaks we get. It’s 4. POSITIVE ATTITUDE the same with “luck.” The better we play the luckier we get. A positive outlook on your game and the game of golf itself will not only help So, it’s obvious. Work on a more posi- you play better but it will make golf a tive attitude to help you play better more enjoyable game. I look at a “posi- and you will get more good breaks and tive attitude” as both a confidence have more luck. builder and as a means of maintaining or creating “momentum.” Just like we 5.PROPERLY FIT, QUALITY see on television when a football team EQUIPMENT or a basketball team or a professional golfer has everything going their way. Of all the five “P’s” on how to improve What’s happening here is a confident, your game, “properly fit golf clubs” positive attitude which in turn makes can give you noticeable immediate something good happen during play, improvement. I would guess that at and more good things keep happening, least 95% of all golfers would benefit which in turn creates “momentum.” in some way from a proper golf club fitting. It is amazing that so many golfers The power of the mind is amazing. overlook this area when buying new Why is it that we can start out a round clubs or never get properly retro- hitting the ball badly, which is usually fitted to their present clubs. coupled with a few additional bad breaks, and we shoot a lousy front nine Golf club fitting encompasses a much only to come back 7, 8, 9 or 10 shots bet- broader area regarding how a golfer ter on the back nine? It’s simple, we plays the game than they might think. step up to the tee on the back nine and Fitting not only includes the proper we tell ourselves, “OK, it’s a new nine, specifications for your clubs, but also a I’ve blown the score, I can relax now. determination of proper set make-up, No pressure.” With this new positive proper fitting of your putter, and

12 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score increased knowledge on how and why NOTES: various golf clubs do what they do. The more knowledge the golfer has will help in knowing how and when to hit a certain club. An example would be what to do when the ball is above or below the golfer’s feet. Also when you are being fit is a good time to learn about your new club’s design characteristics. In other words, what features are built into these clubs which will benefit your game?

When you decide to get a proper golf club fitting; you can make it a much better learning experience and you can gain much more from it if you do your homework. A little planning on your part, honestly answering a few questions, checking out a few things using your present clubs, making a couple notes during your next round or two and reading these next few pages of enlightening golf club fitting information will do the trick. I realize I may raise a number of questions when you read the following, but your fitting professional will be happy to answer any specific questions. My goal is to make you aware of how important it is to have properly fit golf clubs. The most amazing part to this statement is that it usually doesn’t cost any more to have your clubs custom fit vs. just buying a new set as is. Remember proper fitting is a sure way to noticeable immediate improvement.

13 Section Two

SEVEN GOLF CLUB FITTING woods, irons, wedges and even putters VARIABLES THAT YOU NEED are determined by the club designer TO KNOW and should only be altered by an expert. Many metal woods and wedges are available in different lofts and The following fitting variables provide some manufacturers offer different information for the golfer to help in iron models in different lofts. Because understanding why each is utilized of this the club fitter can determine in the fitting process. I am convinced what trajectory characteristics would that a better understanding of this be best for you and make recommenda- knowledge by golfers provides an even tions accordingly. Figure 2-2 shows more accurate fitting, because the the affect that more or less loft has on fitter and the golfer can more easily trajectory, distance, backspin and roll. communicate. The club fitter will use a chart like this to note your relative trajectory compared to the average for the particular 1. LOFT ANGLE club you are hitting. Do not assume from Figure 2-2 that you would auto- The loft angle of a golf club is the matically want a lower trajectory to hit main determining factor in golf ball the ball farther. Look closely and note trajectory. See Figure 2-1. There are that backspin is reduced. This is a other fitting variables which also tradeoff you sometimes make for the affect trajectory and these will be increased distance. Also, here is why discussed later. The lofts of metal you need the knowledge of a trained

LOFT ANGLE LOFT ANGLE LOFT ANGLE (DEGREES) (DEGREES)

90°

FIG. 2-1

14 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Effect of Loft on Trajectory, Distance, Backspin and Roll.

FIG. 2-2 club fitter; they know from experience the toe resulting in a bad, unsolid feel- many things you don’t know. For ex- ing and significant loss of distance. ample: The less loft a club has the But, if we hit a 9 iron on the toe it still harder it is to hit. Why? Because the feels relatively solid and loses very less loft a club has the more direct little distance. Why? Because the force (less oblique hit) the clubhead ap- 9 iron has a lot of loft and applies plies to the golf ball. In other words, very little force to the ball vs. a 2 iron. the lesser loft causes more hitting force Finally; there is an impact test you and compresses the golf ball more. The will learn about later that determines more force that is applied to a golf ball, the impact location range where you the more important it is to hit the ball actually hit the ball on the club face for in the middle of the club face or sweet both your metal woods and irons. This spot (clubhead’s center of gravity). will also be done by the club fitter Off-center hits will twist the clubhead since this information will help deter- thereby reducing distance and direc- mine not only what loft is best for you, tional control and finally providing a but is a key factor in determining the very unsolid feeling at impact. So, all best length golf clubs for you. of this to simply say; “The less the loft, the harder the club is to hit.” Doesn’t Many club fitters today use launch this partially explain why a 2 iron is monitors to determine proper club much harder to hit than a 9 iron. loft and ball trajectory. These devices (This will come later but “The longer create a more accurate indoor fitting the length of a golf club, the harder it is because they can provide accurate to hit.”) We have all experienced the results of trajectory, distance and back terrible result of hitting a long iron on spin already shown and discussed in

15 Figure 2-2. They also have the advan- ensure that the lie angle is properly tage of helping to pick a specific golf fit. See Figure 2-3 for a definition of ball’s launch and spin characteristics lie angle. that will complement the golf club’s loft or launch characteristics for any Improper lie angle on clubs will more given golfer. than likely cause directional control problems for the golfer. Clubs with too 2. LIE ANGLE upright a lie (toe up) will have a tendency to pull the ball left of the target When preparing to hit an iron shot to and will also increase the possibility of the green, all golfers want the ball to imparting a hooking spin to the ball. get as close to the hole as possible. Conversely, clubs with a lie that is too However, what if the shot misses the flat (toe down) for a golfer will have a green to the right or left with annoying tendency to push the ball right of the frequency? The fact is that the biggest target and will increase the possibility cause of this problem is incorrect lie of imparting a slicing spin to the ball. angle. The proper lie angle is an ex- It is possible to hit the ball straight tremely important fitting variable that with improper lie clubs; but this cannot be overlooked. The golfer needs means that the golfer has compensated to thoroughly understand this fitting by variable to be able to relate to their adjusting their swing and/or aim to current situation. It is also great the club’s incorrect lie angle. The knowledge for the golfer to have to club’s lie angle must be properly adjusted to each golfer’s personal

LIE ANGLE

LIE ANGLE LIE ANGLE (DEGREES) (DEGREES)

FIG. 2-3

16 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Improper lie can cause directional

TARGET TARGET problems in both

TARGET woods and irons.

NOTE: Even though the leading edge of the club is LIE TOO UPRIGHT CORRECT LIE LIE TOO FLAT Ball will be hit left of target Straight shot Ball will be hit right of target perpendicular or square to the desired direction of flight, the tilted TARGET TARGET plane on the face of either a too up-

TARGET right or too flat lie club will hit the ball either left or right of the target, LIE TOO UPRIGHT CORRECT LIE LIE TOO FLAT respectively. Ball will be hit left of target Straight shot Ball will be hit right of target FIG. 2-4 swing and physical stature. of golf much more difficult. Once again, the correct lie angle is one A thorough understanding of properly of the most important specifications to fit lie angles and understanding check when properly fitting golf clubs. exactly what lie angle does at impact Consider this: you now have been told is one of the fitting variables which lie angle at impact has a direct affect can make immediate and often on ball direction, but this is not the full dramatic improvements in your golf story. The lie angle at impact also game. Whenever a player is having helps to determine solidness of feel, directional control problems with ball carry distance, amount of back- their clubs, nine out of ten times the spin, trajectory and the amount of ball problem is improper lie angles. roll. If the lie angle is not correct, the golfer must compensate for all or some Now that I have stressed the impor- of these variables in each and every tance of a proper lie angle; it is time shot. The problem is that the golfer to show you why improper lie angles usually does not know they are uncon- can and do cause directional control sciously correcting their aim for im- problems. Most golfers are not even proper lie angle thus making the game aware of the fact that it may be their

17 Refer to Figure 2-4 which shows that a and a 48° loft angle. Begin lowering the metal wood or iron with too upright a grip end toward the ground while lie will have a tendency to hit the ball keeping the leading edge of the face left of target, and conversely too flat a square with the target until the grip lie will hit the ball right of target. It is and shaft lie flat against the ground. At important to note here that in all three this point, the club’s actual lie angle in drawings of Figure 2-4 the leading edge the playing position is 0° because the of the club face is perpendicular or per- 64° original lie angle has actually been fectly square to the target. The expla- transferred entirely into a left tilting of nation of why the ball will go either left the face plane. See Figure 2-5. or right with too upright or too flat a lie is this: The lie of the club estab- In addition, the club’s actual loft angle lishes the directional plane of the loft. in the playing position is also 0° be- If the club at impact is the same as cause no amount of vertical loft exists shown under “correct lie” in Figure to get the ball airborne. This means 2-4, the plane of the face will be perpen- that if you were holding a 9 iron with a dicular or square to the target. How- 48° loft angle and could hit the ball ever, if the lie of the club at impact is with the club shaft lying flat against too upright, the directional plane of the the ground and the leading edge face will be pointing left of the target or square to the target, the ball would be tilted left even though the leading edge pulled exactly 48° left of the target or of the face is aligned square to the tar- the full amount of the club’s original get. The difference between the proper loft. Also, the ball would not become and improper lie angle at impact and airborne and would be rolling along also the amount of club face loft is re- the ground because the loft is now ef- ferred to as a “compound angle.” This fectively 0°. Finally, backspin (usually compound angle is the amount of tilt or around 9000 RPM for a 9 iron) would be misdirection in the face or as the golfer transformed into pure counterclock- sees it, the initial direction of ball wise hooking sidespin further aggra- flight. If a golf club were made with no vating the situation by adding hook loft (0 degrees) then improper lie would spin to the directional control problem cause no directional problems because that already exists. with no loft a compound angle or tilt of the face plane would not exist. To un- Look closely at the iron in this position derstand this better, do this: hold a 9 and imagine the ball coming off the iron in the proper address position face. The more lofted the iron, the far- with the face aiming at the target. As- ther left it will go; and the less lofted sume this club to have a 64° lie angle the club, for example a driver, the less

18 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score AMOUNT OF PULL

ACTUAL

BALL FLIGHT BALL DIRECTION TARGET

48° LOFT TARGET

9,000 to 13,000 revolutions EXAMPLE OF CLUB per minute of sidespin WITH NO LOFT

#9 IRON Result: Ball direction is the same as the target direction, no sidespin exists. TARGET

20° Effect of improper lie angle on face 4,000 to 5,000 revolutions LOFT per minute of sidespin plane tilt versus amount of loft

Explanation of this figure: #2 IRON Top view of impact with shaft lying flat on on ground. Ball is hit and pulled left of target by amount of loft.

TARGET Backspin is converted into counter- 11° clockwise hooking sidespin causing 1,500 to 3,000 revolutions LOFT shot to actually be a pull hook. Lead- per minute of sidespin ing edge of club is aimed at target. Ball does not become airborne with DRIVER any of the 3 clubs since no vertical loft FIG. 2-5 component exists. left it will go. Also note that in Figure suming you are a right handed golfer 2-5 there is an example of a club with (lefty’s will miss it on the right side). no loft or 0° loft. This shows that if no loft exists; then regardless of the Let’s look at some examples using proper or improper lie, the ball will al- irons and your driver which would ways go toward the target if the lead- better typify actual conditions of im- ing edge of the club face is pointed pact with improper lie angles. First, as- square to the target. This points out sume that you have a 115 yard 9 iron that putters have minimal directional shot to the green with a bunker left. control problems when the lie is im- The pin is positioned 15 feet from the proper because the ideal putter lofts left edge of the green. Also, assume 1 are usually between 3° and 4 /2° loft. that you will execute the shot perfectly However, if the toe of your putter is up with one exception: The lie angle is 4º in the air 3º (club is 3º too upright for too upright for you meaning the toe of you), you will miss a perfectly hit 28 your iron is sticking up in the air 4º. foot putt on the left side of the hole as- Here is what would happen. See Figure

19 would happen. See Figure 2-6. With a that direction (This assumes a 48° close-up, high speed camera, we see the lofted 9 iron). On a 115 yard shot, this club’s sole at impact actually touches would amount to pulling the shot left the ground at a point 1" rearward of by approximately 18 feet or, as in this the center of the face, indicating on case, into the bunker. Also, there most irons that the club came through would be a slight hooking effect from the impact zone with the player hold- the added counterclockwise sidespin ing the club 4° flatter in lie angle than applied to the ball which would the lie angle actually built into the amount to an additional 4 feet left of club. Because the club was swung 4° target. This shot is a “pull hook” re- flatter, this causes the toe of the club to sulting in the ball landing 22 feet left of stick up in the air 4° which is too up- the target from the lie being only 4° too right for this player. It can be calcu- upright at impact. Imagine a pull hook lated mathematically that the ball will 22 feet left of the target even though the be pulled 3° left of the target because clubhead path and face angle at impact the iron’s face plane is tilted by 3° in were square to the target. The player RESULT FROM TOE made a perfect swing, but the improp- UP 4° AT IMPACT erly fit lie angle turned it into a poor 18 FT. PULL LEFT + 4 FT. CURVE LEFT shot. Also, the ball will not bite as well = 22 FT. TOTAL LEFT 22 FT. when it hit the green because some of the beneficial back spin revolutions were turned into hooking side spin revolutions.

115 YDS. 115 For another example, assume a driver BALL LEAVES is also being hit with the lie 4° too up- 3° CLUB FACE right for the player. Since a driver usu- PULLED BY THIS ally has a 9º, 10° or 11° loft compared to AMOUNT a 9 iron with 48° loft, the pulling effect is far less severe even though the driver hits the ball a much greater dis- LEADING TOE UP EDGE OF 4°AT tance. With the lie angle 4° too upright, FACE IS IMPACT ALIGNED the ball would be pulled approximately SQUARELY 1° left of the target or only 11 feet left on WITH FLAG a 220 yard drive. The hooking effect Incorrect lie angle at impact – from sidespin would only be another 9 iron 48° loft 2 feet causing the ball to land 13 feet FIG. 2-6 left of the middle of the fairway.

20 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score club, the greater the tendency will be RESULT FROM TOE 13 FT. UP 4° AT IMPACT to hit it off the target line even if all the

11 FT. PULL LEFT lie angles are consistently incorrect. + 2 FT. CURVE LEFT = 13 FT. TOTAL LEFT Hence, the higher lofted short irons which are used for accuracy are the

115 YDS. 115 most critical for having the proper lie

BALL angle adjusted to fit the golfer. Second, LEAVES 1° CLUB if the lies on a set of woods and irons FACE are not incrementally correct for a PULLED BY THIS given golfer (i.e., assume the 4 iron is AMOUNT 1° upright, the 5 iron is 3° upright, the 6 iron is 2° flat, the 3 fairway metal is 4° upright, etc.) then the problem could be even further compounded and would still require a different compensating swing for each club to hit the LEADING TOE UP ball with any consistency at the target. EDGE OF 4°AT FACE IS IMPACT ALIGNED SQUARELY I realize that up to this point we have WITH FLAG gone through a rather lengthy and Incorrect lie angle at impact – somewhat technical discussion of lie driver 11° loft angle. However, the impact that this FIG. 2-7 one fitting variable can have on im- See Figure 2-7. proving your game is huge and understanding it is very important for you An astute reader should start to formu- and the club fitter. I’ll finish the discus- late some interesting thoughts con- sion on lie by telling you how lie cerning lie. First, let us assume that should be properly fit to you and why the golfer has a set of metal woods and it is done in this manner. irons that are all 4° too upright at impact. The old thinking was that since The best way to check and fit lie angle the lies were all off by the same on irons, hybrids and fairway metals amount, there would be no problem be- is to use a non-marring hard surface cause the player could adjust their plastic or a wood board and actually swing and/or aim by compensating the hit shots off it. See Figure 2-8. The club fitter will probably start with a 9 iron. same amount for each club. Actually, A piece of tape will be placed on the we have just proved this not to be so. sole of the iron. You will be asked to hit We have learned that the more lofted a a “real” golf ball off the board.

21 MASKING The reason we fit lie in this manner is TAPE ON quite interesting and it is based on SOLE OF CLUB three variables that affect lie angle at impact. 1. Each golfer is different physically IMPORTANT: Performing this test and most have differing setups, without actually hitting swings and swing speeds. balls will not give accurate results. 2. The golfer’s hand position at address with the ball and his hand position at impact are not the same and varies from golfer to golfer. See NON-SPIKED SHOES Figure 2-10.

REAL BALL PLACED ON BOARD (NOT TEE) THE GOLFER Checking for proper lie angle: CHANGES THE CLUBS LIE The Board Method ANGLE FROM1° TO 3° FLATTER FIG. 2-8 (CLUBHEAD TOE Note: You must actually hit a real golf ball to get DOWN)

accurate results. Next, the club fitter will look at the mark on the tape where the sole contacted the BY CHANGING board and measure from the face centerline to the HIS HAND middle of the mark. This distance will determine POSITION FROM how much to bend the hosel to alter the lie angle so ADDRESS TO IMPACT 1° the club fits you properly. See Figure 2-9. TO 3° MORE UPRIGHT

Lie Angle Board Test MARK TOWARDS TOE Hand position change from address to INDICATES CLUB IS TOO FLAT impact usually flattens lie angle MARK IN THE MIDDLE FIG. 2-10 INDICATES CORRECT LIE MARK TOWARD HEEL INDICATES CLUB IS 3. During the swing the clubhead bows TOO UPRIGHT down (flattening the lie angle). This is caused mostly by shaft flexibility, club length, head weight and swing speed. See Figure 2-11. CENTER OF CENTER FACE OF MARK Here are a few final thoughts. There is 3/4" LIE NEEDS TO BE FLATTENED INITIALLY, a tendency with many golfers to pull RE-TEST UNTIL MARK IS IN THE MIDDLE their short irons left of the target and FIG. 2-9 push or push fade their longer irons

22 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score How centrifugal force tends to flatten the lie of a club during the downswing. Factors causing this are: Club Length, Shaft Flex, Clubhead Weight and Swing Speed

LONG IRONS FLATTEN ABOUT1° TO DRIVERS AND FAIRWAY METALS 11/2° VARYING PROPERTIONATELY TEND TO FLATTEN DOWN TO THE 9 IRON WHICH BETWEEN 1° AND 2°. FLATTENS ALMOST NIL. FLATTENED CENTER OF LIE GRAVITY NORMAL LIE CENTERIFUGAL CENTERIFUGAL FLATTENED FORCE FORCE LIE NORMAL LIE

FIG. 2-11 right of the target. A simple explana- sync with the specific golfer and the tion for this is that many golf club clubhead’s design characteristics. manufacturers vary lie angles incre- Four Main Golf Shaft mentally by 1° more flat as each Characteristics 1 club’s length increases by /2". In ac- 1 tuality 1° is too much and /2° should 1. Shaft Stiffness (X-stiff, stiff, 1 medium, flexible, ladies flex) be used. Using /2° would make the long irons more upright in relation to 2. Shaft Flex Point (where it bends the short irons. This is not a substi- the most; low, mid or high) tute for fitting proper lie angles to 3. Shaft Weight (ultra light, super the golfer, but it helps eliminate the light, lightweight, medium weight tendency to push or push fade the and tour weight) long irons in the initial design of a stock off the shelf set of clubs. 4. Shaft Torque (amount it twists during the swing; low torsional 3. SHAFT FLEX resistance or high torsional resistance) The golf shaft’s purpose is to bring the clubhead into the proper impact posi- These four main golf shaft characteris- tion with predictable repeatability, tics above influence the proper fitting swing after swing for a given golfer. of the five important shaft playability To do this the golf shaft must have its features on the next page. four main design characteristics in

23 can still be very accurate fitting shaft Five Elements of Shaft Playability flexing characteristics indoors using a 1. Trajectory (low, normal, high) net. Be sure that the club fitter is fully certified using the ball launch monitor 2. Solidness of Feel (player and you hit enough shots to get a thor- comments) ough fit. I would always recommend that you bring in one of your current 3. Consistency of Hit (repeatability) clubs to compare results to the new 4. Directional Control (relationship club or set you are thinking about buy- to target) ing. Ask questions to fully understand 5. Clubhead Speed (also distance ball what the fitter is doing. Also realize is hit) that ball launch monitor technology

is rapidly changing and improving so A certified golf club fitting expert prop- be sure to ask how new the equipment erly analyzes the player by watching is and what technology it uses. the player’s ball flight pattern, trajec- For instance, I personally like the new tory, consistency of hit, swing speed Doppler radar technology for improved and distance while having the player accuracy of data. Some ball launch hit clubs with different shaft flexes, monitors use fiber optics for acquiring materials and other characteristics. data, others use laser beams and there Keep in mind that many golf club man- are other technologies. Doppler radar ufacturers have their own shafts de- units can gather data from before im- signed to work in their clubs. In this pact to a point much farther out from case it is a matter of hitting the various impact making them more accurate. flexes and lengths to see what performs The fiber optic and laser units pick up best for you. In the final analysis, here all the data in a much shorter distance is what you are looking for in a prop- and rely more heavily on mathematical erly fit golf shaft or for that matter a algorithms to calculate data. In actual- properly fit golf club. ity, every type of launch monitor uses Normal Ball Trajectories algorithms to some extent. Good Consistency and Distance Good Directional Control You should realize by now after only Solid Feeling at Impact reading about three of the fitting vari- The ideal situation is to actually watch ables of loft, lie and shaft flex that more ball flight and be fit for shaft flex while than one fitting variable can have an hitting on an outdoor range. However, affect on the same thing. This is why a with the advent of modern simulators trained and certified fitting profes- and ball launch monitors, a club fitter sional is a must.

24 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score

SHAFT FLEX TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE SHAFT PROBLEM POSSIBLE EFFECTS Shaft Too Stiff • Lower than normal ball trajectory • Unsolid feeling at impact on all but exact dead center hits, harsh feel • Tendency to push or push slice ball to right • Loss of distance (less carry but more roll) Shaft Too Flexible • Higher than normal trajectory, usually with a draw or hooking left of target • Whippy feeling but also a solid feeling hit at impact even when slightly off center • Generally inconsistent directional control • Loss of distance (less carry with less roll)

4. CLUB LENGTH Incorrect method Because of technological improve- of fitting length. ments in golf shaft materials and Using a ruler to measure finger lighter shaft weights coupled with new tip or wrist to clubhead materials and better casting ground. This method only technology to make clubheads larger, provides useless particularly metal drivers; golf club information to standard lengths have increased. As a the golfer and also to the matter of fact no real new standard club fitter. exists as each club manufacturer makes their own decisions model by FIG. 2-13 model. See Figure 2-12 for a basic definition of club length. Determining the proper length of a club for a given golfer is one fitting Definition of club length variable that has been misunderstood and abused in the past. This is particularly true when a chart is used that determines the proper club length by measuring from fingertips, knuckles or wrists to the floor as shown in Figure 2-13.

FIG. 2-12

25 This club is very simple to hit on the This club is the hardest to hit on the center of center of the face consistently, but the face, but when you do, it is distance is quite short. It is very quite long hitting. It is also the accurate and never misses the fairway. poorest for directional control and will seldom land in the fairway.

BALL IMPACT BALL IMPACT LOCATIONS LOCATIONS

INCLUDING WHIFFS

Club length versus accuracy and distance. An extreme example to prove a point. FIG. 2-14

This type of measurement does not Definition of Proper Club Length

take into consideration a golfer’s The longest possible club length the playing ability or posture while in the golfer can handle which produces a address position. It has absolutely generally face centered ball impact pat- nothing to do with fitting proper club tern, good directional control (accu- length and as such should never be racy), proper trajectory, solidness of used. It is mostly used by some club feel at impact and maximum distance. fitters and club manufacturers as an A club length with which the golfer easy convenience and visual hocus feels comfortable and confident. pocus so the golfer feels impressed that

the fitter really knows what they are You should see from the definition that doing. When someone whips out the fitting club length is mainly a tradeoff ruler to measure you in this manner, in distance and directional control. walk away because they are doing you During fitting you will hit various a disservice. length golf clubs of a certain model

until you have satisfied the definition So, what is the definition of proper of proper club length. The bottom line club length for a player and how is is a club length that produces the club length properly fit? maximum distance, feels good and

more importantly keeps the ball in

26 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score play. Too long a club will not provide with your irons, do it with your 9 iron, adequate directional control; but will 5 iron and the longest iron you carry hit the ball a longer distance only if plus the driver. Keep in mind that a you can hit it on the face center. Too main determining factor in fitting club short a club will sacrifice distance but length is the golfer’s ball striking abil- will be more accurate. An exaggerated ity. As expertise increases, the ball im- example of this to make a point is pact patterns get more and more shown in Figure 2-14. consistent and closer together.

During the club length fitting process Here is a very important point: If the club fitter will use special impact you could look at a tour player’s clubs, decals that will be affixed to the club particularly their irons, you would see face. The golfer hits a number of shots a round circle wear spot on every club. to establish a pattern. The club fitter is This spot would coincidentally be looking at trajectory, directional con- located exactly on that particular trol, distance, clubhead speed and your clubhead’s center of gravity or sweet comments on feel. He combines this spot. The point to make, however, is with an analysis of your impact decal that touring professionals do not go hit pattern. During this process you crazy on longer and longer club are being handed various length metal lengths for added distance. Most wood and iron test clubs to hit. This is actually play moderate length clubs a very interesting and enlightening because accuracy and consistency is part of the fitting process. more important than distance, of which they have plenty. The guys who When a launch monitor is used to de- do go crazy over longer length clubs termine length that accurately depicts are the longest drive contest players. ball impact locations; decals may not All they need is one in the fairway to be necessary. I personally like to at make it count. We need all of them in least use a few decals so the golfer can the fairway to score better. be confident that the launch monitor is accurate. If you would like to find out Here is something to keep in mind. your hitting impact patterns with your I have found in fitting golfers and in present clubs, all you need to do is pur- using golfers to test clubs that many chase some metal wood, iron and/or times the shorter driver length will hit putter impact decals (available from the ball the farthest. The reason is that The GolfWorks). Also, Labelon brand the golfer is hitting the ball closer to tape found in office supply stores the middle of the club face eliminating works well. If you are going to do this the distance robbing clubhead twisting

27 from off center hits. More energy is ap- Fitting the proper golf grip to an indi- plied to the ball and the shot feels more vidual not only includes determining consistently solid to the golfer. proper grip size, but may also need to address different preferences and Now that you have a better under- physical needs. For instance, a golfer standing of fitting club length, you with arthritis or general soreness in should also know that your input re- one or both hands can be fit to an garding your comfort factor with arthritic grip. Arthritic grips are longer clubs when working with a club generally designed to feel softer and fitting professional is important. Most install to a much larger size under both golfers we work with can handle the right and left hand of the player. longer clubs with the new technology The softer feel and larger size of the shafts and clubheads which give all of arthritic grip allows it to be more eas- us what we are looking for - more dis- ily held during the swing while exert- tance with control. Men: A good rule of ing a lesser amount of hand pressure thumb is to not exceed 45" on your than normally would be required. driver and 38" based on a 5 iron. Women: Do not exceed 43½" on your Some tour players and low handicap- driver and 37" based on a 5 iron. pers prefer round grips vs. the standard ribbed grips. A rib grip has a raised rib along the back length of the 5. GRIP SIZE grip which allows golfers to more easily align the club face to the target The grip provides the golfer the only with greater repeatability and is physical contact with the golf club. The highly recommended. Those that size of the grip under both hands and prefer round grips are usually good the material it is made of gives the players who prefer to align the golfer a certain grip feel. This grip feel clubhead to the target without the can enhance how the golfer mentally influence of a rib reminder. perceives the club or it may detract from it. One of the main problems I Why is it important to ﬁt grip size? have discovered is that most golfers The proper grip size should give the are not aware of poorly transmitted golfer a comfortable feeling at address grip feel. This is usually caused by too and positive control during the swing. small a grip, too large a grip; or in most It should not inhibit normal wrist cases, a dirty, slick or hardened action as the clubhead moves into the worn-out grip. impact zone.

28 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score A grip which is too large for a How is the proper grip size fit to particular golfer could do the the golfer? following: The best way to fit grip size is to find a display of sample grip sizes mounted • Decrease clubhead feel. on short sections of golf shafts. These • Inhibit wrist action by not allowing are used by most club fitters. The grip the golfer’s wrists to roll the club sizes are usually shown on the grip dis- head square before impact causing play and the grip itself. The following the ball to be pushed to the right. sizes are the most common displayed. • Cause the golfer to “choke” down on the grip where it is smaller in Golf Grip Fitting Sizes diameter and thus feels better. Ladies’ Men’s This reduces swing speed by 3 1 /64" oversize /16" oversize 1 3 effectively shortening the club. /32" oversize /64" oversize 1 1 /64" oversize /32" oversize 1 A grip which is too small for a Standard size /64" oversize 1 particular golfer could do the /64" undersize Standard size following: Additional mounted grips may include: • The clubhead may twist at impact Arthritic styles and various popular putter grips. because the golfer cannot get a firm hold on the club. The club fitter usually starts out by handing the golfer a standard size grip. • The golfer may squeeze too tightly The golfer is asked to take his normal to “hold on” to the club, thus grip on the club while assuming his inhibiting his wrist action before normal address position. It is impor- impact. tant here to use your same grip pres- • If the player holds the club with sure as you normally would when normal grip pressure he may now striking the ball. Next, remove the have “overactive” wrist rotation right hand from the club (left for left- causing the ball to be pulled left of handers) and with the left hand remaining in the exact same gripped the target. position, bring it up so that the finger- • Cause the golfer to hold the club too tips are visible. If the two center finger- far out on the end where the grip is tips dig into the heel of the palm, the larger and feels better, thus increas- grip is too small. If the fingertips ing the golfer’s chances of “loosing” barely touch or just miss touching the the club at the top of the backswing heel of the palm, the grip is correct. and reducing ball control.

29 Regardless of how you are fit for The two center proper grip size, either by the specially fingers are mounted display grip sizes or simply used to having your grip size checked by using check for proper grip the grip on the clubs you intend to buy; size. you can get an accurate fit. The method used usually depends on whether you are buying a custom built set of clubs or simply getting your GRIP TOO LARGE Fingers do not touch palm clubs regripped (use display grip sizes) GRIP SIZE CORRECT or whether you are buying clubs off Fingers barely touch palm the shelf to be fit (use the club you in- GRIP TOO SMALL Fingers dig in palm tend to buy or display grip sizes). The point here is to get all the clubs in your Determining the Proper Grip Size set with the same grip sizes and tapers. FIG. 2-15 Tip: Always use the same grip manu- If the fingertips are separated more facturer and style of grip throughout than 1/8" from the heel of the palm, the the set (putter excepted) even if it grip is too large. See Figure 2-15. The means regripping some of your clubs. official industry standard size grip is Do not overlook this. Too many golfers generally too small for most men do and they will never know how golfers today who will usually fit much more consistent their shot mak- better to a 1/64" oversize grip. ing could have been. I do not know of one touring professional that plays You need to be aware of the manufac- with more than one style grip. Learn turers standard grip sizing, mainly from them on this one. that there is no standard. Every year I measure all the grip sizes put on by If you really want more information on most all golf club manufacturers. They grips, I have a 40 minute DVD titled vary in size not only by manufacturer “Learn All About Grips”. but also within the manufacturer’s various models. This means that I Why is the grip size sometimes cannot establish a rule of thumb for increased under the right hand? you to follow. The good news is that Here is something that very few golfers most all club fitters have easy to use know about, but it is a proven fitting accurate gauges to measure grip size fact that can dramatically improve and they can also install grips to exact play and golfer confidence. Golf grips size requirements. are tapered down smaller from top to 30 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score bottom. For many golfers this taper is The middle of your right hand when too great causing the grip size under gripping the club is approximately 5" the right hand to be too small. This can down from the end of the club. So, cause an uncomfortable feeling and measure down 4" and make some kind can unconsciously result in two bad of mark. Next measure down 7" and things happening. One is the golfer in- make another mark. Apply two layers creases right hand grip pressure which of tape in this 4" to 7" area. This is can inhibit the normal release and ro- equivalent to increasing the grip size tation of the clubhead. The second is under your right hand by slightly over 1 the golfer tends to regrip the club with /64". Hit some shots and see how it the right hand thumb and forefinger feels. Now apply two more layers of before or during the swing. This can tape and try hitting again. This is 3 result in directional control problems equivalent of slightly less than /64" and a tendency to produce less than oversize. If either of these temporary solid hits. The recommendation of the increases in size under the right hand club fitter may be to increase the grip feel better to you when hitting shots, size under the right hand a greater be sure to tell your club fitter. If not, amount than under the left hand thus just stick with the standard grip taper making the grip taper slightly less in the proper fitted grip size. gradual. Grip size gauges are available for both the left hand and the right Finally, if you just want to temporarily hand. A club fitter should always have feel what an oversize grip will feel like them both. The same grip size gauges or to fit yourself to grip size, you can work for left hand golfers also. put on layers of Gauzetex® tape from the top of the grip down to 7" or more. If you would like to do a test to see See Figure 2-16 on the following page. how this would feel using your current golf clubs, do this: Obtain some “Gauzetex®” or similar style tape from Gauzetex® Size Chart your local drugstore. This is a cheese- 2 layers = slightly over 1/64" oversize cloth like sticky tape used for bandag- 1 ing. This tape sticks to itself, so it 3 layers = /32" oversize wraps around your present grips eas- 4 layers = slightly under 3/64" oversize ily and stays put. If you ever watched a 3 5 layers = slightly over /64" oversize golf tournament on TV, this is the 6 layers = 1/16" oversize white tape that Scott Verplank uses on his putter grip to build up its size.

31 The total weight of a golf club is very ® Using Gauzetex easy to understand and is simply the tape to temporarily increase grip size. total overall weight of the golf club measured on a weight scale. See Wrap each layer of tape butting it edge Figure 2-18. to edge and not overlapping it. Frequency is a measure of a golf club’s (or golf shaft’s) oscillations over a period of time when the grip end or un- gripped shaft end of the club is clamped in a holding device. For our FIG. 2-16 purposes here we are most interested in a complete golf club being measured 6. SWINGWEIGHT, TOTAL and what it means. Frequency is meas- WEIGHT AND FREQUENCY (CPM) ured in cycles per minute (CPM). The grip is rigidly clamped and the head is The swingweight balance of a golf club pulled down and released and it bobs can be described as a measurement of up and down through a timing device the golf club’s weight distribution or that reads out in CPM. The CPM num- more accurately as the weight relation- ber is actually telling us the actual in- ship of the grip, shaft and clubhead in a stalled flex of the golf shaft in a club given club length. Swingweight is built to this length and with this par- measured on a special purpose golf ticular head weight. The main idea of club swingweight scale which provides all this is to have each club within a set readings in letter/number combina- (set of irons, set of fairway metals), to tions such as C-7, C-8, C-9 (lighter graph in a straight line on a certain swingweights) D-0, D-1, D-2, D-3 slope. The driver is also measured to (average swingweights) and D-4, D-5, determine its actual installed flex, D-6 (heavier swingweights). See but it is noted as a single club. See Figure 2-17. Figure 2-19.

Measuring Swingweight Balance Measuring Total Weight

Standard Swingweight Scale Weighing Scale

FIG. 2-17 FIG. 2-18

32 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Measuring Frequency CLUBHEAD IS PULLED DOWN CPM CYCLES PER MINUTE AND RELEASED ALLOWING SHAFT TO OSCILLATE

FIG. 2-19

The club fitter will be able to check erly timing the hit. Therefore, the swingweight, total weight and fre- three of these together are important quency if necessary. Not every club factors in obtaining the proper ball tra- fitter has a frequency machine, but it jectory, directional control, ball carry, is a very necessary piece of equipment feel and the general playability of the because of its ability to quickly and ac- club. curately diagnose a problem (usually shaft, but not always) in a golfer’s The golf club designer uses his knowl- clubs. If you have one or more clubs edge of each golf club component and you simply cannot hit consistently, the its specifications to put together a first thing I would do is check its fre- combination of grip weight, shaft quency. Next, I would check the swingweight, shaft flex characteristics, head weight. Next, I would push a weight weight and head mass and dimen- checker rod down from the grip end to sional properties to enable a golf club see if the shaft was loaded up with to hit a golf ball. This is substantiated lead to swingweight it at the factory. through mechanical golfer and actual Finally in these initial troubleshooting golfer testing to make each golf club steps, I would check the grip size and model perform for a specific golfer type condition, club length, and then I or for as broad a range of golfers as would check for the proper lie angle. possible. The trained fitting profes- This should detect over 90% of golf sional using different fitting test clubs club problems. will fine tune the golf club’s adjustable parameters to each individual golfer. From the golfer’s perspective, the However, keep in mind that swing- swinging balance or swinging feel of a weight, total weight and frequency club, which is a factor of the swing- (CPM) are really not separate fitting weight, total weight and frequency variables and will mostly be deter- (CPM), should be such that it provides mined by the golf head model, shaft the golfer with the best chance of prop- and grip selected as well as the proper

33 Here is an interesting exercise for you You should start to see that hitting to do with one or two clubs in your clubs from different manufacturers present set. This is simply an exercise with different swingweights, different to let you feel the difference in hitting lengths and different shaft types and shots with different swingweights and flexes is the way to be properly fit. If the results you get only apply to these you build your own clubs you can clubs. Also, we cannot easily make work through this in a methodical way your clubheads lighter, only heavier, and on your schedule. Actually, this is so it’s only half a test. Here is what to what the touring professionals are do: First, hit a few shots with your 6 doing every day at each tour stop. The iron (any middle iron will do.) Next next tournament you go to stand take a quarter which is equivalent to around the manufacturers’ tour vans approximately 3 swingweights and where they do the assembly, alter- tape it to the middle of the iron head on ations and repairs for the pros and you the back side. Use a strong tape such as will see just about every player at one duct tape, or electrician’s tape. Hit a time or another working on a better fit few more shots. Which feels better to their clubs. and/or seems to perform better? You can also do this with your driver, but tape the quarter on the sole and toward 7. SET MAKE-UP the middle of the face. Again, this is for your information to better understand The United States Golf Association swingweight and how a change in (USGA) limits a golfer to carrying no swingweight both feels and performs. more than 14 clubs during a round of You can also use 2 quarters to go up 6 golf. So why not play with the 14 clubs swingweights for a bigger feel differ- that will do the most good? Just be- ence. Remember, when you made the cause manufacturers offer their stock clubhead heavier you also made the sets a certain way should not limit or golf shaft feel more flexible during the influence the choice of how a set swing. If you can swing this new head should be made up to best suit you. weight as fast as the original weight, The good news about taking a close you will gain distance. Usually how- look at the best set make-up is that the ever, swing speed decreases slightly manufacturers are now offering a for less distance; but the golfer usually wider variety of specialty clubs. Some increases shot accuracy and achieves of these include Hybrids, higher and more solid feeling shots. lower lofted metals, trouble metals and wider sole wedges.

34 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score It was not that long ago that every The alternative to each long iron is to set included a 2 iron and a 4 wood or use the equivalent distance fairway 4 fairway metal; but in the last 15 to 20 metal or hybrid club in its place. Why years the 1 iron and 2 irons are basi- would you want to consider a fairway cally gone. Today, some iron set make- metal or hybrid club? ups start with a 3 iron but most start Fairway Metal vs. Iron vs. with a 4 iron and a few with a 5 iron. Hybrid Distance Equivalency The fairway metals still may start with A Very General Guide a 3 or 5 and occasionally you can find a Fairway few 4 fairway metals out there. Hy- Metals Irons Hybrids brids have significantly changed the 4 Metal = 1 or 2 Iron = – way we put our irons and fairway 5 Metal = 2 or 3 Iron = 20º metals together into a playing set. 7 Metal = 3 or 4 Iron = 22º

How do we find our best set make-up? 9 Metal = 4 or 5 Iron = 24º Before answering this question keep in 11 Metal = 6 or 7 Iron = – mind that your personal evaluation of • The trajectory of fairway metals your ideal set make-up after reading is usually higher with more back- the following material is just as impor- spin and less roll versus iron tant to the club fitter as his discussion trajectory in the equivalents shown and recommendation to you. The more above. you help and participate in the process • Hybrid trajectories are usually the better. between fairway metal and iron trajectories. Here are the things to consider: • Since specifications vary widely 1. How do you hit your long irons within the industry, use this chart (3, 4, and 5 irons)? How much as a beginning guide. confidence do you have in them? We’ve already noted earlier in the First, even though all fairway metals book that long irons are harder to and most hybrids are built to longer hit because of their length and club lengths than the long irons they reduced loft angles. Bottom line: replace, they tend to have more shaft You need to have the skill to hit flexibility by design, making them the ball very close to the middle more forgiving and easier to hit. Also, of the face with reasonable consis- the loft angles of the fairway metals tency to get a solid feeling shot and hybrids generally are greater than with a long iron. the loft angles of the long irons they are meant to replace. More loft makes 35 them easier to get airborne and the First of all, do you hit from the rough longer playing lengths offset any loss frequently and is it higher, thicker, of distance that might occur with the tough stuff to get out of? If this is the added loft. The greater loft also in- case you should try a “trouble fairway creases backspin, resulting in better metal” with weight in the sole and pos- bite and less roll (Good for hitting into sibly runners on the sole or maybe just greens). The general feeling when a high lofted fairway metal such as a using the higher lofted fairway metals 6 or 7 or 9. The advantage of specialty and hybrids is that of being able to trouble clubs is they have features swing easier, with better control and which do more than simply using more solid feeling ball contact. Also, higher lofted fairway metals. For ex- your confidence level increases be- ample, trouble clubs are usually cause you simply hit more consistent slightly smaller to much smaller in shots more of the time. head size and they have added weight very low in the clubhead to lower the We also must recognize that there are head’s center of gravity. Some have golfers that like long irons, hit them modified lofts in relation to club quite well and have confidence in length. (Example: 7 fairway metal loft them. However, the majority of golfers and 5 fairway metal length for more would benefit from some kind of distance once you get the ball out of tradeoff in at least replacing their trouble.) In a nutshell, they are simply longest iron with the equivalent fair- easier to hit because they cut through way metal or hybrid club. A possible the rough, extract balls that sit low in set make-up could be as follows: 4-9 the rough, get the ball airborne and irons, PW, SW, Lob Wedge (60º), 1, 3, 6 provide reasonable distance because of and 7 woods. Another could be 5-9 their lower center of gravity. They also irons, GW, SW, Driver, 3 wood, 20° (or make great clubs that are easier to hit 18º), 24°, 28° hybrids. Just some ideas from hardpan surfaces when an iron to think about. will not provide enough distance and or trajectory to get on the green. 2. Where do you play? What kind of golf course conditions do you Here is another area to consider usually find? This is a good regarding course conditions as we look time to think about the courses at chipping, pitching and sand shots you play and the type of shots from around the green from either the required. fairway, rough or bunkers. This takes a little thought to evaluate since it involves much of the wedge game.

36 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score The recommendation of a professional (See Section Eighteen— for the club fitter or your home golf profes- definition of “Bounce”) sional if they are different can really • If you play out of coarse sand or help here. Questions to ask yourself: harder bunkers with lips you may need a normal width sole sand • Are the greens elevated or flat with wedge with average to less sole the fairway? bounce. Sometimes a pitching • Are there bunkers? A lot? What wedge will also work well here. type of sand, hard, lots of gravel, or soft? Usually raked or loosened? Remember, it is quite possible if you Higher cut lips, no lips or over- analyze your rounds of golf (and you hanging lips? should) that you hit the most shots • Is the grass low, high or uncut with your putter, next all your wedges around the greens? Do they have combined, followed by your driver. one, two or three cuts from the The point here is to evaluate your green surface to the rough? wedge play and course conditions to help you and your club fitter deter- Here is what this means: mine which wedges you should carry. • You usually can’t run the ball onto elevated greens. This usually The best set make-up for you can make requires a wedge shot or higher a big difference in how well you score lofted iron. and can definitely improve your confidence level. • If the elevated green has bunkers you may need a higher lofted, NOTES: higher spin, 60º wedge to hit the ball over the bunker and be able to stop it. • If the cuts around the green put you into fairly deep grass three feet off the green, then your 8 iron is probably useless requiring a wedge chip. • If you play out of well raked fine sand traps with lips you will need a fairly wide sole or higher bounce sand wedge to keep from digging.

37 Section Three

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN The Takeaway AN AVERAGE GOLFER CLUBHEAD LAGS HITS A DRIVE? BEHIND SHAFT CAUSED BY The Facts about Shaft Flexing, CLUBHEAD’S Clubhead Position, Impact and RESISTANCE TO INITIAL MOVEMENT Ball Flight Very few golfers realize exactly what happens when they step up on the tee, pull out their driver and hit the golf FIG. 3-1 ball down the fairway. It is interesting not immediately follow because its to look at a few more common actions total mass (weight) is at rest and re- and reactions of the hit because it sists being put into motion. This resist- shows how little control a golfer has ance causes the shaft to bend or flex over the shot once a certain point on slightly resulting in the head lagging the downswing is passed. After reading behind the shaft. See Figure 3-1. The this section you should be able to ap- head remains in a following or lagging preciate the many variables of golf position through the remainder of club design and fitting to better under- the backswing. stand how they relate to performance. The Downswing After reading this information be sure The clubhead will now reverse its to watch some of the high speed swing direction at the very top of the back- sequences that are now being shown swing as soon as the golfer begins by some of the major networks during the downswing. The clubhead mass their golf tournament telecasts. Instead (weight) again resists movement of listening to their often incorrect causing the shaft to flex in the opposite analysis relating to impact footage, direction of the takeaway, thus leaving simply look closely at the shaft bend- the clubhead again in a lagging posi- ing and clubhead movement during all tion or following behind the bending phases of the swing sequence. You will shaft on the downswing. However, be looking at things that the average because the clubhead is out on the viewer will miss. end of the shaft during the downward acceleration, it accelerates more The Backswing quickly and is going faster than any The logical starting place to begin is other point along the shaft, thus caus- with the backswing. As the golfer ing the clubhead to catch up with the begins his takeaway, the clubhead does shaft and pass ahead of it. Now the

38 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Just Before Impact The Downswing

CENTRIFUGAL FORCE NORMAL LIE FLATTENED LIE

THE CLUBHEAD IS LEADING THE SHAFT CAUSING THE CLUB FACE ANGLE TO CLOSE AND THE LOFT ANGLE TO INCREASE. CENTER OF GRAVITY FIG. 3-2 FIG. 3-3 clubhead is not lagging the shaft, but Before impact takes place there are rather leading ahead of the flexed shaft four major specification changes that as it approaches impact with the golf occur due to shaft flexing. First, be- ball. See Figure 3-2. cause the head is leading the shaft, the flexing forward causes the club face to The fact that the clubhead is leading hook (close) slightly. Each 1" of shaft the shaft before and up to impact flexing causes the face to close (hook) shows that the clubhead is more or less approximately 2 degrees. a free wheeling object. Its total stored up energy to be applied to the golf ball Second, the loft actually increases at impact is almost solely dependent on due to this same shaft flexing. Again, the clubhead mass itself and its veloc- refer to Figure 3-2. ity. More specifically, E (energy applied to ball) = ½ M (clubhead mass) x Third, as already discussed, the shaft V² (clubhead velocity squared). is flexed so as to have the clubhead leading it, but it is also flexing in an- The shaft also has a very important other plane causing the lie of the golf role to play. It’s job is to bring the club- club to flatten slightly. This happens head into impact exactly the same because the center of mass or center of every time a golfer swings. The wrong gravity of the clubhead is not in line shaft for a golfer with a specific swing with the centerline or axis of the shaft. will not accomplish this. This is why Therefore, during the downswing the proper fitting is so important in select- centrifugal force acts through the cen- ing the correct shaft flexing and twist- ter of gravity of the clubhead causing ing properties. the shaft to bend downward resulting

39 Just Before Impact Duraction Of Impact/Ball & 90 TO Club face 100 MPH HEAD SPEED

3/4" TO 1" CLUBHEAD 5 TRAVEL, /10,000 SEC.

FIG. 3-4 flattening of the lie, usually one degree to 2 degrees maximum depending mostly on the shaft flex and head speed. See Figure 3-3. FIG. 3-5 estimated at 105 MPH. In tests con- Fourth, because of all the shaft ducted with junior girls (10-12 years flexing in various directions, the old) using a 38½" driver, clubhead golf club’s length actually shortens. speeds ranged from 35 MPH to 65 MPH A driver’s length would shorten by with the average being around 50 approximately 1/4". MPH.

The elapsed time from the very top of Impact the backswing to just before impact The total duration of impact from the with the golf ball takes approximately time the clubhead first contacts the 1/5 of a second. During this short time ball until the ball leaves the club face an average male golfer will generate a takes only 5/10,000 of a second. During head speed of approximately 90 to 100 this time the clubhead travels a total MPH. See Figure 3-4. Men touring pro- distance of ¾" to 1". See Figure 3-5. fessionals range from approximately 115 to 135 MPH with the average DEPENDING ON BALL around 124 MPH. A touring pro who CONSTRUCTION AND COMPRESSION, could swing a driver 132 MPH would AT 75° BALL CLUBHEAD send the ball off at approximately 177 TEMPERATURE, APPLIES APPROX. THE CLUB FACE 1 TON OF FORCE MPH and the resultant carry would be COMPRESSES THE TO THE BALL BALL 15 TO AT IMPACT about 280 yards. 30% OF ITS ORIGINAL DIAMETER Women tour pros range from 85 MPH to over 120 MPH. The average would be FIG. 3-6

40 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score 9,000 TO 13,000 RPM BACKSPIN 1,500 TO 3,000 RPM BACKSPIN

#9 Iron Driver FIG. 3-7 The maximum force (energy applied to stead of leading the shaft as it was the ball) at impact approaches 2,000 when approaching impact. pounds, or one ton and causes the club face to compress the golf ball 15% During any golf shot, the golfer gets a to 30% of its original diameter. See certain sensation of feel at the exact Figure 3-6. moment the club face strikes the ball. Right? Wrong! The golfer does in fact During impact of club face and ball, the feel the hit, but because of the time clubhead speed slows to approximately required for the impact to travel 82 MPH and the ball leaves the club through the clubhead, up the shaft, face at about 135 MPH, spinning back- into the golfer’s hands and register wards between 1,500 and 3,000 revo- with the brain, the golf ball is already lutions per minute with a driver. See 10" to 12" from the club face and in Figure 3-7. The collision of club face flight. So the golfer does not feel the hit and ball has now caused the shaft to when it actually takes place; rather it flex backwards so that once again the is felt when it has already left the club clubhead is lagging behind the shaft in- face. See Figure 3-8.

In addition the centrifugal force ex- erted downward and pulling on the golfer’s hands at impact is the equivalent of 40 to 60 pounds. See Figure 3-9 on the next page.

GOLF BALL TRAVELS 10" TO 12" Another interesting fact of impact is BEFORE GOLFER FEELS IMPACT that the direction the ball initially FIG. 3-8 travels is a result of two factors, the

41 slowed down the clubhead enough to allow the shaft to catch up and flex in the opposite direction. Now during the follow-through up to the point where the clubhead reaches approximately waist high; the clubhead alternately leads ahead of and lags behind the shaft as it flexes. From the time of impact to the waist high position, this occurs at least three times. It can be assumed that this constant flexing of the shaft causing alternating positions of the clubhead from impact into the follow-through is one of the more important factors which determine the feel of a shot. Because the word “feel” as a golfer utilizes it is so vague; it is impos- CENTRIFUGAL FORCE sible to segment and understand all the factors that determine it. However,

40 TO after reading this section it should be 60 LBS. PULL easier to understand some of the more FIG. 3-9 meaningful variables which must con- tribute to feel and also the success of club face angle at impact and the the shot. clubhead path. The face angle,

however, is the more important Golf Ball Flight Characteristics influencing factor of the two. See Take a look at Figure 3-11 and it will Figure 3-10. Also see Section Seven, show you what makes a golf ball fly “Ball Direction and Curve (Club face and why it stays in the air. Angle and Clubhead Path)”.

The Follow-Through CLUBHEAD PATH Thus far during the swing, the club- BALL FLIGHT DIR head has been alternately lagging be- ECTION hind and leading the shaft as it flexed. CLUB FACE ALIGNMENT (ANGLE) As was mentioned, the clubhead has assumed a lagging position as a result

of the impact with the ball which FIG. 3-10

42 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Golf Ball Flight Principles

FIG. 3-11 Golf ball aerodynamics and physics the ball, the dimples trap air into them that are used today to design golf ball and drag more of the air up and over performance characteristics are far the top of the ball than passes under- more technical than I could possibly neath the ball. This creates a low- understand. The basics of golf ball pressure area on top of the ball. Low flight, however, will always be the pressure on top of something (like an same and is not all that complicated to airplane wing) creates lift. As the ball understand. The golf ball will always is spinning through the air at a certain be round, it will always have some forward speed, a low-pressure area is kind of dimples or bumps, it will be formed behind the ball that introduces launched with spin and it will fly a drag component. While all this is through the air. going on, the earth’s center of gravity is pulling down on the ball because it Here is what happens from impact on: has a weight component. Once the ball is impacted, it is deformed somewhat. When it leaves the The weight of the ball is pulling it to club face in a deformed state, it is dif- earth; the lift, drag and air around the ferent aerodynamically until it regains ball create friction that wants to slow its perfectly round shape. Once it is down its spin rate and also its forward round, moving in a forward direction speed. All three of these components of and spinning backward (back spin), it lift, drag and weight coupled with the assumes its normal aerodynamic prop- ball’s spin rate and initial velocity, cre- erties. As air smashes into the front of ate the trajectory or shape of the ball’s

43 Section Four

UNDERSTANDING THE GOLF Also a 9 iron shot has a far greater ball BALL “FLYER” EFFECT AND spin rate than a 3 iron hit so the reduc- WHAT CAUSES IT tion in spin rate on a 9 iron flyer shot is proportionately greater than a 3 A “flyer” occurs when the golf ball iron. Bottom line: The short irons on slides up the club face at impact. Nor- average for a normal golfer will mal shots occur from a dry impact generate about 8-12 additional yards which creates adequate friction be- from a flyer, the middle irons 4-8 addi- tween the club face and the ball. This tional yards from a flyer and the long friction eliminates or greatly reduces irons 2-4 additional yards. Fairway the ball’s tendency to slide up the club metals average about 3-6 additional face. See Figure 4-1. So, when the face of yards from flyers. It is impossible to the clubhead or the golf ball is lubri- accurately predict the actual flyer cated in some manner (water, grass, effect on additional distance because of etc.) a flyer will usually occur. This is all the variables of swing speed, why we have a tendency to hit flyers lubricant amount and type, face groove when the fairway grass is wet or damp specifications, loft angle, ball type and or we are in the rough and during im- so on. The yardages I just gave are ball pact some grass and/or moisture is park and most importantly allow you squished between the club face and ball. to plan better in guessing what will

happen when playing in wet condi- Here is what happens: When a golf ball tions or when grass is trapped between slides up the club face at impact it will the club face and ball. usually launch at a higher trajectory with less backspin. The higher trajectory coupled with the reduced drag NOTES: 1. AS THE BALL FLATTENS ON THE CLUB FACE, FRICTION from less ball spin will in turn create INCREASES BECAUSE THE IMPACT FORCE INCREASES. less ball friction through the air, which 2. THE AMOUNT results in a longer ball carry. So, flyers OF FRICTION IS DETERMINED BY: fly longer but with reduced backspin • DRY OR LUBRICATED so they have less “bite” when they FACE • SURFACE land. Now, here is another important ROUGHNESS OF FACE part of this for the golfer to under- • GROOVE SHAPE stand: The greater the loft a club has • LOFT ANGLE • FORCE PATH the greater the flyer effect. In other OF THE GROUND LINE FRICTION CLUBHEAD FORCE words, a 9 iron with a steep loft angle is more likely to have a ball slide farther The Friction Component During Impact up the face than a less lofted 3 iron. FIG. 4-1

44 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Section Five

DEFINING FEEL heads in the higher playability categories. It just so happens that these First of all, there are many opinions type clubheads are the easiest to hit about the definition of feel. My defini- solid more of the time. Clubhead de- tion of feel correlates directly to signs that are harder to hit (higher cen- Maltby Playability Factor (MPF). ters of gravity and smaller horizontal See page 100 for an explanation of sweet spots), are usually harder to hit MPF. Basically, when a golfer strikes a consistently solid. So, the skill level of golf ball it either feels good or it feels the player is quite important in deter- bad. Sometimes the feeling is in-be- mining just how good or bad a certain tween good and bad. When we say that design clubhead will feel. Obviously, we hit the ball good, most of us are say- the average golfer (actually all golfers) ing that we hit the ball solid. When we will get more consistently better feel say we hit it bad, it could be the result from higher MPF clubhead designs. of a hit low on the face of the club or out toward the toe or even into the A final point: Feel can be influenced by heel. These are usually poor feeling sound. Various clubhead designs along shots and most golfers would probably with varying impact locations can pro- say that the shot did not feel solid. duce different sounds. Each individual

has their own opinion on what the Whether a shot feels solid or good is sounds represent, but they are a factor simply defined as a shot that is hit to consider. Try this experiment. Put a within the club’s horizontal sweet spot set of foam ear plugs deeply into your and the center of gravity of the club- ears. Top this off with a set of ear head is driven below that of the golf muffs. Now, either strike a few putts or ball’s center of gravity. So, it can be hit some balls on the range. You will said that the lower the center of experience a completely different kind gravity in the clubhead (easier to get it of feel. Everything I said above is still under the balls c.g.) and the bigger the true about the good and the bad hits, horizontal sweet spot on the face but your perception as to how you (wider hitting area for solid shots), the evaluate this is very different. As a more solid shots that will be hit more matter of fact, it will drive you crazy to of the time. hit balls in this manner because the

sense of sound is very much a part of MPF basically defines this by putting feel and to play good golf you definitely lower center of gravity clubheads and need all your senses. wider horizontal hitting area club

45 Section Six

BALL DIRECTION AND CURVE There are a number of variables in the (CLUB FACE ANGLE VS golf club and also in your swing which CLUBHEAD PATH) create the nine ball flight possibilities above. The club fitter can recommend custom features to adjust your ball FACT: When you hit a golf ball, it is flight but you also need to understand going to fly in some direction and may that a consistent and proper club face or may not be curving right or left. angle and clubhead path at impact is It would be good to define how this achieved through swing instruction happens and understand what the and/or practice. Of course, a good un- determining factors are. Knowing this derstanding of path and face angle will can help us to play better but also to make it much easier for you to work out understand how to actually work your problems on the practice tee or to (curve right or left) the golf ball. Take fully maximize a golf swing lesson. a look at Figure 6-1 which shows the nine basic ball flight possibilities. Can Look at Figure 6-2 for a visual you pick out the one or possibly two explanation of how club face angle that most applies to your game? and clubhead path affect ball flight direction. Just from looking at this

8 The Nine Ball Flight Possibilites

2 1 3

5 FLIGHT PATTERN KEY 1 STRAIGHT 7 2 STARTS LEFT – CURVES RIGHT (FADE) 3 STARTS RIGHT – CURVES LEFT (DRAW) CLUB FACE ANGLE TO PATH KEY 4 STARTS STRAIGHT – CURVES LEFT (DRAW/HOOK) 1, 6 & 7 CLUB FACE SQUARE TO PATH 5 STARTS STRAIGHT – CURVES RIGHT (FADE/SLICE) 2, 5, & 9 THE 3 6 STARTS LEFT – FLIES STRAIGHT (PULL) 9 CLUB FACE OPEN TO PATH CONDITIONS

7 STARTS RIGHT – FLIES STRAIGHT (PUSH) AT IMPACT 8 STARTS LEFT – CURVES LEFT (HOOK) 3, 4 & 8 CLUB FACE CLOSED TO PATH 9 STARTS RIGHT – CURVES RIGHT (SLICE) FIG. 6-1

46 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score CLUBHEAD PATH CLUBHEAD PATH BALL FLIGHT BALL FLIGHT DIRECTION DIRECTION CLUB FACE ANGLE CLUB FACE ANGLE

SLIGHT DRAW LEFT MEANS HOOKING CURVE LEFT MEANS CLUB FACE ANGLE IS SLIGHTLY SLIGHT CLUB FACE ANGLE IS FARTHER LEFT OF INITIAL BALL FLIGHT AMOUNT LEFT OF INITIAL BALL FLIGHT INCREASED DIRECTION (CLUB FACE IS OF BALL DIRECTION (CLUB FACE VERY AMOUNT SIDESPIN OF BALL CLOSED TO PATH) SIMILAR TO CLOSED TO PATH) SIMILAR TO SIDESPIN FLIGHT PATTERN KEY #3 IN FLIGHT PATTERN KEY #4 IN FIG. 6-1 FIG. 6-1 Club face Angle vs. Clubhead Path on Ball Flight FIG. 6-2 drawing you could probably sketch out hooking or slicing sidespin). The the remaining seven ball flight pattern result of this is actually referred to as keys shown in Figure 6-1. “working the ball”. Whenever you hear someone talking about working Here is a more detailed description of the ball, you need to know that it is al- Figure 6-2 which shows two examples ways a result of the golfers’ manipula- of club face angle to clubhead path and tion of the clubhead’s face angle and the resultant initial ball direction and path at impact. However, when you its curving flight path. Assume here read about it in the manufacturer’s ad- that the ball is struck in the center of vertising, it is always a function of how the face so we do not introduce other they positioned the clubhead’s center variables affecting directional control of gravity. Fact: center of gravity loca- into the discussion (namely moment of tion (either closer to the heel or farther inertia and center of gravity). Notice in toward the toe) has very little to do both illustrations that the club face with the golfer’s ability to more easily angle is square to the target at impact work the ball. I have proven this with but the clubhead path is rather severe touring professionals using test clubs from inside to outside in one and not built to both extremes in center of so severe in the other. Keep in mind gravity location and the tour pros can that whenever an angle or a difference “work” the ball just fine in either case. exists between club face angle and This is simply perpetuated by manu- clubhead path at impact (in other facturers who believe the center of words they are not the same and the gravity should be positioned closer to angle is not 0°), a sideways ball spin the shaft centerline of the club to sup- component will occur (either with port their 20 year old design philoso-

47 The drawing in Figure 6-2 shows a compared to the identical club face large angle difference between the angle and clubhead path angles in a clubhead path and the club face angle; less lofted golf club such as a driver. hence a lot of counterclockwise hook- Case in point: How many of us can ing sidespin is applied to the ball. Here severely hook or slice a 8 or 9 iron, but is a more detailed explanation of what how about a driver or a long iron? is happening in this drawing. First of all, the initial ball flight direction is Next, we are going to do a fun test to right of target. Notice that the ball’s demonstrate club face angle and direction does not equally divide the clubhead path. Get a tube or a jar of angle between club face angle and path petroleum jelly. Take your driver and direction; but rather it favors the club apply a thin coating of this stuff to the face angle. The reason for this is the face. See Figure 6-3. This is a good time club face angle is a more important to point out that intentionally applying influencing factor than the clubhead’s a lubricant to the club face is illegal path regarding initial ball direction according to the U.S.G.A. rules. only. If a percentage could be applied to this, the club face angle would be OK, let’s hit some shots with the about 60% to 70% cause of initial ball driver. Spread the grease around direction and clubhead path the re- and/or add more after each hit. Hit ap- maining 30% to 40%. The resultant ball proximately ten drives. Notice any- spin in this example is a very severe thing different? You will not be able to hooking sidespin. Since the driver usually only generates 1/4 to 1/5 as much backspin as a 9 iron, the hooking sidespin component on this driver shot would U.S.G.A. RULE: comprise a much larger percentage of GREASING 4-3 Club face & the total amount of backspin revolu- UP THE BALL 5-2 Ball tions versus if the same shot occurred AND/OR on a 9 iron. The sidespin applied to the CLUB FACE “Foreign Mate- rial Prohibited” 9 iron would represent a much smaller percentage when compared to the total Penalty: backspin revolutions, thus resulting Disqualification in a less severe hooking tendency. Remember, the greater the backspin (caused by a greater amount of loft)‚ the straighter the ball will fly when FIG. 6-3

48 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score curve the ball, no slicing and no hook- driver face and you can’t locate the ing. The ball can still be hit crooked special illegal tees you can tee the ball but it will fly in a straight line crooked. up in a paper cup. Set a paper cup Why? Because a slippery substance be- upright on the ground and push a tee tween the club face and the ball elimi- down through it. Put a ball in the cup nates the clubhead path’s influence on and hit it full force with your driver. golf ball sidespins (hooking and slic- Once again, you will have no hooking, ing) and relies mostly on club face no slicing, only a straight shot. It may angle at impact to determine ball direc- be a crooked straight shot but it will tion. This really works and that is why not curve. Also you will not see any it is illegal. As a matter of fact, placing distance loss from blasting it through almost anything between the club face the side of the cup. If you have the and ball will have exactly the same ef- right type of friend, make a bet that fect. you can win a match. To handicap yourself (and be a nice guy) you will Here are two more examples: hit every drive from inside a paper There are special illegal tees that are cup. He’ll never realize that you wind sold with backs on them so the club up and smash your drive and don’t face at impact hits the tee and the tee worry about any hooking or slicing. hits the ball. See Figure 6-4. However, line up the face angle well enough to at least hit every fairway. If you don’t want to grease up your Finally, some club fitters will use the special tee shown in Figure 6-4 to The U.S.G.A. says, “Foreign material shall not be applied to the ball confirm where your club face angle is and/or club face.” at impact. In this manner they can separate club face angle from clubhead path to more easily isolate any possible directional control problems and Ordinary whether or not they are swing or Paper Cup (8 or 9oz.) equipment related. size works well)

SPECIAL TEE SOFT DRINK CUP WITH WITH BUILT-IN BALL TEED THROUGH BACK BOTTOM

FIG. 6-4

49 Section Seven

UNDERSTANDING MOMENT OF In this photo we are measuring INERTIA (MOI) moment of inertia through the The best way to understand Moment of horizontal center of gravity plane, Inertia (M.O.I.) and the best way to ex- thus the clubhead is mounted on the plain M.O.I. is to demonstrate it. I have horizontal center of gravity. If we taken a series of photos which explain wanted to know the vertical center of how to do this. First, keep in mind that gravity we would mount the clubhead M.O.I. is a measurement that deter- on its toe with the mounting point mines the resistance of clubhead rota- projecting through the vertical center tion on off center (off horizontal center of gravity. Actually we can make of gravity) hits. M.O.I. has very little M.O.I. measurements on any clubhead effect on exact horizontal center of axis we desire as long as the mounting gravity hits. point on the M.O.I. machine projects through the center of gravity plane. Figure 7-1 This is a very sophisticated Moment of Inertia machine made by In- The horizontal M.O.I. is the only axis ertia Dynamics which is a division of on which the U.S.G.A. has a limitation. Rockwell International. This is the It is by far the most important in ex- same unit that Nike and the U.S.G.A plaining playability differences from use plus a number of other major golf one club to another. The manufactur- club manufacturers. It is interesting to ers use other M.O.I axes (mostly verti- note that The GolfWorks was one of the cal) in their advertising when making very first companies to buy and use claims but these are more minor and this machine. We have had it since difficult to put into actual playability 1995. differences that a golfer would detect.

It works by Figure 7-2 This photo shows two ob- mounting any jects that look like dumbbells. Each object on the one is the same exact total weight and spindle mak- also the individual components are the ing sure that exact same weight. The only difference the centerline is that one has the weights positioned of the spindle toward the middle of the rod and the projects other has the weights positioned out through the onto the ends of the rod. MOMENT OF INERTIA object’s center of gravity. FIG. 7-1

50 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Let’s assume that these two dumbbells BOTH DUMBBELLS ARE THE SAME are actually putters. You could basi- WEIGHT cally impact the ball on the high M.O.I. putter almost anywhere on the face and hardly feel any twisting of the clubhead. The putt would also feel solid and would roll almost the same Dumbbells distance as a center face hit. A high M.O.I. clubhead (any club in the bag) FIG. 7-2 will produce much more energy to the Figure 7-3 The dumbbell with ball on any off center of gravity hit vs. the weights toward the inside is a a low M.O.I clubhead. If you struck a low M.O.I weight distribution and putt off center of gravity with the low measures 15.025 oz–in² (ounce M.O.I. putter in our example, the putt inches squared). would feel unsolid, the putter head would rotate at impact and the ball 15.025 OZ-IN2 95.696 OZ-IN2 would come up far short of the hole.

Figure 7-5 You can easily demonstrate high and low M.O.I. to your customers by using any two wedges or putters. Actually, any other golf club will Low M.O.I. High M.O.I. work, but their lengths are quite long FIG. 7-3 FIG. 7-4 and make the demonstration more cumbersome.

Figure 7-4 The dumbbell with the weights Low M.O.I. toward the outside is a Demonstration high M.O.I. weight distribution and measures 95.696 oz-in². Note that this dumbbell’s weight HEADS distribution produces TOWARD an M.O.I. that is over 6 INSIDE times greater than the dumbbell in Figure 7-3. FIG. 7-5

51 Using one hand, grasp the two clubs with the High M.O.I. heads toward the Demonstration middle. This is a low M.O.I. demonstration. Simply rotate the two clubs like an airplane HEADS TOWARD propeller, but only OUTSIDE rotate them approxi- 1 mately /3 revolution clockwise and then 1 /3 revolution counterclockwise and keep repeating a few times. Notice that the clubs rotate rather effort- FIG. 7-6

lessly and you can rotate them quite fast. NOTES:

Figure 7-6 Next, reverse the clubs and

grasp them with the heads toward

the outside. You now have the grips overlapped in your hand. Next, rotate the clubs as before. Note that this is now very difficult to do as the M.O.I. is very high because the clubhead weight is on the very outside vs. the inside. This configuration greatly resists rotation in the opposite direction. Every time you go from clockwise rotation to counterclockwise rotation it feels as if you will never get both clubs stopped. Also remember to point out that you have not changed the total weight of the two clubs, only the weight distribution of the two clubs, which also changed the M.O.I.

52 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Section Eight

HOW MOMENT OF INERTIA History (MOI) AFFECTS DRIVER The first modern metal headed drivers PLAYABILITY (stainless steel) were introduced by TaylorMade toward the end of the 1979 Two of the U.S.G.A. limitations on model year. The very successful Tour driver heads are the size and also the Burner was introduced in 1983 and was M.O.I. The maximum driver head size a whopping 140 c.c. driver head size is 460 c.c. plus a 10 c.c. tolerance mak- (persimmon at the time was over ing the absolute maximum legal size 200 c.c.). See Figure 8-1. Callaway for 470 c.c. The term c.c. stands for cubic example introduced their first stain- centimeters. The maximum allowable less steel metal driver head in 1988 in a driver head M.O.I. is 5900 g-cm² plus a Bobby Jones model. The first Big tolerance of 100 g-cm² making the ab- Bertha was first introduced in 1991. solute maximum driver head M.O.I. 6000 g-cm². The term g-cm² stands for 140 c.c. DRIVER grams per centimeter squared. (CIRCA 1983)

Regarding M.O.I. some confusion can exist because the numbers used to ex- press it in our industry can be in different units. In other words, the Maltby Playability Factor for irons uses oz-in² (ounce/inches squared). Bobby Grace 460 c.c. DRIVER putters and some others use kg-m² (MODERN) (kilograms per meter squared). A number of golf club manufacturers use g- Head Size Comparison cm² (grams per centimeter squared) as FIG. 8-1 already discussed. The M.O.I. machine that is used in my Golf Club Design Head sizes in the early 1980’s started Studio can provide M.O.I. readings in off smaller than their persimmon coun- 13 different unit formats. The point is terparts and then gradually be- that a simple conversion factor can be came similar in size and then bigger in applied to each format to convert di- size. Stainless steel as a material had rectly and accurately to any other for- limitations in making larger driver mat so they all basically mean the head sizes because it simply was not same thing. strong enough to keep the faces from caving in when size was increased beyond its strength limits. New exotic

53 driver head materials utilizing tita- limitation and the U.S.G.A relaxed nium and graphite and unique head it to a maximum allowable limit of manufacturing methods started the 5900 g-cm². According to Dick Rugge, high tech revolution during the mid senior technical director for the 1990’s. This allowed designers to make U.S.G.A.; the limit was raised because heads bigger and with higher C.O.R.’s the difference would mean little for (coefficient of restitution or spring face golfers in increased performance. designs). It is interesting to note here Rugge also said that if you were going that as the heads became larger in c.c. from 2000 to 3000 g-cm² it would be size the M.O.I.’s also became greater as huge but at the higher level going a result. However, the earlier advertis- from 4750 to 5900 g-cm² it would have ing did not tout higher M.O.I.’s but con- a much lesser effect. I agree with centrated mostly on the spring face his assessment. effect (C.O.R.) which was the hot trend at the time. My research and study shows that with current technology and the Modern Day Drivers U.S.G.A. rules limits; it would be very The M.O.I. measurement for modern difficult to achieve M.O.I.’s higher day drivers is a function of five basic than 5400 g-cm². Achieving the mass and dimensional properties; the U.S.G.A. limit of 5900 g-cm² would head’s size, material, shape, weight require new head manufacturing and center of gravity location. Since technology and/or new head materials the head size is limited by the U.S.G.A. to be developed. and the head weight is dictated by the swingweight we desire; this leaves Shape is one of the clubhead design shape, materials, and center of gravity variables left for the manufacturers to location as the easiest variables to use to alter the center of gravity significantly modify to achieve higher and/or the M.O.I. The U.S.G.A has driver M.O.I. taken away the easiest way to effectively increase M.O.I. by increasing We have measured the horizontal the clubhead size. The manufacturers M.O.I. of many 450 to 460 c.c. drivers in shape changes coupled with driver the Golf Club Design Studio and we head size limitations can only add have found that they basically range marginally to the current range of from 4300 to 5200 g-cm². The U.S.G.A. driver M.O.I. In my opinion, this puts initially proposed a limit on M.O.I. in the new non traditional driver shapes 2005 of 4750 g-cm² but the manufactur- more into the hot trend category vs. ers voiced strong opinions about this significant increased technology to

54 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score benefit golfers. This is also saying that immediately notice the benefits in an there is nothing wrong with the new easier to hit driver with increased non-traditional driver shapes. Be distance. This obviously makes selling sure to actually hit these new shaped and fitting clubs easier because we can drivers before buying and always almost guarantee game improvement take along your current driver for an and a better golfing experience. accurate comparison. The high M.O.I. on modern drivers Be aware the U.S.G.A. limit on M.O.I. is doesn’t mean much if you have the only based on the M.O.I. measurement ability to hit the ball every time on in the horizontal plane (heel to toe) of the head’s exact horizontal center of the clubhead. Some of the manufactur- gravity location. However, any mis- ers are also modifying the M.O.I. in hits away from the center of gravity other clubhead planes and claiming ad- (so-called sweet spot) will feel much vantages. One of these is referred to as more solid, lose less distance and go vertical plane M.O.I. (face to rear). straighter. The reason for this is that Some even make claims by measuring the higher M.O.I on larger headed M.O.I. around the hosel bore centerline. drivers better resists the clubhead At this time I cannot substantiate or wanting to rotate on off center hits vs. deny their claims but I can tell you that lower M.O.I. driver heads. This club- I personally use the driver’s horizontal head rotation occurs around the hori- plane M.O.I coupled with the club- zontal center of gravity whenever the head’s rearward center of gravity loca- ball is not struck perfectly and results tion as two of the more important in less force (distance) applied to the variables (mass and dimensional prop- golf ball. Modern large headed drivers erties) in evaluating driver perform- with higher M.O.I.’s simply have less ance. rotation on off center hits resulting in less distance loss. It can be said that The Bottom Line for the Golfer they also have much larger sweet spots This is a great time for any golfer to than lower M.O.I. driver heads. move up to the current 460 c.c. or so drivers and get rid of their older Couple all this with much higher smaller headed driver. The reason is to C.O.R.’s, increased vertical gear effect, take advantage of the highest technol- more rearward centers of gravity and ogy available today which translates the improved flight characteristics of into the easiest to hit and straightest modern golf ball designs and you have hitting drivers ever made. Any golfer the reason why modern large headed moving up to this technology should drivers hit the ball so much longer and

55 See “What is C.O.R.?” As long as the NOTES: U.S.G.A. keeps the current limits on driver head size and most major golf club manufacturers keep building drivers to a very high moment of inertia; most all the current top grade driver heads should all perform exceptionally well.

WHAT IS C.O.R.? C.O.R. stands for Coefficient Of Restitution. This is a measurement of the spring face effect or how much help the driver’s flexing face increases ball speed at impact. The U.S.G.A. changed its measuring method a few years back to “Characteristic Time” (C.T.) vs. the C.O.R. method they originally started with. The U.S.G.A. limit on C.T. is 239 with a tolerance of 18 for a total C.T. of 257.

It is very important to get correctly fit to the best driver shaft, loft, length, grip size and swingweight. Don’t forget to get a ball fitting on the launch monitor and also to remember that the ball must be teed higher for best trajectory because the vertical center of gravity location on most large headed drivers is actually above the vertical centerline of the face.

56 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Section Nine

PUTTER FITTING VARIABLES – inside of your elbows should just be HOW TO PUTT BETTER brushing your clothing). The ball is ap- & PUTTER TIPS proximately positioned off the left heel. The stroke is a pendulum motion using

the shoulders as a pivot point (no wrist Understanding the 5 Putter Fitting break) which causes the putter head to Variables and How They Each Affect naturally swing slightly inside the line Distance and Control of the Putt on the back stroke to square at impact Putting is nothing more than to slightly inside the line on the follow consistent distance and directional through. Putter length is measured and control of the golf ball. This is easier to fitted with the golfer in this position. accomplish if you know the real facts about proper putter fitting. I have a Wherever you buy your putters, you method of explanation that makes this will find the putter rack filled with very easy to understand and then the standard length putters mostly next easy step is for you to go out and measuring 34" and 35" (men’s lengths). do something about it. When Sometimes you will find a few 33" discussing putter fitting, it is best to lengths. The problem is that very few break down each of the five important golfers actually fit into the 34" and 35" putter fitting variables and also lengths but this constitutes the bulk discuss each regarding its affect on of all putter sales. Take a look at many either distance control and/or of your golfing buddies and look to see directional control of the putt. if their left elbow is out and away

from their body and facing the target 1. Length during the putting stroke. This is Length equally affects both distance usually a sign of too long a putter for control and directional control of the the golfer or they are using the older putt and is very important regarding style of putting. consistency in putting. The correct putter length depends on the type put- Women’s putters are mostly made ting stroke you use. The most popular standard at 33" and the same informa- putting stroke today is when the golfer tion above applies to women. Both men is slightly bent over at the waist with and women golfers will almost always the knees slightly bent until the eyes (I would guess 80% to 90%) fit into are directly over the ball. The stance shorter length putters than those is square to the putt line and both arms offered by the manufacturers as are hanging down somewhat vertically standard. The average seems to be and directly under the shoulders (the about 33" for men. The most popular

57 putter lengths used on the PGA tour lengths of putts. See Figure 8-1. 3º to are from 33" to 33½" with a few players 4½º loft on a flat face putter (do not shorter and a few longer. Women will play with curved face putters) will be usually fit into 31" to 32½" putter the best way to accomplish this. If the lengths. When fitting putters, length loft is reduced to say 1º, it is not should always be the first fitting enough to get the ball out of its depres- variable determined. sion and it will bounce. If the loft is say 6º, the ball will be lofted too high which Ball reaction after impact with a putter will also cause it to bounce. In either case distance control is less consistent because we need the ball skidding and rolling with minimum bouncing.

Be wary of any putter manufacturer SKIDS 14% TO 20% OVERSPIN (ROLLS) OF DISTANCE 80% TO 86%OF DISTANCE who tells you that they have a putter FIG. 8-1 design that reduces or eliminates skid on a putt. They usually accomplish 2. Loft Angle this by simply reducing the loft, which Loft has a much greater affect on dis- in turn reduces the skid. Others claim tance control than directional control to do it by moving the center of gravity but does affect both. A putter needs loft and some by milling in fancy face to be able to putt with any consistency. lines. What you are looking for is con- Research shows the amount of loft at sistent skid and roll, not less or more impact needs to be between 3º and 4½º. and who says skid is bad anyway. So, Here’s why; on a green, when the ball pick a putter with 3º to 4½º loft, a flat comes to rest it settles down slightly face and as smooth a face as possible, into the grass. When you putt you do it’s as simple as that. not want to drive the ball through the grass to get it up on top but rather you 3. Lie Angle want to lift it out of its depression and Lie is almost all directional control in place it up on top of the grass. This putting and very little in distance eliminates the possibility of the ball control. Because a putter has loft, bouncing which is bad because it anytime the lie angle is not properly fit makes distance control more difficult. to the individual golfer the ball will not Next, a putt has initial skid and then it go in the direction your putter head is eventually goes into pure roll. We want pointing. Basically when the loft angle this skid and roll percentage to be as is tilted (lie angle not correct) and not consistent as possible through all parallel to the ground, another angle is

58 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score formed which we will call the misdi- See Figure 8-2. If all putters had 0º loft rection control angle. A good example this misdirection control angle would to explain this would be a golfer put- not even exist. However, we would ting with the toe sticking up in the air now have more difficulty in achieving at address. This would mean that the good distance control because of too lit- golfer is holding the putter too flat for tle loft. Fitting the proper lie angle on a the putter’s built in lie angle. Another putter is very important and should way to say this is that the putter’s lie not be overlooked. angle is too upright for the golfer and needs to be adjusted flatter in lie angle 4. Swingweight (Putter Head to fit properly. Assume the putter in Weight) question has 4º loft and is held 4º too Swingweight is used as a means to be flat in lie (toe up). Remember, when a sure that the putter’s head weight and golfer holds a putter too flat in lie (toe the putter’s length have the proper up), we refer to this as a putter which weight relationship between them. is too upright for the golfer. So, if the This characteristic is a major factor in toe is 4° up in the air we need to flatten distance control of the putt. It is also a the putter’s lie angle by 4° to properly significant factor in the directional fit the golfer. Because the 4º loft angle control of the putt. The golfer needs to is tilted it creates a small misdirection have enough weight in the head to control angle which points to the left. If achieve proper feel and balance of the we hit a 33 foot putt the ball would be putter. Too light and it is difficult to ob- pulled 1/4° or 13/4" left of our intended tain a smooth backstroke, follow line and would lip out and miss. through and distance control. Too heavy and it is very difficult to get any LEADING EDGE ONLY IS SQUARE TO TARGET kind of distance control, especially on

TARGET LOFT PLANE IS TILTED longer putts. Heavy putters are, how- 1/4° LEFT OF TARGET ever, very accurate on shorter length

33' PUTT, BALL putts where distance control is easier PULLED 1.73" LEFT to start with. A good swingweight range is between C-8 and D-8. If the putter is heavier than this is more OK (4° FLAT) TOE IS UP 66° LIE than if it is lighter. The problem with a number of putters currently in play is that they were built with the old How Improper Putter Lie Angle lighter head weights and many fall into Affects Directional Control the A-1 to C-6 range. FIG. 8-2

59 Ladies, if your putter was cut down to even today. These include terms like “ fit you and it is an older model; you a face balanced putter keeps the face may have a problem. A putter that is square at impact”, “the center of grav- too light is definitely a problem that ity of the head is in line with the cen- most men and women golfers do not terline of the shaft to resist rotation”, need. If you fall into this category, “use a light putter for fast greens”, check the swingweight on your putter. “use a heavier putter for slow greens”, If necessary, simply put lead tape on “this type player needs a blade putter”, the sole of the putter making sure to “this type player needs a mallet put- evenly cover the entire sole in layers ter”, “this type stroke is best with end until the correct weight is achieved. shafted putters”, “this type stroke is I like putting the tape on the sole be- best with center shafted putters” and cause it is not visible in the putting on and on. Don’t listen to this stuff as it position. A 5" long piece of ½" wide has no scientific basis whatsoever. lead tape equals 1 swingweight. Lead tape is available from The GolfWorks An important performance variable in and most stores selling golf equipment. the putter head design to consider Every golfer should have at least a when buying a putter is whether or not small roll of lead tape for weight you want the easier playability of a experimenting. The pros all do it. high moment of inertia (MOI) putter head design. High MOI putters are far 5. Proper Putter Head Design more forgiving on off-center impacts. This fitting variable splits itself in im- Here’s why: MOI is simply the meas- portance between distance control and urement of a putter head’s resistance directional control of the putt. Today we have the newer larger putter head shapes that claim high moments of inertia (MOI); but there are still many of the traditional putter shapes from which to choose. Putter shafts can be straight, single bend or double bend. The putter heads can be center shafted or end shafted. Much of this is personal choice regarding looks, feel and above

all feeling comfortable with your MOMENT OF INERTIA choice. Try not to pay too much attention to the long standing putter myths Measuring Putter Head M.O.I. which are still very much perpetuated FIG. 8-3

60 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score to rotation on off center hits. See Fig- nated and when anything touches it, a ure 8-3. The higher the MOI, the less visible permanent impression is the rotation and the lower the MOI the recorded. Use the special putter face easier the clubhead rotates. We do not impact decal or cut a piece of tape ap- hit every putt on the putter head’s proximately 3" long and stick it to the exact horizontal center of gravity, so putter face. Mark the center of the put- we almost always incur some putter ter face on the decal or tape or mark it head rotation (poorer directional con- where the putter line up mark is lo- trol). We also reduce the energy ap- cated on the putter head. Next, putt 5 plied to the ball on off center hits or 6 balls at a target twenty feet away. (poorer distance control) because of Notice that each putt leaves a multiple two variables; first, the twisting head ball dimple imprint on the tape. Take a reduces energy transfer from the put- fine tip Sharpie pen and mark the center face to the ball; and secondly, the ter of each impact after every hit. Fi- impact location was not exactly on the nally, with a ruler, measure the total putter head’s center of gravity which width range of the Sharpie pen marks also reduces energy transfer. Keep in (impacts) and also the vertical height mind this important fact: The longer range. Try this at different distances the putt’s length and the poorer the and you will learn quite a bit about the golfer, the larger the ball impact area consistency of your putting stroke. on the putter’s face. So, to correct this Note particularly if your impact loca- and make the impact area smaller and tions favor more toward the toe or heel get consistently closer to the putters area of the putter. This can be a bigger horizontal center of gravity, we can problem and you may want to visit a practice, we can use impact decals to PGA professional for advice or help. track our progress and we can consider a high or higher MOI putter head If you really want to get into under- design. Go to ralphmaltby.com for a standing all the performance variables listing of MOI’s for over 150 putter in putters, their playability differ- heads. ences, in-depth fitting of putters and actually seeing the high speed photog- If you would like to try a test of your raphy of the putter head and ball at im- own to see where you strike your pact; then you want to watch my 2 putts, do this: Obtain some putter im- hour DVD, Dynamic Putter Fitting. I pact decals from the GolfWorks or buy believe that anyone watching and ap- a roll of Labelon tape. This tape can plying this video to their own situation usually be found at office supply will improve their putting. I also have stores. Labelon tape is specially lami- a 20 minute less technical version DVD

61 putter using the variables described here titled, The Golfers Guide to Dy- PATH namic Putter Fitting. Too many golfers know too little about their equipment FACE ANGLE and they accept the playability of their current golf clubs not fully realizing Face Angle And how proper selection and fitting of golf Path Of Putter Head At Impact clubs can help them play better. FIG. 8-4 How to Putt Better in determining the initial ball The first thing to discuss in better direction but the face angle influences understanding how to putt better is to direction approximately four times explain a few facts about what happens more than the path. when a ball is putted. As we already pointed out, regardless of distance, There are as many ways to putt as ... the ball will initially skid and then well, you know. Here is something that skid-roll on the grass for approxi- has proven successful with a number mately 14% to 20% of the total putt of golfers. This isn’t a substitute for distance. The ball will then begin to taking a putting lesson from your golf roll with pure over spin the remaining professional; but if your putting hasn’t 80% to 86% of the total putt distance. been great lately, it just may be that Refer to Figure 8-1. you need to get back to basics.

The duration of impact (ball on club Here we go: Set up your address with face) is less than 4/10,000 of a second. your feet and shoulders square to the This, of course, varies depending on target. Your feet should be shoulder putter construction type and the mate- width apart or slightly less. Put an rial used on the face. equal amount of weight on each foot (50-50 balance) and bend your knees The direction the putted ball will just a little to relax your legs. Line the travel is dictated mostly by two vari- ball up even with your inside left heel. ables: 1. The path of the putter head at Hold the putter this way: Bend over impact slightly at the waist until your eyes are 2. The face angle of the putter head very close to directly over the ball (your eyes will actually be to the right at impact. See Figure 8-4 of the ball but still over the ball on the Both of these variables are important target line). See Figure 8-5. Let your

62 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score face either open or closed during the stroke. This is a big reason why we miss short simple putts. Golfer’s 2. Hold the putter like it is a Eyes breakable egg. Soft hands on the Should Be Directly putter allows for a fluid repeat- Over The able stroke. No one putts well Golf Ball On The with a death grip stroke while all Target the time saying, “Please let it get Line close” or “Please let it go in!” 3. Finally, use a slower and shorter backstroke, taking the putter naturally back and through. The slow, shorter backstroke forces you to accelerate the putter FIG. 8-5 through the ball vs. a decelerating arms hang naturally at your side with stroke. Accelerating strokes are your elbows and upper arms both much better at controlling the lightly touching your clothing. distance of the putt and maintaining accuracy. Next, grip the putter in this manner: Use either the overlap grip or reverse Here is a fun exercise as a follow up to overlap, preferably the latter and be the above discussion. It will tell you sure to do three things; the length of putter that fits you if you 1. Both hands must be neutral so use my putting method. We just talked they will not unduly influence the about gripping the putter. We need to putter’s face angle during the add in the proper ball position meas- stroke. Neutral means that if you ured out from your left foot (right hand grip the putter and then simply golfers, lefties use the right foot). Place open up each hand so that the the putter head on the ground off your back of the left hand and the front left inside heel with the heel portion of of the right hand are in the the putter 2" to 3" out from the toe of perfect clapping position or your shoe. Now position the ball in the perfectly square to the target. middle of the putter face or on its line This makes both hands parallel up mark. You should now be standing and neutral. If the hands are not over the putt in the proper posture square (neutral) to the target, they position and holding the putter. If you have a tendency to roll the putter placed your hands on the putter where

63 you are now probably choking down on the grip. My guess would be anywhere from 1" to 2" down. Your correct putter length would be at a point ½ above your left hand little finger. Re- member, the lie angle may still need to be determined and the other putter fitting variables, but you get the point.

If you are not happy with your putting give this method I just outlined a try or use certain parts of it. It may improve your putting. Also, be sure to actually try out any putter you are thinking about purchasing.

Fitting putters is easy and it is important. Your golf club fitting professional will gladly help you check out and possibly alter your present putter to make it fit properly or assist you in the proper fit of a new putter.

NOTES:

64 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Section Ten

HOW AND WHY WEDGES interact with the ground during the WORK swing. Unfortunately, most golfers think that if one sand wedge has The total playability of any wedge is a 10 degrees bounce and another one has combination of factors. The most im- 13 degrees bounce that the 13 degree portant factors are built into the head wedge will automatically perform as if itself. The design of the wedge’s sole in it had greater bounce. This may or may particular is a critical factor in how not be true. The reason for this is that a the wedge will play. The proper weight number of factors make up the real or range of the head for a given club “Effective Bounce” that ultimately de- length has importance, as does the loft termines the actual performance of the given the wedge’s specific purpose. sole as it goes through or glides on sand Finally, the proper number of wedges, or turf. This applies to full and partial their specifications and their specific shot making with any wedge. playability characteristics matched up and correctly fitted to the golfers wants There are basically four factors and needs also have great importance. that determine “Effective Bounce”. The wedge can be a miracle club that They are: reduces strokes; the problem is that The actual sole bounce angle some golfers are playing with wedges • (See Figure 10-1) that will never give them consistent • The width of the sole performance. Here is a new way to (See Figure 10-2) look at wedges and their characteris- • The sole radius front to back tics by simply learning what makes • The leading edge grind them work so they will work better for you. Since most all wedge shots re- THE LEADING EDGE quire that the sole of the club contact IS HIGHER THAN THE either turf or sand to work properly, TRAILING EDGE OF THE SOLE and it has already been mentioned that the sole design is a key factor regarding wedge playability; then this will be the main area for our discussion.

BOUNCE The Basic 4 Factors of Sole Design GROUND LINE ANGLE That Determine “Effective Bounce” The bounce angle built into the sole of SOLE LINE any wedge is not the single determining Definition Of Bounce Angle factor on how the club’s sole will FIG. 10-1

65 CONVENTIONAL WIDER VERY WIDE EXTREMELY WIDE

.750 1.25" 1.62" 2"

Range Of Wedge Sole Widths NOTE: SOLE BOUNCE ANGLES NOT FIG. 10-2 ILLUSTRATED FOR CLARITY Choosing the Best Wedges for You some special purpose wedges exist in Now that a basic understanding of the this category) for a wide range of shot soles “Effective Bounce” has been making. As I said, most of these discussed it is necessary to further wedges are excellent designs as long discuss how to determine what wedge as they are used properly by players works best for a given golfer. The bulk with adequate skills that can execute of all wedges manufactured today are consistent shots with them and who the so-called conventional wedge can also take advantage of the many designs. I refer to these as the copies of varied shots that they are capable copies of copies. Most are also very of performing. good wedges but the vast majority of them have very similar playing The next category of wedges is the characteristics. Almost every golf club wider, flatter radius sole wedges. They manufacturer has a series of this type may or may not be excessively wide; wedge in their line. This is the most but are wider than the conventional common wedge design and is used by wedge category. They range up to the most golfers including the finest special purpose wedges characterized players in the world. These wedges are by extremely wide, flatter radius soles characterized by conventional sole with reduced bounce angles but with widths, sole radiuses, sole bounce very high “effective bounce”. See angles and leading edge grinds. These Figure 10-2. All the wider sole wedges wedge types can mostly be categorized are usually designed to help the so- as general purpose wedges (although called average golfer become more

66 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score consistent and successful with their chipping conditions and will be very wedge play. These wedges are not de- easy to use successfully more of the signed to hit the flop shot with the face time (higher playability factor). The rolled open 15º or taking a full swing at conventional sole with a more rounded the ball. The very wide soles are played sole radius will work from harder or mostly with the face square to only packed sand conditions and tighter slightly open. The wider and very wide lies. The leading edge will stay down soles can be rolled opened a little more closer to the ground even if the leading for special shots but not nearly as open edge is raised by rolling the face open as the conventional width sole wedges to increase the loft. However, the lower which can play the most specialty the leading edge is to the ground; the shots but require the highest skill greater the chance of hitting the wedge level. fat. This type wedge would be less consistent and harder to use for the A few rules of thumb need to be dis- average golfer, but would work well for cussed to further help in understand- the golfer with a higher skill level. ing wedge playability. First are the effective sole width and the sole radius. The bounce angle designed into the These two features determine how sole is also a factor in determining the quickly the club face leading edge leading edge height. With all else raises off the ground when the club equal, the greater the bounce angle, the face is rolled open to increase the loft. higher the leading edge. Another factor The wider the effective sole width and is the club face leading edge radius. the flatter the sole radius; the quicker It does not affect leading edge height; the leading edge will raise up when the but it does affect the tendency of the club face is rolled open to increase the leading edge to dig more or dig less. loft. Conversely, the narrower the ef- The more rounded the leading edge, fective sole width and the more the less it wants to dig. The sharper rounded the sole radius will cause the the leading edge radius, the more it leading edge to raise less when the club has a tendency to dig. face is rolled open to increase the loft. This is an important feature to look at Here is another good rule of thumb to regarding the intended use of the use: If a golfer has special problems wedge and the conditions it is used consistently getting out of the sand under. The wider, flatter sole wedges and/or has the problem of hitting fat in the square hit position or face rolled and thin shots when pitching and chip- open only slightly will work well from ping or in general is just inconsistent; looser sand and plusher pitching and select a very wide or extremely wide

67 available in a sand wedge loft and game. We have discussed the most sometimes also in a 60º lob wedge important aspects of wedge playability model. This type wedge will probably and you may be wondering why there have no more than 4º or 5º of bounce has been no discussion of wedge because of the very wide or extremely materials and methods of manufac- wide sole width. The proper use of a ture. The reason is that it makes no wedge like this is to play it with the difference in the playability of any face square to the intended target. Re- wedge. Every few months a new wedge member, if it is rolled open, the leading material comes out that is supposedly edge will raise too high off the ground. softer and it very well could be. The This type wedge works by eliminating point to make here is that the softness the fat or chunky shot by mostly elimi- of the wedge head material makes no nating any tendency for the leading difference in playability. Also, whether edge to dig. So, with one type of bad the head is forged or cast makes no shot eliminated, all the golfer has to difference in playability. To sell worry about is the thin shot. To play wedges manufacturers sell softness be- this wedge the golfer can hit slightly cause that is what golfers want to hear. behind the ball (up to ¾" and some- Golfers and manufacturers keep times 1") to put in a “cushion” for bet- perpetuating the myth and it simply ter avoiding the thin shot and the ball does not go away. Use the information will easily become airborne with each discussed here about wedges to help and every attempt. The chance for in- make an informed decision or at least consistent sand shots, chips and to ask better questions. The more pitches is mostly eliminated because knowledge that golfers have about this wedge simply can not be hit fat. equipment; the better the chances This would be referred to as a specific of playing better and enjoying the or special purpose sand wedge because game more. the very wide sole restricts its ability to be manipulated (face rolled open) for the many varied shots (flop shots NOTES: as an example) that would be required of a very good player such as a touring professional.

Final Words The myriad of wedges on the market and all their claims makes it a difficult choice to get the best wedges for your

68 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score

Section Eleven

A DISCUSSION OF THE FIVE called gap wedges. The gap wedge TYPES OF WEDGES exists because pitching wedge lofts (Any Wedge You Use or Buy Needs today are usually around 46º or 47º and to Fit Into Your Set Properly) sometimes even stronger. Sand wedges usually average around 55º or 56º so a The wedge category basically consists gap of about 9º or 10º or more exists be- of 5 types which are the pitching tween them. Usually the lofts in a set of wedges, gap wedges, sand wedges, irons are 3º or 4º between each iron. To 60º lob wedges and the very high loft sell more clubs and satisfy the needs of lob wedges. The discussion below will some golfers; the manufacturers in- be centered around some wedge facts, vented the gap wedge which is around descriptions and also my opinions on 50º to 52º in loft. which wedges to carry and the specifications you should be aware of to help Gap wedges in my opinion are mostly select the best playing wedges for you. not necessary unless your set makeup starts with a #5 iron. The reason for Pitching Wedges this is that the U.S.G.A. only allows 14 Pitching wedges are usually included clubs during play. There are a number in the set of irons and this should be of other choices for additional clubs the pitching wedge that you play if you that could possibly benefit the golfer like your irons. This wedge is usually much more such as a hybrid club, 60º designed as a logical extension of the wedge, 7 and/or 9 fairway metal and so 9 iron in shape and incremental per- on. If you start with a 5 iron in your set formance. The two variables that usu- then there can be room for the gap ally differ from the irons in the set are wedge if you desire. If you do not play 1º to 4º more bounce angle added to the with a gap wedge, the distance differ- sole and a 2 to 3 swingweight increase. ence between your pitching wedge and Club lengths vary, but the pitching sand wedge can be compensated for by wedge should be ½" shorter than the learning to hit ¾ pitching wedge shots #9 iron. A number of manufacturers which are not difficult to master. Gap make it ¼" shorter than the 9 iron. wedges should be ½" shorter than the pitching wedge and also be 2 to 3 Gap Wedges swingweights heavier than your irons. The golf industry backed themselves Again, note that a number of manufac- into a corner by reducing the lofts of turers make the gap wedge only ¼" irons over the years and has as such shorter than the pitching wedge. created a new category of wedges

69 Sand Wedges 4 to 6 swingweights heavier than the Sand wedges should have no less than swingweight of your irons and should 55º loft. Lofts lower than this defeat the be ½" shorter in length than the pitch- purpose of what sand wedges are de- ing wedge (the same length as a gap signed to do. I always prefer a sand wedge if you carry one). Some manu- wedge to have at least 56º. The maxi- facturers make the pitching wedge and mum loft should be 58º on a specific the sand wedge the same length. Also, purpose sand wedge. I would not rec- again, some manufacturers use ¼" dif- ommend carrying just a 60º sand ference in length between the pitching wedge unless you are very good. There wedge and the sand wedge. is simply too much loft on a 60º sand wedge to be the only sand wedge you Lob or 60º Wedges carry. However, there is nothing 60º wedges can be miracle clubs for wrong with having both a 56º and a 60º some players and cause way too many sand wedge to cover more situations. I problems for others. The 60º wedge re- would, however, recommend that the quires a higher skill level and a good 56º sand wedge have 10º to 14º bounce if amount of practice time to master it is a normal width sole design and properly. These wedges differ dramati- that the 60º wedge have 6º to 8º bounce cally in design specifications so it is in a normal width sole design. Note important to pick one with specifica- that most 60º wedges designed today tions for your intended use. The main are not specifically designed as, nor differences are in the sole design. are they called sand wedges. A few Bounce angles can go as high as 14º have bounce angles as high as 14º (really a 60º sand wedge), but more which would classify them as sand realistically are in the 6º to 8º range. wedges and that is why they are men- The lower bounce angles will still work tioned here in the sand wedge discus- well from sand but require more skill sion. Always be sure to check the than a normal sand wedge. The 60º bounce angle on conventional normal wedge is a good chipping and pitching sole width design 60º wedges to be cer- wedge for specialty shots including the tain you are getting the specific type of flop shot and will usually have a nor- lob wedge you want. In other words do mal sole width so the club face can be you want a multi-purpose 60º lob rolled open to increase the loft and the wedge or a 60º lob wedge for the sand? Effective Bounce. 60º wedges can be the same length as the sand wedge or ½" Sand wedges need to be a little heavier or ¼" shorter. I prefer ½" shorter be- than the pitching wedge to work the cause distance is not what the golfer best for most players. They should be should be looking for. Control and

70 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score finesse are more important. The swing- of ¾" to wider sole wedges with 1¼" or weight should be similar to the sand 1 5/8" width soles up to very wide sole wedge which is 4 to 6 swingweights widths of 2". So, there are a number of heavier than the irons in the set. options available to the golfer regardless of skill level or for golfers that pre- There are very wide sole 60º wedges fer a wider sole wedge to help available for eliminating the fat shot eliminate the fat shot and be more con- such as the GolfWorks 60º Lob Slider sistent with their wedge play. wedge and there are also a number of sole widths between this and the con- High Loft Lob Wedges ventional width sole that are also very The high loft lob wedges, in my opin- easy to play. Reference back to Figure ion should not be used by most golfers. 10-2. Some specifications are different These wedges have 64º to 65º loft and from normal width sole wedges in that are very difficult to master for all but the bounce angle is reduced to around the very accomplished player. There is 4º for very wide soles to around 6º to 8º nothing a high loft lob wedge can do for the wide sole categories. The rea- that a 60º wedge can not do. Why carry son for this is simply the sole width. a wedge that is harder to play if it does The “effective bounce”, however, on nothing else for you? If you doubt me wider sole width wedges is about 20% and you carry a high loft lob wedge, to 40% greater than a normal sole keep track of all the times it has pulled width wedge. With this type wedge the off the shot and all the times it has let face of the club needs to remain rela- you down. My guess is that it hurts tively square with the target vs. rolling more than it helps for most golfers. it open so the leading edge does not raise up too high which can cause How to Fit Your Wedges to Your Set problems. The very wide sole wedge Here is a great tip for you to see if your design will definitely not be used to hit current wedges actually fit into your the flop shot. Most golfers do not iron set. First locate a table that has a posses the skill level for such a difficult straight edge. Next, take your entire shot anyway. The very wide sole and iron set (probably 3 or 4 iron through wide sole wedges are a great tradeoff in pitching wedge) and lay them down both sand wedges and 60º wedges to on the table in numerical order. Allow make wedge play extremely easy and the heads to hang over the side of the almost automatic for those golfers that table and carefully align either the need or want it. Keep in mind that sole hosels or the hosel ferrules exactly widths on wedges can range anywhere to the straight edge of the table. from a normal or conventional width Space each club close together but

71 without touching each other. Note that all these irons must be part of a set meaning the same model from the same manufacturer. Now, take all your wedges and continue laying them, in order, next to the pitching wedge. If your wedges are not the same model and manufacturer as your irons, PW SW 60° (SAME) which most are not, you will need to use a straight edge, such as a ruler, and Set Lengths carefully align the wedge soles with all FIG. 11-2 of the other iron soles. See Figure 11-1 Don’t worry if the hosels or ferrules do difference in length for each wedge. not line up as this is normally the case. I prefer ½" but most manufacturers Just make sure the soles are perfectly have switched to ¼". Why? Because aligned with the straight edge for all you will hit the ball farther and think your irons. Next, look at the grip end of the wedge maker was very talented to the clubs. This is showing you the figure out how to do this. Listen up: exact differences in length between wedges are scoring clubs where each club in your set including the accuracy is far more important than wedges. You are looking to see that hitting them longer distances. It’s all there is a ½" difference in each club’s up to you; hit your wedges for longer length from your longest iron to the distances or use them with specifica- pitching wedge. Next measure the tions that help you play the best. wedge length differences at the grip end. You need a minimum of ¼" Let’s look at three actual scenarios in Figures 11-2, 11-3 and 11-4 to best understand how a wedge club length should fit into your set.

In all three Figures 11-2, 11-3 and 11-4, the 4 iron through pitching wedge have a perfect 1/2" increment length change. This is excellent, but you should always check your set because some manufacturer’s have been known to adjust club lengths during assembly to FIG. 11-1 maintain matching swingweights.

72 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score PW SW 60° PW SW 60° (1/4" DIFFERENCE) (1/2" DIFFERENCE)

Set Lengths Set Lengths FIG. 11-3 FIG. 11-4 They do this because their headweights consistant and play your best. With are out of specification and they feel this length method, you may need a this is better than “tip slugging” the strip or two of lead tape on your sand hosels to add weight to the head. Actu- or lob wedge to be in the correct ally, both these methods are wrong and swingweight range. the only correct way to make a matching set is to get the headweights correct If you picked up a wedge here and in the first place to maintain the same there like most golfers and added them swingweight for each 1/2" increment in to your set, you are probably now won- club length. dering why some of them are the same length, shorter or longer than they In Figure 11-2 the pitching wedge, sand should be. The manufacturers have no wedge and 60° wedge are all the same standard when it comes to wedge speci- length. This is not good as it defeats fications. They vary all over the place half the purpose of having each wedge meaning we need to always check out in your bag (incremental distance). any new wedge addition. If required, Some manufacturers actually do this. this is a good time to have your wedge In Fig. 11-3 the sand wedge is 1/4" lengths altered to fit properly into your shorter than the pitching wedge and set. So what if they need a little lead the 60° wedge is 1/4" shorter than the tape added to get to the proper swing- sand wedge. This is how many of the weight, your wedges will now look like manufacturers set their wedge lengths. most tour players wedges. Note: a ½" wide strip of lead tape 5" long equals In Figure 11-4 all clubs in the set are in 1 swingweight. This is also the best perfect 1/2" length increments. This is time to make sure the wedges have the my preferred method to be most exact same grip and grip size as the

73 other clubs in your set. This is really important to do and I find sets of irons all the time with the wedges completely out of whack (lengths, swingweight and grips) with the other clubs in the set.

Final Words Wedges can make or break a golfer’s game. This is an area where a little study in understanding wedges can really pay off. Go out and try different wedges and see what works best for you. Keep track of which wedge you hit the best and which one lets you down the most. Make sure your wedges fit properly into your set of irons. Don’t be afraid to try the new wider sole sand and lob wedges because they can be eye openers as to how easy a wedge can play and help the golfer get more consistent results.

NOTES

74 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Section Twelve

• You may want to eliminate the category THE WEDGE SCORE CARD for the full wedge shots and only use the categories of pitching, chipping and Here is a great way to evaluate your sand shots to more specifically evaluate wedge play. The Wedge Score Card can your around-the-green play. Or, simply keep track of all your wedge shots but be filled out after a round of golf so it calculate a separate score for these three never gets in the way on the course. It categories. provides almost instant analysis of • Most golfers keep track of their putts per your strengths and weaknesses and round. Add your putt total to your wedge also gives valuable insight into what total and divide this number by your 18 percentage of your game is made up of hole score. I recently shot an 82 with 19 wedge shots. You can pick up a card or wedge shots and 32 putts. two free at your local Golf Galaxy store • This meant that I had 51 shots out of 82 or (ask for the PGA golf professional or 62% of all my shots were either putts or wedge shots. Do you practice your putts manager on duty) or you can copy the and wedges 62% of the time? one in this book. Better yet, go to • I like to fill out the Wedge Score Card after ralphmaltby.com and download a few the round or when I get home. I play each in full size. hole over in my head and simply mark it down.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Evaluating The Example Wedge FOR THE WEDGE SCORE CARD Score Card (Shown on the Next Page) This is an actual round of golf I played. My self goal is to always be well below 25% Evaluating Our Wedge Play unsatisfactory shots with my total wedge To evaluate our wedge play we need infor- play. Of course I would like it much lower mation. The Wedge Score Card provides this and in single digits but reality forces me to information. There are many ways to use the do otherwise. Wedge Score Card and here are some suggestions. My calcuated Wedge Score of 42% is not good for me. I hit 4 poor full pitching wedge • Your wedge score on the front of this card shots. This data helped me recount that I hit evaluates your overall wedge play in a all of them right or right short of the green. I general manner. This makes it easy to hit 7 full pitching wedge shots during the determine if there is a problem that needs round which is 37% of the total wedge to be addressed. shots hit.

• Look carefully at each of the four cate- I hit 2 fat wedges, a lob wedge pitching on gories of wedge play, full shots, pitching, #9 and a sand wedge chipping on #13. If I chipping and sand shots. Determine if do anything,it will be to hit a wedge fat your problem is specific to one or two around the greens. I hit 6 chips out of 19 categories. total wedge shots which is 31% chipping. 5 of my 6 chips were satisfactory or 83%.

75 I think you start to get the idea. You only • Get a specific or general lesson from a need to look in the areas where you have or PGA golf professional may have problems. It’s much easier to solve • See an experienced club fitter who can problems if you can pinpoint them exactly. recommend wedge changes and or wedge additions and who can also fit wedges Pitch And Chip Definitions properly to you. The “over 10 yards” for pitching and “under 10 yards” for chipping is measured to the • Watch my 1hour DVD entitled “Learn hole and is a suggestion only. You may also All About Wedges”. This knowledge use your own definition. can help any golfer select the best wedge designs and set make-up for Summary their skill levels. • There are a number of things you can do to improve your wedge play.

• Spend more time practicing your short game.

76 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score NOTES

77 Fill out a “Wedge Score Card” after every round. This is a sure way to honestly evaluate your wedge play. Why guess, when you can use actual statistics from every round to improve your short game.

NOTES

78 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score 79 Section Thirteen

WHAT WOMEN NEED TO Being an avid golfer, she felt that KNOW ABOUT GOLF CLUBS women needed additional design TO PLAY BETTER considerations simply because many of her golfing friends had trouble hit- Women need special considerations ting irons in particular and specifi- in club design to play their best. The cally in getting the ball airborne. information presented here applies There was also a lack of consistency in to 98% of all women golfers. It is not hitting acceptable shots. I could as- intended for women touring profes- sociate with these statements, but all I sionals (LPGA) or women with single could come up with at the time was digit handicaps. Women players of what I always thought; and that was to this caliber have basically the same make sure irons designed for women requirements as male players. The had a low center of gravity. This was absolute worst thing that we have my basic goal all along. done to the average women golfer is to disguise a set of clubs designed Well, as the conversation continued, for men with different paint colors, she said something that I had never graphics, medallions, a different shaft, heard before, never thought about and a smaller grip and call them ladies certainly never consciously observed models. Also, keep in mind that not during play. She said that women do every manufacturer who makes ladies not take divots. Sure, some of the only golf clubs thoroughly under- better playing women golfers take a stands what women really need. They divot, but the vast majority of women simply design a set of clubs specifically golfers do not take divots. Most women for women with the intention to im- golfers are simply not strong enough prove sales. So, let’s take a look at and consequently they mostly swing women’s golf clubs and explain each in a sweeping arc into the ball vs. a of the golf club design factors that need down and through arc. to be taken into consideration when buying golf clubs. So, while designing this new iron, two very important things were about to Women Are Different From Men come together. First, my wife’s state- In the mid 1990’s I became very ment about women not taking divots interested in women’s golf clubs. This and secondly, the fact that I was well all came about because my wife knew into proving out the Maltby Playability that I was working on a new ladies Factor (MPF) for irons (see page 100) club for the GolfWorks called the Logic This made me realize that it would be Lady (today it is called the LTECH).

80 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score important to get a cross section of seven very important characteristics. women golfers together to do some The first is an extremely low center of testing. I wanted to find additional gravity. Not just the ordinary low cen- information and to also confirm what ter of gravity, but a really low center of women think concerning hitting a golf gravity. Actually, it needs to be below ball and simply playing the game. One .700" (the balls center of gravity is at of the new pieces of data to promi- .840"). The second characteristic is a nently emerge was that many women bigger “C” Dimension (horizontal felt that golf was too difficult a game center of gravity moved farther away to play. I assumed from this statement from the hosel) of no less than 1.500". that most felt they did not have equip- Third, a more rearward positioned ment that was easy to hit. Wrong! None center of gravity than most irons of them blamed their equipment (at would normally have. The minimum least in this group). They basically recommended is .600". Fourth, a much did not have any prevalent reason. A wider sole from the face to the back of number of women simply restated that the iron and fifth at least 4° of bounce they felt it was difficult to learn how to angle on the sole (trailing edge is lower hit a golf ball the way they wanted. than the leading edge). Sixth, more loft Regarding equipment, many women from what is typically found on most golfers planned on playing the clubs men’s irons. For women, 28° loft is a they had and were not even consider- good minimum and 30° is still not too ing a new set, other than possibly the much on a 5 iron (men are 25º to 27º loft addition of a chipper or other utility on most 5 irons). Seventh, a woman’s club. This obviously pointed out that iron head needs to be heavier than somehow, someway, women needed to men’s iron heads because the golf club know that there is equipment out there length for women is shorter than that can help them. It pointed out to me men’s. A woman will not feel the that every aspect of golf club design heavier head weight because of the needed to be looked at to make hitting shorter overall club length, but the the ball easier and the game less weight is necessary to hit the ball difficult for women. solidly. Basically, throughout history, women’s head weights have always The Iron Head Design Solution been heavier than men’s head weights, For Women so this is nothing new and this is Basically, the ideal iron head designs correct. It is simply not talked about (some of these design characteristics because women like to think that they apply to metal wood heads and hybrids need lighter golf clubs. Many women also) for most women golfers have also feel that a club is going to be

81 heavier when it has a bigger head than are readily available in all the golf spe- another model or the club they are cialty stores. playing. This is not true because any size head can be made to any weight. If you slice the ball, be sure and demo a ladies driver that has a hooked face. The Driver Head Design Solution This will usually be about 1º hooked. for Women This can make a big difference in get- Women need to be playing a 450 c.c. to ting the ball started on the target line, 460 c.c. driver head size. The new big- especially so for someone that has a ger driver head designs with the higher tendency to push or fade the ball. An- moments of inertia (MOI) and higher other driver head design to consider is coefficients of restitution (COR or CT) an offset hosel. This means the shaft or are easier to hit and will increase dis- hosel is moved more in front of the tance, sometimes dramatically. Here is face. This type head design on a driver what to look for in a ladies model helps to square the clubhead quicker driver head: First, most women need coming into impact and also helps to more loft to more easily get the ball air- keep the hands more vertically inline borne. Usually a driver loft of 12º to 15º with the shaft and not behind it com- will accomplish this. If you can, always ing into impact. This can also help get tested on a launch monitor when women golfers who are generally in- hitting indoors or have someone watch consistent in directional control and you hit demo drivers on an outside trajectory. Demo one and see if it range. Your goal is to get the ball well works for you. up into the air to maximize distance (both carry and roll). Lower flying Fairway Metals and Hybrids shots are a thing of the past. The new For Women golf balls that fly higher with less spin Most of what we said for irons applies need a good initial trajectory for maxi- here also, but there are some other mum distance. Tip: You will usually be important considerations. The main using the new longer tees when hitting consideration is where these clubs fit the driver. They come in three sizes, into your set make up. You are basi- 2½", 2¾" and 3" long. You need to hit cally trying to eliminate any large the ball above the vertical face center distance gaps and get these gaps as on the bigger headed drivers, so pick even as possible. There is a nifty chart the tee height that helps you do this on page 112 of this book that helps you with your swing and setup. The 3" tee is record and then plot out the distances sometimes hard to find in the “free take you hit each club. From this you can one” bin at many golf courses but they determine the distance gaps you need

82 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score to fill in with either fairway metals (shaft flexes in ascending order of stiff- and/or hybrids. If you are going to add ness are LL, L, A, R, S and X) and not in a hybrid, do not buy the one that even in the standard “L” (Ladies) flex looks like an iron, buy the one that category. The actual flex that works looks more like a skinny fairway best for most women is an “LL” flex or metal. These type hybrids are usually a flex that is actually more flexible easier to hit for women and they more than the so-called standard “L” flex. closely fit into the metal wood category The “LL” flex shaft should also have a than the iron category. One of the keys low shaft bend point. This means that to this discussion is where your iron most of the bending in the shaft favors set starts. In other words, does it start the lower portion of the shaft (also with a 4 iron, 5 iron or 6 iron. For called tip flexible). women, I much prefer that iron sets start with a 5 iron as the longest iron Women’s Grip Sizes or possibly a 6 iron depending on how I did a project in a large golf specialty well you can hit them. This will then retail store recently (2006) which was allow you to fit in a hybrid or two and quite interesting. I decided to take some fairway metals. every ladies club in the store and measure the grip size. The result was Club Length And Shaft Flexibility that the sizes ranged from men’s stan- For Women’s Clubs dard size all the way down to ladies un- There are two very important consid- dersize. The average grip size was erations for women concerning the larger than ladies standard size so ba- overall golf club. First, most women’s sically all this research pointed out clubs are simply too long. A woman’s was that women need to be properly fit 5 iron should be no longer than 37" to grip size whenever they buy any golf unless special lengths are needed for club. Also, do not assume that the taller women golfers of better playing irons and the metal woods from the ability. While we are discussing same manufacturer have the same grip length, the driver should be no longer size in the set. I found a number of than 43" (today, some manufacturers cases where they were different sizes. are building stock ladies driver lengths at 44", 44½" and even 45"). Secondly, Here is the bottom line to help women most women’s shaft flexes are much golfers: First, always have grip size fit- too stiff for them and the bend points ted to you. Remember, you have some are too high (shaft tip section is too latitude to impose your personal pref- stiff). Many of the shafts that I measure erence in grip sizing. In other words, if are actually in the “A” flex category you feel more comfortable with

83 larger than what you fit into, this is usu- of gravity of the clubhead downward ally okay. Just keep in mind the word (not sweeping it horizontally) and “slightly”. Second, be sure every club in impacting the ball well below its your set is the same brand and style of center of gravity. Bottom line so far: grip and the same size. Of course, this An extremely low center of gravity does not apply to the putter grip. in women’s irons, makes it easy to get every shot airborne without the The Hitting Results Women fear of hitting the shot fat because Can Expect of the wider bounce sole which First, let’s start with irons. Here is resists digging. what happens when the overall design considerations already discussed are Every woman’s iron design should applied to irons. Since women do not be in the Ultra Game Improvement take divots and are basically sweepers Category regarding the Maltby of the ball, the wider sole coupled with Playability Factor (MPF). The ex- the increased bounce angle, will not tremely low center of gravity coupled allow the clubhead to dig into the with the longer “C” Dimension (hori- ground and create fat shots. The sole zontal center of gravity located farther simply glides on top of the turf, so the from the hosel centerline) and a more fear of sticking the clubhead into the rearward center of gravity location ground and hitting a “fat” shot is assures the head design to be in the eliminated. In other words, one bad maximum playability category. This is variable is gone. the easiest to hit iron head design for women because it feels solid, gets the Once again, since most women sweep ball easily into the air and is very for- the ball, the extremely low center of giving on off center hits. gravity (also applies to fairway metals and hybrids) allows the clubhead to We have discussed the playability slide into the ball and always have its advantages with the new larger 450 c.c. center of gravity well below that of the to 460 c.c. driver heads. If you are not golf ball’s center of gravity. For proper playing this technology, you are giving trajectory and a solid hit to happen, the up too much. Tip: The best way to clubhead’s center of gravity must prove this to yourself is to take your always be lower than the golf ball’s current driver with you and demo a center of gravity at impact. This is few of the latest ladies driver designs. easy for most men who hit down and This will allow you to compare the through the ball and take divots exact differences in performance because they are driving the center and feel.

84 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Take these very forgiving and easy to every woman needs to carry, a pitch- hit golf club head designs and mate ing wedge and a sand wedge. It does them with a more flexible (“LL”), low not matter that there is no sand at your bend point shaft at an overall club course; you still need a sand wedge. length that is not too long and you The pitching wedge is a logical exten- have a great playing ladies golf club sion of your set of irons and provides that makes the game of golf so much one more short hitting accuracy club. easier to play. This is the absolute It also fills an important distance gap. fastest way to improve. You can al- The sand wedge can be mastered with ways determine the longest length very little practice if you know how to driver or 5 iron you can handle by ob- pick out the easiest to hit models. The serving your directional control. This sand wedge is useful for other shots is simply a tradeoff that every golfer and not just sand shots. It is the pre- must look at. The longer the club ferred “go to” club in many situations length, the longer the ball will go, but for chipping and pitching. Chipper with less directional control. The type clubs and less lofted irons are fine shorter club length will hit the ball the for chipping the ball, but you simply straightest, but with the least amount cannot use them in all situations. You of distance. This is a tradeoff that is need to actually loft the ball in the air important in scoring and must be de- on a number of shots because it is termined for or by each golfer. Tip: easier to control the distance you hit The tour pros generally opt for the it and you can also clear obstacles shorter length and more control. (bunkers, heavy rough, etc) and to also Rarely do they go much longer than get the ball out of medium to heavy standard length on their irons and rough around the greens. driver. The “LL” flex shaft with a weaker tip bends more and allows both Women should seriously look at the the clubhead’s loft to be dynamically wider sole wedges on the market. The increased and the clubhead’s face reason is similar to the discussion we angle to dynamically close more com- had earlier on women’s iron design ing into impact. This creates addi- regarding the advantages of increased tional help to more easily get the ball sole width and bounce. Wider sole airborne and also helps to eliminate wedges and in particular, the sand any tendency to hit the ball right or wedge, helps to eliminate any tendency slice. to hit the ball fat. If you realize that it is very difficult to hit the ball fat, Wedges for Women you can confidently go down after it, There are at least two wedges that possibly even hitting a little behind

85 DECAL APPLICATION PROCEDURE 1. ALIGN THE MIDDLE OF THE PUTTING PROCEDURE WITH IMPACT DECALS DECAL WITH THE PUTTER’S BALL 1. APPROXIMATE A 30 TO 35 FOOT PUTT. LINE-UP MARK. IF NO 2. PUTT 4 BALLS OR 5 BALLS MAXIMUM WITH EACH DECAL. MARK EXISTS, USE THE MIDDLE OF THE 3. AFTER EACH PUTT, DRAW A DOT IN THE CENTER OF THE PUTTER FACE. IMPACT MARK USING A FINE POINT PERMANENT MARKER PEN. 2. ALIGN THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE DECAL PARALLEL TO THE 4. MEASURE THE HORIZONTAL IMPACT LOCATION IN THE SOLE RADIUS HEEL AND TOE DIRECTION RELATIVE TO THE DECAL CENTERLINE (PUTTER HEAD C.G.) 5. REPEAT ONE OR TWO MORE TIMES FOR ADDITIONAL PUTTER LINE-UP MARK ACCURACY. or CENTER OF GRAVITY CL

5/8" WIDE IMPACT How To Use Putter Face Impact Decals DISPERSION (3 OUT OF 4 ARE TOE HITS) FIG. 13-1 is eliminate the thin or skulled shot. length to a 32½" putter length. The thin or skulled shot is the result of Women’s standard putter lengths trying not to hit it fat (usually occurs found on putter racks are usually 33". right after a fat shot). So, by taking The proper putter length controls both away one bad variable (the fat shot), distance and accuracy of the putt and and making it easier to always get the also promotes a smooth pendulum clubhead under the ball; you eliminate putting stroke. the thin shot. What I really like about this is the golfer’s confidence increases Another problem that women have and she can concentrate on accuracy more than men are their putters are and distance control of the shot and sometimes too light in head weight. not always worry about the two bad Women who are playing with some- things that can happen. what older putters (and some newer ones) that were once men’s models but Putters for Women were cut down for them should be very The biggest problem I see is putters suspect. These were probably 35" put- that do not fit women golfers properly. ters to start with and let’s say that they The biggest culprit is putter length and have been cut down in length to 32" or in particular putters that are too long. 33". This could possibly make them too Most all women that I fit will usually light to putt properly. Too light a put- require anywhere from a 30" putter ter makes it very difficult to control

86 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score the distance a putt is hit. It also makes robot for every student that comes it more difficult to take the putter back through my golf club design studio and on a consistent path which results in they are quite shocked at the differ- some directional control loss. To find ence in high and low MOI putters. out if your head weight is too light, simply put your putter on a swing- Don’t worry about what shaft is in weight scale and take a reading. Ideal your putter because it really does not would be D-2 to D-4 swingweight. matter. Shafts in putters need to be Anything below C-8 is getting too light. stiff for everyone. The putter grip type Heavier than recommended is always and size you choose should feel com- better than too light. I find women’s fortable to you. There are no set rules putter swingweights in the “B” and “C” where one type or size is better than swingweights all the time. Be sure to another. The reason for this is because check the swingweight of your putter. good putters usually do not break their wrists but rather pendulum putt with If you cannot hit the ball on the putter the shoulders doing the rotation. If the face in the same small area every time wrists do not break, grip size does not (say a ½" circle) then you need one of matter as much in putting as it does on the new higher moment of inertia all your other clubs. (MOI) putters. Use an impact decal or some tape on the putter face (See Figure 13-1) and hit a few 30 foot NOTES putts. Put a Sharpie® pen mark in the middle of each ball impact and measure the impact range with a ruler. Gen- erally, the poorer the player’s ability and the longer the putt, the bigger the off center hitting area will be. The higher the MOI, the less the distance loss on off center hits. If you hit a 25 foot putt 1" toward the toe with a low MOI center shafted blade putter and a high MOI putter, you could possibly have a 3 foot longer putt with the low MOI putter for your second putt vs. a tap in with the high MOI putter. I do this demonstration on my putting

87 Section Fourteen

ASK YOURSELF THESE 5. ■ R-H Golfer ■ L-H Golfer QUESTIONS ? 6. Number of years playing golf: ____Yrs. 7. Current Handicap _____ Here is another interesting thing to do: 8. ■ Handicap is going up Read the following questions and an- ■ Handicap is going down swer them. Some of you will simply 9. What is your average score _____ read the questions and answer them 10. Scores previous 12 months silently to yourself. This is fine. Others Highest____ Lowest ____ will actually fill it out. In this manner 11. Average number rounds per month you can sit back and take a closer look during season _____ at yourself and your game. Also, this is 12. Have you ever taken lessons? an excellent interview to take along ■ Yes ■ No ■ When?____ with you when you are getting fit for 13. Do you hit practice balls before playing? golf clubs or simply taking a golf les- ■ Regularly ■ Never ■ Sometimes son. Actually, this interview, filled 14. Do you hit practice putts before playing? out, plus a couple of “Fitting Score- ■ Regularly ■ Never ■ Sometimes cards” (see page 93) and maybe a cou- 15. Do you ever hit practice balls just to ple “Wedge Scorecards” (see pages practice? 78-79)) would be best. ■ Regularly ■ Never ■ Sometimes

16. Do you ever practice putting just to The reason why I like this interview is practice? it allows you a preliminary thought ■ Regularly ■ Never ■ Sometimes process to actually ponder your play-

ing characteristics, goals, wants and preferences before someone asks you PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS about them or more importantly how 17. Do you have any physical pain when you you personally look at golf and your swing? ■ Yes ■ No game in general. If yes, explain ______Maltby Certified Fitting Worksheet ■ ■ — Personal Interview Is it: Permanent Temporary ■ Recurring

18. Do you have any other physical STATISTICS limitations that affect your swing? 1. Height ___ft. ___in. ■ Yes ■ No 2. Weight _____lbs. If yes, explain ______3. Age _____yrs. ______4. Male _____ Female ______

88 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score ■ PLAYING CHARACTERISTICS Right of the green ■ 19. When you hit a poor drive, do you have a On line but short of the green ■ specific tendency to: On line but over the green (Answer more than one if necessary) ■ Be very inconsistent ■ Don’t know ■ Top it ■ Push it right ■ Sky it 26. When hitting a short iron (#8, #9 or any ■ Slice it right ■ Hit it very low wedge) approach shot to the green is ■ Straight but unsolid hit your tendency more often than not to: ■ Pull it left ■ Hook it left ■ Hit the green ■ Left of the green ■ Very inconsistent ■ Don’t know ■ Right of the green ■ Does not apply ■ On line but short of the green 20. What is your confidence level with your ■ On line but over the green driver? ■ Very confident ■ Be very inconsistent ■ Don’t know ■ Some confidence ■ No confidence 27. What is the longest iron you hit with 21. How does the weight of your driver feel confidence: to you? ■ #2 iron ■ #3 iron ■ #4 iron ■ Too heavy ■ Weight OK ■ Too light ■ #5 iron ■ #6 iron ■ Don’t know ■ Don’t know 28. How does the weight of your irons feel 22. What is your confidence level with fair to you? way metals? ■ Too heavy ■ Weight OK ■ Too light ■ Very ■ Some ■ No ■ Don’t know confident confidence confidence 29. How well can you get out of a bunker 23. If you have hybrid clubs, what is your around the green? confidence level with hybrids? ■ No problem with sand play ■ Very ■ Some ■ No ■ Out and on the green 95% of the time confident confidence confidence ■ Usually out and on the green 24. When you hit a poor iron shot, do you ■ Usually stay in bunker have a specific tendency to: ■ Very inconsistent (Answer more than one if necessary) ■ Don’t know ■ Top it ■ Push it right ■ Sky it 30. What is your confidence level regarding ■ Slice it right ■ Hit it very low bunker play? ■ Straight but unsolid hit ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Very Some No Pull it left Hook it left confident confidence confidence ■ ■ Very inconsistent Don’t know 31. Do you have one or more favorite clubs ■ Does not apply that you have complete confidence in? 25. When hitting a long or mid iron approach ■ Yes ■ No shot to the green is your tendency more Please list 1.______2.______3.______often than not to: ■ ■ Hit the green Left of the green

89 I want to: GOALS, WANTS & PREFERENCES ■ Be a better bunker player 32. My immediate goal in golf is: Any other wants, explain ______■ I’ll spend a lot of time and energy to ______improve as rapidly as possible ______■ I’ll spend a reasonable amount of time ______and effort to improve 35. Do you have a material preference in the ■ I can spend very little time but want type of driver you play? to improve my game ■ Titanium ■ Ti/Composite ■ I just want to find out if my equipment ■ No preference is right for me 36. Do you have a preference in the size of 33. My future goal regarding my handicap is driver you play? to be: ■ 400cc ■ 440cc ■ A scratch handicap (72) ■ 460cc (U.S.G.A. max) ■ A low handicap 1-8 (73-82) ■ Other ______■ A middle handicap 9-15 (83-89) 37. Do you have a material preference in the ■ An average golfer 16-22 (90-98) type of fairway metals or hybrids you ■ Don’t know play? 34. From your own point of view, check off ■ Titanium ■ Stainless Steel any personal wants that apply: ■ ■ (Check as many as you like, but only if you Multi-material No Preference feel you have a problem in that area) 38. Do you have a preference in the type of I want to hit the ball: ■ Higher ■ Lower irons you play? I want to stop: ■ Blade style, more traditional ■ Slicing the ball ■ Pushing the ball ■ Cavity back style - ■ Hooking the ball ■ Pulling the ball some game improvement features I want to hit the ball: ■ Cavity back style - ■ Straighter ■ Longer all game improvement features I want to:

■ Drive the ball with more consistency NOTES I want to:

■ Hit my fairway metals more consistently

I want to: ■ Hit my short irons with more accuracy I want to: ■ Putt better I want to: ■ Get the ball up & down around greens

90 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Section Fifteen

THE FITTING SCORECARD: the help of a golf professional or certi- ANALYZING YOUR GAME fied club fitter be utilized. The Fitting Scorecard is used as an aid in evaluating your equipment and An Example Analysis Of your game. You can fill it out to keep The Fitting Scorecard track of any portion of your round that • Use the Fitting Scorecard instead of you desire or you can fill it out com- your course scorecard. pletely to take a full look at what hap- • Read the instructions carefully at the pened during your entire round. bottom of the card. Filling out a number of these cards may help even more and may turn out • Notice Par 3’s are circled and Par 5’s are squared. Also the player’s set to be a real game improver. make-up is circled. The players’ name, Information from this exercise has date, course, par and handicap are many specific uses in evaluating filled in. strengths and weaknesses regarding your equipment, swing and overall golf • Statistics analysis and comments: 3 game. From an equipment standpoint, over on putting (36 putts are consid- the Fitting Scorecard will help fine ered par), you had zero 1 putts, 3 tune any changes or recommendations three putts. You hit 7 greens in regula- in areas such as set make-up and tion and missed 11 greens, mostly left or short requiring many wedge shots equipment alterations. and/or pitches and chips resulting in Also it may aid in evaluating any no up and downs (1 putt or hole out.) swing problem areas and/or needed practice to maximize your scoring Comment: Improve your wedge play, green hitting ability and putting. Find potential. out why ball is generally pulled left of After each Fitting Scorecard is green when green is missed. completed, look it over closely and see what you can determine about your You hit 8 out of 14 fairways, missed 3 left and 2 right with 4 drivers being own game. unsolid. The example analysis for the Fitting Scorecard is provided here to help Comment: Driver inconsistent and you better evaluate your own Fitting not solidly hit about 25% of the time. 3 fairway metal was not hit solid, but Scorecard after it is filled out. 5 fairway metal was solidly hit. The irons To fully maximize the use of the are usually hit solid but left of the green “Fitting Scorecard” it is suggested that and short.

91 Comment: Check for proper lie angles A golf lesson from your golf professional on irons or swing problem. or practice in specific weak areas is General Analysis And Comments: Check recommended. playability specs on driver, 3 fairway The more Fitting Scorecards you ﬁll out metal and the lie on irons. Also, look will provide even better data for analysis at a putter fitting and consider a 60º of your equipment, playing strengths wedge for better up and down scoring and weaknesses. when a green is missed in regulation.

5 4 5 6 5 4 5 5 5 7 1 3 0 1 3 1 0 1 1 3 3 3 1 2 3 4 0 2 0 2 0 2 20 44

5 4 6 6 4 5 3 5 5 7 2 2 0 1 0 1 2 3 0 4 2 5 2 0 4 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 19 43 14 3 5 0 2 3 2 2 4 1 7 5 8 3 2 7 7 1 3 0 3 0 3 39 87

Work on putting, chipping. Bad today -never chipped close. Pulled most shots - generally unsolid.

92 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score NOTE: Full size cards available for downloading on ralphmaltby.com – scroll down and click on “INDEX” at bottom of any web page then click on “Fitting Score Card.”

93 Section Sixteen

WHAT CAN A GOLFER DO TO more consistent bending properties, GUARANTEE A BETTER CLUB- etc.) have allowed for a much greater FITTING AND GOLF CLUB design range of shaft specifications to BUYING EXPERIENCE? give golfers more choices in satisfying their ball flight and overall playing Introduction preferences. Golf club technology has made rapid advances in recent years? If you are Also the total weights of golf clubs playing with clubs three, four or five have changed because of the new years old or older and/or clubs that lighter weight shafts and also lighter have not been properly fit to you, then grips. Manufacturers are doing more you are probably giving away shots to testing and have committed more the forward thinking golfers that truly dollars to research and development want to take advantage of modern tech- and as such are selling golf clubs that nology to help them play their best are easier to hit with more built-in golf. performance than in years past.

Today’s clubs are easier to hit (better Even though all this new technology head designs and new materials with can help you hit the ball better, it is advanced weighting principles), they still very important to complete the are longer hitting (modern longer club equation by being properly fit so that lengths take advantage of the new you will realize both the club’s and larger, better weighted heads allowing your full potential. more solid hits on off-center shots which also translates into more To make the right decisions and take distance and accuracy on off-center full advantage of today’s golf club ad- shots) and they are more accurate. vancements we need to be as informed as possible before we buy. It is a fact Today’s modern grips, some of which that most golf club purchases are not are made from synthetic materials, done in a rational manner and are don’t wear out easily, offer better trac- more emotional decisions. Believe it or tion-control, transmit better clubhead not, the type and brand of a golf club feel at impact and require less grip that is purchased is mostly influenced pressure allowing for less inhibited by the recommendation of a friend. So, wrist action during the swing. the result is usually one uninformed golfer telling another uninformed Shaft materials and new shaft manu- golfer what they should buy. This is facturing technology (lighter weights, not the way to go.

94 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score There are a number of techniques and Wedge makers aren’t far behind tips that golfers can use to actually the putter makers because they try make the fitting and/or the buying ex- to sell us on the performance perience more accurate and enjoyable. attributes of the head material’s There are a number of sources of softness which has nothing to do information available to help in the with how a wedge performs, but decision making process. Hopefully, everything to do with the long this listing of all my thoughts and established myth of wedge reminders will provide the answers to performance. The myth is that softer questions that most golfers need to head materials give a golfer much know when they simply want to play better feel and thus better control. better golf with the best equipment They are of course mostly referring for them. to forged wedges vs. cast wedges. There are more cast wedges played Golf Club Company Advertising on the PGA tour than forged, so this 1. We are constantly bombarded with should tell you that if the finest advertising from the golf club players in the world can’t tell the companies. Read the ads to see difference or don’t care, then it must what they have to say but mostly not be that important. determine if you like the looks and features of their clubs, then dis- Magazine Golf Club Testing count all their performance claims 2. The golfing publications (magazines), by a large margin. Not all of the in my opinion, have partially done a manufacturers are as guilty as disservice to all golfers by publish- others, but be leery. The advertising ing their annual player testing agencies write some outlandish results of the latest clubs to enter stuff about performance because the market. With that said, it is they are trying to find some edge wonderful that they put all the new over their client’s competitors and golf club models and related data they also like to overuse the latest (set make up, specifications, buzz words that golfers are talking suggested retail pricing and web site about. The putter maker’s claims are listings) all together in one place for definitely some of the worst because us to use and easily compare. If you of so many conflicting technologies ever take the time to analyze how with each claiming to work and magazines tally their final player eachpromising to make you into a testing results, you will probably great putter. come away with more questions

95 sense. It’s really funny that when a Play What the Tour Pro Plays certain manufacturer wins a player 3. This suggestion will probably not be testing category they are ecstatic heeded but here goes; simply be and put the “we’re number one” in cause a tour pro uses or wins with a all their ads. However, when the certain golf club on tour should have same manufacturer loses the next no bearing whatsoever on any time around they complain and cry buying decision of yours. More foul that the testing procedure is importantly, this has no bearing on not conclusive or flawed. Did you whether you will actually play better ever notice that the largest club or worse. I guess that it could help in manufacturers with the most ad your mental approach to the game dollars to spend are almost always by helping to promote a more the big winners? I really get a kick positive attitude, knowing that the out of the comments that are quoted two of you play the same model and in the magazines from the golfers brand of driver for example. How testing the clubs. I have done a lot of ever, this is really thin as a reason. golf club player testing in my career Have you ever thought about the and I have never heard any golfer putter you bought a few years back comment on a clubs performance because tour pro “A” won with it on with such overly embellished tour? What about now that tour pro statements and flowery analogies as “A” has signed with another putter is often quoted in the magazines. company who is paying more Bottom line: Definitely buy the money? What if he or she wins with annual magazine equipment issues this company’s putter? These are to see and compare all the latest golf things to think about. Tour clubs in one convenient place. players on the right day (in the zone) Again, this part is a great service to can basically win with just about golfers and the magazines usually anything because of their amazing organize their new equipment ability. Yes, there are clubs and sections very well. However, read there is technology that helps them their golf club test results (winners, also, but we are the ones that really losers and runner-ups) and need to pay attention to the technolo- comments for amusement only. Do gies that can help us the most. It not use their so-called player test should not be surprising that the results to influence your golf club larger golf club manufacturers spend buying decision. somewhere between 25 and 50 million dollars on tour player

96 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score endorsements every year to get you club fitters and golf companies do to buy their product. this fingertip to floor or knuckle to floor measurement is because it is The Club Length Fitting Ruler impressive to the golfer and very 4. If anyone tries to fit you to club fast to accomplish even though it length using a ruler that measures does not work. Problem is, most your fingertip to floor distance, golfers are counting on this person knuckle to floor distance or wrist to or this company’s knowledge and floor distance or whatever distance; ability to help them. The truth is you are not getting fit correctly. that determining the proper length Standing perfectly upright with golf clubs requires knowledge of the your arms hanging down at your golfer’s playing ability and more sides and being measured in this specifically how consistently solid manner has nothing to do with he hits the ball. Impact location (off- fitting the proper length or lie of a center face hits vs. on-center face golf club; but everything to do with hits) and hitting accuracy (mostly in convenience and showmanship. The the fairway or mostly in the rough) only thing you will learn from this are factors. To determine this, the measurement is how normal or clubfitter will have you hit different weird you are relative to national length golf clubs and either use averages for height vs. arm length impact decals or a launch monitor (example: a male, 5'2" tall, with a 34" screen to determine impact shirt sleeve length is weird). Now variables (location of hit, trajectory, here is the ironic part: The 5'2" directional control). Obviously, this example just shown using fingertip is much more involved than simply to floor measurements will put this measuring a golfer’s fingertip; wrist player into a 40" driver length (a or knuckle to floor measurement; short teenage child length). What if but this method actually works. this golfer is a PGA professional who is an excellent player? Evaluate Your Game Honestly Axiom: any length golf club can 5. Be honest about your game. Evalu- be properly fit to any player by ate your ability including strengths correctly fitting the lie angle. In this and weaknesses in all parts of your example the lie on a 45" driver (let’s game. What are your desires for say this is the properly fit length future improvement and how much for his playing ability) would need to time are you willing to spend to get be flattened (reduced) by at least there. Yes, the latest technology in 3 degrees. The reason a number of clubs and balls can make a very

97 greatest advancements in improving get on their websites or rely on your play will come from downright your salesperson’s knowledge hard work through practice (this is (which is usually quite good) or they probably the kind of hard work will look it up for you. Manufactur- many people would gladly agree to ers vary quite a bit and sometimes do). Be sure to fill out the personal dramatically. Also, there really is no interview questions on pages 88 to such thing as a “standard” set of 90. Take this with you to show your specifications among the manufac- club fitter or golf instructor. These turers; but there is a so-called questions make sure that you think “standard” used as a reference by about all aspects of your play. There many club fitters, golf professionals are four other evaluation cards that and most people selling golf clubs. you can fill out after a round of golf The basic specifications we are that can help you gain an even referring to here are loft and length greater insight into your game. The for both men’s and women’s clubs. first is the “Golf Club Equipment Obviously there are a number of and Playing Evaluation Fitting other specifications that are impor- Score Card” explained on pages 91 to tant and need to be dealt with during 92. The second is the “Wedge Score the fitting but loft and length can Card” on pages 75 to 79. The third is preliminarily tell us quite a bit the “Golf Club Yardage Chart” on about our upcoming hitting (demo) page 112 and the fourth is the experience. The following chart can “Personal Golf Round Information” be used for reference: on page 114. If you take the time to 5 Iron 5 Iron Driver fill these out, you can also take them Loft Length Length along when you are taking lessons, Men’s 27º 38" 45" getting fit or buying new clubs. Of Ladies’ 30º 37" 44" course, you may not want to take any of this along with you because Forget this thing about one length you have now become a real expert for steel golf clubs and another on your ability, exactly where your longer length for graphite golf clubs. overall game currently stands This is ridiculous and was only and you can now speak it fluently. developed because the club manufacturers only wanted to buy Hitting and Comparing Demo Clubs (read inventory) one clubhead 6. It is important to do a little research weight for two different shaft weight regarding one golf club company’s materials. If you made both clubs specifications vs. another. You can the same length, the head weight 98 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score would be too light on graphite shafts models, so these irons will have because lighter shafts require whatever loft that was specified on heavier head weights to maintain the men’s model. I can’t say it the same swingweight. So, they enough; ladies clubs need to be solved this problem by making specifically designed for them. graphite shafted clubs 1" longer than Basically ladies need higher lofts, steel shafted clubs. Regardless of shorter lengths, lower and farther what length iron or driver you back center of gravity, wider soles demo, simply be aware of the length with increased bounce, more flexible (loft also) so you can better under- shafts with lower bend points and stand differences in actual ball flight smaller grip sizes. So, we have or readings on the launch monitor. emphasized loft and length here but Generally longer club lengths go remember that swingweight, shaft farther but with less accuracy. type, and grip size are some more Regarding lofts, a number of models important considerations. The point on the market are one half to one to make here is to demo the clubs club stronger meaning some 5 irons methodically and analytically by for men can be as low as 23º with checking out specification differ- others at 24º, 25º or 26º (the average ences and always get a proper or so-called standard for men is 27º club fitting. today). This is mostly done so the golf club manufacturer can claim a The Club Fitters Credentials longer hitting club over their 7. Ask about the qualifications and competitors (or the clubs you are credentials of the club fitter you are currently playing) but they always working with. Here’s my preference explain this longer hitting distance in order of importance: as a result of some new proprietary First, this should be a “Certified” technology they developed. The real club fitter. How extensively trained problem here for golfers is that and tested were they to become strengthened lofts on irons, say 23º certified? What reputable school for a 5 iron, now makes the 6 iron a have they attended or audited with long iron in your bag. So, the 3, 4, 5, “at home” materials? Are they and 6 are long irons. The 7, 8, and 9 “Launch Monitor Certified” on their irons are mid irons and the pitching current equipment and do they also wedge is your only short iron in the have ball fitting knowledge? With set. Doesn’t make much sense, does today’s variations in ball flight it? Many ladies irons are only re- characteristics, and the many balls badged and/or recolored men’s and price ranges available, this is a

99 necessity to maximize your poten- Maltby Playability Factor (MPF) tial. Also, is there a constant ongoing Categories for Irons certification update program to keep Ultra Game Improvement 851 points and up up with the latest procedures and equipment technologies? Second, it Super Game Improvement 701 to 850 points is also good if they have attended 551 to one nationally recognized school on Game Improvement 700 points club fitting and/or assembly. Third, Conventional 401 to if it is not this person, is someone 550 points available who really understands the Classic 251 to swing and its relationship to club 400 points fitting? Many times club fitters work Player Classic Below 250 points with and coordinate with PGA professionals so that swing ques- This allows the golfer and/or the club tions can be answered and necessary fitter to pick a category based on a lesson suggestions can be made number of criteria: Is this a new golfer either before or after a purchase. getting started? How consistently does Why not eliminate some bad swing the golfer strike the ball near or on the or stroke or setup problem now? clubface? It also prevents a golfer from This can maximize the club fitting making a mistake by selecting say a and buying experience because it muscleback blade (or even some cavity can more easily result in signifi- backs) in a lower playability category cantly improved play and possibly when they are not near a good enough save years of continued bad habits. ball striker to hit this club solid with any consistency. MPF is not a system to pick out a bad club from a good one. Additional Information Truth is that most top grade clubs are Use MPF (Maltby Playability all quite good. It simply tells you which Factor) for Irons one is more forgiving and thus easier The Maltby Playability Factor (MPF) to hit consistently than another. MPF was developed to help golfers select does not take into account the loft on irons that best fit the golfer’s ability. an iron or the bounce on its sole or MPF defines certain mass and dimen- even if the lie angle is right for you. It sional properties of the iron head and cannot help you with grip size or the places it in one of six playability proper fitted shaft. This is all up to the categories which defines how easy club fitter. MPF simply tells you which or hard the iron head is to hit. mass and dimensional properties of

100 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score the clubhead itself (made up of the and take your 9 iron or pitching wedge clubhead’s center of gravity location with you to the place of purchase. and moment of inertia) will help you Hybrids are very popular and can the most. You can look up many of the complement your game if you choose golf club manufacturers MPF ratings them correctly. As far as I am con- on ralphmaltby.com. Also, there are cerned, you select hybrids to either additional articles on the website that eliminate the 3 iron, 4 iron or possible more fully explain MPF. the 5 iron. You also select hybrids to fill in for the 1 iron or 2 iron, if desired. Always Consider the Set Make-Up In all cases hybrids should be easier to of Your Clubs hit than long irons. It doesn’t matter if It’s not about the USGA’s 14 club limit the hybrid is a hollow iron style or a rule; it’s all about playing with the 14 narrowed fairway metal style (al- best clubs for you. Whether you are though I prefer the narrowed fairway buying one club or a set of clubs you metal style), but what matters most is need to always evaluate the set make that it has a hybrid or fairway metal up of your clubs. They all need to work shaft in it and not an iron shaft. Iron together to give you incremental dis- shafts do not work as well in hybrids tance control and cover the distances because they are stiffer than fairway you need to hit. It is also important metal shafts. I do not like to eliminate that your set of clubs all feel the same fairway metals for a hybrid although even though they may be made up of 2, it is completely acceptable if this is bet- 3 or even 4 or more brands. You do this ter for your game and you are by making sure the grips on your set thinking 1 iron or 2 iron performance. are all the same brand and your fitted Fairway metals still work best for grip size is the same throughout the longer, higher shots because they have set. You also need to check and see that the advantage of being longer in club your wedges are in the correct incre- length than hybrids of the same loft, mental club lengths to match up with their center of gravity is usually more your existing 9 iron or pitching wedge. rearward and their shafts are more When you just pop in and buy a new flexible to also aid in getting the ball wedge you need to know that many of well up into the air. The key here is to them will be different lengths from hit them before buying and be sure you manufacturer to manufacturer. When have looked at your set make-up to be buying a wedge, this is the time to sure they fit into your game plan. change the grip and possibly shorten or lengthen it if necessary. Be sure

101 A Few Quick Tips to Further setup position (posture) and stroke Help Your Buying and Fitting to a putter which is not the correct Experience length for them. 1. If applicable, bring in one of your 6. Women, if you are a so-called aver- current clubs to hit and compare age to higher handicap golfer, al with a club(s) you are thinking ways insist on “Ultra Game Improve- about buying. ment” MPF irons designed specifi- 2. When hitting on a launch monitor cally for women. This includes pay close attention to how accurate wedges with wider sole widths, you are hitting the club and not just putters with higher moments of how far you are hitting it. Also, look inertia and a 450cc to 460cc driver for a more ideal trajectory trying to with at least 12º of loft. These four get maximum carry. factors have helped many of the 3. If something, anything does not feel women golfers play much better. right or look right to you after a club 7. If anyone out there is playing with a fitting and/or a purchase, go back driver less than 440 c.c.’s or is over 3 and talk to the club fitter or salesper- years old, you do not have the latest son and discuss it. Your future technology that can really make a business and the relationship with difference in your game. The new customers are very important in model 460 c.c. drivers are mostly all today’s business climate. pushing the U.S.G.A. rules limits on 4. If you are buying a closeout club(s) maximum head size, maximum coef- or a discontinued model, ask why? ficient of restitution and maximum Was it a poor performer, simply did moment of inertia. Whether the not sell well, is the technology old driver head is normal shaped, trian- but still valid, will it still have future gular or square doesn’t really make trade in value and what did golfers all that much difference as long as it say who bought it. You should get is close to the current U.S.G.A. lim an honest acceptable answer from its, comes from a reputable manufac- someone who wants to keep all turer and when you hit it the your business. performance is noticeable. 5. Never, ever buy a new putter with 8. With today’s capabilities and under- out at least getting it fit for proper standing of golf club iron design, length and lie angle. Reason: The there is absolutely no reason any standard length putters for men and golfer should play with irons that women on the rack are mostly too are not at least “Game Improve- long for many if not most golfers. ment” and higher regarding the This causes the golfer to adjust their Maltby Playability Factor (MPF)

102 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score rating. Even muscle backed blade • Discount a lot of the golf club style irons can be designed easily manufacturer’s advertising claims. into this minimum category. I have • Find out what golf ball fits your accomplished this with muscle back game the best.

designs I did for Tommy Armour,

Maxfli, Toski, PowerBilt and The GolfWorks. Some of these irons were NOTES played on the PGA Tour, the Senior Tour and the European Tour. 9. A golf ball fitting is more important than ever because of the different flight characteristics that the ball manufacturers can vary to maximize distance and control. To do this properly requires that the golfer use a launch monitor to get the ideal ball launch angles and spin rates.

Summary • Do a little research on club specifications. • Be sure to actually hit a club before you buy it. • Always use the services of a “Certified” club fitter. • Take a lesson from a PGA professional. • Don’t buy a golf club simply because a “friend “recommended it. • Always keep your set make-up in mind. • Women, only buy clubs made specifically for women. • Don’t buy based on magazine player test results and recommendations. • Be honest with yourself about your game. • Don’t buy a golf club simply because it was a winner on last Sunday’s PGA Tour event.

103 Section Seventeen

THE SECRET TO PLAYING 5. Face impact location (toe hit bad, BETTER GOLF center hit good or heel hit bad).

If we could all pick one major goal in Here is what a more square (solid) golf it would be to play better. Playing hit will accomplish: better means hitting longer, more ac- 1. The squarer the hit the more curate golf shots with the best club for energy is applied to the ball, any given situation. Much of this book resulting in greater distance. provides information towards achiev- 2. The squarer the hit the less curve ing this goal; but I felt it was necessary on the ball, usually resulting in a to put the so-called “secret” here to straighter hit. help visualize and summarize how it is 3. The squarer the hit the greater achieved. It is really no secret at all but the amount of backspin with each rather a logical look at those factors different lofted club, usually that control clubhead impact with a resulting in better bite through golf ball. In order to play better, we reduced roll. must hit the ball more solid and more 4. The squarer the hit will achieve square more of the time. the best trajectory with that club. 5. The squarer the hit the more solid Here are the swing factors at the feel at impact. impact which create square or non square hits: And here is what it takes to 1. Clubhead path (outside in, square accomplish this - the Five P’s: or inside out). 1. Practice 2. Clubface angle (open, square or 2. Play closed). 3. Professional Swing Instruction 3. Clubhead speed (accelerating rate 4. Positive Attitude is good, decelerating rate is not so 5. Properly Fit, Quality Equipment good, faster swing speeds is good and slower swing speeds is not Each of the 5 P’s are fully explained in so good). Section One beginning on page 7. 4. Angle of attack (arc angle of clubhead vertically as it descends into the impact area). The swing produces two basic angles of attack; hitting down on the ball and a more horizontal sweeping type swing.

104 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Section Eighteen

BETA TITANIUM – A titanium alloy that DEFINITIONS OF GOLF TERMS has a higher strength to weight ratio Below are listed a number of terms, than a non - beta titanium alloy. The some of which you will see in higher strength to weight ratios in Beta advertisements, hear on television Ti alloys make them a good choice for tournament broadcasts, or possibly use as a face material in oversize drivers. mentioned by golf sales personnel. The increased strength to weight ratio Also, there are some terms which are allows for thinner face dimensions (also just plain interesting and help increase variable thickness faces), which can in- your overall golf knowledge. If you crease ball speed after contact resulting cannot find a definition here, go to in increased distance. Common Beta Ti materials used in the face of Titanium ralphmaltby.com for a much expanded Drivers are 15-3-3-3, 10-2-3, and SP 700. glossary. If you still cannot find what you want, send me a question in the BLADE – Term used to describe a type of “comments” section of the website. conventional or traditional design of iron. Also, can refer to the face area of ANGLE OF ATTACK – The degree of an iron (as in “Blade” length). Also a descent of the clubhead approaching term to describe a low flying mis-hit golf the ball just prior to impact. Sometimes shot that is struck on the leading edge referenced as a steep or shallow angle of an iron and not on the face (example; He “bladed” the shot). of attack. BELLY PUTTER – Type of putter in which BORON – A high strength, high modulus the butt of the grip is positioned against lightweight filament that is 5 times the the player’s belly button in order to strength of steel and twice the stiffness. create a pendulum effect. Most belly Used as one of several material types in putters are 39" to 42" in length. Popu- composite shaft designs. Boron influ- larized by Vijay Singh, Paul Azinger, ences flex point but primarily is used to and Sergio Garcia, among others on the add strength to the tip area of the shaft. PGA Tour. Putter head weights usually BOUNCE (OR INVERSION) – When the range from 360 grams to 450 grams for trailing edge of the sole is below the belly putters. leading edge of the sole in the square BEND POINT – The maximum point of hit position. Bounce is most noticeable bending in a golf shaft when a shaft is on a sand wedge but it also exists in all loaded or compressed from both ends. other wedges and most irons produced The bend point determines the curve today. Bounce is used to keep the lead- of the shaft which can sometimes be ing edge of the clubhead from digging referenced as “tip stiff”, “tip weak”, and hitting the ball “fat”. Also, on a “mid deflected”, “butt stiff”, “butt down and through swing which takes a weak”. Bend Point is also referred to divot, the bounce on the sole will help as “flex point” or “kick point”.

105 to “shallow” out the divot and bring the 84 MPH the driver is said to have a COR clubhead out of the ground sooner. of .84 or the collision was 84% efficient. BULGE – The horizontal curvature (from The U.S.G.A. now uses a different toe to heel) on the face of metal woods method to calculate COR which is expressed in inches of radius. This in- referred to as Controlled Time (CT), cludes drivers, fairway metals and most but the results mean the same as was hybrids. explained above. Older persimmon drivers had a COR of around .78 and CAMBER – The radius curve on the sole most modern day drivers are at the of an iron club, whether from toe to U.S.G.A. legal limit of .83 COR. heel or leading edge to trailing edge, or both. Hence, 2 way and 4 way radius or COMPOSITE – A combination of materi- camber. Referred to also as a rocker sole, als comprised of a base material and radiused sole, 2 way radius and 4 way some type of adhesive to bind them to- roll. gether. Can come in a variety of forms ranging from fibers, particles or layers. A CAVITY BACK – A term used to describe principle term used to describe graphite a type of iron head that has a cavity in golf shaft construction, and clubheads the back portion of the iron head. made of more than one material (usu- Generally, cavity back irons have more ally metal and graphite). perimeter weighting than non-cavity back irons, making them more forgiving COUNTER BALANCE – The process of (higher Maltby Playability Factor or adding weight in the butt end of a shaft MPF) on off-center hits. However, there to achieve a specific swingweight and/or are exceptions to this general rule re- feel. Counter balancing will increase garding playability. the overall weight of the club and is not a widely recommended procedure be- CENTER OF GRAVITY (CG) – The point in cause it takes twice as much weight in a clubhead at which all of the points of the butt end of the club to affect the balance intersect. CG is often referred same swingweight change as it does in to as the “sweet spot” although this is the clubhead end of the club. not technically correct. However, for practical purposes it is alright to use DARRELL SURVEY – Organization that “sweet spot”. Usually, the lower the CG counts and publishes equipment usage of a club, the higher the ball flight and on professional golf tours. The Survey the easier the club is to hit solid. Higher counts club and ball type and brand, CG club’s produce lower ball flights and type of clothing and shoes used, etc. are usually harder to hit. The information is published and is made available to equipment companies COEFFICIENT OF RESTITUTION (COR) – and golfers by subscription only. The efficiency percentage of a collision. For example: If a golf ball is fired into DYNAMIC FITTING – Method of fitting the face of a driver at 100 MPH and the golf clubs in which fitting decisions are ball rebounds off the driver face at made based upon ball striking tests. 106 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Gained credibility and wide acceptance around a mandrel in a pre-determined following the printing of Ralph Maltby’s pattern from tip to butt, forming a book titled, “The Complete Golf Club shaft. This is the expensive way to build Fitting Plan.” This is still the standard fit- composite shafts and also control shaft ting manual for the Professional Golfers specifications the best. The other Association of America. method is using a made up “pre-peg” FACE ANGLE – The angle of the clubface and hand wrapping or “table wrap- in relation to the target line when the ping” the material around a mandrel. golf club is in the address position or ac- This also is a very acceptable method tually the angle of the clubhead at any with shaft quality being more depen- point along the swing path. The term is dant on the skill of the individual. also used to describe the designed face FLEX POINT – The location on the shaft angle built-in to any metal wood head. where the bend is the greatest. Shafts The designed-in Face Angle can either will have either low, mid or high flex be in a closed position to the target line points. Generally, high flex points help (hooked face), square to the target line better players and low to mid flex points (square face) or open to the target line all other handicaps. Also see the defini- (slice face). tion for “Bend Point”. FACE BALANCED – A putter that, when FLOW WEIGHTING – A method of head balanced on its shaft horizontally, will design in which the positioning of the exhibit the property of the putter face weight in a set of heads is moved pro- being parallel to the ground. Some put- gressively in some direction from one ter companies claim an advantage over club to the next. For example, a 1 iron other putter manufacturing methods, may have more weight concentrated in but I have never discovered any benefits its toe area, a 2 iron slightly less, and so or disadvantages. on down to the 9 iron which is toward FACE PROGRESSION – Measurement of the heel area. the distance from the centerline of the FORGING – A process for manufacturing shaft or hosel bore to the farthest front or forming golf clubheads in which a leading portion of the clubface in both piece of billet material is hammered or woods and irons. Face Progression is a “forged” into a shape using a number better way for golf club designers to of different progressive dies in a large specify the clubface position relative to tonnage press. Many forged golf the hosel vs. “offset” which is close in clubheads today are called forged but definition but not exactly the same are actually cast heads that are hit measurement. once in a die set to make them so-called FILAMENT WINDING – The process for legitimate. This is not the same as a 1 manufacturing a seamless composite true forged clubhead and is /3 the cost shaft with continuous resin-impreg- to produce. nated “yarns” of graphite wound FORGED TITANIUM – A method of wood

107 and sole of the head is formed (forged) Mashie Iron - Older name give to from titanium. The face and hosels of the 4 iron such woods are usually cast from 6-4 ti Mashie - Older name given to the 5 iron (although some are machined). Forged Spade Mashie - Older name given to titanium woods are usually less costly the 6 iron than casting due to their ease of form- Mashie Niblick - Older name give to ing as well as their lower raw material the 7 iron cost. There are no playability advan- Niblick - Older name given to tages in either the casting method or the 8 and 9 irons the forging method of making titanium Note: The names on older irons could vary some- heads if both are done correctly. what at the whim of the manufacturer. Pitching wedges, gap wedges, sand wedges and 60º or lob 431SS – A type of high quality stainless wedges came along later and therefore do not have steel used to make investment cast iron older names. heads. If it is heat treated properly, the lofts and lie angles can be bent 3º to 4º GRAPHITE COMPOSITE – A golf shaft in any direction when custom fitting a made of a low percentage of carbon set of irons. graphite and a higher percentage of another material such as fiberglass. This is GEAR EFFECT – The effect, caused by done to lower the cost of the shaft. I do horizontal face bulge, that tends to not recommend these shafts. cause a ball hit toward the toe or heel side of face center to curve back to the HEEL/TOE WEIGHTING – The process of intended target line. Gear effect also ap- weight distribution whereby weight is plies to vertical face roll on the larger relocated from the center of a metal (450cc to 460cc) deep faced drivers wood or iron equally to the toe and where it can reduce the back spin rate heel areas. This process does not mostly on above center hits. change the center of gravity location horizontally, but does improve off-cen- GOLF CLUB NAME TERMINOLOGY ter hits by putting more mass in these Driver - Name given to the areas. This is one method to raise the 1 wood moment of Inertia (MOI) of the club- Brassie - Older name given to a 2 wood head. Spoon - Older name given to INVESTMENT CASTING (ALSO KNOWN the 3 wood AS THE “LOST WAX” PROCESS) – A Cleek - Older name given to the 4 wood method of accurately producing iron Baffy - Older name give to the heads and metal woods. A mold is made 5 wood from a master model and a wax is cast Driving Iron - Older name give to the from the mold. This wax is dipped sev- 1 iron eral times in a ceramic slurry or mixture Mid Iron - Older name give to the 2 iron which then hardens. The slurry is heated Mid Mashie - Older name given to and the wax melts out (lost wax). the 3 iron Molten metal is poured into the slurry

108 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score shell (invested) and allowed to cool. ming the shaft tip to the proper length. KICK POINT – See “BEND POINT” Parallel tip shafts are favored by clubmakers, although a number of OEM’s MODULUS – The amount a material use them as well. They help to reduce will deform when stressed. High modu- inventory levels in shops. lus graphite has a higher resistance to deformity (bending) because the PERIMETER WEIGHTING – Process of carbon atoms lie closer together to weighting a club whereby most of the form a stronger bond. Used in graphite weight is placed in the toe, heel and shaft advertising. sole of the head rather than the center. The term is most commonly used to MOMENT OF INERTIA (MOI) – The refer to cavity backed irons, although it clubhead’s resistance to twisting when can be applied to all golf club types the golf ball is impacted off-center or not on the center of gravity location PROGRESSIVE OFFSET – Usually applies horizontally. Higher MOI’s resist twisting to irons. On each iron club the distance more than lower MOI’s. from the farthest front portion of the hosel to the farthest front portion of OEM (ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANU- the iron’s leading edge changes in di- FACTURER) – A golf club company mension. In other words, a 2 iron in the dedicated to designing and building set may have a lot of offset and when golf clubs for sale to the public. you get to the 9 iron it may have none. OFFSET (ALSO CALLED HOSEL OFFSET) – The offset diminishes proportionately The distance from the farthest front por- from the long irons to the short irons. tion of the hosel to the farthest front This feature helps players hit down and portion of the leading edge of the club- through long irons (more offset) and face. (See “progressive offset.”) better “line up” the easier to hit short irons (very little or no offset). Some golf OVERALL WEIGHT (ALSO CALLED STATIC club companies have made progressive WEIGHT, TOTAL WEIGHT AND DEAD offset irons the opposite of the above WEIGHT) – The measurement in grams example. or ounces of a golf club’s actual total weight. This includes the complete as- RIBBED GRIP OR REMINDER GRIP – A sembled golf club. grip that has a raised section along the vertical length of the back of the grip. PARALLEL TIP SHAFT – The type of shaft Certain players believe a ribbed grip will construction in which the shaft has one help them maintain uniform hand posi- constant diameter in its tip section. tion on all clubs in the set. Tour players .370" is a common tip size for parallel generally do not prefer ribbed grips. tip iron shafts, while .335" is common for wood shafts. Parallel tip shafts can SCOTCH TOE – A type of iron head often be used in any club in the set; the design where the toe is somewhat same shaft can be used to assemble a square in its appearance as opposed to 1 iron or a sand wedge simply by trim- being rounded. Term used more in the

109 golf club company to use this term STATIC FITTING – Method of fitting golf frequently. clubs using charts or rulers. Seldom do SET MAKE-UP – The particular comple- players actually hit shots. This is used ment of golf clubs in any set which by when the club fitter cannot actually U.S.G.A. Rules cannot exceed 14 clubs. be with the player to use the proper “Dynamic Fitting” method (such as 17-4SS – A type of stainless steel used in being fit over the internet). It will use the manufacture of investment cast iron measurements like “fingertip to floor” heads, denoting 17% chromium and 4% for fitting club length. It will sometimes nickel in the metal composition. 17-4 is use index finger length to fit grip size predominantly used in irons, fairway and so on. It simply does not work. metals, hybrids and some putters. STRONG (LOFT) – Less loft than is the SHAFT FLEX – A comparative measure- standard for any given club. ment of a shaft’s resistance to bending or deflection under a given stress and SWINGWEIGHT – A measurement using load. Flex can be measured on a shaft a special weighing scale which deter- deflection board and is usually divided mines the golf club’s overall weight dis- into the 6 shaft flexes: LL, L, A, R, S and tribution. In other words, it produces a X. measurement based on the weight distribution of the shaft, grip and head in a SHAFT FREQUENCY – The measurement given length golf club. The swingweight of the rate of oscillations (cycles per scale uses a fixed fulcrum point to bal- minute, CPM) of a given flex shaft at a ance the club which is most commonly given head weight and club length. The 14”. Swingweight is expressed by a frequency of a shaft or a golf club is used letter/number combination such as to determine the flex feel of that shaft A1, B2, C3, D1, D-5, etc. or golf club using a dynamic method vs. using static measurements. Also called SWEET SPOT – The intersecting balance “Frequency Matching” when the set or points of mass or “spot” on a clubhead. more than one club is compared. The impact point on a clubhead that produces the most solid feel when a SOLE WEIGHTING – Distributing the ball is struck. Mostly, “sweet spot” is an weight on a metal wood, hybrid or iron incorrect term for identifying the clubhead as low in the head as it can be head’s center of gravity location. When placed. This process is usually associated “sweet spot” is used to refer to the with lower profile clubs such as irons, hitting area of forgiveness, it is also hybrids and other utility type clubs that taking into account the clubhead’s perform best with a very low center of moment of inertia (MOI). gravity. Sole weighting can also be used to move the center of gravity more rear- TAPER TIP SHAFT – One of a number of ward in a clubhead usually by widening shafts manufactured with a tip section the sole. that varies in length and diameter below the first step. This type of shaft

110 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score requires that a specific length, known as a discreet length shaft be made for each club in a set. Taper tip shafts are still available today and are used by some manufacturers although their greatest popularity was prior to 1990. The most common tip taper shaft used today is a .355" tip for irons. TORQUE – The amount of rotational twist that occurs in a golf shaft during the swing. Generally, low torque shafts are for better players who release the club later and have higher swing speeds. Higher torque (more twisting) shafts are for higher handicap players and with slower swing speeds. This is only a very general rule. WEAK (LOFT) – More loft than is the standard for any given club.

NOTES

111 Section Nineteen

GOLF CLUB YARDAGE CHART Golf Club Yardage Chart

Here’s something that is rarely Estimated Actual Actual Yardage Yardage Yardage done but it can help you save (carry) (carry) (carry & roll) strokes. Knowing the exact distance you hit your clubs not only enhances Driver your confidence but also replaces 3 Metal some guessing with real facts. This 4 Metal is especially useful when you are 5 Metal determining your best set make-up to play with. Adding in a new hybrid 7 Metal or a wedge that will help you the 9 Metal most requires that you know the 11 Metal actual distances that you hit each Hybrid club. Why carry two clubs that hit the same distance if you really only Hybrid need to fill in a distance gap? 2 Iron Estimated Yardage: First, fill in this 3 Iron part as best you can using carry only at this point. What club do you hit 4 Iron from the 150 yard marker? Take any 5 Iron

known distance such as this and use 6 Iron it to fill in the rest of the iron spaces. Usually golfers get 8 - 12 yards between 7 Iron iron clubs (10 yard average) and 13 to 8 Iron

17 yards between fairway metals 9 Iron (15 yards average). I really like to fill Pitching in this estimated yardage column Wedge because it proves that many of us Gap have a tough time simply guessing Wedge how far we hit the ball in the air. Sand Wedge One way to get your actual yardages is to use the yardage on a number of 60° Wedge different golf holes. For example, hit your driver and then pace either 63°+ back or up to the 150 yard marker. Wedge

112 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score The way I like to do it is to use a hand NOTES held range finder (the new, mostly expensive units that look like a pair of binoculars) measuring back from the flag distance on the second shot. You can eventually get all your club’s actual yardages during a practice round or out on the driving range. Don’t use the distance markers on most driving ranges because you can never be sure where they were measured from on the teeing area. Also, don’t use a launch monitor or a golf simulator’s distances. These are usually calculated using a mathematician’s algorithms and are rarely consistent with all your clubs.

Remember, we want two sets of yardages; actual carry only and carry and roll combined. For example; carry only, can really help you when you want to carry a bunker with your driver off the tee or carry an iron to a certain landing spot on the green. Carry and roll combined helps with any lay up shot on a par 5 hole with an iron or a fairway metal. I know, roll is dependant on a lot of factors, but we can use the averages which is still a lot better than nothing at all.

Trust me, this really is a good exercise which is actually much easier to do than my explanation here. Pick your own method of getting the information, but do it.

113

Section Twenty

PERSONAL GOLF ROUND

INFORMATION Use this guide to keep track of your Information at a glance can be valu- rounds of golf each year or season. able in spotting trends.

PERSONAL GOLF ROUND INFORMATION Round Score Fairways Greens Total 3 Total All No. Date Gross/Net Course Played Hit Hit Putts Putts Wedges Hit 1

114 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score PERSONAL GOLF ROUND INFORMATION Round Score Fairways Greens Total 3 Total All No. Date Gross/Net Course Played Hit Hit Putts Putts Wedges Hit 19

115 Section Twenty One

GOLF BALL FITTING how much better and is it worth it?” A golfer could spend a lifetime of experi- Golf balls have always been different menting with all the balls available from one manufacturer to another, but and still not be able to keep track of all not as much as they are today. We have the perceived results obtained from golf balls today that are refined to the rounds of golf or practice sessions point where the manufacturers can where he was either hitting the ball control the spin amount, spin duration, good, fair or badly. trajectory and a few other proprietary flight characteristics that only they This is where golf ball fitting comes know about. We basically categorize into play. Proper ball fitting can zero these balls as “high launch, low spin” you in on the best flight characteristics and “lower launch, high spin”. Of and the actual ball to help you play the course this is fairly broad to only name best with your current swing and two categories of flight characteristics equipment. The best way to accom- when in fact there are varying degrees plish this is to hit balls using a launch of launch and spin rates. Recent years monitor, see Fig. 21-1. You need to be have seen huge improvements in golf sure that you are using your driver ball performance. There is no doubt and that you are teeing the ball to the that the ball has been just as big, if not same height as you do on the golf the biggest, contributor to the added course. Also, this is not the time to try distance golfers are getting. Yes, golf and impress everyone with how far clubs have done their part also and particularly so with the distance technology designed into modern drivers.

Today’s golf balls can be made of different materials, different construction methods and different design philoso- phies. All this adds up to different performance characteristics that golfers are expected to sort through to find the ideal ball for them. However, if you throw in the variable of cost to the golfer; the decision gets even harder. Many golfers ask, “If I spend more on a Launch dozen balls, will they perform better, Monitor FIG. 21-1

116 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Putting Robots

FIG. 21-2 you can hit the ball by over swinging the distance and direction a golf ball at it. Swing as you would on the golf will fly. Direction as it relates to the course when you are playing for a good golf ball itself is more accurately de- score. There are many factors, other scribed as “dispersion”. Dispersion is than the ball, that control the launch the left to right variance of a certain angle and spin rate you apply to the golf balls flight when it is hit under ball. You need to minimize as many of ideal test conditions. Dispersion can be these variables as possible to get the influenced by a golf balls dimple de- most accurate results. Most of the sign, weight distribution and the man- launch monitor installations will have ufacturing quality level to name only a different ball types for you to try. If you few. really want to know how the ball you are currently playing stacks up to Here is a dispersion example of a other golf balls, be sure and take one or poorly manufactured ball when two along with you to the session. putting. If the balls balance point (center of gravity) is not in the exact I mentioned earlier that there are center of the ball, the dispersion will other characteristics of golf balls be- generally be greater. When putting, sides launch angle and spin rates. All this usually means that the accuracy of of these characteristics together add the putted ball will be reduced. This up to two important results which are however will be dependant on how the

117 balance point (heavy side or light side) relative to the direction the putt will be hit. In other words, if you place the heavy side of the ball to the left of the target, the ball will go more to the left than it normally would. Conversely, if you placed the heavy side of the ball to the right, the ball will go more to the right. I do this demonstration all the Ball Balance Kit time using my precision putting robot (see Fig. 21-2) with every group of FIG. 21-3 students who come through The Golf- Works schools and they are simply Your goal should be to select a golf ball amazed. When I show it to a tour pro to maximize distance and minimize who happens through the studio, they dispersion and also, one that will putt leave saying that they are going to accurately. You do not need to get all check every ball before teeing it up. hung-up on launch angles and spin This is the reason that the electronic rates. However, you need to get your- ball balancer or the liquid solutions self into a launch monitor and do a ball (salt water) ball balancing method (see fitting because it is more important Fig. 21-3) is popular with many golfers. than ever with today’s widely varied Check out the short video on golf ball and highly technical golf ball designs. balancing on ralphmaltby.com for more information.

A golf ball that is not balanced will also NOTES: be affected in flight. When the ball is struck and starts to spin, its initial direction can be influenced by a heavy or light side. However, it does not take long for the ball to re-orient the heavy side to the ball’s back spin axis where it no longer has as significant an effect on poor directional control. This is the opposite of a putted ball which cannot correct itself.

118 How Golf Clubs Work & Affect Your Ability To Score Section Twenty Two

BUILDING YOUR OWN GOLF who CLUBS IS ONE GREAT HOBBY! attend our Why? Because everyone needs to relax schools and do something that they enjoy. come Many jobs are stressful and many are from varied backgrounds. Many are not, but we simply need to get away school teachers, golf professionals, from work occasionally to expand our lawyers, doctors, dentists, construc- horizons and maybe, just maybe, we tion workers or simply interested can learn something new and have golfers. some fun in the process. The only reason that I am in the golf business today However, was simply my desire to learn more they all have about the sport I loved. Unfortunately, one thing in back in the 1960’s it was impossible to common, obtain any information about the tech- which is, nical aspects of golf clubs. The only in- they love formation I found was a small booklet golf and want to get more involved in it about golf club repair written by and understand more about their Kenneth Smith. The problem with the equipment. Building golf clubs, repair- book was that it had very little infor- ing golf clubs, fitting golf clubs or sim- mation in it and was terribly outdated. ply altering the specifications of golf This is not the case today. Anyone clubs is exciting and that’s what makes looking for technical information on it fun. golf clubs has numerous books, videos and articles to read and has the poten- We all have to start somewhere when tial to learn as much or more about we take up a new hobby. To find out if golf clubs than many of the people who this is really for you, simply take the are currently in the first step and either build a golf club or regrip your set of clubs. Individual golf golf business. club kits and the regrip kits come with The GolfWorks complete instructions. Clubmaking Schools are To find out more about this great another great way hobby visit www.golfworks.com and to get hands on www.ralphmaltby.com. experience and Roll up your sleeves and jump right in. learn at your own It’s inexpensive, educational and very pace. The people rewarding. 119 About Ralph Maltby In 1976, Mr. Maltby founded the GolfWorks and Ralph Maltby has influenced every aspect of mod- has been manufacturing and distributing golf ern clubmaking from golf club fitting to his many clubs, machines, gauges, tools, and supplies world- patented innovations in golf club design to his six wide to golf club repair shops, golf professionals, best selling reference books. The first book is the manufacturers, custom clubmakers and do-it definitive work called “Golf Club Design, Fitting, yourselfers. In 2006 Mr. Maltby sold the GolfWorks Alteration and Repair”. This 900 page hardcover to Golf Galaxy. He is still actively involved with book is the official reference manual of the golf equipment testing, further advancing golf Professional Golfers Association of America. The club design technology and improving methods for 2001 second edition of “The Complete Golf Club fitting golf clubs to the individual. He spends most Fitting Plan” is also the official fitting book of the of his time in a state of the art golf club research PGA. Mr. Maltby has also written the definitive and development studio doing this work and golf club repair book titled “Golf Club Repair in where he also produces educational videos on Pictures”. This book is currently in its fifth many golf club equipment related subjects. edition, used worldwide and translated into other languages. Another book in its fourth Mr. Maltby has lectured at over 250 PGA Business printing is the “Golf Club Assembly Manual”. Schools on Golf Club Design Principles, Golf Club Fitting and Golf Club Repair Procedures. He In 2005 the first edition of “The Maltby Playability lectured annually at the Tour Players School with a Factor (MPF) for Irons” was published. This is a 5 ½ hour presentation entitled “Working With Your monumental work that was conceived, researched Equipment”. He has taught basic and advanced and developed over a twelve year period. MPF is a repair and fitting workshops for the PGA, and rating system on golf club iron playability which written numerous articles for golfing publications uses mass and dimensional properties of a club- around the world. He has also made appearances head and classifies that head as to how hard or on The Golf Channel discussing golf technical easy it is to play. information. He is a member of the Golf Writers This book, “How Golf Clubs Work . . . & Affect Your Association of America, The Golf Collectors Society Ability to Score”, is an expanded and updated and an honorary member of the Professional Clubmakers Society. rewrite of the original book published in 1997. The content has been increased three fold from the In 1991 he was listed by Golf Digest magazine as original and is designed to help all golfers under- one of the 36 most powerful men in golf. In 1996 stand their equipment better so they can play their Mr. Maltby was inducted into the “Professional best. All of Mr. Maltby’s books are the number one Clubmakers Society” Hall of Fame and in 2005 he selling books on these selected subjects and have was inducted into the Ohio Golf Hall of Fame. totaled hundreds of thousands of copies sold. Mr. Maltby was distinguished by being appointed Graduating from the University of South Florida an honorary member of the New Zealand Profes- with a marketing degree, he also studied engineer- sional Golfers Association in 1980. ing. He played golf prior to and during his college days. While attending the university he operated a Besides golf, his hobbies are boating, scuba diving, club repair and custom golf shop. auto racing and flying. He has a commercial pilot’s license and advanced ground instructor’s license Before joining Spalding as a Product Engineer in addition to being in 1969, Ralph Maltby served as a wood head instrument rated in single finishing consultant to several major golf club and multi engine aircraft. manufacturers. At Spalding he designed a number He also holds a national of new golf clubs and later became Product competition license from Manager for golf products. the Sports Car Club of In 1973 he joined Faultless Sports as Director America (SCCA) and a of Marketing. There he developed and patented professional license from a number of highly innovative club designs and the International Motor was promoted to Vice President of Operations Sports Association (IMSA). with overall marketing and manufacturing responsibilities. ralphmaltby.com