Golf Club Terminology
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golf club terminology Attack Wedge Over time the difference between the average loft of a pitching wedge and a sand wedge has increased, creating a significant void between them. The attack wedge was created to fill that void; its loft is approximately halfway between the pitching wedge and sand wedge. Bounce Bounce refers to the shape of an iron’s sole. A club whose sole protrudes below the leading edge of the club is said to have positive bounce, while a club whose sole is level with the leading edge and parallel to the ground at address is said to have zero bounce. Positive bounce is useful for preventing the clubface from digging deeply into the turf, and is especially useful for playing explosion shots from sand because it helps the clubhead bounce upward and out of the sand instead of digging downward. Center of Gravity (CG) Center of Gravity, or “CG,” is the point in the clubhead where all lines of balance intersect, and where the entire mass is at equilibrium in all directions. CG position usually affects launch angle. Generally, the higher the CG (farther from the ground), the lower the launch angle. By strategically distributing the weight in the clubhead, club designers can position the CG lower and farther back in the clubhead to produce a higher launch angle, which generally results in more carry and greater distance. Clubface The area of the clubhead, be it a wood, hybrid, iron or putter, that’s used to strike the ball. CNC Milling Milling is a process of cutting metal to achieve a specific type of shape or surface. CNC (computer-numeric-controlled) milling entails creating an electronic file via CAD (computer-aided design), and then loading that file into a DNC (direct numerical control) computer that feeds the code to the mill and directs the tool. CNC milling allows for the precise creation of intricate designs that might be difficult to execute by hand milling, plus CNC milling virtually guarantees that each design will be repeated exactly the same way, time and time again. CNC milling is used to create the Inverted Cone on the inner side of the clubface in TaylorMade drivers and to shape the heads of TP by Kia Ma putters. Coefficient of Restitution (COR) Coefficient of Restitution, or “COR,” relates to the energy transfer that occurs when one object collides with another. In terms of golf clubs, COR is directly related to the speed of a golf ball as it rebounds from a clubface. Generally, a club with higher COR will generate greater ball velocity, equaling more distance. COR is expressed as a percentage. To measure the COR of a clubhead of mass Mc, balls of mass Mb are fired at a clubface at a fixed speed, known as initial speed, Vi. The speed at which the balls rebound is known as rebound speed, Vr. The COR is given by the equation COR=[(Vi+Vr)(Mc+Mb)/(ViMh)-1]. For example, with a 200g clubhead and a 45g ball, if the initial ball speed is 110 mph, and the ball rebound speed is 53 mph, the COR would be 0.82. In terms of distance, a player with a swing speed from 100 to 120 mph should gain about two yards for every one percent increase in COR. Players with slower swing speeds will generally gain less yardage. Golf’s governing bodies, the USGA and R&A, currently utilizes a rule which limits the Pendulum Characteristic Time (CT) to insure that the clubface doesn’t possess excessive spring-like effect. The CT limit is 239 microseconds, with an 18 microsecond tolerance. Coin-Forged Coin-forging is a process where a material, usually a metal, is heated to a specific temperature and pressed continuously for an extended period. Coin-forging eliminates the rough, unfinished appearance that’s often a consequence of normal forging, and instead gives the clubhead a smoother, sleeker look. COR zone COR zone is the area of the clubface that delivers the club’s maximum COR upon impact with a ball. When impact is made outside the COR zone, initial ball velocity decreases, and distance is lost. TaylorMade’s Inverted Cone Technology, incorporated into every TaylorMade driver model, expands the COR zone dramatically, resulting in increased average ball speed for increased average distance. Draw-bias Draw-bias refers to a specific combination of a club’s characteristics -- including face angle, shaft characteristics, heel-weighting and the position of the CG -- that together promote a slightly right- to-left shot-shape, better known as a draw. eMOI eMOI, short for Effective MOI, is the positive influence on ball speed on off-center hits that’s exerted by the combined effects of a driver’s MOI and clubface technology (versus constant- thickness clubfaces). eMOI in TaylorMade drivers is dramatically higher, and more valuable in terms of its affect on ball speed, than MOI alone, owing to the benefits of TaylorMade’s patented Inverted Cone Technology. Ferrule The ferrule is the small, black collar located at the end of the shaft and directly on top of the clubhead. The ferrule plays an essential role in preventing shaft breakage, and also improves the club’s appearance. Flex Flex refers to the degree of flexibility exhibited by a golf shaft. The dynamic forces of the golf swing cause a shaft to flex and twist in a variety of directions during the swing. Each shaft is engineered to flex and twist in specific locations and to specific degrees when swung at specific swing speeds; for the player to be able to easily square the clubface at impact, the characteristics of the shaft must match the player’s swing characteristics. A shaft designed to flex and twist according to the force generated by a player with a fast swing speed will not behave the same way in the hands of a slower swinger, and vice-versa. In general, stiffer shafts, which are less flexible, work better for faster swingers, and softer, more flexible shafts work better for slower swingers. Modern shafts are designed with a variety of flexes and flex characteristics to offer a wide variety of players the optimum level of performance. It’s vital that a player’s shaft flex be correct, otherwise it will be difficult for to swing normally and square the clubface. If the shaft is too stiff the clubface will tend to be open through impact, resulting in shots that fly to the right; if the shaft is too soft the clubface will tend to be closed through impact, resulting in shots that fly left. The best way to determine what shaft flex works best for you is to see a professional clubfitter. Grind Grind refers to the specific shape given to a clubhead through the use of a grinding wheel. While different grinds give the clubhead different appearances, the purpose of a particular grind is to encourage a certain type of performance. For example, grinding the sole of a sand wedge into a particular shape will change the way the clubhead behaves when playing from sand, rough, tight lies, etc. Grooves Grooves are the thin, straight, horizontal indentations found in the clubface of irons and woods. The purpose of grooves is to help the club impart backspin on the ball at impact. When the clubface, moving at a high rate of speed, makes contact with the ball, the cover sinks into the grooves, which “grab” the ball and impart backspin. The average, cleanly struck wedge shot spins at about 10,000 rpm. Backspin creates lift, which makes the ball fly higher; backspin also makes the ball stop faster. Hybrid An easy-to-hit club that combines certain features of a long-iron with certain features of a fairway wood. TaylorMade invented the hybrid with the introduction of the Rescue® club in 1996, then re- energized the category with the launch of the Rescue Mid club in 2003. Loft Loft is the angle of the clubface relative to the vertical plane. Launch angle and spin rate are proportional to loft angle; higher lofted clubs produce higher launch angles and higher spin rates, resulting in higher trajectories. When it comes to driver loft, players with faster clubhead speeds generate more backspin, creating more lift; consequently they typically require less loft. Slower swingers generate less backspin, and generally benefit from clubs with more loft. Lob Wedge A wedge with 60 or more degrees of loft designed to lob high, soft-landing, quick-stopping shots from approximately 70 yards from the green and less. Moment of Inertia (MOI) Moment of Inertia is the measure of an object’s ability to resist twisting – in terms of a clubhead, MOI refers to the head’s resistance to twisting on off-center hits. The higher the MOI measurement, the more stable and resistant to twisting the head will be. A clubhead’s propensity to resist twisting on off-center hits is crucial, especially to recreational golfers, who frequently make contact away from the center of the clubface. A club with low MOI will tend to twist open when contact is made toward the toe and closed when contact is made toward the heel, and the direction of the shot suffers and COR drops. Although a higher MOI will not remedy loss of COR on off-center hits, it will make the head more resistant to twisting, resulting in a straighter shot. Offset Offset is the distance between the leading edge of clubface and the front plane or the hosel. Offset is engineered into some model of irons to help players who tend to leave the clubface open at impact to square the clubface.