Topic: The Lounge / Where is Everybody?

Tell me mick how do you go being a policeman on a forum that has porn on it.

Don’t tell anyone, Chestnuts, but I have visited strip clubs before also. But I never would have done so if I knew that being a copper prevented me from exercising the same rights as any other person in the community.

But you are most welcome to join the other site and see for yourself that I have not posted in any of the ‘porn’ threads. This is not because I am morally opposed to them, but because tossers like yourself would be the first to condemn me if I did.

Chestnuts, in one breath you suggest I am corrupt and in the next you expect me to behave like a priest. Maybe you should stop taking cheap shots and stick to the topic.

Mick

Topic: The Lounge / Where is Everybody?

Thanks judge we shall see :) The “new kid on the block” forum has been around just over 4 years now – it didn’t work over the past 4 years and more than likely won’t now. More the merrier – in the end we’ll be back to where we were in a month or two.

The ‘new kid on the block’ has only been going for one month. It already has 100+ members and over 3000 posts. Not a bad start. People haven’t migrated there because of the lack of PM’s, etc. They moved because they were treated like 2nd class citizens.

Yes, chestnuts, ISG is more than just the forum, but that is the problem. The forum has paid the price for being part of a bigger entity and has lost its’ heart and soul as a result.

This place will improve and grow but it is severely haemorrhaging at the moment and the other site is currently a much happier place to be.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Shaft Stiffness - Should I Reshaft?

Brett, It might not be your shafts causing the problem get you lofts checked to see if the gaps are equal i.e 4 deg beween each one. Cheers Nigel

Didn’t think of that one.

Does anyone recommend a club fitter who can help me in Melbourne?

I think Mick is near or in Melbourne

I am an hour north of Melbourne, but any pro or clubfitter should be able to check and adjust your lofts. You should also get your lie angles checked at the same time.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Drivers

Are you based in Melbourne Mick?

I am in Seymour, about an hour north of Melbourne. If we had PM’s I’d drop you a line. :(

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Shaft Stiffness - Should I Reshaft?

I do try not to make it to confusing for the average punter though. Jon…

I agree Jon, but I was just responding to this:

“Of course swing speed determines flex. Once you establish the flex for the swingspeed you can choose the shaft with the correct kick point, tip flex, torque and weight etc that suits your tempo, wrist action etc.”

Just trying to make the point that it is not that simple.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Gap Wedge Dilemma!!!

Guru, would 50 degrees be a logical replacement for me, or would you bend the 50 to a 49?

Bending wedges for loft sometimes does not give you the results you are expecting.

Longnstraight, I had a similar problem to you a few years back. At that time my PW was flying 115-120 metres, but my 54* gap wedge was only carrying 90-95 metres. I was constantly finding myself in between these distances so I thought I would bend my 54 a little stronger.

I ended up bending all the way to 50* but still only hit the club 95-100 metres. The club was 4 degrees stronger yet I only hit it 5 metres further.

This puzzled me for a long time but I eventually worked out why. By reducing the loft by 4 degrees, I was also reducing the bounce angle by 4 degrees. But bounce angle shouldn’t effect distance – right? Wrong.

All lofted clubs produce a downward glancing contact with the ball. At impact the ball slides a little up the clubface. The more lofted the club, the more glancing the blow and the greater the backspin.

Now, all wedges have bounce angles (angle on the sole of the club). The bounce angle is there, in part, to stop the club digging into the ground. On softer gound especially, the bounce angle will cause the clubhead to slide under the ball rather than continue downwards into the ground. The reason wedges and the more lofted irons have greater bounce than the longer irons is that there is a more downward impact.

So, what was happening in my case was that, by reducing the bounce angle, my club was not sliding under the ball but continuing downward into the ground. This resulted in a more glancing contact than would have been the case with a 50* wedge with normal bounce.

The long and short of it is that bending wedges to stronger loft angles may not give the distance increases you are after. So bending a 50 degree wedge to 49 degrees will probably not have any real noticeable effect.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Driving Iron?

Are these as forgiving as a hybrid? Do they have a low boring ball flight?

Driving irons, like hybrids, come in a wide variety and in some instances may be the same thing.

Early driving irons were nothing more than 1 or 2 irons. Gradually they became more perimeter weighted and developed deeper COGs until they eventually evolved into hybrids.

The turning point probably came with the earliest Cobra Baffler. It was not the first to have a hollow head like a metal wood, but it was the first of the popular brand clubs to deliberately move the COG lower and deeper in the clubhead to assist in getting the ball airborne. The original Baffler retained some of the charecteristics of a driving iron, ie: the flat face, but it was the first real step in popularising the hybrid.

Hybrids are forgiving for the following reasons:

1. They have a deep and low COG (centre of gravity) which increases launch angle and decreases backspin. So you end up with a higher but more boring ball flight. Conventional long irons start out lower but tend to soar, or balloon, more.

2. They have bulged, or radiused, faces which, combined with the deeper COG, provide a controlled ‘gear effect’ as with wood heads. Without going into the science of gear effect, it provides a self correcting spin. Toe hits start out to the right and draw back while heel hits start left but fade back to target.

3. The increased offset and deeper COG increase the MOI (moment of inertia) of the clubhead which means there is less twisting of the clubhead on off-centre hits. Your mishits end up more on target.

So, to answer your question, hybrids are a lot more forgiving than’traditional’ driving irons.

They are also a better option than traditional driving irons into the wind as, even though they have a higher launch angle, they do not tend to soar as much as driving irons.

Your answer might be to look at a lower lofted hybrid. I have recently made myself a 16* Nakashima NX1 which is giving me a remarkable trajectory. The ball gets up more quickly than I thought it might but stays on a good boring trajectory. It just seems to go forever.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Titleist irons - which wedge to include?

Well said, Scottt.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / What does a hybrid replace?

Mrplou, the other option would be to drop the 3 iron and have the 4 iron bent 1-2 degrees stronger. Most modern iron sets only have about 3 degree loft increments between the longer irons, so you would effectively be making your 4 iron a 3-1/2 iron.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Drivers

Cool, perhaps I should push my place of work but I am not like that. I used to play/teach for some 15 years and doing the retail thing is new to me with golf. I actually hate retail and having said that, it just eats me that I work with other people who are not PGA. Would you buy clubs off a person who plays off a 16 h’cap? It’s crazy mate. I actually feel for customers but atleast I know I do the right thing by them and not crap on. It’s all about the cash coming in and not about caring for the actual golfer. Not the best practice. I think I will be going back overseas in time and be a teacher again.

If you think that being a PGA member necessarily means that you know more about golf equipment and clubfitting, then think again. There are plenty of clubfitters who know more about equipment and fitting than ‘most’ PGA pro’s.

While I agree that a good knowledge of the golf swing is essential to good club fitting, it does not follow that a higher handicapper cannot have a good knowledge of equipment or fitting.

I am not knocking proffesionals – most are good at what they do. But, being PGA qualified means very little when it comes to knowledge of golf equipment and club fitting. In most instances, I would take the advice of a good clubfitter over that of an average PGA pro when it comes to golf equipment.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / What does a hybrid replace?

If you are genuinely hitting the distances stated, then there is no need to carry 3 wood, 4 wood and hybrid. One of those needs to go. I would suggest the 4 wood goes on longer courses and leave the 3 wood out on shorter tracks. But, if you are hitting those distances, you have no need with all three clubs.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Anyone use 13 degree driver??

With my swing speed and characteristics, I feel this driver is the one for me….

Stick by your convictions. You could well be on the right track. The store assistant is just demonstrating his ignorance.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Titleist irons - which wedge to include?

I agree with you on the 60 but only the 60.

The same principle applies, to a lesser degree, with the other wedges. Why else would there be so many instruction articles on how to play 1/2, 3/4, knock-down and cut-up wedge shots? Because in an average round the golfer is faced with so many of these shots, which makes the even loft increment argument quite reduntant.

Golf would be a much simpler game if most wedge shots were played with a full swing. Unfortunately, that ain’t the case.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Shaft Stiffness - Should I Reshaft?

IYou have confused me Mick, because as I read it you are saying that, quote ” just how small a part swing speed plays in shaft fitting.” Yet out of the six points that you used as a reference to your fitting program, three of those directly use speed as the main formula. e.g. 1/ Swing speed and tempo. 2/ Speed of transition. 4/ Wrist speed. So, if speed is not that big a deal, then why is it so frequently used to help determine which shaft/flex is the best ? Jon…

Jon,

As you know, ‘swing’ speed is the commonly used term for clubhead speed.

Only in point 1 and 7 do I refer to ‘swing’ or ‘clubhead’ speed. In point 1, the swing speed is considered with the swing time and I calculate the swing ‘tempo’. So, a fast swing ‘speed’ combined with a longer swing ‘time’ will give a moderate swing ‘tempo’.

‘Speed of transition’ has nothing to do with clubhead speed. It is how quickly the golfer moves from the backswing into the downswing.

I never used the term ‘wrist speed’. I don’t know where you read that. I refered to how early or late the wrist release occurred an how powerful it was. No mention of speed. And no direct connection to clubhead speed.

It might pay to read the post a bit more carefully before commenting. ;)

I certainly hope that you work on a lot more than just clubhead speed when you are club fitting. Otherwise, many golfers will be walking out the door with mis-fitted shafts.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Titleist irons - which wedge to include?

Ask any good golfer how many times he would hit a full 54 degree if it was the right distance and he would say everytime.

For me full wedge is 130 yds, full 50 deg is 115 yds, full 54 deg is 100 yds and full 58 deg is 85 yds. Why would you not hit full lob wedges I don’t understand?

Most pro’s can hit the LW around the 80 metre mark but, unless they have to, most will prefer to hit a 3/4 SW. Why? Bettter distance control.

I do not carry a 60 degree because to hit them full is not so easy.

I think you are now bordering on telling him how to actually PLAY golf rather than equipment ADVICE.

Each wedge has a job. Select each wedge on its ability to do the job required, ie: correct loft and bounce. If this means you end up with nice even 4 degree increments, then well and good. If not, then who cares.

Mick

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / driver shafts

thank you mick. how do you know which is a softer tip, is it the lower the number softer or vice versa?

The torque number does not necessarily reflect how soft the tip is – it is merely a measurement of how much the shaft twists. The higher the number, the more it twists. A torque rating of 4 or less will be suitable for just about any golfer with a swing speed of less than 115mph.

What I was refering to by ‘soft tip’ was a tip that flexed more, not twisted more. Most of the shaft labelled ‘high launch’ or ‘HL’ will have softer (more flexible) tip sections.

As well as the Proforce V2 High Launch, you could consider the Graffaloy Blue ProLaunch or the Irod shafts. I use an Accra HL shaft in my hybrid. It is the best hybrid shaft I have ever used. Just a few suggestions.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Titleist irons - which wedge to include?

This gives you the 4 of loft between your wedges that you’re looking for… Jon…

ARGHH, I thought you would have known better, Jon.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Titleist irons - which wedge to include?

350 yard par 4. 3 wood then full 58 degree. 400 yard par 4. Driver then full 50 degree.

And how many try to leave themselves a full 60 wedge? Not many.

Ask any good golfer how many times in a round he would hit any of his more lofted wedges flat out and they will tell you ‘very rarely’.

Example 1. The main use for a 60 wedge is for short piches over obstacles or to short cut pins. Rarely does the good golfer say to himself, “If I can just hit this 60 LW out of the screws, I should be able to make it from here”.

The same is true, admittedly to a lesser extent, with the less lofted wedges. Most shots with SW are less than full; many shots with the GW are less than full; and some shots with th PW are less than full.

It does not worry me in the slightest that my LW has 8* more loft than the next most lofted club in my bag. In fact, sometimes I wish it had more loft. And, when the shot doesn’t require the LW, my 52* wedge has more than enough loft to play any ather shot I might encounter on the golf course. Why would I need a club in between?

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Shaft Stiffness - Should I Reshaft?

vman

While you are entitled to your opinion it is only YOUR opinion. Very little to do with swing speed????

Of course swing speed determines flex. Once you establish the flex for the swingspeed you can choose the shaft with the correct kick point, tip flex, torque and weight etc that suits your tempo, wrist action etc.

Yes, it is my opinion, but it is based on a great deal of knowledge and is one shared by many, if not most, of the better club fitters worldwide.

You also are entitled to your opinions, but I can state absolutely, and with no doubt at all, that swing speed ‘alone’ does NOT determine flex. It is just one of several considerations when shaft fitting.

Any good clubfitter does not necessarily bother themselves with overall flex any way. Of greater concern is the shaft ‘profile’.

This is the abreviated version of how I fit golfers for shafts:

1. I check their swing speed and swing time (time taken from takeaway to impact). From these figures I can calculate the tempo of the golfers swing.

2. I watch, and if necessary video, their swings, firstly paying particular attention to the speed of their transition at the top of the backswing.

3. I now have enough information to determine ‘butt frequency’ (or stiffness of the butt section of the shaft). Players with faster ‘tempos’ (not necessarily swing speed) and quicker transitions at the top will generally require stiffer ‘butt’ sections, while players with slower tempos (not swing speed) and more gentle transitions at the top will generally require softer ‘butt’ sections.

4. I then turn my attention to the golfer’s wrist action, noting whether the wrists release early or late.

5. I then check the launch angle, noting whether the trajectory is higher or lower than optimum.

6. I now have enough information to determine ‘tip frequency’ (or stiffness of the tip section of the shaft). Generally golfers with late, powerful wrist releases and higher launch angles will require stiffer ‘tip’ sections while golfers with lower launch angles will generally require softer ‘tip’ sections. Note how I didn’t mention early wrist release, as these golfers will not generally benefit by changes in tip frequency one way or the other.

7. Once I have determined the correct butt and tip frequencies, I will THEN calculate swing speed into the equation. But the overall flex of the shaft is already a long way to being determined by the afore mentioned factors.

For example, the golfer with the fast tempo and quick transition, but slow swing speed, will require a stiff ‘butt’ section. Since butt frequency largely determines overall frequency, the golfer will necessarily end up with a shaft that has an overall flex rating which is stiffer than swing speed charts would suggest.

Alternately, the golfer with a slow tempo and gentle transition, but fast swing speed, will require a softer ‘butt’ section. The golfer will end up with a shaft which is softer than the swing charts would suggest.

This is one of the reasons why there is such a large dispersion in frequency within shafts of the same flex ratings. The manufacturers, to varying degrees, try to account for shaft profiles when designating flex ratings.

I have probably just confused the issue unnecessarily, but I hoped to demonstrate just how small a part swing speed plays in shaft fitting IF DONE PROPERLY.

Mick

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / driver shafts

If your swing speed is 100-105mph, then low torque should not be an issue for you. Low torque shafts are really only a benefit to players with higher swing speeds (say 115+mph). At your SS, any shaft with a torque rating of 4 or less will be just fine.

If you are looking for a substantially higher ball flight, the best way is to choose a higher lofted driver. Changing shafts will only ‘fine tune’ your ball flight.

But, if you only want a little extra height, then look for a shaft with a softer tip section. In most cases, this will mean higher torque also but, as already mentioned, this will not be an issue for you.

Mick

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / New Tour Swing?

The putter going cold hurt more than the swing issues IMHO…If he had dropped all the 7-8 footers he was on the first 3 days he would have been right in it (may not have won it, but would have been close)

If he had putted like he normally does he would have still had the lead going into the back nine and there might not have been as much pressure on his swing.

Virge is right too, he did get short and flippy in the middle of the round.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Titleist irons - which wedge to include?

If you must carry a 60 then 56 and 52 will be the best pairings. More than 4 degree gaps and you will have too many 3/4 wedge shots.

You are better off to chose wedges based on the conditions of the courses you most often play and the types of shots you prefer playing.

If this means you end up with a 47, 50, 57 and 60, then so be it. The 7* increment means very little in practical terms.

Personally, I think that three wedges is enough for most average golfers. I use a 47, 52 and 60 and can play any shot I choose with these.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Next Set of Sticks

As well the MCT driver with the NV Aldila was much nicer to hit than the same driver with a graphite.

This confuses me a little, (at a club fitting my club head speed with a 6 iron was only 88 mph, was told needed 0.5in short shafts, and 59 degrees), whats the deal with steel or graphite, the other shop I went reckons they are only for old men and people with bad back ???

Sorry if this offends some here, but the majority of people who work in golf ‘shops’ know bugger all about golf equipment and club fitting.

One other thing, for everyone, Is it a better bet to get a second hand better set or a new set, thanks for reply

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Next Set of Sticks

When you do decide to hand the cash over… 1. Make sure you get fitted for your clubs. Not a static fitting but a dynamic fitting.This should be free if they are a decent business as it takes only 15 minutes.

4. Shafts? Do you know what your clubhead speed is, your ball speed. This is very important for shaft specifications.

Mick

Topic: Golf Equipment / Shaft Stiffness - Should I Reshaft?

Brett,

Forget the chart and forget the above advice (sorry OEJ). For the thousanth time, choosing the correct shaft has very little to do with swing speed. Tempo, transition and wrist action are greater considerations than swing speed.

Your carry distances are quite long, but it might just be that 5.0 (reg) is the correct flex for you. It might also be that someone with a slower swing speed than yours requires a stiffer shaft.

See a clubfitter who knows what they are doing and get fitted. But if the fitter says your swing speed is X mph so you will need Y shaft, then walk out – they don’t know what they are doing.

Mick