| What value are the new interchangeable heads to the player?
What does the new “Adjustability” Rule mean to you?
The major club companies, also known as Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM’s) introduced their new interchangeable driver heads at the 2008 P.G.A. Merchandise show in Orlando. Their marketing approach in response to the creation of the new rule allowing club “adjustability” is to sell one “magical” driver head with multiple shafts. Their theory is that different shafts with different flex points allow the player to produce different launch angles based upon ever changing course and playing conditions (stiffer shafts with high flex points for lower launch angles and trajectories encouraging more roll, and softer shafts with low flex points for higher launch angles and trajectories encouraging more carry). Following the OEM logic then, changing shafts would allow one to dial up the perfect launch angle and trajectory for every round. While the objective is certainly worthy, the OEM marketing strategy of changing shafts to accomplish the task is flawed. The correct approach would be to find the one correct shaft for each player’s natural swing timing, (the frequency that returns the shaft to straight and square at impact for that particular player) and then change the driver head to one with the correct loft for the conditions at hand.
What is wrong with the OEM approach?
First of all, it perpetuates their scientifically flawed, but financially profitable marketing position, in which the clubhead and the ever changing technology behind clubhead design, is identified and marketed as the component having the most impact upon a player’s performance. They do not mention that the USGA has placed limits on the head performance technology and they have been designing to these limits for more then five years now. Selling based on head technology naturally assigns shaft frequency a secondary status at best. While perpetuating this erroneous belief is certainly in the OEM’s benefit (it drives the sale of millions of new clubs year after year) it just is not true. Ask any competent club fitter or club builder. When it comes to producing consistent shots, the correct frequency shaft is the most important club component, not the technology and design of the club head. It has been proven time after time. The “best” head on the wrong shaft produces poor shots (although it also produces future sales of next year’s “better” model), while even an “average” head on the correct shaft produces acceptable results. Therein lies the second flaw in the OEM’s current strategy of selling one ”magical” head along with multiple shafts having different flex points. When buying an OEM driver based upon the design characteristics of the clubhead alone, most players are not properly fit to even one shaft, much less two or more. The idea of purchasing multiple shafts with different flex points and different frequencies, all of which “fit” the same player, and allow him to change trajectory while maintaining accuracy is preposterous, and by definition cannot be achieved. Again, the correct approach would be to find the one correct shaft for each player’s natural swing timing, (the frequency that returns the shaft to straight and square at impact for that particular player) and then change the driver head to one with the correct loft for the conditions at hand.
Further Proof of OEM Marketing Mumbo Jumbo!
If the “magical” club head itself is so critical from a performance standpoint, why do the OEM’s keep changing them every year? Do they really push the envelope so much that last season’s clubhead technology (USGA limits did not Change), the technology they themselves advertised, as “the best clubhead ever designed”, is no longer sufficient to do the job, now that the current model year head designs are available? Ask yourself, does your performance really change with a new head, or has the OEM just added another marketing twist to increase sales? The real pity is that OEM’s have always marketed the technology of the head with little regard as to the correct fit for the shaft, and with the new “adjustability” rule in place, their marketing strategy leaves the golfing public in the unenviable opposition of being encouraged to purchase the next “magical” head with not just one, but two or more shafts that are not properly fit.
The Real Factors!
In all honesty, the changing dynamics in clubhead design have provided an enormous benefit to players of all skill levels, and this is not meant to imply that changes in clubhead design are of no benefit. However, clubhead design alone cannot deliver on all the promises made by the OEM’s until, and unless, the correct shaft for the individual swinging that club is attached to the “Magical” clubhead.
Lets look at shaft mechanics and what changing shafts can do for you (see www.
fitchip.com/golf/proto/fitchip/club_makers/club_makers.htm. First of all, the reaction that the average player gets from the shaft depends on the player’s club head speed and timing. The major club companies tell us that a soft shaft with a lower flex point gets the ball in the air better. However we must remember the major club companies do their testing with better players who possess high swing speeds. In this instance the high swing speed player will hit the ball higher with a softer shaft and lower flex point for two reasons:
1.The centrifugal force on the club head generated by the higher swing speed pulls down on the Center of Gravity (C.G.) of the club head and increases the loft (this is the reason the industry back weights club heads). The further the C.G. is behind the shaft at impact, and the greater the club head speed, the greater the effect and the higher the launch angle with a softer shaft.
2. The high speed of impact on the ball with the clubface, at a point above the C. G. (thus more weight in the sole plate), also tends to rotate the head to a higher loft. The higher the club head speed, the greater this effect, and the higher the launch angle with a softer shaft
Since both of the above factors are the result of high club head speed, the average player, or less than average player, does not realize these benefits, and in many cases, realizes just the opposite effect, especially if the shaft is not properly fit to the players swing timing. The tip soft (low flex point) shaft will be influenced more by the high club head speed than the tip stiff (high flex point) shaft. Therefore the increase in loft that can be contributed to the shaft can be very inconsistent from one player to the next. A stiff shaft will hit the ball lower under the OEM scenario because the influences of centrifugal force and ball impact above the C.G. will be less with a stiffer shaft than with a softer shaft. But again, for the low club head speed player, it could be just the opposite, so that in the final analysis, (and contrary to what is being suggested by the OEM’s), the average player could end up with lower launch angles by using a shaft with a flex point “designed”“ to produce higher launch angles, and could also hit the ball higher with a shaft having a flex point “designed” to hit it lower. Unless either of those shafts are also matched to the player’s individual swing timing, he would give up other performance factors, most notably, and more importantly, directional control.
How the shaft reacts to the player’s swing depends on the player’s swing timing (load and unload timing) more than swing speed. If the shaft is too stiff for the players timing, the club head will be ahead of the shaft at impact, the effects of centrifugal force will not properly combine with loft of the club, and clubhead speed as well as head alignment will suffer. Conversely, if the shaft is too soft for the players timing, the head will lag behind the shaft at impact, the centrifugal force effects will not combine properly with the loft of the club, maximum club head speed will not be attained, and clubhead alignment will suffer.
If the golf club shaft is properly fitted to the players swing, and gets back to straight and square at impact, maximum shaft performance is attained for that player and he would not need, nor want to change shafts. Only under these circumstances will the player derive the maximum benefit from the design features of the “magical” head.
Final Analysis!
What the player really needs is one shaft and multiple heads with different lofts. He needs a shaft of the proper length, with a frequency matching his swing timing (loading and unloading tendencies) so that at ball impact, the shaft has returned to perfectly straight, and the head of the driver has arrived square to the target line. So equipped, the player can then change heads to the one with the correct loft needed to maximize performance under various course conditions. At Lotus Golf, we can go one step further and provide the truly adventurous player additional shafts of both shorter and longer lengths, again matched to the players swing timing. These additional options improve performance on both short tight courses and on long open courses. When combined with different lofted heads, and different length shafts that really fit the players swing timing, he has even more options available under the new adjustability rule, and can maximize performance under even more course conditions.
Only a full service facility like Lotus Golf, A ProGolf Fitting Center, specializing in proper golf shaft fitting with the use of the exclusively patented FitChip System, can provide a viable approach to maximizing equipment options under the new rule allowing interchangeable technology. Lotus Golf’s FitChip System, unlike any other fitting system available, selects a shaft based not on a player’s age, gender or swing speed, but more accurately upon a player’s swing load and unload characteristics. The FitChip method assures that the club will get back to straight and square at ball impact, thereby significantly reducing shot dispersion patterns. This translates into hitting more fairways and greens and ultimately allowing peak club performance to be achieved!
|
