CUSTOM FITTED OR Let me start by saying this, you can play good and enjoyable golf with golf clubs that are not custom fitted. In an ideal world however i'd be absolutely confident in saying that every golfer would benefit from golf clubs that are custom fitted to some degree. As you may know there's many facets to custom fitting a golfer, for instance length of club as well as lie angle are of absolute importance to the golfer. A golfer of 6 foot 4" would be highly unlikely to perform to optimal using a standard length set of golf clubs (there is no standard specifications for golf clubs throughout the industry, however each manufacturer will designate their own 'standard' specifications throughout their own particular models). Lie angle can affect initial direction of the golf ball, and length of the golf club can affect speed of the golf club, as well as the ability to strike the golf club efficiently; can you see why i'd say these two facets of custom fitting are of absolute importance now?
Over the years in the golf industry (and there's been a fair few of them, 20 in fact) I have learnt and understood more and more about custom fitting through what i like to call being on the 'front line'. Having fitted thousands of golfers there's one thing that i've noticed throughout every session. Every golfer has an awareness about certain aspects of golf clubs that they like or dislike, or are sensitive/un-sensitive to without realising. I'm often told by a golfer: 'I can't tell the difference between clubs' 'I have no preference' 'I don't know what i like' Now sitting here today typing this i can categorically tell you that those statements above are absolutely nonsense! A good club fitter must - understand ball flight, and they must also have the ability to filter through all of the white noise produced by the golfer in front of them, and probe deep enough to gain an understanding what makes that golfer tick. This is why the questioning process during a fitting is essential, and it must be ongoing as well as in depth. Far too many times i've seen custom fittings performed like this: * Quick introduction * Warm up with own club(s) and capture data * Give golfer a club(s) to try * Proceed with a recommendation Now if you've ever had a fitting like this it will have likely been free, and you've been done a disservice. Back to my point about the golfer having an awareness about certain aspects of golf clubs that they like or dislike without realising. Case in point, our new assistant at Shaw Hill; a good golfer and plays off 5. Now I know what you're thinking, this lad is a good golfer, he's bound to have an awareness or know what he likes or doesn't, however i'm here to say that he had very little understanding of what he likes or dislikes. When first asked about his clubs, this was his reply: 'I just hit them, club's a club to me', don't know the difference' So with very little to go on, it was time to start extracting more information, we talked about his strengths & weaknesses etc. His irons comprised of a combo set, cavity long irons, blade mid/short irons. However these weren't a combo set per say, these were merely just two sets put together from different models (same brand), however the specs when i measured them were off the scale literally! I measured them for swingweight and what i found was that the long (cavity) irons came in much, much lighter than the bladed mid & short irons. Now whilst i'm measuring and still questioning him, he tells me he absolutely detests his mid & short irons, he doesn't hit them consistently but he hits his 4 & 5 iron better, coincidence? I think not, so this is the first nugget i've extracted, he likes a club to feel lighter in the swingweight. Now i won't go through the whole fitting process, however for someone so convinced that he didn't have any awareness or preferences in golf clubs, he left with a clear understanding of what makes him tick, what specifications of club will work for him, as well as a new found confidence in his equipment. This rings true for every ability of golfer, with so many variables that go into building a set of golf clubs, it's essential that you start to embrace the thought that your equipment can make a difference. Through my own experience i know exactly what specs suit me, i know what swingweight i like in all my clubs, length of clubs, lie angles, loft angles, grip types and sizes, shaft flex and weight, as well as bend profiles. So the next time you're looking at changing your golf clubs, whether that be new or second hand, make sure you get a fitting. We offer a pay for fitting service for this very reason, it's not about selling the clubs, it's about you paying for a service to better understand which route you need to go down when choosing a new set of golf clubs. If you'd like any more information on club fitting or need any advice, i'd urge you to either contact us here, or complete our online iron selector tool, whereby we can set you on the right path, The online tool will give you a starting point to look at, it is not a final recommendation. As always, happy golfing. Dean
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PRACTICE WITH A PURPOSE This is the second feature of our new series 'Lockdown Tips'. In this feature I discuss how to practise your golf with a purpose. I also document my own experience of having an online golf lesson with the highly decorated Master PGA professional & Golf Channel Academy Coach Martin Hall. You get an insight in to what it's like from a golf professionals perspective on having lessons, and also see how a lesson can be implemented in to practice afterwards. Practicing your golf throughout this difficult period in time, will prove to be invaluable when you're finally back on the links. This doesn't mean that you need to set up a home studio or net, just swinging a club without a ball can provide great feedback for you whilst you're away from the course or range, however there's a caveat to this. Whenever you practice it should be with a purpose, if not then you're just going through the motions. In my instance i've taken an online lesson, I have a few key swing points to work towards, and this will stand be in good stead ready for when i'm back out playing. Online lessons are a great way of developing a blueprint towards working on the weaknesses of your game whilst you're away from the course, think about the jobs around the house that you've done so far with this new found time. I've certainly noticed i've improved my garden because i've invested this new found time. I could have just cut the grass, however as stated previously that'd be going through the motions. Instead i've frequently cut the grass, fed the lawn, seeded it, patched up the bare parts of the lawn, dug up the soiled bedding area, and planted. I've invested my time to improve the garden to make a marked difference rather than just a slight difference. Wouldn't this thought process serve to help improve your golf game? Happy Golfing Dean Beaver PGA Professional - Alternatuive Golf THE REAL GAME OF GOLFThe game of golf can be split into two parts if we strip it all back. The technical element, and the playing element. In this blog we're going to focus on the playing. Below i've embedded a YouTube video from the European Tour YouTube channel. The reason i've featured this video is to highlight something often overlooked by golfers when they're watching golf coverage on television. The typical notion from golfers is that the worlds best players hit great shot after great shot; and continue to shoot insanely good scores time after time. This is quite simply too much of an unrealistic way to view things. Let me start by saying that even the best players in the world cannot sustain perfect golf time after time. Their games peak and flow, you'll often see a win followed by a missed cut, or a slump and then a really good performance. It's really fine margins in this game when looking at the highest level. Don't worry about charts, pages and pages of data in this blog because it's not required. I just ask for one thing, watch this video (the video shows footage of every top tracer shot recorded on the European Tour this year). Now concentrate on some of the golfers featured and watch their shots, the footage is showing several players being recorded on the same rounds of golf then look at the following: *Their own numerous ball flights* *Their own reactions/body language* You'll notice that their ball flights differ, there's some wild shots in there and there's some reactions that will be similar to what you'd see in the weekday chuck in, or weekend comp. What these talented golfers can do though is to play the game well with what they have on the day. Yes they'll make bogeys, however if they make more birdies than bogeys then they're ahead of the game. The average golfer often subscribes to hitting the perfect shot, and trying to play to par even if their handicap is someway off scratch. These golfers don't, they simply pick the right shot more often than not, play the averages in their favour mostly and don't rely on hitting their country best time after time. Now i'm not saying don't be positive, i'm saying be realistic with what you bring to the table. This video highlights perfectly that the game of golf means you need to take the rough with the smooth, don't think about golf as a game of perfection, treat the game like this: Realistic expectations along with keeping the big numbers off the card. If you start to free yourself up from hitting the perfect shot each time, and start to just play golf when you're on the course with some good thought processes and maybe a simple single swing thought, you will start to play better golf. There's a huge difference in being able to hit a golf ball, and playing the game itself. Many golfers learn to swing a club, yet they never learn how to play the game. Take a playing lesson from your local PGA Professional, you'll undoubtedly learn how to shave strokes off your game without you even worrying about technique. As always if you have any questions feel free to comment or email us. Happy Golfing THE SECRET TO THE The answer to this is easy, there is no one secret to the golf swing, however do not dismay, there is hope. If you can understand why there is no one secret, you can start to improve. Let’s start with noting that the way the ball flies are caused by how the golf club is delivered at impact. These are known as the impact factors, and they are: - Centeredness of Strike - Clubface Orientation - Club Head Direction - Club Head Speed By understanding that the ball behaves the way it does due to the impact factors, we can then start to create a golf swing that can facilitate efficient & consistent control of those impact factors. The world's best players do this over and over, whereas the weekend golfer cannot. Not only that, most weekend golfers do not understand why the ball behaves the way it does; even if some club golfers have some kind of grasp of why the ball has flown the way it has, they cannot get past this to find the route cause or causes. As a side note this is the perfect time to endorse golf lessons, a good golf professional can analyse your ball flight and begin to work back to then help create a better golf swing. As noted, the world's greatest golfers throughout the years to current day have all had the ability to control their impact factors efficiently & consistently. Here’s the kicker, you'll often hear that ‘all tour professionals are the same at impact’, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Tour professionals can differ greatly in their impact factors - delivered loft at impact, club paths, club head speeds, angle of attacks, you get my gist. The common denominator for tour professionals is that they can: - Control their impact factors efficiently & consistently - Align their Swing Principles with their own Preferences So this is the secret……… Align your swing principles with complimenting preferences in your golf swing. This will result in efficient & consistent impact conditions thus creating consistent ball flight. Below is a simple case study to show this in practice
Golfer #2 (The Pro) This golfer has the exact same neutral set up and weak grip, the same open clubface position at the top of their swing, however as this golfer starts in transition then reaches impact the club is delivered with the clubface that is not open in relation to their path, resulting in straighter shots. In this example the golfers weak grip again is a preference, however this golfer has aligned another preference within the golf swing to offset the open club face, in this instance it is the release of the golf club. Through an improved release of the golf club through the utilisation of greater forearm rotation this player is able to create a closing of the clubface (in relation to the club path) resulting in straighter shots. As you can see from this simple example complete with complimenting data, a fault caused by a particular preference for one golfer maybe a standout feature for another golfer which is just deemed as a trait (in this case a weak grip).
There really is no secret to the perfect golf swing, there’s merely many variations that can be applied to a golf swing. If you can create a golf swing where your preferences begin to align then you can create a very solid and repeatable swing that performs again and again. HOW TO CHIP |
3 Wood - Adams Insight Hybrid 14.5 Degrees Mitsubishi Tensei Blue 75tx Flex Midsize Half Cord D4 Swingweight 42.75" Length Irons - Yonex (3) CB 501 Standard Loft Standard Lie Nippon Modus 120x Standard Length Midsize Half Cord D4 Swingweight Wedges - Yonex WS1 52 & 60 Degrees Standard Lie Nippon Modus 120x Standard Length Midsize Half Cord D4 Swingweight | Driving Iron - Lynx Stinger 16 Degrees Mitsubishi Tensei Blue 80x Flex Midsize Half Cord D3 Swingweight 40.5" Length Irons - Yonex (4-PW) CB 301 Standard Loft Standard Lie Nippon Modus 120x Standard Length Midsize Half Cord D4 Swingweight Putter - Odyssey Stroke LAB #10 Slant Neck Standard Loft Standard Lie 34" Length Odyssey Standard Pistol Grip Standard Swingweight |
Every club in my bag serves a purpose and it's worth recognising that when you go through your own bags. How do you play the game, and what clubs can help you to do this?
I've always been a pretty poor fairway wood player, but strong driver of the golf ball. Launch monitor data helps back this up because I hit up around 6 degrees with the driver, it makes me a bit shallow with the fairway woods. For that reason i've moved to a strong lofted hybrid to play as my 3 wood, the shorter shaft allows me to steepen my angle of attack and the head shape allows me to make more of an iron swing with it. 3 woods in recent years have just been decoration in my bag, however I often pull the hybrid out now and it's turned out to be a really good decision to move away from a 3 wood.
The driver is always a straightforward fit because lofting down always helps me to get my natural draw shot shape under control. When you loft a driver down you open the clubface at the same time, and with my attack angle being aggressively upwards the lower loft always helps me flight the ball better. I just need to steer away from drivers that are too low spin. I use the same shaft that i've used for years, Aldila really work well for me in the big stick.
As for irons I always combo them, almost always playing a slightly bigger 3 iron, i've mixed that up in the past however recent times the 3 iron is always a bit bigger, it offers me a little more confidence from the bigger footprint. I always play a 2 iron or driving iron, driving irons are the current norm these days however i always flight them a little too high. The lynx stinger however ticks the bill for this, I can flight it high and low when required. If you'd like to know how to play the stinger shot you can check it out here.
As always if you have any technical questions about your set make up, looking to upgrade your clubs or need advice configuring your golf bag then drop us an email or use our iron selector tool.
Happy Golfing
Dean
I've always been a pretty poor fairway wood player, but strong driver of the golf ball. Launch monitor data helps back this up because I hit up around 6 degrees with the driver, it makes me a bit shallow with the fairway woods. For that reason i've moved to a strong lofted hybrid to play as my 3 wood, the shorter shaft allows me to steepen my angle of attack and the head shape allows me to make more of an iron swing with it. 3 woods in recent years have just been decoration in my bag, however I often pull the hybrid out now and it's turned out to be a really good decision to move away from a 3 wood.
The driver is always a straightforward fit because lofting down always helps me to get my natural draw shot shape under control. When you loft a driver down you open the clubface at the same time, and with my attack angle being aggressively upwards the lower loft always helps me flight the ball better. I just need to steer away from drivers that are too low spin. I use the same shaft that i've used for years, Aldila really work well for me in the big stick.
As for irons I always combo them, almost always playing a slightly bigger 3 iron, i've mixed that up in the past however recent times the 3 iron is always a bit bigger, it offers me a little more confidence from the bigger footprint. I always play a 2 iron or driving iron, driving irons are the current norm these days however i always flight them a little too high. The lynx stinger however ticks the bill for this, I can flight it high and low when required. If you'd like to know how to play the stinger shot you can check it out here.
As always if you have any technical questions about your set make up, looking to upgrade your clubs or need advice configuring your golf bag then drop us an email or use our iron selector tool.
Happy Golfing
Dean