particularly the irons, had become much straighter and longer, something he certainly felt even if his scoring had not noticeably improved.
NEVER PLAY WITH THE WRONG CLUBS FOR YOUR SWING SHAPE.
His enthusiasm was most probably due to a) the need to justify the cost of a new set and b) the initial confidence that any new club brings. Buying a bargain set of clubs from a sports department is not to be recommended, unless a golfer knows his personal specifications exactly (especially swing weight, flex and lie) and can match them to the clubs. The store’s staff may know about equipment in general but it is most unlikely that they would be able to fit out a golfer correctly.
So what happens on the eighth? Matt takes the proffered hightech club and swings it a few times reflectively. Disregarding the fact that he’s a solidly built six foot three, while Brian is a slim five foot five, so the club might not suit him anyway, he addresses the ball and hits it a hundred and fifty odd yards, high and slightly right. “Hmm,” he says, handing the club back, “I like the feel”. Mentally he makes a note that he might just drop into the sports department next week to see if it had any others of the same make in stock.
Brian, who has watched the flight of the ball goggle-eyed, mutters “shot” admiringly. He has never managed to hit a ball so high (it is strange how whenever someone ‘borrows’ one’s clubs they produce results with them very different from one’s own). He basks a little in the compliment. Matt likes the ‘feel’ of his new clubs.
Distance or Control – That Is the Question
The feel of a club clearly seems to be all important. But just what is feel? Well, there is no scientific equation or formula that defines it. All one can say is that the way a golfer feels a club when he swings it depends on its swing weight and the flexibility of its shaft.
Now swing weight is a concept that balances the weight of the grip end (and shaft) of the club to its headweight. It is expressed as an alphabetical and numerical number, such as C8 (a standard for lissome lady players) or D0 (for active men over 50) or D5 (which is about the top limit for powerfully-built under-35s). It is at least an attempt to produce a uniform ‘feel’ in a set of clubs, despite the difference in their length, which is a major factor in a matched set, the other being the flex of their shafts.
Steel shafts were initially graded by flex, which was defined only by weight. ‘L’ and ‘A’ flex shafts were the most flexible, or whippy and the lightest; then came ‘R’ for regular, ‘S’ for stiff and the ‘X’ flexed or stiffest shafts that were the heaviest. Light-weight alloy shafts, which appeared with the high-tech developments in the 1970s, brought other dimensions. Shafts could be stiff, yet light-weight and they had a range of ‘flexpoints’ (a low flexpoint apparently whips the head of the club through impact giving a higher ball flight). Graphite shafts, the lightest of all with vibration dampening properties, have added new variables. Torque for one. This is the twisting of the shaft as club meets ball. Too much, or too little, torque can make straightening that slice much more difficult. One wonders what Bobby Jones would have made of it all.
Today, shaft selection is a highly confusing, esoteric area. There are more than 100 companies worldwide manufacturing over 10,000 types of shaft. Most produce data where the speed of a golfer’s swing helps to choose the ‘ideal’ shaft for him or her. With a speed of between 65–70 mph, there are some 31 different makes to ponder over. The whole process is far too complicated for the average golfer, who hasn’t the time or inclination to get immersed in such technicalities. Fortunately, there are some guidelines to simplify matters.
You should have clubs that you can swing easily and fast, which still allow you to control the clubhead within your ideal swing tempo. Now the lighter the clubhead, the faster its speed and the stiffer the shaft, the greater the control. This is why top Tour pros have light-headed drivers with stiffish shafts. They like to feel the club is a solid unit and if a club golfer swings one of their clubs (try one at your next Pro-Am) it’s like swishing a cut-down billiard cue. The ‘click’ as it strikes the ball has much the same sensation as hitting a billiard ball as well. These clubs are designed for powerful professional athletes who can generate high clubhead speed without any help from the flex of the club. They are not for the club player.
MOST CASUAL GOLFER’S CLUB ARE FAR TOO HEAVY.
Nor is the other extreme of a whippy shaft and a heavy clubhead. With this option, the club will flex more during the swing and you will get more “feel” (which was probably why Matt liked Brian’s new four iron). But your timing has to be spot-on. Powerfully built golfers may hit the ball miles with them, but with hardly any control. Heavy clubs are also not suitable for the club golfer and many Tour and teaching pros believe that golfers generally use clubs that are far too heavy (probably because clubhead weight gives a sensation of power).
Shaft flex, however, is important. The more senior, slightly-built golfer (like Brian) who plays an average of once a week, has a limited ability to generate clubhead speed and often has a slow swing tempo with little hand action. A whippy ‘A’ flex shaft, coupled with a light swing weight of C9, could give a good balance between clubhead speed and control.
Middle-aged sedentary golfers who play regularly (like Doug) often lack real clubhead speed despite having a more powerful physique. In such a case the best balance for performance is generally an ‘R’ flex shaft with a D0 – D1 swing weight. Finally, for the active players under 50 (particularly for those who have played hockey or cricket in their youth, like Matt) and who tend to hit hard through the ball, an ‘S’ or stiff flex could be O.K. An ‘R’ flex might be better, but the swing weight should be kept to between D1 and D3.
Once you have decided on the right specs for your clubs, you should be able to get a perfectly matched set easily. You should though be aware that few Tour pros use clubs that are matched, despite the manufacturer’s logos worn on bag or visor. Their bags might contain a very stiff, light-headed driver, or a 2-wood which several use for safety, (Bobby Locke setting the precedent,) plus a fairway wood of a different make. There would be a variety of makers’ names on the one, three, four and five irons and an equal variation on the soles of the pitching clubs. Locke has found through many hours of practice (which the club golfer abhors) what suits him best.
But are they matched? Well, there is the apocryphal story of Bobby Jones who won 13 majors with a selection of hand-crafted clubs gleaned from all over Britain and the US. Such was his feel for weight and flex that when they were tested, it was said they were perfectly matched – except for one club. “Ah yes,” said Jones, “I was never really happy with that niblick” (the equivalent of an 8-iron).
Golf club technology has evolved considerably since the days of Bobby Jones and golfers should be aware of the clubhead options in the 1990s. The shape of clubheads in the 1960’s and 1970s (still used by many today) were flat at the back. Forged from mild steel alloys, they were hand beaten out of a mould and gave a “soft feel” on striking the ball. Today’s heads are most likely to be cavity backed and investment cast from slightly harder metals. (Sorry if this all sounds too technical, but it has to be explained).
Now investment casting is a process where molten metal is poured into ceramic shells, which are broken when everything cools, resulting in more accurate heads. Cavity backed models are perimeter weighted (the weight is all in the rim) which is said to diminish the effects of off-centre
