Determining the right club for your
swing.
I was recently in Wellington, NZ. Whilst there, I took the
time to have my golf-swing analysed by a swing analyst using industry-standard
measuring equipment. Basically, this gear involves two cameras – positioned
side-on and from the rear – that measure club-head swing-speed, angle of
approach into the ball and likely launch trajectory. They probably measure a
great deal more, but that will do for the purpose of this story.
For some years now, golf-club manufactures have offered an increasing range of
options to discerning golfers wishing to match the unique characteristics of
their golf swing with the corresponding flex/kick-point/launch angle of the
latest gear. Not so long ago, golfers would walk into a golf shop and select a
driver based on looks, feel, and whatever they may have read. We would then make
a decision as to whether we took the stiff-shaft version, the regular or the
senior. Not anymore.
Many of the big manufacturers now have several different flex options within
each of the five common flex ratings. Extra stiff, stiff, regular, seniors and
ladies used to be our guide, but now there are several options within these
categories. For example, assume a golfer has a club-head swing speed of 95mph,
he/she may be advised to look at a club with a shaft of regular +5 or stiff +1
(depending upon the manufacturer’s code), as that is the swing speed that sits
on the regular/stiff cusp.
The PGA Tour’s statistics, year-to-date for 2014, using tee-shots from selected
par fours and fives, shows Bubba Watson having the fastest average club-head
swing speed of 124mph. The slowest is Paul Goydos whose average is 103mph. As
for the women, the average club-head speed on the LPGA Tour is 96mph.
But club-head speed alone will not determine distance. Ball-spin and launch
angle play a part. There is many an instance where players consistently hit
shots with greater carry but still finish behind. Club and ball manufacturers
are constantly working on providing the golfer with the best possible outcome.
Possibly at the risk of making some great courses redundant, but that is another
story.
All this is designed to have the golfer – of whatever ability – deliver the
club-head to the ball with maximum efficiency for his particular swing. Now,
more than ever before, the amateur golfer can have clubs fitted to match a
particular swing, be he a 5 or 25-handicapper.
Now, people who sell golf clubs are not merely retailers; they are
swing-analysts who, having analysed your swing on their equipment, will then
recommend certain options that will work best for you. These options could
involve TaylorMade, Ping, Titleist, Callaway, Cobra et al. They will have you
hit balls into a monitored screen and inform you which club sent your ball
longer, or straighter. You can then make an informed decision – unless you
happen to live in Pattaya.
Wellington, my home town, is small. With a population of circa 400,000, it would
not have one-quarter the number of golfers that Pattaya boasts. Yet the
golf-fitting procedure I undertook is now regarded as industry-standard. The
same would be true throughout the rest of the golfing world, except it seems in
Thailand.
Aircraft luggage restrictions meant I couldn’t buy a driver from that Wellington
shop, but I told them that from the outset. As a result, they recommended I take
the info they had gathered and apply it to the manufacturer’s recommendation, in
the event Pattaya’s golf retailers didn’t have similar equipment. In truth, golf
retailing in Pattaya hasn’t developed from where it was 10-15 years ago!
From the large and well-presented golf shop in the Outlet Mall, off Thepprasit
Road, to the Ping appointed shop on Third Road, they offer nothing but what you
see on the rack. There is a shop further up Third Road which is sign-posted
“Club Fitting” but unless you want Ping, you will finish with a composite club
made up from different suppliers.
Golf is huge in Pattaya. Yet in 2014, golf retailers are asking customers to buy
off the rack. With the options available today, buying golf clubs off the rack
is not only archaic, but risky. You owe it to yourself to ensure your next
purchase is fitted precisely to your swing. Only then can you assume all that
effort you put in will be adequately and fairly rewarded. This applies to irons
as much as it does to drivers.
The next time you walk into a golf retailer and ask to have your swing analysed,
and they can’t do it, find someone who can. These days, golf-club retailers who
can’t match clubs to your swing are simply taking the Mickey.
Perhaps there is a business opportunity here? Maybe you could be the first to
offer Pattaya golfers a decent club-fitting experience? Buddha knows, it’s long
overdue!
Happy golfing,
Golfnutter
