Playing tips from the local pros

Tag : angle fitting

Maybe you're hooking or slicing your shots off the tee. Maybe yourlong irons or fairway woods are giving you fits. Maybe you'rehaving problems with your short game, or getting out of sandbunkers. Maybe your putting stroke needs some tweaking.
Whatever the case, players new to the sport, recreational playerswho are out on the links two or three times a week ... even thepros seen on TV regularly seek advice from professional instructorsin an attempt to get them back in their groove.
With that in mind, the Enquirer's Golf Plus page this season isfeaturing a series of playing tips from local PGA teaching pros.
Tips that are offered free of charge; which are easy to follow; andwhich can hopefully help you score better when playing on one ofthe many excellent nine-, 18- or 36-hole layouts that are locatedin and around the Battle Creek area.
As all golfers know, the happier you are with your game, the morefun it is to play.
So read on, and enjoy some free golf lessons both in print and viavideo clips at battlecreekenquirer.com - keeping in mind thatwhenever you're having any type of problem on the links, yourfavorite local club or course teaching pro is there to help you getthings back to par.
In today's 13th installment of this season's "Playing tips from thelocal pros'' series, we visit with Ron Osborne - manager, head proand PGA teaching professional at Binder Park Golf Course - whotoday discusses "The importance of getting fitted for a driver.'' GETTING FITTED FOR A DRIVER
Explained Osborne, one of the top teaching pros in the area:
"The most important piece of technology a golfer can take advantageof today is the over-sized driver - the head of which by USGA(United States Golf Association) standards can be as big as 460cubic centimeters.
"Now, golfers, of course, are familiar with what a driver is, buthere's some basic information:
"Drivers - the heads of the drivers - are now made of titanium forthe most part, and because of that, they're much lighter than theolder type of driver and they create more clubhead speed with abigger hitting area that is more forgiving with off-center hits.
"There are several different types and varieties, and there arealso composite drivers, featuring graphite heads with titaniumwhich are very forgiving - and which are more expensive as well,because they're made of more expensive materials.
"And just as there are different degrees of loft - the lower thedegree, like a 9-degree, the lower the ball will come off theclubhead, and the higher the degree, the more height you'll get -there are also different face angles available, from a 3-degreeclosed to a 1-degree open.
"And also part of the mix is the shaft of the driver - which alsocomes in a variety of flexes and components.
"That said, when you go out to get one of the newer types ofdrivers available, it's very, very important to get fitted for thatdriver. You want to get a driver that fits your golf swing - adriver that has the correct face angle, shaft flex and loft.
"And to do that, you need to go to somewhere where they have alaunch monitor and a custom fitting expert - like we do here atBinder Park, a Cobra launch monitor. The launch monitor we have ismade up of two components, spread apart like a pair of tee markers,and by having the golfer take some swings between the twocomponents, you'll be checked for clubhead speed, ball speed andspin of the ball, and launch angle. And here's what you'll find out...
"Starting with clubhead speed, the higher the clubhead speed, thestiffer the shaft you'll need, and the lower the clubhead speed,the softer the shaft needs to be. And there's four different shaftvariations. At the stiffest level, you've got the Tour shaft. Then,you've got the stiff shaft with regular flex, the senior flex andthe ladies' flex.
"As far as ball speed and spin, knowing that information will helpdetermine if your ball is spinning too much. So, you want to matchthe ball speed to the right shaft and loft combination. And doingthat will also help you determine what kind of ball you should beplaying. The higher the clubhead speed, you want to play a ballthat has a firmer core so the ball will carry more - because usinga ball that has too soft of a core, the ball will spin too much andyou'll lose distance.
"Next is launch angle. The higher you hit a golf ball, the more theball will carry. And once you get on a launch monitor and have beentested, it gives you guidelines to go by and gives you the bestfitting specifications.
"For instance, a better player is going to need a lower-lofted,stiffer-shaft driver to get maximum carry. And the average golferwill want a softer shaft with regular flex with a little more loft- like a 10.5 - because of the lower clubhead speed. That 10.5loft, that's one of the higher ones, but it actually goes all theway up to a ladies' flex with 13-degree to 15-degree loft with astiffer shaft.
"All of that sounds like a lot of information to deal with, but thereason you want to go through the launch monitor procedure isbecause by getting fit properly for a driver, you're actuallysaving money in the long run because that club is fittedspecifically for you and it should last a long time.
"Go out and buy a $59 driver, and you'll likely wind up buying notjust one but several over a period of time because you're alwayslooking for that perfect fit. But get a driver that's fitted foryou, and you'll be hitting a club that fills your needs, you'llenjoy the game more and you'll be getting 20 to 30 more yards ofdistance with your drives.
"The price for that new driver? Well, for a good driver, about $299is the average price - although many on the market go higher - ormaybe you can pick up last year's model for around $199.
"Whichever way you go, get fitted for that driver. In some cases, agolf club manufacturing company will come to a local course, andthey'll have their own trailer with them to actually build the clubfor you after you get fitted on a launch monitor. But the moretypical way of getting fitted is to find a golf course or facilitythat offers fitting for a nominal fee. We do charge for fittinghere at Binder Park, but as is the case with a lot of localcourses, if you actually are buying a club from us, the fitting feecomes as part of the price of the driver.
"So take advantage of the new technology available these days, getfitted for that driver with your specific needs in mind, and enjoythe game more.''