The Golf Lab
November 2007 
 Golf Lab "Members Only" Newsletter
 How To Find Your Magic Driver
In This Issue


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Greetings!

The drums are beating about the new drivers coming in 2008. But Spring 2008 is a long way off and there's still a lot of golf to be played between now and then. With USGA limitations on technology, there's no guarantee that next year's drivers will actually perform better. They will certainly be more expensive.

Our goal at the Golf Lab is to help golfers realize their potential. Electronic testing is the starting point, and then we add a skillful workshop that can build the club to fit your specification. Further electronic testing proves that your new driver performs better. Finally, you can confirm our findings outdoors on the range or at your own course. We take the uncertainty and guesswork out of buying new clubs.

We've got some great ideas that might help you hit a few more fairways and get to the green with a shorter iron - right now.

Over the last few months, we have worked with hundreds of players to improve their performance, sometimes with new drivers and sometimes by tweaking the drivers they already own.

We hope that our unique offers will motivate our old customers to pay us a return visit. If you've already been fitted at the Golf Lab, we'll update your driver fitting, free of charge - just to be sure. Why not find out if your current driver is as good as it can be?

For new customers, we also have an incentive. For just $95, we'll perform our complete driver fitting and tune-up. That's a cool $50 saving. If you've been thinking about a fitting or a tune up, now is the time. And, if saving a few bucks on your new driver matters to you, we have some offers there as well. Please call (650) 493-1770 to schedule a convenient time.

 Nike SUMO2 - "Driver of the Year"
 

Without doubt, 2007 will go down in history as the year that "Moment of Inertia" or MOI became the chief selling point for drivers. Drivers with high MOI ratings deliver better accuracy. There is no doubt about that, they do. K.J. Choi became the Nike poster boy, winning twice after switching to the SUMO2 (Square).

The Nike SUMO2 created a new category of drivers in 2007. It was the most dramatic in styling and the most controversial. The criticism centered on the sound - too loud - and the shape - too unconventional. But, we sold dozens of the SUMO2's and offered an unconditional money back guarantee. One came back - after the player got a new hearing aid. The SUMO2 made more golfers happy than any other driver this year. If you missed your chance to buy one at the original "street price" of $399 you can now pick one up for $299. "Patience is a virtue" and all that. Combine the bargain with an updated driver fitting for no charge to make sure that you get the right loft and flex - guaranteed. The SUMO2 will still be a great driver in 2008.

 


 Driver Tune-up
 

Working with our launch monitors, we will test the performance of your driver. Then, we will recommend some "tweaks". The first is likely to be a little trimming. Most drivers sold "of the rack" are 45" long - some longer. The average driver in play on the PGA Tour is 44.5". Half an inch doesn't sound like much, but it can have a major effect on making solid contact. You have to ask yourself why PGA Tour Pros are playing a driver shorter than yours. A little trimming can gain 2-3 MPH of ball speed. But trimming alone isn't the answer. We need to add weight to the head in small steps to find the perfect swingweight to maximize ball speed. Sometimes we add the weight around the perimeter to bring up the MOI - making your driver straighter.

Then, we will try some Balance-Certified counterweights under the grip of your driver and test those results. Most of the time, added weight will increase ball speed by 2-3 MPH. This is another one of those mysterious tweaks that you can't feel. Only the launch monitor can detect a small increase in ball speed.

It is quite common to increase ball speed by 6-10 MPH with these modifications. That's ten to twenty yards down the fairway. Same player, same driver, more distance. There's another benefit: center contact is likely to improve. We test for that too.

Next, our Launch Max launch monitor captures your ball in flight with high speed photography. It then compares the "launch ballistics" with theoretical perfection. If the launch angle is too high or too low, or the spin rate too much or not enough, we will find that out. Optimizing launch ballistics could mean a new shaft, a different loft head, or both.

The final step is to check out the right ball. We will take your "launch ballistics" and tell you the best ball for your swing. The driver tune-up is included with our complete driver fitting for $95.

 


 Shaft Upgrades
 

One of the benefits of a Golf Lab driver fitting is that we go beyond simple fittings by swing speed alone. Our unique Max Out Shaft Max is the only electronic gizmo that measures shaft deflection in two planes and plots that deflection against a timeline. The Shaft Max allows us to pick the right shaft based on the flexibility of the butt, mid and tip sections. No other device allows such precision in shaft selection.

The main benefit of fitting a shaft to match the complete shaft bend profile is to control spin. Time and again, we find players who impart too much spin to the ball, costing 10-30 yards of distance. Frequently, a shaft change can solve the problem. It costs nothing to find out.

At the Golf Lab, we test everything and never throw anything away. As a result, we have accumulated a vast collection of exotic, high performance shafts. Most have only been used once - but we classify them as "pulls". If you're interested in trying a (formerly) expensive shaft but would like a bargain - we probably have it. All of our pulls sell for half of their original price. And, that includes SST PUREing to make sure that your driver is as good as it can be.

 


 Exotic Drivers
 

Your free driver fitting includes the opportunity to test our high performance drivers at the range. We have all of the best heads, matched up with the most popular high performance shafts. After we complete your fitting you can confirm the results by seeing the ball fly.

 


 The "Conventional" Nike SUMO
 

If the SUMO2 is a little too radical for you, you can back up to the model that most of the Nike Tour Staff is playing. It's the more conventional SUMO - a classic pear shape driver with a Nike twist. Combine an updated fitting to make sure we get the right shaft and loft and you get a great driver for $199. There's no better deal around than that.

 


 Adams BUL and Fairway Combo Deal
 

The "Second Best" high MOI driver this year was the Adams BUL. (Some think that stands for "big, ugly, long") The reality behind the BUL is that it looks like a conventional driver, just a little rounder and a little flatter. Compared to the SUMO2, it isn't that ugly. It sounds like persimmon so you don't have to worry about your pals complaining. And, it goes very straight. I paired mine up with a Mitsubishi White Board and it was my "go-to driver" for most of the summer. Depending on your values, the BUL could be "The First Best".

Now, while supplies last, we're offering a combination deal on a custom built BUL driver and fairway metal. For $399 you get the driver, fitted to you specifications and the fairway of your choice. Here's the best part: we're not skimping with cheap shafts. We'll fit you with a Fujikura Tour Platform or Fit-On series - in the proper weight and flex. That's a driver that was sold at "street price" for $399 earlier in the year. Today, you get a $249 fairway metal to go with it, also custom fitted with a premium shaft, for $399.



You might ask yourself the question: "Why buy now?" What will be coming along next year that might be better?

From what I've seen, the driver that I'm planning to pick for myself is the Nike SUMO "Tour". This is a next- generation SUMO2 set up with a square face angle and built with an all-titanium body to soften the noise. Nike is trying to get Tiger to play the square. If that happens, buy Nike stock because Tiger could cause a measurable increase in Nike sales - all by himself. But the Tour SUMO is a long way out - scheduled for next April. And the price will be $500 or higher. In the meantime, you can't go wrong with this year's models.

Late news: Stephen Ames won the "Children's Miracle Classic" at Disney with a prototype "Square". The drumbeat for square will continue . . .

 


 Want to go long? Then go long.
 

That's not a riddle. For several years we have fitted senior golfers with extra long drivers. The preferred length is 47" or 48". Along the way, we have learned a lot about long drivers. Much of that learning was assisted by working with Eric Jones - the World Senior Long Drive Champ from 2003 and "Third in the World" in 2007. Eric teaches golf on Thursdays at the Golf Lab. We have built all of his competition drivers for the last four years.

The key to success with long drivers is to match the lightest weight shaft and head that you can find. Most driver heads weigh 200 grams - that it too heavy for a long driver. It does no good to slap a long shaft in a heavy head. We have focused on the removable weight drivers to control swingweight. Our favorite model is the Adams 460D series - a top performer from last year. Without weights installed, the heads come in at about 185 grams. It's pretty easy to hit a target weight in the low 190's. That's the first step.

The second step is to match the shaft. The top performers in super light weights are the ACCRA series. ACCRA has just released a 40 gram shaft to supplement its prior market-leading 50 gram offering. We're having great luck matching these up with the Adams heads to get the best performance in long drivers that we've ever seen.

After your fitting, we'll build up a custom made long driver. The price? Who would believe $299 for a custom driver?

If you want your long driver tweaked out, we can add SST PUREing and Balance-Certified counter weights.

The key question: "How do I know if a long driver will work for me?" We can answer that question with electronics. Our Achiever launch monitor will tell us if you're hitting the ball on the center of the face. Our Launch Max will tell us if you've achieved an increase in ball speed at an acceptable spin rate. There is no doubt, improvement is measurable. Then, you can go outdoors to make sure.

 


 On the Radar Screen - Nickent and Matrix Composites
 

I've got a little personal story to tell. Long-time Golf Lab customers will remember that this odyssey started over six years ago with the "Search for the Magic Driver". Along the way, there have been quite a few "Magic Drivers". The first one was the Nicklaus 360 cc head paired up with the stock Fujikura Shaft over five years ago. Nicklaus noted a blip in California sales after that pick. The next setup that stayed in the bag for a year or more was the Titleist LFE paired up with the Fujikura Speeder 757 in "R" flex. Then, there was a 10.5* Taylor Made R7 TP paired up with a Mitsubishi Blue Board 63 S that lasted for almost a season. More recently, I've been a fan of the Nike SUMO2 shafted up with a Mitsubishi White Board 63 S - but I just can't give that driver a true "Magic Driver" designation because of the sound. Maybe the "Tour" version next April will earn a place on the list . . .

The driver that's been in my bag for the last couple of weeks - not exactly enough time to earn the title "Magic Driver" is the Nickent "Tour" version paired up with a Matrix XCON -5 shaft. I have a warm place in my heart for this combination. I won the "Tournament of Champions" at the Palo Alto Muni in October. (Blue Tees: 73-76=149) The key to the win was reliable driving - and a couple of "bombs". The following week in the Brad Lozares Cup Challenge, I managed to stay up with a player who was much younger and much stronger - and who usually outdrives me. Nickent and Matrix are two companies that have been around but are managing to gain a lot of recognition. If you'd like to try that combo, we have several demos available at the Golf Lab.

 


Fall is a good time to work on your equipment - and your game. In future communications, I will focus on subjects like "Utilities and Fairways", "Helping Beginners - and Juniors" and "How to Buy on eBay". Any questions? Just email Leith@calgolftec h.com or phone (650) 493-1770.

Best regards,


Leith Anderson, Bob Huff, and Clint Smith
The Golf Lab

phone: 650-493-1770
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