2008 is Just Around the Corner . . .
 

While you're out and about this holiday season, plan on spending a little time with us at the Golf Lab. We might be able to help you shave a shot or two from your index. Besides, there's nothing the matter with buying yourself a Christmas present. If you take advantage of just one of our Christmas Specials, we'll give you a sleeve of Titleist PROV- 1's, or Nike Platinum balls. Merry Christmas.

Here's an incentive to go shopping with a buddy. It's a lot of fun to complete a fitting with your regular playing partner. A fitting reveals a lot about your swing and helps you make the right equipment choices. This season, we're offering a "twofer" - bring a buddy for a Complete Driver and Ball Fitting and pay just one fitting fee - for two players. We'll benchmark your driver, and then put our electronics to work to analyze your swing, what happens to the club when you swing it and the ball after impact. You'll know your potential and exactly how much distance you stand to gain. If there's a better combination of shaft and head, we'll find it. Or, we might just give your current driver a clean bill of health.

How do you know the best ball for your game? There are a couple of very good programs to help. The first is the result of a methodical study of golf ball aerodynamic performance conducted by Advanced Golf Solutions. The input is your launch monitor data: ball speed, spin and launch angle. The output is three lists of recommended balls: one for distance, one for accuracy and the third a "best ball" based on your own formula balancing distance and accuracy.

The second is a web-based solution: Golfballselecto r.com. It was recently featured in Golf Magazine which highlighted Max Out Golf Labs founder Mitch Voges as one of the top ten innovators in the American golf industry. Golfballselector.com also starts with launch monitor data, but then delves into more subjective analysis. Two opinions are better than one.

Driver and ball fitting for two: $150. (Golfballselector.com membership extra)

 

 Complete Club Fitting Gift Certificates
 

A Complete Club Fitting at the Golf Lab is a handsome gift. We have the most intricate, and we think the best, fitting process available anywhere. Seven years experience and thousands of satisfied customers give us the confidence to make that statement.

A complete fitting at the Golf Lab takes two to three hours and includes follow-up and continued testing. The cost is $249. If you want a detailed description of the process, here's a link to our application that won the designation "Top 100 Clubfitters" in the world. There's no need to come to the Golf Lab to pick up a certificate. We can send it to you by email.

Leith Anderson has been on the forefront of club fitting and club making for over six years. Here's a link to over 50 articles originally published in Golf Today Magazine. If you give a Golf Lab fitting, it will be performed by one of the recognized experts in the world. We will do you proud.

 

 On the Radar Screen . . .
 

We've been working with the new radar-based launch monitors - the Trackman and the Kudu. We think that the new technology is going to be very useful outdoors - but the real benefit might not be determining "launch ballistics" but rather helping a player understand his swing in a much more visual way. The reason? The radar "sees" the club during the swing and models the position and path of the club. You get a visual reference to swing plane, angle of attack and face angle. The benefits of the new radar-based launch monitors were described in Leith's November Golf Today article. Here's a link: November Article.

As usual with our new gizmos, we're going through a shake down period. That requires working with customers to figure out exactly how everything works. If you would like to be involved with the testing process - call the Golf Lab and let us know. In return for your time, your fitting will be free.

 

 Great Christmas Bargains
 

One of our "Golf Lab Gang" has access to a never ending supply of "like new" Titleist Pro V's and other top quality golf balls - many hit just one time - into the bushes. How about a dozen for $20? You can hand pick them to make sure you get your lucky numbers. If you have another favorite brand, we'll probably have that too. At that price, you can fill your shag bag. You can also get a box in "near new" packaging for $24. If you need a few Christmas gifts for the golfers in the office - you can look very generous and save 50% at the same time.

 

 Nike Gloves
 

Nike makes one of the best leather gloves in the business. You can pick up next year's supply for a bargain price. These are the brand new first quality leather gloves from our regular inventory intended to sell for $19.95. Fill your stocking for just $10 each.

 

 ADAMS BUL Driver
 

One of the greatest advantages of advanced clubfitting methods is that you know the exact performance of the clubs you're thinking about buying - before you spend your money. Gone are the days when you bought a golf club and took it to the course only to be disappointed.

The biggest waste of time and money is the "playability guarantee" offered by the Big Box stores. That's simply a "do it yourself" fitting process - but without the advantage of an expert fitter's eye, sophisticated electronics and plenty of high- performance demo clubs to compare. High performance shafts make a big difference in driver performance. "Off the rack" is rarely the best choice. Why play a driver that you're planning to trade in 90 days? At the Golf Lab, you get it right - the first time.

One of the best performing drivers in 2007 - a "top three" recommendation in the Bombsquadgolf.com "Shootout" - is the ADAMS BUL. It ranked just under the Callaway FT-5 in initial ball speed. In addition, it is rated at 5000 MOI points - making it second to the Nike SUMO2 in that category. The BUL is a great head to choose for your custom driver for both distance and accuracy.

We've fitted up a batch of BULs with high performance shafts - Matrix XCON - 5 - the shaft that produced the highest ball speed in testing - and the OZIK Altus - the top all-around performer. We've got more: Fujikura Rombax, Mitsubishi Red, White and Blue Boards and the ACCRA SC Series. If you're thinking about buying a driver that is absolutely guaranteed to go longer and straighter than your current driver - one of our souped-up BULs is a good place to start the search. Remember: testing will reveal exactly how much distance optimized launch ballistics will deliver. If we don't beat your driver, keep your money in your pocket. You can confirm our testing with actual performance at the range. No more guesswork, wasted time, disappointments and returns.

Depending on the custom shaft that works for you, the price of your BUL will start at $249 - hundreds of dollars less than the Taylor Made Super Quad and Callaway FT-5 - the other "top three". We can match your driver with an ADAMS fairway wood or an industry- leading Idea Pro hybrid.

 

 Nike SUMO and SUMO2
 

The Nike SUMO2 was the "Driver of the Year" on many lists in 2007 - including ours. The SUMO2 is absolutely, positively the straightest driver that you can buy.

Nike is "clearing the decks" for 2008 and that means flushing this year's entire inventory out of the sales channel. Prices have dropped dramatically. For example: the Nike SUMO2 - the driver that started the high MOI revolution in 2007 - at $469 ($399 "street" price) is now being closed out at $249. We have plenty in stock - with enough shafts to guarantee whatever flex and loft you need in the stock Diamana "Yellow Board". The standard SUMO is now $199. Both SUMOs can be paired up with high performance, SST PUREd shafts.

The SUMO Square trend will continue in 2008. Nike's unreleased new model (available February 3, 2008 at $479) is the successor to the SUMO2. The new Nike "Tour Square" has already delivered three end-of- season Tour wins: the Disney, the World Cup and the Nedbank Challenge. The new Nike "Tour Square" won't be available until April 2008. The price will be "healthy" (for Nike) - probably over $500 decked out with a good shaft.

If you haven't made the move to a new "high MOI" driver design, start thinking about it. The science is sound, high MOI drivers go straighter. Next year, some companies are promising to combine distance and accuracy (Adams?). The Adams BUL and Nike SUMO2 are highly recommended and great bargains at the deep discount, closeout prices.

 

 Golf Lab Named Matrix "Specialist"
 

In the world of high performance shafts, a venerable company is inventing a new identity for itself. Matrix Composites is the new name of the Apache Shaft Company. But the new identity is based on more than just a name - Matrix was highlighted as the best performing shaft in extensive testing performed by the Golf Laboratories testing facility in San Diego. The Matrix XCON-5 was named as delivering the highest ball speed of any shaft on the market.

Matrix has innovated with new bend profiles and exotic materials. The Golf Lab is the only custom shop in the Bay Area to be named a "Matrix Specialist". We have a complete inventory of Matrix shafts. But better yet, you can actually test drivers fitted with Matrix shaft of your choice during your fitting. After all, it's one thing to make a claim and quite another to prove the claim.

One of our best combinations is the XCON 5 shaft fitted with the Nickent "Tour Spec" head. Nickent is gaining ground on the Nationwide Tour with its drivers - to compliment its already stellar reputation with hybrids. The Nickent/Matrix XCON 5 combo is a bargain at $549 - SST PUREd, of course.

 

 Fujikura Gold Charter Dealer
 

The undisputed leader supplying high performance driver shafts to the PGA Tour is Fujikura. The Golf Lab has been at the top of Fujikura's dealer list - ranked at "Gold" level - for six years. Bob Huff is known as "Fuji Bob" even at Fujikura headquarters - a recognition of our in-depth experience with Fujikura.

In addition to the Speeder, Rombax and Fit-On lines, we have access to many of the "Tour Only" models - so if you're looking for a special Fujikura Shaft, the Golf Lab is a good place to start.

 

 Mitsubishi Diamana and Bassara
 

In 2006, Mitsubishi created the "perfect storm". At one point, they had seven of the top ten money-winners on Tour - including Tiger - using their shafts. Tiger still favors a version of the "Blue Board".

We'll recommend the best Diamana shaft to fit your swing based on our unique Shaft Max testing device that tells us exactly how you deflect the shaft in your swing. The Blue Board is the original Diamana - suitable for many good players. If you need a stiffer tip section, the White Board is your choice. If you want a little more active tip, the Red Board is your shaft. For hybrids, you can't beat the Bassara. As usual, we have all models, mounted in high performance drivers for your hands-on testing during your driver fitting.

 

 Miura Irons
 

The ultimate gift for Christmas is a new set of Miura irons. Rarely is any product a consensus "best in the world" choice. Miura is a singular exception. Mr. Miura has forged his reputation over 40 years. The Miura line is well-known in Japan and throughout Asia under its own name. In the past, Miura produced heads for American companies - branded accordingly: Titleist and Taylor Made notable examples.

Three years ago, Miura decided to sell their products under their own name in the American market. They established a small network of custom club fitters that they had confidence could do their product justice. The Golf Lab was named one of those shops.

In the last three years, the Golf Lab has become known as one of the very best of the Miura network of club fitters. We sell a lot of Miura's which gives us a great deal of experience in matching the correct head style with the best shaft. All Miura iron sets are fitted with high performance SST PUREd shafts and meticulously set to the appropriate flex and swingweight. There is no better place to get your new Miura irons than the Golf Lab. Best in the world isn't all that expensive - decked-out Miuras are $225 per club.

 

 Scratch Wedges
 

There's a little company up in Eugene, Oregon that deserves your support. They pioneered intricate sole grinds in wedges, based on a player's swing characteristics. They have almost unlimited options on a custom basis - and their stock line is very good. The company is Scratch.

Short game gurus fall into the Dave Pelz or Stan Utley methods. To be frank, Dave Pelz can't be using his own wedges. They are heavy, stiff and "diggers". On the other hand, Scratch created a design especially for Stan Utley. Utley's mantra is "one wedge, 58*, plenty of bounce and use it for all shots. That's the Scratch SFU grind.

The trick is to get the right shaft to give you the feel and ball flight that you want. Only at the Golf Lab can you test wedges with Project X, Scandium, Aerotech 125, Nippon "Super Peening" and Rifle Spinners, cut to order. SST PUREd, of course. Scratch wedges start at $165 and go to $350. For $350 you get your wedge ground to your specification, finished to your taste, decorated with your initials and fitted with your choice of shafts.

 

 And all the rest. ..
 

We have the brand new Mizuno MP-57 irons, set up with Project X shafts. We have all the new Nike irons, the SUMO's, the CCI's, the Ignites and the new Slingshots. We have the Adams, the MacGregors, the Bobby Jones and the Nicklaus'.

On the hybrid side we have the new Nike's - the Adams Idea Pro and the Nickent 4DX - the top models. Same for fairways: all the Nike's, our favorite Wishon's, and the boutique Advanced Golf Technologies.