The Golf Lab
May 2008 
 Golf Lab Members Only Newsletter
 New and Unique Golf Lab Services
In This Issue


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Greetings!

There's no better time for golf in Northern California than right now. If you're thinking about getting better this year, I've got some ideas for you.

My Golf Today Magazine article this month spotlights Emily Childs. I covered her San Francisco City Championship match in March. She has gone on to make history in Northern California. At the Alameda Commuters Tournament in May she became the first woman ever to make the cut in the tournament - playing against the men from the black tournament tees. Not only that, she is the first woman to make the cut in any Northern California Golf Association (NCGA) open event. In the process she beat two former champions head to head as well as a couple of college varsity players. Pretty cool. She's going to the University of Colorado this year on a full ride golf scholarship. Even better.

I followed Emily for five competitive rounds. I watched nearly every shot. My goal was to analyze Emily's game - focusing on her golf clubs - and the shots that she made and missed. The theme of the Golf Today article is a "Letter to Emily". It details my observations and offers suggestions about equipment changes that might help her step up to the "next level".

 What's the Point?
 

It's hard to see yourself on the golf course. It's easy for golfers to develop a "personal style" and stick with it. That's especially true if you've been successful. But you could be missing some important opportunities to cut strokes from your game by swapping just one miss for one great shot in a round. In Emily's case, a single hole could have cost winning the medal at the Women's Open qualifier. It was the difference between a conservative, "safe" shot and an aggressive play. Sometimes the best shot is an aggressive shot. The question? Do you have the right clubs to make the aggressive shot when you're aiming to win?

Is there a shot that you don't have? Emily has a fabulous short game, but there's one short shot that she's doesn't have in her bag. The reason? Her wedges have the wrong sole grind. Details are included in the "Letter to Emily".

I hope that I've motivated you to read the "Letter to Emily". If you would like some of the same kind of analysis applied to your own game, there's a way to do that.

Click Here to Read the Letter to Emily 


 Mornings at the Muni
 

After seven years of pursuing the best technology in the world with the goal of becoming an expert in fitting golf clubs, I realized that there is always a "missing link". That's understanding how a player plays the game. There are some things that are only revealed on the golf course.

A few years ago, I began to invite Golf Lab customers to join me in the morning for nine holes at the Palo Alto Muni. That's part of my own testing and self improvement routine. I like spending my early summer mornings on the golf course, following that up with a great breakfast at Don's Place and still making into the Golf Lab by ten o'clock.

"Mornings at the Muni" have been a great way to get to know new customers. Over the years, golfers from all over the world have joined me at the Muni. If you're thinking about an indoor fitting, a great way to get started is nine holes on the course.

There is no fee. It's strictly "Dutch Treat". The best deal is the $29 Special which includes greens fees, breakfast and a cart.

So, if the "Letter to Emily" was interesting and you'd like a little of the same kind of analysis applied to your game, give the Golf Lab a call to make sure that the foursome is not filled. I look forward to meeting you at the Muni one of these mornings.

 


 Make Your Own Driver Better
 

Here's a deal you shouldn't refuse. What if you were promised more distance and straighter drives with your current driver?

At the Golf Lab, our first goal is always to test and measure a player's own clubs and try to improve them by changing the length and balance. Improving performance is almost always easy to do with drivers.

In our driver fittings we establish a "benchmark" by testing your swing with your own driver first. We record swing speed, ball speed, carry distance, swing path, trajectory and face angle at impact. Then, we consider "improvements".

If your current driver is "off the shelf" there is a high probability that it is too long. Consider this fact. Most off the shelf drivers are 45" - some 45.5" - and some even 46" long. If longer drivers work better, why do most Tour Professionals play drivers that are 44.5" long? Ask yourself that question.

After making sure that the flex is OK, we'll take your driver to the back room for a "haircut". You'll hit a few more shots with the launch monitor and find out that you're striking the ball more consistently. Usually, that improves average distance.

Then, we'll mount a Balance-Certified "Shaft Stabilizer" by drilling a hole in the grip and sliding the Stabilizer down the shaft and securing it. Your ball speed will increase 2-3 MPH and your center contact percentage will improve. For most players, that's ten "free" yards.

We don't stop there. We'll confirm the best shaft weight, flex and bend profile with our Max Out Golf "Shaft Max". We'll have a look at your "launch ballistics" - with our Max Out "Launch Max" to make sure that your launch angle and spin rate are matched precisely to your ball speed. If your current driver is not perfect, we can tell you exactly how much distance you can gain by optimizing launch angle and spin rate.

After we capture your launch ballistics, we'll use that data to recommend the best balls to fit your swing - for both accuracy and distance.

If it looks like your current driver can be beaten, we'll hand you a selection of high performance drivers from our demo array. It's pretty easy to figure out if a different driver will deliver more distance. All you have to know is ball speed, launch angle and spin rate. We get accurate measurements from the Launch Max. If a new driver will give you more distance, we can tell you which one and how much.

A complete driver fitting at the Golf Lab costs $125 and takes about an hour and a half. If we can't improve the performance of your driver or find a new driver that beats the performance of your driver, the fitting fee will be waived.

We're so sure of our fitting system that in addition to waiving your fitting fee if we can't improve your driver's performance or put a different driver in your hands that knocks your old one out of the bag we'll even give you a dozen golf balls for wasting your time. No junk either - Nike Blacks or Platinums or Titleist Pro V's. How can you refuse that deal?

 


 Another Look at Driver Performance
 

When players start thinking about new drivers, the usual thing they consider is "technology". Lately, the "next big thing" has been drivers with square or triangular shapes that offer high "moment of inertia" or MOI - the promise is that they go straighter. Well, that's good. Straight is better than in the trees but what about longer?

Those of us with a little background in physics know that transferring energy from the golf club to the golf ball depends on the speed that the club head is traveling at impact and how square the clubface is when it smashes the ball.

So why is it that golfers continue to play drivers that are the same length, same flex, same weight head and the same shaft? The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing while expecting performance to improve.

 


 Case Study
 

A young female tournament player came into the Golf Lab recently looking for more distance. She was playing a stock Titleist driver with a 65 gram shaft, men's regular flex. It was 45" long. After watching her for a few minutes, it was obvious that the Titleist was just too much club for her to handle.

When a player comes into the Golf Lab looking for more distance I always give the easy answer. "Just hit it harder". That sounds obvious but the next question is always "How do I hit it harder?" The answer is to get a golf club that you can swing faster.

Here's what we did: First, we swapped the 65 gram shaft for a 40 gram shaft. We trimmed the length to 44". And we found a head with adjustable weights that weighed 192 grams. That's 25 grams out of the shaft and 10 grams out of the head. An ounce doesn't sound like much, but in a golf club it's a lot.

When we tested the new driver against the old driver, ball speed increased from 117 MPH to 119 MPH and distance improved from 173 yards carry to 178 yards carry. Center contact improved. That was good but not enough to get excited about.

We added the Balance-Certified shaft stabilizer. Ball speed popped up to 124 MPH and distance improved to189 yards. Now, that was interesting - a 15 yard improvement.

Then we added the final encouragement to "Hit it harder". With a club that she could now swing faster and still control, hitting it harder was not a problem. After a while, the player who was concerned about just getting the club on the ball could think about "killing it". The next ten shots averaged 127 MPH and distance increased to 193 yards. I thought it was a low-grade miracle. So did she. Twenty yards of additional carry distance by simply finding the right driver - a driver she could hit harder. We made significant changes to the length, weight and balance.

If you find this hard to believe, we kept the launch monitor printouts showing exactly the results that I reported. And by the way, this solution is not just good for women. Senior men should take note.

 


 The Message
 

There are many ways to skin the cat. A new driver with the same specifications might help you hit the ball straighter. If you want to hit it longer, you either have to go long and light, or short and light. You need to change the balance. You must to hit it harder.

Over the years, I've reported many times about players - especially senior men - who have benefited a great deal with longer drivers built with lightweight components. The shaft needs to be 40 or 50 grams and the head weight needs to be in the low 190 gram range. You don't find drivers with those specifications in big box stores.

Our last experience was a real eye opener. Super lightweight shafts that hold up under stress are relatively new on the market. We favor the ACCRA line for lightweight shafts. Most players don't think about adjusting headweight but we've learned from our experience with Champion Long Drivers that even the big guys are looking for lightweight heads. Then, there's the breakthrough invention that's only been out for a month: The Balance Certified Shaft Stabilizer. Combine these ingredients with a club length that's correct for the player and you have a chance to surprise yourself with improved distance and control.

If you want to see for yourself, give the Golf Lab a call and schedule a driver fitting. We can test some of our high performance demo clubs against your current driver. If we get inspired, we might even build you a driver to test with no obligation. If the testing shows improved performance on the electronics, you can take the demos to the range or the course to find out for sure if the new driver really works. There is no guesswork. There is no risk.

A Golf Lab driver fitting is a good way to avoid costly and inefficient "trial and error". You never have to buy anything until you know for sure that your new club performs. At the Golf Lab, you get expert help in finding "whatever works". Give us a call at (650) 493- 1770 and reserve a convenient time.

 


Best regards,


Leith Anderson, Bob Huff and Clint Smith
The Golf Lab

phone: 650-493-1770
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