Fourth of July Vacation
 

The Golf Lab will be closed from 12 PM on Wednesday until 10 AM on Monday, July 7th.

Leith will be heading to Indiana for a reunion on the family farm north of Indianapolis. That has been an annual tradition for many years. Leith and Bonnie lived in Indiana for twenty three years before coming to California in 1991.

Clint will be taking a few days off to rewind and get ready for some exciting changes coming to the Golf Lab in July.

If you have work in the shop, please pick it up before Wednesday at noon. Meantime, we wish all of our clients a restful and rewarding Fourth of July holiday. If you want us to get in touch with you when we return, please leave a message on the shop answering machine.

 

 New Fitting Services - the "Stabilizer"
 

We are introducing new fitting services in July. After working out the technical details, it is clear that there is more to be gained from balancing golf clubs than has ever been imagined.

The recent breakthrough is the Balance- Certified "Stabilizer". We have now tested the Stabilizer with over 100 players. All but two showed significant increases in ball speed - 2-3 MPH and consequent increase in carry distance of six to fifteen yards.

But the Stabilizer is more than extra distance. With our Achiever launch monitor, we confirm significant and measurable improvement in consistency: ball speed, launch angle and swing path.

The Stabilizer is a unique counter weight. Unlike the early versions, it is six inches long and extends the weight under a player's lower hand. The improvement over early versions of counterweights is dramatic.

The "proof is in the pudding". Players who installed the Stabilizer in their drivers have returned to the Golf Lab to balance their complete bag. Just as we have pioneered other technology breakthroughs: shaft alignment with SST, frequency matching for flex and zone flex analysis for shafts, we think that eventually club balancing will be recognized as a mainstream fitting technique.

 

 Counterbalancing Irons
 

Balance-Certified has been around for six years. We have always known that the original counterweights improved ball speed, consistency and feel but when it came to balancing an entire set of irons, it was a costly proposition. Because the B-C weights are precision machined parts, the cost was $40 per club installed. Counting irons, wedges and the putter, that adds up to quite a bit.

This year a new company came on the scene. Tour Lock designed a counterweight that can be produced much less expensively. At $20 per club, with the weights being easy to remove and recycle, it is much more realistic investment to fit a complete set of irons with counterweights.

The weights are not exactly the same. The Balance- Certified system touches the top of the shaft - an advantage that Jeff Lindner, the inventor behind Balance-Certified says increases feel by passing vibration to a player's hands. The Tour Lock system rests on top of the grip and delivers a more muted feel. As always, we think that the best course is to test both systems and choose the one that works best for you. Then, you will know for sure.

 

 Don't Forget Your Putter
 

Each weight does different things. With your driver and irons, the goal is to squeeze a few more MPH out of ball speed and improve consistency. The putter is a little different. With the putter, we use much heavier weights - up to 100 grams or almost four ounces. With the putter, the goal is to bring your "big muscles" into play and calm your hands down.

There is one company - Heavy Putter - that created a business from heavy putters for exactly that reason. You don't have to spend $150 for a new putter to find out if extra weight will work for you. Counterweights for your putter are $40 installed.

 

 Fitting for Balance
 

Most of the clubfitters who are posting enthusiastic results on Internet forums about balancing golf clubs report using counterweights that are 40 to 80 grams in drivers and irons. We think that is too heavy. The problem is that trial and error testing is unreliable. If you install a weight that you can feel easily, it is probably too heavy.

The only way to determine the best weight for a player is launch monitor testing. It takes about an hour to work through the entire set of clubs.

To motivate for our loyal clients who read our email and book a fitting for counterweights, we've got an incentive offer. If you schedule a driver fitting during the month of July, we'll fit your irons with counterweights for no extra charge. The total fitting for your driver and counterweights for your irons is $125. It will take at least an hour and a half - probably more with a range session and follow-up. If you have recently had your driver fitted, testing and fitting your irons with counterweights is just $50. It will take one hour.

Call the Golf Lab to reserve a convenient time. (650) 493-1770. Saturday appointments are available.

 

 Golf Lab Makeover
 

There's good reason to pay us a visit and see what we've done with the Golf Lab.

We've completely changed our fitting clubs and procedures. We have the interchangeable shaft systems from Nike, Club Conex and Nickent. There is simply no substitute for hitting the exact club that we recommend - both in the net with the launch monitor looking over your shoulder and then on the range or on your own course. That eliminates random testing, uncertainty and guesswork.

The Nike system is interesting - if you're interested in Nike. Like all proprietary systems, it's great if you want that brand. The Club Conex system is unique because you can use "any head with any shaft". There are some constraints. Head weights can be a problem with some shafts. Neither the Nike nor the Club Conex systems are approved by the USGA for play in sanctioned events - and that includes any round that you post for your handicap.

The only system that allows a player to test different shafts with the same head (in different lofts) and then take that exact same combination to the golf course is Nickent. Unlike the Callaway and Taylor Made systems, Nickent allows clubmakers to buy the connectors separately. That lets us to mount any shaft - SST PUREd - in a Nickent head. That's a great advantage for shaft testing and comparison. You are not limited to the few shafts offered by one company. When you find a combination that performs, you can play that exact club in USGA events. The Nickent "Evolver" driver is fully USGA approved.

That's not all. We've completely rearranged the interior of the Golf Lab. New displays make it easy to browse our inventory of new and classic golf clubs. Only the heads are on display. We assume that you will be fitted with custom shafts. We have all of the current models with complete pricing with the shaft of your choice. We've also created a "wall of fame" to show off the awards and honors we've received over the years.

We have an extensive selection of "playable classics" from years past. You will be surprised by how economical it is to rebuild a set of classic irons. And most important, you give up nothing in playability. The best of the classic designs are the equal of any forged iron produced today.

We have reinstalled our putting track and built displays to make it easy to test putters. Ditto for wedges. We think we've done a great job to make the Golf Lab more interesting. In some ways, it's like a modern museum. It's not necessary to have an appointment to stop in and have a look around. Clint and Leith in the shop from 10 until 5:30 on weekdays and 10 until 1 on Saturdays - with later hours by appointment. When you're in the neighborhood, stop by. We're just a minute off of 101 at Embarcadero in Palo Alto.

We look forward to seeing you in the shop. Before you buy new, think about improving the performance of the clubs that you already have.