Update on Air Force One and new Counter Weights
 

The free fitting offer that comes with this update might be our best ever. Whether you're visiting the Golf Lab for the first time or returning to update your specifications, you will be amazed by the measurable improvement in the performance of your golf clubs.

 

 Early Test Results: Air Force One
 

Two weeks ago, we started a project to find out if the Air Force One (AF1) driver by PowerBilt lived up to its claims to delivering longer drives and extra forgiveness.

We offered Golf Lab customers a free fitting to compare the performance of their drivers to the Air Force One. We were looking for higher ball speed. In launch monitor testing the Air Force One delivered small increases in ball speed - 2-4 MPH - for most players. That doesn't sound like much, but a small increase in ball speed can easily add ten yards of carry distance.

In the fitting, we tested each player with our Shaft Max system that goes beyond fitting for swing speed alone. With the Shaft Max, we get important insight about shaft weight, flex and most important, the shaft flex profile that works best for each player. We want to get the shaft weight and flex right, but we also want to choose the shaft that reacts correctly to a player's swing. Optimizing shaft performance requires knowing if the shaft should have a stiff or soft butt flex and a stiff or soft tip flex. Today, all shafts are measured, tested and "profiled". We go way beyond choosing shafts by flex alone.

Some players put a lot of pressure on the shaft during their swing. That condition is known as "shaft load". Players who load the shaft heavily distort the tip of the shaft much more than average. Those players need shafts with stiff tip sections to keep the ball in play - Mitsubishi Blueboards and Whiteboards at the high end are favored by PGA Tour pros. But you don't have to spend $350 to get a high performance shaft to fit your swing. We have reasonable alternatives starting at $75 - installed.

You will find out if the Air Force One outperforms your own driver. You will also discover the driver shaft that gives you the best distance and control - with an emphasis on control. Finally, if the Air Force One isn't the "best" for you we will suggest a different driver that delivers maximum distance for your ability. We then give you that very combination to test. We eliminate guesswork.

 

 What are the Players Saying?
 

Almost all testers so far have reported that the Air Force One adds distance to their drives - some by up to fifteen yards. They also report that off-center strikes tend to deliver better distance and stay closer to the fairway.

In cases where the Air Force One was not longer than a player's own driver, it was because we didn't provide the correct loft. In those cases, the trajectory was too low. The Air Force One tends to launch the ball lower than most other drivers. Some drivers look OK indoors but don't work the same on the golf course. Never buy a golf club without return privileges.

On the downside, three players objected to the sound of the Air Force One. That included one player who reported that the AF1 was clearly longer than his current gamer but he wouldn't put it in his bag due to the sound. That is pretty unusual. Most players find a way to ignore loud impact sound if they get better distance in return. Clearly, sound is an issue.

My opinion is that the sound is not nearly as horrible as the original Nike Sumo Square. That driver was by far the worst we have ever heard but even so, that didn't deter players who were looking for control to buy it.

At this point in our testing program, roughly half of the golfers who tested the Air Force One ended up buying one. That's a pretty unusual success rate. It is important to note that only one of those was delivered with the stock shaft. The AF1 is no different from other drivers in this respect. It is simply impossible for any manufacturer to choose one shaft model that works for every player. PowerBilt does not offer many custom shaft options so that is a good reason to work with a custom fitter like the Golf Lab to make sure that you get your AF1 with a fitted shaft that works with your swing.

Case in point: Lynn Cowan is one of the premier amateurs in California - a multiple winner of statewide championships and nationally ranked. She also happens to be the wife of Carl Cowan - the PowerBilt sales representative. Nevertheless, she couldn't find an Air Force One driver that outperformed her old Adams 460D. After a Golf Lab fitting, we set her up with an AF1 matched up with a new ACCRA Dymatch in a 45 gram weight. Result? A fifteen yard increase in driving distance. A correctly fitted shaft made the difference.

 

 What's Next?
 

Our last shipment of AF1 heads from PowerBilt included some 10.5* heads with 2.6 mm faces. The Air Force One comes in two face thicknesses: 2.6 mm and 2.8 mm. All of the early testing was completed with the thicker face. It stands to reason that the thinner face has a chance to compress a little more and deliver a little more ball speed. That should provide some upside for distance. I'm looking forward to setting up a 2.6 mm AF1 with a Matrix X-Con 5 for my next "Morning at the Muni". That combo should maximize my ball speed.

We'll keep this program going for another couple of weeks. This week, we'll get some good testing done with the AF1 set up with the Club Conex interchangeable shaft system so it will be easy to compare the performance of different shafts and face thicknesses - focusing on ball speed.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the best performance is going to come from the 12.5* heads with 2.6 mm faces set up with the lowest-spinning shafts in our library. That is a formula that worked well with our Nike Sumo setups. Who would think that a low handicap player would get his best results with a 13* head and a Vista Tour shaft? Even Tiger is playing a higher loft driver!

If you would like to participate in the next round of testing - and get yourself a great driver checkup while you're at it - give the Golf Lab a call and book a convenient time. You'll need about an hour, not counting any follow-up testing.

 

 Two Birds with One Stone?
 

If that isn't good enough, we'll sweeten the deal. No driver is truly optimized until it's been fitted with counterweights.

In the last eight months, we've fitted over 450 Golf Lab customers with Balance-Certified Stabilizers in their drivers. With just a handful of exceptions, the Stabilizers have stayed in play. Over and over, we find that counterweights add a little ball speed, but more important, they improve the consistency of a player's swing path and face angle at impact.

The same goes for irons. We have fitted over 100 players with Tour Lock counterweights in their irons - including some of the top junior amateurs in Northern California.

Think about those numbers. They are absolutely huge for a little shop. Counterweighting (I like to say "balancing") golf clubs is here to stay.

There is simply no reason that you should not test your current clubs "before and after". We test your driver for ball speed, carry distance, trajectory, swing path and face angle. Then, we install a counterweight and you hit a few more shots. We usually test two or three weights. The whole process takes less than half an hour.

Now, there is a new twist. Both Balance-Certified and Tour Lock have devised ways to move weight under a player's hands. That's an improvement in tuning potential. Even if you have counterweights in your clubs, there is good reason to return to the Golf Lab to update your testing.

We'll combine a fitting for counterweights when you stop in to test the Air Force One driver. We'll spend a full hour with you. You will learn a lot about your swing and what it takes to optimize the performance of your clubs. All that for no charge. How can you go wrong?

 

 Hot Products
 

There are some other good reasons for you to stop by the Golf Lab and see if you can't fill a hole or two in your bag.

 

 Fairway Metals
 

There is a new theory in fitting fairway metal shafts. In the past, most players simply chose the same shaft model that they use in their driver - in a little heavier weight to make up for the shorter length - tipped one inch to compensate for the heavier head - "end of story".

That technique was called into question last year by Gawain Robertson who spent a season following the PGA Tour fitting ACCRA shafts. He noticed that no PGA Tour Pros used the same shafts in their driver and fairway metals. Rather, the Tour Professionals were much more likely to be using a shaft with a MUCH SOFTER TIP in their fairway metals. One of the favorite choices was the Mitsubishi Diamana Redboard.

Robertson designed a new ACCRA shaft line in the off season. Named the "Dymatch" it is designed to be fitted without tipping. If the Dymatch 65 gram driver shaft works for you, the right fit for your fairway metals would be the 75 gram shaft in the same model - NOT TIPPED. The Dymatch is a new product so we don't have a lot of experience with it, but the early results are positive.



Don't worry. You can skin the cat another way. Plenty of shafts have a flex profile that would work almost the same. Think about the Proforce Blue, the YS-6 and the Pure Energy as likely choices that would be a lot less expensive than the Redboard or a Dymatch.

.Once you have the shaft, it's important to pair it up with a head that works. In the last couple of years, some manufacturers have released fairway metals with truly "hot" heads. That is because the USGA prohibition against "high COR" does not apply to clubs with lofts higher than 15 degrees. The first winner in that category was the Tour Edge Exotic - also exotic in price at $400. Last year our best seller was the Wishon 949. It was just as hot at $249 fitted and custom built. This year there are several new choices that will allow players to have a little more freedom to find a shape that fits their eye.

We have dozens of fairway metals and utilities set up with high performance shafts for your testing pleasure. Take a demo to the course and hit it against your own fairway metals. We'll suggest the KZG "Q" head paired up with a Mitsubishi Redboard or an SK Fiber Pure Energy. Prepare to be surprised

One model that deserves a tryout is the PowerBilt fairway metal. It has the same technology as the driver.

 

 Wedge Shafts
 

The big trend in wedge shafts is graphite. The shaft of choice has been the Aerotech 125 gram wedge shaft. It comes in three flexes, taper or parallel, so there's a lot of fitting flexibility. Scratch Golf has adopted the Aerotech 125 as their only graphite shaft. When a wedge company makes such a choice, you ought to notice.

You have some other choices. SK Fiber has their own entry in the market. It has a little softer feel which will be welcome to some players.

Not to be outdone, Nippon has designed it's own heavy weight wedge shaft. Like all Nippon shafts, you get a little "kick" that tends to improve feel on partial swings.

The shaft is useless without a head. We like the Bobby Jones models designed by Jesse Ortiz and Dave Pelz. Their claim to fame is a very durable surface that spins the ball better than most other heads. Like all other clubs, you will only know how your new wedge will perform after you have a chance to hit it. To make the decision easy, we have several full suites of Bobby Jones wedges available for our customers to take to the course. You should never buy, before you try.



Other great choices for wedge heads include Miura, Vega, KZG, Scratch and Epon. Most players spend too much time worrying about their drivers. The wedges are the scoring clubs. Hit it stiff. Make the putt. That's the way to post a lower score.

 

 So Cheap it's Stupid
 

We've been spreading the news about the "loss leaders" from the major golf equipment manufacturers that we have described as "gift with purchase" - just like perfume.

It's hard to keep track of all of the offers. Free fairway metal with a driver. Free shoes with irons. And so forth and so on . . .

Adams is dropping the price of their Speedline driver to a new low: $199. If you want a matching fairway metal, it's just $99. You have your choice of two pretty good shafts - the real thing - not some cheaper "made for" version. The Pro Launch Blue is a good choice if you like a softer tip, the Pro Launch Red is a shaft that a good player can actually put in his bag.

Expect all of the other Big Guys to respond. Drivers and fairway metals are the new battleground as companies fueled with public money trying to destroy each other. The sad thing is that prices are so low that the smaller, high quality component companies are despairing. There is no way that they can compete on price.

We are sticking with Wishon, KZG, SMT and Infiniti. We ask our customers to support those companies. They deliver great performance in custom fit and custom built golf clubs - for just a little more money. It will be good for the industry if we make sure that the creative little independent companies are not starved to death while the giants fight their own war.

If you want to take advantage of the Adams deal, you'll be getting a great price. Like all off the shelf clubs - the Adams Speedline requires modification before it will be ready to play for most golfers. It is too long at 46" and the head is too light. When we sell a Speedline in conjunction with a fitting, we trim the length to 44.5" or 45" at the longest. Then we add several grams of weight to the head to balance the driver correctly. While we have the head off, we test the flex and trim from the tip to compensate for the added head weight. We SST PURE the shaft. Finally, we make sure the grip is correct.

We are careful to prove that our modifications are worth the extra effort and $95 charge for the "tweaking". We always record performance metrics with our Achiever launch monitor. That's the "before". Then, after the work is done, we have the golfer hit another series of shots. That's the "after". If performance is not measurably improved, we waive all customization charges. (We haven't had to pay off yet!!)

With the Adams Speedline priced at $199 to start, even with the customization charge the $295 finished cost is reasonable for a customized driver with proven performance.

If you're thinking about supporting a "little guy" - most of the high quality component drivers can be customized with a premium shaft of your choice for under $399.

 

 Book Your Free Fitting Today
 

The only reason that we're doing our free fittings is that the recession is on and we need to motivate our customers. The best motivation is a new golf club that fills a hole in your bag and helps you make the shots you've been missing. We're willing to prove that we can help improve your game.

You can help by forwarding this email to your golfing friends. Do them a favor while you help us stay intensely busy. We'll treat them royally. They will thank you for the tip.