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| December 15, 2009 |
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The Golf Lab San Mateo Show - Free Offer Take your game to the "next level" |
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| Greetings!
The Golf Lab has been an exhibitor at the Varsity Communications Golf Shows for many years. As a San Mateo Golf Show attendee, we hope you enjoyed the Show and plan on attending future Varsity Communications golf shows.
We work closely with Varsity Communications to add as much value to their shows as we possibly can. We do that on the show floor and after the show.
Since many Golf Show attendees are beginning and occasional golfers, we put together some offers that are of particular interest to players just getting into the game of golf. If you want get maximum enjoyment from the game and want to get better as fast as possible, it's important to get the best advice you can about practicing and making sure that you have a set of clubs that will help you get to the "next level".
We know that you want to do that without spending a lot of money. |
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Free Introductory Clubfitting
Only for San Mateo Golf Show Attendees
I have a special "get acquainted" offer for all Pleasanton Golf Show attendees. For the month of December, I'm offering our Special Introductory Clubfitting free. My normal price is $125 for exactly the same fitting. Here's what you get:
I'll talk to you about your game and your goals.  How long have you been playing? What have you been doing to learn? Are you taking lessons or following a DIY path?
What kind of scores are you shooting? What are the strongest parts of your game and where are you losing strokes?
I'll be able to recommend ways to get the most out of your practice time. We might have some ideas about training aids that will help develop your swing.
Then, I'll check your current clubs. I'll measure them for length, loft, lie and weight. I'll have you swing your clubs and find out if they're set up correctly for your swing. I'll have a look at the grips and make sure they're the right size.
Then, I'll test your swing with your clubs on our launch monitor. You'll find out a lot about your swing. You'll find out your swing speed, your launch angle and how far you should be able to hit the ball - both with your driver and your irons.
Most important is understanding your swing path and the face angle of your club on impact. That's critical information if you want to improve your game. We'll explain how your swing path and face angle at impact affect the shape and distance of your shots.
If it looks like we can make an immediate improvement to your clubs by making them longer or shorter, we'll do that on the spot and test the results on the launch monitor again. You might be surprised how much your results improve from just trimming half an inch or so from your driver and fairway metals.
Then we'll discuss the entire set of clubs in your bag. Which irons do you hit well? Where should you trade irons for hybrids? What fairway metals do you have in the bag? How reliable are they? (Many players have a hard time hitting their 3 metal reliably - so why not swap it for a higher lofted, shorter and more reliable fairway club?)
What wedges are you playing? Are you better off with a pitching wedge (48*), gap wedge (52*) sand wedge (56*) and lob wedge (60*) - the lineup advocated by Dave Pelz. Or, would you be better off with just two wedges - a gap-sand-fairway wedge (53*) and sand - all-around wedge (58*) - the lineup advocated by Stan Utley?
Finally, we'll take a close look at your putter. Is the lie angle correct for your stance? Is the loft correct for the greens you play? Is the length helping or hurting your stroke?
When we finish with the fitting and analysis, you'll know a lot more about your golf swing and a lot more about your clubs. There is no need to buy anything from the Golf Lab. Our normal charge for this Special Fitting is $125 but for the month of December we're offering it free for San Mateo Golf Show attendees.
An appointment is required. Plan on spending an hour with us. This fitting can also be done "two at a time" so if you want to come with a friend, that will work. In fact, coming with your favorite playing partner is a very good idea. You can help each other remember what you learned.
And, if you want to buy clubs from the Golf Lab, we have some very good deals. Please read on. |
A Very Good, Very Inexpensive Driver (Part One)
When you see the drivers that sell for under $100 at the Golf Shows, they are usually not worth owning. Why is that?
It's all about the material that goes into the driver head. Due to the cost of labor in China, driver heads can cost under $20 in the United States - with one very significant qualification - they're made out of aluminum, not titanium.
Aluminum driver heads are like putting rubber bullets in your gun. No good if you want long straight shots.
That goes the same for all of the cheap "bubble packs" that are sold at Costco. Those drivers and fairway metals are aluminum. Cheap to make, cheap to buy and not much fun to play. Plus, they wear very badly.
There are two ways to get a very good driver without spending too much money. If you want a brand new driver head, you can find a new one that was made a few years ago and is just a little smaller than 460 cc. At the Golf Lab, we search out very good "closeouts" that are high quality pure titanium. We have them in all lofts so you can get a driver that gives you the optimum launch angle. Then, we match them up with a very good shaft that fits your swing. We make sure the length and balance are correct. You even get to test the club at the range before you buy it. There is no risk. You get a very good golf club for an inexpensive price. How much? How does $99 sound?
These drivers are especially good for women and juniors because they are the "right size".
Here are a couple of pictures of what we're talking about. This is just an example, we have several makes and models to choose from.
 
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A Very Good, Inexpensive Driver (Part Two)
Another way to get a very good driver is to choose one of the very best designs from two or three years ago. For example, the Taylor Made 425 TP was released three years ago and sold originally for almost $600. The good thing about the Taylor Made TP drivers is that they come with very high quality shafts. You can buy one for under $200 today.
At the Golf Lab, we always have a nice stock of the best drivers from the recent past and can always swap the shafts so with your fitting you know you will get a driver with the right loft, shaft flex and length. Here are some pictures of the Taylor Made TP drivers.
There are many other good choices for drivers that you can be proud to play and that will be good for years to come.
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Eliminate Catastrophic Drives
Players shooting 90 and up - especially those who are striving to break 100 for the first time are normally "driver challenged". In hundreds of player interviews over the last ten years, we know the easiest way to drop five or six strokes from your score is to avoid the "catastrophic miss" with the driver.
Pop it up, roll it, hit it into the trees our out of bounds. A catastrophic drive is always going to result in a double bogey or worse, sometimes much worse.
Those "driver challenged" players will frequently report that they hit their 3 metal as far as their driver - most of the time farther.
The answer that works almost all the time is the "Thriver". The Thriver is basically a driver head with a three metal loft (13* to 15*) on a short (43"), heavy (75 or 85 grams), stiff shaft. The idea is get a player close to the ball, eliminate as many variables as possible. Time and again, the Thriver has helped high index players almost totally eliminate their catastrophic misses. Sure, you'll still miss shots, but they'll end up playable.
What if your drives go too high? It is common for a mid handicap player to show up at the Golf Lab and admit that he's hitting his drives "very high". His driver is 9* - he hoped low loft would bring ball flight down. Alas, the culprit isn't the shaft; it's the player's swing.
Golf clubs control the player, not vice versa. If a player chooses a driver with a face loft that is too low, he will develop a swing that "boosts" the ball into the air. It may be caused by a "blocking" move or failure to release. When we encounter a player at the Golf Lab who is hitting the ball too high with a low loft driver, we give him a 14* or 15* driver and send him to the range with instructions to come back when he's keeping the ball flight down. Sounds strange, but it works.
A little advice about how to "release" the club doesn't hurt. If you review your scorecard and see too many "others" - and if those others are caused by catastrophic drives, do yourself a favor and get a Thriver.
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Working On Tempo and Timing
When you go the driving range, it's a good idea to just find a comfortable bench and watch the other players. Where does that beautiful swing that only one in ten players has come from?
The players who have the beautiful swings have  mastered balance, tempo and timing. That's what lets them take it back slow, make a smooth transition from their backswing to their downswing and then let the power loose with a full release and balanced follow through.
We make a "practice club" that can help a new player understand balance, tempo and timing by doing the one thing that counts - practicing. It's a club with a very flexible shaft. When you swing it, you have to wait for the shaft to "load" at the top of your swing and then accelerate slowly at first and then faster at impact. If you can hit the "Easy Swing" club well, you will have a good golf swing.
Our "Easy Swing" practice clubs, built to fit you are only $75 for irons and $95 for drivers.
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Hit it "On the Button"
One of the main problems with practicing your golf swing is overcoming boredom. Hitting the same old clubs over and over and getting inconsistent results tends to make you "try things". That's not always good, especially if you slip into random experimentation.
If you want to simplify the ultimate goal of a golf swing, it's to hit the ball on the "sweet spot". There are a lot of pretty ugly golf swings that produce solid shots. How do you learn how to hit the sweet spot?
One of our favorite training aids is the PCP Training Club. It's got a tiny head. When you first look at it, you think it's going to be impossible to hit. But, it's not that bad. When you can hit the ball reliably with the PCP Training Club, hitting your own club on the sweet spot will be a cinch.
The same trick works for putters. Here's a great little training putter that we sell for only $49.
If you really want to get better, you have to practice. The value of practice aids is that they help keep your interest high so you can practice better and longer. |
How About Irons?
If you're going to buy your first (or maybe second) set of irons and you want them to help take your game to the "next level" - and still be economical - you should avoid graphite shafts. Here's why.
The least expensive good quality graphite shafts cost clubmakers a minimum of $16 dollars each - wholesale. Match them up with an inexpensive iron head and a grip and that adds another $12. It doesn't sound like that much, but if the wholesale cost of the components in a golf club is $30 - then you have assembly cost and a little profit and that club will retail somewhere between $60 and $90 at a golf shop.
That's why the very cheapest GOOD quality irons with graphite shafts cost at least $60 per club - almost $500 for a set. And that's a relatively inexpensive set.
What's the matter with cheap graphite shafts? You have no idea what flex you're getting and the shafts never match from club to club. Cheap graphite shafts can make it much more difficult to learn the game - or if you're already a player - to reach the level of consistency you need.
So how does Costco sell their "bubble packs" for $300 and give you everything, including the bag. It's no secret, the parts are cheap. The cast heads are $3. The graphite shafts are $4. The grip is $.65. Assembled in China and shipped bulk to Costco and other "big box" stores, the irons that cost less than $10. They make a pretty tidy profit at $300.
Here's the bottom line: If you want an inexpensive but GOOD set of irons, you can't do it with graphite shafts. That's why our advice is to stick with steel. You can get your custom irons built to the correct flex and length with lightweight steel shafts that only cost $5 or $6. Add a good quality but not fancy iron head, assembly, overhead and a little profit and it's not impossible to get a good custom iron for $40. The full set- including a driver, fairway metals and hybrids will cost something in the range of $500 but it will be a set that will take you to the "next level".
Here are some examples of "component" iron heads that can be assembled into inexpensive custom sets. There are many models to choose from.
And just to show that we mean business and would like to help you get a good set of irons very inexpensively. You can choose from designs like these and get a set of irons for $199. Your irons will not be "off the rack" or pre-built. They will be fitted for you - steel shaft, correct flex, correct length, correct loft, correct lie and correct grip size. You won't have to worry about your clubs holding you back. |
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Am I Good Enough to Get Fitted?
The first question beginning golfers always ask is "Am I good enough to get fitted?" Our answer is that it might be more important for beginners to make sure that their clubs fit their swing than good players.
As a beginning golfer, you are facing frustration trying to learn a very difficult game. If your clubs make improving more difficult, you may give up before you get where you want to go. Since fitting is free and custom clubs cost just a little more than taking a chance with mass produced "bubble pack" clubs - there is no good reason to take a chance that the clubs you start with will hurt instead of help.
Make a call to schedule an appointment at the Golf Lab. We guarantee that you will be totally satisfied.
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We hope to see you soon at the Golf Lab. If you can't make it, have a wonderful Holiday Season.
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Leith Anderson, Clint Smith and Dian Terova
The Golf Lab
2103 St. Francis
Palo Alto, CA 94303
650-493-1770
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| Bring
a Friend |
The "Introductory Fitting" takes at least an hour. If you have a friend or playing partner who you would like to share the fitting experience with, let us know that you'll be coming together. There's a lot to be gained from working together with someone you play with regularly. You can help each other remember the changes you decided to make.
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| Offer Expires: Reservation must be made by January 1, 2010 |
| Send a Friend |
This certificate entitles _______________________
to a complet fitting at the Golf Lab. An appointment is required and the fitting will take at least an hour.
Referred by ________________________________
Certificate must be presented for free fitting |
| Offer Expires: Reservation must be made by January 10, 2010 | |
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