Alignment: Don't Play Golf Without It!

Robert F:

All graphite designed shafts of any merit are located in San Diego. The reason for this is that Robert McNamara wanted the F-111 to fly off or aircraft carriers and wanted a material that was stronger and lighter than aluminum or steel. The idea of graphite came out of General Dynamics - they had a plant located about 2 miles from Stadium Golf.

A guy named Jim Flood found out about graphite from an engineer at GD and created Aldila as a consequence - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.... They later booted him out. I got maybe the 50th Aldila golf shaft ever built - I have known Jim for something like 30 or 40 years - right from the start of Aldila. I use to hit balls over as Mission Bay and Jim and his son hit there all the time as well. So did Craig Stadler - Craig's dad ran a pharmacy in nearby Pacific beach.

So the entire graphite golf shaft industry grew up in San Diego because of Robert McNamara and the F-111.

Additionally, the why is because major brand club makers have found that the average players miss(of the center of the face) is up and out (or higher toward the toe). So they have purposely(in some cases) placed it there. I know it seems dumb but.......oh well.
Not all are like that. Hopefully you read and used what T. Medley and I suggested as ways to find out where YOUR sweet spots are on YOUR driver and other clubs. These suggestions were given a couple days ago during that discussion and are worth your review.
One of the points I made that I learned through reading Tom Wishon's 'Search for the Perfect golfclub' is that regardless of where the hot spot seems to be, most amatures(average golfers) hit the ball better on the upper half of the driver face. That is because of something called roll, which is the slight vertical curve on the driver clubface. ie., If your driver says 10 degrees, it is ONLY 10 degrees dead center. As we move up the clubface it becomes11,12,13 at the top part, and 9,8 at the bottom. That's why we hit bug bangers off the bottom and high shots off the top. We hit higher and longer shots off the upper half because and liston closely here..................... because most of us should NOT be using an 8,9 or even 10 degree drivers but more like 12 or 13 if our swing speeds are around 80 mph to 90 even. Ego and how we used to hit the ball 'back in the day' keeps us buying lower loft drivers. So the major club makers again know this and pacify us because we learn (on purpose or not) that hitting it a little higher on the face = more distance.
I'm getting fit (in May if possible) and wiil likely end up with a 12/13 degree driver and will be learning to hit it "on the screws" again dead center as my Dad would say.
This book is a great read and on Amazon.com for under $10.00.

Dick

I've got the saying for the hat. Surge Nation...The Sun Never Sets. You came up with a good one.

LynnF

Try relaxing your elbows a little so the inner elbow points more up, particularly (give that you're saying your shoulders are pointing right) the left elbow. Also be sure that your hand and ball position is correct. The butt of the club should be pointing (for a right handed player) into your left leg/hip just forward of the groin. If you're pointing it at your belt buckle, your hands may be too far back and that's pulling the shoulders. These things are little in themselves but can add up.

I have a client that just bought a golf course and I was telling him about you and your teachings.

Do you still have the 10 free lessons promotion available?

And do you still have the paid lesson series available?

Thanks,

Jack

Kinda stepped in that one didn't he?

BTW, DJ's prolific drive of 391 yards on the 5th hole was actually second longest to Chris Couches 408 yarder on the same hole. Are these guys off the hook or what!! OMG!

Hey Ed,

It's hard to tell with the amount of blurring there, but it looks like you may be releasing early on the downswing. I agree that the ball is a bit far forward, though it's hard to be sure because it's hard to know the camera's alignment.

Good job holding your upper body steady, though. Your head almost doesn't move at all until you stand up to the finish.

DJ ALERT!! Make sure your computers are warmed up on PGA.com and on the live@ portion. Showing the 17th and Deej is on 16. So if you want to see him live, it'll happen about 3:05pm eastern time.

Doc, Thanks for the heads up. I guess, we'll get a name when Janet meets
him.

#1. Ok, you were going to contribute $1000 to a research or organization of my choosing due to my wife's illness. I like that, so, put up the $1000 for my ticket and I'll pay $1000 to cancer research as well as $1000 towards the ticket. You know full well that the logistics of getting 20 or so people to contribute $20 or so to a ticket for me is beyond management. Also, consider that this really has nothing to do with them anyway and I wouldn't take their money. I also don't see anyone defending me. Most of the people on this blog have seen me on video but have not come to me yet for a fitting. Those that have know what I can and can't do. However, they don't need to defend or support me. I can full well afford the whole ticket but that's not the issue. The only way that I will come out there is if you put up a SIZEABLE amount of money and the reason for this is so you don't back out or stiff me. I just plain don't trust you. You seem unstable. I go back to the days that I was worked closely with a gentleman that was a pathological liar and narcissistic. I don't say this to be mean or ugly, it's just why I am very cautious to get on a plane and fly across country without some feeling of certainly that you'd keep your word. The cost of the business class ticket, divided by the two of use, should show the amount of commitment to the whole deal. This will take place or I will not come out there. A couple hundred dollars is not much of an investment to make and have me get on a plane, fly out there, and the mysteriously something happens and we can't complete the thing. So, either pay half of the business class ticket or just drop the whole thing.

#2. I can not for the life of me why you keep referring to a graphite shaft as a new MATERIAL. The Rombax shaft is not new material. It is graphite. I have been playing this shaft since the end of the year. The newest shaft that I've tried is the Blur but the Rombax is my gamer. So, no, it's not even a new shaft to me and again, it's not a new material. I also told you that I hit my driver, on a good day, about 230 yds. If your driver, which you say would give me 30 yards, even gave me half that, I'd call it successful. So, I saw no reason to have to cart my driver cross country either. However, you have demanded it and I conceded to it and will bring it should this ever come together.

#3. I also mentioned my experience with the Penley ET2 and I'm pretty sure that since you now have that information and how it worked for me, you aren't really all that keen on me coming out there to try your secret shaft that ain't no secret no mo! So, I am convinced that no matter what I do or say, no matter how many people such as Steve offer to put up a $1000 if you win, and no matter no matter, you'll do anything you can to not have this event take place and place the blame on me and the other bloggers. (one of the traits of a narcissist). So, unless you have something new to add to this, please, don't even bother to respond. If you do respond with more excuses, accusations, or just whatever you put out there, I am going to do my best to wash my hands of this as the entertainment value has waxed thin and it has started to be more of an aggravation.

Robert F:

Sean Malone ... an LDA guy was at Salt Creek too and his shaft was an Aldila. He is on Staff there. BTW ... a super nice guy. Had a nice chat with him at Salt Creek.

LDA guys (as a group) are vastly more interested in the science behind what it takes to hit the ball long and straight than people here. And there are some huge egos there but they all root for each other and support each other. Whatever ball goes the longest is all their care about and what it took to make that happen. Genetics is part of the equation but Pete Rose shows you can get a ton of results out of less than a perfect body and parents. Albert Puhols too ... both parents were drunks.

That is not what he said, Nezrom. He's saying that, assuming you know how to hit a ball, if the ball isn't going where you expected it to go, the first thing to check is your alignment. If you set up properly, align yourself properly, and swing properly, the ball should go where you were aiming (so long as you have the right club for the distance).

Steve

A regular friend will come bail you out of jail. A true friend will not. He can't, because he is sitting right next to you on the bench in the jail saying "She sure didn't look like no cop to me neither."

Dick

Lynn

As my three-year-old grandson David says when I tell him he did something good "oh shucks pop pop, it was nothing."

I would like to find out from the Surge if we could put his logo on a T-shirt, with the saying "The sun never sets on the Surge nation"

Hey, we could even make one for WK. It would say either "Will you set on my magic shaft" or "You can hit my balls 300 yards, ask me how" or "I am the troll under the bridge, your mother warned you about."

We could have a poll on the blog to select our favorite WK T-shirt. I would be willing to chip in for that and we could send it to him.

Well lads, I have an early job tomorrow so I am going to hit the rack.

Keeping it vertical, and dreaming of hitting WK's balls 300 yards, in Oklahoma.
Dick

I have a new product for the "WK line." I am thinking about a nice thick quilted toilet paper. It would have the little troll's picture on it. Just think how satisfying it would be to use that. We could print all the things he claims to do on there too.

I think I have finally found the one thing he could do very well.

Remember, the jobs not over til the paper work is done.
Dick

Hi Doc:

Thank you for giving us an up date on your wife. What a blessing.

Bill

Did you mean that all Graphite Designed shaft of any merit are made in San Diego or that all graphite shafts of any merit are made in San Diego. If you meant the latter, you're off your rocker again as Fuji shafts, #1 on tour, are made overseas. (there are plenty others that are actually made overseas even though the corporate offices are located in the states. Best to start making sure of your information before posting. In other words, look before you leap!

Good morning Ed. I took a look at your swing sequence and it looks like a solid, stable swing. I couldn't tell what club you were using, but it appears that you struck it well. Very little lower body movement. Feet stayed on the ground, weight appeared to shift as needed. Your spine angle didn't shift, your head didn't bob up and down, and your hands and the club appear to be where they should be, at least from the face-on view. Thanks for the pics and if you get a chance, make us a video one of these days. It's always nice to see how others are doing so we can help each other out. Have a great day and hit 'em straight! R2

I wasn't really investigating, I just stumbled across it while goofing off on Ebay. I think Doc should adopt their slogan for his own use though.

With Doc Griffin's Custom Clubs,,,BALL GO FAST... BALL GO STRAIGHT... BALL GO FAR!

Hit'em Long and Straight,
Bob

Thanks for the input Doc. Still think the general subject of set make up might be benificial for the majority as a videoblog if you just approach it as you did above as in if their swing speed is 78... I would do such and such and then if it were 98,88 or if it were 68 and so on..... just to educate the general Surge Nation what goes into decisions for set make up. Like for example, if there swing speeds are slower how a hybrid replacement for the 5 iron may be wise. In any case thanks for the above. Found your answer to Ronnie on your shafts interesting too. The subject of frequencies and shaft flex to fit not only the golfer but even how that can change from woods to irons to wedges. Interesting and educational indeed. Personally I am fascinated by the subject of fitting as you know and probably more on this site would appreciate more on this in the future along with the ones you've already done. Much appreciated.
PS. I haven't discounted making the trip out there for the fitting, depends alot on the overall costs of the flight and lodging and the time involved in doing it right. We've talked about it and I still have'nt decided. If I do, I would allow it to be filmed for use as a sample fitting for the blog(and comic relief value).

This is probably a little late for most people to read, but I have found that when I pull a shot I am usually lined up to the right. For me I believe I am trying to compensate for the misalignment by twisting my body at setup; thus making me overswing with an over the top motion. The fix is to practice the way you want to play. When I go the the range I limit myself to two buckets of balls, make sure that I warm up with streching and plenty of practice swings before I even pull a ball out of the bucket. Then once I feel ready I count out ten balls and just hit them down range just to see how my swing is doing. Usually by #5 they are going pretty straight. Then every other shot I make is just to practice alignment. I work my pre-shot alignment and setup routine more than I worry about how well I am hitting the ball. It's kind of like walking; you do it all the time and it just comes natural. For golf practicing good habits will result in better play.

GolfCat:

Have Doc or RR build a shaft out of House of Forged material and take it to Stadium. My fitter will build a club for whoever shows up and beat them 20 - 40 yards. DOn't get me wrong ... House of Forged is likely better than what you are using but no competition for the material I am using in my driver shaft.

Yes it did rather seem Nezrom was trying to put grandiose words in Surge's mouth. I'm fairly new to following this blog, but the few times I've seen him comment on here it's always been a negative remark or a sorely mistaken interpretation of the presentation. I wonder, if he's got nothing nice to say, why does he say anything at all? For that matter, if he doesn't agree with anything said why does he keep coming back?

Okay Dick -- That was funny. LOL,LOL,LOL. And, that's the only way I can get to 400 yards too!! Keep 'em straight! R2

Thanks Bob

I knew one or more of you guys would be able to help him.
Dick

Surge, Boy was I out of touch. I Started getting e-mails from some guy in Las Vegas giving golf lessons. I thought maybe you had a Surge West going on or something. After watching about 3 or 4 lessons this guy starts talking 90 deg. shoulder rotation. I almost fell off my chair! I sent him an e-mail and asked "What's Up" I told him that doesn't fly in" Surge City".So now I got the Skinny on them and DELETED immediately! I haven"t been at the computer much lately, did some sheet time at the hospital. Thanks for staying around. Go DJ ! - Gregg

List the angle of attack of the test. You are in way over your head. Bring out your latest invention for a driver and I will give you a driver that beats it 25-30 yards. You were pleased that a material gave you better distance ... that is a break through ... never saw that before from you.

TO BPerk

from:

http://www.answers.com/topic/a...

Aldila was founded in 1972 by Jim Flood, a man who has been called the Thomas Edison of modern golf. In addition to the graphite golf shaft, Flood also invented the Basakwerd putter, the Power Pod, Slinger Irons, and an automatic head maker for woods. Flood was already working with golf equipment as an eighth grader working at the Cherry Hills Country Club near Denver, Colorado, where he performed minor repair work on clubs that members had damaged. By 1960, he had begun working as an investment broker, but his interest in golf remained unabated. Eventually he moved to San Diego, where a friend happened to describe graphite composite, a light, strong, flexible metal used to make the wings of the F-111 fighter plane. Flood's interest was piqued--his first thought was that the material would probably make excellent golf club shafts. It would produce a shaft that was much lighter than the steel ones that were used almost universally. He obtained some graphite samples and began tinkering with ideas for a new golf club, using fishing rods, glue, and his daughter's hair drier. Flood has no training in engineering, and when he formed his new company to introduce his first graphite shaft in April 1972, none of his employees did either. Products were designed relying on trial and error.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/a...

looks like this knocks the idea the F-111 didn't use graphite. I never checked one way or the other about graphite when I supported the F-111 at Eglin. But if you put F-111 and graphite in Google it is clear now that it was in the place. I only learned the F-111 story from Jim himself when I met him at Mission Bay .... right off of I-5.

How I got involved in my first experience with graphite:

I was hitting golf balls at the Mission Bay driving range when a San Diego newspaper guy (sports) named John Wirgis (SP?) pulled out a black driver and tried to hit it. John was pretty overweight and got no results at all. So I asked him if I could try it and I got an immediate 30 yard increase. Jim had given the club to John to promote the graphite idea. John couldn't use it and really didn't play much golf anyway so I bought it off og him for $100. Had sort of an hour glass look of metal on the bottom of the driverhead..

Back then you could turn the head maybe 90 degrees so it was not all the accurate.

Also ... I knew a number of local teaching pros (one of whom regularly appears on the Golf Channel) and tried to sell them on the merits of graphite and all of them rejected the idea. One guy bet me $100 that in 5 years (from 1972) that not one single PGA pro would be using graphite. He sited Gary Player messing around with fiberglass as his reason. I went back at 5 years to collect my money and he said he was always a graphite believer from the very beginning.

Ed, I also agree it looks pretty good in the pics. I noticied your head moves slightly back at the top, just a bit. I also wondered if the last shot of your finish was after the recoil from swinging to your left ear, or if you stopped short to that position. Overall, it seems pretty good to me.

In San Diego and an obsession with long driving competition. Doc, I guess now you know who to call to get some samples for yourself. House of Forged in San Diego, CA.

Randy,

Give this a try. Lay a club down just outside your target line and parallel to it. Align your toe line to the target line. Then, carefully flick the club you laid down out of the way. Take your swing. You will be lined up. I do this when I have difficulty lining up to a spot. You can have equipment laying on the ground as long as you are not using it to aid your swing. I used this technique last Monday on several fairway shots and it helped me tremendously. When I did not take the extra effort to get properly aligned, I pulled my shots to the left. Hope this helps.

Kevin

Dear Don,
I do so enjoy your daily contact. It is so refreshing to listen and watch a truly generous person in action. Keep well and many thanks for eliminating the frustrating mystery of the game of golf;. it is hard enough dealing with the rough of the green. When bad shots occur and they surely do, it is great to fall back on your clear and fundamental instructions. One day you may come to Australia and play with us knowing that there are still golf courses that have kangaroos laying around in the shade watching our foolish and frivolous antics!
Kindest regards Sandy

Robert,
Want to share some more fitting info with you based on some personal experience that I've had recently.

As you know, I've played the UST Pink shaft for quite some time and I set out to test some other shafts. Fortunately for me in the line of work that I am in and being in the position that I'm in, I can get shafts to test just by asking for them. I had a short list of shafts that I wanted to try base on research and "scuttlebutt" that I get from talking with tour reps and the like. I tested the UST AXIV CORE shaft, the Fuji Blur shaft (what I have DJ in this year), the Fuji Rombax shaft, and the Penley ET2 shaft (new version of the EFT shaft from Carter Penley).

All the shafts performed quite well as for control. But I can see why DJ liked the Blur shaft. This shaft has awesome kick at the bottom and tremendous feel. I also really liked the Rombax shaft as it had a great feel in the tip as well. I was noticeably longer with these two shafts than the UST shaft and the Penley wasn't even close. I have two drivers now, one of each shaft. Played the Rombax today and it was looooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggg. Even the few misses were long and the dispersion was excellent.

When you do go for a fitting, ask to try these shafts out and see what you think. The Blur may not be a bad fit as it is a lighter weight shaft.