Club Fitting Series with Doc Griffin: Shaft Length

 Yes, I believe it is one of the non-canonical doctrinal books.

PMG

You can hardly buy a new, off-the-shelf driver these days less than 46"

 Steve

I just thought with it being Valentine's Day, that a little pep talk in that area might be in line for the Surge Nation.  I even thought about suggesting having an extension installed, like we do on golf clubs, but decided to cut the answer short, so to speak.

I find that so much of life can be looked at just like golf.  Like Surge's line about on-on-and on.  Lots of things work best if you are able to go on-on-and on and especially if you are accelerating at the point of impact. 

It not only makes it more enjoyable when you are
 playing a round, but also when you are playing around.

Ok, I am done now, and going to go hit the rack,
Dick

How close are you to either of these places

PELHAM, AL or PELL CITY, AL

 Me Too !~

Roger

I have learned that no matter how bad it is, it can always get worse.

I was playing a round with our director of golf operations. After the 3 hole he asked me if I had ever considered taking up fishing as a hobby.

Real nice, right,
Dick

Robert, thanks for getting to the point for Charlie. I was moving at a snails pace while you had already answered him.
BTW,I wonder how many of our fellow golfers on this blog have at least checked their lies? I would be willing to beat the farm that most have not since purchasing their clubs whether professionally fit or not. Hmmmmn.....

I tried one of those pills once.  Got stuck in my throat and I had a stiff neck for days.

Doc, This portends to be an excellent series.
How is your wife doing?
Rick Smith

 Thanks for the reply.

Being visual and understanding the idea, it still would be instructive to see how the club is checked on the MOI machine.

You misunderstood what he said (admittedly he put two thoughts in close proximity, so an incautious listener could get confused). You measure wrist-to-floor while standing according to whichever hand is higher on the club in the address position.

 Thank you DH, but it was not I. It was Robert F and a great tip it is.

PMG

Even from where I'm sitting, Doc, I can see you were having a hard time with that one.

He's at the gym, working out.

Which is a very good reason for not buying an off-the-shelf driver. Considering you can get a custom one from Doc's Distance Fitting program for a relatively similar price, why buy a pig-in-a-poke?

 Roy

I hope this finds you doing well. 

Yes, chocolate is the answer to most, if not all, the problems in life.

I think it was Ike, or maybe Churchill who said something like "I must be playing better golf, I seem to be hitting less spectators these days."

Those guys always had an answer.
Dick

Increase the volume of the club fitting videos.

 I am just in a funk right now missing the boat on a couple of things its been to cold to practice it is supposed to be in the 40's this weekend and will take advantage of it.

 Ooops A Million apologies Robert, but more thankyous than that. I hadn't checked my notebook for the name. I won't forget now my friend. It was something when read on which I immediately said, "I will try that".Only managed to get around to it yesterday. Have not checked my irons yet,intend to do so as soon as possible.Thankyou again Rob

Thanks.  Those are generally not all that accurate but you can figure that your club head speed is in the range of sub 80.  Hope you are playing a soft shaft with low kick and a head with some loft.

Might I suggest to one and all to read all post on todays blog. While learning alot also laughed my **s off at least 10 times tonight catching up. Seems most have tickled their funny bones. Good to see so many in good spirits among the Surge Nation.
Golf and good times are in the air. Smile friends and keep smacking that lil ball.
Thanks for making my night and good night all. Dream of eagles and birdies;)

Thanks for the great information.  Would it be possible for you to use a lapel mic or some other means to improve the sound quality of your important presentations? Thanks.

never mind I better not say what I was going to say. LOL

I get it.  Ha ha ha and lol lol.

 Rodger

Excellent job my friend.  You are now a proud member of the Surge Nation Troll Swatting Team.  Welcome aboard.

Isn't this video Volume 2 in the series?

In addition to Robert F if at impact you are heel digging at impact divot deeper on the heel than the toe and hitting shots left odds are they are to upright a lie angle.

I highly recommend this evenings blog to anyone feeling depressed.  If after reading the past hours comments you still feel depressed you are probably hopeless and should give up golf for  tiddly winks or whatever sport you find equally as stimulating. ;0))

Stockton teaches that speed and pace are the most important thing and I agree. This does not discount line importance but I have missd more putts because of misjudgement on speed/pace than anything else. Normally it is because of sliding by 5 or 6 feet and missing the come backer. But nothing stinks more than short! Last week I had a par 3 green in regulation and was 35 feet from the hole. A bit down hill and right to left. Had lots of time (maybe too much time) as the group in front was so slow and still teeing off. So I took careful preparation and had the line just so. Left that sucker 10 feet short and three putted!! Id' rather have a 4 foot putt coming back than to be short any day. As you say, 99.99% of all shots that are short do not go in!! My goal is along the 18 inches past way of thinking. Going to be working diligently on my putting this and every week this season. I have a ton of great drills now. Just need to do it:)

 Steve

Maybe Coach has a point.  It could be that some of the old rotational swingers back in the day were digging such deep divots that they dug up some bodies and got scared and closed the course.

I love history and that is a cool story.  I hope you can find the tee box and then try to figure out how the course went.

Keep us posted,
Dick

I may add this blog to my favorites just to have it ready to re-read whenever I want to laugh and reflect on the many fun characters we share on this site. While golf is seriously addictive in our endless pursuit of improvement, as Jimmy Hendrix sang, "Life is but a joke." A good one we can all share :)

 Dragonhead

Greeting from the great white plains of Oklahoma.  I remember a chat we had on a this blog probably a year ago.  We were talking about what our favorite balls were.  I said I just play what ever ball the guy in front of me lost.  Doc cut right to the chase and asked me if it is important to have the right club properly fitted to me and I only use each stick a certain number of times in a round, how much more important to have the only piece of equipment that is involved in EVERY shot properly fitted to me.  I had several play offs between all the different types of balls I had in my bag.  I got a lot of suggestions from the folks on the blog.  I found at the time that the gammer v2 worked best for me then.  As my swing and game have evolved, I am now in Steve's camp and only play the prov1.  No, I don't pay $45 a dozen for them.  They are so popular I always find way more than I lose.

I would suggest that you do your own tests to find what works best for you.  You will find that different balls perform differently under changing playing conditions.  For instance, when it is cold, I keep my balls in my pants pocket so they get warm. 

I don't know about you, but I always do my best work when I warm up my balls,
Dick

Yesterday decided to practice, rather than play. The day before I had 10 holes and a practice.  I had lost just about everything of the swing : - (  Couldn't seem to get it going, as it were. Hence the decision to practice. Arrived at the practice ground, to find I had forgotten my BALLS!Had but two, a Srixon AD333 and a Bridgestone e6! Started with the club that I had used at the practice the day before, the 9iron. This club was my saviour. Started by warming up, then hit both balls towards the green, skipping the rock. Both balls on the green 90yds away [big slope back to front].
My wife found several balls in the rough etc, she had a Srixon 'soft feel' in her pocket, which she surrendered to me. Began to swing quite well.Nice rythm and speed.Results exceeding my expectations. Repeated the process with every iron in the bag, good BUS good FUS. Back down to the 9iron again, using the balls mentioned above and adding the ones found by my wife. They varied from Titleist ProV1's, Callaway, a Titleist DT Roll [logo and Raptor Bay Golf Club on it], Titleist 90 wound, Pinnacle, Signature,etc. Hit my 'softer' ones first on the green in good position to the flag. The rest were inconsistent,ie, long or shorter. Most disturbing of all to me, was most of them fealt as though I was hitting a brick!!! Sounded awful and fealt awful too,ie, my shoulders fealt the difference!
When I retreived the balls, my 'softies' were within 5' of the pin.The others all over the place. The reason I only use balls I play with for practice normally.This confirmed my reasons for doing so, as being wise.
Now to the topic of the day. The hotch potch of balls were used on my woods, 24deg, 5W,3W and r7,in the reverse order. Results with the driver as already in answers to Robert F. Had it set up for Lower Neutral, it went long and straight, "Gasps steps back in amazement!" The first time I have hit straight drives consistently EVER with it! The 3W a very slight fade on one shot only. The 5W straight as an arrow, and the 24deg long and straight.
The tips on lie angle and length have confirmed to me, that it is the 'arrows not the indian' which are causing me grief. So fitting is now my goal no matter how distant it seems at present.
The question I would like to have addressed, perhaps sometime in the future, is BALLS! [not the epithet]  Like the long driving claims by leading brands of clubs and balls, it is sure as heck not a case of one size fits all. I can still remember using Prov1's a long time ago, how stupid was that?
So like the man said: Improvement is only a fit away. Could that same method be used on balls?
From a grey day in Wellington NZ PMGAS from a happier DH.....further on my journey than before.

Glad to hear your playing well Amos. Keep 'er going pal!

Health wise she is doing well.  Having to prepare for looking for another job and all the things involved there is not good but she seems to be doing really well with that task too.  At our age and with the longevity at her present job, change is not a welcome thing!  Thank you for asking!!

Will the club length using the PPGS swing be the same as for the more horizontal flatter swing?  My question is based on what club fitter I should be using - a PPGS certified fitter or a club fitter who is focused on the more horizontal swinger?  Or does any of this matter as long it is a fitter who knows what they are doing?  Brian S.

Kenwade:

   I wouldn't touch that line with a 10 foot pole -- as if I had one -- and could swing it :<))))) ROFLMAO

    Amos 

  

On Wishon's site there is a list fitters all around Alabama, Tn, and Ga. do not know if any are close enough to you to get to. There fitters in both citys listed below.

Great minds think alike. My perspective is the same as yours. Most of my 3-putts are the result of distance, not line. Too short or too long to make the come back or second, but was within a couple inches on the line. Would have been a tap in, if my distance was correct. 

PMG