Frank brings another great technical discussion of club fitting. Have you heard of Moment of Inertia (MOI) and Swing Weight matching? Have you ever wondered what the difference is and which one is best? Frank describes both and explains why MOI matching is the best for you as a player. MOI matching can be used to make all your clubs have a similar swing feel.
You can greatly improve consistency by getting your clubs matched. If you are playing with off-the-shelf clubs, they are not matched. Frank describes a student that came to him with a brand new set of commercial clubs that the student was having a lot of problems with accuracy. Whether you swing vertical or rotation, getting clubs fitted by a qualified fitter can make a great difference in your golf game. Contact Frank or visit our list of PPGS Certified Fitters to find someone close to you.
Comments
Percect calculation of MOI
Greetings Frank; absolutely great information learned a lot about club fitting. I just had a club reshafted last week because of a Bobby Knight moment over a pitch shot...Golf cart was in the general direction of the wedges' trajectory. Anyway...The Tech started out by advising D?, Steel Vs Graphite, original club head balance...etc....I wish I would have watched your video first because I would have gotten so much more out of the conversation. Q: When you were testing swing comfort for MOI where did you place the weights at on the clubs? What is your suggestion to the avg Arnold if the want to experiment with weight on the range or course? Thank you for the lesson and anticipated reply.
MOI
Brad,
First, thank you for watching the Video. In my fitting area I have 48 iron shafts devoted to MOI determination. They vary in weight from 48 up to 134 grams and cover several flexes. I start by introducing the player to the 48 gram and follow that with the 134 gram shaft to let them feel feather light to lugging a log through the impact area. From that point I start to narrow in on a weight that the player can swing the club with relative ease but can also track the head in the swing. I try to get them to the transition point where they just lose head feel than I back down a little in shaft weight. Reason: you have to put the head on the ball so you need to know where it is in the swing. Next we look at Swing Path and Face Angle, adjusting slightly the head weight for Face Angle and the Shaft Weight for Swing Path. Now to your question of where do you put the weight. Since weight is generally added in the hosel, just put some lead tape on the hosel, back, front doesn't matter, then hit some more shots. Because you will probably not be adding much weight it really isn't that critical where you put the weight. Golfworks sells heavy lead tape, code HDLT, and is great for working on clubs. If the back of your club is textured then use the hosel. If the back has smooth flat surfaces then you can put weight on the back of the head, just rub it tight. The key is to get the swing resistance feel and impact location you prefer but not too light which may cause you to come over the top or too heavy that gives you the feeling of lugging the club causing your body to move out of sequence with your arms. Because of the time it takes to fit a player, the OEM's will never MOI match clubs because it is your individual feel not a standard off the rack feel. I hope this long winded explanation answered your question.
Have a good day,
Frank Stranick
Length of Driver shaft.
On 6/2 you released a video on shaft length, and it's effect on accuracy. During the video you talked about shortening the shaft to make it more usable.
Upon viewing this daily, I posed a question about the effect of shortening the shaft on the flex of the club. I have checked that video numerous times, and to my disappointment, have received no reply. Could you revisit my question, and give me an answer to my question?
Thank you.
Shaft length
Shortening the shaft from the butt end will not have a much effect on the flex of the shaft. It will however change balance point and my the club rather than just cut it yourself it would actually be better to choke it down
Shaft Length Adjustment (Shortening)
If you cut the Butt end of the shaft you will have little to no effect on Flex. If you cut the tip end of the shaft you will change the flex. (approx. 1 flex/inch)
When would you do either and what would be the result. Butt cut - This will change both the Swing Weight and the MOI (lower in both cases). If after cutting , the club feels too light you will have to add weight to the head end to bring the weight to a point where you can track the head in rotation (in your swing). If the club was already too heavy in feel, this will lighten the feel and might be just what you need. If the flex of the club was too stiff for your skill level, then I would suggest you have the tip cut to a point where the flex is in line with your skill level. You can work this out with your Fitter. If you add weight to the head, you will also be affecting the shaft flex. It is not as simple as cutting the shaft to get a shorter club. Do your adjustments in conjunction with a Certified Fitter and he or she will explain what is the best approach.
Frank
MOI matching clubs
Frank,
I watched your video and am impressed with the concept of frequency matching clubs. I have a TM 5 metal that is the club that is most comfortable for me. Can I have the MOI tested on that club and have the rest of my clubs, irons included fitted accordingly and what is the tyoical charge for checking 13-14 clubs? I have used Charlie Sampson as a fitter a couple of years ago, but was disappointed with the results as he recommended and sold me some Wishon woods, which didn't work for me and didn't do anything with the irons. He is convenient for me as I live close by to his shop in Venice, FL where he sets up shop during the winter. I'm not interested in buying new clubs, I have a set of Callaway Apex irons with UST Mamiya Recoil 680 graphite shafts, which I like, but would like to have them dynamically frequency matched. Don't know whether I should see Charlie or go to Golfsmith for my needs.
MOI Matching - Frequency Matching
First of all these are two different activities. You can MOI match most sets provided the MOI number is greater than any of the individual club MOI's. If the individual club MOI's is greater than 10-to - 20 MOI points above what you desire, then you will have to live with what you got. Frequency Matching is a shaft function wherein you are matching the feel and flex of all the shafts in the set. Frequency matching (of assembled clubs) requires that you remove all the grips prior to inserting them in the frequency analyzer. Grips have different levels of compressibility which affect the readings, the shaft does not. After checking the frequency of each shaft, the Fitter will be able to tell you if the shafts you have are close enough to match. Remember also that the reading you are getting with an installed shaft is a butt frequency reading only. It does not tell you anything about the frequency profile of that particular shaft and its compatibility with the remainder of the shafts in the set. Back to the basic premise - Fit First, Buy Second.
Bill Marshall is in Lakeland, FL and is well versed in these areas. He is listed on the Certified Instructors/Fitters list on the web site. Give him a call.
Frank
Frequency matching
I'm having trouble finding a fitter close by, North Port, FL, other than Charlie Sampson who sets up his shop North this time of year. I'd like to get my current clubs frequency matched, but Charlie recommended Wishon woods, which didn't work, last time I used his services a couple of years ago and Golfsmith doesn't provide that service. I'm happy with the clubs I have and NOT interested in buying new ones. Considering buying an MOI Frequency machine and doing it myself. Not much help out
there!
Moi
Yep there aren't many of us that do moi matching
club fitters
I live in Endicott ny (home of the Dick's sporting goods open). I cannot find a club fitter in my area who can check and alter my clubs for the proper MOI.
Any help would be appreciated
Thank
Lew
MOI Fitting
Tony Curro is in Latham, NY and can provide all of the services required of a Surge Clubfitter. Check the Certified Professionals list on the Surge web site.
Frank
same length irons
I'm a senior living near Hilton Head SC. I play 3 times per week and have been playing with same length irons for 5 years and like them ...I'm planing to get fitted for a new set and am interested in your thoughts on them ..also because the heads are all the same weight can they get quality heads that are the same weight and lie angle also it seems same length clubs would make shaft selection much easier...
Single Length Irons
Tom Wishon has spent two years developing the "Streling" model single length iron. The iron quality and material are superb. Specifications, I.e. weight, lie angle, lofts are very tight and within tolerances. His irons are a multi metal compound and are quite easy to Bend. Tom recommends bending the 5, 6 & 7 iron two degrees and the 8 thru SW up to 4 degrees in loft or lie. When I build a set of these irons they are all brought to lie, loft and weight specification prior to epoxiying the head to the shaft, I.e. Every component, shaft, head, grip and ferrules are measured and equalized. It is time consuming but that is how we (professional club makers) do it as opposed to the production line process used by the commercial manufacturers.
Shaft length for single length clubs is conducted the same way as it is for interval length clubs. Shaft weight, flex profile, impact feel, ball to face impact location among other items determine the shaft selection.
Hope this answers your question.
Frank