The PPGS customer service call line got a call from a customer the other day asking why he couldn't hit his driver using the PPGS. My brother, Ken, handles swing questions as he knows the ins and outs of the swing quite well, having been around me and DJ on the lesson tee, and played with us so often. Also, Ken is quite aware of the questions that he must ask to be able to give correct answers.
Ken says that the Number 1 swing question is about not being able to hit the driver. He says that many golfers think the fix is to go out and buy a new driver. They think that the genie is in the club and wham, oh they have instant nirvana of long and straight drives. I have bad news for you. It is not that simple or easy. Yesterday's blog was about the problems the club presents that should be read as it adds to, and actually is a good preface. Maybe consider this, “Part 2.”
The golfer who made this call was obviously a PPGS advocate and was working on the setup and swing. The first thing he stated was he couldn't hit his driver. Ken told me that before he could ask a question the caller told him he was 5'7' or 5'8' and a senior golfer, which made Ken think he was mid-sixties to seventies. He also said he was hitting it right and basically couldn't hit at all. Then he dropped the bomb on Ken. He said that he had just bought this driver off an infomercial and said that it was 6 inches longer than standard and was supposed to really hit it long.
Hello? 6 inches longer means that this driver was somewhere around 50 to 52 inches long, depending on what standard length was used. You see, although the golf industry uses a standard length, there is actually no set industry-wide standard length. Each individual company chooses their standard, basically from within the accepted standard range. For the past 5 to 10 years, standard range is between 44 to 46 inches for drivers with 44 inches rarely used.
What is our caller's problem here? He is trying to swing a club that is way too long and way too heavy and likely way too stiff for him. He could take steroids and stand on a bench and he could never hit this club. Unless he is well over 6 feet, this shaft length and lie angle will never fit him. Unless he can bench press at least 300 pounds, he will never be able to load and flex the shaft. Since he is neither of these, and even if he could get strong enough to swing it at an acceptable club head speed, he would never be tall enough to handle the length of the shaft.
The moral of this story, and for all the other golfers who call in with the stories of new drivers that don't perform, and anyone thinking about a new driver or set of clubs, is that new and improved with gizmos and gadgets, like adjustable heads for changing face angle and weights that can change the shape of the shot, don't work if the club is not fitted for you in all aspects of fitting. All the hype and rhetoric about how long and straight you will hit it is just that, hype, and can't be delivered if you and the club are not a good fit and match.
The conclusion everyone should get from this story is that clubs are tools. The better they fit you, the better they perform and the better shots you hit with them. Clubs, and especially the driver, are like driving a car. You can by an expensive, luxury car, but if you cannot make it fit you, in that you can't adjust the seat to reach the pedals, or the steering wheel to have a good grip, or the mirrors to see behind you, it will not function properly. Your non ' fit car, just like your non ' fit driver and golf clubs, will end up out of control crashing into the woods or lake.
I just don't know how I can say it any clearer. Our swing is not always the problem. When you are having problems hitting your driver or any club in your bag, get it checked, especially if you feel you are making good swings and getting bad results. First and foremost, you have to rule out or know whether it is your swing or the club. Once you have the correct diagnosis then the prescription is obvious.
Either way, it is always best to be fitted by a qualified PGA professional or club fitter. I always recommend, especially for serious golfers of any level handicap, to get fitted and know your exact specs. And the ultimate answer is to be fitted by a fitter who also builds your clubs, as you know you will get what you ordered. When you show up to pick them up and pay for them, you get to try them. If they don't work well, any good fitter will adjust or even rebuild them if needed to make then work. His or her reputation, integrity, and craftsmanship are on the line.
So, let me repeat one last time. Before you blame your swing, Please'¦ please'¦please check you clubs to see if they are FIT FOR YOU!
You need a good Fit'¦to get a good Hit!
The Surge!