Customizing the Clubs
Here's where the rubber meets the road (or the driver meets the ball, so
to speak). It was hard to decide how to organize this section, because
customizing is really the mapping between two domains:
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The characteristics of the golfer for whom the clubs are built, and
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The characteristics of the clubs.
Should the chapter be broken down by properties of clubs, or of the golfers
that will use them? I finally decided that since I was trying to represent
a two-dimensional (at least) mapping, I'd need a two-dimensional organization.
So we begin with a table, where the columns are parts of the club and the
rows are traits of the golfer. If there is a customizing effect worth talking
about at the intersection, it is noted; for instance:
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For the trait "Swing Plane"
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You can adjust in the "Clubhead" using "Lie angle", or
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You can adjust in the "Shaft" using "Length".
Within a cell, I have tried to keep the characteristics in order of decreasing
effect. For instance, the "Clubhead's" effect on "Trajectory" is most pronounced
by varying "Loft", then "CG", and least by "Offset". After the table, the
rest of the section is organized so that you can find the effects noted
in the table.
So scan the table, check out the traits of the golfer for whom you're building
the clubs, and go to the club features to read how to choose components
to match the clubs to the golfer.
One important caveat about using this table:
Don't try to cure FAULTS through choice of equipment. That
should be handled with lessons and practice. Rather, match the club to
the characteristics of the player's game and frame. Examples:
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DON'T try to cure a slice with a small grip, unless you're sure
the grip was too big to begin with.
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DON'T get a closed-face driver to cure a slice.
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DO match the flex of the shaft to the speed of the golfer's swing.
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DO choose the length based on the golfer's hand height and swing
plane.
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It's OK to make the club more "forgiving" for a beginner, or for
someone who doesn't play enough to maintain a really consistent hit.
In short, build the club for the game to which the player can reasonably
aspire in the short term... say, before it's time to buy the next set.
Note 1 - See also the section on swingweight, which
is a composite of all the parts of the club.
Note 2 - This refers to a beginner's club or a
"game improvement" club, vs the club of someone with a perfectly grooved
swing.
Last modified Dec 7, 1998
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