Frankly Golf

There was a lot of talk about cool weather at The Masters affecting ball flight but no real information. What are the effects of a ten degree cooler temperature on ball flight? Thanks.

Jim,
The air temperature has a significant effect on the flight of the ball. At cold temperatures the air is more dense and the ball will not fly as far. We were exposed to this at the Masters last week and especially on Sunday. I do believe that the effects of the temperature may not have been fully taken into account on the second shot on 15 on Sunday by Tiger or his second shot on 17, which landed short and in the bunker. In both cases I believe the error could have be temperature related.

As a good first estimate and something easy to remember you should compensate just over 3 yards per 10 degrees F for a carry distance (drive) of about 230 yards and proportionally less for the shorter shots.

The temperature was at least 30 degrees F below normal for the Masters this year at Augusta National so for a 230 yard carry on Sunday one needed to play it about 10 yards longer than you would at 80 degrees F. Not only because of the air temperature but also because the ball temperature is down and will not perform quite as well as it would at 80 degrees. Don’t forget also the effect that low temperatures have on your body.

Bottom line is that Augusta National was harder than it needed to be this year and the temperature didn’t help.
Stay warm.
Frank

Frank,
Thank you for sharing your experience in a weekly column. I look forward to reading it every week.

I have a question regarding moment of inertia and I haven't been able to find the answer. What, if any, effect does the length of the club and the loft of the club head have on MOI?

Bobby,
The MOI (Moment of Inertia) is a measure of the resistance to angular acceleration -- in other words, “twisting”. (See http://www.franklygolf.com/Speak/moi.asp for an easy explanation of MOI).

You can experience this by holding two weights (20 lbs) close to your body, one in each hand, and twist your torso quickly through about 180 degrees. Now stretch your arms out and try to twist again. This time it will be more difficult to twist quickly, and, once you get started twisting it will be more difficult to slow down. What you have done by moving the weights away from your body (the axis of rotation), is to increase the MOI.

This is why cavity back clubs have a higher MOI than blades and are more forgiving of mis-hits -- because they don’t twist as easily. The weight has been moved to the outside perimeter of the head. Similarly, in hollow metal wood clubs, all the weight is distributed into the shell, so they also have a high MOI. The result is that the club head doesn’t twist easily on off-center impacts, and so imperfect shots fly straighter.

Only now can I answer your specific question. If you are talking about the MOI of the head itself, then changing the length of the club or the loft will have no effect on the MOI of the head.
You should, however, also understand that the measurement of MOI is based on the axis of rotation, which in the case of the club head alone is its center of gravity. If we try to measure the MOI of the club as a whole -- the shaft, grip and head -- and the axis of rotation is at the grip end, then the length of the club makes a big difference.

Try to hold a club at the “head” end and swing the grip. Now reverse this and hold it at the grip end and swing the head. It will be much easier to swing the grip than to swing the head. This is because the head is heavier than the grip and at some distance away from the axis of rotation (your hands). The MOI is different. Thus, by changing the length of the club you are also changing the MOI of the club as a whole -- but not changing the MOI of the head itself.

I hope this helps you better understand MOI, which every body talks about but now you understand.
Frank

“DON'T add weight to the butt end of the club to achieve a certain swingweight. This is done sometimes in club fitting to make the customer happy, but it does absolutely nothing for you.”

I have been reading a lot about “MOI fitting,” and each article seems to indicate adding weight to the butt is the magic fix. Grip manufacturers are even selling grips with a special feature for adding weight. What’s the real story on “MOI fitting”?
--Gerald

Gerald,
Matching by MOI of the club is normally done by making a measurement about a specific axis somewhere close to the grip end of the club. If this is based on the last foot or so before impact, the point would be about 4 inches above the grip end, as this is the instant center of rotation in this segment of the swing.

Adding weight to the grip to change the MOI of a club is not very effective. This should be done by changing the weight of the head or lengthening the club.

Adding weight to the grip end is the equivalent of wearing a heavier glove or even a wrist watch. This does change the MOI of the first lever -- i.e. the arms, with the attached hands -- but does nothing for the MOI of the club if we are placing the axis of rotation in the vicinity of the hands.

If adding weight to the grip really worked wonders, don’t you think after 400 years of trial and error we would have discovered this before now?

My position is, if it feels good, try it. Adding weight to the grip end will certainly increase the hand mass and the MOI of the first lever. But since the club head path changes its radius of rotation throughout the downswing, I don’t know the value of this particular form of balancing for MOI, since it is wholly dependent upon what axis of rotation you are using as a basis for measurement.

In general, I do not see how butt weighting can be the “magic fix,” or how it is going to have a significant effect on performance.
Frank

Tour Tweaking

I am really hoping that you can settle a dispute between my brother and me. You see, he believes that all PGA tour pros have their clubs (irons and woods) hand built, one of a kind, to custom specifications. When he says this he means that the clubs are completely different from their consumer store counter parts; the only shared aspect is the company’s logo. Different metals, shapes, and weights.
I think that the clubs are the same, but the pros have modifications done that are no different than what I could have done myself at the local Pro Shop, i.e. length, lie, loft, grinding or weighting.

So I guess the real question is, are the name brand clubs found in retail stores the same as the clubs that the endorsing pros are using?

K,
In most cases the basic clubs being used (not necessarily endorsed) by the pros are very similar to those being produced for the general public, but these have been customized for the pros with a few extra grinds or bends etc.

In some cases the weighting may also have been changed a little. There are also prototype models of clubs the pros get to use that are not yet (and may never be) available to the general public.

To resolve the dispute, I can assure you that very rarely will clubs be specifically hand built from scratch for the pros. This does not mean that they haven’t been very carefully customized for the pro; it would be the very rare exception if a pro received a standard set off the shelf without some little tweak. But for the most part, the tweaking is the kind of work that you or your pro can do in a workshop.
Hope this helps.

Hello Frank,
Last year I finally got fitted and learned that I needed to be +1/2" long (or 36" for a 6 iron). I decided to use Project X 5.5 rather than DG S300s due to the weight advantage of the PX. The swingweight of the new clubs with the PX shaft are D-6, which makes sense due to the 1/2" increase in length.

My question is, if I add 4-8 grams of lead tape weight to the grip end, thus reducing the swingweight by 1-2 points, will this allow me to swing the club with more control, faster, and be able square the club head better at impact?

Sincerely,
The Mat Slicer!!!

Mat,
By changing out these shafts -- going from the Dynamic Gold S 300 (a good shaft, by the way) to a Pro X 5.5 and making it 1/2 inch longer -- you have not only added weight to the shaft but increased the length. These two changes will increase the swingweight by 3 points for the increase in length and about 1 swingweight point for the slightly heavier shaft. This, as you have discovered, takes you from your former D2 to a D6.

If you are hung up on swing weight and want a D2 because it feels better to you, then shorten the shaft back to its original length and accept a D3 or decrease the head weight (not easy).

DON'T add weight to the butt end of the club to achieve a certain swingweight. This is done sometimes in club fitting to make the customer happy, but it does absolutely nothing for you.

Consider the following: putting on a heavier grip or adding weight under the grip reduces the swingweight. Wearing a glove might do the same thing. The glove might just as well be part of the grip (especially for those of us who have a death grip on the club), so this too will reduce the swing weight by as much as six points. A wristwatch will also be part of the club/hands/glove system and this would, if taken into account in measuring swingweight, affect the numbers. Wearing a watch adds weight to the grip section or axis of rotation. (The grip is not truly the axis for the entire swing, but certainly is for the final segment of the swing.)

We both know that the club feels almost exactly the same irrespective of whether we wear a glove or a watch. It might slip on occasion without the glove, but that's the only difference. The flaw is in putting too much stock in the measurement of “swingweight.”

Swingweight is a static balance, and it’s a useful measure of the balance of a club only when it’s used in combination with overall weight and natural frequency. The more weight in the head of the club and the distance this weight is from the grip, the heavier it will feel and the harder it will be to swing no matter how much weight you add to the grip.

Try holding a club at the head end, and swing the grip of the club. Then compare this to holding at the grip end and swinging the head. This is the feel that swing weight was designed to control. Just adding weight to that portion you are holding is not going to affect anything very much, and certainly not when it comes to the weight we are talking about (bearing in mind that a glove will affect the scale number by six points or so).

The head weight and the distance it is from the grip is most important for balancing purposes. So bottom line is, don't get hung up on swingweight too much. If the newly shafted club feels OK, then you’re in good shape; if it feels too heavy, go back to the original length or get a lighter head. Most important is to keep swinging.

Frank

I am 61 and have a slow swing speed, but I think I swing better with heavier clubs. I am stronger than young people and women who hit the ball farther than I do. More swing weight gives me more feedback and "feel,” but the general advice is that I should get lighter clubs. Why? I don’t think I could swing faster with a club that has no weight at all. So my idea is to get longer shafts (I am 6'3" and measure 38" from my wrists to the floor) to get more distance. I think I am strong enough to handle more swingweight without losing speed. Longer shafts will produce higher club head speed, given the same "rotation speed," right? What do you think?

I mean, nobody ever examines the cause of the slow swing speed. The solution must be different if the muscles are weak or the body is slow or the technique is poor. This is a question I have thought about for several years.
I am relatively new to golf and my handicap is still improving, slowly.
Any comments, please?
Best Regards,
Nils

Nils,
It is true that a heavier club head at the same speed will generate more ball speed, but you would be better off increasing your club head speed with the same head weight, which is more effective. The head will have more momentum, which is what you are looking for.

Increasing head speed can be done by increasing the club length, but this probably hurt your accuracy. Or you can decrease club weight. This too will increase head speed and in turn ball speed. but not the way I suggest.
There are two more things you can try that will increase head speed and distance. First is to increase your range of motion through a strength/flexibility (stretching) regimen. You may be strong, but you may not be transmitting that strength efficiently to the club head. Check with your doctor before you do this, but it is a good way to improve your general quality of life as well as your distance on the course.

The last thing to do along with the improved range of motion is to take a lesson. This will cost a lot less than a new set of clubs and will do a lot more for you.

Hang in there, but be warned that you have taken up a very addictive sport so beware that you might very well get hooked.

Frank, what is the difference between a graphite iron shaft and a graphite hybrid shaft that are both .370 tip?

Why can't I use a 38" iron shaft instead of a 38" hybrid shaft if I am making a hybrid 23* club?

Is it just marketing hype, or is there a real difference?

Thanks
Woodman

From the shaft point of view, hybrids are still in the experimental stage. The fairway wood shaft is generally smaller at the tip than an iron shaft, and it’s also more flexible than the iron shaft. Neither the iron shaft (too stiff) nor the fairway wood shaft (too flexible) seems to be just right for the hybrids. As a result, a number of manufacturers are turning to a special hybrid shaft for the best results. (As an aside, woods and irons are distinguished in the rules by their shapes, not by material, so I prefer to call these clubs simply “woods” and “irons” rather than “metalwoods” etc., so as not to confuse the issue further.)

The hybrid club is, in most cases, 1 inch longer than the similarly-lofted iron club it replaces, and will get the ball in the air a little better thanks to its slightly more flexible shaft than the iron’s and its rearward-positioned c.g. (center of gravity). The hybrid head in most cases also has a higher MOI (moment of inertia) than the iron it is replacing and thus be more forgiving. The shaft difference is not just marketing hype, but has a real effect on the performance of the club.

The difference between the two shafts you are considering is probably in the flex pattern even though they have the same tip diameter. Graphite seems to be the shaft material most manufacturers are leaning toward for hybrids.

The modern hybrid (even though it was originally introduced in a slightly different form many years ago) is probably the best innovation in the game for some time. You can learn more about the best hybrids as judged by our Frankly Friends at http://www.franklygolf.com/ftb/hybrid.asp.

Can you please give some info on the use of range finders, I'm interested in getting one but don't want to pay an arm and a leg. I play to a 15.
Joe

With reference to your question about range finders; there are basically three general types; 1) the laser with a retro reflector on the flag stick, 2) the laser with no reflectors but reflecting off an object or the flag stick, 3) the GPS system used to position ones self relative to a green on a course.

An example of the first is Laserlink and this is least expensive (about $250)to the individual if you are able to buy the unit and the course has installed the retro reflectors on the flags. An example of the second is the Bushnell device which is approx $400 or more but no reflectors are required and you can take it anywhere. The third is the Skycaddie (about $350), which is very sophisticated and also you don’t need retro-reflectors on the flag but the downside is that you need to load your favorite courses into the system from your computer. It will store five or so of these courses at one time. This is a GPS system which uses satellites as does the system installed in golf carts.

Of course if you are not too fussy about the exact distance because most of us can’t hit it within +/- 10 to 15 yards of that distance even if we knew it exactly then you can use the sprinkler heads and pace it off from there.

The down side of this is that it takes more time to get the distance so you are slowing play but most important is if you hit that one perfect shot (which does happen now and again) and you were off by five yards you will not be a happy camper. So we all want the exact distance no matter what.

I would suggest that you determine which courses you play most and see what they have then make a decision if you need a device or not.
Hope this helps
Frank

Hi Frank,
Can you give me an easy low tech way to determine if my irons have the correct lie for me. I'm a 48 yr. old 14 handicap lefty. I have a very low shot regardless of the club in hand. It does get hard sometimes to get a ball to stop. My clubs are about 9 yrs. old.
Thanks, Pete

Pete,
I must tell you that the method to measure the lie angle is pretty low tech anyway but I will try to help simplify this even further. First the low trajectory you have will not be affected to any measurable degree by changing the lie angle, so don’t expect this to happen.

You must, however, know that the correct lie angle is very important. If the lie is too flat then the line which is perpendicular to the face which should be pointing toward the target will be pointing to the right and the ball will go to the right and fade a little similarly if the lie is too upright then the ball will go to the left and draw. So lie is important and probably the most important variable when fitting clubs. The next is the shaft flex, but we can discuss this some other time.

Now for the low-tech lie measurement method. Get a piece of 1/4 inch plywood, about 24 x 10 inches in size. Next get some Duck tape and attach a piece to cover the sole of your 6-iron, or the club you intend to measure, (an incorrect lie angle will create more of a directional deviation from the intended line with the short irons than the longer irons). Use a Sharpie marking pen to color the duck tape so the entire sole is colored. Now using the heel of the club or a hammer hit the plywood to create a small dent into which the ball will rest.

Next, on the range (not in your living room) hit a ball off the piece of plywood with a full swing and check to see where the scuff mark is on the duck tape (assuming you made contact with the plywood). If this scuff mark is toward the heel then the lie angle is too upright and the ball should be going left if you have not countered this with a special swing maneuver. Do this a few times and if you consistently come up with a ball mark in the same spot (off center), and the ball is flying left for a heel scuff and right for the toe scuff, then find someone who has a bending machine and get it adjusted. A lot of big retail stores have an official lie board (not this Frankly Home Depot version) and a bending machine to make this adjustment for you. On the other hand if the scuff mark is in the center of the sole and the ball is flying approximately where you intend it to fly then no bending is necessary and you have saved some time and perhaps some money, and can be proud that even you have been able to check the lie angle for yourself.
How much more low-tech can you get?

Frank: I have heard several tour pros, Lee Trevino, and noted instructors talk about how spin is imparted to a golf ball. They talk about the ball "climbing" up the face of the wedge. I worked with a major golf manufacturer in the 90's and the R & D guys told me that this is not the case, that the ball is on the face for a fraction of a second and does not climb up the face. Who is telling the truth? Thanks and I love your input on the Golf Channel. I think they should give you more air time! Bill in Dublin OH.

Bill,
The ball stays on the face for about .0005 of a second, depending on the speed and the obliqueness of impact. The ball actually starts to slip on first contact, but not for long, and then it sticks to the club's face as its elastic core deforms along with the cover. The amount of deformation depends on the speed of impact. The cover deforms and recovers, and this is what mostly produces spin, especially off the high-lofted irons such as wedges. During the recovery phase, the ball does roll up the face very slightly, though even in ultra-slow-motion it is not obvious because of the deformation. It's probably an exaggeration to say the ball "climbs."
Hope this resolves the issue.

Frank thanks for the interesting and frank (sorry) information you provide on The Golf Channel. My question is, how long has the 14 club maximum been in the rules?

Bruce,
The rule was adopted on January 1st 1938 because golfers were carrying as many as thirty clubs.
Both the R&A and USGA decided in 1936 that the art of shot making was being lost because of the finely graduated and matched sets, and the game was becoming mechanized. Golfers were no longer exhibiting their skills by changing their swing to make a shot but rather were simply just changing their club.

a) Relief to caddies from unfair burdens;
b) Improved speed of play because the decision making process was simplified
c) Give those who cannot afford an unlimited arsenal an equal chance.

My personal feelings are that a further reduction, especially for the PGA tour pros, is in order. See my article printed in The New York Times last April. I suggested that the number be reduced, for the PGA tour level of competition only, to TEN clubs. This would be in conjunction with modifying course set up to reward distance ONLY when it is accompanied by accuracy and thought provoking penalty for a stray long shot.

The advantages are that it would allow golfers to exhibit their true skills and with the modified course set up better identify the true champion.

Hi Frank,
I am in the process of custom fitting my clubs and was wondering about shafts. If I find a shaft that is well suited to me for my driver, should I use this for my woods and hybrids as well? Or should every club be fitted individually?
Thanks,
Michael, Canada

Michael,
Finding the right shaft, if that is your mission, can be quite a chore. I suggest that you go with standard shafts and change only the flex rating. Rather than fiddling with the shaft for every single club, for the sake of consistency (which is reasonably important) you should group them by type. Put the same shaft in all your woods; you may find that these also work for the hybrids, but try it out first. The irons (what is left of them after you’ve substituted with your hybrids) also need to be checked separately, but there’s no reason you’d need a different shaft for your six-iron as opposed to a nine-iron.

You may well find that the same shaft flex and material will work for you on all types of clubs; I’m only suggesting you check to make sure.

Today’s wood shafts are usually graphite, hybrids are either graphite or steel and irons are steel. The golfer in need of a little help could go with graphite for the entire set.

I read in one of your archived columns that wearing a golf glove adds swing weight. I only wear a glove during wet or extremely humid conditions in order to keep my hands dry. Will going from no glove to wearing a glove affect my swing in any way because of the added swing weight?
Peter, TX

Peter,
A glove has the same effect as adding weight to the grip of the club. Wearing a glove and gripping the club is in effect adding weight to the grip. This will decrease the swing weight by as much as five points.

The point I was trying to make in my exposure of this fact was that this will not affect your swing much at all from the point of view of the club’s balance. Without the glove you may be inclined to grip the club with a little more pressure which may not be good but from the point of view of otherwise affecting your swing, it has a negligible effect because the weight has been taken from the axis of rotation of the swing during the last phase just before impact.

The point is that swing weight, if used correctly, is a good first step in matching clubs. Counterbalancing by adding or subtracting weight to the grip is not a good idea as this may appear to have been balanced on a swing weight scale but may be dynamically significantly different when it comes to swinging the club. The overall weight and MOI of the club when measured about an axis a little above the grip is a better check of dynamic feel than abusing swing weight by counterbalancing.

Peter, don’t worry about wearing a glove or not. If you need a better grip on the club and a glove does this for you, do it without concern.

I have been told that if you cut a putter down you change the swing weight. A former pro at our club would not cut a putter to make it shorter. He said I should send it back to the manufacturer and order one length you want. If you grip down on the putter, does it have the same effect of cutting it shorter? What do the manufacturers do to make a 32-inch and a 35-inch putter the same swing weight? Last, if it feels good, what does it matter what the swing weight? Thanks for any help you can give.

You are so right it hurts me. If you grip down on a putter it is the same as if you cut it down. Too many people pay too much attention to swing weight and in putters it is not nearly as important as in other clubs.

One of the newer golf enhancement products in recent years are (Balanced-Certified) drop-in weights to form a counter balance in your golf shaft. The product claims to improve center hits and to increase head speed in your woods and irons and a smoother stroke in your putter. Can you tell me more about this approach, how it works and whether or not this is truly being used on the PGA Tour? Isn't this similar to placing tape weights at the butt end of your shaft under the grip to make the club head fell lighter? What impact will it have on swing weight and should I care?

Thanks,

Adding weight to the grip is equivalent to wearing a heavy glove or a wristwatch. These will both in effect decrease the swing weight but have little to no effect on the swing dynamics or club frequency. If you like to tweak your clubs experiment with weight then get some lead tape and find something you may like. We have come to the standard weighting system after 400 years of trial and error. It can't be all that wrong.

I've been reading much about the "swing weight" of a club, but I don't have a clear idea of what that means. I play a natural fade (which sometimes turns into a full-blown pull slice) and have read that using lead tape to change swing weight, and the placement of the tape near the toe or heal of the club, may help to control this tendency. What can you tell me about this? -- Tom Abramson, Escanaba, Mich.

Tom,
Swing weight is a static balance, not the dynamic measure it implies. If a club is placed on sharp edge 14 inches from the butt end of the grip, and a weight is attached to the end of the grip to balance it in a horizontal position, then this weight determines the swing weight of the club. This is based on a conversion table, changing it to the numbering system we have all heard of (i.e. C9, D1, D2, etc.). Unless the overall weight of the club is also considered, the swing weight is meaningless. Putting weight in the shaft tip or the grip to make the scale read the right number is not the solution -- a swing change or trying to be consistent with what you've got might be though. Hope this helps.

I have seen the term "swing weight" used in Golf Digest quite often. Can you give me an explanation of this term and how it is defined? Thank you! -- Anon.

Anon -- I know another guy with the same name, do you think you guys are related? Swing weight is a static measurement, nothing to do with swinging the club. Roughly speaking, it's a measure of how the weight of a club is distributed. Imagine balancing a club on a knife edge (or "fulcrum") at a point 14 inches from its butt end. To make it balance, you'd have to add some weight to the butt end, right? The swing weight is basically a reflection of the amount of weight you would have to add to the end of the club to make it balance on such a fulcrum. Using an arbitrary conversion table, the numbers are converted to an alphanumeric code such as C3, D5, E2 and so forth. The lightest swing weight a club could have is A0; the heaviest is F9. The average is about D0, going up to D2 or D3 for stronger players. This is called the Lorythmic system (whatever that means) and is used by most manufacturers (a clubmaker called Robert Adams invented the swing weight scale in the 1920s, and successfully used it to "match" clubs for players like Bobby Jones and Francis Ouimet). Another system, not often used, employs a 12-inch fulcrum. This, ironically, is called the Official system (it isn't). Because it is a simple balance, swing weight is thus not the dynamic measurement its name implies. It does, however, if not abused, and used with the overall weight of the club, give some indication of the "dynamic feel or balance" of the club. You asked for it, Anon -- perhaps this was not the simple answer you were hoping for! I'll be writing more about swing weight in future columns.

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Tour Tweaking