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Ken Tannar, PGI Creator

Golf in Canada

 

 Great Golf, Great Wine
Learn from Tiger's Swing

 

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There's much more to learning this game than hitting it long and straight.

Tour quality putting will teach you how to read greens, read speed, develop and simple, consistent stroke, a sink more putts.

Tour Quality Golf

Tour quality putting will teach you how to read greens, read speed, develop a simple, consistent stroke, and sink more putts.


 

 

        Probable Golf Instruction

Monitor your swing improvements with Radar.

Swing Speed Radar -- Tap HERE
 
October 14 /07
New Driver Technology & End of Season Sales

 

    Golf shops and outlets will be clearing out their 2007 inventories now that the season is drawing to a close. Are you hoping to snag that new driver you've been wanting to get? Don't be too hasty. A bargain price is not really a bargain if the club you buy doesn't result in long term improvement of your game. It's a good time to review the ins and outs of new club technology to assist you in making wise decisions.

The carry distance of your tee shots depends on the following:

1. Ball Speed
2. Launch Angle
3. Backspin
Ball Speed, Launch Angle and Backspin determine carry distance.

The carry distance also depends on environmental conditions of which you have no control. The above parameters are dependent upon:

1. Clubhead Speed -- increase your strength and flexibility; get better golf fit Golf Fitness DVDs
2. Swing Path of Clubhead
3. Specifications of Club
-- learn all the specifics about new club technology; download ebook
4. Golf Ball -- some balls are significantly longer than others; download ebook

Clubhead speed is mainly dependent upon your physical abilities, as is the swing path. Where you can be helped is with the new technology. Use an old persimmon head Driver and a Titleist Tour Balata golf ball and you'd hit the ball some 15 - 30 yards shorter than you could a new Driver with a Titleist Pro V1. The difference has to do with the specifications of the club and the golf ball. This newsletter will focus on the specifications of the club.

 

Shaft Length and Mass

You won't necessarily hit the ball further with a longer shaft. In fact, very few golfers are able to generate significantly more clubhead speed with longer shafts. A longer shaft is more difficult to accelerate in the downswing. The golfers who are able to achieve greater clubhead speed with say a 45 inch Driver, have slow, smooth tempos. Such a golfer might increase his swing speed by 2 mph in using a 45 inch Driver compared to a 43.5 inch Driver. With a 100 mph swing speed, a 2 mph increase is only 2%.

With an increased shaft length comes an increases likelihood of not hitting the sweet spot on the clubface. For every 1/2 inch you miss the center of the sweet spot, you potentially lose 5 - 7 % of your maximum distance. Longer clubs are harder to hit solidly.
Mishit 1/2 inch from center of sweet spot and lose 7% of your distance.

Tiger Woods has used a 43½" driver to win most of his Major titles and the average driver length on the PGA Tour is 44½". So, why do pro shops and golf stores fill their shelves with 45" and 45½" drivers? It's called marketing.

As you probably know, I'm an advocate of equal length irons. I own and play with a set of 1 Iron Golf irons. They all have equal length shafts but standard lofts. Take a look at these clubs. If you decide to buy, use this code, 10504, to get a set of free iron head covers. And, yes, I get a small commission as well.

Shaft mass has a large influence on your clubhead speed. Steel shafts are more mass than graphite shafts and thus you can't swing the steel shafts as fast. If your current Driver has a steel shaft, switching to graphite will provide you with more clubhead speed and some more distance (perhaps about 5 - 10 yards).

 

Loft and Launch Angle

Most amateurs would hit the ball further if they used a driver with more loft. The standard loft out there is 10 degrees. Only long hitters are able to hit a 10 degree driver with a trajectory that comes close to optimizing distance. The other parameters that determine launch angle are swing path, center of gravity of the club head and shaft flex.

Ideally, one should be swinging up on the ball at impact on a Drive. The club should have reached the lowest point in its swing and be moving upwards. Many amateurs tee their ball too far back in their stance. Try teeing yours further up in your stance.

The flex of the golf shaft can also influence launch angle. Many shaft manufacturers claim that you can add 10 - 15 yards to your tee shots with the correct shaft. But that is only if the shaft you're using is much heavier and stiffer than the new one. Most clubs are not built with the lightest shafts possible. You buy more distance with a new shaft unless the new shaft better matches your swing speed and tempo and gives you a higher launch angle.

Drivers with a low center of gravity will launch the ball higher. Two Drivers with the same loft may launch the ball at very different trajectories because of the different in location of the center of gravity. Optimize launch angle with correct loft, flex and cg for your golf swing.

 

COR or Coefficient of Restitution

By far the biggest difference between an old persimmon Driver and a new metal Driver is the COR. This is due to what's called the "spring like effect" of the club face. The COR is a measure of energy transfer between the club and the ball. Manufacturer's were making such incredible progress increasing the COR that the USGA imposed a legal limit of 0.83. Such a COR can be interpreted as the efficiency of energy transfer (0.83 = 83%). An old persimmon Driver hitting a old balata ball yielded a COR of about 0.74).

 

Thinking of buying a clone club? One of the biggest differences may be the COR of the clubface. In manufacturing of a 0.83 COR requires incredible precision. The only way to know whether than clone is good is to test on a launch monitor to see how much clubhead speed you're getting from it. The clone might look like the real thing, but won't perform like the real thing.

 

MOI or Moment of Inertia

Another big difference between the new Drivers and the Drivers of old is the MOI. MOI is a measure of the resistance to twisting. When the makes contact with the clubhead away from the sweet spot, the club will tend to twist. The farther from the sweet spot, the greater the amount of twist. This can impart unwanted sidespin on the ball.

 

New Driver Technology provides clubs with far greater MOI and thus much less twisting on mishits. And let's face it, on average, amateurs mishit many more drives than they hit flush.

With the larger MOI and the variable thickness of the clubface itself, a mishit won't cause as much loss in distance as with the old wooden clubs. This is one of the major reasons the average length of amateurs has increased off of the tee.

MOI for new Driver clubs are much greater.

 

 

Wrap it all Up With a Launch Monitor

If you've bought a new Driver in the past 3 years, you can't really improve on it much technology wise. It that Driver doesn't fit you and your swing well, however, you can improve on it and gain some significant distance. If you haven't bought a new Driver in the last 10 years, you can definitely gain significantly more distance from the new technology.

The only way to "fine tune" your proper club specifications to your swing is to go to a golf shop/outlet that has a launch monitor that can measure clubhead speed, ball speed, launch angle and backspin/sidespin. Spending time on a launch monitor with different Drivers can give you a clear measure of what specifications need to be altered to give you more distance. But remember, you don't want more distance while sacrificing consistency and accuracy. And make sure you're hitting a type of golf ball that you normally play with.

In my opinon, the best Launch Monitor out there is Accusport's Vector Pro. Learn more here.

Vector Pro Logo

 

Fall Brings Beautiful Colours and More Lost Balls

With Fall upon us, the leaves will soon begin covering the ground. Finding our errant golf balls will be even more of a challenge. Get a pair of Golf Ball Finder Glasses to find your golf ball. Since more golfers will be losing their balls, you'll find even more.

 Fall Special -- Regular $39.95, now only $33.95 (that's 15% off). Sale ENDs Oct 16.

Golf Ball Finder Glasses help you find your golf ball.


    Golf Ball Finder Glasses Allow You to Follow Ball Flight

Testimonial:

I just wanted to let you know that even though I received the glasses sometime back, today was actually the first day I had a chance to try them out on a golf course. To say I was pleased would be an understatement. For the first time in over a year I was able to follow the flight of my golf ball off the club head without asking a playing partner "did you see where that went?" In all honesty, I was ready to give my clubs away and give up the game I truly love so much. Thanks to you, all that has changed. I plan on playing again tomorrow and even though I am no threat to Tiger, golf has once again become fun....and isn't that what it should be? Thanks again for a great product. Sincerely yours, Terry D. Peckham

 

Putting Tips

     Of course, alignment is critically important with putting as well. Using the Pro V1 A.I.M. idea can really help. A Laser Putting Alignment System. can also greatly assist teaching you whether you are actually aimed where you think you are.

    Once you are good at aligning your putter properly, then you need to be able to read the green to determine what line to roll the ball along. I advocate using the Plumb Bob method to assist. What also helps is to understand some basic principles about breaking putts:

1. On downhill putts, I aim at a spot short of the hole. How far short depends on how long the putt is and how fast the green. It's the way I find enables me to get the feel for the distance correct. Experiment with different length putts to get a feel of how far short you should aim on your greens.

2. Likewise, on uphill puts, I aim at a spot long of the hole. I've already trained myself to know how hard to hit the ball different distances. I just choose to hit it a longer distance. This compensates for the uphill slope. Try it out yourself next time you play. Take the time after the hole is finished to stroke a few practice putts. Before you know it, you'll have a good feel for how far past the hole you want to aim.

3. Uphill putts break less; downhill putts break more.

4. Fast greens yield more break; slow greens yield less break.

5. To maximize the number of putts that drop, the speed should be such that it the ball does miss the hole, it would end up about 17 inches past the hole (Dave Pelz's Putting Bible)

6. Hitting putts with greater speed reduces the amount of break (that's why putts break less on slower greens; the ball is moving faster). So, you should putt your short putts firmly to minimize break (17 inches past hole is best).

Take a look at The BreakMaster for measuring green break.

 

 

Trying to find answers on my website? Here's how.

1. Go to my Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. There's a link to it on my pages from the left hand menu near the top of the page, just below the Search icon. It's called "FAQs." You then click on the graphic icon and you'll be taken to my database page. For your convenience, here it is:
FAQ

I've answered hundreds of questions over the past 6 years and have created a fairly large database. You can search it out. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, submit a question and I'll answer it.

2. On all of my web pages, there is a search feature in the top left section, right underneath my LOGO. Just place your search keywords in the search box, select "This Site" below it, and then press "Search." What will come up is a Google search of the pages on my site with relevance. You can also search the entire internet by selecting "Web" instead.
Go to my main page now: Home or just check the top left menu of this page.

3. Also, directly under the Google Search area, you'll find a pop down menu called "Your Topic." Select the topic of interest and press "Go."

I would suggest you bookmark my main page and/or your specific areas of interest so that you can find them easily in the future. On each page at the very top, there is a link you can click on:
"Click here to add this page to your favourites"

Hope you find all you're looking for.

You can learn more from NEW Titleist Pro-V1 by clicking HERE.

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A list of resources that have been used to produce this newsletter can be found on my web site here.

Hope I provided some useful ways for you to become better prepared for you best golf season ever.

Ken Tannar

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