Tom, Although I'm sure he wouldn't remember me, I met Tom Stites once and found him to be not only very knowledged in this business, but also a super nice guy who is eager to talk shop and dissiminate (sp) what he's learned. You're correct in that he's in a 'no win' situation, even if/when he makes the right driver. It's funny, but all of the players in this deal (Nike, Titleist, and TM to a small extent since Tiger played the TM driver for at least 1 event) are in a 'no win' with Tiger, since in the public's mind he knows more than all of the testing equipment and other minds in the business....
Pat > > From: "Tom Wishon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: 2003/08/06 Wed PM 02:19:12 EDT > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: RE: Re: ShopTalk: Stirring the pot.... > > Pat: > > You're right in that there is no human on the planet, not Tiger or > anyone, who can tell the COR by the sound or any other method other than > to have an accurate COR measuring device. No way. You know these specs > on a head that control the COR are so sensitive and interact with each > other so intricately that you can create the same COR in two drivers of > the same exact face size that would have two different face thicknesses, > but are different in MOI and bulge and roll only. And you tell me if > Tiger hears these two heads hit and hears a different sound because of > the different face thickness, that he could determine they had the same > COR. He would not know that even if he hit them both. > > But with so many people thinking the golf sun rises and sets in Tiger, I > don't doubt there are people who believe him. One thing that bothered > me in this latest part where Tiger was so public with his switch back to > the 975 is that this really put the heat on Tom Stites, the Nike > designer. He is such a nice guy and so here he is taking the flack on > this when his hands are tied half by Nike's lack of a major R&D budget > and the other half by Tiger's sensitivity and upper area swing speed > making him a very difficult person to please for any company. Don't get > me wrong, Tiger is a really super good guy for all the pressures he > inherits with his talent and position, but there are some areas I think > he needs to demit to people who know more. > > TOM W > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 10:32 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: Re: ShopTalk: Stirring the pot.... > > Tom, > I am somewhat in the same camp as the folks you've spoken with regarding > the Tiger situation. Although I doubt that he has any peers as far as > playing ability goes, his claims (like knowing how hot a driver is by > listening to it as it's brushed on the grass or switching to the old, > thicker faced 975D because he can feel the ball staying on the face a > bit longer than the newer, hot faced drivers) are VERY far fetched for > someone even with his ability. > > I think you're spot-on WRT Tiger's situation - Nike simply doesn't have > the same resources for measurement and prototype development that the > other big 3 routinely use. Tiger was reportedly hitting 3-4 different > Nike prototype drivers about every month, and they still never got it > right for him. I'll offer that Titleist or TM (and almost certainly > Callaway too although I've got no personal knowledge of them) would have > him measured and spec'd out in 1 day, and would deliver a cart of > potential prototype drivers within 1 week or so. It's about certain > that they'd find the best match for him right there. > > Pat > > > > From: "Tom Wishon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Date: 2003/08/06 Wed AM 11:31:37 EDT > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: RE: Re: ShopTalk: Stirring the pot.... > > > > Bernie, Pat - > > > > In the past week I have gotten several phone calls from a number of > > people in the industry including several of the magazines asking for > my > > comments on Tiger's various recent comments about the drivers and his > > switch back to the 975. I get the impression that a lot of people in > > the industry who are even with companies that compete with Nike are > very > > much down on how public Tiger has been in areas about which he > > personally has no expertise, as well as how public this whole driver > > switch was made. Dick Rugge from the USGA even released a statement > > refuting Tiger's comments about other players who supposedly were > > getting "30 yards" from playing illegal drivers. From a technical > > standpoint, Dick's comments were right on because he was just > > reiterating what most of you guys know from your technical studies, > that > > while there are probably some drivers out there that are above the > 0.830 > > limit due to +/- tolerances in production, that no COR increase even > up > > as high as 0.900 could ever deliver 30 yards, much less 10 yards more > > for these guys. > > > > Tiger's problem is that he is and incredibly sensitive player for his > > equipment who happens to be attached to an equipment company now that > > does not have a fraction of the R&D commitment as do the other OEMs > that > > pay players to use their equipment. While Tom Stites is a superb > > designer and a super nice guy, he does not have the staff or the > budget > > commitment to allow him to perform the same Nth degree analysis either > > in design modeling or player analysis testing as do the Titleists, > > Callaways, Taylor Mades, Pings or the world. Tiger's move downward in > > driving distance this year while having seen other players move up > from > > where they were in past years is more a case of Tiger not being able > to > > have all of the detailed launch monitor analysis, access to tons of > > head/shaft variations of designs and top engineering analysis for > > completely optimizing his swing characteristics as do players on staff > > with these other 4 major OEMs, primarily because Nike is much more of > a > > sales and marketing company with far less desire to budget the tens of > > millions of dollars to create all of that R&D capability. > > > > Also, it does not help his driving performance that he still seems to > > swing with a controlled beauty and rhythm with the irons, but seems to > > come out of his shoes every time he puts the number 1 in his hands and > > sticks the ball up on a tee peg. Given that, I tend to believe that > > even if Tiger were on staff with one of the other 4 big OEMs and > > spending hours and hours in launch analysis in the off season, they > too > > would be having troubles keeping him happy with a driver. At 130mph+ > > the margin for error is a whole lot less than it is at 110mph. > > > > Just my 2 cents on this, > > > > TOM WISHON > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Bernie Baymiller [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 7:52 AM > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: Re: Re: ShopTalk: Stirring the pot.... > > > > Pat, > > > > >They claim he can accurately identify the current crop of hot faced > > drivers > > vs older models (without looking at them) by listening to the sound > they > > make as he rubs the sole on the grass. > > > > Certainly a simpler test than the one which the USGA has come up with. > > :-) > > > > Bernie > > Writeto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > > >
