ShopTalk: Top Clubmakers / GD / Dr. Loft

[Harry F. Schiestel]

Hi Tom   My son and I cancelled our 3 year subscription to GD, due to the conflicting instructional coverage, and some teachers are mere hacks. I do intend to purchase the Nov. 2003 issue, just to read your published article, unless its posted in full on the internet.   Regarding the Top Clubmaker List, great idea if you could ever get a major magazine to support your concept. "Now my next project with GD is to convince them they need to publish a booklet and side article on top clubmakers just like they do for top teachers of the golf swing every year."   What criteria and process would you recommend, to select clubmakers worthy of such honourable distinction? I get the feeling that 1 of the 2 awards processes now is based almost solely on how many dollars you spend with the parent company. How would Golf Digest / yourself make such a clubmaker list creditable, for our industry at large?  I do very much like this idea.   My swingspeed is 90 mph, and I'm playing a 14 degree 400 cc driver, Aldila One 65-R Mid Launch, 47 inches long, 307 grams total weight. With a low total weight, the extra 2 to 3 inches in length was very easy to swing.  I'm hitting more fairways than I did at 44 or 45 inches. After playing golf now for 7 years, I had personal long best drives on 4 of the the first 6 holes I used the driver.  After 2 months the honeymoon is still on.  On hole one, I would roll into the gully once a year.  Now I carry the gully almost every time I play.  I've worked on my balance a lot in the last 2 years as well.  Between the driver upgrade, and better swing mechanics, I've gained on average about 45 yards in 2 years.  Then I built new fairway woods (new heads, reused same shafts) and gained another 20 yards with the same loft.  On a par 5, that equates to approx. 60 to 70 yards.  I'm starting to get the opportunity to putt for a birdie.  Through clubmaking, the game is NOW getting a little easier to play!  WOW!   Thanks Bernie for the over length driver suggestions.  With anticipation Tom, I can hardly wait to get my hands on your recent GD article.   Thanks Harry S www.Golf54.com   -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Tom Wishon Sent: October 14, 2003 3:59 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: ShopTalk: Golf Digest Higher loft articles SNIP / SNIP   Now my next project with GD is to convince them they need to publish a booklet and side article on top clubmakers just like they do for top teachers of the golf swing every year.  The initial response on this idea from Mike is positive, but now it has to go to the higher ups, which is always tough in the face of remembering where their ad dollars come from.  But I’ll keep plugging because this side of the industry deserves a lot more respect and things like that could help a lot.    Thanks, TOM W   -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2003 10:11 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: ShopTalk: Golf Digest Higher loft articles   I read these articles with great interest since this advice will be followed by many customers. Interesting that in the charts an 11* driver with 115 MPH clubhead speed showed a carry of 259 yards. Of all my customers that have been fitted I have only found 3 who could acheive this kind of clubhead speed and they all claim at least 280 yard carry!  Most have clubhead speeds in the 75-85 MPH range and claim carry distances of 190-200 yards!  I guess everyone is lying! Most interesting part of this subject article is the contribution by Tom Wishon which discusses the angle of attach. This part was unfortunately the LAST page of the entire article and had the most truth in it. This information will be (IMHO) the most overlooked because no 90 MPH clubhead speed player would fess up to needing a higher loft to acheive greater distance And a player with this clubhead speed "certainly" gets way more than 208 to 212 yards carry! My conclusion is to fit "macho" players with "wuss" drivers...........now I need to find 11-12* loft drivers with just the number "1" on the soles! This head combination with shafts that do not have designations of L,A,R,S,XS will be future of successful selling! Your opions please?