Don:
I
also make clubs and was very happy with the fit of my KGZ before I started
trying natural golf. I am using Ball buster reverse taper grips which I
like very much. Like you said I tried building up the lower end of the
grips with tape to get a no tapered grip, which I like but so far the reverse
taper are working better for me. This may be in part that they are easier
on my hands, I am arthritic and my hands are often very sore.
I
suspected that the longer shafts would be harder to control. I also
wondered if the shafts and the heaver heads were an attempt to keep swing
weights nearer normal.
I
have only been experimenting about a month, and I am very happy with what I
have seen so far. My shots are absolutely
straight. My driver, fairway clubs
are perhaps just a little longer than I was hitting them with the conventional
swing and set up. My iron shots are shorter than before I switched.
The higher number the club the more distance I have lost. I may be just a
little impatient but that was the reason for my question about club length.
Thanks
for your comments. They make me feel better about where I am now. One
additional question. Did you go to one of their schools? I have my
questions about the need. I am doing so well from the book and the tapes,
I question the need for an expensive school.
Once
again thank you for your comments and time.
TomB
.
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-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Don M
Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2005
12:12 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: ShopTalk: Natural
Golf
Tom Barnett wrote:
I have decided to give Natural golf a trial. I
understand that the lie is more upright and the shafts are longer. Can
any one give me an idea what the changes are? How much longer? How much upright?
I have grips and a local clubmaker will bend the heads. Help please.
I have been a Natural Golfer for a year and a half. I have taken 12
strokes off my score with NG, am hitting longer, and it's easier on my
body. It's so much simpler too. I'll never go back. I did
take a lesson and it helped get me started.
There is a lot of confusion about the equipment. The company wants you to
buy their "special" clubs, which are indeed longer and more
upright. I tested theirs in a range session against mine and mine were
better. :) But I'm a clubmaker so I did not intend to buy theirs
anyway.
Longer is not better, so forget that idea right off the top. They can
give you their pet theories. They're just BS. Longer clubs are
harder to control, no matter what kind of swing you have. Moe Norman hit
hundreds of balls a day. He had Popeye forearms and had the swing
to hit long clubs. You and I don't. They need to get away from
that.
Just get fitted for regular clubs! Or use the ones you have. The
lie angle will probably end up a degree or two upright from whatever you were
before, unless you already are properly fitted by upright clubs.
When the lie angles are right, you will actually see the club soled square on
the ground (not toe up) at address, or pretty close. That's not the test,
that's just something I've seen. I would think head droop would
come into play during the swing but whatever, they sit flat at address and hit
the center of the sole on the impact board for me.
I see you already bought grips. Well, that's a personal thing. I
prefer conventional grips but with 4 wraps of buildup tape under the lower
hand. If you use heavier non tapered grips, don't have the clubmaker add
weight to "bring the swingweight back up". That becomes a
double whammy because you are then adding weight at both ends, making a heavier
club. If you use the heavier grips, just let the swingweight get
lighter. It's only a couple of swingweight points anyway, because I have
tried the NG all-weather grips. I have one on my 9 iron right now, giving
it an extended trial. The new ST grips are pretty close in weight to
regular grips, so those are a non factor. You might have the
clubmaker put 4 or 5 wraps under the lower hand of a regular grip on one club,
just to see if you like that better than the NG grips. For future
reference, Golfworks sells a grip that is a virtual clone of the NG all-weather
grip as far as size and weight, for the price of a normal grip.
In summary, use regular clubs, get the lies adjusted as needed, use whatever
grip you want, and don't add weight to offset the grip weight.
I'll be glad to follow up if you need anything.
-Don M
