The Search for the Perfect Driver

[Moonlightgrm]

A book by Tom Wishon and Tom Grundner.

 

A book that I read several years ago, and probably should have paid closer attention to the material therein. After spending much money on drivers over the past few years and being "properly fit" by a company rep at our local country club on more than one occasion, I came to the brilliant revelation that sales is all that matters to these people, not finding me the right driver.

 

Here goes. In the summer 2007, after reading Mr. Wishon's book, I decided to sign up for the Titleist Tour Van that was making a stop in our area. After 30 minutes of hitting drivers, the rep told me that my average clubhead speed was 112 mph and that my carry distance was 265 yards with a launch angle of ~13 degrees and an attack angle of ~ positive1.5 degrees. I told the rep that the carry seemed inflated because I generally carry my drives in the neighborhood of 230 yards with the Tour Burner. I mentioned Mr. Wishon's book and felt that control was my issue, not distance. He told me that his numbers were accurate. The newer technology was increasing my distance greatly. I was hitting from an elevated tee, at least 50 feet above the landing zone, so arguing was pointless. He put me in an Aldila NV75 stiff shaft cut to 44.5" inches, per my request. I believe the driver head was their 905S at 9.5 degrees. I tell you this because that's the beginning of my rapid dishing out of $$$ to find the right driver. I currently play to an index of 5.0 with finding fairways with my driver my #1 weakness. Weakness? It's an anchor holding me down! I played one persimmon driver from 1974 to 1989. Then I played a Taylor Made Tour Burner with the Flex-Twist graphite shaft until 2006. TWO drivers in 23 years of play! Realizing I was giving up distance with the persimmon, the Tour Burner was a great fit for me. However, the club started losing its pop late in its life and the new technology promised even more improvement. It's NEVER happened. Sure, I hit the ball farther but my fairways hit have been cut in half. My handicap, once flirting with scratch, has been gradually climbing ever since. I am embarrassed to post how many driver's I have tried, but the latest is the Taylor Made R1 with the Fuji Motore F1 shaft. Some more believable launch monitor numbers show my clubhead speed at 102-105 mph and my launch angle at 14 degrees. Carry yardage at 240 with ball speed around 150 mph. The R1 balloons at times even with the setting at 9.0 degrees. I stumbled across a post from Tom Wishon were he put the R1 clubhead on a loft and lie machine. He said the stated lofts by the manufacturers were incorrect. As an example, he said if the setting of the shaft is at 12 degrees with the sole at #2 closed, the effective loft is 9.5 degrees with a 3 degree closed club face. I went to the range, wrench in hand and set the club as described. AMAZING. At 12 degrees my ball flight DROPPPED! I squared the face up at address to overcome the 3 degrees closed claim and hit straight shots or soft draws. However, the occasional OH CRAP drive was still present. The 45.5" shaft might be a part of the problem. There is NO DOUBT that Tom Wishon is on to something. The manufacturers numbers are inaccurate. Misleading the buying public is "criminal".

 

Thanks for reading this far. I won't go into any greater detail. I am ready to see a club fitter/builder. The nearest one to me, according to the club-fitters on line "registry", is 90 miles away. Without knowledge of this guy's abilities, I am not sure I want to make the trip. Any suggestions? Are launch monitor numbers enough to fit a player with by all accounts, a very smooth transition from back swing to down swing (I am a swinger not a hitter)? I am willing to try anything. If a 43" driver works, that's fine. 240 yards in the middle of the fairway beats 265 yards in the rough or worse!

 

Again, Thanks for reading!

[jaskanski]

If I could offer one piece of free advice -
The level of the quality of the fitting is proportional to the amount of effort you're prepared to put in yourself. Golf is a remarkably simple proposal - you get out of it what you put in. That translates to practice and ability, but it also translates to the willingness to make a conscious effort to find the best solution to your needs. Unfortunately for many, that effort tends to dwindle at the end of the street - but if you really want a decent fitting, unless you're a really lucky individual, you're unlikely to find it on your doorstep. Consequently, you have to put a bit of legwork in yourself to connect with the right solution. That means making phone calls, seeking advice, checking references and opinions - and often travelling beyond your normal comfort zone.
A guy recently posted where can I find exotic shafts and the latest equipment to demo. When a suggestion was made, he gave up after 5 seconds of searching within 50 miles. When I suggested a fitting of tour caliber quality of with all the latest technology, shafts and fitting expertise could be found 174 miles away, they still didn't bother. "It's like 3 hours away" - so what's 3 hours of your life to find a practical and possibly quite superb opportunity to get fitted by someone who knows their stuff? See what I mean?
Your post stated "I will try anything" but it was preceded by the quote "I'm not sure I want to make a 90 mile trip". Well, not being willing to make the trip could be the difference between the best and the average. It would seem that all too many are willing to fall at the first hurdle.
Here's a thought though - Tom Wishons reputation is so well respected that I'm willing to bet that people actually get on a plane to see him, or at least seek out fitters certified to his standards. That's the difference - not the effort made by the fitter, but the effort made by YOU.
It's your call - and I sincerely hope you find the best solution to your game. Like I said, you get out of golf what you put in.

[Moonlightgrm]

Jaskanski, great advice! Advice that's applicable to our lives in general. EFFORT usually breeds desired results.

[braby33]

I thought the perfect driver was white, with one central horn, and could only be ridden by virgins?

[tobybear]

[quote name='jaskanski' timestamp='1379363120' post='7861359']
If I could offer one piece of free advice -
The level of the quality of the fitting is proportional to the amount of effort you're prepared to put in yourself. Golf is a remarkably simple proposal - you get out of it what you put in. That translates to practice and ability, but it also translates to the willingness to make a conscious effort to find the best solution to your needs. Unfortunately for many, that effort tends to dwindle at the end of the street - but if you really want a decent fitting, unless you're a really lucky individual, you're unlikely to find it on your doorstep. Consequently, you have to put a bit of legwork in yourself to connect with the right solution. That means making phone calls, seeking advice, checking references and opinions - and often travelling beyond your normal comfort zone.
A guy recently posted where can I find exotic shafts and the latest equipment to demo. When a suggestion was made, he gave up after 5 seconds of searching within 50 miles. When I suggested a fitting of tour caliber quality of with all the latest technology, shafts and fitting expertise could be found 174 miles away, they still didn't bother. "It's like 3 hours away" - so what's 3 hours of your life to find a practical and possibly quite superb opportunity to get fitted by someone who knows their stuff? See what I mean?
Your post stated "I will try anything" but it was preceded by the quote "I'm not sure I want to make a 90 mile trip". Well, not being willing to make the trip could be the difference between the best and the average. It would seem that all too many are willing to fall at the first hurdle.
Here's a thought though - Tom Wishons reputation is so well respected that I'm willing to bet that people actually get on a plane to see him, or at least seek out fitters certified to his standards. That's the difference - not the effort made by the fitter, but the effort made by YOU.
It's your call - and I sincerely hope you find the best solution to your game. Like I said, you get out of golf what you put in.
[/quote]

What fitting facility did you recommend?

[TomWishon]

[quote name='Moonlightgrm' timestamp='1379361666' post='7861223']
A book by Tom Wishon and Tom Grundner.

A book that I read several years ago, and probably should have paid closer attention to the material therein. After spending much money on drivers over the past few years and being "properly fit" by a company rep at our local country club on more than one occasion, I came to the brilliant revelation that sales is all that matters to these people, not finding me the right driver.

[/quote]

It is painful for me to read a post as yours because this process of finding the right clubs should not require numerous purchases from numerous places. One of the reasons I wrote the Perfect Driver book in a semi-dialog format was to help golfers understand THIS IS THE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE THAT A REALLY GOOD CLUBFITTER SHOULD POSSESS to be able to help a golfer find his or her perfect driver and clubs.

Problem is just like Jaskanski was relating in his post - there are sadly more people who think they know how to fit golfers properly than there are who really do. So it takes a good bit of digging and investigation and due diligence on behalf of the golfer to check out whether the person they are headed to see to be fit really does know what he is doing - or just thinks he does.

So how do you do that?

The best sources for finding a decent clubfitter near you are these following links to search tools for the two professional organizations of custom clubfitters and clubmakers. Go there, see if there is someone near you. If you see the person is accredited, that'e even better. But don't stop there.

Call the clubfitter and ask him one or two of the questions in the Search Driver book that I posed and listen to hear if the clubfitter offers an answer that is reasonably close to what my answer in the book was to the question(s). If so, you have a winner on your hands. If they're not even in the ball park for the answer to the question, hang up, say thank you very much and go to the next name of a clubfitter that is reasonably close to where you live or can travel to. While I'd like to say all the clubfitters could answer these questions the same way I did, that's not possible because I have the luxury of having been able to perform more hours/days/months/years of direct research in clubfitting technology in my decades in the industry than probably anyone else around. But if their answer(s) are on the right track, and if they have several years of experience in fitting, they'll do you a good job.

Here's the links:

The AGCP (Association of Golf Clubfitting Professionals) - [url="http://www.agcpgolf.com/locator/"]http://www.agcpgolf.com/locator/[/url]

The ICG (International Clubmakers’ Guild) - [url="http://www.clubmakersguild.com/index.php/membership-directory/guild-google-map"]http://www.clubmakersguild.com/index.php/membership-directory/guild-google-map[/url]

The TWGT Clubmaker Locator at - [url="http://wishongolf.com/find-a-clubfitter/"]http://wishongolf.com/find-a-clubfitter/[/url]

One more thing -

You mentioned your driver woes seemed to center on a lack of accuracy. WIth the driver, there are three main things that likely explain why your search for your perfect driver fell short in this area:

1) Since your last driver was made in the 80s, undoubtedly it was not longer than 44" and mroe than likely 43" to 43.5" in length. So many people today are hung up on the fact that drivers need to be 45" or even a little longer in length. With you being so used to the shorter length, you probably ended up with driver lengths that were too long for your ability to control them during your swing.

2) more than likely not enough work was done to find the right shaft WEIGHT and swingweight that would best match to your sense of feel, and to your downswing force, downswing tempo and overall strength. Too light or too heavy for your swing and sense of weight feel means lack of control which means less accuracy.

3) possibly whatever drivers you bought did not have the same face angle as the older drivers were designed and made with. Fitting for face angle to match the golfer's combination of swing path and delivery of the face to impact is KEY to accuracy consistency and is a big part of any good clubfitter's fitting routine.

With this, I wish you the best and thank you for your post so I could have the chance to see it and respond to try to help,

TOM

[Moonlightgrm]

Thanks for your reply, Tom.

Here is the resume, as provided by agcpgolf.com, of my nearest club fitter.

Rick Canter - AGCP Level 10 Certified
Rick's Custom Fit Golf
288 Powell Street
Stoughton, MA 02072
PCS Class A Clubmaker
GCA Accredited Professional Clubmaker
UST Tour Van Shop
Graduate of the PCS Advanced Fitting School
Wishon Gold Clubmaker
SMT Elite Clubmaker
Golfsmith’s Complete Clubmakers Training School
Golfsmith’s Advanced Clubmaking, Fitting and Repair School

With your book in hand, I will be calling this gentleman tomorrow.

Does anyone on GolfWRX have any experience with this club fitter? Is this resume filled with the type of experience I should be looking for in a club fitter? Chapter #4 Seeking the Holy Grail...... I must reread this chapter!

[Floris]

That guy is a Tom Wishon fitter, he'll be good

My fitter fits Callaway, Titleist, Ping, Cobra, TaylorMade, Mizuno, Honma and Wishon.. If only he where less expensive

[gvogel]

There is another way to hit straight shots, or at least here is what happened to me.

I too have gone through numerous drivers, and I was hitting a 46" stiff shafted 10.5* driver very well when I went to a Titleist fitting. They suggested a 9.5* head with a lightweight, regular shaft, at 45" or maybe 45'1/2".

I came home and assembled a Titleist driver with those specs, and played a few rounds with it. I had to learn to swing smoother - the longer stiff shaft was actually helping my tempo because the club was D6 in swing weight, and the lighter club at D3 took a week to figure out. When I finally did start to swing smoother, I got the same distance as with the old driver, but with less effort.

Then I tried a Ping G25 driver, stock regular shaft, 9.5* head adjusted to increase loft/close face. It measures 45-1/2" on my Mitchell table.

Darn thing works super if I stay smooth. When I warm up I can give it a nice easy swing and get it out there about 210. When I get into the flow, I can get it to about 240, maybe a couple more yards than the Titleist. But, I seem to do that more often.

So, my search for the perfect driver ended up with me recognizing that I get more distance, more often, with a good turn and a smooth swing.

I'm surprised that I ended up with a stock shaft and club right off the rack. But also delighted. I have had a lot of fun with new driver.

Sometimes we complicate this game unnecessarily.

[TomWishon]

[quote name='Moonlightgrm' timestamp='1379375513' post='7862391']
Thanks for your reply, Tom.

Here is the resume, as provided by agcpgolf.com, of my nearest club fitter.

Rick Canter - AGCP Level 10 Certified
Rick's Custom Fit Golf
288 Powell Street
Stoughton, MA 02072
PCS Class A Clubmaker
GCA Accredited Professional Clubmaker
UST Tour Van Shop
Graduate of the PCS Advanced Fitting School
Wishon Gold Clubmaker
SMT Elite Clubmaker
Golfsmith’s Complete Clubmakers Training School
Golfsmith’s Advanced Clubmaking, Fitting and Repair School

With your book in hand, I will be calling this gentleman tomorrow.

Does anyone on GolfWRX have any experience with this club fitter? Is this resume filled with the type of experience I should be looking for in a club fitter? Chapter #4 Seeking the Holy Grail...... I must reread this chapter!
[/quote]

Seriously an AGCP Level 10 certification is as stringent and qualified as it gets. That's a SERIOUS amount of work to gain that much knowledge and experience in the craft. You'll be in very good hands without a doubt.

TOM

[Ri_Redneck]

Yep. A LOT of time and effort. He CARES about what he's doing. You can't do better than that.

BT

[Moonlightgrm]

Thank you for all of the feedback. I will be setting up an appointment with Rick ASAP.

Greg, my son is playing the driver that you generously sent me a couple of years ago. Thanks! He's enjoying it.

[Nismottgtr]

Moonlight any review of Ricks custom fit golf?