THE COACHING CLINIC & PRODUCT INSIGHTS

THE COACHING CLINIC

Lower loft means I will hit the ball a greater distance. True, if you happen to be Brooks Koepka or Linn Grant & you generate some serious club head speed, with a perfect angle of attack. Sadly, most of us mere mortals can only dream of such speeds & desired path back to the ball. Some 20 years ago I got the opportunity to study under the guidance of Tom Wishon. Most of you won’t have a clue who this guy is, but he was the man with whom Tiger Woods entrusted his club fitting, when Tiger was in his prime & I’ve still kept all the data Mr Wishon divulged during my time with him, so for all you Mr/Mrs averages here are some facts:

Most male Tour Pro’s will use a Driver measuring 44.5 inches in length & Tiger used one cut at 43.5 inches, yet most Amateurs end up using 45 inch Drivers, regardless of their body type.

The average Lady has a wrist to floor measurement of between 27 & 29 inches, so they should in fact benefit from a Driver that is cut at 42 inches in length. The average man has a wrist to floor measurement of between 32 & 34 inches which means they would benefit from a Driver cut at 43 inches. The manufacturers would have you believe that the extra length of a club equates to greater distance. This is crude science because in reality it probably only adds a few yards & you guys have the added burden of the loss of club head control.

The above data is clearly a generic set of numbers, but it does act as a good guide to what you should be looking for. The average Female will generate 65 mph with a Driver & her male counterpart will generate 85mph, so be honest about how fast you really swing the club & don’t be worried about experimenting with loft & length. Although the above info is a great way to start your search for the ideal Driver I have two examples of ladies who buck the trend. Maggie Cooke & our Lady Captain Gill Morris both use low lofted, stiffer & longer length Drivers compared to what I originally thought was the perfect fit. Gill found an extra 10-15 yards carry & Maggie found 30+ yards, so I do at times see some freakish results & even more rarely am at a loss for words.

If you’re interested in trying the latest hardware from Ping, Mizuno, and Srixon, just give the Proshop a call, and we’ll book you in, with no obligation. Judging by the start that Srixon has already made to the new season on Tour, it promises to be a big year for them and their staff players.