TERRE HAUTE — Have you ever watched somebody swing a golf club and it looked like the shaft was going to wrap around his or her head? Back when my sister Kathy and her husband lived in Terre Haute, we used to play golf with them a lot, and it was always an adventure. Both Kathy and John had cheap sets of clubs that they had gotten at Service Merchandise, which meant they both had standard, regular flex steel shafts. For Kathy, that worked fine, but John was a big man, ex-marine, and weight lifter.
No little regular shaft was going to stand up to his swing. He might as well have had rubber hose for a shaft. He had no club head control at all, so it was always a mystery as to which direction the ball was going to go. He could slice the ball over the houses that bordered the course to the right or hook it to the next fairway on the left. He never played No. 8 at the Country Club from anywhere but the second fairway. If he ever hit it straight, it would go a mile, but that wasn’t something that could be counted on. One time he hit the ball so hard but to the left, that it hit the ball washer next to the tee box, made a golf-ball-size hole in it, and popped back and rolled to his feet before the water gushed out. He would have benefited from stiffer shafts, and a pro’s club-fitting.
In today’s world, when you buy a new set of clubs, the first thing you are most likely to do is pick out the brand and look of club head that you want. That often is the only thing golfers think about. They’ll say, “I’m getting a set of Cleveland TA7’s” or Mizuna MX-900s, or whatever. If asked, they will know whether they’re getting graphite or steel shafts and what kind of flex.
When being fitted for a set of clubs, don’t overlook the importance of the shaft. According to Rick Martino, PGA Director of Instruction, the fitting process should begin with the shaft. He says that rather than producing power, like most people think, the golf club shaft harnesses power, and a properly fitted shaft will deliver the power generated by your swing at the moment of impact. If a shaft flexes too soon or too late, both distance and accuracy are affected.
When getting fitted the fitter should measure the distance from your wrist to the floor when you’re standing at ease with your arms at your sides. Other then shaft length, the main considerations are shaft flex, materials and design.
The flex of a steel shaft is determined by the thickness of the shaft’s wall. Those with stronger swings would require stiff shafts, which are thicker, and consequently heavier, than regular shafts. Shafts are labeled R (regular), S (stiff) and X (Extra Stiff). There are also gradations within those categories, for instance an S-300 shaft is slightly stiffer than an S-100. There are also L (ladies) flex and “A” for seniors.
Body and swing type are the main determining factors of shaft flex and weight. The range is from powerful upper body with high club head speed to average upper body strength with a smooth slower golf swing. A player should choose the lightest golf club shaft possible to gain distance, but not lose accuracy. A player with a fast quick swing will gain distance and control with a heavier, stiffer shaft. However, just because you have stiff shafts in your woods, doesn’t mean you need them for your irons. The swing required for an iron shot is usually smoother and slower than what’s needed for a driver.
Shaft flex pattern, better known as the “kick point” is the next consideration. The kick point is a crucial part of determining the trajectory of the shot. The general rule is, the lower the kick point, the higher the trajectory. A lower kick point is good for players who lack the strength to launch the ball into the air. Conversely, a higher kick point is helpful for stronger golfers, because it gives them better control and they don’t need help getting the ball into the air.
The last consideration is material. I’ve already told you about steel. Graphite and other synthetic materials are readily available, and are a popular alternative to steel, especially with seniors and ladies because they are so much lighter than steel. The graphite shafts of today also have less torque, or twisting, than the graphite shafts of twenty years ago. They also have greater shock absorption, which is a benefit for golfers who suffer from arthritis. Graphite shafts are usually more expensive than steel, so that needs to be taken into consideration also.
Most tour players seem to use a combination of nearly all graphite shafts for the woods and steel shafts for the irons. For the best set of clubs for you, see your local PGA Professional for a club fitting, and don’t be too stubborn to take their advice!
I I I
Quote of the Day — “When you start driving your ball down the middle, you meet a different class of people.” — Phil Harris, comedian.
Upcoming Events
For information on all THGA, THWGA and Terre Haute Junior events, see the new Terre Haute Golf Association web site at www.thga.org.
Jennifer Myers can be reached by email at jfmyers@xsthe.net.
Vigo County Golf Leagues
Paitson’s Roofing Eastside Ladies — Standings: Advance Chirorpactic 142, Mowbray Consulting 133, Baesler’s Market 126, Sandy’s Touch of Magic 123, Turner Coaches 115, Page’s Market 114, Tabco 106, Coaches Corner 101. Low gross: Sue Hasket 40. Low net: Hasket 28. Play of the day: Lou Ann Johnson and Carolyn Wilkinson. Chip-in: Dolores Sawtelle (No. 18).
Terre Haute Elk’s Ladies 9-hole — Low gross: Rita Neal, Kate Meeling. Play of the day: Vivian Niemeyer. Chip-in: Emma Lou Dodson.
Rea Park First Financial Bank Ladies 9-hole — Standings: Elliott Jewelers 91, VFW No. 1 89, Shepard’s Gas 80, VFW No. 2 76, Bratt Animal Hospital 73, Baesler’s Market 71. Play of the day: Swift, Farmer. Chip-ins: Shepard (No. 18), Stipanuk (No. 10). Low gross: Gard, L.Miller. Low net: Long, L.Miller.
Mark’s Par Three Men’s Senior — Standings: Old National Trust 157, Midwest Gas 144, Mattingly Collision 139, Don Wills Cash Registr 138, Vigo Bowl 137, Tabco 130, Dew Drop Inn 108, Fuson Cadillac 101. Low gross: Charlie Kendall 35. Low net: John Beacher 29. Closest to pin: John Beacher (No. 11). Longest putt — Joe Beacher (No. 17). Longest drive: John Beacher (No. 13).
Elks Ladies 18-hole — Shirley Pruett won play of the day with most one-putt greens and chipped in on No. 6. Low gross: Mary Shake.
Rea Park Wednesday Ladies — Team points: Horrall-Bocard 4, McCord-Rusk 4, Padgett-Spurr 4, Mann-Luttrell 3, Gosnell-Pair 2, Meyer-Lanke 2, Francis-Snow 2, Newton-Atterson 2, Cannon-Ugo 1, Clements-Malone 0, Honselman-Arnett 0, Swalls-Bedwell 0. Low gross: Candy McCord 40. Low net: Eileen Mann, Linda Snow and McCord 34. Chip-ins: Linda Pair (No. 1), Sandy Lanke and Josie Swalls (No. 4), Liz Malone and Cheryl Bedwell (No. 8).
Hulman Links Tuesday men’s — Low gross: Chris Keen (Fleschner Law Office) 35. Low net — Kevin Sumansky (Charlie’s No. 3) 32. Team standings: Fleschner Law Office 104, Tynan Equipment 72, Charlie’s No. 3 66, Charlie’s No. 1 36, Charlie’s No. 2 34.
On & Off the Course
On and Off the Course: Getting correct shaft is most important
- On & Off the Course
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Some things on golf course are worse than steep putts
It’s not often that anything gets more scary on a golf course than a steep downhill putt, but on some courses around the world, things a little more on the supernatural side might give you a bigger fright!
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The shot heard round the world
I don’t know if the Golf Channel will show a “Best Shots of 2011” highlight reel, much like ESPN does for baseball or football.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Red, White and Blue visits the Isle of Green
In 2006, the Ryder Cup was held in Ireland at The K Club in County Kildare.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fall may be coming but golf season is far from over
Once the major tournaments are over with, what’s there to look forward to in the world of golf?
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf… simplified!
Golf is not a simple game. A golf course is made up of 18 holes, all different. There are par-3s, par-4s and par-5s; they all vary in length and elevation, and each has its own challenges. There can be water hazards, trees, sand bunkers, tall grass, hills, valleys — and then, if that’s not enough, there’s probably wind too.
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On and Off the Course: Northern Ireland builds on golf history
Northern Ireland is only about 5,452 square miles in area and has a population about the same as West Virginia, which is about 1,880,344.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s Open at the Broadmoor
This is the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open, and this year it’s being played at The Broadmoor, East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Fort Golf Course: A Walk in the Park…
Indiana has some pretty spectacular state parks, but one of them gives you the ability to “spoil a good walk” by chasing a little white ball.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Father’s Day is a good day for golfers
Most people consider the time around Christmas to be the gift-buying season.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Playing with lead a difficult task
As exciting as last week’s Masters was, with six players being tied for the lead at one point on Sunday, it was very difficult watching Rory McIlroy fall apart to shoot an 80.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Masters a rite of spring
This is Masters weekend, the grand kickoff to the golf season for a lot of golfers. Sure, there have been tournaments on TV, because the professionals have been playing in Hawaii, California, Texas, Dubai, and other areas not so affected by winter as we are here in the Midwest, but to me, watching The Masters is a rite of spring.
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ON THE OFF THE COURSE: Some history on the Ryder Cup
I fell asleep in way too many history classes to ever qualify as a history buff. However, since I have grown up a bit (not much), I enjoy learning about all kinds of history. I often have questions about how something began, or how something came to be.
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On and Off the Course: Purdue's Kampen Course a gem in Indiana's rough
About a month ago, Indiana was still heavily mired in heat and humidity, making outdoor activities such as golf less appealing than usual. At that time it felt like the repressive heat would never go away, it would never rain again, and all of the grass was just going to continue to wither and die. And the month prior to that we kept getting rained out of golf events!
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On and Off the Course: Successful golfers know ... focus is the key
I have a good friend who coached his daughter’s basketball team for a number of years, and told me that his theme with the girls was always “focus”, until it was ingrained in their brains. Now when they play high school ball, if they hear “focus” yelled from the stands, they know the source.
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On and Off the Course: Technology adds even more fun to the course
You’ve hit a drive into some brush in an area marked as a hazard, but you can’t find the ball to prove it is there. And no one actually witnessed it go in the hazard. You just think that’s where it probably is. What is the rule for this situation?
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On and Off the Course: Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic a worthwhile charity event
On Monday, I worked as a volunteer for the Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic, Golf Tournament and Auction at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Indianapolis. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with clear blue skies, just a few wispy clouds here and there and a high temperature of about 76 degrees.
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On and Off the Course: Trends show golf in decline
You don’t have to watch the news or read the paper to understand that America is struggling on the economic front. The evidence can be witnessed at the local golf course.
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On and Off the Course: Remembering former South golfer Ian White
It’s usually a bit of a struggle for me to figure out what my topic will be for this column. This week I could have written about Tiger’s withdrawal from the Players’ Championship due to a bulging disc in his neck, or by association, the health hazards a violent golf swing can have on the human body, or any number of other golf-related topics.
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On and Off the Course: Ochoa’s departure to impact LPGA
LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan already had a tough job, trying to promote the LPGA tour and keep the 25 events that they have on the schedule, but that job was made tougher last week when the tour’s No. 1 player announced her retirement from the game at the ripe old age of 28.
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On and Off the Course: Examining the square groove rule change
Even though the Masters is going to have its own little drama going on with the return of Tiger Woods, an interesting thing to note will be how well the players are able to hold the hard fast greens at Augusta. An underlying part of the bigger picture that everyone might not realize is a rule change that could dramatically affect most, if not all, of the players. That rule change took effect on Jan. 1.
- On and Off the Course: President's Cup should be entertaining Just when we thought golf season was over, and it was time to concentrate on football, we must awaken from our naps, because there’s going to be some exciting golf for us to watch next weekend. The President’s Cup will run from Oct. 6-11 at Harding Park in San Francisco.
- On and Off the Course: The obscure of golf's rulebook Golfers know that the rules that govern the game are abundant. The game originated in the 15th century on the links of Scotland, and somehow as time went on and people became more civilized, rules were adopted.
- ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s City Match Play had tough competition I played in the Terre Haute Golf Association Women’s City Match Play Tournament a couple of weeks ago.
- On and Off the Course: One for the ages … well, almost! I wonder how long people will be referring to last week’s British Open, as “one for the ages.” They could also refer to it as “one for the aged!” Tom Watson’s near miss of a 9th Open Championship (as the Brits prefer to call it, and as it rightly should be by virtue of its longevity) was a rallying cry to all those golfers who have toiled for so many years at their game, but had given up hope as for ever getting it back to where they had it twenty years ago.
- ON AND OFF THE COURSE: In a bad economy, should LPGA raise its fees? For 31 years The LPGA’s Corning Classic was held at Corning Country Club in Corning, N.Y., with Corning Glassware as its title sponsor. This year, however, was the end of an era as LPGA players played their final rounds in its’ longest-running event. Due to many factors Corning chose to not renew their contract for 2010.
- ON AND OFF THE COURSE: ‘Average golfer’ ready to face challenges of Bethpage Black Golf Digest, in association with the USGA and NBC Sports, has asked the question, “Can the ‘average golfer’ break 100 at Bethpage Black under U.S. Open conditions?”
- On and Off the Course: Golf is for Mother’s, too I’d like to wish all of my readers who are mothers, whether they play golf or not, a Happy Mother’s Day — and if you do play golf — I hope you have a fine day today and that you find the time to get out on the course.
- The Haig changed golf off the course
- On and Off the Course: Fall a great time on the course If I could have fall weather year-round, I would take it. I love the crisp air, the blue skies, and the bright sunshine. Ever since my childhood I have associated a beautiful fall day with Turkey Run State Park, one of my favorite places to go, especially in the fall. This is Covered Bridge Festival week so many other people are seeing the beauty of the fall in the trees, rivers and bridges in Parke County too!
- On and Off the Course: Life’s lessons on the golf course During the Ryder Cup last weekend, there aired a number of commercials for RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) that starred participants from The First Tee, a program founded by the World Golf Foundation to enable kids from every walk of life to participate in golf, a game that teaches values for life and can be played for a lifetime.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Some things on golf course are worse than steep putts
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