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WHAT
SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT GOLF CLUB HEADS?
GOLF CLUB
SHAFTS
SHOULD I USE
GRAPHITE OR STEEL SHAFTS?
WHO MAKES
PINEMEADOW'S GRAPHITE SHAFTS?
WHAT
ABOUT STAINLESS STEEL SHAFTS?
GOLF CLUB GRIPS
WHAT
SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT GOLF CLUB HEADS?
Golf club heads can
be made from many materials. Zinc
and Aluminum
alloys are primarily used in
beginners sets and putters. HST
Aluminum is a much harder aluminum
and is popular in very large drivers. 431
stainless steel is a softer
stainless steel very commonly used in high
quality iron heads. 17-4
stainless steel is a harder steel
found in professional quality irons and
wood heads.
Maraging metal is a
stainless steel put through a very special
hardening process that makes it very very
hard and is a popular material for the
faceplates in the highest performing
woods. Titanium
is the most expensive material used in
building golf clubs heads and combines
light weight and excellent strength.
Titanium is used today in the highest end
woods manufactured. Pinemeadow Golf
carries a wide assortment of titanium
woods.
Do not confuse
Ti-Alloy with Titanium. Ti-Alloy products
are Aluminum products with trace elements
of Titanium that attempt to take advantage
of the Titanium name. Ti-Alloy products
are among the least expensive and are
meant for beginners and junior golfers.
Other materials
include ceramics, graphite and plastics.
We don't see those much anymore, but they
should begin to make a return in the next
few years as manufacturing technologies
improve.
To conclude our
section on materials, we rank golf head
materials as follows:
-
Beginner woods:
Aluminum, Titanium alloys
-
Good woods: HST
Aluminum
-
Better woods:
17-4ph stainless steel, 431 stainless
steel
-
Best woods:
Titanium (usually in drivers only),
maraging metal, bi-metal, tungsten
insert
-
Beginner irons:
Zinc
-
Better irons: 431
stainless steel
-
Best irons:
17-4ph stainless steel, bi-metal,
tungsten insert
Golf heads are made
in a variety of shapes. Key design
principles are weight distribution
(perimeter, low center of gravity, etc.),
size (traditional, oversize,
super-oversize) and styling (keel sole,
deep face, wide body, etc.). There are not
very many utility patents in this area, so
most clubmakers can use most shapes that
they desire without violating another
company's rights.
Golf heads come in a
variety of weights. Here there are some
important factors. To achieve the desired
swing weight there is an important dynamic
between the weight of a golf head, the
length of the club and the weight of the
grip and shaft. Don't worry too much about
it because every decent club maker uses
golf club casting foundries that cast golf
heads with the correct weights. It would
be pretty rare to find a golf head maker
that messes up in this area.
Generally, if a club
is made from the same materials, using the
same shapes, with the same weight
distributions and overall weight, it
should perform the same as another club
similarly constructed. This is a key
concept to understanding why golf club
clones perform as well as the name brands
— it is just molten metal shaped into a
form. If the metal is the same and the
shape similar, the result should compare
very well.
The trick is that
many companies and retail stores do not
explain or know what their clubs are made
from. For example, an Aluminum driver that
looks just like a club made from stainless
steel will be inferior to that club and
vice versa. We will do our best to tell
you the straight truth about products and
what they are made from so you will be
educated to judge quality for yourself.
Look at a product on our web site and you
will see specifications for materials,
size and weight.
GOLF
CLUB SHAFTS
We have been in the
golf business for many years and have
bought shafts from every significant steel
and graphite shaft maker. We find much
greater quality differences in graphite
shafts versus steel shafts, but the good
news is that the quality of graphite has
improved significantly over the past ten
years. In fact the quality of graphite
shafts and their affordability is much
better than just two or three years ago.
So, here are our short thoughts on shafts
and why we use whom we do as suppliers.
In our opinion, the
shaft is as important as the head of a
golf club. In fact, we often find greater
performance differences in using different
graphite shafts with the same head than we
do using different heads (provided the
heads are made from the same materials)
with the same shaft. Did that make any
sense to you? Well, it's the truth. So,
the bottom line: SHAFTS
ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
For information on
golf club lengths, see the next lesson, Custom
Fitting Golf Clubs.
SHOULD
I USE GRAPHITE OR STEEL SHAFTS?
Strongly consider
using graphite shafts in your woods if:
-
You are a woman
-
You are a senior
-
You are a baby
boomer
-
You have joint
problems
-
You want to play
a longer driver
-
You have pretty
good swing speed tempo and are younger
-
You are an
average player who wants to play
better
Strongly consider
using graphite shafts in your irons if:
So, what is the logic
of our advice? Well, graphite shafts
reduce the weight of your club (it is
actually quite remarkable to feel the
weight difference in an entire set of
clubs made with steel versus graphite
shafts) — this is good for all players,
but especially women and seniors. Graphite
shafts weigh from 50 grams to 85 grams,
while steel shafts generally start at 120
grams. Graphite shafts reduce the shock at
impact — this is good for women,
seniors, aging baby boomers and those of
us with joint problems. Graphite shafts
allow for longer clubs — this is good
for distance (but maybe not quite so good
for control). Graphite shafts have greater
construction alternatives so that they can
be designed to affect the flight of the
ball to a greater degree than steel
shafts.
WHO
MAKES PINEMEADOW'S GRAPHITE SHAFTS?
There is a much
greater quality difference between
graphite shaft makers than steel shaft
makers. Aldila has been the #1 graphite
shaft maker for as long as we have been in
business. Why take any risk here? We know
that with an Aldila graphite shaft we
won't have any breakage problems, whipping
torques or other quality issues. And,
their performance is superb. Enough said.
We use Aldila graphite shafts for all our
graphite shaft needs. However, for those
of you who like to experiment and have
your own favorites, we offer a variety of
custom shaft upgrades.
WHAT
ABOUT STAINLESS STEEL SHAFTS?
We use FM Precision,
True Temper and Apollo for our steel
shafts. The reasons are simple. They all
make superior shafts, are long recognized
as industry leaders, have very compatible
steel shafts with each other and are
extremely reliable. These shafts
manufacturers are used by virtually every
golf club manufacturer in the world today.
GOLF
CLUB GRIPS
Grips are the least
expensive yet one of the most important
parts of a golf club. Our most important
advice is — CHANGE
YOUR GOLF GRIPS OFTEN. Grips tend
to oxidize, harden, get slick, and LOSE
THEIR GRIP over time. It is a two
edged sword — the grips with the best
grip are usually the grips that lose their
grip the fastest.
So, we have taken a
position that attempts to cut it both
ways. We buy the highest quality grips
that have a greater than normal longevity,
but not the absolute highest grip factor.
This way, if you don't re-grip when you
are supposed to at least you will have
good grips. But, we do recommend
re-gripping often — it will have a
positive effect on your game. It's just
like changing the oil in your car. Only
every six months or 3,000 rounds. We also
allow you to select from an excellent
variety of custom upgrades for your grips.
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