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The Search for the Magic Driver (Part 3)

By Leith Anderson

In my last column, I left the "Search for the Magic Driver" in limbo. It was all about flex and the relation of flex to distance. In case you missed it, the conclusion was that a driver that appears to be "too soft" for your swingspeed can actually deliver better distance than drivers with stiffer shafts.

As we complete more testing with the next generation driver shafts, it is clear that new technology is a major factor in improved performance. Practically all new driver shafts feature some kind of "stiff tip" technology. That is a continuation of the Proforce tradition. Notable contenders include the Apache 65N and 65P with their "torsion resistant tip" that are showing up on the professional tours in increasing numbers. There are the Harrisons and the Penleys with Boron and Titanium reinforced tips. We have seen impressive results from the "thermo composite" from Phoenixx, particularly their new "Reactor". Finally there is simply more consistent quality related to improved manufacturing techniques - Accuflex comes to mind in this category with their new filament winding process. The newer generation of shafts clearly let you play a more flexible shaft, leading to more distance without loss of control. The effect of PUREing stabilizes the shafts as well.

But this month I'm going to take a little breather from "distance, distance, distance", and talk about two factors that are at least as important as distance, "shot shape" and "consistency". These factors are related to swingweight, overall weight and weight distribution in the clubhead. These discoveries all started with an "accident".

I was attending the PGA show in Reno in early August, shopping for new products, talking to company representatives and evaluating electronics for our new "Golf Lab". As usual I had an eye out for the next Magic Driver. I was interested in "launch monitors" thinking that a sophisticated machine would surely help discover the next Magic Driver.

A launch monitor is an electronic device that measures swing speed and ball speed and captures the launch angle and spin rate of a golf ball as it comes off the clubface. Launch angle and spin rate are crucial to know if you're trying to optimize distance. The idea is that maximum distance in carry and roll comes from an 11 to 13 degree launch angle with a spin rate around 3000 revolutions per minute. A spin rate that's too high causes "lift" under the ball and it falls short. The leader in the launch monitor business is Swing Dynamics. They have a system that uses high speed photography to snap three actual pictures of the first few milliseconds of ball flight. With help of a technician and computer you get more data than you can imagine. But if you believe in choosing equipment based on delivering the best performance, a launch monitor is a great tool. The spin rate and launch angle data is also useful for fitting golf balls. If you're thinking of buying one for your backyard, they cost $15,000.

After testing the Swing Dynamics system at the show, I decided that a "field trip" would be effective market research. I headed for Golf Headquarters, located right behind the Reno Convention Center where they had a Swing Dynamics launch monitor.

My first question to Jason Tijsseling, the Golf Headquarters sales representative was "What's the Magic Driver this season?" With no delay he said "the new Cobra". Then he said "but the Nicklaus is close behind - and it's already on markdown." That got me into the danger zone. The Nicklaus came with a proprietary Fukijura shaft. I asked if I could compare the two drivers with the launch monitor. No problem. We started a "hit off" capturing the data along the way. Making a long story shorter, both drivers performed about the same in delivering total distance, launch angle and spin rate but I liked the shape of the Nicklaus driver much better than the Cobra. There was one haunting fact: the Swing Dynamics system was showing a carry distance of over 250 electronic yards. As you might remember, that's another 13 yards more than my previous Magic Driver measured by the Distance Caddy. I left the store without touching my checkbook.

I returned the next day with my "Magic" Ruger Mid Launch head on a PUREd Accuflex Icon shaft. A second "hit off". This time the electronics showed another interesting comparison. The Swing Dynamics launch monitor, in addition to the physical data, also calculates ball flight and traces the path of the drive down an electronic fairway. The physical data was not too different, with a slight edge to the Nicklaus driver. The deciding factor was the Nicklaus driver blew five straight drives straight down the centerline with a slight draw. I missed the fairway a couple of times with my previous "Magic Stick". That was too much. $225 plus tax.

We went straight to the course the next day and the results with the new Nicklaus were good. Distance seemed to be a little better but the most interesting result is that the driver just wouldn't let the ball go right. Most of the drives were soft draws and the right rough was absolutely out of play.

It was time to find out what I had. The Nicklaus driver measured 261 CPM at 45". Too stiff. A Professional Clubmakers' Society flex value of 6.8. It should be hard to "work". Then, the big shock. Swingweight was D-0. Too light. I started thinking I couldn't play with this driver. I forgot that it was working.

I figured I'd weight it up with eight grams of lead tape out on the toe and see if I could bring the frequency down while I moved the swingweight up to my "standard" D-4. Eight grams only brought the frequency down to 260.

The next test was the Palo Alto Golf Club team match play. I decided to play the Nicklaus which by now had been SST PUREd, reweighted and regripped with a Winn Diamond Dry. It was OK on the range, but on the course it was nothing but "high right". A totally miserable driving day. If I didn't get a little help from my opponent, I would have blown the match. Back to the drawing board. I was even starting to wonder if I'd ruined the shaft by PUREing it.

I did answer one nagging question. Over the years, I have been interested in the argument about the effect of positioning lead tape on a driver. Despite majority opinion that weight on the toe leads to a fade bias, there is still plenty of argument about whether a few grams of weight can actually influence ball flight. I have experimented quite a bit with lead tape and until now thought that weight on the toe helped me hit more solid shots since I catch a lot of balls out on the toe. Now I know, enough weight on the toe WILL make the ball go high right and short. Off came the tape.

The next test was the Member- Guest at Shoreline GC. Tape off. Solid driving day. Eight birdies (off the charts lifetime record). Second place. Good for another trial.

Fast forward to the NCGA Four Ball Finals at Poppy Hills. My partner, Chuck Cali and I had been through two qualifying tournaments to earn a couple of perfect days in Monterrey. By chance, we went out alone for the practice round. I decided to hit two drives off of every hole, one with the Magic Ruger and one with the Nicklaus. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for a real life "hit off".

Head to head, the two drivers performed about the same if all you looked at was distance. Sometimes the Accuflex/Ruger combination was longer. Sometimes the Fukijura/Nicklaus. The Nicklaus got of to a bad start, snapping a drive into the woods on the fourth hole. The Ruger put one in the right woods on five. Both went OB left on ten. From there on in, it was nip and tuck. But, there was one big difference. The Nicklaus driver produced a consistent draw. I got the feeling that I just couldn't lose it right. The Ruger, on the other hand, "missed both ways". I had a hard time "turning it over" and couldn't get a reliable draw. The Ruger wanted to go straight or fade. In the end, that was the fatal flaw. When the round was over, my partner agreed that I should play the Nicklaus. The deciding factor was that Poppy Hills DEMANDS right to left from the tee on five holes. Poppy Hills also DEMANDS left to right on six holes.

I usually play Palo Alto Muni and Shoreline in Mountain View. Neither course is a difficult driving course. You can get by with straight or right to left at either course with a small penalty for left to right ball flight. Preparing for a tournament at Poppy Hills got me thinking about the difference between public and "tournament" golf courses. The great golf courses DEMAND right to left or left to right on almost every hole. If you play municipal courses as a steady diet, it's easy to become complacent about forcing yourself to develop a driving game that "goes both ways".

The first day of the Four Ball was encouraging. It was good driving day. I scored 73 on my ball (best ever at Poppy). Sixty three on the best ball. Since I was still a little inexperienced with the Nicklaus driver, I went with right to left all the way around. I had a couple of long approaches on the holes with doglegs right. Being on the wrong side of the fairway cost me bogies on thirteen and sixteen. I resolved to change that on the second day.

Day two was one of the most satisfying driving days I've ever had. I made the ball go left to right on the holes that favored that pattern and right to left on the others. I left a couple of drives in the right rough which I attributed to being unfamiliar with trying to fade the Nicklaus. I began to imagine playing from a specific location in the fairway. In almost fifty years of golf, I've never been able to think about playing with that degree of precision. I managed a 76 with a three "bonehead" plays. Team best ball 64. Four strokes from the bronze medal. Chuck and I resolved to try again next year.

Here's what I learned. The stiffer Nicklaus/Fukijura shaft was a couple of yards longer. The stiffer shaft, combined with the right shape head, produced a more controlled and "workable" ball flight. I find that I like the classic "pear shape" heads - Titleist 975 series and the Nicklaus. I have trouble turning the ball over without the extra bulk out by the toe. I think that's the reason I can't make the Ruger move right to left.

There is a possibility that the Nicklaus was a little longer due to the "cryogenic" freezing process that they advertise. Freezing clubheads at very cold temperatures has the effect of hardening the metal on the clubface. The Distance Caddy revealed a slightly higher ball speed with the Nicklaus driver with the same swingspeed. We'll test this theory next month.

So far, the swingweight issue is unresolved. I still feel like a D-0 is too light, but a very light swingweight, combined with a very light overall weight, might be the key to consistency. The conventional wisdom says that it's easier to keep a heavier club "on plane". This is the reason that better players have opted for the heavier S-400 shafts in their irons and steel shafts in their woods. I think that this is wrong for most amateurs. In two rounds of tournament golf, I never lost control of the driver. No snipes, no popups, no slices. For me, that was a pretty remarkable record. Nevertheless, I'm going to bring the swingweight up to at least D-3 with lead tape centered on the back and see how that works. I still feel that the light overall weight is a great benefit for most amateurs. I'll have some more data from the launch monitors next month.

Finally, I encourage you to book a round at Poppy Hills. When you get there think about every drive. Imagine which way the course wants the ball to go. Think about the advantage of being around the corner to the right on one, five, eight, twelve, thirteen and sixteen. Think about how much distance you cut off of your approaches if you can play right to left on three, five, seven, nine, fourteen and eighteen.

If you can't get to Poppy Hills, think about your own course. Think about the "right" drive on each hole. Wouldn't you have a better chance to score if you could work the ball both ways? Wouldn't your approaches be shorter?

The next time you take a demo driver to the range, don't just blast for the fences. See if you can make the driver "go both ways". If you do, it will take your game to the next level.