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Golf Equipment Chronicles 2007 (Part 6)

A Season to Improve - Dreams don’t get it done.

By Leith Anderson

The New Year has always had double significance for me since my birthday is January first. There’s something about rolling into a New Year - whether it’s your birthday or the calendar - that makes you think about “New Year’s Resolutions.”.For those of us who are golfers and over forty, there’s the temptation to declare that this is the year that we’ll reverse the trends of ageing. That desire is expressed in all sorts of hopeful ways like vowing to squeeze a couple of strokes out of your handicap or getting your name on the leader board again. Alas, we also know that improving our game is going to require work - that’s the downside. When it comes to “doing the work” we’d all rather plan on starting in a month or two.

New Year’s resolutions aren’t so bad - unless you tell someone about them. Witnesses are dangerous. They remind you of your commitments - and your failures if you don’t succeed. We’re embarrassed when we set goals and then don’t complete them. Americans are all about getting the job done.

Golfers who have been playing a long time don’t like changing their swings. So we set up an impossible hurdle. We make plans to improve - but then don’t change our methods. Here’s a fact to contemplate: The definition of insanity is to expect different results but refuse to change your methods.

There’s another problem. Golf swings are personal. Talking to someone about changing your golf swing is like stepping out of the shower into a crowded locker room. There’s nothing to hide. All of those past sins are on display for everyone to see.

I’ve been noticing a trend lately among the serious players at the Palo Alto Muni Golf Club. Some of my old friends have admitted that they’re taking lessons. Jimmy and Craig were the latest. Whether that’s evidence of desperation, I can’t say for sure. But slipping a couple of strokes in a season makes you focus on the possibility of premature mortality. Even the Golf Lab’s own Fuji Bob is working with his Stanford mentor. For my part, I’ve begun to accumulate an assortment of videos and find myself reading the small print on advertising for training aids. Maybe the first step is contemplating a “do it yourself” project. So far, I’ve stopped short of making the declaration that “I’m setting goals for 2007.”

It would be much easier to just go back to the shop and build my next set of “Magic Clubs”. That would put me in tune with the method that most amateurs define as “game improvement” - buy a new set of clubs and hope that their game will improve. But if those new clubs aren’t truly different from other sets you have owned, you have to think through that definition of insanity. To prove I’m still eager to take the easy way out, I found a way to get my hands on the new Nike SUMO drivers for some on-course experience. If there is a single golf club that is different enough to cut your handicap by two strokes in 2007, it has to be the new SUMO. If you can’t wait, have a look at my review elsewhere in Golf Today for my “first look” at 2007’s most interesting new product - so far. After all, we’re trying to put off the “moment of truth” as long as possible.

The Role of a “Practice Buddy”

Those of us who grew up in the 50’s and 60’s learned golf differently than most of the kids today. There were no videos, no $100 per hour coaches and a visit to the driving range was like going on vacation. The most important tournament of the summer was the caddie championship at the Hinsdale Country Club. We learned our golf in backyards, the football field and the park.

My practice buddy was Mike Wise. To this day, he’s the best putter I ever knew - due to the fabulous greens at Hinsdale C.C. We played hundreds of rounds together - constantly critiquing each other’s swing. We were good enough for those days, winning the Illinois state high school team championship as precocious sophomores 1961. The next two years we were the favorites in our own minds. (That was my first introduction to the jinx - and disappointment - of thinking that you’re the favorite.).I was a little better for him than he was for me. He ended up winning the small college championship in 1967 before becoming a Zen Buddhist priest. For my part, the only recognition I got in college was “most improved” at Stanford.

Practice buddies are hard to find. You’ve got to have a lot of confidence in him - or her. Your practice buddy needs to be at least as good as you are and you have to be friends so you want to help each other. I can’t help thinking about Lee Trevino’s response when asked why he never hired a coach. “I’ll hire a coach as soon as I can find one who can beat me.”.And then, you’ve got to play a lot of golf together and that’s another tough hurdle for most of us these days. Your practice buddy has to tell the truth. When you make a bad swing, that’s what you’ve got to hear, together with the “fix”. For the last few years, my practice buddy was the Irishman - but he moved back to the East Coast.

The final qualification is that you’ve got to trust your practice buddy. When you step out of the shower, he won’t laugh.

The Essence of Improvement - Commitment

For the last couple of years, I’ve avoided tedious practice. It didn’t seem to hurt too much. Last year, I managed to cover up lack of commitment with some pretty good thinking, great golf clubs and “Mornings at the Muni” on-course practice sessions. Plus, I wasn’t exactly playing the toughest competition. This year, I spent a lot of time on the road with the Golf Lab Tour Van and didn’t really play much competition. But I’m not ready to give up competing and trying to improve - as preposterous as that might sound for a guy who is going to have his sixty-second birthday before you read this.

Last summer, I worked with Eric Jones in presenting his “Tournament Players’ School”. That was an interesting idea, focused on psychology, visualization, and practice techniques aiming to help players do better in competition. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t always cooperate. Nevertheless, it got me thinking about preparing for competition by doing the work.

That experience, together with working with Eric for over three years at the Golf Lab and Poppy Ridge lead us to a discussion of how to create a program for improvement that would really work. Eric has a personal interest as well. At 48, he’s a couple of years short of the magic age when he will have a chance to grab a solid gold ring on the Senior Tour. He’s got a lot of work to do himself. Qualifying for the Senior Tour would be a fabulous accomplishment.

The Game Improvement Program

Here’s what I plan to do. Notice, I’ve just progressed to that “Resolution” mode. Chronicles readers will be my witnesses. This is my point of no return - making the commitment - and making it public.

I know that I need a relationship with a teaching professional who I respect for his ability and experience. I’m not too interested in working with a guy who can’t play. I might be a little like Lee Trevino in that respect. Eric certainly qualifies. He played on the Stanford team and was an assistant coach after he graduated. Lightening struck in 2003 when he entered a local long drive competition and ended up winning the world senior championship. That was a great story. He won it with his last ball by 29 inches. He has continued to compete in long drive tournaments - winning an open division competition defeating a giant - Carl Wolter in the finals. That’s never been done by a senior before.

I also know that I’m not really interested in a program that only involves a lesson every week or two. I don’t think that’s enough to get it done. I want a guy who will work on my technique with all of the modern video gizmos, but I also want a guy who is willing to go outdoors with me and watch me hit the ball.

I want more. I want to play golf on a real golf course with a buddy who will to watch me with a professional eye. I want him to help me work my way around a golf course, playing my round under tournament conditions. I want to watch him. I want to know what he’s thinking.

I want him to tell me where he thinks my mistakes come from. Is it setup, swing flaw, club selection, choking, not having the shots?.Then, I want some help working on the specific things that need the most improvement. When it comes time for practice, I want that to be outdoors on a range with real grass, putting greens where you can chip and a short game area with a bunker.

I know it’s going to take some time. It should take several months. I’m expecting to make some swing changes, possibly do some conditioning; certainly learn some shots that I don’t have. How much time?.I can’t imagine a commitment of less than three months.

My goal is to get the work done before the tournament season starts this summer. I’ve never won a point in an NCGA tournament. For me, that would be as big as Eric making the Senior Tour. The proof of success will be better performances this summer.

The Program and the Time Commitment

Here’s an outline of the program that Eric and I came up with. To make the project more interesting and more efficient for Eric, we need two more players who are willing to make a similar commitment. That permits us to have a steady foursome when we get together for a monthly 18 hole round. That’s the first element:.a full round under tournament conditions once a month. Pick a day - maybe the first Monday - always at Poppy Ridge. After the round we spend a couple of hours on the driving range or the short game area, just like the Tour Pros after they complete a tournament round.

We keep the scorecards and a detailed breakdown of each round. Progress will be measured over time.

Each week requires a pilgrimage to Poppy Ridge where Eric is the Director of Instruction and has access to the range and all of the balls you can hit. He’s there all the time except on Thursdays when he teaches at the Golf Lab. The structure at Poppy Ridge is a three or four hour practice session. Eric will be available for specific help and advice, but not a full time one-on-one session.

If the right guys join the group, the practice session would be at the same time for everyone. It could be early in the morning until noon or three in the afternoon until dark. If the group could arrange schedules to be there at the same time there would be a huge benefit. The group could become “Practice Buddies”.

Here’s my minimum commitment:.Four rounds of golf with a discussion and practice session once a month for four months. I assume that will take seven hours.

Then, one scheduled practice session each week for the intervening three weeks. I assume four hours each.

Total it up. Twenty hours a month for four months. Eighty hours of thinking, practicing and playing golf in an organized way. What will that get me?.If I start in February, I can be ready to go for the summer tournament season. Stay tuned to the Chronicles and I’ll report my progress.

Two “Volunteers” Wanted

If this program looks interesting to you. If you are committed to improving your game. If you can schedule your time to free up eighty hours over four months from February until May. Then, get in touch with me at the Golf Lab and we’ll get together for lunch and a round of golf to see if there’s enough chemistry to warrant spend a lot of time together and maybe even become practice buddies. Since Eric Jones is a professional it will be necessary to provide compensation for his time. That amount is yet to be determined.

“Mornings at the Muni” Continue in 2007

I’ve got a less intensive alternative. For the last couple of years I’ve been meeting Golf Lab customers - and some Chronicles readers at the Palo Alto Muni on weekday mornings for nine holes of golf and breakfast.

As soon as the weather gets better, I’m going to renew my senior monthly card. If you want to play a lot of golf for a reasonable price, you can’t beat the Palo Alto Muni deal. For $105 per month, you can play unlimited golf Monday through Thursday. We don’t take the morning rounds too seriously. You get to keep a couple of extra balls in your pocket. If you miss a shot, you can hit it again. Sometimes we’ll play weird games like “Omaha Beach”. On course practice needs to be part of your improvement plan. “Mornings at the Muni” are Dutch Treat. There is no cost or obligation to be a Golf Lab customer. Just show up. But, call a day in advance to make sure that the game is on.

Product Testers Wanted

If you play golf more than once a week. And, if you practice regularly, you might want to join the Golf Lab product tester program. Each season I find a few players who are searching for the perfect clubs to suit their game and are willing to do a lot of experimentation. The qualification is a “Morning at the Muni” round to get acquainted and evaluate a prospect’s current clubs.

For those who join the program, we conduct a complete analysis of the player’s clubs and a complete fitting for no charge. Assuming that there’s room for improvement, we will build a new set of custom clubs - or find a suitable set of custom clubs from our inventory. The tester practices and plays with those clubs. A tester must be willing to join me for a morning at the muni at least once every couple of weeks. That lets us stay in touch and continue to tweak the fit. In some cases, we have worked through several drivers and sets of irons. The players who have joined the program in past years have benefited greatly from the work. And, I have learned a lot from the long-term fitting process.

If you find your “magic clubs” during the program, you can buy them for cost. All you have to do is get up early in the morning.

Is Moveable Weight Technology Obsolete?

We’ve been meeting with a lot of sales representatives at the Golf Lab. They’re bringing out their 2007 lines and we’re having a preview. Some interesting trends are emerging.

The most interesting idea for 2007 is sure to be the “geometry” story. Square drivers from Nike, Callaway and all of the copyists. Meantime, Taylor Made was caught by surprise without a square model. They’ve been working on engineering a 460 cc driver with four weights. They got that done. But, is the moveable weight driver about to go the way of the dodo bird?

The moveable weights are great from a design perspective. When you look at a Taylor Made R5 or R7 from the bottom, it looks like a rocket ship. How could that not blast your drives?.There is no doubt; the Taylor Made drivers look powerful. In contrast, most of the other companies who got into the moveable weight business just provided flat screw holes. No other company picked up on the Taylor Made styling.

There is reason to believe that moveable weights are overrated as a performance element. At the Golf Lab, we have successfully altered backspin by a few hundred RPM by moving the weights forward and back. We have not, however, been able to prove that moving the weights from side to side had a MEASUREABLE and PREDICTABLE effect on performance. Of course, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that some players have felt that changing the weight improved their shot shape.

So the sales rep from Adams showed up in the shop with their 2007 line. Guess what?.No moveable weights. They do, however, have a “weight screw” in most of their clubs that’s primarily a way to change swingweight. The Adams decision, despite the fact that they had two very good moveable weight drivers in 2006, is that the story is over. Their consumer studies indicated that very few players moved the weights more than once and when they did, they had a hard time seeing the results.

So, Adams is going back to a simpler model, working on balance with internal weighting. And, by the way, Adams is not jumping on the square head bandwagon either. Their view is that you can do just as much to promote “resistance to twisting” with more conventional shapes.

Titleist never took the moveable weight bait.

Ditto from Bridgestone. They’re sticking with their current models straight through 2007. If you liked the Bridgestone J33 models and bought one, there will be no reason to change in 2007. They’re not even changing the color.

On the square shape front, there are a lot of companies that are hedging their bets. Tour Edge is out with a square model. It will sell for $199 retail so there will be a cheaper and less radical alternative to the SUMO. You can expect every component company to issue a square model as soon as there’s an indication that consumers are opening their checkbooks for the “Next Big Thing”.

On the Radar Screen

The most exciting month of the year for new equipment is January. All of the companies beat the drums leading up to the giant PGA Merchandise Show at the end of the month. If you want minute-to-minute updates, check into the calgolftech.com website and make sure you’re on our newsletter list. I’ll have a complete preview report in February and my traditional “Behind the Ropes” article about the show in the March issue of Golf Today.

Leith Anderson is a Partner in the Golf Lab, Palo Alto, CA.
He will answer any and all questions relating to club fitting and club making. Contact: Leith@calgolftech.com.