Thursday, June 3, 2010

Considering Custom Fitted Golf Clubs

If you are thinking about investing in a set of custom fitted clubs, here are some things to think about:

Every golfer's physical capability and swing is distinctive. Many of today's best golf clubs can be custom fit for lie angle, shaft type and length, grip type and size. Custom fitting golf clubs involves several easy measurements and a quick self-assessment of your game. This custom golf club has become more than a fad that even not so professional golfers test its waters.

Custom fitting is the process for tailoring a golf club to suit your personal swing.

Whatever your level, with a custom golf club the aim is to ensure that if you do make a good swing, the club will be square at impact and should produce a straight shot.

Custom Golf Club How To's:

To custom fit your golf clubs, you need to know: your gender (male or female); your height in your stockings or socks; the distance from your wrist (where it bends) to the floor with your shoes off; your age; your handicap or skill level; how fast you swing a golf club; what club you use at the 150 yard marker.

Gender is used to put you into the correct fitting scale for custom golf clubs. The golf industry uses different definitions of "standard length" for men and women.

Your height and the distance in inches from your wrist to the floor are used together to determine the length of a custom golf club that is appropriate for you. The starting point for club length can vary up to 3 ½-inch ranging from ladies to men plus 1 ½-inch. A tall person with long arms can very easily require shorter clubs than an average height person with short arms. About 80 percent of golfers are standard length.

Your age, handicap (if you happen to have one), self-assessed skill level, estimated golf swing speed and club you use at the 150 yard marker are all combined to determined the custom golf club's shaft flex that is appropriate for you.

Custom fitting can fix your slice. If you slice the ball it means that the toe of the club is leading into the ball which opens the face of the club. That may be down to a swing fault, but it could be because the club is too flat. So as part of the custom fitting process you can make the custom golf club more upright to help with this. This will mean that the toe of the club will be slightly off the ground at address to compensate.

There are different methods of fitting according to custom golf club manufacturers but ultimately they are all trying to improve your game. To begin with simple measurements such as wrist-to-floor, height and hand size are taken and will point you to the right size club and at what angle it should be to the ground. Then you will take a club and hit some balls. One method is to place impact tape on the bottom of the custom golf club and an impact board on the floor.

As you hit the ball the board will leave a mark on the tape showing whether the heel or the toe of the custom golf club is striking the floor first. The resulting mark will show whether the club face needs to be flatter or more upright. Then things get a bit more advanced. Analysis equipment can measure everything from your club speed to the side spin of the ball so that you can get maximum distance from your shot. You can also measure the launch angle of the ball, how much backspin you generate and impact efficiency - all which affect distance. The angle in which the custom golf club approaches the ball and the sidespin of it can help fix your game too.

Rather than bringing down your old clubs, it might be better to start from scratch. It's a big misconception that custom fitting is only for good golfers. Anyone can benefit. That said, if you plan to upgrade a new set of clubs with the same manufacturer they may be able to adjust your old set to become custom golf clubs.

Custom fitting won't cure all your bad shots. Coaching will sort that out. But if you do make a good swing, then the custom golf club will arrive correctly at impact and should produce a straight shot at your target. That alone will save shots during a round.

Lastly, custom fitting is often free of charge. But it is usually on the condition that you buy some clubs once you've been fitted. So it really depends on what your budget is. If you're prepared to buy a new set of clubs it's definitely worth getting fitted.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Finding Golf Bags for Beginner Golfers

You might be a golf beginner looking for your first set of golf clubs and equipment or a pro shopping for upgrades, but all will agree that golf bags are essential in the game. Next to golf clubs, a golf bag is one of the most important golfing equipment there is.

It is considered a necessity. A good golf bag will lessen your worries on the golf course, (i.e. all your clubs are in their proper place) and you can focus on your teeing.

If you're a beginner golfer, then golf bags are definitely a must. However, there are things that you should know before going to the nearest golf store and buying a golf bag on impulse. First, there are two types of golf bags? carry bags and cart bags.

Carry bags are golf bags that are used when you are planning to have a lot of walking on the golf course. Cart golf bags are those that you use when walking is not possible (as some golf courses prohibit walking), and riding a golf cart is your option. A beginner golfer will most definitely buy a walking bag at first, although if you are a serious beginner of the game, then you will eventually buy both types of golf bags.

If you are a newbie in the game, you might ask "What is a golf bag for? I only have four golf clubs." A golf bag is a functional equipment rather than a fashion statement. It is not just for your golf clubs, but it can also hold your other golf equipment and accessories. Some advanced golf bags even have pocket coolers that can keep your drink ice-cold even for hours! You might want to consider that, especially when you will buy a carry golf bag.

When buying a golf bag, especially a carry golf bag, find a comfortable one. One should check the straps to see if it fits comfortably and whether it can be carried easily. Remember that your golf bag will be one of your trusted companions on the greens, and that you will spend hours with it. So choose wisely. Don't buy low quality bags, because you will end up purchasing another bag in the next few months if your old golf bag tears up. You should also buy your golf bag depending on the number of golf clubs that you have. Most golf bags can carry up to 15 golf clubs. A tournament however limits the number of golf clubs in your golf bag.

Another important thing to consider when purchasing a golf bag is its weight. This is one of the most important things to know. Golf bags should be light enough to be carried or carted easily, but sturdy enough to hold your clubs and protect them. Some golf bags are even water resistant, and are rain proofed for the protection of your clubs. Most of these golf bags have 8 or 9 dividers or pockets. Again, the number of dividers that you will need depend on the amount of clubs and accessories you will carry. If you have many golf clubs then choose a golf bag with many dividers. However, these types of golf bags have the tendency to be heavier. Some bags can weigh less than 5 pounds! These types of bags are made up of space-age materials such as graphite, however, they more expensive.

Remember that when buying golf bags, the lighter it is, the better and more comfortable it will be.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

History of the Callaway Golf Club

Here's a nice article about the history of Callaway clubs:

The Callaway golf club is one of the most popular and also reliable types of golf club in the market today. There are so many people (particularly retired men) that are fascinated with golf today and it is no wonder why the Callaway golf club is now in the peak of success in the world of golf clubs.

The Callaway Golf club is headed by Ely Callaway. He bought half of Hickory Stick USA and renamed it Callaway Hickory Stick USA. After purchasing it, he decided to hire the best people that would be an instrument in supporting his dream of Callaway golf club. He hired Richard C. Helmstetter to be the Chief Club Designer and this as others would say is the point of no return. The designs for Callaway golf club are truly revolutionary and innovative which is why the Callaway golf club is dubbed as the type of golf club that is unique and also high-performance kind golf equipment. After that, Ely Callaway renamed his company into Callaway Golf and then relocated from Cathedral City, California to a sleepy seaside town called Carlsbad, which is just north of San Diego.

One of the most innovative designs that the firm came up with was to create a stainless steel driver that had a larger and more forgiving head than any previous design. The CEO, Callaway dubbed it as “Big Bertha” which was derived from a German cannon back in WWI which was famous for its capability of shooting long distance range. This type of design was the one that made Callaway golf club a house hold name in the states because it experienced millions of sales and the Big Bertha type of Callaway golf club was the reason why Callaway became the number one manufacturer of golf clubs not only in the US but in the whole world which shows how popular golf is to the whole world.

At present, there are six classifications of the Callaway Golf club. The first classification is the drivers which are comprised of two models which are the Big Bertha Fusion FT4 and Big Bertha Titanium 454. The next classification of Callaway golf club is called the Fairway Woods. Fairway Woods have three types of clubs which are Big Bertha Fusion Fairway Woods, Big Bertha Titanium Fairway Woods, and Big Bertha Fairway Woods. The next classification of the Callaway golf club is a hybrid which is designed for long and distant shots. The model for this type of Callaway golf club is called Big Bertha Heavenwood Hybrids. The next classification is called irons which are divided into five types of models and these are Big Bertha, Big Bertha Fusion, X-Tour, X-18, and X-18 Pro. Another classification of the Callaway golf club would be the wedges and the model here is called Forged+ Wedges. The last classification for Callaway golf club is called the Putters. The Putters have two models in its classification which a re Callaway golf I-Trax Putter and tour Blue.

The classification and models of Callaway Gold Club mentioned above are the ones that the firm manufactures. All of these models were made in the lieu with science, research, and practice. All of these models are worth a try and who knows? You might be the next Tiger Woods in the world of golf.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Welcome to Putting Systems

Welcome to Putting Systems. I'm an amatuer player, but I'm almost fanatical about getting better. I took golf up at a later age so I'm playing catch up right now. I'm very competitive, so I'm committed to improve to the point where I can successfully compete with my friends who have been playing longer.

Unfortunately, I swing a club like a swing a baseball bat, which doesn't seem to be a good fit. I'm guessing that I'm going to have to start taking lessons.

Over time, I'll probably post different articles I can find and golf related stuff that catches my eye. Why did I choose Putting Systems as the name? Two reasons:

  1. Most all golf related blog names are already taken
  2. I'm definitely going to need a putting system to get better.

In the meantime, thanks for reading.