Equipment 

Section one: Basic equipment knowledge.

There are many forms of custom fitting. Firstly we would like to identify the difference between club making and custom fitting.

At all Option Golf Equipment service centres we offer the following:

Club making: Is where we take all the different components and build you a club or set of clubs that have been tested and approved for your individual swing style by a qualified club fitter. So everything, including the bending of lie angle, shaft cutting, weighting, fixing, lengthening adjustment, grip sizing, shaft spinning etc are all customised to your needs.  

Custom fitting: This is the testing part where the systems are used to test whether the club is suited to you or not. At Option Golf Equipment we like the phrase “Try before you buy”. Each one of our shops is situated on a driving range so we have most of the clubs in demo form for you to try. Our indoor shops are all fitted with the latest Launch Monitors for accurate fitting. Each range has a qualified Custom fitter to help guide you through the testing process. Lie angle testing, grip sizing, shaft spinning, weighting shaft flex and bending profiles are all standard procedures at Option Golf service centres.

Shafts: The shaft is the engine room of the golf club. It's much more important than what most people would think. Shafts have the biggest influence when it comes to creating the proper ball flight.

 

The proper ball flight is when the ball flies with a parabolic flight.

Not with a low to high or a high to low flight. The low to high flight is wasting to much energy going up and not forward. This is because there is too much spin on the ball.

The ball that launches high enough and then seems to fall out the sky is due to not enough spin which causes the failure of the ball staying in the air.

Each shaft on the market has its own special bending profile, weight, torque and flex which causes the ball to fly differently. Finding the shaft that is suited to your swing is vital. 

Heads:

When choosing the right head we have to take the following into consideration:

1. Loft:
The Loft of the driver is one of the main factors behind the correct launch angle. Choosing the right Loft of the driver is very important. No1 Importance is to make sure that the loft of the driver suits your swing. It’s a myth that a 9 degree goes farther than a 12 degree. What you are looking for is the driver that is going give you the correct launch angle. Each golfer has his own personal angle of attack into the ball. So don’t be afraid to try a 12 or 14 degree driver for a higher launch and more carry.

The Ideal launch angle depends on your speed.

80 – 95 mph     = 15 – 16 degree launch
95 – 105 mph   = 14 – 15 degree launch
105 – 115 mph = 12 – 14 degree launch

Again depending on your angle of attack, the drives loft should give you the optimum launch angle.

2. Impact:
To maximise the launch angle and energy transfer we have to make sure that the centre of the ball makes contact above the centre of the driver.

If you have any other questions on how the head of the club affects ball flight contact us at inquiry@JD427.com.


Iron Heads:

There are 5 main designs in all iron heads. Each manufacturer will follow the following weight distributions.

Muscle back
The muscle back iron is also referred to as a Blade. Basically it has no cavity and no specific weight distribution. It is often the preferred iron head by better players and pro’s as it does not assist them with a specific ball flight. A blade is more for players who are good ball strikers and prefer to use there skill to maneuver the ball.

Peripheral weighted
Peripheral weighted iron heads is when there is a cavity cut into the back of the head. The weight is distributed all around the back of the head. This allows for more forgiveness on off centred hits. These are great for the better player who does not need a specific weight distribution and prefers to use his skill to shape the ball but is looking for more forgiveness on off centred hits.  

Low center of gravity
With low center of gravity irons the manufacturers create a cavity in the back of the iron but concentrate the weight in the centre and low down on the club head. This is more for golfers that tend to hit the ball too low. The low centre of gravity allows the club to get the ball up in the air easier.

High centre of gravity 
With the high centre of gravity irons the manufacturers create a cavity in the back of the iron but concentrate weight in the centre of the club head. This is more for golfers that tend to hit the ball too high. The high centre of gravity allows for lower shots. Golfers tend to hit these a little farther as there is more weight directly behind the ball. But be warned, they are not that forgiving.

Toe heal balanced
A toe heal balance iron is where the manufacturer has concentrated the weight on the toe and heal of the club. This is purely for forgiveness with off centred hits. These are great for people starting out and learning the game. This does not mean it’s for beginners only. Many pro’s use toe heal balance iron heads. So if you looking for more forgiveness this head is for you.

If you are interested in more club making details, look out for our weekly Equipment news letter that will cover all aspects of Custom fitting and club making. Click here to subscribe to our weekly Newsletter.