Editorial:
The PGA Trade Show Signals the Start of a New Golfing Season
The highlight of the year for me is my annual pilgrimage to Orlando to attend the PGA Merchandising Show. This is the "Greatest Show On Earth" as far as the golf industry is concerned. Smaller golf trade shows take place around the world during the year but if you want first-hand info on any new technology and an insight into the golfing trends for the coming season then Orlando in January is the place to be. The Orange County Convention Centre housed a kaleidoscope of new products from 1200 exhibitors, whilst the Demo Day at the Orange County National Golf Centre allowed attendees like myself to test hit all their new models of clubs and shafts. The PGA Merchandising Show is where I get the opportunity to talk shop with current suppliers and emerging companies so that Applied Golf Technology (AGT) can continue to provide our customers with state-of-the art custom-fit clubs and specialist equipment advice.
KZG has recently introduced two new models of cast irons to complement their award-winning range of forged irons. The PC-III and OC-x1 provide performance and quality at a price everyone can afford.
The Scottish Golf Union and the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association sprung a surprise on the Scottish golfing public at the start of this season, by introducing the R&A's "Condition of Competition" to their national amateur tournaments in relation to driving clubs. For those players who are uncertain as to what it all means, an explanation of this ruling is given below.
AGT is proud to announce its co-sponsorship of the 2005 Scottish Champion of Champions event to be played over Leven Links. This provides AGT with a wonderful opportunity to introduce the Miura and KZG brand names to Scotland's top amateur players.
Feature ArticleAttack Angle . The Secret To Long Driving
Introduction
Most golfers are unfamiliar with the term "attack angle". Out of those who have heard of the term before, very few will know what it actually means or how important it is to achieving their optimum driving distance. In my experience as a club-fitter, few amateur golfers understand attack angle but the tour pros certainly do and for them, attack angle is the key to optimising their launch conditions for maximum distance off the tee. In fact attack angle is so important, it could very well be considered the secret to long driving.
As the clubhead approaches the ball at impact, the angle between the moving clubhead sole and the ground is termed the attack angle. If the clubhead is moving parallel to the ground then the attack angle is zero degrees. If the clubhead is moving at an angle upwards, away from the ground prior to impact, then this is termed a positive attack angle. If the clubhead is moving at an angle downwards towards the ground at impact then this is termed a negative attack angle. When playing irons a negative attack angle or downward blow to the ball is the key to achieving a solid strike with good backspin. However when driving the ball from a tee, a positive attack angle is necessary in order to achieve your ideal launch conditions for maximum distance.
Improving Your Driving PerformanceWhat determines how far you drive the ball off the tee is your combination of initial ball speed, launch angle and spin rate. These are known collectively as your driver launch conditions. A centre strike will maximise your ball speed which in turn determines your ideal launch angle and spin rate. The lower your ball speed the higher you will have to launch the ball for optimum carry. Players with the ability to achieve long distances off the tee generally have a launch angle of around 3 or 4 degrees higher than the loft of their driver. There are several ways of achieving this but only one method is efficient and therefore desirable. Launching the ball high is one thing, but launching the ball high with a powerful penetrating flight is considerably more difficult to achieve unless you know how. You can launch the ball higher than the loft of your driver by hitting the ball high on the clubface, but this loses ball speed. You may be letting the clubhead pass your hands prior to impact or perhaps you may be opening the face of the driver at impact, thus increasing dynamic loft. All of these methods of increasing launch angle are undesirable. Good players will use a positive attack angle to achieve their ideal launch conditions. If you are using a 10 degree lofted driver and have a zero attack angle, then your launch angle will only be around 9 degrees. This will result in a low ball trajectory with a significant loss of distance. If on the other hand your attack angle is +4 degrees then your launch angle will be around 13 degrees which should gain you significant distance. In some cases this can amount to 15 yards or more, so it is definitely well worth considering.
To achieve a positive attack angle, your upper body must remain behind the ball at impact. All too often, amateur players get ahead of the ball at impact, which makes a positive attack angle almost impossible to achieve. These players generally have to tee the ball low for fear of skying it off the top edge of their driver clubface. In order to improve their launch angle some of these players will change to a more lofted driver. However this extra loft can result in a reduction of ball speed, an increase in spin rate and, in the case of powerful hitters a soaring ball flight .... all of which can lose vital distance rather than gain any.
At AGT, we can now measure your attack angle for the first time, using a swing analyser acquired at the recent PGA Trade Show in Orlando. Then, with our launch monitor and exclusive ball trajectory software, we can demonstrate to you how this impacts on your driving distance. By improving your attack angle and optimising your driver specifications we will show you how to achieve your ideal launch conditions. In 2002 we were the first to introduce launch monitor driver-fitting into Scotland and we are the first again to complement this with attack angle measurement. So if you are keen to optimise your driving performance this season, then a launch monitor session at Applied Golf Technology is a great place to start. The price is £35 for a 1 hour session. To book an appointment you can contact us in the usual manner.
Product News :KZG Extends Their Range of Irons
KZG are renowned for their range of award-winning forged irons. This year they have introduced two new models of cast irons which should appeal to players who are looking for quality clubs at a lower price than forgings.
The PC-III irons are a cast version of the highly successful KZG Forged Evolution irons. Their progressive cavity design offers maximum forgiveness in the longer irons where it is needed, together with workability and the feel of blades in the shorter irons. KZG's team of metallurgists and engineers have spent years developing proprietary alloys necessary for high performance castings with the qualities necessary for easy adjustability for custom-fitting. This gives the PC-III irons the "feel of forged" preferred by most golfers.
The OC-x1 is a beautifully crafted game improvement iron, cleverly incorporating the KZG logo into its innovative sole design. Its oversize clubhead has a large sweet spot with maximum perimeter weighting for added forgiveness on any off-centre strikes. This is an ideal beginners club and one which should appeal to any golfer who suffers from inconsistent ball striking. Its lower centre of gravity should improve the ball trajectory of those lady players who take very little or no turf on their iron shots.
With the introduction of these two new models, together with the existing MC-II, KZG now offer a range of high performance cast irons to suit most players irrespective of ability or personal preference.
Know The Rules :Is Your Driver On the R&A's Non-Conforming List ?
For practical reasons, the R&A has introduced their new Pendulum Test in place of the previous COR Test as a means of measuring driver spring-like effect. A driver with a pendulum test time of greater than 257 microseconds will be deemed non-conforming and placed on the R&A's List of Non-conforming Driver Heads. This list is currently published and regularly updated on the R&A website www.randa.org
At present, pro tournaments and some national amateur events for skilled players do not allow players to carry a driver which is on this non-conforming driver list. The penalty for non-compliance is disqualification. The Scottish Golf Union and the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association have introduced this new ruling for their national amateur events as of 2005. If this "Condition of Competition" applies to a particular amateur event, then it will be clearly stated on the application form. The R&A is currently compiling a list of conforming driver heads, and as of January 2006 the "Condition of Competition" will be re-worded to ensure that competitors are carrying only drivers which are on this new Conforming Driver Head List. For other amateur event, where this "Condition of Competition" does not apply, players can use non-conforming drivers up until January 2008.
If you are currently playing a non-conforming driver and are considering making a change in the near future then you should definitely consider changing to the award-winning KZG Gemini driver, offering improved accuracy and control over your current driver with no compromise in distance. The Gemini has been tested by the R&A and the USGA and is definitely conforming. So you can buy a Gemini safe in the knowledge that you will be able to play with it for as long as you choose to do so. In fact you may like it so much that it may well be the last driver you ever want to buy. Think of the money that will save you in future. For more information on the Gemini driver, check out our KZG products page or contact us in the usual way.
Footnote :Back Issues
The two previous back issues will be kept on-line for reference purposes (see links below) and, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions for future subject material, then please don't hesitate to contact us by e-mail. Reader input / feedback will always be most welcome.
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