March 1 /11

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Winter just won't seem to let up up here in Canada. I'm in the Vancouver area and we just got a 10 cm snowfall (4 inches). Very frustrating when you're wanting to get out onto the course.

I'm anxiously waiting for a Medicus Weighted Driver that I ordered a week ago. I'm going to use it for some experimentation to see if swinging it every day for a bit will help increase my swing speed. Plus, I want to get my golfing muscles in shape for the Spring Season. I'll use the Swing Speed Radar to monitor my swing speed.

Click on any of the following Newsletter topics or just scroll down the page:

Groovy Golf -- Backspin and Grooves
Distance & Club Length -- Optimum Length Golf Club
How to Build an Inexpensive Stimpmeter
Two Different Club Ranges -- Know yours!
Intermediate Focus Review these principles before playing in 2011.

Going away on a golf holiday with a group? Need a golf draw that pairs each player with each other player exactly once? or twice? or not at all? I have developed draws that meet those requirements. Take a look at them by CLICKING HERE, Golf Draws.

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Groovy Golf-- Backspin & Grooves

Do the grooves on the face of a golf club produce backspin?

What's all the hype about the USGA's new groove rules?

The backspin is created by the balls compression on the clubface. This occurs between the time of impact and the moment of separation from the clubface. The clubs swing path and type of head rotation sees the ball mashed into the clubface.

High-speed photography has verified that the ball "squishes" against the surface of the club. The friction between the club face and the ball is what creates the backspin in the same way that throwing a ball at an angle towards the ground will cause the ball to spin.

The more loft the greater the backspin. The grooves have no influence on the launch angle or backspin on the ball. Well known club designer Ralph Maltby built a set of irons with no face grooves at all and played with them extensively to prove this point to disbelievers.

In the mid 1980's the USGA undertook extensive groove type testing and concluded that in dry conditions it was loft, not grooves that put backspin on the ball. These tests were a follow-up of the tests done by Cochran & Stobbs published in the 1968 classic, "Search for the Perfect Swing"

In 1968, researchers weren't sure about the exact interaction between the ball and clubface at impact. There was speculation that the ball skid up the clubface, gaining backspin during the slide. Now that we have awesome technology, that question as been answered. View the slow motion video below.

So what is the function of the club's grooves? They are like the treads of car tires. Tires with no treads would work perfectly well on dry roads. However, we need them to work in the wet as well. The treads channel away water so that the rubber of the tire stays in contact with the road. The treads prevent "hydroplaning."

Clubfaces without grooves work fine in dry conditions but with water and grass in the way, the grooves allow some of the trapped materials to be moved from the collision zone. Without grooves you may get a high flyer with less spin and in this instance the ball does in fact run up the face - it actually skids up the face on the lubricating water and/or grass.

Don't bother buying one of those "groove sharpeners" that are advertised. They'd only make a slight difference from the rough and/or when it's wet. And, do you know how long you need to grind those grooves with that little tool to make any kind of difference? Golf club metal is really hard!!

Power Meter measures Swing Speed

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Distance & Golf Club Length

What's the optimum length of a golf club?

Firstly, what's the major function of the golf club: distance, accuracy or both?

The length of the arms is the prime determinant of swing speed: the longer the arms, the greater the swing speed and resultant distance. A common misconception is that club length alone is used to define the arc length of the swing. An analysis of PGA Tour players found a positive correlation between driving distance and player height. It is also well known that tall people tend to have longer arms as well.

Therefore, assuming a 37 inch iron length and an arm length of 24 inches, the actual radius arc length in your golf swing is 61 inches. This means that a 1/2 inch change in club length (standard for a set of clubs) results in a radius arc length change of only 1/122nd or 0.82%. A 1 inch change in club length results in a change of only 1/61 or 1.63%. As you can see, these fractional increases will not produce a measurable change in swing speed.

Testing at the Iron Golf Research and Testing Labs has shown that the highest level of power generated by a golfer is with the iron that they are most comfortable with (their favorite iron). Even though this favorite iron may be 2 inches shorter than their #3 or #4 iron the golfer is able to generate more power because the shorter club length properly fits them and allows for their optimal swing posture and swing plane that maximizes both skeletal and muscular functions. This favorite iron is the only one in the bag that comes close to fitting properly and is the one that their body naturally gravitates to in order to produce its highest level of power and control.

It is the loft of the iron that determines the distance that it flies. The 3 inch difference in the length of the 3-iron and 9-iron results in a very small difference in club speed. It is the significantly lower loft that produces the much great distance of the 3-iron.

Testing of hundreds of golfers (including professional golfers) has shown that the highest swing speed with an iron is attained when you are hitting your favorite iron. Every time you switch to an incrementally longer or shorter iron your swing speed will decrease. The reason for this is that you have the greatest degree of confidence with your favorite iron (the only one in the bag that comes close to actually fitting you properly) and this high confidence level allows you to make your most fluid and powerful swing. Every time you move up or down one or two clubs (increasing or decreasing club length from your "favorite") your confidence level decreases and you will unconsciously slow down your swing in order to make good ball contact. This decrease in confidence level translates directly into the unconscious decrease in swing speed and applied power.

Since a set of 1 Irons are custom built to fit you properly you will experience an overall increase in power as well as a decided increase in your control and accuracy. You will be as comfortable with your #3 and #4 iron as you are with your #9 iron or wedges and you will gain distance and accuracy with every iron in your set over your old irons.

Developing consistent ball striking with a conventional set of irons is difficult as they have varying club lengths and lie angles. Thus, there are a multitude of different swing plans that the golfer must feel comfortable with to play consistently well. Most golfers tend to have a favourite club. For most, it is a 7-iron. What's yours? Each iron in a 1 Iron Set of Clubs has the same length, the same weight and the same lie angle. Thus, there is only ONE SWING!

There is an old saying:

"Beware of the man with only one gun - he knows how to use it"

I've been playing with a set of 1 Iron clubs for 4 years now. I'll never turn back to a conventional set. Every club feels the same. I play the ball in the same position for all clubs. I hit all the irons the same distance as I did my old, conventional set.

If you're contemplating a new set of clubs this year, I'd highly recommend that you become "unconventional!" You only need one gun.

Go to the 1 Iron website to learn more and order here. Enter the code 10504 and receive a complimentary set of club covers worth $25. Email me after your purchase and I'll send you a copy of my Golf Driver Distance Calculator ($25 value) and my popular Golf Tips of reading greens, elevation changes and playing the wind ($39 value).

Build a Stimpmeter for cheap!

Ever wonder how fast your greens are? It's quite simple to make your own stimpmeter to measure the speed.

Quite simply, a stimpmeter is a simple ramp. You roll the ball down the ramp, the ball rolls across the green until it stops. The distance that the ball rolls is called the Stimp Reading. A Stimp of 10.5 feet means the ball rolls 10.5 feet once leaving the Stimpmeter ramp. A Stimp of 10.5 feet would be considered medium to fast.

I've created an entire page on my site dedicated to the Stimpmeter. Follow this link: How to Make a Stimpmeter

Trying to find answers on my website? Here's how.

1. Go to my Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. There's a link to it on my pages from the left hand menu near the top of the page, just below the Search icon. It's called "FAQs." You then click on the graphic icon and you'll be taken to my database page. For your convenience, here it is:
FAQ

I've answered hundreds of questions over the past 6 years and have created a fairly large database. You can search it out. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, submit a question and I'll answer it.

2. On all of my web pages, there is a search feature in the top left section, right underneath my LOGO. Just place your search keywords in the search box, select "This Site" below it, and then press "Search." What will come up is a Google search of the pages on my site with relevance. You can also search the entire internet by selecting "Web" instead.
Go to my main page now: Home or just check the top left menu of this page.

3. Also, directly under the Google Search area, you'll find a pop down menu called "Your Topic." Select the topic of interest and press "Go."

I would suggest you bookmark my main page and/or your specific areas of interest so that you can find them easily in the future. On each page at the very top, there is a link you can click on:
"Click here to add this page to your favourites"

Hope you find all you're looking for.

You can learn more from NEW Titleist Pro-V1 by clicking HERE.

Ken Tannar