3Jack Golf's PGA Tour Rundown - Week 17

Billy Horschel gets his first Tour victory at the Zurich Classic:



Here’s how my Zurich picks finished:

Justin Rose: 12/1 (t-15th)
Jason Dufner: 16/1 (t-42nd)
Billy Horschel: 28/1 (1st)
Jordan Spieth: 50/1 (MC)
Boo Weekley: 66/1 (t-6th)
D.A. Points: 100/1 (2nd)
Ken Duke: 125/1 (t-21st)
Justin Hicks: 200/1 (MC)
Chez Reavie 250/1 (MC)

Value Picks: Peter Tomasulo 350/1 (t-15th)


Here are my Wells Fargo picks:

Rickie Fowler: 22/1
D.A. Points: 40/1 Lucas Glover: 50/1
Ryan Moore: 66/1
Kevin Stadler: 75/1
Ted Potter, Jr.: 150/1
Brendan Steele: 150/1
Rickie Barnes: 175/1
Jason Kokrak: 175/1

Value Pick: Peter Tomasulo 250/1



DRIVING EFFECTIVENESS



1. Mahan, Hunter
2. Weekley, Boo
3. Rose, Justin
4. Bradley, Keegan
5. Potter, Jr., Ted
6. Streelman, Kevin
7. Spieth, Jordan
8. Duke, Ken
9. DeLaet, Graham
10. Tomasulo, Peter


175. Reed, Patrick
176. Driscoll, James
177. Bradley, Michael
178. Wittenberg, Casey
179. Curtis, Ben
180. Kelly, Troy
181. Herron, Tim
182. Baddeley, Aaron
183. Na, Kevin
184. Weir, Mike


BIRDIE ZONE



1. Gates, Bobby
2. Chappell, Kevin
3. Wi, Charlie
4. Choi, K.J.
5. Noh, Seung-Yul
6. Haley II, Paul
7. Molder, Bryce
8. Clark, Tim
9. Norlander, Henrik
10. Na, Kevin


175. Marino, Steve
176. Thompson, Michael
177. Stefani, Shawn
178. Poulter, Ian
179. Potter, Jr., Ted
180. Watkins, Aaron
181. Romero, Andres
182. Gardiner, Scott
183. Blixt, Jonas
184. Kaymer, Martin


SAFE ZONE



1. Van Pelt, Bo
2. Schwartzel, Charl
3. Mickelson, Phil
4. Curtis, Ben
5. Fisher, Ross
6. Stadler, Kevin
7. Kirk, Chris
8. Harrington, Padraig
9. Sabbatini, Rory
10. Cauley, Bud


175. Presnell, Alistair
176. Jobe, Brandt
177. Ridings, Tag
178. Klauk, Jeff
179. Day, Jason
180. Ernst, Derek
181. Gove, Jeff
182. Senden, John
183. Marino, Steve
184. Herman, Jim


DANGER ZONE



1. Garrigus, Robert
2. Snyder III, Joey
3. Weekley, Boo
4. Watney, Nick
5. Leishman, Marc
6. Harrington, Padraig
7. Tomasulo, Peter
8. Palmer, Ryan
9. Kohles, Ben
10. Beljan, Charlie


175. Meierdierks, Eric
176. Potter, Jr., Ted
177. Claxton, Will
178. Klauk, Jeff
179. Kelly, Troy
180. Hanson, Peter
181. Watkins, Aaron
182. Letzig, Michael
183. Na, Kevin
184. Marino, Steve


SHORT GAME PLAY

1. McDowell, Graeme
2. Leonard, Justin
3. Gove, Jeff
4. Furyk, Jim
5. Els, Ernie
6. Jones, Matt
7. Kelly, Jerry
8. Hoffmann, Morgan
9. Park, Jin
10. Mickelson, Phil


175. Yang, Y.E.
176. Cabrera, Angel
177. Meierdierks, Eric
178. Hoffman, Charley
179. Fisher, Ross
180. Lee, Richard
181. McNeill, George
182. Norlander, Henrik
183. Garrigus, Robert
184. Short, Jr., Wes


PUTTS GAINED

1. Woods, Tiger
2. Ames, Stephen
3. Molder, Bryce
4. Baddeley, Aaron
5. Jacobson, Freddie
6. Chalmers, Greg
7. McDowell, Graeme
8. Na, Kevin
9. Kirk, Chris
10. Potter, Jr., Ted


175. Sabbatini, Rory
176. Maggert, Jeff
177. Ross Fisher
178. Meierdierks, Eric
179. Castro, Roberto
180. Ishikawa, Ryo
181. Claxton, Will
182. Mathis, David
183. Tomasulo, Peter
184. Stanley, Kyle






3JACK

The Road to Golf Club Fitting Nirvana - Part VI

Here's a video I made discussing what I have done so far:



Here's a little bit of notes to keep in mind:

MOI: Total Dynamic Heft of the club.

MOI Balance Index: The relationship of the clubhead's weight and CoG versus the shaft/grip's weight and CoG.

Analogy: Two guys who are 6'2" tall a piece. But, one guy has a 35" inseam and the other has a 30" inseam. MOI is the end result (6'2" tall), MOI Balance Index is relationship of the components (larger legs, smaller torso, etc.).

MOI Balance Indes is a number from 0-100.

>50 = 'clubhead biased'

<50 biased="" grip="" p="" shaft="">
Longer irons will FEEL 'head light.' Shorter irons will FEEL 'head heavy.'

MOI is more important than MOI Balance Index.

Bend Profile is more important than MOI Balance Index.

Regardless of what a golfer's optimal MOI Balance Index is...they will likely have to make the longer irons *feel* heavier in the head and the short irons *feel* lighter in the head in order to make the MOI Balance Index match.

Cannot simply add/subtract weight from the head because it will alter the MOI. Again, MOI is more important than MOI Balance Index.

The SHAFT should change. If the shaft becomes heavier, it makes the head *feel* lighter. If the shaft becomes lighter, it makes the head *feel* heavier.

1-gram of lead tape on clubhead = 10 to 12 MOI points change.

1-gram of lead tape on the balance point on the shaft = 5 MOI points

1-gram on the butt under the grip = 0 MOI points.


3JACK'S 575MMC Pitching Wedge Measurements

 

 

 

 

3JACK

3Jack Golf's PGA Tour Rundown - Week 16

Graeme McDowell wins at Harbour Town:



Here is how my picks finished:

Brandt Snedeker: 14/1 (t-59th)
Jim Furyk: 16/1 (t-42nd)
Matt Kuchar: 16/1 (t-35th)
Luke Donald: 16/1 (t-3rd)
Jason Dufner: 25/1 (t-35th)
Boo Weekley: 33/1 (t-42nd)
Tim Clark: 50/1 (t-24th)
Brian Davis: 50/1 (t-30th)
Brian Stuard: 125/1 (MC)

Value Pick: Colt Knost: 200/1 (MC)

Here are my picks for the Zurich Classic

Justin Rose: 12/1
Jason Dufner: 16/1
Billy Horschel: 28/1
Jordan Spieth: 50/1
Boo Weekley: 66/1
D.A. Points: 100/1
Ken Duke: 125/1
Justin Hicks: 200/1
Chez Reavie: 250/1

Value Pick: Peter Tomasulo 350/1


Here are the latest rankings:

DRIVING EFFECTIVENESS



1. Mahan, Hunter
2. Stenson, Henrik
3. Weekley, Boo
4. Spieth, Jordan
5. Bradley, Keegan
6. Rose, Justin
7. Potter, Jr., Ted
8. Streelman, Kevin
9. Maggert, Jeff
10. Clark, Tim


176. Marino, Steve
177. Noh, Seung-Yul
178. Williams, Lee
179. Curtis, Ben
180. Wittenberg, Casey
181. Kelly, Troy
182. Herron, Tim
183. Baddeley, Aaron
184. Na, Kevin
185. Weir, Mike


BIRDIE ZONE



1. Chappell, Kevin
2. Wi, Charlie
3. Noh, Seung-Yul
4. Haley II, Paul
5. Molder, Bryce
6. Clark, Tim
7. Choi, K.J.
8. Castro, Roberto
9. Na, Kevin
10. Klauk, Jeff


176. Gomez, Fabian
177. Jobe, Brandt
178. Poulter, Ian
179. Romero, Andres
180. Potter, Jr., Ted
181. Marino, Steve
182. Thompson, Michael
183. Gardiner, Scott
184. Blixt, Jonas
185. Kaymer, Martin


SAFE ZONE



1. Van Pelt, Bo
2. Schwartzel, Charl
3. Mickelson, Phil
4. Curtis, Ben
5. Stadler, Kevin
6. Fisher, Ross
7. Harrington, Padraig
8. Rollins, John
9. Cauley, Bud
10. Kirk, Chris


176. Presnell, Alistair
177. Klauk, Jeff
178. Parnevik, Jesper
179. Day, Jason
180. Senden, John
181. Marino, Steve
182. Coetzee, George
183. Gove, Jeff
184. Jobe, Brandt
185. Herman, Jim


DANGER ZONE



1. Garrigus, Robert
2. McIlroy, Rory
3. Kohles, Ben
4. Watney, Nick
5. Weekley, Boo
6. Harrington, Padraig
7. Spieth, Jordan
8. Beljan, Charlie
9. Leishman, Marc
10. Furyk, Jim


176. Noh, Seung-Yul
177. Potter, Jr., Ted
178. Klauk, Jeff
179. Weir, Mike
180. Kelly, Troy
181. Claxton, Will
182. Marino, Steve
183. Hanson, Peter
184. Na, Kevin
185. Meierdierks, Eric


SHORT GAME PLAY

1. Stenson, Henrik
2. McDowell, Graeme
3. Kelly, Jerry
4. Furyk, Jim
5. Leonard, Justin
6. Els, Ernie
7. Mickelson, Phil
8. Curtis, Ben
9. Hoffmann, Morgan
10. Jones, Matt


176. Meierdierks, Eric
177. Sabbatini, Rory
178. Hoffman, Charley
179. LaBelle II, Doug
180. Fisher, Ross
181. Lee, Richard
182. Garrigus, Robert
183. McNeill, George
184. Norlander, Henrik
185. Short, Jr., Wes


PUTTS GAINED

1. Woods, Tiger
2. Ames, Stephen
3. Molder, Bryce
4. Kirk, Chris
5. Chalmers, Greg
6. Baddeley, Aaron
7. Coetzee, George
8. Jacobson, Freddie
9. McDowell, Graeme
10. Na, Kevin


176. Claxton, Will
177. Ishikawa, Ryo
178. Maggert, Jeff
179. Fisher, Ross
180. Tomasulo, Peter
181. Mathis, David
182. Glover, Lucas
183. Meierdierks, Eric
184. Stanley, Kyle
185. Daly, John








3JACK

The Road To Golf Club Fitting Nirvana - Part V

Part I: http://3jack.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-road-to-golf-club-fitting-nirvana.html
Part II: http://3jack.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-road-to-golf-club-fitting-nirvana_3.html
Part III: http://richie3jack.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=blog&action=display&thread=4180
Part IV: http://3jack.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-road-to-golf-club-fitting-nirvana_16.html


In part IV, I disassembled my 4, 5 and 6-irons. I hit my 4 and 6-irons the best and if they were graded as a ‘10’ on a scale of 1-10, my 5-iron would be an 8. When I measured the MOI Balance Index, I found that the 4-iron was at 39.6 and the 6-iron was at 40.5. So, I split the difference and made my target MBI as 40.0. However, I found that my 5-iron was at 44.66 MBI. While this is not way off, it would explain why I don’t hit it quite as well as the other 2 clubs.

For now, I’m planning to take the MBI process slowly since I’m a novice. In this part of the series, I will go over my MBI matching of my new Wishon 575MMC 7-iron (never before assembled).



I will be building myself an entire set of 575MMC’s, 3-iron thru A-Wedge. I will also be buying a new Wishon 919THI driver head and a Wishon 929HS 3-wood. I plan on doing MBI matching to all my clubs, including the standard length Edel Putter that I have.

***

Here are the weight measurements of my components:

Club Head: 266.9 grams

Shaft (Trimmed): 107.1 grams

Grip: 48.3 grams


Here are the initial measurements of the dry assemble:

Total Club Weight: 426.4 grams

Total Club MOI: 2,680 kg/cm^2

While the goal is to get the MOI Balance Index to match (or within 38-42 MBI); it’s more important to match the Total Club MOI and have the right shaft bend profile. I am using the Wishon Stepless Steel shafts in these irons because the bend profile works very well for me.

The software that comes with the MOI Auditor machine calculates that I will need about 5 grams of weight added to the head in order to match the MOI to my optimal MOI of 2,725 kg/cm^2. That’s fine. I have a 4-gram hosel weight. Combine that with about 1-gram for the epoxy when it cures, I should be close to being right on the money.

When I measure the club with the 4-gram hosel weight, here’s the measurements I receive:

Total Club Weight: 430.4 grams

Total Club MOI: 2,724 kg/cm^2

With Total Club MOI, there’s a range of +/- 5 kg/cm^2 that we can work with.

However, the MOI Balance Index comes out to 45.92.

That’s a bit too high as we want it under 42.0. According to the MBI spreadsheet creator, too high of a MBI will usually produce more of an inside-to-out path. Too low of a MBI will create more of a inside-to-out path.

What we know from Doppler Radar Launch Monitors like FlightScope and Trackman is that path angles tend to be very consistent. From discussing this with other clubmakers who have these launch monitors and are very knowledgable about the swing, it does not completely alter the path.

A golfer will not likely go from a rightward path to a leftward path. But, correct MBI helps produce more consistent clubface angles and if can alter the degree of the path direction. For the latter, let’s use the example of a golfer with an outside-to-in path of usually around -5°. A change in a lower MBI will not produce an inside-to-out path, but it can help them go from -5° to -3°. And with a more consistent face angle that can explain why the ball flight changes and the performance improves when the golfer is closer to their optimal MBI.

***

In order to get the club’s MBI from 45.92 to under 42.0; I would have to either:

1) Have a heavier shaft weight

or

2) Alter the balance point of the club

Or a little bit of both would happen.

This would require either a new shaft or as one clubmaker suggested; add lead tape to the shaft of the club.

The problem is that by adding lead tape you MUST account for the changes in the:

Grip + Shaft Weight
Grip + Shaft MOI
Assembled Club Balance Point
Total Club MOI
Total Club Weight

Some of those factors WILL change as you add lead tape to the shaft. The key is getting the right factors to change in order to get the MBI where you want it.

I estimated that I needed to add 2.8 gram of weight to the shaft.

FIRST, I thought that the best idea was to add the lead tape to the balance point of the club (on the shaft). My initial take was that this would essentially take care of the problem as it would not affect the balance point and would just add weight to the shaft and it would be all set.

But, there was one problem.

After I added the lead tape to the balance point section on the shaft, it increased the Total Club MOI by 10 kg/cm^2. While not a lot, I know I can feel a difference of 10 kg/cm^2 on a club having done MOI matching for almost 18 months now.

However, all is not lost. In fact, I think that since we now know that adding weight to the balance point on the shaft will add a bit of MOI to the entire club, we can utilize that information for other clubs.

Instead, I decided to put the lead tape on the shaft up near the shaft label. I was a bit skeptical of this altering the balance point.



However, it did NOT alter the balance point. My guess is that there simply was not enough weight (2.8 grams) to change the balance point. And when I re-measured the Total Club MOI it came out to 2,726 kg/cm^2; only a change of 2 kg/cm^2 and only 1 off my target MOI (2,725).

Furthermore, the MOI Balance Index changed to 41.42 which is within the range I wanted it to be:

***

The real test was to take it out on the range as see how it performed. I didn’t have a radar launch monitor on hand to test the differences. But, I was extremely pleased with how it performed on the range. I know I hit my 575MMC 3-iron further than my 555C 3-iron. The CoG on the clubhead is lower and the lofts are stronger and I hit it about ½ club to a full club further. I’ll have to see how the distance compares between my 7-irons.

That being said, the club felt perfect and I was amazed as to how straight I was hitting the ball. I have been working on my swing lately and seen some nice progression.



But, I don’t think I hit a shot that had more than a 2-yard draw or fade and most of them went dead straight. The trajectory was perfect. And the 575MMC’s feel of impact is exactly like Mizuno’s, so Tom Wishon came up with another great design.

And as far as the feel of the heft of the club, they just felt spot on to what works for me with the 555C 4-iron and 555M 6-iron.

I’m assuming that the 8-iron thru Attack Wedge will need more weight in the shaft. Part of this worries me because it may alter the balance point.

However, I believe that given we know that putting lead tape on the balance point will raise the MOI of the club, we can use this to find the right combination of lead tape on the balance point and adding hosel weight to match both the MOI and MBI.

That still leaves me a bit worried about the 3-iron and 4-iron when I assemble those clubs together as the Wishon Stepless Steel shaft may be too heavy. But, I can always go to the Dynamic Gold SL shaft which virtually the same profile, but is lighter.









3JACK

Great Swings That Were Slept On: Peter Jacobsen

One of the things I have been doing for 2013 Pro Golf Synopsis is looking at players from the past and their metrics. The problem is that the ShotLink data only goes back to 2001 and with a lot of metrics...only back to 2004-2007.

However, as Ron Jaworski says 'statistics are not about certainty, they are about probability.'

And in this case, Jaworski may have been the best driver of the ball in the 80's.

His ballstriking dipped in the 90's a bit, but it was still in the top-20th percentile until 1996. In fact, he was likely a top-5 driver of the ball in 1995; when he was 41 years old.

As he neared the Champions Tour, he had a resurgence in his driving as he my metrics have him near the top-10th percentile at the ages of 48 and 49 years old.

Unfortunately, little has been made about Jacobsen's swing. Probably since he was sort of the 'clown prince' on Tour with varying endorsements and didn't always play a full-time schedule.

He recorded 7 Tour wins, but 'only' made it to two Ryder Cups; both 10 years apart from each other. He also never played that great in the Majors outside of the PGA Championship.

Here are the only swings I could find of Jacobsen on YouTube. I'm guessing the first one was filmed recently. The second one was probably around 2002-2005 ish.





From what I recall, Jacobsen did have issues with his putting. Strokes Gained - Putting only goes back to 2004. Looking at other metrics like Putts Per Round and Putts per GIR, his metrics are not overly bad; although those metrics are very faulty at best.


3JACK GUESS AT MOST SIMILAR CURRENT DAY PLAYER



When examining Jacobsen's game I believe he was likely an elite driver of the ball who hit it very long with very accuracy. Since we do not have the precision metric available (Avg. Distance to Edge of Fairway); he may have had issues with precision and that may have prevented him from being more successful.

He seems like a very average putter and while his swing looked great and he drove it extremely well, I tend to believe that his iron play was not nearly as good. I don't think he was a poor iron player, but probably very average, particularly from the Danger Zone.

Hunter Mahan's game is very similar except that I believe Jacobsen likely generated more clubhead speed for that time as he was ranked higher in distance rankings.

I think Mahan may not have the ability to have the success Jacobsen had when he reaches his 40's because Jacobsen still had plenty of distance off the tee. However, Mahan will likely be more focused on golf as I don't think he has the endorsement potential that Jacobsen has had.

If anybody has any other pictures or video of Jacobsen's swing, I would love to see it. Just e-mail me at ProGolfSynopsis@yahoo.com

The Problems w/Rory and Traditional Golf Statistics

Mark Twain was once said “There are lies, damned lies and statistics.”

This is often a popular adage from critics of an advanced metrics point of view. Normally this tends to occur with people who utilize anecdotal evidence to formulate their opinions and when the numbers tell them something they don’t like. The reality is that statistics do not lie, but incomplete and flawed statistics can lead to faulty analysis and conclusions derived from that analysis.

A prime example of this right now is the “fall” of Rory McIlroy’s play. People are stating that his dip in his performance is due to switching equipment. Johnny Miller thinks it is a giant mistake for Rory to switch his irons, as he did the same thing in his prime and he could never quite adjust to the change. Let’s take a look at his “traditional” golf metrics:

Read More: http://www.golfwrx.com/85027/the-problems-with-rory-and-traditional-golf-statistics/

3Jack Golf's PGA Tour Rundown - Week 15

Adam Scott wins the Masters:



I thought this was one of the better Masters in history as it was filled with the top contenders playing very good golf. The golfer who was playing the worst down the stretch, Jason Day (who needed 3 remarkable sand shots to stay in contention on Sunday); didn’t win. Meanwhile Cabrera hit a bit of a lull midway thru his round and then came roaring back. Generally, I don’t think that highly of Cabrera’s game as his metrics have been awful for the most part since his ’09 victory at Augusta. But, when he’s on he’s as fun of a player to watch as anybody out there. And then there was Adam Scott who struck it brilliantly on Sunday. While the popular notion is that the long putter is the reason for his success, he’s been a mediocre putter with the long stick as evidenced on Sunday. It’s his change of instructors and the changing of his swing mechanics that have greatly improved his ballstriking as the real reason for his recent success.

Of course, this is the Masters known for rules violations. I watched the live coverage on the internet of the 14-year old Guan on Thursday and he was painfully slow out there. Before each shot was a lengthy conversation between him and his caddie. And if he hit a shot that was not up to his standards, he would carefully re-examine what happened. Part of me doesn’t care too much about slow play on Tour because I generally don’t think that is why there is slow play out on golf courses in general. But, all it takes is 1 slow player on any course and it can back up the entire course and then you have to worry about getting the rounds in before daylight.

As far as the Tiger situation goes, I have thought about this long and hard and have studied the photos. I believe he absolutely took an illegal drop. But, taking a drop is a unique rules situation because often times we are left with the option of dropping in a few different places and obviously the golfer takes the drop that will benefit them the most. But when a golfer like Tiger has the same intent, but does it illegally it’s now very harshly judged. That being said, I am puzzled how Tiger didn’t know that was an illegal drop. I’m far from a rules expert and I understand the rules are way too complicated. But, that’s not a complicated rule.

After thinking about this some more, I think the Masters rules committee HAD to make the ruling.

Why?

Because if they didn’t they would go from ‘protecting’ Tiger to ‘targeting’ Tiger. Neither is the right thing to do and they basically had to enforce the rule that was in place.

As far as Tiger withdrawing from the tournament goes; I think that is solely up to the person and their belief system. I do not believe anybody is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ as far as what they thought Tiger should do. Personally, I would have withdrawn from the tournament if I was Tiger. Basically it was such an egregious error on his part and the other big part of it is out of respect for Bobby Jones who once called a penalty on himself for a ball he thought *might* have moved. And when given praise for calling the penalty on himself, Jones replied ‘you might as well praise me for not robbing banks.’

In a sports world filled with other sports having issues with athletes illegally using performance enhancing drugs, teams illegally videotaping other teams communications signals, massive recruiting scandals and coverups…if there was one thing that I believe separates golf from the rest is the outstanding integrity of the game and I believe as a golfer, I’m supposed to uphold that integrity.

Again, that’s not to say that I’m right (or wrong). But I feel that there is an essence of the game that it is unfair sometimes, whether it’s hitting a shot that hits the flagstick and goes in the water or making an honest mistake with the rules and getting disqualified over it. That makes me a proud member of this game. I just wish Tiger would have respectfully declined to play on the weekend.

Anyway, here’s how my picks did at the Masters:

Phil Mickelson (10/1) t-54th
Justin Rose (20/1) – t-25th
Dustin Johnson (25/1) t-13th
Lee Westwood (25/1) t-8th
Louis Oosthuizen (25/1) MC
Keegan Bradley (28/1) t-54th
Rickie Fowler (45/1) t-38th
Henrik Stenson (50/1) t-18th
Nick Watney (50/1) t-13th

Value Pick: Bill Haas (75/1) t-20th


Here are my picks for Harbour Town:

Brandt Snedeker: 14/1
Jim Furyk: 16/1
Matt Kuchar: 16/1
Luke Donald: 16/1
Jason Dufner: 25/1
Boo Weekley: 33/1
Tim Clark: 50/1
Brian Davis: 50/1
Brian Stuard: 125/1

Value Pick: Colt Knost: 200/1


DRIVING EFFECTIVENESS



1. Weekley, Boo
2. Spieth, Jordan
3. Mahan, Hunter
4. Stenson, Henrik
5. Bradley, Keegan
6. Rose, Justin
7. Streelman, Kevin
8. Potter, Jr., Ted
9. Palmer, Ryan
10. Maggert, Jeff


181. Wagner, Johnson
182. Marino, Steve
183. Wittenberg, Casey
184. Bradley, Michael
185. Curtis, Ben
186. Kelly, Troy
187. Herron, Tim
188. Baddeley, Aaron
189. Na, Kevin
190. Weir, Mike


BIRDIE ZONE



1. Chappell, Kevin
2. Wi, Charlie
3. Taylor, Vaughn
4. Noh, Seung-Yul
5. Molder, Bryce
6. Haley II, Paul
7. Clark, Tim
8. Choi, K.J.
9. Cink, Stewart
10. Bradley, Michael


181. Gomez, Fabian
182. Stanley, Kyle
183. Poulter, Ian
184. Romero, Andres
185. Gardiner, Scott
186. Marino, Steve
187. Potter, Jr., Ted
188. Thompson, Michael
189. Blixt, Jonas
190. Kaymer, Martin


SAFE ZONE



1. Sabbatini, Rory
2. Scott, Adam
3. Van Pelt, Bo
4. Reavie, Chez
5. Schwartzel, Charl
6. Mickelson, Phil
7. Curtis, Ben
8. Donald, Luke
9. Kirk, Chris
10. Fisher, Ross


181. Presnell, Alistair
182. Grace, Branden
183. Jobe, Brandt
184. Marino, Steve
185. Ridings, Tag
186. Senden, John
187. Coetzee, George
188. Gove, Jeff
189. Klauk, Jeff
190. Herman, Jim


DANGER ZONE



1. Garrigus, Robert
2. Palmer, Ryan
3. Maggert, Jeff
4. Kohles, Ben
5. McIlroy, Rory
6. Leishman, Marc
7. Watney, Nick
8. Simpson, Webb
9. Summerhays, Daniel
10. Harrington, Padraig


181. Marino, Steve
182. Klauk, Jeff
183. Kelly, Troy
184. Potter, Jr., Ted
185. Noh, Seung-Yul
186. Weir, Mike
187. Hanson, Peter
188. Na, Kevin
189. Meierdierks, Eric
190. Taylor, Vaughn


SHORT GAME PLAY

1. Stenson, Henrik
2. Donald, Luke
3. Cauley, Bud
4. Leonard, Justin
5. McDowell, Graeme
6. Kelly, Jerry
7. Mickelson, Phil
8. Curtis, Ben
9. Els, Ernie
10. Furyk, Jim


181. Potter, Jr., Ted
182. Meierdierks, Eric
183. LaBelle II, Doug
184. Hoffman, Charley
185. Sabbatini, Rory
186. McNeill, George
187. Lee, Richard
188. Norlander, Henrik
189. Short, Jr., Wes
190. Garrigus, Robert


PUTTS GAINED

1. Woods, Tiger
2. Ames, Stephen
3. Chalmers, Greg
4. Baddeley, Aaron
5. Molder, Bryce
6. Kirk, Chris
7. Coetzee, George
8. Jacobson, Freddie
9. Na, Kevin
10. Stricker, Steve


181. Mathis, David
182. Fisher, Ross
183. Tomasulo, Peter
184. Meierdierks, Eric
185. Sabbatini, Rory
186. Claxton, Will
187. Colsaerts, Nicolas
188. Ishikawa, Ryo
189. Daly, John
190. Stanley, Kyle








3JACK

The Road to Golf Club Fitting Nirvana - Part IV

Part I: http://richie3jack.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=blog&action=display&thread=4167

Part II: http://richie3jack.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=blog&action=display&thread=4175

Part III: http://richie3jack.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=blog&action=display&thread=4180

In part 3, I analyzed Monte Doherty’s worksheet a little more and discussed the ‘Ascending Weight Shaft’ theory. First, here’s a video going over the tools I’ve used for the MOI Balance Index.



I also use an Air Compressor for my grip installations. This means that I can remove the grip and measure it and then re-install it.

I decided to measure 3 of my clubs.

555C 4-iron

555M 5-iron

555M 6-iron





Each club has a matching MOI of 2,725 kg/cm^2 according to my MOI Auditor machine from GolfMechanix.

It’s really a toss-up between which club I hit the best in my bag…the 4-iron or 6-iron. I generally feel I hit the 6-iron superbly as judging by the wear mark on the face contact



However, I hit the 4-iron extremely well, too. The 4-iron feels a tad light in the head which is a common complaint with MOI matching and one of the reasons for MOI Balance Index.

First, I have to remove the shafts, the grips and the heads and then measure the components and input the data on the spreadsheets.

You can ‘check’ your work with the spreadsheet as well.

Simply get a digital scale and measure the weight of the *entire* club. Then when you input all of the data in the spreadsheet, it will total up the entire weight of the club. The weight in the spreadsheet should match (or come close) to what you measure on the scale. I use 2 different digital scales. One of them measures to nearest gram, the other measures to the nearest 0.1 grams. This allows me to triple check my work.

When I measured the 4-iron and 6-iron, I found that the MOI Balance Index were roughly the same. The 4-iron was at 39.6 and the 6-iron at 40.5. Thus, I split the difference and set a ‘target’ MOI Balance Index of 40.0. And the tolerance is +/- 2 from the target. However, I would rather keep it a little above the target MBI because the 4-iron feels a touch ‘head-light.’

If the 4-iron and 6-iron were graded as a ’10’ on a scale of 1-10; I would grade the 5-iron as an 8 out of 10. When I measured the 5-iron components, it came out with a MBI of 44.42.

This is not terribly off from the tolerance of the MBI (42.0). But it explains why the 5-iron’s performance is not quite up to snuff to the 4-iron and 6-iron’s performance.

The reason for this is that the trimmed shaft in the 5-iron came to about 1-gram lighter than the trimmed shaft in the 4-iron and 6-iron. I tend to think this is a bit of a QC tolerance issue in the shaft. However, it is a parallel tip (0.370) shaft that requires trimming from both the tip and butt end of the shaft and perhaps I made a slight error in trimming the shaft.







3JACK

Swing Update 4.9.13

I had some readers ask about my swing. Here's a couple of swing views





Still making some progress as 2 weeks off from the game and recovering from the stomach ulcer didn't help. For more information, check out my swing instructor, George Hunt at www.moradgolfgeorgehunt.com







3JACK

Must Read: Wishon Report on Adjustable Drivers

This is a must read for golfers.  Tom Wishon examines the adjustable driver heads and if they really adjust the loft and face angle like they claim:

http://wishongolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/adjustable-hosel-drivers.pdf







3JACK

New GolfWRX Column: 23 Golfers That Can Win the Masters

As the world’s most popular golf tournament plays this week, I wanted to give a rundown of the Masters from a statistical perspective.

First, I want to discuss what I call the “Critical Holes” in a golf tournament. These are holes that based on tournament history are where the top finishers have gained the most strokes versus the field. For Augusta, they are Nos. 7, 12, 15, 17 and 18. So as you are tracking the tournament, I would key in on these particular holes as they have the largest influence on a golfer’s success at Augusta.

The neat thing about the Masters is it is a limited field, and we can immediately eliminate about one fifth of the field as not having a realistic chance of winning the tournament. I would put these as most of the past champions and the amateurs.

Read More: http://www.golfwrx.com/82203/the-23-golfers-who-can-win-the-masters/

Diagonal Sweetspot Path with 5 Simple Keys

3JACK

Radius Roll Putter Review

Recently, I was introduced the Radius Roll Putter line.

The idea behind the Radius Roll putter line is that the putter face is convex instead of flat. This is designed to produce a better roll with the putter by reducing the amount of skid on a putt.

Here’s a video from Radius Roll Putters showing the difference in skid between their putters and conventional putters.



The design concept is not exactly new:



Teardrop Putters utilized a similar design with the convex putter face.

However, the Teardrop putters did not have very appealing designs, the weight felt funny and they did not utilize precise CNC milling. The Radius Roll putter is made from 303 stainless steel which is a soft stainless steel. It also comes in a variety of different head designs like an Anser style model, some mallet and face balanced models.



They also have heel shafted, offset and center shafted putter designs.

I putted with the Radius Roll and found that it rolls the putts quite a bit further than my Edel putter. It’s also excellent on short putts since the lack of skid gets the ball rolling where you want it to roll immediately.

For those of you who have tried the Teardrop putter, I would give this a shot because it’s an entirely better product than the Teardrop design. And if you’re looking to reduce your skid with the putter, then you may want to take a look at these putters as well.

You can find the Radius Roll putters on their Web site at www.rbputters.com . Their price range is $130 to $205 depending on what model you want.






3JACK

The Road to Golf Club Fitting Nirvana - Part II

In part I, I discussed the basics of MOI matching/fitting and MOI Balance Index. For this part, I will examine the spreadsheet created by Monte Doherty with regards to determine the MOI Balance Index of the club. The spreadsheet is available for a free download here:

http://www.agcpgolf.com/gcv2p5.xls

The spreadsheet took Doherty over 3 years to create in order to tweak the formulas and the formatting of the spreadsheet. On the bottom of the spreadsheet you will see what they call ‘tabs’ in MS Excel. This is like going to a new page in Excel. We want to read the first tab called ‘Instructions.’ Then ‘AppNotes’ and ‘Tools.’ You can go to the ‘Theory’ tab if you’re looking for a little more detail on MOI matching and MOI Balance Index, but it’s not mandatory to read. I would then turn my attention to the tab called MBICalc. This tab is the very basic form the Calculator to determine the MOI Balance Index.

(Click to ENLARGE)


There are 7 different calculations that the calculator uses to determine MBI

Shaft + Grip MOI
Shaft + Grip Weight
Total Club MOI
Club Weight
Club Balance Point
Head Self MOI
Low MOI Correction (Relatively Unimportant)

In this case, the numbers inputted by Doherty are for his Driver. And the MBI comes out to 49.85. But one thing we have to note before I move on. The head design of a club influences the balance point.

This is called ‘Head Self MOI’.

As we can see, a driver will have a different Head Self MOI than a fairway wood/hybrid which have different Head Self MOI’s than a Super Game Improvement iron which is different from a regular cavity back which is different from a muscleback blade style of iron.

Since the MBI calculator has Doherty’s Driver calculations in there; let’s go to the tab on the left that is called ‘919_Driver’.

(Click to ENLARGE)


You have a choice of simply allowing this spreadsheet determine the MBI for you or using the data and inputting that into the MBICalc spreadsheet.

You will notice that the MBI is not the same as the MBICalc spreadsheet show. The difference is 49.88 vs. 49.85. That’s only a difference of 0.03 and that is more than acceptable for margin of error.

Any of the cells in spreadsheet that are white (no color) are cells that we will input the data into. If the cell is colored, that is a cell we leave alone because it has formulas involved with it. If you want, you can simply change the numbers in one of the white cells and you will see how that changes the other numbers in cells where there is a formula.

For example, if you go to the right where it says ‘Loft & Lie’, click on the box that says ‘Adjust Loft/Lie.’

In the cell that says ‘Current Lie’ and has a lie angle of 58.0°; change that to 56°. Notice how the MBI goes from 49.88 to 49.83. And the club’s total MOI in cell D23 goes from 2,829.45 to 2,836.25. Just in case you’re wondering, if the lie angle changes that will alter the total club MOI. In this case, by flattening the lie angle by 2°, the club’s heft increases slightly. Conversely, if the lie angle was to get more upright, that makes the club’s heft a bit lighter.

So, if you’re using forged irons, one of the reasons to make sure the lie angles are in tact over the course of time is that it will affect the club’s heft.

But as we can see, we have a section for some basic Club Head information in the top left corner.

Then we have a section for the shaft information. This is a bit more complex because it wants the balance point of the stand-alone shaft and the balance point of the shaft with the head on.

And then we have a section for the grip which not only includes the weight, but the cap thickness and the balance point of the grip (no shaft) as well. This information is recorded because it affects the clubs MBI. Theoretically, you could have 2 grips that weigh exactly the same, but one is more ‘cap heavy’ and that alters the MBI to some degree.

Also, if you go thru the tabs for the irons, you will see that with his 9-iron, PW, and AW he ended up changing out the shaft, going to a similar model shaft, but heavier.

Look at tab labeled ‘PW’. You will notice in cell H11 that the MBI is 58.71. That leaves a difference from the optimal MOI of 7.68. This means that the MBI is a bit too much towards the head from what the target MBI has.

The issue here is that we need to keep the Total Club MOI in tact while being able to move the MBI closer to the target MBI. That’s where Doherty uses a heavier shaft model, going from a SK Fiber 95 gram model to a SK Fiber 100 gram model shaft.

From what I’ve been told, you can expect that with balancing a set of clubs. The short irons will require a bit heavier shaft and the 3 or 4-iron may require a bit lighter shaft.

To finish this part off, you can go to the ‘Summary’ tab and see that each club is automatically updated. And if you look at Doherty’s notes (which you can put your own notes in), he discusses how the clubs that that have a negative balance (more shaft/grip heavy) tend to produce more of an inside-to-out path while the clubs that have a positive balance (more head heavy) tend to produce a more outside-to-in path







3JACK

3Jack Golf's PGA Tour Rundown - Week 13

D.A. Points wins the Shell Houston Open.



I almost pulled of a giant pick with Jason Kokrak at 400/1 odds. Here's how my picks did at the Shell Houston Open:

Keegan Bradley: 12/1 (t-10th)
Phil Mickelson: 16/1 (t-16th)
Dustin Johnson: 25/1 (t-4th)
Charles Howell III: 50/1 (t-10th)
Boo Weekley: 80/1 (t-45th)
Graham DeLaet: 80/1 (t-31st)
Sean O'Hair: 100/1 (WD)
Charlie Beljan: 200/1 (t-38th)
Tag Ridings: 250/1 (MC)

Value Pick: Jason Kokrak 400/1 (9th)


Here are my picks for the Valero Texas Open:

Matt Kuchar: 12/1
Fredrik Jacobson: 25/1
Cameron Tringale: 28/1
Jordan Spieth: 35/1
Chris Kirk: 40/1
Jimmy Walker: 40/1
Billy Horschel: 50/1
Aaron Baddeley: 66/1
Brian Gay: 80/1

Value Pick: Jerry Kelly: 125/1


Here's a glimpse at the updated rankings:

DRIVING EFFECTIVENESS



1. Spieth, Jordan
2. Weekley, Boo
3. Palmer, Ryan
4. Bradley, Keegan
5. Mahan, Hunter
6. Stenson, Henrik
7. Streelman, Kevin
8. Duke, Ken
9. Potter, Jr., Ted
10. Maggert, Jeff


171. Noh, Seung-Yul
172. Wagner, Johnson
173. Wittenberg, Casey
174. Bradley, Michael
175. Williams, Lee
176. Curtis, Ben
177. Herron, Tim
178. Baddeley, Aaron
179. Na, Kevin
180. Weir, Mike


BIRDIE ZONE



1. Chappell, Kevin
2. Wi, Charlie
3. Noh, Seung-Yul
4. Taylor, Vaughn
5. List, Luke
6. Claxton, Will
7. Clark, Tim
8. Cink, Stewart
9. Molder, Bryce
10. Bradley, Michael


171. Curtis, Ben
172. Gardiner, Scott
173. Goosen, Retief
174. Potter, Jr., Ted
175. Poulter, Ian
176. Romero, Andres
177. Thompson, Michael
178. Marino, Steve
179. Blixt, Jonas
180. Kaymer, Martin


SAFE ZONE



1. Sabbatini, Rory
2. Van Pelt, Bo
3. Hicks, Justin
4. Reavie, Chez
5. Mickelson, Phil
6. Leonard, Justin
7. Every, Matt
8. Duke, Ken
9. Fisher, Ross
10. Kirk, Chris


171. List, Luke
172. Day, Jason
173. Ridings, Tag
174. Senden, John
175. Claxton, Will
176. Coetzee, George
177. Daly, John
178. Jobe, Brandt
179. Klauk, Jeff
180. Herman, Jim


DANGER ZONE



1. Garrigus, Robert
2. Kohles, Ben
3. Spieth, Jordan
4. Maggert, Jeff
5. Palmer, Ryan
6. Leishman, Marc
7. Percy, Cameron
8. Pride, Dicky
9. Watney, Nick
10. Merrick, John


171. Johnson, Dustin
172. Meierdierks, Eric
173. Klauk, Jeff
174. List, Luke
175. Kelly, Troy
176. Potter, Jr., Ted
177. Weir, Mike
178. Marino, Steve
179. Na, Kevin
180. Taylor, Vaughn



SHORT GAME PLAY

1. Stenson, Henrik
2. Leonard, Justin
3. McDowell, Graeme
4. Mickelson, Phil
5. Cauley, Bud
6. Els, Ernie
7. Estes, Bob
8. Villegas, Camilo
9. Kelly, Jerry
10. Garcia, Sergio


171. Fisher, Ross
172. Henry, J.J.
173. Meierdierks, Eric
174. Hoffman, Charley
175. Sabbatini, Rory
176. McNeill, George
177. Lee, Richard
178. Norlander, Henrik
179. Garrigus, Robert
180. Short, Jr., Wes


PUTTS GAINED

1. Woods, Tiger
2. Ames, Stephen
3. Chalmers, Greg
4. Jacobson, Freddie
5. Kirk, Chris
6. Molder, Bryce
7. Baddeley, Aaron
8. Coetzee, George
9. Na, Kevin
10. Kelly, Jerry


171. Glover, Lucas
172. Short, Jr., Wes
173. Mathis, David
174. LeBrun, Steve
175. Sabbatini, Rory
176. Claxton, Will
177. Colsaerts, Nicolas
178. Ishikawa, Ryo
179. Stanley, Kyle
180. Daly, John





3JACK

The Road to Golf Club Fitting Nirvana - Part I

Over the years I have delved quite a bit into clubfitting in hopes to find the best answers to equipment. We have looked at MOI matching, lie angles, lofts, shaft lengths, shaft bend profiles, grips, cavity back vs. muscle back designs and a host of other aspects about equipment design and how it fits the golfer. Now, I am getting into MOI Balance Index.

First, let’s go over the basics of MOI matching/fitting and MOI Balance Index. For those who have read this before, they can skip this post.

MOI Matching/Fitting: Typically when MOI is discussed with golf clubs it is with reference to the club head. What we are referencing here is the MOI of the entire golf club. We use total club MOI to help determine the heft of the club. Swingweight does the same thing, but there are many parts of swingweight that are faulty and do not accurately depict the heft of the club. That and swingweight is not a scientific measurement while MOI is a scientific measurement.

For a bit more specific details on total club MOI, I would recommend reading the MOI machine manual which can be found here: http://www.golfsmith.com/pdf/pp_copy/245246_information.pdf

But in simpler terms, when we measure the total club MOI we are trying to determine the amount of force required to swing the club. So when we fit for MOI, we are trying to match up the amount of force a golfer applies in their swing with the amount of force it requires to swing the club. When we properly fit and match for MOI, the impact dispersion will improve tremendously.



The other part that will improve is the ball flight. Although I find this to be more prevalent with the longer clubs like the driver. I have also found that golfers who struggle with topping a shot with a particular club usually have too much heft (too high of a MOI) and golfers who struggle with thin shots tend to have not enough heft (too low of a MOI). When the MOI fitting and matching is complete, the irons and wedges will have swingweights that get progressively heavier as the club gets shorter. It may look something similar to this:

3-iron: D-1.0
4-iron: D-1.7
5-iron: D-2.4
6-iron: D-3.0
7-iron: D-3.7
8-iron: D-4.5
9-iron: D-5.2
PW: D-5.9
SW: D-7.3
LW: D-8.0

MOI Balance Index: What many clubmakers like myself discovered when doing MOI fitting and matching is that while the impact dispersion will noticeably improve, there are still some clubs in the set that do not perform as well. Furthermore, we started to see that the weight of the components of the club (club head, shaft, grip) have different effects on golfers even if the MOI is exactly the same.

I noticed this with a particular customer of mine who’s optimal MOI with his irons is exactly the same as my optimal MOI with the irons (2,725).

For me, I hit the ball better with a 48-50 gram grip, a 108-118 gram shaft and more weight in the head. For my customer, Bill, he hits that same MOI better with much more weight in the grip and the shaft and less weight in the club head.

That is due to the Balance of the club being different and our swings working better with different balances. In my case, my swing works better with the balance of the club being more towards the club head. Bill’s swing works better with the balance of the club being more towards the grip.

This is mainly due to how we start the club down and when we un-cock the wrists. In essence, we are able to generate about the same amount of force in the golf swing; we just go about it in different ways. I have a smoother start down move, more of a ‘float loading’ style of action combined with a later un-cocking of the wrists into impact. Bill’s swing starts down more aggressively and his wrists un-cock earlier into impact.

It is sort of like 2 runners running a 100 meter dash at the same time, but with different ways to getting there. Bill gets out of the gates very fast. I get out of the gates slower, but accelerate more towards the finish line. But in the end, we arrive about the same time.

Whereas MOI fitting and matching greatly helps with ball flight along with horizontal face contact dispersion, MOI Balance index will help provide even more consistency, help with clubhead path consistency and vertical face contract dispersion.

This eventually led to the discussion of club maker Monte Doherty’s MOI Balance Index spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is available to the public at the link below:

http://www.agcpgolf.com/gcv2p5.xls

(I recommend saving the Excel file first to your computer, then opening it up. If you have 2010 MS Excel, a header will pop-up with a button called ‘Enable Editing.’ You will need to click that button in order to fool around with the spreadsheet. And you can only do that if the file has been saved to your computer.)

There’s a few things that are very noticeably in the spreadsheet. And in part II – I will go over the noticeable parts of the spreadsheet and how to understand how to use it.

For more information on MOI fitting and matching, check out clubmaker Richard Kempton's Web site at http://www.theclubdoctors.co.uk/moi_matching.html




3JACK