Author: Scott Starks

U.S. Women’s Open Winner Minjee Lee Shaft Weight, Flex and Profile

US Women’s Open winner Minjee Lee’s equipment has some interesting shaft flex’s and weights which the recreational golfer could learn from.

Minjee Lee’s What’s in the Bag-WITB

Driver: Srixon ZX7 (Mitsubishi Diamana DF50-R 45.5″ shaft) 10.5 degrees

3-Wood: Srixon ZXF #3 (Fujikura Ventus Red 6-R 42 7/8″ shaft), 16 degrees

5-Wood: Srixon ZXF #5, (Fujikura Ventus Red 6-R, 42.5″ shaft), 18 degrees

Hybrid: Srixon ZXH #4 (Graphite Design Hyb 85-R 39.5″ shaft)

Irons: Srixon ZX7 (5-P; SteelFiber i80-Stiff shafts)

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore (50, 54-Mid, 58-low Nippon NS Pro 950 shafts)

Minjee’s metal woods and hybrid ALL have graphite in them in Regular flex and go up in weight from 50 gram in driver to 60 gram in 3 wood, 60 gram in 5 wood and 85 gram in hybrid. Her irons go up in flex to Stiff and are constant weight in 80 gram graphite and her wedges constant weight steel in 95 gram.

As there are no industry standards for flex the shaft profile in these shafts is of primary importance it shows how knowing what shaft weight, flex and shaft profile you fit is so important for good performance if you have some what of a repeatable golf swing. Add to that having well fit clubs with good heft match is a primary fitting factor.

Something to think about.

Golf Equipment and Positive Yield

This post is for all recreational golfers of varying abilities but slanted more for the average golfer that from time to time thinks about why am I not playing better and having decent performance.

Why? Many reasons and I am here to say it’s not all your fault. The golf industry has not helped the majority with the way equipment is set up for the average recreational golfer.

Loft gaps are not correct for club head speed, amount of clubs needed to play good golf, paralysis by over analysis, repeatable swing.

Swing Science Best Kept Secret

FGCC’s product representative from Swing Science Justin Shaw shows in this video the full Swing Science FC-One product lines from drivers, fairways woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters.

FGCC carries all Swing Science test heads with various graphite and steel shafts to custom “fit” the golfer per their needs for best performance. Contact FGCC for a great custom “fitting” experience with the best kept secret in golf.

  • Swing Science FC-One Plus line for golfers that can use some help on “fat” shots with ultra game improvement irons, more speed with lighter graphite but still stay on plane with correct heft match (not to light). Higher loft driver, fairway wood and hybrid that match the 5i – SW irons. Two FC-One Plus putters are offered, heel/toe weighted blade putter or mid-size mallet both with plumbers neck design. FC-One Plus line won’t break the bank.
  • Swing Science original FC-One line for golfers that are low hdcp. to mid hdcp. skill level. A line of clubs from “A” adjustable driver, “A” fairway, “A” hybrid and “A” putter to a set of cavity back cast irons with the use of “Vertical CG Weighting” makes long irons easier to get airborne while the ball flight gets progressively lower as you move into the short irons.
  • Swing Science FC-One Pro Forged irons 4i – PW for the low to mid hdcp. golfer that is looking for a high performance narrow sole iron for maximum work ability made out of 1025 carbon steel forging. Also three GW, SW and LW 8620 carbon steel wedges are offered.

All Swing Science FC-One lines are designed by Jeff Sheets and backed with a long term track record of Swing Science and FORE Golf Custom Clubs.

Ben Hogan’s Legendary Quotes

As, the PGA starts back up this week and that they are playing Colonial in Ft. Worth, TX. I thought this article was appropriate. https://golf.com/instruction/ben-hogan-quotes-lessons/

I like this quote from Mr. Hogan. “You only hit a straight ball by accident. The ball is going to move right or left every time you hit it, so you had better make it go one way or the other.”

There are so many great Ben Hogan quotes. What is your favorite?

Scott

NEW Silver Diamond Iron Introduced

A new game improvement iron from Alpha/Silver Diamond is being introduced this week to the custom fit and built market. Named the Silver Diamond LX Tour iron. It is designed for the player that needs offset, modern stronger lofts and a medium-wide sole. One of the great factors that are not easily available to the golfing public is that the LX Tour are manufactured with 304 stainless steel and easily adjusted up to 5 degree lie angles. Most cast irons and manufactured with 431 stainless steel and only 2 degree lie adjustments can be made without risk of breakage. Available in both right hand and left hand from 4i thru SW. These LX Tour irons can be custom built with various steel and graphite shafts and various types of grips per the needs of the golfer and NOT break the bank. With the LX Tour irons softer 304SS and the ability of FGCC custom fitting and custom build out these new LX Tour irons will surpass any performance of an off the rack set.

E-mail today for a custom fitting.

Impact Snap Golf Trainer

I thought, I would deviate from equipment discussion here and discuss a golf training aid that has been out for a number of years that many great golf teachers have been using.  It’s called The Impact Snap and was developed by Kelvin Miyahira of Hawaii.  Kelvin developed this tool which will show the golfer how to correctly release the club.  See video below.

This device (Impact Snap) is what I show players about the release. Supination, Flexion and Ulnar Deviation. These three facets are talked about in Homer Kelly’s The Golfing Machine. Helps maintain the Flying Wedge.

Once you develop a medium to later release you up club head speed, don’t add loft and have the need for less and less offset and closed face angle metal woods.

I have no connection to Kelvin or Marty and have found this tool to be one of the best out there.

Update.  Impact Snap is being made available thru Marty Nowicki of New York state.  The Impact Snap trainer can be purchased thru Marty’s website Impact Snap .

Impact Snap Inventor – Kelvin Miyahira

More Shaft Lean at Impact – Impact Snap

FGCC Is Now an Alpha Golf Professional Club Fitter

I am happy to announce, I have begun a new affiliation with Alpha Golf.  FORE Golf Custom Clubs is now an authorized Alpha Golf dealer for Wisconsin and the surrounding areas.

I will have a number of Alpha heads with Club Conex Fuse-Fit connectors for interchangeable head/shaft professional fittings.

Alpha and FGCC offer golfers in the Madison and surrounding Wisconsin area both premium Alpha components of heads, shaft and grips along with a great value line of Silver Diamond clubs.

Please contact me if interested in either Alpha or Silver Diamond lines.

Scott

Club Head Speed and Equivalent Loft Gaps

Most golfers know that general golf industry iron loft gaps are 90% of the time in 4 degree loft spacing which may or may not be correct for the distance gap between clubs for you specifically.  Clubs are designed and built off the rack and industry wide to fit an average player but that does not take into account what you may need for correct fit and performance.  As you can see below if you are a slower to slow-medium club head mid iron swing speed golfer you need different than 4 degree loft gaps in your set.  You also maybe able to carry fewer clubs and get better performance with larger loft gap and corresponding distance gaps.  All clubs should be fit and lofts adjusted for best performance.  There are a few designs also like the Wishon 730CL  with 6 degree loft gaps and specially designed high lofted driver, long and high fairway woods, hybrid in 6/7 and 8/9 plus wedges.

These are the mid iron club head speeds…..

mid iron speed over 72 mph – 4* increments (average player)

mid iron speed 60-72 – 5* increments (some seniors and some ladies)

mid iron speed under 60mph – 6* increments (seniors and ladies) Wishon 730CL work perfectly for these club head speeds with skill and ability.

You can make an argument to say that over 85mph you could go with 3* increments but you never do because that will leave you with a very odd set makeup.  So over 72mph you stay with 4* and just live with the fact the distance gaps will increase to 15 yds or more as speed keeps going up from 85 with the mid iron.

Think about all these factors when you play golf and possibly why your distance gaps are off and you wonder why.

Scott

Swing Science FC-One Plus Adds Driver, Fairway, Hybrid and Putters

Swing Science has added to their FC-One Plus line a new driver, fairway, hybrid and putter.  This completes the FC-One Plus line!  A golfer can be custom fit from driver all the way to putter at a very attractive price.

The new FC-One Plus Driver comes with a 14 deg. 460cc head to help entry level and mid to high hdcp.  golfers launch the ball high enough for better carry along with taking off side spin with more loft.  The new FC-One Plus Fairway head is 20 deg. and 185cc again not a huge head but large enough for slight off center impact and able to be hit off tight lies on the turf.  The FC-One Plus Hybrid is 24 deg. and 130cc for the same reason as the fairway head and blends right into the FC-One Plus royal blue or light blue irons and wedges.  All the new heads have the same graphics as the other FC-One Plus line and look very smart.  FC-One Plus M Putter is a goose-neck offset mallet head design slightly heavier 375 gram head that golfers prefer.  FC-One Plus B model heel/toe Anser style also a 375 gram head for slightly head heavy feel.  Both Swing Science FC-One Plus putters come in black PVD color and CNC milled face.

The new driver, fairway and hybrid can all be custom fit with the various Swing Science Legacy shafts for the correct fit for the specific player profile.

NEW Swing Science FC-One Plus Driver, Frwy and Hybrid

I will have these available spring 2018 in various custom fitting options.

Scott~FGCC  Contact me.

Madison, WI Demand for Golf

On edit 01/05/18 additional information in new article on Madison Golf Enterprise.  Madison’s Golf Enterprise wouldn’t be sustained just by closing courses

According to a study done by Edgehill Golf Advisors for Madison, Wi city officials demand for golf will decline in the coming decade as baby boomers play less golf.  In a story done by Madison Newspapers written by Chris Aadland which appears here. Madison, WI Demand for Golf

Chris said in his article that….”There are “considerably fewer” golfers in the 18 to 44 year-old age group than those between the ages of 55 to 75, who play more often than their younger counterparts, according to the analysis.  The good news is the report….”found that the number of golf-playing Wisconsinites is twice the national average of about 7 percent, the number of golfers nationwide has steadily decreased from a high of 12.1 percent in 1999.”

There are two choices being considered by Madison City Golf Subcommittee to take to the City Common Council.  #1) Close some (it is unclear whether City Golf is considering closing all of Yahara) of the Yahara Hills Golf Course 36 holes which has had large drainage issues for many years and keep Monona open. #2) sell and close the Monona 9 hole course course to pay for the 4 million needed to repair Yahara Hills.  Odana Hills 18 holes and Glenway’s 9 holes are not effected.

It is this writers opinion that Yahara has been a leaking sieve for a multitude of years.  It makes one wonder why wait all this time to address the issues.  This isn’t something that is new business.  This along with many poor business decisions now in the present and over the years has left the Madison City Golf Enterprise exposed to these decisions.

With global warming and it’s wetter spring, summer and fall almost a given as we have seen these past few years.  It doesn’t make sense to try and reclaim Yahara built on a flood plain where Monona is dry upland and hasn’t been closed for wet grounds since 2008 to my recollection.

Add that Monona has the best driving range in southern Wisconsin while Yahara’s range is one of the worst, it surely doesn’t make sense to close it for that and so many other reasons.  Monona being a 9 hole course and a very walkable mature course for juniors, seniors and the golfing public.  And where Madison and Dane Co. are seen to be an above average stay in shape community why close the walkable mature course to keep open a harder to walk 36 hole Yahara Hills course where many need carts to even play the course.

Stay tuned more decisions will be on the way come spring 2018.

 

Available Wishon 318RS Hybrid

The Wishon 318RS hybrid in #3 hybrid at 22 deg., #4 hybrid at 25 deg., and #5 hybrid at 28 deg.  Available fitted with Wishon S2S .335 graphite Blue 55 gram, White 70 gram, Black 75 gram and Red 80 gram hybrid shafts.  The .335 diameter hosel gets the ball airborne easier and carries for better distance and performance.