| 4th
May 2007
Greetings from Duncan,
Chris Gets The Double!
Congratulations to Chris Gill who won the final
of the Devon Pro’s Matchplay at Exeter
Golf & Country Club on Sunday beating runner-up
Jon Langmead 3 and 2. Chris is on great form
at the moment having just won the Devon PGA Order
of Merit - I’m looking forward to tracking
his progress in the Pro-Am’s over the season.
More good news to report – Hele Park Seniors
John Chapman, Barry Isaac & Don Hewitt came
second in the Okehampton Open Visitors Section
playing a 3 ball, 2 scores to count and ¾ handicap.
Well done lads!
Hele Park Tuition Works!
Congratulations to Jo Hicks-Beach on her victory
in the Devon County Ladies’ Amateur Championship
at East Devon this past weekend. Jo has been
having coaching with Stuart Disney at Hele Park
and her hard work bought her victory over Julia
Norman from Exeter. The Devon team now head for
Perranporth for their match which will be played
next week Sunday-Wednesday. Let’s hope
all the work Stuart has been doing will pay off
with victory!
Palairet 2007
It would be great to see as many of you as possible
supporting us at our first Palairet match against
Honiton at Sidmouth Golf Club, 1pm Sunday 6 May.
Watch this space for results.
Is Gravity Letting You Down?
As golfing technology moves forward, club heads
are getting bigger, giving more of the clubface
on view. The soles of clubs are getting wider
too, which means the centre of gravity of the
club is getting deeper, i.e. further away from
the face. A great example of this is the Mizuno
MX900. You will be amazed at how much difference
using state of the art equipment can make. Anyone
is welcome to call into the shop and try out
a selection of our wide range of the latest clubs
on the market.
How Big Is Your
Cavity?!….
If that’s not too personal a question….?!
This week we’re looking at Cavity Back
Irons. The benefit of these is the weight is
distributed around the perimeter of the club,
giving a larger hitting area and more forgiveness
on off-centre hits. They can also help the ball
launch higher. Here, PGA Pro Stuart Disney offers
his suggestions for the best on the market…
Stu’s Top
Tips
Mizuno MX19, Wilson Di7
And also the PGA Pro Collection.
Best wishes,
Duncan
GOLF SCHEDULE
Saturday 5 May
Weekend Mixed Stableford
Book your own times
Sunday 6 May
Palairet Round 1
Hele Park vs. Honiton at Sidmouth
Monday 7 May
BANK HOLIDAY
Course open as usual
Tuesday 8 May
Seniors’ 9-Hole Stableford
9.30am
Wednesday 9 May
Ladies’ Ping 4BBB
9.30am
Thursday 10 May
Midweek Mixed Stableford
Book your own times
PLEASE DIARISE
Friday 11 May
Music Quiz
with Kenny ‘Fluff’ Allen
All Club Members are invited – Please contact
the office if you want to come.
SPECIAL OFFER FOR READERS!
A new selection of logo shirts is now available
in the shop.
If you mention this newsletter, I’ll give
you 20% off your purchase.
TWILIGHT GOLF
Our special offer was so popular last year, we’re
doing it again! With immediate effect, from 6pm
each evening you can pay for 9 holes, and play
as many as you like.
DEMO DAYS
Tuesday 8 May
WILSON
Wednesday 9 May
TITLEIST
Tuesday 15 May
TOUR EDGE
Tuesday 22 May
COBRA
WIN WIN WIN
FANTASTIC PRIZES
If you haven’t yet filled in our online
equipment survey, then you are missing
out on the chance to win fantastic prizes worth £2500
from Srixon, Ping, Mizuno, Powakaddy, Glenmuir
and Nike..
Click here to enter now.
A LOW CoG MEANS THE RIGHT GEAR
As the bodies that set the rules for equipment
close in on CoR (coefficient of restitution – the
trampoline effect) and MOI (Moment of Inertia – the
club heads resistance to twisting) so the manufacturers
will look for other areas to deliver you more
accuracy and more distance.
For Driver manufacturers it has been about
achieving “optimal
launch” – a high launch angle with
a low spin rate. Previously it was assumed that
the higher the launch angle the higher the spin
rate (i.e. with your Wedge).
The top Pros discovered that
with the high CoR faces if you hit the ball
just above the sweet spot, an effect that physicists
call ‘vertical-gear’ would
increase the launch angle and lower the spin
rate that you would normally expect with that
trajectory.
For the average golfer any gain in this improved
launch angle was lost in the slower ball speed
that they generated by not taking advantage of
the trampoline effect of the sweet spot off the
centre of the face.
The manufacturers have solved the problem by
taking advantage of new materials and manufacturing
techniques to lower the CoG. That means you can
still strike the ball in the centre of the club
face and get the benefit of the ‘gear-effect’.
That is a higher launch with a lower spin rate.
And that’s more distance for you.
DEEP, UNDERCUT POCKET?
WHAT’S YOURS?
If / when you decide to purchase a new set of
Irons you are faced with the most amazing choice
of designs. In the face of that choice though,
some industry experts believe that most golfers
have made up their mind with respect to brand
before they go looking. (Now that most brands
offer a selection of models, this might not be
the worst scenario). Apparently though, the next
step of choice is very subjective. The golfer
makes an instinctive decision based on the look
of the golf club.
And is there a range of looks.
Even within one “technology” – cavity
back – there is a wide range. Cavities
come in all shapes and sizes, partnered with
a range of differing face sizes. Each shape and
size will have a distinct effect on where the
Centre of Gravity is placed and how broad the
sweet spot will be. These are the critical factors
that will affect your game, your ball flight,
your consistency and your enjoyment.
Instinctive looks? I suspect that the ‘top
line’ design and appearance must therefore
influence a lot of decisions that golfers make,
because the first thing we do with any iron is
address an imaginary golf ball.
Well, just imagine how instinctive
feel is also influencing that process. The
lie angle might be wrong, the shaft strength
might be too soft and the shaft might be ½" too short
but you’ve picked up a club with a brand
new grip that fits you snugly and a swing-weight
that feels good for you.
You know that this too is hit and miss. You know
that there is a better way to buy your golf clubs.
We need to work out which iron technology is
going to work for you and for a large group of
golfers that will mean a cavity back iron.
But let’s approach that selection with
a little more refinement. Let’s work out
whether your game needs a deeper, broader cavity
with an oversize face or whether you need a set
that almost loses the cavity in the shorter irons.
Then let’s look at the range of options
on the market that fit the profile we think will
work best for you.
Now you can make a choice. BUT, having made the
effort to get it right so far, make sure you
get fitted. A new grip and a great top line will
provide inspiration for a while, but then: that
lie angle, that shaft strength and that shaft
length will make the difference between sustainable
improvement and more enjoyment or unease at an
investment that hasn’t met your expectations.
Wilson Di7 Irons
If golfers with a handicap > 10 strike the
ball 85% of the time between center & toe
then the club needs to work with that pattern.
A low profile, broader sole, supporting a wider
cavity means the CoG is lower and deeper, the
sweet spot is broader making it easy to pure
the strike and get a high trajectory
Have a great week and good luck to all of you
playing this weekend.
Regards
Duncan
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