Learning the Lingo

When you need a dictionary to go shopping…

“Name the parts of a golf club”

“The head (which includes the heel and the toe), the hosel, the shaft, and the grip”

“Good, now list all of the components and variations that you can see in each”

“….”

About that. I knew that I still had a lot to learn about golf, and I knew that there were elements of my clubs’ design that would have an impact on my shots (hello loft and shaft flex). Getting fitted for clubs was an adventure in itself, but I have to say that I was completely unprepared for the firehose of information that I received both from the fitter and the Trackman tool that we used to monitor and measure my shots. As a highlight, here is what is listed on the Trackman site for what the tool is able to track:

• SMASH FACTOR
• SPIN RATE
• LAUNCH ANGLE
• CARRY
• BALL SPEED
• CLUB SPEED
• DYNAMIC LOFT
• ATTACK ANGLE
• CLUB PATH
• FACE ANGLE

Other than smash factor (which I learned is ball speed divided by club speed), I had a general idea of what each of these meant. What I did not know was how each of those was measured and how to interpret all of those numbers. As an analyst by profession, I love seeing all the data; however it was a new world for me to look at data and have very little idea of what to do with it. In general I have gotten used to terms like topped it, bladed it, decelerated, slice, fade, hook, and unfortunately shank. Never have I looked at a video of myself and been able to measure that my club face was X degrees open and my attack angle was positive, and my club speed was too fast or slow. These are all things that I need to understand to become a better golfer, but it’s a little overwhelming.

Moving on from that shock factor, then we start talking about different club configurations and how they align with the measurements the Trackman captured. I understand club loft and flex in the shaft; to a certain degree I understand offset, but terms like forged and the finer details of the impact of club weighting on swing were new to me. I’ve played and followed a lot of sports in my life, and while certain games come with a rulebook the size of an old school dictionary, most do not have a similarly sized list of equipment options. Part of this comes from the number of tools allowed in the game: 14 clubs versus 1 hockey stick or baseball bat; but it is also driven by the fact that there are so many different types of players and styles of play when it comes to golf. Designers account not only for player preferences, but tendencies and error in an ideal swing path. Loft, flex, weight distribution, cavity back, forged, cast, step, oh and throw in the unique designs created by the variety of manufacturers out there; how does anyone keep them all straight?

My main focus will remain on improving my swing and my overall game, but I am not going to discount what learning about this side of the sport can do to help me and expand my interest in the game. It may just take a while before I can have an educated debate with Jon at Miles of Golf on the benefits and drawbacks of a given club’s design.

Until next time,

Fore!

Katherine