Much ado about driver physics
Welcome to the world of adjustable drivers. Custom fitting of clubs was traditionally a onetime situation. Players were fit at the point of purchase and things were then set and locked in for good. Now custom fitting has been taken to the next level with moveable and adjustable features on clubs.
Adjustable technology has been on the market for a number of years. Unfortunately it appears to have brought on more confusion and curiosity for players than it has improvement and clarity.
People always want to know if adjustable technology works.
There is little doubt it has an impact and the potential to make players score better. The response however depends a great deal on the player involved and the type of adjustments being applied.
Most adjustable clubs will fall into one of two different categories, with the first being an adjustable hosel and the other being adjustable weights.
The hosel is the part of club where the shaft inserts into the club head. Many clubs today have adjustable hosels which shim the club position allowing you to routinely change face angle (open or closed) and loft (higher or lower) all with the twist of a wrench.
These changes are quite simple and can be applied to offset a swing flaw in hopes of balancing out two wrongs to make things right. These changes are all static in nature and adjust the physical position of the club face when you address the ball.
Weight changes however have no impact on the static positions of the club at address. They rely heavily on the dynamic motion of the swing and the laws of physics.
When you place weights on different parts of the club, you end up changing the speed at which a club can rotate and square up through impact. Certain weight placements will speed up the club rotation which softens slices, while others will slow it down to soften out hooks.
The physics behind these adjustments prove they work; however testing results clearly show that adjustable drivers perform differently from golfer to golfer. The most dramatic results were recorded when the drivers were put in the hands of players with higher club head speeds. Where does adjustable technology go wrong? I see players changing their clubs daily. Changes should never be made on a whim or a prayer, they should be tested and monitored over time. Keep changes minimal and remember your results will only be as consistent as your swing.
Best way to confuse yourself and your swing is to play with a different weight and/or hosel configuration every day.
My message is simple, it does work, just not the same for everyone.
Trevor Moore is a PGA of Canada professional and a TPI Certified Golf Fitness Instructor with the Titleist Performance Institute. Based in Medicine Hat, he runs the Advantage Golf Academy at Cottonwood Coulee Golf Course and coaches the Medicine Hat College Rattlers golf teams. For comments or questions, you can contact him via his website trevormoore.ca or follow him on Twitter @trevormooreinc.