In the April issue of the TW Standard eTECHreport:

NOTE: the complete April TW Standard eTECHreport pdf version is available by clicking here - 3MB (requires Adobe Acrobat 5 or newer )

 

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TWGT Videos Already Doing Their Job for Clubmakers

Early this month TWGT debuted its first series of brief videos intended to accent our books to help clubmakers educate golfers about the facts of clubfitting compared to buying standard made clubs off the rack. While we’ve all heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousands words”, early reports from clubmakers who jumped right into the effort to get their golfers to take a look shows the videos can indeed do the job we intended them to do!

Here are a few comments from clubmakers posted on our TWGT Clubmaker Forum within a few days after the videos went live on our web sites and on You Tube:

“Just this week I directed two potential local customers to view the videos - the result was a 2 hour telephone call with one gentleman (who booked a fitting), and the other a 90 minute conversation (another booked fitting). Both are rather excited and enthusiastic to spend some fitting time with me. I think they are a fantastic tool.”

“Similar story - I sent a friend of a customer to the youtube videos and he called me yesterday. Plenty of questions about lie, length, swing speed, etc. Seems he is having trouble hitting his draw-bias $500 driver! He's coming over tonight for a quick evaluation and a discussion about custom fitting. Great job on the
videos Tom.”

“Same thing here. I had two potential customers that I hooked up to your videos. Both have now booked appointments with me. One states he now wants all 14 clubs professionally fit to him. Both have 1.5-2 hr. drive to get to my shop. Also, one of them specifically stated prior to seeing the videos that he always thought that it was the Indian's fault and not the equipment, since the big name OEM's have been making equipment for so long, how can the equipment be wrong.”

Clubmakers, TWGT is committed to doing all we can to support your efforts to convince golfers to come to you to be custom fit. Our new fitting promotion videos are just the next step in our ongoing effort to help you overcome the power of brand name brainwash marketing programs to get golfers to realize YOU are the best source for all golfers to buy golf clubs that truly can help them play to the best of their ability.

Please, if you want to increase your fitting sales, USE THESE VIDEOS.

 

Links to the TWGT Videos:

 

On wishongolf.com - http://www.wishongolf.com/video_wishongolf.php

On twgolftech.com - http://twgolftech.com/videos_twgt.php

On You Tube:

“Custom Fit vs. Standard” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbIRBJ2Seds

“What does Custom Fitting do for Golfers?” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-yEfb9iDNw

“The Facts of Life about the Golf Equipment Industry” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seZJUO4ZQ_s

Basic Shaft Fitting - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec95TZSPnoQ

 

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Shaft Bend Profile Software Update Nearing Completion

 

We’re getting there. Analysis of the 448 new shaft models from 13 different shaft design companies is just about complete which will swell the total number of shafts in the TWGT Bend Profile software to 1,336. With a minimum of 2 of each shaft model and flex to test, this year’s update required a total of more than 8,000 individual shaft measurements and nearly 100 hours of work to complete.

Companies supporting our efforts to offer the best shaft comparative data in the golf industry include a few shaft makers whose designs have not been included before. FST, Oban, Nippon, New Image and Aerotech join the group which now includes a total of 29 shaft design companies represented in TWGT’s unique shaft comparison software program.

In addition to the data on the 448 new shafts, Bend Profile software owners will notice a few other changes incorporated when they receive 2009 bend profile software update.

 

Change in shaft balance point data

Previously, all of the shaft balance point data was expressed in inches. Unfortunately, some of these balance point measurements were measured down from the butt end, while others were measured up from the tip end of the shaft. As if this confusion wasn’t enough, when it comes to balance point data, any measurement of the shaft’s weight distribution in inches is meaningless because shafts are made in several different raw lengths. The 2009 update will show a conversion of the shaft balance point into a percentage figure referenced down from the butt end of the shaft obtained by dividing the balance point by the raw length of the shaft. Hence any shaft with a balance point percentage of 50% has the balance point exactly halfway along the length of the shaft. Shafts with a balance point percentage lower than 50% represent butt heavy shafts while those with a balance point percentage above 50% are tip heavy in their weight distribution.

 

Update of Shaft Swing Speed Ranges

For a very long time, there has been a need to develop a more accurate and representative means to determine the swing speed rating for shafts. While the previous methods were a good start to allow clubmakers to narrow down the list of possible shafts for any golfer, they were not accurate and did not focus strictly on the elements of the shaft that are related to a golfer’s swing speed.

While the measurement of all data points on each of the 448 new shafts requires a long time to complete, TWGT also took a significant amount of time to completely start over from scratch to use the progression of the zone frequency measurements appropriate to the overall stiffness design of each shaft to come up with a completely new, and much more accurate means to evaluate the swing speed rating of any shaft.

 

Change in the Separate Butt Frequency Data Point

Within the main data base and to the right of the bend profile measurements for each shaft can be found a single data point labeled as “butt frequency.” Previously only a few of the shafts had this data point filled in because this point had originally been conceived to be the assembled butt frequency of each shaft with a grip and clubhead attached. In this upgrade we began the process to change this methodology to be less time consuming and less “shaft destructive” to compile as an additional data point.

From now on, the “Butt Frequency” measurement will be the frequency of the raw shaft with a 41” beam length (wood and fwy wood shafts), 36” beam length (hybrid, iron shafts) using a 205 gram tip weight of 2” length, 1” diameter and 1” shaft insertion depth.

TWGT would like to thank the clubmakers who own our Bend Profile software for their patience in completing the massive amount of work necessary to compile the 2009 update. While there are always “stragglers” that pop up to delay things, look for the update to come to all software owners via email as soon after the end of April as possible.

 

 

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A Few Interesting Facts About Shafts

One cannot possibly go through the process of measuring over 8,000 different points of data for 448 new shafts from 13 different shaft design companies without being able to learn a few things! Add on the work we did to analyze all of the 1300+ different shafts’ bend profile measurements as a means to determine a new and more accurate way to evaluate the swing speed rating for shafts and you really can start to learn a few interesting things about shafts.

In truth, what we learned in going over the bend profile measurements of this many shafts could more than fill a new book or create a video many hours in length. No – this doesn’t mean we’re hinting about a new book on shafts in the works this year because we have our hands very full with many other projects for our company!

But we did want to share a few of the many interesting things we continue to learn about the one component that seems to intimidate and confuse more golfers and clubmakers than the clubhead or the grip.

 

1. Averages for Shafts by Type and Flex

For wood and iron shafts, for each letter flex, and for each of the bend profile beam length measurement positions, the above chart shows the average and the median for each of the different beam length measurements. The Max and Min entries show the single highest and lowest for each beam length measurement position – this does not mean that all beam lengths under the Max and Min listings are the same shaft model. This means of all the shafts in each type and flex, these were the single highest and lowest of each beam length measurement.

In viewing the above information, some of the most interesting points come from the maximum and minimum measurements within each type and flex of shaft. Clubmakers know that there is no “standard” for flex in the golf industry. Each shaft company is free to design their shafts in anyway they decide. But when you see that there are some shaft measurements within each type and flex which are higher than the averages for shafts that are 2 or more flex levels higher certainly can reveal why so many golfers find the task of selecting the right shaft for their swing to be confusing and difficult at the least!

 

2. Longest Beam Length Measurement by Type and Flex

 

 

 

For this information to be more meaningful, clubmakers who area more used to butt frequency measurements using 205g or similar tip weights must understand that these frequency measurements of the longest beam length in the charts above are done using a 41” beam length for woods, a 36” beam length for iron shafts, and a 454 gram tip weight. Use of a heavier tip weight does two things – it lowers the cpm reading and it changes the usual relationship of 10 cpm per one flex level that clubmakers are so used to hearing when using a lighter tip weight. In general, a 10cpm difference using a 454g tip weight is equivalent to a 14cpm difference when using a 205g tip weight for these 41” and 36” beam length measurements. By multiplying the above measurements by 1.4, the information above can be used to relate to the average butt frequency of shafts with a 205g tip weight per letter flex for wood and iron shafts.

 

3. Can Butt Frequency be Used to Evaluate the Stiffness or Accuracy of a Shaft?

This one was very interesting for us to observe because we can’t tell you how many times we have heard clubmakers and golfers insist that a tight tolerance for butt frequency on shafts indicates shaft quality or is the indication for identifying or knowing the shaft’s flex or stiffness design.

Take a look at these two shafts which are the same model and same flex of an R flex hybrid shaft from one of the industry’s most respected makers of expensive
graphite shafts:

These are 2 samples of the same shaft model and flex of a hybrid shaft design which sell for a higher price from a well respected company. (No, don’t ask who and what shaft name because such information is only offered as an example to educate clubmakers on how to more accurately evaluate the playing characteristics of shafts)

From looking only at the butt frequency with 205g tip weight, one would make the assumption the quality and similarity of these two shafts of the same model and flex is very poor. An 11 cpm difference in a 205 g tip weight butt frequency is very wide. But take a look at the 31” through 11” beam measurements of the shafts. Not only are they all very close to each other and well within any level of playability difference, but in terms of the +/- tolerance for bend profile measurement, these are about as identical and perfectly in match with each other as you will ever find in any 2 shafts of the same model and flex!

What about that 205 gram butt frequency and the 36” beam length bend profile frequency measurement? Won’t this make the shafts play different from each other? Think about this – these shafts have a raw length of 42”. When installed in say, a #3 hybrid and cut from the butt to a typical #3 hybrid playing length of 39”, in the order of 4 inches of the butt end would be trimmed and discarded from the butt end of the shaft.

While this is highly unusual to see two of the same shaft model/flex with this much of a difference in the butt frequency and longest 36” beam length bend profile measurement, it is not uncommon at all to see shafts of the same model and flex with a 4, 5, 6 cpm difference in the 205g butt frequency, yet all of the other bend profile measurements may be well within tolerances to each other. Bottom line – it is very definitely possible for the butt frequency of two shafts of the same model and flex to be outside a +/-2 or +/-3 or even +/- 4cpm tolerance, but the two shafts could still play the same from the entire rest of the shaft being well within tolerances.

Now take a look at two samples of the same model and flex of an R flex wood shaft, again from one of the industry’s most experienced and most respected makers of high image shafts:

Here you have the opposite of the first example. In this case the two shafts of the same model and flex have exactly the same butt frequency and 41” beam length bend profile measurements, yet the other beam length measurements from 36” to 11” get progressively farther and farther apart over the length of the shaft. These beam length differences between the two samples of 3/5/8/11/21/42 from the 36” to 11” beam length measurements of the same shafts are most definitely enough to make these two shafts play and feel different in the hands of a golfer with a reasonable amount of ball striking experience. Yet if these two shafts were only evaluated on the basis of the butt frequency, as many people do, one would never know these shafts to really be this different from each other.

Please, our point in bringing forth these examples is not to criticize shaft quality from any of the shaft companies. Our point is that if you are going to look at measurements of shafts, you cannot restrict your observations only to the butt frequency measurement. This is one of the reasons we created the TWGT Bend Profile software – so clubmakers could see that the design and playing and feel characteristics of shafts are a product of the design of the whole shaft and not just the butt end of the shaft.

 

4. To Show You the Variety in Shaft Flex and Bend Profile Design

Among all of the wood shafts in the TWGT Bend Profile Data Base, we thought we would show you the biggest difference in stiffness and bend profile design we have found in our analysis work.

Let us start by saying that the swing speed rating for the Oban Devotion 45 L flex is <45mph while the rating for the Graphite Design Tour AD Throttle XX flex shaft is >125mph !! Can you say noodle vs telephone pole, just to have a little fun? We bring forth these two examples from our recent shaft testing simply to show the extremely wide range of fitting options within today’s graphite shafts.

The next time you see a senior woman with a 40mph driver swing speed and a Transition/Tempo/Release evaluation of 1:1:1, you’ll know a suitable shaft for her. And when Alvaro Quiros from the European Tour wanders in your shop with his 130mph swing speed and 3+:3+:3+ Transition/Tempo/Release evaluation, you’ll have an idea of a suitable shaft for him as well!

Overall, for clubmakers with the interest in learning more about the relative stiffness differences between shafts in quantitative and not generic terms, there is so much shaft information that can be gleaned from going over the data contained within the TWGT Bend Profile software. Yes, as time allows in our many projects, we will continue to bring out more and more interesting and fitting friendly information from this valuable resource.

In the meantime, have fun with the new data in the TWGT Bend Profile software when we get everything done and on the way to all who own the software!

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New TWGT Design Update - 525GRT Fairway Woods

One of the new TWGT clubhead designs for 2009 that has been gaining extremely good reviews from the very moment we started to fill orders are the new 525GRT fairway woods. Designed to match with the high performance, variable thickness face 525GRT titanium drivers, the new 525 fairways were also created to be an affordable model investment cast from 17-4 stainless steel.

Right off the bat, we’ll tell you if you haven’t tested the new 525 fairway woods for ball speed and distance, we think you might be a little surprised with what we’ve been able to do in our design engineering to squeeze out a little higher smash factor than has previously been possible in an all investment cast 17-4 stainless steel fairway wood.

Through our experience in face design and heat treatment of alloys, we did incorporate changes in the face design and the heat treatment of the 525 fairways which we believe from our testing is the reason we have been able to push the performance of the 17-4 stainless investment cast 525 fairway woods higher than is typical for other fairway woods of the same material and manufacture.

In addition, the 525’s are designed with a 2nd weight bore for greater length to shaft weight to swingweight custom fitting options. In addition, one of the best features of the 525 fairways about which we receive an extremely high number of complements is the semi-shallow face height of 33mm combined with a truly classic, traditional head shape. In short, when golfers set up to the ball with the 525 fairways, a high level of shotmaking confidence sets in that is rewarded about a second later in the form of a truly quality shot.

 

 

 

 

 

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TWGT Inventory Update

We’d like to offer an apology for having run into a few back order situations in April for a few of our clubhead models. Quite frankly, forecasting inventory requirements has been more of a challenge for most companies this year than in any other year – including us! Typically, all clubmakers have rarely run into back order situations for TWGT products. We’ve always done the best we can to be sure when you want something, we have it ready to pack and send to you.

We’re just about back to a full 100% in stock situation for all TWGT designs and products.

 

• The new 870TiCOR irons are now in stock and we feel with the production planning now in place, we should be able to remain in stock through the year. And by the way, reports back from clubmakers and golfers now using our latest thin face, high performance iron design have been a truly bright spot in a year that most people would say has not had enough things to feel good about!

 

 

 

 

 

 

• The 919THI 9 degree and 525GRT 9.5 degree drivers are literally within a few days of both being back in stock. While the back order situation for these two driver models was caused by an oversight at our production foundry, hey, as the saying goes, stuff does happen. Actually, we’ve found that when a production foundry makes the mistake that results in a back order, once the production is delivered, we feel like we have a “favor owed” that perhaps we can use in the future when we need a favor from the foundry!

 

 

 

 

 

• For some odd reason, we had a real atypical demand for the #3 and #7 in the 919THI fairway woods which was way out there in terms of being able to be forecast. As a result, we are out of stock with expectations of delivery due in the middle of May. But the 919THI #4 and #5 are available as are all of the thin face 949MC fairway woods – and if you just read the information above about our new 525GRT fairway woods, there is another fairway wood option that will being more than a few smiles from your golfers!

 

 

 

 

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