This part of the site is designed to give you a better understanding of how a golf club works. Having this specialised knowledge will give you the ability to make an informed choice on which type of golf club  you should be using. 

To date, most equipment information is passed to the club golfer through manufacturer's advertising and brochures. As such this information can at times be biased. The club "set up" is the combination of components making up the assembled club i.e. which shaft, grip and head and also other things like loft & lie and shaft kick point. 

Once you have completed this part of the site you will be able to select the correct golf clubs and "set up" for your game based on a sound understanding of club components and not just price or brand. This is how a tour professional selects his or her ideal club and "set up". 

WHAT IS A GOLF CLUB ? It is important to base your decision on scientific fact rather than advertising claims or golfing myths like lucky grips, special swing faster shafts, favourite woods etc. 

Concentrate on the real side of golf club and assembly and what will be right for you. If you have a club that is your favourite, you need to know why this club plays better for you than any other. Learning about each component and the way that it can be customised will tell you exactly this. 

THE CLUB HEAD There are many types of club head designs available, different sizes, clubhead material and shapes. Selecting the right one can make a vast difference to your golf game.  

THE SHAFT Many types of shafts are available with different flexes, kick points, lengths and materials. Finding a shaft that suits your swing will improve trajectory, distance and direction. 

THE GRIP Ranging in materials and thickness, the golf grip is your only contact with the club. Selecting the correct grip with give the final touch to a perfect club choice. Golf clubhead manufacturing stages.

THE CLUB HEAD 

A top tip regarding the choice of your club head is simple, let your handicap choose for you. A golfers handicap should dictate the type of club head he or she should be using. The higher your handicap the more forgiving type of head design should be selected.

There is a trade off to be considered when choosing head types, the spectrum currently has two definite points:- Start point: Blade. End point: Oversize, Cavity back. The trade off is between response and reward on the one side and forgiveness on the other:- Bladed heads will give an excellent response and strike provided the player can always be relied upon to find the "sweetspot". If your handicap is 4 or less then this should include you. For those of us who need some more leeway (at the expense perhaps of a slight lack of response) then take a look at the more forgiving head designs like cavity back mid -size. 

Very high handicap players should also consider Oversize heads. Forgiving club head features include. Mid and Over sized heads, this design feature is carried on nearly all modern golf clubs, the larger the club head the more forgiving they are to use. By having a larger head the club will also have a larger sweetspot (sweetspot is the term for the area on the club face which gives the best results when striking the ball) with a larger sweetspot the clubs will be easier to play. 

Cavity backed and peripheral weighting. By looking at the back of the golf club head you will be able to see how the weight has been distributed. Easy to play golf clubs will have a large cavity on the back of the head where the weight has been moved and placed around the peripheral of the club. This means if you strike the ball in the correct sweetspot area you will see a good result and if you miss strike the shot from the edge of the club head there is some weight there to help the shot recover. 

Low profile design and weighting. Low profile clubs were produced to promote more height. Care should be taken here because distance may be sacrificed with this type of club. Many golfers find this design gets too much height on their shots. A better option could be the low centre of gravity design. This give extra height with out having to sacrifice too much distance. To see if the head is good for improving height, check for the weight distribution on the back. To add height to the shot, the weight needs to be at the bottom of the club, often these type of designs have wide soles. Club head loft and Lie.

The lie of the club refers to the angle the club head sits when on the ground and more importantly as it comes to strike the ball. A tall golfer for example will tend to stand with the club in a more upright position so the angle of the head should be moved more upright to compensate. Similarly, a short golfer will stand with the club at a lower angle and so the angle should be adjusted to a lower or flatter lie. Although, most players prefer to have the clubhead lie angle set in the correct position at address, the important point is through impact. This can be checked by looking at the typical shape of the divots taken during play. Look carefully at the divot and try to see if the club is taking a flat shallow divot or if it has a angle to one side or the other. If the club is taking a large angled divot this will affect accuracy and the lie angle should be adjusted. To help alleviate the lie problem, choose a club head with a rounded or cambered sole, this type of design will give up to 2 degrees tolerance from upright, down to a flat lie, this in most cases is satisfactory.  

THE GOLF SHAFT  

The golf shaft is a most important part of any golf club. Selecting the right shaft can give more distance and straighter golf shots. If you have the wrong shafts in your clubs no matter how hard you work, your golf game will still suffer. 

To select the correct golf shaft ask yourself what is the primary objective. 

Do you want to hit the ball straighter, longer or be more consistent ? 

The correct shaft will not only satisfy the primary objective but will help achieve improvement in the other areas as well. There are five main factors that form the important characteristics of a golf shaft.

1) Material 2) Flex 3) Flex or kick Point 4) Torque 5) Length.  

MATERIAL  

Golf shafts are usually made from either steel or graphite. The steel shafts are drawn from a mild steel tube and then chrome plated to give a high polished quality finish. The graphite shafts are manufactured in light graphite by rolling graphite material over a template bar, they are then sealed and can be painted to give any type of cosmetic finish. Graphite is more expensive than steel and is also lighter. As graphite is a lighter shaft this allows the choice of either heavier heads or longer shaft length which will generate more club head speed and have a greater mass. The bottom line is that more distance will be achieved with no loss of control. 

FLEX  

Shafts are available in different flexes. Starting at ladies flex which is the most flexible and moving up to Senior mens, Regular men's, Stiff men's and Xtra stiff. 

In order to choose the correct shaft flex the player needs to have a good understand of their typical flight pattern. Watch the ball and determine initial direction i.e. whether if flies straight at the target or to the right of the target or to the left. 

Once you have determined this, watch to see if the ball is moving in the air, if so, the shot that spins to the right is a slice and the shot that spins to the left is a hook (left hand golfers please reverse). Now you know what type of shot you need to correct, the selection process gets easier. 

Shaft selection, golden rules. In most cases if you slice the ball you need more flex in the shaft. 

In most cases if you hook the ball you need a firmer flex. 

If more height is required you need more flex and a lower kickpoint. If less height is required you need a firmer and a higher kickpoint. 

A sliced golf shot is caused by the club face striking the ball in an open position, if you find it difficult to rotate your hands to get the club face in a square position at impact, select a flexible shaft to do the job for you. The more flex in the shaft the quicker it will react on the down swing. If the shaft is reacting too much this will close the club face and cause you to hook your golf shots. 

Golfers who hook their shots are striking the ball with a closed club face so they will need a shaft that is slower to react on the down swing i.e. a firmer shaft. Most golf shafts will be marked regarding there flex, simply look at the shaft label. L or A = Ladies Flex, R = Regular Flex, S = Stiff Flex. XS = Extra Stiff. 

FLEX OR KICK POINTS  

Once you have determined the shaft flex you now need to know the flex or kick point. This is the point of the shaft were the flex actually bends. You can have High, Mid or Low Flex points. A brief summary on understanding flex points is as follows. A golf shaft with a high flex point relays a lot of feel and control to the golfer, however because the flex point is a long way from the club head the golfer will not gain any extra club head speed. This will have a detrimental effect on distance. Therefore a high flex point shaft is perfect for a low handicap golfer, this player can already hit the ball a good distance and will be prepared to sacrifice some distance to gain greater feel and control. The low flex point golf shaft has a flex point close to the club head, this give a lot of extra club head speed which creates greater distance and height. However, because the flex point is along way from the hands the player will loose some feel and control. Therefore, the Low flex point shaft is usually appropriate for the high handicap golfer as they will need as much help as possible with height and distance. Some sensation of feel and therefore control will have to be foregone to pay for this.. The Mid to Low Flex point can be the best of both worlds, with the flex point in the middle of the shaft there is a benefit from extra club head speed whilst not sacrificing too much in the way of feel and control. This is an excellent choice for the average handicap golfer. 

SHAFT LENGTH  

Golf shafts are manufactured in set lengths, this allows club makers to choose the correct length for the individual customer when assembling golf sets (mass producers, usually cut all shafts to standard length regardless of individual requirements). Obviously taller golfers will require longer clubs and shorter players need shorter clubs. Golf irons change through the set in ½ inch increments, this means 2 inch longer clubs have a difference of 4 irons. Take care not to over estimate regarding the length your clubs should be. Remember, the longer the clubs the more distance you will get but the harder they are to control. Standard height for a male golfer is 5ft 10" if you are 2" either side of this then a standard length set will be fine. 

SHAFT TORQUE

Shaft torque relates to the amount the club head will twist when striking the ball. The more torque in the shaft the higher the ball will fly but it may be difficult to maintain accuracy. All shafts require some torque, shafts will very little torque take a very hard hitting or skilful player to gain good trajectory. Most shafts are manufactured with 3 to 5 degrees torque, this is fine for nearly all golfers. Beware of low priced graphite shafts from manufacturers who do not give clear torque ratings, these can be of high torque and very, very difficult to play. 

THE GOLF GRIP

The golf grip is manufactured from compound rubber. There are many different types and designs available. When choosing a grip look for playability in both warm and wet conditions. If grip pressure is a problem, look for a compound with cork or cord impregnated in it as this will absorb the moisture. Test the grips to see if the grip lines hold the club in the hand whilst the club is being gently turned from side to side. The correct grip thickness also needs to be considered. Larger hands may need larger grips. Care should be taken as the grip thickness can have an affect on the hands and shaft during the shot. A thicker grip will slightly stiffen the shaft, the hands may become lazy during the shot, all this is good news if you tend to hook your shots, but not so good for the slice. A thinner grip will encourage the hands to release grip pressure and rotate more, this is desirable for those players who tend to slice. To check the correct grip size simply fold your left hand round the grip. The fingers should just touch your thumb muscle, if they dig in, the grip is to thin, and if they don't touch the grip is to thick.  

Golf Club Assembly. 

Once the components have been selected, shaft, head and grip and the individual "set up" has been decided upon, the club assembly can start. 

Step 1. Steel or graphite, wood and iron, all shafts come in set lengths and depending on the manufacturer's trimming instructions each shaft has to be correctly cut. Most shafts will be cut from the tip although some shafts require cuts from both the tip and butt ends. Once cut, the tip of the shaft is slightly abraded to allow a strong key for the epoxy. At this point if the club requires a cosmetic plastic ferrule then select the correct fit and push it over the tip of the shaft. 

Step 2. Checking inside the hosel on the clubhead for
a) dirt, if there is any grease or dirt the epoxy glue will not take.
b) a countersunk angle, when fitting graphite a 20 degree countersink angle on the top the hosel is required to stop the graphite being damaged. 

Step 3. Industrial epoxy is used to glue the head onto the shafts. Once the epoxy has been mixed it is placed onto both the shaft tip and the club head hosel. The club heads are then pushed onto the tip of the shaft and any excess epoxy removed with a paper cloth. The clubs are now placed onto a drying rack overnight to allow the glue to cure. If fitting graphite shafts care is taken to align the shaft logo down the centre of the club. 

Step 4. Now the club is ready to be swing weighted. A golf club has two weights, the overall weight, and the weight the club feels when the player swings it. The overall club weight is made up of the components used. The swing weight is determined by the club's balance and weight distribution. Following a final check on the length of the club, it is placed onto the swing weight machine. A calculation is made to allow for the weight of the grip which is to be fitted and the swingweight is disovererd. Usually with the quality of modern manufacturing ,clubs will have a perfect swing weight of D 0. If the swing weight is not D0 or a different weight has been requested then the following work will be carried out. Heavier swing weight is achieved by pouring fine lead powder down the inside of the shaft, the club is then weighed and the powder is fixed with a glued cork. If the club needs to feel lighter, then a counter balance weight is attached to the butt of the club, this is usually a form of lead tape. This method although adding to the total weight of the club, shifts the weight balance towards the grip, thus making the club feel lighter when swinging. 

Step 5. Fitting the grips. Double sided grip tape is placed onto the butt of the shaft and the grip is slid into position, ensuring the grip is aligned correctly by twisting until in place. To help lubricate the grip, just before fitting white spirits are poured inside the grip and over the tape. Once the white spirits have evaporated the grip is fixed. 

Step 6. The last process is a simple clean and final eye inspection, once this has been completed the shaft label is applied and the club is ready for play. 

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