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September 25, 2007

Technology is great! What about my score?!

Is it just me or has the distance changed on all the clubs?! The loft is the same and the numbering system has remained constant. But I see players hitting the 3 iron hybrids 240 yards and I am in shock at the overall distance that people get. I used to hit a 7 iron 145-150 yards straight on (well most of the time). Now it seems when I get a hold of a newer 8 or 9 iron, I'm sailing it way past the old marks. Great right? Well, for the most part.

I guess you could say that all the new technologies combined have given a golfer like me the total advantage with my distances. Ball technology, shaft technology, and of course, the club head designs themselves provide the extra advantage that just wasn't out there 10 years ago. Better technology doesn't guarantee a better game, but I can say that it has added length to my game. Length that should lower scores but there is this little thing called putting that I can't seem to get it right no matter how well my 7 iron did to get me there!! I guess the long game is getting longer but my short game hasn't gotten shorter! The technology is there, my game is just a little behind.

Posted by tom at 08:33 AM

September 01, 2007

The New Shape in Golf

The feedback on the Bloc driver has been increasingly favorable. We fielded a host of calls out the gate, mostly from people concerned, or alarmed by the sound the Bloc driver makes out on the course. These calls have subsided as people have become more accustomed to the advantages of square drivers.

As is the case with any emerging technology, many golfers still remain on the fence. To you readers, here is a pearl of wisdom from the Pinemeadow archives, harkening back to our modest beginnings as a Portland-based provider of custom golf clubs.

In the mid1970’s the metal driver was introduced as an alternative to the traditional wood (made from wood). At the time, many were resistant to this proposed change of material, largely because of the unfamiliar sound the new metal drivers made when they struck the ball. It seemed the consensus among golfers was that metal drivers not only made a funny sound, but also lacked the cozy and familiar feel of their wooden predecessor. Golf companies were quick to realize that in order to pass these new club constructions off on the golf club-buying public, they had to take measures to curb the difference in sound and feel. So what did they do—they filled the hollow interior of the metal drivers with foam to dampen the resonance and reduce the “ping” factor. In addition to helping with the sound, the foam also allowed the manufacturers to control the head weight with greater precision.

Later, when people became more accepting of all metal drivers, realizing the benefits in doing so, club-makers began pitching “foamless” drivers. It wasn’t long before “foamless” was the new industry standard and drivers began boasting “FOAMLESS” in broad, capital text, like this:

Looking back, this strikes us as funny, mostly because foamless is a strange word that we no longer associate with golf, but also because ALL clubs are now foamless—it goes without saying. In the same sense, “square” is a foreign shape that we do not associate with golf, and the sound the BLOC makes when you hit it has closer ties, tonally, to the batting cages.

So what makes a new technology worth keeping despite these often distracting dissimilaries? In the case of the TS 455cc BLOC driver it’s the promise of straighter, longer drives than with most clubs on the market. The additional hitting surface allowed for by the square shape makes for a bigger sweet spot and increased MOI, resulting in straighter drives—and subsequently, more practical distance. This is the sort of confidence that golfers like myself look for at tee-off—and we’re willing to trade sound and appearance for better performance on the course.

Posted by tom at 10:37 AM