The Search for the Perfect Golf Club

Know before you buy is the motto of consumer advocates from ages back, but for some reason golf clubs, which are usually a major investment of at least several hundred if not thousand dollars, rarely get this treatment. People buy based on looks, a waggle or two, or just on what the latest and greatest pro happens to be using. Clubs are to a golfer what paints are to a painter. The painter would not likely try to paint with colors that were off what he wanted, with brushes that were hard to use to create the effects he wanted. Golfers, for whatever reason, just love to hack around with equipment not designed for their particular games. This also has less to do with skill than you may think. Much of it just comes down to things like your physical characteristics (height, hand size, etc.) and how you try and swing the club (upright Nicklaus style, or around-about Hogan). Tom Wishon is an expert in his field, and is capable of making the fine points of clubmaking and fitting come alive. He rarely talks down to the golfer (as in, you're not good enough). Rather he puts it in concrete terms: long clubs are hard to control, which is why even Tiger uses a shorter than "average" (45 in.) driver; the reason you can't hit a 3 iron like you hit in college is that a 3 iron now has the loft of what used to be a 2 iron, or less; etc.. Before you head out to buy a new club, any club, or to get one adjusted, this will give you the vocabulary to be able to make purchases you will not only be happy with, but which will give you what you are truely after: the potential to improve your game without having to worry about your gear.

Mr. Wishon knows more about club design and function than just about anyone in the world, and it shows in this book. But what could be an arid, dense subject is treated here with humor, clarity and above all, independence. There are no hidden agendas here. His ONLY objective is for the reader to learn how he or she can obtain the maximum benefit of having the right type of clubs that are made to fit adequately, considering size, ability, swing speed, type of swing, etc. We who love the game of golf, are always on the lookout for something that will help us play just a little better than before. Reading this book, and applying its wisdom, can do that. It necessarily has charts and some technical stuff, but I assure you, a book with this subject matter cannot be written more clearly than this one. If you're even remotely interested in this subject matter, do yourself a favor with this book!

For those that love golf, the search for equipment that can best complement our game, at any level, is akin to the search for the holy grail. A multi-billion dollar industry has grown around the mystique of finding the magic club(s) that will take your quest to the next level. In the midst of all the hype, techno-babble and sometimes just plain old fashioned snake oil, Tom Wishon has written the definitve "owners manual" for golf equipment.His mission is simple: to explain for the average golfer how and why golf clubs work the way they do. In a breezy but easy to read technical prose, Wishon provides a very practical and timely guidebook that debunks many myths of modern golf marketing--especially the notion that off-the-rack clubs can help ANY golfers game. The advice here is timely, and tailored to golfers of all abilities, including a special section on fitting golfers with disabilites (which we all have to some degree playing the game we love).Highly recommended, especially for aspiring clubfitters, equipment geeks and players whose passion for the game demands the best equipment available.If you read just one chapter of this book, read Chapter 12- Ten Things You Can Do For Your Equipment For Under $25, which will more than pay for itself if you implement half the advice given here.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who plays golf. Inside the covers of this book you will have more information about golf clubs and fitting guidelines than the BIG 5 "OEM's"i.e., Titliest, Taylor Made, Ping, Calloway, etc., do not want you to know. The real reason that they spend so much of the profits "off of you" when you buy their band name clubs "Off The Rack" is; their big advertising dollars are intended to brainwash and keep you in the dark, when it comes to golf club specifications and how they are made. The standard "Off the Rack" clubs certainly are not a correct fitting that will help every individual, and your unique swinging of a golf club. The selction on golf club shaft selection is well worth the money by itself. If you are interested in improving your golf game, do yourself a big favor and not only buy, but also read this book.

This is an extremely well-written book on golf equipment technology for the everyday golfer. Too many ill-informed golfers are constantly buying the "latest and greatest" golf equipment without knowing the real facts that will help them to improve their game. Amateur golfers DO NOT have a swing like Tiger, Phil, or Vijay. So then, why do so many rush out to buy clubs that are too stiff, with too low of a loft, and driver shafts that are too long? Here are just a few things that I learned from this book. FACT: Most amateur golfers need a driver with AT LEAST 11 degrees of loft - and perhaps even 13 to 15 degrees. How do you know which loft will provide maximum distance for your swing? In this book are some very interesting charts that explain how to figure this out based on your swing speed (which you can have checked at a clubfitter or pro shop). FACT: The average driver length on the PGA tour is 44.5". Most "off the rack" drivers are 45" or even 46". If the pro's can't control a driver this long, can you? There is some eye-opening data regarding shorter length drivers that can provide much better control with no loss of distance. FACT: If you don't have a very high swing speed and a very consistent swing, you have no business with a three or four iron. This book discusses some very interesting alternatives to long irons - explaining the pros and cons of each type of club. In addition to the extremely useful information described above, there is also a neat compilation of stories that are a result of Tom Wishon's experiences working with Payne Stewart, Tom Kite, Harvey Penick, and various other PGA legends. I highly recommend this book to ALL golfers. Think about it this way, the pros have every club in their bag completely custom fit for their swing. With the information from this book, you can have the information to have your bag custom fit for YOUR game - just like them.