Irtually e ery clubhead production iactory and goli equipment company use the Green Machine to measure clubhead loit, lie, iace angle and iace progression. The operator must learn the correct way to manually position each clubhead consistently in the machine to obtain accurate, repeatable measure-ments.
Irtually e ery clubhead production iactory and goli equipment company use the Green Machine to measure clubhead loit, lie, iace angle and iace progression. The operator must learn the correct way to manually position each clubhead consistently in the machine to obtain accurate, repeatable measure-ments.
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Irtually e ery clubhead production iactory and goli equipment company use the Green Machine to measure clubhead loit, lie, iace angle and iace progression. The operator must learn the correct way to manually position each clubhead consistently in the machine to obtain accurate, repeatable measure-ments.
Direitos autorais:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Formatos disponíveis
Baixe no formato PDF, TXT ou leia online no Scribd
A TechnicaI Discussion and Report on AdjustabIe HoseI/AdjustabIe
SoIe Piece Drivers in the Modern GoIf Equipment Industry
By Tom Wishon Tom Wishon Golf Technology 1. Driver Head Position for Correct Loft, Lie and Face Angle Measurement During my entire career in clubhead design the most widely used machine or clubhead speciFcations measurement is the deice shown in the image below:
More commonly known in the gol equipment industry as the Green Machine`, this deice has been used by irtually eery club- head production actory and gol equipment company to measure clubhead lot, lie, ace angle and ace progression since the early 1980s. Manuactured by 1ecnorama Ltd o Kaohsiung, 1aiwan, the Green Machine is considered the industry standard or clubhead speciFcations measurement. 1he Green Machine is a manual measurement machine. 1he opera- tor must learn the correct way to manually position each clubhead consistently in the machine to obtain accurate, repeatable measure- ments. Substantial training is required is required to teach a person how to properly position all types o dierent clubheads beore the measurements can be relied upon as being accurate. \hile the manual operation o the machine can allow or a slight ariation in the measurement o a clubhead`s speciFcations, indi- iduals with a depth o training and experience are able to become ery consistent in the positioning o clubheads in the machine so that lot, lie and ace angle measurements can be recorded within a tolerance o -,- 1,8 or less. Proper positioning o the drier head or accurate static specs 1his report originated because o claims being made on behal o the modern adjustable hosel driers that these adjustable deices allow the lot, lie and ace angle to be customized or golers. In 1995, I de- signed the Frst commercially aailable adjustable hosel deice to allow a metal wood to be altered or lie and ace angle. lrom my work to create this deice, as well as rom my experience in haing made wooden woods early in my career, I beliee that it is simply not possible to change the lot through a hosel deice which operates on the principle o changing the angle o the shat into the clubhead. Based on my experience, I Fnd it diFcult to beliee the claims or speciFcation adjustment being made on behal o these modern adjustable hosel deices. 1hereore, this report came about because I wanted to learn or mysel i the modern ersions o adjust- able hosel deices really could achiee the lot, lie and ace angle speciFcations that the companies oering driers say they can do. A technical report about the modern ersions o adjustable hosel driers has to begin with a discussion o three ery important, related issues. 1he manner in which a drier head is positioned in a clubhead speciFcations measurement machine or the correct static speciFcations measurement o lot, lie and ace angle. 1he importance o the static measurements o drier lot, lie and ace angle to the goal o achie- ing the optimum shot result or each indiidual goler. 1he manner in which golers address the ball and manage the position o the drie head beore hit- ting a shot. Note: the following report on modern adjustable drivers contains both a discussion of the methods of driver head specifcation measurement and typical driver head use as well as actual loft, lie and face angle measurements of a number of the golf industrys adjustable driver models. If you are not interested in the technical discussion and only wish to view the specifcation measurements of the drivers measured in this study, you may [CLICK HERE] to go directly to the measurements measurement begins with placing the head in its correct lie angle position. A number o methods or achieing the drier head`s cor- rect lie position hae been deeloped oer the years: I the ace scorelines hae been tooled or engraed to be paral- lel to the tangent to the apex o the toe to heel sole radius, and i the center o the ace is ertically in line with the apex o the toe to heel sole radius, the head can be positioned so the bot- tom scorelines on the ace are parallel to the base o the specs measurement machine. 1he head may be positioned so the apex o the toe to heel sole radius touches the base o the specs measurement machine. Upon gently sliding two business cards on the base o the ma- chine toward the center rom the toe and heel sides, when the cards both stop the same distance away rom the center point o the sole, the proper lie position is achieed. 1his is the method o choice when scorelines are not parallel to the apex o the toe to heel sole radius, or when the toe to heel radius is not uniorm. 1he head may be positioned to touch the base o the specs measurement machine in the center o the sole ertically in line with the center o the ace, then the head is tilted in the ma- chine so the distance rom the base o the machine to the toe and heel side ends o the sole are the same distance up rom the base o the machine. 1his method is not recommended i the toe to heel radius is not uniorm.
Once the drier head is in the proper lie angle position, the head then has to be positioned or proper ace angle and lot measure- ment while retaining the correct lie position. Prior to the mid 1990s this was easy to do because irtually eery drier head was made so the plane o the sole along the ground line rom ace to back was completely nat. \ith a nat sole plane rom ace to back, all that is required or proper ace angle positioning is to Frst position the head in the proper lie angle position, then press down on the top o the head to make the head to sit nat on its sole. Drier heads today are oten designed with a certain amount o sole radius rom ace to back or complex sole eatures which make Fnding the proper position or ace angle measurement more o a challenge. lor such heads, the operator has to determine the point on the sole rom ace to back that is the drier head`s predominant position o rest when the head is placed on a close mown or Frm and leel surace in its correct lie position. Once this point or surace area o the sole rom ace to back is ound the operator can mark the center o the predominant ace to back sole rest position and duplicate that touch point when the head is positioned in the specs measurement machine. Neer since the inention o the clubhead speciFcations measure- ment machine has the ace angle position deemed to be achieed when the drier head rests on any other point o the sole than its natural sole resting position on the predominant nat position o the sole. I will admit due to the ariety o dierent drier sole shapes, it has become a challenge to know or sure what the correct ace angle and lot position o drier heads is to be. Again, people with a lot o training and experience are able to determine this position on a drier head with repeatable consistency. Once the drier head is in its proper lie and ace angle position in the specs measurement machine, the lot, the lie angle, the ace angle and the ace progression o the head can be measured. 2. The importance of the static measurements of driver loft, lie and face angle to the determination of the opti- mum shot results for each individual golfer. 1he entire history o drier Ftting has always been based on choos- ing the drier head to hae speciFc static lot and ace angle speci- Fcations that when subjected to the goler`s swing characteristics will result in a particular shot result or each goler. ,Chieny it is the goler`s swing path, hand position, and angle o attack that dictate how the static clubhead speciFcations will translate into the shot result, 1he clubhead`s static specs, when subjected to the swing characteristics o the goler, dictates a signiFcant part o what the shot result will be. It is a pure CAUSL AND LllLC1` situation. Static Clubhead Specications + Golfer Swing Characteristics = Shot Results O course the shat, length, total weight, swingweight and other speciFcations o the ully assembled club play a role in the outcome o the shot. \hen it comes to the ertical launch angle, backspin rate, horizontal launch angle, and spin axis tilt o the shot, it is the static lot and static ace angle o the drier head that contributes the most to these shot parameters or eery goler. 1hereore, we hae to know the static specs o the clubhead so the goler can acquire gol clubs that result in the best shot results when the static speciFcations o the clubhead are subjected to the goler`s swing characteristics. I the static specs o the club are not within narrow tolerances o what they are said by the company to be, it becomes more diFcult or the goler to Fnd the right clubs that will result in the best shot results lOR 1lLIR S\ING. 1he reason a good clubFtter has to know the accurate static lot and ace angle o a drier head is because it is rom identiying the correct static clubhead speciFcations that the clubFtter is able to optimize the ertical launch angle, backspin rate, horizontal launch angle, and spin axis o the shot or the goler`s clubhead speed, swing path and angle o attack. \hen the clubFtter obseres that the ertical launch angle, backspin rate, horizontal launch angle, and spin axis o the shot are not op- timum or the goler, he knows the static specs o the head are not yet correct or the goler. 1o be able to optimize the goler`s launch parameters, the clubFtter has to select a drier head with dierent static speciFcations which, when subjected to the swing character- istics o the goler, results in the correct launch parameters and ball night or the goler. I one cannot rely on the accuracy o the static speciFcations or lot and ace angle, it is impossible to oer the goler the best pos- sible Ft or the drier. 1hereore, when a clubhead is stated by a company to hae a speciFc lot and ace angle, it is most important that those speciFcations are ery close to what they are stated to be by the company. 3. The manner in which golfers address the ball and manage the position of the clubhead when hitting a shot with the driver. \hen hitting a shot with the drier, golers are most typically taught or most typically acquire the habit to sole the drier on the ground behind the ball as they prepare to hit the shot. 1his means that the manner in which a drier head is positioned in the Green Machine or lot, lie and ace angle measurement should be similar to the way the head sits on the ground when the goler addresses the ball. 1here exist some players who manipulate the drier head position with the hands to achiee a speciFc look` or the clubace to the intended target. In such cases, the goler has to teach himsel to lOLD the drier or hoer the drier o the ground so as to retain the manipulated position o the drier head to the ball. \ithout question though, the ast majority o golers, amateur and pro alike, set up to hit the drier by soling the head on the ground so that it achiees ery close to the same position the drier head is in when its lot, lie and ace angle specs are measured. \hen a goler is Ft with a drier head that has a ery dierent ace angle than what he has been used to playing, it is routine or the clubFtter to teach the goler to sole the drier to let its dierent ace angle assume its designed position to thus oer the accuracy improement that the dierent ace angle was selected to achiee.
1he predominance o this habit among golers to sole the drier beore hitting the shot makes it ery important or the clubhead`s static speciFcations be as close what the company that sells the head states them to be. A Background in the Origin and Function of AdjustabIe HoseI and AdjustabIe SoIe Devices for Changing Woodhead Specications lew golers, and I suspect ew members o the gol equipment industry today are aware o the act that the origin or the manner in which the modern adjustable hosel deices are able to change woodhead speciFcations comes rom the era o wooden head manuacture. In the time when woodheads were made rom trees, the lie angle and ace angle o the woodhead were created by drill- ing the hosel bore into the neck o the raw wooden turning. I a dierent lie or ace angle was required, the bore would be drilled at a dierent angle to the plane o the sole. 1he technique was reerred to as cross-boring the hosel`. 1o establish a more closed ace angle the bore is drilled rom the ace side o the top o the neck at an angle away rom the ace. 1o make a more open ace, the bore was drilled in the opposite angled direction entering at the rear side o the top o the neck and angling toward the ace. A more upright lie was created by angling the bore rom the upper area o the neck back toward the rear o the heel and a natter lie was drilled by angling the bore in the opposite direction to that. A skilled boring machine operator could combine dierent combina- tions o lie and ace angle through the same bore by choosing an angle or the bore that is in between these basic entry points and angles or lie and ace angle. \hat you cannot do through changing the angle o the bore into the head is to change the lot o the woodhead. In no way can the lot o a woodhead be changed by changing the angle o the shat,bore into the head. 1o change lot on the wooden heads, raw turnings o dierent lot had to be made, or, skilled workers would careully Fle the wooden ace to increase or decrease the lot while retaining the proper bulge and roll radii. \hen the angle o the shat,bore into the head is changed, the lie angle, the ace angle or both together can be changed, but the lot cannot be changed. 1his is because when the head is placed on the specs measurement machine, the head is still positioned to sit on the major nat surace o the sole. A dierent lie angle certainly can be achieed, so too a dierent ace angle. But no matter how you angle the shat bore into the head, the static lot remains the same as it was on the original raw turning. (NOTE: It is VERY important to not confuse the proper position of a driver head for static loft and face angle measurement with what hap- pens to the loft and face angle when you ROTATE the head by turning the grip end of the club. For proper static loft and face angle Example of raw persimmon wood turning cross bored to achieve a closed face angle. Once the measured about the center line of the angled bore, the head sits closed in the playing position. (Wooden turning courtesy Louisville Golf Company)
measurement, the driver head must sit fat on the major fat surface of the sole, similar to how the head sits on the ground when soled behind the ball by the golfer. When the head is rotated by turning the grip end of the club, the head no longer sits fat on the major fat sur- face of the sole. While some golfers may intentionally rotate the club to make the head achieve a desired "look" behind the ball, that action changes the loft and face angle together at the same time. In such cases, the launch parameters will be a result of how the golfer manu- ally holds the clubhead behind the ball and not the result of the static measured specifcations of the driver head. However, because the vast majority of golfers do sole the driver on the ground when getting ready to hit a shot, accuracy in the static specifcations of the driver head become of utmost importance to the outcome of the shot.) 1he adjustable hosel deices in use in the gol industry are all de- signed to work in the same manner as a change in the drilling o the bore angle in a wooden head. 1he hosel is designed larger in diam- eter to accommodate both the shat and the adjustable deice. 1he adjustable hosel deice in which the shat is inserted is designed so its bore is at an angle to the outside o the deice. 1hus when the entire deice with shat installed is rotated, the angle o the shat is changed with respect to the ground line o the sole plane rom ace to back - similar to how the bore is drilled at an angle in a wooden head to achiee a dierent lie and ace angle. low much this angle o the shat in the adjustable hosel deice can be altered depends on how large the hosel is made so as to be able to accommodate a greater o bore angle in the adjustable deice. 1he Frst commercially aailable adjustable hosel deice or a metal woodhead was introduced in 1995 in a set o woods that I designed or Golsmith. I conceied this design or two reasons: 1. I wanted a way to alter the lie and ace angle o a metal wood or custom Ftting purposes. Producing multiple ersions o the design with dierent ace angle and lie specs was too expensie or the potential sales olume o each dierent model. All metal woods at the time were inestment cast rom 1-4 stainless steel. 1he mechanical properties o 1-4 made it irtually impossible to bend the hosel as a way to oer a wider range o custom lie and ace angle Ftting options or metal woods or golers. 2. In the early 1980s I worked in a wooden head manuactur- ing department. 1his experience taught me i a way could be conceied to change the angle o the shat into a metal wood in the same manner the bore was drilled in a wooden head, it would be possible to change the lie and ace angle within a narrow range. But not the lot. lrom my wooden head manu- acturing experience I remembered that it was not possible to change the lot by changing the angle o the bore or shat into the head. In the copy on the Al1 \oods catalog page, this act was written clearly that the adjustable hosel deice could only be used to change the lie, the ace angle or both together.
1he Al1 \oods are shown in the ollowing image o the page in the 1995 Golsmith catalog in which they were presented.
1he Al1 \oods were designed with a larger hosel OD and ID to accept a CNC machined aluminum sleee, into which the shat was to be installed. 1wo dierent aluminum hosel sleees were produced as an option or clubmakers, one in which the bore or the shat was dead straight to the ID o the hosel so that the lie and ace angle could be exactly the same standard specs designed into the head. 1he other sleee was made with a 2 oset bore so when the shat was installed and then the sleee and shat rotated, the lie, ace angle or a combination o both together could be customized in the Al1 \oods. \hile the Al1 adjustable hosel deice required epoxy to secure it and the shat to the woodhead instead o a sole access locking screw, it worked on the same principle as do all the adjustable hosel deices in use today - to allow the shat to be rotated to dierent angles to the ground line o the sole plane rom ace to back to alter the static lie and ace angle specs o the clubhead. Changing Woodhead Specications Through a Change in the Orientation of the SoIe to the Ground \ith respect to an adjustable sole deice or changing woodhead speciFcations such as the deice attached to the sole o the 1aylor Made R1 Drier, the basis or this alteration was Frst conceied during the wooden head era. In written inormation proided by the company to club repairmen in the 1960s, the ormer Kenneth Smith Gol Company o Kansas City, Missouri taught that post production ace angle alterations o their woods could be made by remoing the soleplate, routing the caity or the plate deeper in either the ace heel side or rear heel side, reinstalling the soleplate and then sanding o the protruding wood. 1he result was that the woodhead would tilt dierently on its sole rom the alteration to make the ace more closed or more open. \hile this certainly is an alteration that requires a high leel o workmanship with the right equipment, this is the principle upon which the 1aylor Made R1 sole deice changes the manner in which the head sits on its sole to change the ace angle and lot o the head. loweer, any time the sole position o the head is altered by using a deice which protrudes down or which retracts up rom the sole, the lot will automatically be changed with the ace angle. A sole deice which changes the way the head sits by protruding down or retracting upward rom the sole does the same thing as i the head is rotated by turning the grip end o the club in the hands. Adjusting a sole deice such as the one on the R1 Drier to pro- trude more downward rom the sole is the same thing as turning the head more closed in your hands - the trailing edge o the sole rises up in relation to the leading edge to close the ace and decrease the lot. Adjusting a sole deice to retract up more is the same thing as turning the head more open in your hands - the leading edge o the sole rises up in relation to the trailing edge to open the ace and increase the lot. \hen the clubhead is rotated more open or more closed by turning the grip end o the club in the hands, the lot automatically changes at the same time. lence in the case o the modern R1 sole deice, when it is adjusted to protrude down or retract up, both the ace angle and the lot are being changed at the same time. The Modern Drivers with AdjustabIe HoseI and AdjustabIe SoIe Devices and their Effect on Static Loft, Lie and Face AngIe Specications lor this study our dierent adjustable hosel and adjustable hosel, adjustable sole driers manuactured by our dierent major gol equipment companies were obtained.
Measurements o the static lot, lie and ace angle were recorded or each possible combination o adjustable hosel settings, and in the case o the R1, or each possible combination o adjustable hosel and adjustable sole piece settings. 1he static lot, lie and ace angle measurements were recorded using the Green Machine` which was described preiously in this report. Accuracy o the Green Machine and the measurement deices was eriFed by using a precision engineered calibration clubhead` which is machined to hae a perect 55 lie, 0 ace angle and 10 lot.
1he calibration clubhead` is produced by the 1ecnorama Com- pany o Kaohsiung, 1aiwan, the same company that manuactures the Green Machine or the gol equipment industry. 1ecnorama Calibration "clubhead" machined to perfect 55 lie, 10 loft and 0 square face angle Accuracy of the loft measurement protractor was checked with the calibration "clubhead" Accuracy of the face angle measurement fxture was checked with the calibration "clubhead" oers this special calibration clubhead` with the Green Machine to ensure the accuracy o the machine and accompanying deices or lie, lot and ace angle measurement. Driver Head Position for Specihcations Measurement All our o the driers in this study are manuactured with the ace scorelines parallel to the ground line tangent to the center o the sole rom toe to heel. 1hereore, the position o each head or proper lie angle position was achieed by tilting each drier head in the Green Machine so the center o the sole rom toe to heel touched the base o the machine with the bottom scoreline set par- allel to the base o the machine. Assurance o the parallel position o the scorelines to the base o the machine was assisted by the use o the straight edge slide that comes with the Green Machine. (Note: In all cases, great care was taken to position the heads in the machine with the scorelines parallel to the base of the machine. If the photos look a little different in this aspect, it is only because of a slight tilt of the hand held camera) 1he sole position or proper ace angle and lot measurement was ery careully determined by allowing each drier to sit nat on its sole on a nat surace in the proper lie position and careully noting the exact area o contact with the nat surace in the ace to back plane o the sole. 1he point o contact on the sole was marked and duplicated or each measurement. Correct face to back sole touch position for the Nike Covert Driver is on the only fat surface of the sole due to the ascending rear cavity shape Correct face to back sole touch position for the Titleist 913D2 Driver is on the widest fat sole surface slightly forward of the center of the sole Correct face to back sole touch position for the Ping Anser Driver is on the largest fat surface in the center of the sole Correct face to back sole touch position for the Taylor Made R1 is defned by the twin touch points of the front sole and the rear protruding adjustable sole piece 1he measurements or ace angle, lie angle and lot or each possi- ble hosel position and hosel - sole piece position were made as pre- cisely as my experience in clubhead design enables me to do. I hae been designing clubhead models since 1986. lrom 1986 to present I hae designed more than 350 dierent models o clubheads so I hae a depth o experience in clubhead speciFcation measurement that ew hae in the gol industry. In addition, at times in my career I hae also been asked by two o the largest clubhead production actories to teach proper clubhead specs measurement techniques to the workers in their inspection and tooling departments. \ith these experiences, my ability to determine the proper clubhead position- ing and to accurately measure clubhead speciFcations is as reliable as can be ound in the gol equipment industry. Modern Adjustable Hosel / Adjustable Sole Driver Mea- surements 1. Taylor Made R1 Driver 1he 1aylor Made R1 drier head is oered in a single model which the company says can be adjusted or lot between 8 and 12 and adjusted or ace angle between 3 open and 3 closed using the sole adjustable piece. 1he hosel deice has 12 dierent positions or lot adjustment, the sole piece has dierent positions or ace angle or a total o 84 possible adjustment positions or combina- tions o lot, lie and ace angle. \hile it is not stated by the com- pany, they also claim a lie position change is possible through the designation on the adjustable hosel piece or U ,upright, ater two o the lots ,9.5U & 10.5U,. 1he measurements or lot, lie and ace angle or each o the 84 dierent possible combinations o the hosel and sole adjustable deices are as ollows:
TAYLOR MADE R1 MEASUREMENTS Hosel Setting Sole Setting Face Angle Loft Angle Lie Angle 8.0 N 6.5 open 11.25 59.25 8.0 / 9.5U N 7.0 open 11.5 60.5 9.5U N 6.75 open 11.5 61.5 9.5U / 10.5U N 5.0 open 11.5 62.5 10.5U N 3.0 open 11.5 62.5 10.5U / 12.0 N 0.75 open 11.5 62.0 12 N 0.75 closed 11.5 61.25 12.0 / 10.5 N 1.25 closed 11.5 60.25 10.5 N 0.25 closed 11.5 59.25 10.5 / 9.5 N 1.0 open 11.25 58.75 9.5 N 3.25 open 11.5 58.25 9.5 / 8.0 N 5.0 open 11.5 58.75
8.0 1 Closed 5.0 open 10.5 60.25 8.0 / 9.5U 1 Closed 5.75 open 10.75 61.25 9.5U 1 Closed 5.0 open 10.5 62.0 9.5U / 10.5U 1 Closed 3.75 open 10.5 62.5 10.5U 1 Closed 1.75 open 10.5 62.75 TAYLOR MADE R1 MEASUREMENTS (CONTINUED) Hosel Setting Sole Setting Face Angle Loft Angle Lie Angle 10.5U / 12.0 1 Closed 0.75 closed 10.5 62.25 12 1 Closed 2.0 closed 10.25 61.25 12.0 / 10.5 1 Closed 2.25 closed 10.5 60.5 10.5 1 Closed 1.5 closed 10.5 59.5 10.5 / 9.5 1 Closed 0.25 open 10.25 58.75 9.5 1 Closed 2.25 open 10.25 59.0 9.5 / 8.0 1 Closed 3.75 open 10.25 59.0
8.0 1 Open > 8 open 12 60 8.0 / 9.5U 1 Open > 8 open 11.5 61 9.5U 1 Open 7.75 open 11.75 61.75 9.5U / 10.5U 1 Open 6.75 open 11.5 62.25 10.5U 1 Open 4.25 open 11.5 62.75 10.5U / 12.0 1 Open 2.5 open 12 62.75 12 1 Open 0.75 closed 12 62 12.0 / 10.5 1 Open 0.25 closed 12 60.75 10.5 1 Open 0.25 open 11.5 59.5 10.5 / 9.5 1 Open 2.5 open 12 59
Note: The specifcations measurement machine has a limit of 8 open for the face angle measurement Note 2: Slight variations for the loft measurement within each com- bination of hosel to sole settings are explained by the fact that as the face angle changes dramatically, the head can tilt sightly different in the machine. 2. Nike Covert Driver As with the 1aylor Made Drier, Nike only oers one drier model with the claim that all lots rom 8.5 to 12.5 in 1 increments can be achieed with the one model ia the hosel adjustable deice. In addition, the company claims that the ace angle can also be customized in three dierent settings or Let, Right and Neutral on a second rotational collar on the adjustable hosel deice. Nike does not state a speciFc ace angle speciFcation or the Coert. 1he company says nothing about a lie angle change being possible rom their adjustable hosel deice. \ith the Fe dierent lot settings and three ace angle positions, the Coert drier can be adjusted to 15 dierent positions. 1he measurements or lot, lie and ace angle or the Nike Coert Drier are as ollows: Note: The specifcations measurement machine has a limit of 8 open for the face angle measurement Note 2: Slight variations for the loft measurement within each single face angle setting over all loft positions are explained by the fact that as the face angle changes dramatically, the head tilts slightly different on its face to back sole plane 3. Titleist 913D2 10.5 Driver Unlike 1aylor Made and Nike, 1itleist manuactures the 913D2 in dierent lot models. 1he company`s adjustable hosel deice has a double ring setting, not unlike the Nike Coert hosel deice. Un- like the other companies, 1itleist claims that their hosel deice will allow adjustment o the lie in addition to the lot. 1he company says nothing about the ace angle, and in the ull list o speciFca- tions or the drier on their website, they do not state a ace angle speciFcation. 1here are a total o 16 dierent combinations o the adjustable hosel deice which are noted by a combination o letters and numbers, A to D and 1 to 4. 1he code designations or the adjustable hosel settings are translated into a lot and lie ia a chart that 1itleist has created. NIKE COVERT MEASUREMENTS Lower Ring Loft Setting Upper Ring Face Setting
Face Angle
Loft Angle
Lie Angle 8.5 Right > 8 open 12.5 59.5 9.5 Right > 8 open 12.75 60.5 10.5 Right 6.5 open 12.5 61 11.5 Right 6 open 12.5 61 12.5 Right 5 open 12.5 60.25
8.5 Neutral > 8 open 12.5 60.25 9.5 Neutral 7.25 open 12 60.5 10.5 Neutral 6 open 12.5 60.75 11.5 Neutral 3.75 open 12.5 60 12.5 Neutral 4 open 12.75 59.5
8.5 Left 7.25 open 12 59.75 9.5 Left 6.25 open 12.5 60 10.5 Left 4.5 open 13 60 11.5 Left 3.5 open 12.75 60 12.5 Left 3.25 open 13 59.5 TAYLOR MADE R1 MEASUREMENTS (CONTINUED) Hosel Setting Sole Setting Face Angle Loft Angle Lie Angle 9.5 1 Open 4.5 open 11.75 58.5 9.5 / 8.0 1 Open 6.25 open 11.5 59
8.0 2 Open > 8 open 12 59.5 8.0 / 9.5U 2 Open > 8 open 12 60 9.5U 2 Open > 8 open 12 61.5 9.5U / 10.5U 2 Open 7.25 open 12.25 62 10.5U 2 Open 5.75 open 12.5 63.25 10.5U / 12.0 2 Open 3.5 open 12.75 62.5 12 2 Open 1.75 open 12.25 61.75 12.0 / 10.5 2 Open 0.75 open 12 60 10.5 2 Open 1.75 open 12 59.5 10.5 / 9.5 2 Open 3.75 open 12 59.25 9.5 2 Open 5.25 open 12 58.5 9.5 / 8.0 2 Open 7.0 open 12.25 58.25
8.0 3 Open > 8 open 13 59.5 8.0 / 9.5U 3 Open > 8 open 12.75 60.25 9.5U 3 Open > 8 open 12.75 62 9.5U / 10.5U 3 Open > 8 open 13 62.5 10.5U 3 Open 7.75 open 13 63 10.5U / 12.0 3 Open 5.25 open 13 62.5 12 3 Open 3.25 open 12.75 62 12.0 / 10.5 3 Open 2.75 open 13 60.75 10.5 3 Open 3.25 open 13.25 59.75 10.5 / 9.5 3 Open 4.75 open 13.25 58.75 9.5 3 Open 6.75 open 13 58.25 9.5 / 8.0 3 Open > 8 open 13 58.25
8.0 1 Open > 8 open 12 60 8.0 / 9.5U 1 Open > 8 open 11.5 61 9.5U 1 Open 7.75 open 11.75 61.75 9.5U / 10.5U 1 Open 6.75 open 11.5 62.25 10.5U 1 Open 4.25 open 11.5 62.75 10.5U / 12.0 1 Open 2.5 open 12 62.75 12 1 Open 0.75 closed 12 62 In the measurements or the 913D2, rather than use their somewhat conusing chart, we compared the chart entries to the company`s published lot and lie specs to translate the chart settings into actual lot and lie speciFcations that each setting o the hosel deice is claimed by the company to achiee.
1he 1itleist 913D2 measurements or lot, lie and ace angle are as ollows: 4. PING Anser Driver 10.5 Similar to the 1itleist 913D2 but unlike the Coert and R1, the Ping Anser drier is made in dierent lot ersions rom 8.5 to 12. 1he company claims that their adjustable hosel deice is used strictly to make lot adjustments o -1,2 or -1,2 rom each model`s spec lot. No mention is made o a change in ace angle or in lie angle rom the adjustable hosel deice. 1he Ping adjustable hosel deice has but three dierent settings or the lot adjustment, noted by symbols o ,the head model`s spec lot, , - ,add 1,2 lot,, and - ,reduce ' lot,. 1he PING Anser 10.5 measurements or lot, lie and ace angle or each o the three settings on the adjustable hosel deice are as ollows: ConcIusion Upon reading how ar o the lot, lie and ace angle speciFcations are rom each company`s stated speciFcations, it would be logical or loyal ollowers o these gol equipment companies to chal- lenge the measurements in this report as either biased or incorrect. I assure you that the measurements are exactly as reported based on the experience gained in 2 years as a clubhead designer and as a serious student o the technology o gol equipment. 1he measurements were perormed using the accepted manner o positioning a drier head or accurate lot, lie and ace angle measurement as practiced or many decades by eery clubhead production actory I hae experience with, seeral which hae produced clubheads or the major gol equip- ment companies or many years. I will admit I was so amazed at how ar o these measurements were rom each company`s stated speciFcations that I repeated the measurements or each drier or eery combination o adjustable deice settings to be doubly sure o the accuracy o the speciFcation measurements. 1hese ARL the static lot, lie and ace angle measurements or these driers when the drier heads are placed in the specs measurement machine in the manner that has been practiced in this industry or many, many years. 1he act that the lot angle does NO1 change rom any o the adjustable lOSLL deices does not surprise me. I expected this would be the case based on my experience in manuacturing wood- en woodheads and rom my experience in haing created the Frst adjustable hosel deice or metal woods. \ou can deFnitely change the lie angle and the ace angle by changing the angle o the shat into the hosel and into the head, but you simply cannot change the lot o a woodhead through a change in the angle o the shat using such an adjustable hosel deice. I was also surprised to see the ace angle measurements be as open as many o the combinations o the adjustable hosel deices produced on the heads. I must also add that when a head measured substantially open in the Green Machine, it also looked ery open when placed on a nat surace to simulate the natural resting address position o the head. Only with the adjustable sole protrusion piece on the sole o the 1aylor Made R1 can you change the lot, but in doing so you also change the ace angle at the same time. As can be seen in the measurements, the measured ace angle was rarely close to the ace angle as designated by the marks on the adjustable sole deice. Rarely, een with the additional innuence o the R1 sole protrusion deice, did the lot and ace angle end up being close to what the company stated. As the head is tilted more closed by the sole piece protruding more rom the sole, the lot automatically decreases, and as the head is tilted more open by the sole piece receding more TITLEIST 913D2 10.5 MEASUREMENTS Hosel Setting Titleist stated Loft Measured Loft Titleist stated Lie Measured Lie Titleist stated Face Angle Measured Face Angle A1 10.50 14.50 58.50 60.00 Not Listed 6.75 open A2 10.50 14.50 60.00 62.25 Not Listed 7.0 open A3 12.00 14.50 60.00 62.25 Not Listed 3.25 open A4 12.00 14.50 58.50 60.00 Not Listed 2.5 open B1 10.50 14.50 57.75 59.25 Not Listed 5.75 open B2 10.50 14.50 59.25 61.00 Not Listed 6.5 open B3 12.00 14.50 59.25 61.00 Not Listed 3.25 open B4 12.00 14.50 57.75 60.00 Not Listed 2.75 open C1 9.75 14.50 57.75 59.25 Not Listed 6.75 open C2 9.75 14.50 59.25 61.00 Not Listed 8.0 open C3 11.25 14.50 59.25 61.00 Not Listed 3.25 open C4 11.25 14.50 57.75 59.25 Not Listed 3.5 open D1 9.75 14.50 58.50 59.50 Not Listed 7.0 open D2 9.75 14.50 60.00 61.25 Not Listed 7.75 open D3 11.25 14.50 60.00 61.25 Not Listed 3.75 open D4 11.25 14.50 58.50 60.00 Not Listed 4.0 open PING ANSER 10.5 MEASUREMENTS Hosel Setting Measured Loft Measured Lie Measured Face Angle
14.5 60.0 3.5 open
+ 14.5 60.0 6.5 open - 14.5 59.0 6.0 open upward, the lot automatically increases. 1he ONL\ way any o these driers can come close to playing at the lots stated on each company`s hosel deice is i the goler manually rotates the clubace until the rotation achiees the stated lot. But then the goler has to manually lOLD the club o the ground, and as careully as possible, hold the clubhead in that posi- tion when addressing the shot and when commencing the swing to hit the shot. 1o truly achiee each stated lot, the clubhead would hae to be rotated into a dierent position, and again, lLLD manually by the goler in that position. In perorming a manual rotation o the head to achiee the stated lot, the ace angle will also change. Manually holding the drier in a speciFc lot position is ery diFcult to do with any leel o accuracy. low many gol- ers can tell i they hae rotated the clubace to a dierence o 1 or een 2 o lot 1hat`s why the commonly accepted manner o playing a drier has been to sole the club on the ground so it adopts its static speciFca- tions or lot and ace angle, taking the grip, and starting the swing. No goler should be or can be expected to hae to rotate the club- head to a speciFc position and hold the head in that position beore starting the swing. lollowing is a photo o one o the driers that shows the general position or how each o these adjustable hosel driers would hae to be positioned and manually held so as to make the lot be closer to what the hosel deice says it is. Rotating the ace around to change the lot also changes the ace angle. So een i the goler managed to guess that he has manually rotated the ace to achiee a speciFc lot, the ace angle is locked in whateer position to go with that - which may not be a proper Ft or the goler`s horizontal launch angle and accuracy. By ar, the ast majority o golers, een the majority o tour pros, set the drier down to rest on its sole when they address the ball to hit a tee shot, and leae the drier sitting on its sole when they start the swing to hit the shot. Doing that will result in these driers set- ting up to the ball with the static speciFcations measured and stated in this report. 1hat is how golers are supposed to set up to the ball with a drier or any wood or that matter. 1he whole reason a clubhead designer and his production actory painstakingly try to produce drier and woodheads to accurate static speciFcations is to allow the goler to address the ball with as close to those speciFcations as possible so that the static specs o the club combine with the swing character- istics o the goler to produce a speciFc shot result. Cause and Lect. Static Clubhead Specications + Golfer Swing Characteristics = Shot Results Being a clubhead designer since 1986 with more experience in all areas o clubhead design and ClubFtting research than perhaps anyone in the game, I hae complete respect or the engineering and design capability o the major gol club companies. I sincerely do. 1o use that engineering ability to create beautiully made drier heads which are ery ar o rom achieing the speciFcations stated by each company is o no help to golers who simply wish to acquire the ery best gol clubs with which to play this great game to the best o their ability. 1he best gol clubs or any goler will be built with clubheads which possess static speciFcations which hae been determined by the gol company and,or an experienced clubFtter to be able to produce the most consistent shot results when subjected to the swing characteristics o each goler. I a goler cannot rely on the static speciFcations o the clubhead to be what they are stated to be, achieing the most consistent shot results becomes a ery disor- ganized trial and error process. For any of the adjustable hosel drivers to be able to achieve close to the lofts claimed by the company, the driver head would have to be manually rotated and held by the golfer. This is not how drivers have been played by the vast majority of golfers so this type of manually held address position is simply not feasible for the majority of golfers to adopt.