Interchangeable Club Heads
Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- First came graphite shafts, then club heads the size of grapefruits. Now some equipment manufacturers see a wrench as the next breakthrough for golf geeks.
Players facing narrow fairways, wind or rain soon will be able to change their equipment to match the course and weather as Tiger Woods can, thanks to a rule change and new gear.
As of Jan. 1, golfers are allowed to adjust club heads and shafts on their drivers before a round. The change led some manufacturers to design clubs with interchangeable parts. Callaway Golf Co.'s adjustable entry, the iMix, will cost as much as $1,400 for one driver head and three shafts, about triple the average cost of a top-of-the-line driver.
``For the avid player, price becomes more of a badge than an obstacle,'' said Jeff Colton, Callaway's senior vice president of research and development. ``We're all a little edgy about where we are in our economy, but golfers are a little crazy.''
Callaway, based in Carlsbad, California, spent two years developing the clubs even before the U.S. Golf Association, the arbiter of golf's rules in the U.S. and Mexico, approved the change. The iMix comes with a claw-like wrench to change shafts and will be available in mid-March, Colton said.
Taylor Made Golf Co., also based in Carlsbad, will offer its CGB Max Limited driver along with three shafts, ranging from 55 grams (2 ounces) to 75 grams, for $999. The all-in-one package, dubbed the ``Tour Van in a Box'' includes nine moveable weights that can be screwed into the back of the club head, giving a golfer 1,071 possible combinations, the company said.
Targeting Golf Geeks
Companies entering the adjustable club market are targeting the die-hard golf geek, or ``tinkerer who insists on having the latest and greatest,'' Colton said.
For years, golf's top professionals have had personal club fitters who travel to each event in a custom van. The technicians switch shafts or change the angle of a driver's club face before a round, using glue and a heat gun.
Since the rule change means all players will have access to clubs with easily adjustable parts, the playing field has been leveled, said Dick Rugge, senior technical director of the Far Hills, New Jersey-based USGA.
``This was a case where we felt it was appropriate to relax the rules,'' Rugge said in an interview during last month's annual PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, where the clubs were introduced. ``It hasn't hurt the game at the highest level, so it shouldn't hurt the game at the lower levels.''
By customizing clubs, players can, for example, use a heavier shaft to produce more accuracy. A lighter shaft can increase swing speed for added distance.
Nike Sits It Out
Companies choosing not to sell adjustable clubs, including Nike Inc. and Huntington Beach, California-based Cleveland Golf Co., say they doubt there is enough demand.
John Rae, Cleveland's manager of performance research, said golfers who bought a driver with moveable weights when they were introduced in 2004 rarely changed the configuration after the novelty wore off.
``People find what works for them, and they stick with it,'' Rae said in a telephone interview. ``I can't see a consumer who doesn't hit his driver perfect every time to begin with wanting to mess with the one that does work for him because it was windy that day, or it rained the night before.''
Because Nike, based in Beaverton, Oregon, already uses adjustable clubs in its personal fitting systems for individual customers, it wouldn't be difficult to put them into production, said Tom Stites, Nike's lead club designer.
``Trust me, we'll be ready,'' Stites said.
Retailers will also be watching.
``How many consumers are going to want to drop a couple hundred dollars on shafts?'' said Scott Warman, manager of hard good sales at the PGA Tour Superstore in Roswell, Georgia. ``It's a great question.''
While Cleveland's Rae called adjustable clubs a fad, he said that won't stop certain golfers from buying them.
``It's just something to have when you step up on the first tee,'' he said. ``If you have a more expensive driver than your buddy, you win.''
Players facing narrow fairways, wind or rain soon will be able to change their equipment to match the course and weather as Tiger Woods can, thanks to a rule change and new gear.
As of Jan. 1, golfers are allowed to adjust club heads and shafts on their drivers before a round. The change led some manufacturers to design clubs with interchangeable parts. Callaway Golf Co.'s adjustable entry, the iMix, will cost as much as $1,400 for one driver head and three shafts, about triple the average cost of a top-of-the-line driver.
``For the avid player, price becomes more of a badge than an obstacle,'' said Jeff Colton, Callaway's senior vice president of research and development. ``We're all a little edgy about where we are in our economy, but golfers are a little crazy.''
Callaway, based in Carlsbad, California, spent two years developing the clubs even before the U.S. Golf Association, the arbiter of golf's rules in the U.S. and Mexico, approved the change. The iMix comes with a claw-like wrench to change shafts and will be available in mid-March, Colton said.
Taylor Made Golf Co., also based in Carlsbad, will offer its CGB Max Limited driver along with three shafts, ranging from 55 grams (2 ounces) to 75 grams, for $999. The all-in-one package, dubbed the ``Tour Van in a Box'' includes nine moveable weights that can be screwed into the back of the club head, giving a golfer 1,071 possible combinations, the company said.
Targeting Golf Geeks
Companies entering the adjustable club market are targeting the die-hard golf geek, or ``tinkerer who insists on having the latest and greatest,'' Colton said.
For years, golf's top professionals have had personal club fitters who travel to each event in a custom van. The technicians switch shafts or change the angle of a driver's club face before a round, using glue and a heat gun.
Since the rule change means all players will have access to clubs with easily adjustable parts, the playing field has been leveled, said Dick Rugge, senior technical director of the Far Hills, New Jersey-based USGA.
``This was a case where we felt it was appropriate to relax the rules,'' Rugge said in an interview during last month's annual PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, where the clubs were introduced. ``It hasn't hurt the game at the highest level, so it shouldn't hurt the game at the lower levels.''
By customizing clubs, players can, for example, use a heavier shaft to produce more accuracy. A lighter shaft can increase swing speed for added distance.
Nike Sits It Out
Companies choosing not to sell adjustable clubs, including Nike Inc. and Huntington Beach, California-based Cleveland Golf Co., say they doubt there is enough demand.
John Rae, Cleveland's manager of performance research, said golfers who bought a driver with moveable weights when they were introduced in 2004 rarely changed the configuration after the novelty wore off.
``People find what works for them, and they stick with it,'' Rae said in a telephone interview. ``I can't see a consumer who doesn't hit his driver perfect every time to begin with wanting to mess with the one that does work for him because it was windy that day, or it rained the night before.''
Because Nike, based in Beaverton, Oregon, already uses adjustable clubs in its personal fitting systems for individual customers, it wouldn't be difficult to put them into production, said Tom Stites, Nike's lead club designer.
``Trust me, we'll be ready,'' Stites said.
Retailers will also be watching.
``How many consumers are going to want to drop a couple hundred dollars on shafts?'' said Scott Warman, manager of hard good sales at the PGA Tour Superstore in Roswell, Georgia. ``It's a great question.''
While Cleveland's Rae called adjustable clubs a fad, he said that won't stop certain golfers from buying them.
``It's just something to have when you step up on the first tee,'' he said. ``If you have a more expensive driver than your buddy, you win.''
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