Player, please... my sh*t is custom....

Too much, maybe?  Nahh

Let's face it. When talking about gear, golfers LOVE to customize their stuff. Gloves, clothes, hats, and shoes are all about standing out on the course and showing your own personal style.


 The problem with gear is that there's not a whole lot of diversity out there. Your BrandX driver looks like everyone else's - you know - except for that sky mark maybe. If you want to have something customized - you've got to find a talented painter who will strip it, prime it, paint it, and seal it for you. Then you have it for a while - until it's scratched or something new comes out and you want THAT one instead. You MIGHT luck out in selling it to an individual with your same taste in art, but the likelihood that you'll be sitting on it a while is pretty high.

I like unique as much as the next guy, so The Club Nut has started carrying two new custom companies that provide some flair to your existing equipment.

www.camogolf.com

First, there's CamoGolf.com.  One guess what they do? Camo Golf has a partnership with RealTree to provide serious gear for the outdoor enthusiast. Most people will enjoy the Realtree Grips, but they also offer the popular UST Proforce V5 in camo, as well as a few of our favorite premium driver heads. Check out their full selection and retail pricing at www.camogolf.com and then get a quote for a custom build or re-grip using their components using our component/install pricing.

www.clubcrownbyvive.com

If camo isn't your thing, maybe you're a steampunk type of person, or maybe Argyle? Clubcrownsbyvive.com will make your driver, 3 wood, or hybrid into a work of art with custom graphics that are truly wicked. The best part of it is that it can happen fast and it's completely removable, so when you're ready to upgrade your equipment you can remove it and expose the original finish, unharmed, beneath it.  Just ship your club to one of the certified installers (or stop in if they're near you) and they place it same day and put it right back in the mail. The Club Nut will be a certified installer this season so if you're local, check out the ClubCrown section of our site and see if we have what you like. If we don't, we'll get it just ask! They even have collegiate logos!   Clubcrown also has a budget, self-install line called clubcrownstripe.com.  They cover only an "aim stripe" area but retain the graphical customization. I think I fancy the full crown because on top of the style points, it will be an added layer of protection for the crown of your big dog.


Remember, too that we also offer components from Maltby, Hireko, and Bombtech to provide you with the most options and highest performing equipment for your dollar. It really is cool that some manufacturers are so into the customization and style of clubs. I think my favorite is one designed for ladies by iBella - the obsession series. An entire line to show off your glitz and glamour. High style and high performance geared specifically toward women..... and yes, Batgirl, it does come in black.

Contact us to get your custom build quote. Remember, with our custom build fee The Club Nut checks spine and oscillation before assembling our clubs to make sure performance is maximized for each club Depending on the manufacturer's tolerances on components, shaft graphics may not perfectly align. We will match assembly prices for manufacturers sites for Basic Assembly only.

Let's talk about Fitting......

I'm sure if you're reading this and are truly interested in golf, then you've probably been "fit" for something at one time or another.  Of course, by FIT I mean you've payed $50 and had someone stand back while you hit a bunch of junk balls into a net 20 feet in front of you. Some fancy machine takes some measurements while the "technician" makes clandestine clicks and keystrokes so the computer can properly record your info. Then at the end, they suggest you buy the newest club they have and say "I think you'll really enjoy this and it'll improve your game".

Try the newest 460cc with movable weights and adjustability,
it's got a real nice profit margin..

Did I get that about right??  So here's the thing... that's bullshit. Complete and utter hogs waller, bollocks, shyte, whatever your choice phrase may be. "But you offer this service" you say, "Why would you say that?!".  Because I DON'T offer this service. I offer a solid Club Fitting -- I do not offer for you to rent my launch monitor so I can sell you clubs.

How and why do I do this? I want you to succeed at golf.  I will be the first to admit that my Club Fitting is not as cheap as the other places. At $70.00 for a set of irons, it is quite pricy to some people. I'm OK with that because again, you're not just renting my space so I can sell you something - you're renting ME for about an hours time so we can look at everything in your game. I schedule appointments and I don't offer to help others and say "I'll be back in 10 minutes, I just have to find a head cover for this guy". Oh and also, when you're done... Shhhhhhhh you get to keep your information and do whatever you want with it.  What's that? Repeat myself because you had something crazy in your ear? No... it's written. Just re-read it.

 I live by a simple philosophy:  "The memory of bad quality outweighs the shock of high prices".  In a nutshell, I charge what is fair for me to put my time and experience into the job so that you get the highest quality possible.  If you don't want to pay it, that's ok. I won't hate you. Seriously, if I had money for every time I've heard and engaged in this conversation, I would be writing this blog from sunny Florida on my back deck which overlooks the 15th hole.

Guy: I can't hit this damn club.
Me:  Oh? Is it new?
Guy: Yea I did a fitting (insert time frame) ago and I bought it then.
Me:  So you were hitting it good but now you aren't?
Guy: No, I got fit with my old clubs. I special ordered this because the fitter said it would work based          on my numbers.
Me:  Numbers? Your club speed or your bank balance?


While the majority of places put you on a simulator and have you hit crap balls and take computer measurements, I do more than that:

1.  We get the "life specs" on all your current clubs.  Length, loft, lie, swing weight, frequency, shaft type, and take a look at the grip traction and size.

2.  We will hit balls with your current set and see what's good/ bad/ what your best clubs are.

3.  Using the quick connect system, we hit balls on a real range and watch what happens to them. See, this is the real good part... then we take all this and TALK about what things feel like, what you want, and even chat about the good and bad in your swing.

4.  You get all this information written down and you can take it with you to -- I don't know - go buy budget clubs from eBay or whatever. Knock yourself out....

#4 kills people when I say it and write it.  "OH MY GOD, how do you stay in business?!".   My answer after a couple drinks is usually "Because I'm f--king good at what I do. Dick."

I don't just want you to play better, I want you to be happy.  If a player is happy with off the rack clubs after getting their perfect measurements - so be it. I think they're a little screwy, but I'm happy for them.
There are some that end up learning the hard way, for instance. Guys like Jeff (we'll call him that for now).  Jeff came and we talked and looked and did 1 through 4.  Jeff took his information and bought a name brand set at a local box store. Had it special ordered to the specs that he wanted and were given to him on my sheet.... Sort of. Payed $1500 for them after tax and shipping and "upgrades" whatever those are. I received a call over lunch one day because he was convinced that everything I told him was wrong.
He brought the set over and I put them through the paces. Turns out, the flex the manufacturer put in was not equivalent to the CPM that I told him - I guess the guy that sold it to him talked him into "regular, stiff, or x-stiff" being acceptable terms and that "frequency matching" would be an extra charge - which it is for the most part so I don't blame him.  Furthermore, the shafts weren't spine aligned or oscillated at all. Some were more off than others but they were typical "assembly line" clubs.  GripA, shaftB, headC, epoxy and ship.  So, after another $140, Jeff came back to the shop and picked up a set of clubs that were second to none.  Same heads, same grips, but all aligned, the proper flex and weight, and he's hitting it like a million bucks. He was able to sell the pulled shafts on eBay and recoup his loss at least. More recently Jeff was in the market for a new driver.  Where do you think he went? Aye, there be the moral of this story....

Name brands are expensive. Not necessarily expensive because they're "better clubs". Sometimes, not always. They're expensive because there's "R&D",  advertising, and a bunch of other things that go into releasing 3 drivers and 2 sets of irons every year that are 10 yards longer than their predecessor. I swear, if I had all the yardage and stuff I was promised over the years by big names, I'd be hitting 430 yard drives and throwing 150 yard sand wedges onto the green and spinning them 40 feet backwards.  The thing is, the USGA has put a max on what golf clubs can do. Remember that driver two years ago that "reached the USGA max for all attributes".... well guess what, there's nothing that this year's model can do better except have expensive moving parts that you'll probably end up spending money on tinkering with  or needing a $30 wrench to manipulate.

I don't always put bright colors and stickers on my golf clubs....
but when I do, it's because you're more likely to buy them.

For the eventual $1640 that Jeff ended up spending, a qualified club maker could have set him up with  and entire set of the top shelf in clubs in his exact specs - all made with quality components. You may not know the name, but trust your guy - he wouldn't be using them if he didn't know how they performed. I know I wouldn't. Nothing in my shop is there because I'm being paid or because it's cheaper than something else.  I don't have overhead because I don't keep inventory. I don't keep inventory because I never want to be a slave to having to "push" something on a customer so I don't lose money.

It's the same with fitting. I don't want to fit you to sell you something -- I want to fit you because I want you to play better. I've done everything I can to take the guesswork and inconsistency out of fitting. When I build a set, all my shafts are spine aligned. All my grips are the same size - If they're not, I pull them off and do it again. For fitting, all my heads and shafts are interchangeable - even the demos for independent companies like Krank and Bombtech.

Later this year, I will also be getting a Flightscope or a GC2 to add to the collection because I know how much people lean on this information. It's good to have, but don't let it rule your life.  I can't wait for the snow to melt so we can all get back out there. It's echo murder on your ears hitting in the heated bays.



Next time:  How The Club Nut takes the guesswork out of demos.

Winter Blues
Staying normal in the off-season


In the northeast of the country, golf season runs from April 1 through October 31st according to the USGA Handicap Revision Schedule.  If we're lucky, it might get warm enough (and stop raining for more than 20 minutes) in March so we can get out to the range, bang off the rust, and shank a few at an unsuspecting ball-retrieving cart. It's about now that the stir-crazy starts to set in and people start doing things like swinging golf clubs indoors, and ending marriages over broken lamps or holes in the ceiling. Well, it's almost season but you're sitting there still rotting of boredom waiting for the nice weather....

Q: What's a Golf-nut to do?  A: Get fit quick!

OK so you can't swing a club, you've putted about as much as you care to do. It's time to do some exercising. I'm not talking about heavy lifting Tiger-esque kind of exercises, just the body moving and joint strengthening exercises. You know -- the ones you should have been doing all winter but were so busy with drinking rum and eggnog over the holidays that you just kind of skipped. The best things about these exercises is that you can do them anywhere, any time, and they'll get you in shape for golf this season.

1:  Plank -  A good staple. Some fitness experts would make you believe that isometric exercises can be dropped because they don't do enough for you when you reach a certain level of fitness. Personally, I work out nearly every day and I still get benefits out of the plank move so I'll recommend it until the day I die.

- Simply lay belly-down on the ground.
- Position your elbows right under your shoulders and your forearms out ahead like the Sphinx.
- Now squeeze your abs, butt and shoulders and raise your body up off the floor. Balance on your elbows and toes.
- Make a straight line from your shoulders to your toes and hold it as long as you can. Work up to 1 minute.

Still think it's too easy? Women's Health Magazine has a great article on the plank and how to make it harder.  Laugh if you want - the smallest women on tour are still banging their 3 woods farther than you're hitting driver. I'm not too proud to get my info from any source!


2: Pushups - Probably the most well-known stationary exercise in the world. Get your upper body in shape. If you don't know what it is, well... you REALLY need to read and do these exercises.  Do 50 per day.  Do them however you can. 10 sets of five.. Five sets of 10...25 sets of 2... Just do them.

- Start in Plank Position.
- Place your hands flat on the ground a little wider than shoulder width or as close to that as is comfortable.
- Tighten your abs and make a straight line from your shoulders to your toes.
- Lower your upper body to the floor by bending your arms. Push back up. Repeat. Maintain the straight line of your body.

You can make them easier by going to your knees instead of your toes. There are also variations that work different areas. The standard pushup is a good place to start.


3: Squats and Stairs - A lot of power in the golf swing comes from the lower body. If you have stairs in your house, use them...a lot. Do power sets of stairs going up and down 10 or more times. Skip stairs and take 2 at a time slowly if you can. It's great for the hamstrings and glutes. When you're done with that, do some squats. Simply stand with your feet shoulder width apart and squat down as close to parallel as you can. Stand up, Repeat. Do a lot. Hold something for weight to make it harder - I hold my golf bag.  If you have issues going up and down, then wall squats may be for you:

- Find a good, sturdy wall. Stand with your back against it.
- Bend your knees and slide yourself down the wall slowly until your upper legs are parallel to the floor (or as close as you can safely get them)
- Hold for 30 seconds (or as long as you can).  Stand up, then repeat.


These are very effective exercises to give you a base to play your best golf this year. Best thing is, they can pretty much all be done while watching TV! Do them every other day and you'll start to feel it in 2 weeks or even sooner! Don't quit, and enjoy the walk this Spring when you can finally get out! Don't forget the cigars!