Peter Kostis said what???

[Harry Longshanks]

Watching the AT&T; National, and Peter Kostis and Nick Faldo are commenting on a shot of Anthony Kim's that falls well short of the green. They are debating whether it was a mis-club or a mis-hit when Faldo says,

"Peter, have you ever noticed how Anthony Kim chokes down on all of his clubs?"

Kostis responds, "That's because today's clubs are made for guys like you Nick." , referring to Faldo's 6'3" height. (A.K. is listed at 5'10".) "I think it's a great thing Kim is doing."

Uhhhh, excuse me Mr. Kostis. I'm no master clubmaker here, but I'm pretty sure Nike hooks A.K. up with clubs specifically fit for him. I'm willing to bet your salary that he didn't buy those from his local Edwin Watts ( , and even if he did, as a tall guy, I can tell you that the ones on the shelf are NOT designed for big guys. Besides, you can still order them to fit your size and swing.

Am I missing something here?

Was Kostis referring to something different with which I am not familiar?

[Lemay427]

Peter Kostis is an idiot, plain and simple.

I laughed when I heard that. One size fits all in Golf!!!!!!! Who knew?? Off Topic but an all time dumbass statement from Peter Kostis. This was in an article about Jaqueline Gagne, the lady who claimed she had 16 hole in ones in 6 months:

Gagne twice appeared on CBS television's "The Early Show." Co-anchor Harry Smith began the first segment saying, "Oh, do I love this story." Later he brought her to New York, where he enlisted golf analyst Peter Kostis. When Gagne revealed that she reads the green from the tee, Kostis declared that "the first clue" to the holes-in-one. Then she made a few swings, and Kostis liked what he saw. His conclusion: "It's the real deal."

[Harry Longshanks]

I remember that. One of the writers from GD or GM did a follow up on that lady (i.e., he actually did some journalistic research before putting pen to paper) and showed that she basically made it all up. What? 16 aces in 6 months by a beginner was faked?!?!?

That lady is a nutjob. IIRC, her domestic partner left her over the incident because she refused to corroborate Gagne's stories.

I had forgotten Kostis endorsed Gagne. Redonkulous.

[rogerhuang]

AK's irons are standard length. He doesn't want them cut shorter to fit him. As a result, he chokes up on the irons to have the right lie angles and ball contact (rather than having the irons adjusted flatter).

Kostis has it right. You are missing something. Sorry.

[Harry Longshanks]

AK's irons are standard length.

Well, that's kind of my point. A.K. plays the clubs exactly the way he wants them - not because all clubs are made for 6'3" guys (which they aren't).

[rogerhuang]

Well, that's kind of my point. A.K. plays the clubs exactly the way he wants them - not because all clubs are made for 6'3" guys (which they aren't).

No, you still don't understand.

AK chokes up on the irons because the standard length iron shafts that he has are TOO LONG for him. However, he doesn't want to trim his shafts (or adjust his irons flatter). He plays the same length shafts that anyone would get from Edwin Watts. Nike does NOT trim them shorter for him. The standard length irons that AK uses are the right length for people around 5'11 to 6'1. At his length, AK must choke up on his irons to get the proper lie angle and ball contact. He refuses to play with flatter lie angles.

[BSweet]

No, you still don't understand.

I doubt this.

[Harry Longshanks]

No, you still don't understand.

Ummm, no. I understand exactly what you are saying.

And let's assume for a moment that it is true. Would you also agree that Nike is willing and capable of making clubs for A.K. in any configuration and with any playing characteristics he wants? That is, if A.K. wanted the shafts butt trimmed to -1/2" so he wouldn't have to choke down, Nike would do it? Or that if he wanted the irons bent flatter so he could play the longer shafts, Nike would also do this. And that if either of these modifications changed the swingweight or other playing characteristics of the clubs, Nike would adjust them accordingly to meet A.K.'s wants/needs. And if you are unwilling to agree that Nike would do those things, I can tell you that I know the team members of a university golf team that has a contract with Nike, and that Nike does exactly those things at the Nike golf facility in Dallas/Ft. Worth. So then, based on the above, wouldn't you have to agree that A.K. has golf clubs built exactly the way he wants them? Therefore, when Peter Kostis says that A.K. chokes down because "these days, clubs are made for tall guys", he is incorrect. A.K. is playing the clubs exactly as he wants them. He chooses to choke down. He does not do so because he is unable to obtain clubs that are of a length that would not require him to choke down. Now, if you were to cite me source that says, for example, A.K. plays his clubs that way because his first set was an off-the-shelf set and A.K. was forced to choke down in order to get the proper lie angle. And he learned that way, so he still plays that way - then Kostis's statement would have a more meaningful context. But it would still be incorrect. A.K. does not choke down because "clubs these days are made for guys built like [Nick Faldo]."

[rogerhuang]

Ummm, no. I understand exactly what you are saying.

I know AK through a close buddy of his. He grew up playing OTR (off-the-rack irons), like most of us have done. His parents weren't poor, but they weren't rich at the time either. As you stated above and as I've been trying to explain to you, AK had to choke up on the grip to get the proper lie angle because the OTR irons are designed for people who range in height from 5'11 to 6'11 in height, with the corresponding lie angle. If OTR irons came in shorter shafts as standard length, AK would never have grown up choking up on the grip as he does now. Kostis is correct: iron makers make OTR irons with a certain player height range in mind, and that results in the specific iron length and lie angle.

You are also correct about Nike: they can and would make irons to AK's exact specifications if he wanted them to. You are also correct about AK: he gets whatever he wants from Nike. What you still have failed to grasp is the following: AK DOES NOT want Nike to build irons that are fitted to him with shorter shafts (so he wouldnt have to choke down). He has grown accustomed to playing irons that were designed for taller players (just like the OTR irons he played growing up) and adjusts to them by choking down on the grip. If it were me, I'd get Nike to build me a set where i wouldn't have to choke up (I'm AK's height). As it stands, I also choke up to get the right lie angle and proper ball contact (too cheap to get the shafts trimmed or lie angles bent flatter).

[JackieTreehorn]

Maybe it has to do with his hand size? There are very few options for guys with small hands, and he may have a more comfortable grip on the club where the grip is smaller (1" down the club). It was probably something he did in his teens and doesn't want to change.

[golf_junkie27]

You are also correct about Nike: they can and would make irons to AK's exact specifications if he wanted them to. You are also correct about AK: he gets whatever he wants from Nike.

I've seen a spreadsheet with details of his equipment information. Nike already makes irons to AK's exact specifications. His irons are one club stronger than normal and all the lies are different, they are not standard or off the rack.

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

Guys, I'm pretty sure Peter Kostis understands golf equipment. I vaguely remember the coment and don't recall thinking anything of it... perhaps he was half-joking with Faldo or didn't do a very good job of getting his point across. So AK likes his irons a little longer (for him) and likes to choke down. He chokes down on his driver too. Classic case of the golf community taking a meaningless comment and running with it.

[rogerhuang]

Guys, I'm pretty sure Peter Kostis understands golf equipment. I vaguely remember the coment and don't recall thinking anything of it... perhaps he was half-joking with Faldo or didn't do a very good job of getting his point across. So AK likes his irons a little longer (for him) and likes to choke down. He chokes down on his driver too. Classic case of the golf community taking a meaningless comment and running with it.

+1. Agreed. Exactly what I've been trying to explain to the OP all along....

[iacas]

So AK likes his irons a little longer (for him) and likes to choke down. He chokes down on his driver too. Classic case of the golf community taking a meaningless comment and running with it.

That's the thing. Though in terms of "world history" or something it's meaningless, it's not meaningless to golfers, golf fans, etc.

"Likes his clubs a little longer" and "buys off the shelf" are two very different things. Also, Kostis said clubs are made for guys like Nick at 6'3", and I'm 5'10" - standard length clubs fit me fine. So with that one simple exchange, we got bad information about : a) pros going through extensive fitting (thus putting importance on fitting) b) clubs not being sized properly for most golfers (which is true, but not in the way Kostis said) I don't think those two things are "meaningless." I strongly believe in being fit to your golf equipment, and any mis-information about the fitting process or its importance hampers the ability or knowledge of golfers in getting fit.

[manninm]

That's the thing. Though in terms of "world history" or something it's meaningless, it's not meaningless to golfers, golf fans, etc.

I personally think the comment was a crack at Faldo's size. But I can see your argument with regards to misinformation. I too am a proponent of custom fitting - I think that anyone who wants to improve should have custom fit clubs.

[pjsnyc]

I could've sworn I heard from a previous tournament AK was in, the announcers (I forget who) were saying he chokes down to make the shaft feel more stiff with less of a rubbery whippy feel. I could be trippin tho...hmmmmmmm

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

That's the thing. Though in terms of "world history" or something it's meaningless, it's not meaningless to golfers, golf fans, etc.

I don't know iacas, I consider myself and golfer and a golf fan and I think it's pretty meaningless. His comments, not getting fitted. I'm 5'9", play standard irons and didn't consider slashing them after the comment.

"Likes his clubs a little longer" and "buys off the shelf" are two very different things. Also, Kostis said clubs are made for guys like Nick at 6'3", and I'm 5'10" - standard length clubs fit me fine.

I did say perhaps he did a poor job of getting his point across. However,

my point is that Kostas is not an idiot and doesn't believe pros play one size fit all clubs off the rack as some of the early posts referred to. He knows his stuff. And I do believe bringing Faldo into the equation was a joke, a weak attempt at one but a joke. Isn't Kostas 5 foot nothing?

So with that one simple exchange, we got bad information about

Wow. You got all of that from his comment? I think we're reading a little too much into it.

[bigphil]

seriously guys!?!? this is a funny post to read. just watch the golf being played! who cares what who said about who. i heard his comment while watching the broadcast, would never have thought twice about it. who cares what AK plays...hes good...end of story. as for Kostis...again....he knows his stuff and dont take everything you hear so literally.