Ken Smith

Below is a reply I received from Lloyd in reference to my query about the Mizuno Shaft Optimizer. Later in the e-mail he told me to feel free to share it, so here it is. Also, I know the original patent was granted in 1994, but there have been many patents since then. Take a look at the following link for more information: http://www.google.com/patents/about?...=lloyd+hackman . Ken, Yes, I have heard of the Mizuno Shaft Optimizer and just last week notified them that they were infringing my Patent. The infringement is that they are using an on the club device with an accelerometer to measure club head speed. They also mention the measurement of tempo which is also probably done with the accelerometer and could also be an infringement. I have spoken to their lawyer just last Friday and he is looking into it. From what I know now, they have every thing they need to duplicate what the FitChip does but are use the combo of club head speed and tempo for the selection criteria. If they interpret tempo like most of the industry they are talking the time from take away back to ball impact. You can have the same club head speed and the same tempo time but need a totally different shaft because the pattern within the tempo time is different. Of course that is where FitChip does the job it looks at the pattern of the acceleration to pick the shaft release point and ball impact which is the critical time period to get the shaft back to straight for its best performance. Of course I feel they are still using club head speed as the bases of selection with a minor correction for tempo. The fact that they only recommend OEM shafts I feel leaves out about 60% of the players from being fitted properly. The fact that you need their dedicated club to do the testing also is a limitation. This also indicates to me that by testing only the one club they force every player into using the Brunswick Slope which only fits about 10% of the players at the best.

Plugged, Very good questions... As far as the type of swing goes, most golfers attempt to adjust their swing to accomodate their clubs, just as you said you constantly have to work toward correcting an early release. But, if your club fitter is good at his job, he should be able to build a set of clubs to accomodate your swing, not the other way around. That is the very essence of what the Fitting Chip does. When I conduct a swing frequency analysis (SFA) on an individual, I always remind them to take "natural" swings, and not to think about all the adjustments they are always trying to make based on tips. If your natural tendency is to release your wrists early, then release them early and we'll fit the clubs to your release timing. We will frequency tune every club in your bag so that the shaft and clubhead are both straight and square, respectively, at impact. This produces unparalleled control and distance, as long as your swing is repeatable. You do make a very valid point related to consistent swing speeds, but just because your swing speed may be 80mph with a 7-iron, doesn't mean you need a shaft manufacturer's specific flex. In fact, I have fit many seniors with extremely low swing speeds, very well with what the majority of the industry would consider a stiff flex, because they're getting very little help from centrifugal force. In terms of independent testing/validation, the most recent endorsement came from Dr. Jim Suttie. If you're not familiar with him, he is one of the world's top 20 instructors, and has written a number of books related to golfing and fitting parameters. He is currently working on a new book that will cover this topic, as well as his endorsement of the Fitting Chip system. When Lloyd Hackman originally patented this fitting system, he attempted to sell it to Callaway, Nike, Mizuno etc. While all of the large OEMs were excited about the system, and its ability to conduct a dynamic fitting remotely, none could accomodate the time/skill it took to actually blueprint and build the clubs. In the end, Lloyd gave up on all OEMs and went directly to custom fitting shops around the country, at least until we came along. Now Mizuno is attempting to accomplish a watered-down version of the system, but is still relying on the old Brunswick slope and shaft manufacturers' recommendations on flex, which can only accomodate about 10% of the golfing public. In the end, I beleive they will have to repeal their Shaft Optimizer, as it is definitely infringing upon Perfected Golf Group's patent. Ken

Plugged, Thanks for you questions/comments. You're right, at least as far as my professional career goes. However, I have been fitting golf clubs for more than ten years now. I didn't turn that passion into a business, though, until 2006, when I went back to school for a master's degree in business administration. In a nutshell, that's the long and short of it. When I began writing a business plan to launch my new venture, I teamed with Perfected Golf Group to enhance our fitting model. Just like everybody else, I had always relied swing speed as a base line for shaft flex, yet I could never quite achieve the results I was looking for without a lot of trial and error. That's when I met Lloyd Hackman, the founder of Perfected Golf Group. After using his patented Fitting Chip technology for dozens and dozens of fittings, I was sold. I had never seen such consistency without countless hours of trial and error. The accelerometer took all the guesswork out of the equation and indiscriminately provided a unique frequency slope for every golfer's swing. And to my surprise, swing speed had absolutely nothing to do with determining a golfer's shaft flex, at least not in the way the industry uses it. After a number of conversations, Lloyd allowed us to be the very first OEM manufacturer to utilize his patented fitting technology. One of the greatest attributes of this fitting technology, is that we can send the Fitting Chip to a customer, who can then attach it to their own clubs and basically conduct the swing frequency analysis at their leisure. They would then send it back to us to download, analyze and vet for results unparalleled by any other dynamic fitting. As far as shafts go, we use OEM shafts in the majority of our fittings. There are instances, though, where we cannot find OEM shafts soft enough to fit certain swing profiles. When we stumble onto that issue, we share that with the customer and either get as close as we can with an OEM shaft, or move to graphite manufactured by Rapport, and distributed through Kent Sports. They make graphite shafts specifically for Perfected Golf Group. They are extremely high quality shafts, but I still prefer to shaft all of our clubs with steel. I spoke to Lloyd two days ago about Mizuno's new Shaft Optimizer, and he advised that he had already contacted Mizuno's legal department about infringing upon his patent in a number of ways. We are still the only authorized OEM manufacturer allowed to utilize this technology. The biggest difference, however, is the end product. Mizuno's system is set to recommend three different shafts, along with a flex designation, while ours computes a frequency slope. We have found that only about 10% of golfers actually fall into the standard Brunswick slope of 4-5 CPMs. The biggest majority of golfers will be closer to a 2 CPMs slope, but some are actually higher. We also don't rely on any one manufacturer's flex designations, because as we all know, there are no standards. One company's recommended flex designation may start at 240 CPMs, while they next may be 280 CPMs. I know that's a long post, but hopefully that clarifies a few of your questions. Ken

We actually record swing profile data for six swings with a 3-iron, 5-iron, and a 9-iron, for a total of 18 swings. We then vet/analyze the data to determine the appropriate frequency slope for your swing load and unload timing. The biggest difference is that Mizuno vets their information to determine a brand of shaft (that they stock) along with a flex designation. We don't care what brand of shaft we use as long as it will accomodate your slope, but we do use that shaft throughout the set. Our fitting system truly takes all the guesswork out of fitting. I cover this in some detail in this post on my blog: http://kcgolfclubs.blogspot.com/2009...mechanics.html .

Their new fitting system is a watered-down version of ours. While they record swing timing parameters to determine which shaft to outfit your set with, our fitting chip records acceleration, load pattern, swing speed, and release timing to determine the appropriate frequency, for every club in your bag, to ensure the clubhead returns to straight and square at impact. We have the ability to attach the fitting chip to our clubs or your own, which actually works better since you're used to swinging them.

In recent years, there has been a tremendous rise in the demand for custom-fit clubs. To meet this demand, OEM manufacturers began marketing custom-fit clubs as one of their areas of expertise. But, the reality is that with a little smoke and mirrors routine, they deliver nothing more than another production line set of clubs. By merely using clubhead speed as the key to fitting clubs, they do not need personal contact, nor do they need to deviate from the standard frequency slope or their production procedures. The majority of the OEM manufacturers continue to push clubhead design as the answer to our performance problems, and they change them each and every year and tell us they will improve our games even more than last year's model. More than likely, last year's model did absolutely nothing for your game either, unless you just happened upon the correct shaft frequency for your swing. The publication "Golf Shop Operations" reported last year that 33 golf club companies offered some sort of formal clubfitting process. More recently, "Golf Digest's" online poll disclosed that nearly 90% of those surveyed believed that they would benefit from custom-fit clubs, but only 33% of those same respondents had ever been fitted. Do yourselves a favor and get your clubs professionally fit.

This should help clarify offset... http://kcgolfclubs.blogspot.com/2009...of-offset.html

This bailout plan is from an article written in the St. Petersburg, FL Times Newspaper. The business section asked readers for ideas on "How To Fix The Economy". Dear Mr. President: Please find my suggestion for fixing America's economy. Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan: You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan. There are about 40 million people over 50 currently in the workforce. Pay them each $1 million severance for early retirement, with the following stipulations: They MUST retire. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed. They MUST buy a new American car - Forty million cars ordered - Auto industry fixed. They MUST either buy a new house or pay off their current mortgage - Housing crisis fixed. It can't get any easier than that! If more money is needed, have all members of Congress and their constituents, pay their taxes. I laughed so hard when I read this that I had to pass it on. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

When our country was founded, the framers of our new government devised the Constitution specifically to LIMIT government in order to prevent a recurrence of the abuses from King George III. Having served in the U.S. Marine Corps, and spending most of my adult life in law enforcement, I have taken the oath (more than once) to uphold the Constitution from all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Exhaustive and strenuous efforts went in to the development of the Constitution, thus guaranteeing that those serving in government would not violate the rights of citizens, particularly and especially, by those serving at the federal level. Now, more than 230 years later, we have a Federal Government (Republicans and Democrats alike) that is completely out of control and seemingly unaware of any of the limitations, or checks and balances, as set forth in the Constitution. We have a 9 trillion dollar debt, unsecured borders, out of control spending, huge corporations funding campaigns of both major parties, and excessive taxation and inflation. The biggest point to bear in mind is that government cannot keep growing and have our freedom increase at the same time. That is precisely why our Founding Fathers devised our government with few, discreet, and enumerated powers; to ensure that it would never become exactly what it is today. We now have a government that will do whatever it takes and spare no cost to take care of you, to feed you, to educate you, and basically to protect you from your own stupidity. So yes, I am for a decentralized and limited government based on principles of personal choice, individual accountability, and self-determination. Make no mistake, corporations and bureaucracies run America today with complete complicity from our Congress, and that is how we got into the mess we're in today, not because of the deregulation of our citizens.

My "type of label-based drivel" is not directed at one party or another. Like I said, they have both failed miserably. Democrats never saw an etitlement that they did not love and Republicans never pass a chance to increase the size and scope of government. Of course Democrats are fond of that too, but Republicans claim they are against it. You cannot have huge government and abundant freedom simultaneously. The regrettable catastrophe that we are all now a part of is the fact that our American Republic has been replaced by a corrupt system of political correctness. Through fabianistic debauchery, the elitists of Washington DC, including those of both major parties, have turned America into a socialistic democratic dictatorship. We are a police state and a welfare state all rolled into one enormous gluttonous debt. In the words of Albert Einstein, "The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

I'm a conservative individual, and fear that both of our political parties have failed. James Madison warned, "There are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments from those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." And Ronald Reagan, with similar intent warned, "Government is NOT the solution to the problem, government IS the problem." The battle in America now is for our country's soul - whether or not we will accept a growing Marxist creed as our own, or will we save America as the last bastion of hope for freedom and liberty. Let us not be deceived; the political whining for universal health care, gun control, forced equality through governmental redistribution of wealth, and the removal of religious beliefs and expressions from our public institutions, all come directly from the Marxist platform.

I love Kansas, and believe we have some of the very best courses in the country. Here are some of my personal favorites: 1. Deer Creek 2. Lion's Gate 3. Falcon Ridge 4. Falcon Valley 5. Falcon Lakes 6. Dub's Dread 7. Golf Club of Kansas All of these are in the Kansas City metropolitan area...

Good idea Bunkerputt!

The first thing you need to understand is that most "wedge" flex shafts are seconds. When a shaft manufacturer is building shafts with weight/frequency tolerances, and some don't quite meet their tolerances, they are crowned as "wedge" flex. You should definitely have your wedges fitted just as you did your irons.

The bottom line is that you just happened upon a driver that has a shaft frequency very close to what you need for your swing load and unload timing. Swing speed alone does not correlate to an appropriate shaft flex.

Good Point! Until more golfers begin to understand that their swing speed has very little to do with selecting the appropriate flex, they will continue to spend untold amounts of money on equipment that will never help their game. I fit a local long-drive competitor with 120+ swing speed, via our swing frequency analysis, and actually ended up putting him in a shaft equivelant to a lady flex. I have found that the biggest majority of golfers are playing shafts that are too stiff for them. Generally speaking, golfers with higher swing speeds tend to need softer shafts than golfers with slower swing speeds because they're actually getting more help from the centrifugal force of the clubhead. I realize that concept goes against the majority of the golfing industry, but I can actually prove it.

I don't even know how to respond to the guy from Golfsmith. Suffice is to say that their main business function is distributing equipment, not fitting golf clubs. Although they do try.

You need to have them fitted for shaft flex, just like your irons. You also have the option of having custom sole grinds to accomodate your swing profile.

HookEmHorns - Great Name! If you send me your wrist-to-floor measurement, I'll give you the recommended length. It's not a perfect science, but it will give you a good idea as to where to start.

It sure can. Calling a shaft stiff is a relative term. Just because it says stiff doesn't mean it is, and certainly doesn't mean it's stiff enough for you.

I agree, as I'm not a huge fan of launch monitors either. Don't get me wrong, they can be a valuable asset when determining proper lofts in a set, but proper shaft selection should be made before the launch monitor comes into play.

The 2* upright lie can cause you to pull the ball. I don't have the specs in front of me, but I would venture to guess that your Burners are manufactured with a more upright lie than the 695cb's. If that's the case, the 2* upright may put you pretty close to what you've been playing. Like Buttuh (Love The Name!) said, you really just need take them out and get a feel for them. If you decide you want to cut the added .75" from the clubs, I would recommend trimming them from the butt rather than the tip. Trimming from the butt will affect the clubs' performance the least. I would guess that it will only stiffen the shafts about 2-3 CPMs, which is really not much at all.

The short answer is... it depends. The guys are right, you should probably have a dynamic fitting done to really determine the appropriate length. I will tell you that I'm 6'3", and play all of my clubs at +1". My driver was 45.5", and I was all over the place with it. In fact, I generally sliced or pushed it, just as you're doing. I ended up rebuilding my driver at 44", and now I have no problem lacing it right down the middle. I can't really say that I lost any distance either...

I know it's a long shot, but were you in the Marine Corps? One of my long lost friends who lives(d) in Dayton is named Carl, and I haven't spoke to him in years.

Another golfer with big hooks here. I play oversize Lamkin Crosslines and love them. I feel like I have more control over the club and the shot, and believe that the proper grip size is extremely important.