Oh, relaxation, that elusive activity that is often talked about and rarely achieved in today’s world. We all know we have too much stress and need to reduce it, but the execution is so elusive! Most of us probably know that our cortisol levels may be off, but fixing this takes more that just a...
Continue reading How I Reduced My Cortisol Levels Naturally With Food & Light...
So how has your putting been this season?
That good, huh?
Not for nothing, but if you’re so inclined, you could find up to 100 different putter options from Callaway and Toulon via the Callaway website. I don’t care who you are, that’s a lot of putters.
There’s something for almost everyone.
Putting is eminently personal, yet highly technical. We like to believe we have to like the look and feel of a putter to have success with it, but the data says it’s technology that helps you sink more putts.
Earlier this year Odyssey released the EXO putter line, with technology promising up to a 50% increase in MOI for greater stability and forgiveness, and a new White Hot Microhinge face insert to promote better roll and the kind of sound and feel that will make you want to cuddle with a puppy.
Will this help you sink more putts? That’s where you come in.
MyGolfSpy is looking for four avid golfers to test, review and keep an Odyssey EXO putter, and let your golfing brethren know if this is, indeed, the flatstick you’ve been waiting for.
This review opportunity is open to any avid golfer in the US or Canada.
All of MyGolfSpy’s Community reviews require a serious commitment on the part of the reviewer. You will need to be motivated, detail oriented and savvy with online forums, so please make sure you read the following instructions carefully and apply in the proper place.
Our member reviews are published in our Community Forum (click here to check them out). Writing a thorough, detailed and honest review is a lot of work – you’ll be writing detailed reviews of your two-month-plus journey, as well as participating in the MyGolfSpy Community Forum itself to answer questions and discuss product performance with other golfers.
That means to be a potential reviewer you must be a registered member of the MyGolfSpy Community Forum, where you’ll find nearly 70,000 like-minded golfers from all over the world anxious to talk about golf equipment.
To apply to test and review (and keep) an Odyssey EXO putter, here’s what you have to do:
– First, please sign up for the MyGolfSpy Community Forum (click here to register).
– Second, apply ONLY in the Official Odyssey EXO Putter Review Application thread in the MyGolfSpy Forum (click here).
We’ll be announcing our testers in the MyGolfSpy Community Forum next week, so make sure to check back there to see if you’ve been selected.
We haven’t covered golf patents in a while, but yesterday we found something cool that I thought was worth sharing.
The idea, which comes from Srixon, is for a Golf Club Head with Interior Weight Adjustable in Multiple Directions. It’s the latest patent application for an idea that dates back to at least 2014. There’s no guarantee Srixon plans to bring the design to market, or that the design itself is even feasible. But, given that it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen anything unique from an adjustability standpoint, we thought it was worth a closer look.
As the images suggest, one embodiment of the design includes an internal primary weight affixed to a series of struts. The position of the weight can be manipulated using a ball-in-socket joint connected to the weight. Adjustments would be made by way of an external mechanism or mechanisms that would almost certainly look like small screw ports.
The crux of the idea is that the adjustment mechanisms would allow for the weight to be moved in any direction; front to back, left to right, up and down, and theoretically, in any combination. Consider it the ultimate in three-dimensional adjustability.
If you’re wondering how the user would know the precise position of an internal weight he can’t see, Srixon has an answer for that.
The golf club head may further include a sensor coupled to or disposed within the weight and configured to generate and emit an electronic signal associated with the position of the weight within the interior chamber.
There’s been talk of putting sensors in clubheads for years, but to date, nothing viable has come of it. This isn’t exactly an onboard club head monitor, but it does give us a sense of where the technology might be headed.
It should go without saying that there are some obvious challenges with the design. The images suggest plenty of moving parts and given what golf club heads go through, durability is absolutely a concern.
While the choice of materials could potentially reduce the burden, there appears to be a significant amount of structure required to make it work. Structure comes with a mass cost, and that could limit the effectiveness of the design.
Along the same lines, the images suggest a significant portion of the mass would be allocated in the center of the clubhead, which is exactly where designers don’t want it. That could limit the ability to push weight to the perimeter, and there’s not much value in moving weight around the center of a club head. The effectiveness of any movable weight design ultimately boils down the amount of mass and the distance over which it’s being moved. To be effective, you need to move a meaningful amount of weight over a large area.
Finally, internal structures bring with them acoustic challenges. It’s not easy to make a driver sound good when you’ve got a whole lot of stuff on the inside. I suspect that would prove to be an even bigger issue when those structures are designed to move.
And all off that’s before we talk about consumer comprehension concerns.
Will this come to market?
There are dozens if not hundreds of applications like this one floating around the golf industry. Many are several years away from being used in viable products, and others are just cool ideas that may ultimately go nowhere. We certainly can’t say where this one is headed; it’s only a matter of time before someone brings an internally adjustable driver to market.
Stay tuned…
This fast bean-free chili recipe is a simple and filling meal on a cool day. It can be made as spicy (or not) as you like and even kids will gobble it up. We try to avoid the lectins in beans, so I make my chili bean-free. Give it a try, and let me know...
Continue reading Bean-Free Chili Recipe (Paleo & Keto Friendly)...
Are video games a fun way to unwind, or a deeper problem? My guest today is clear on his answer. Dr. Sam Shay is a chiropractor with a background in functional nutrition and testing, but he hasn’t always been as healthy as he is today. Dr. Shay walked his own journey to overcome his 25-year addiction...
Continue reading 191: Understanding How Gaming Disorder & Gaming Addiction Are Affecting Our Kids...
Click here to read Easy Halloween Shaving Cream Sensory Activity on Hands On As We Grow
Get goopy and messy with a fun Halloween shaving cream sensory activity for preschoolers and toddlers!
I love a good sensory activity! Halloween is a great time of year to get a little messy, too.
This fun Halloween shaving cream sensory activity is the perfect combo of messy fun and holiday spirit!
Sensory activities are such a fun way to help little ones explore and learn.
George and I had a little time while Henry was at school, so we decided to discover color mixing with a fun sensory activity!
This one is pretty simple. It’s just shaving cream on a baking sheet.
I added food coloring in orange, red, and yellow to add some Halloween spirit!
George was very hesitant to touch it at first. Until he held out his hand and I squirted the shaving cream directly in his hand, he wouldn’t touch what was in the pan.
That opened the gate though. He was all about the slimy shaving cream then!
As he was playing, I added some school glue (affiliate link) to the mix. This made it a little stickier, slightly a different texture.
It also made it into puffy paint.
I grabbed some scrapbook paper in Halloween colors. Orange, yellow and white.
Then, I showed George how to transfer the shaving cream and paint it with his hands.
That was even messier fun for him! George spent a lot of time on the first paper.
Globbing on the shaving cream. Smearing it around. Exploring it further.
Once the first one was covered though, he asked for another piece of paper.
Then it became a game. To cover it all with shaving cream, as fast as he could, smearing it quickly to all the corners.
Then he handed it to me. Asking for “More!”
Lots and lots of paper got shaving cream smeared all over.
Lots and lots of George got smeared all over as well with shaving cream! He was pretty much covered from head to toe.
Cleaning up was fun!
Here are my Top 10 Indoor Activities for Toddlers to play!
However, once we got all cleaned up in a new change of clothes, I remembered I wanted to add a little glitter to the papers while the shaving cream was still wet.
George dove into it and sprinkled glitter all over. He only got slightly messy this time at least!
Yet later that day…. there was yet another change of clothing (stay tuned!). The fun he had with the shaving cream though made it so worth it!
How can you not love this, even when he’s a mess?
We’ve made shaving cream prints before, and cut them out for Easter eggs. With that method, we scraped off the shaving cream to leave a marbled effect from the food coloring.
This time we left the shaving cream, or puffy paint, on to dry.
Last week, as part of their Distance Insights Project – a joint effort to study the past, present and future impacts of distance in golf – the USGA and R&A asked golfers to participate in a distance survey.
Many of you felt (and I agree) the survey was too long and polluted with questions designed to elicit the answers necessary to justify a foregone conclusion. Namely, distance is a problem that impacts all golfers and threatens the future of the game. The USGA and R&A are poised to take your feedback and do something to address the problem, even if it means you and the other 99.99% of golfers who don’t play at a professional or elite level will lose yardage because of it. Sometimes we all have to take one for the team.
For us, there were two issues with the survey. Firstly, many of the questions were, for lack of a more elegant term, garbage. Phrasing, in many cases, was suspect. It’s the sort of thing to which TV lawyers object on the grounds of leading the witness.
The second issue is that we’re fairly certain the USGA and R&A have no plans to publish the full, unfiltered results for all golfers to see. If you’re going to ask for the opinions of your constituency as part of the basis for a significant rule change, we think it’s reasonable to put those results out there for everyone. That’s exactly what we’re going to do.
Before anyone tackles the distance problem, we wanted to solve the survey problem, so we fixed the USGA and R&A Survey.
We’ve eliminated some questions, left some alone, cleaned up others, added ones we think need to be asked, and just for good measure; we threw in a leading question of our own to get you to think about how a rollback might impact the courses you play.
We know its a big ask, but we hope that you’ll take 10 minutes out of your day to take the survey (again). We’re going to leave it open for two weeks. Once it’s closed, we’ll publish the results for everyone to see.
This really is your chance to be heard (and seen) on golf’s distance problem.
As an incentive, anyone who inputs their email address at the end of a completed survey will be entered to win a dozen 2018 Callaway ChromeSoft Golf balls.
Click here to take the MyGolfSpy Distance Survey.
A toddler’s appetite can sometimes seem like a bottomless pit! Their growing bodies require nourishment, and lots of it. Go beyond conventional finger foods like Cheerios and baby puffs with these ideas for simple and nourishing finger foods for toddlers. I promise… even picky eaters will ask for more of these! Healthy Finger Foods for...
Continue reading Healthy Finger Foods for Toddlers (Even Picky Ones)...
Click here to read Simple and Fun Disappearing Letters Chalk Activity for Preschoolers on Hands On As We Grow
Practice the alphabet and letter sounds with a fun disappearing letters chalk activity from our Member of the Month, Liz!
It might seem simple from the outside looking in, but being a stay-at-home parent can be challenging! Our Member of the Month, Liz, knows just how tough parenting 24/7 can be!
When she was stuck for fun and easy activities, she turned to The Activity Room for inspiration.
Liz has been an active member of The Activity Room’s Community for just about a year. In that time, she’s found simple ways to engage her son, Kade, age 3.
He’s an active preschool-aged child, so keeping him busy every day is a full-time job! Liz loves the engaging and fun activities in the monthly plans from The Activity Room.
But planning enough activities for a busy child can be overwhelming!
“I felt like I was all over the place,” explains Liz. “Being a new parent, you don’t have anything to draw from, as far as past experience. I felt like I needed something more tangible.”
Enter The Activity Room!
“I was super excited, and I still am, about all the activities that are available,” Liz says. “(The Activity Room) was something that I hadn’t run into before! This takes it a step further and it’s more interactive.”
Having all these resources on hand, with the current monthly plans or in the archives, makes Liz’s mom-life so much easier!
“The biggest reason for doing activities with Kade is to connect with him in a creative way,” Liz shares. “It’s fun for me, too!”
Being in The Activity Room has also allowed Liz to relax and go with the flow.
“It wasn’t that fun because I was trying to control it too much,” explains Liz. “Now, I let go of that control a little bit and let it go naturally wherever it needs to go.”
Mostly, The Activity Room helps Liz, and other busy moms, make it incredibly easy to be hands-on at home or on the road. Last year, Liz took The Activity Room Challenges on vacation with her!
“When we were in Florida, we were able to fit it in a little bit,” said Liz. “I was trying to keep Kade busy. While we were in the hotel, I would try to do these little activities, like Letter Stomp, that he really enjoyed. Those activities came in handy. It was so nice to have it as a resource!”
“I am so thankful to you, Jamie and crew, for making your easy to create crafts and activities available to stay-at-home moms like me!!”
Let’s Meet Liz
How many kids do you have and how old are they?
One 3 yr old boy
How long have you been in The Activity Room?
1 year
What is your favorite activity you’ve done in The Activity Room?
Letter stomp
What’s your favorite thing to do with your kids when you get a few moments?
Snowball fight with rolled up socks
What’s your best tip for doing activities with your kids?
Let the activity go where it’s supposed to naturally.
If you were to tell a friend about The Activity Room, what would you say to them?
The Activity Room is very helpful to me! I struggled with ways to keep my child busy at home.
I enjoy using the activities for playtime at home on days when we don’t feel like going outside, sick time, or bad weather.
It eases my mind knowing I have your wonderful site as a great resource to keep my very active 3 year old engaged!
Share your favorite quote
If you know who you are and what you want in life, the less things bother you.
I am not sure if this was featured in the Activity Room, but we love this fun alphabet activity!
First, I helped my son write the alphabet in chalk outside on the driveway this summer a few times. Kade and I took turns writing each letter.
As we wrote, we said each letter name and sound out loud together. For a challenge or older kids, you could ask your child to name something that starts with each letter!
Then, I took a spray bottle of water and showed him how to spray each letter to make it disappear.
Once all the letters were gone, we moved to a drier spot and started all over again!
This disappearing letters chalk activity was just so much fun! We spent close to an hour on this activity and Kade loved it!
Pound for pound, nothing else comes close. That’s the tagline for the Tour Edge EXS series of clubs. Chiefly, it’s a line tasked with bringing golfers the technology and performance expected of flagship models from major OEMs at a more budget-friendly price point.
Golfers bemoan increases in equipment costs and largely cite niche brands and special releases as the primary culprits – though the established norm of $500 drivers is a worthy talking point as well. However, more expensive options do not preclude the existence of less expensive ones. In fact, equipment narrowly targeted at the economic fringes of the market creates the need for lines like the EXS to serve the budgetary and performance needs of most golfers.
The foundation of both the EXS fairway and hybrid is quench-hardened, hyper-strength steel construction. High-density Carpenter steel in used in the fairway while the hybrid has a Japanese HT980 steel cup face. The heating technique requires 750° to produce a thinner, stronger face for greater energy transfer (think ball speed) and forgiveness while the hexagonal Variable Face Thickness (VFT) apportions different levels of thickness across the face to improve forgiveness on both heel and toe strikes. Additionally, in the fairway brings a bit of carbon fiber to the toe. By replacing the heavier steel, extra mass can be placed in the heel to create a native draw bias.
The Flight Tuning System (FTS) allows for players to move around interchangeable weights (two in the fairway and one in the hybrid) to modify ball flight. An 11-gram and 3-gram are standard in the fairway, with a separate kit including 6-gram, 9-gram and 14-gram weights available for purchase. The hybrid comes stock with a 4-gram weight and 7-gram, and 10-gram weights can be purchased separately.
The premise of moveable weights is elementary. Pushing more weight toward the heel further increases draw bias and placing heavier weights rearward increases launch and promotes a straighter ball flight. With the hybrid, it’s not a matter of changing right-left flight bias, but swingweight and CG location. Replacing the 4-gram weight in the hybrid with either a 7-gram or 10-gram weight increases swingweight and all things being equal, decreases spin for a more penetrating flight.
The improved aerodynamics are the result of wider speed channels in the patented SlipStream Sole, which make far more sense in the hybrid and fairway offerings than the driver, though I suppose it gives the line some aesthetic continuity. In this context, aerodynamic improvement is less about how efficiently the club moves through the air and all about how it glides through the turf.
The stock shaft offering for the EXS fairway is the Mitsubishi CK Blue 2g. A 50-gram weight will be available in Ladies, A-flex and Regular, a 60-gram shaft available in Regular, Stiff and X-flex and a 70-gram shaft available in Stiff and X-flex. The 3-wood is offered in 13°, 15°(RH and LH) and 17°. A 5-wood (18°) and 7-wood (21°) round out the lineup.
Like the EXS fairway, the stock shaft offering for the EXS hybrid is the Mitsubishi CK Blue 2G. A 60g weight is available in Ladies, and A-flex ladies flex, 70g in regular and 80g in stiff and x-stiff. The hybrid is available for right-handed players in lofts of 17°, 19°, 22°, 25°, and 28°.
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Enter MyGolfSpy’s Giveaway!
The EXS line is built around curing what ails the greatest percentage of golfers – the choppy, weak slice – while providing a boost in distance. That alone doesn’t make Tour Edge stand out, but at prices which are roughly 20% less than competitors who offer similar technology, it’s sure to garner some degree of attention.
Tour Edge is a savvy brand. It hasn’t turned a profit every year of its existence by making bad bets or taking fliers on equipment releases. At face value, the EXS line sits comfortably between the previous Exotics and aggressively priced Hot Launch lines. It allows Tour Edge some room to make an argument that its performance per dollar spent ratio is as good, if not better than any OEM, especially for golfers with sub-105 MPH swing speeds.
That’s the overwhelming majority of the market.
Retail availability for the EXS fairway ($229.99 MSRP) and hybrid ($199.99 MSRP) begins 11/1/2018.
For more information visit TourEdge.com or call (800) 515-3343
Click here to read 20+ Super Cute Batty Crafts, Snacks, and Activities for Halloween on Hands On As We Grow
Get in the Halloween spirit with super cute batty crafts, snacks, and activities from Brigitte that are just perfect for kids to make for Halloween!
Tis the season for pumpkins, apples, skeleton bones, costumes, and bats.
Yes, bats! Have fun learning about those cute (okay, maybe creepy) fluffy mammals that fly through the air with these batty crafts, snacks, and activities.
Your house will swoop into Halloween with these fun batty crafts for kids to make!
You might not want to eat the same food as bats, but everyone can enjoy bat-themed treats! Which one of these batty snacks will you enjoy?
Enjoy some batty activities to practice number and letter recognition, fine motor skills, counting, and more.
I seriously cannot wait to dive into this episode because we’re going to go deep on a topic super near and dear to every mom’s heart (and sanity)… how to get better sleep! Whether it’s due to kids, working late, electronics addition, or “you just can’t sleep”… too many of us are skipping precious hours...
Continue reading 190: The Easiest Way to Track HRV, Sleep, and Movement With the Founder of Oura...
This could be a really short post because really the answer is: because Samaritan Ministries health care sharing works so much better for our family and we save so much money (especially because we use natural remedies and don’t run to the doctor for minor stuff). For our family, the combination of healthshare and concierge...
Continue reading Why We Chose Samaritan Ministries Healthshare Over Health Insurance...
It is always frustrating when something that is really convenient and time-saving ends up being really unhealthy… like plastic water bottles or antibacterial hand sanitizer. One glaring example of this I’ve been researching lately is conventional tampons and pads. I know, I know… everything is toxic these days and it sometimes seems like we have...
Continue reading The Problem With Most Pads and Tampons (+ Natural Alternatives)...
The USGA wants to know what you think.
You’ve heard the rumblings. The ruling bodies are concerned golf has a distance problem. Tour Pros are hitting it too far. You might be hitting it too far. Classic courses are being rendered obsolete (even if the ones you play aren’t).
Is it the ball? Is it the equipment? Is there even a distance problem to begin with?
Those are the meaty questions in a longer-than-it-needs-to-be survey recently published by the USGA (and R&A). Surviving several pages worth of demographic questions earns you the privilege of telling the USGA what you really think about the current state of the game.
What makes golf worth watching? What aspects of the game are most important? And of course, is distance is an issue and if it is, what’s the cause?
The subtext of the questions focuses on whether or not new rules need to be put in place to roll it back – whatever the particular it or its prove to be.
We’re inviting perspectives and opinions from the global golf community because we recognize the topic of distance is one that potentially impacts us all in some capacity,” said Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA. “This is the best opportunity for people to share their thoughts and data with us. We know a final Distance Insights report that reflects a breadth of perspectives will be critical to deepening an understanding of the complex nature, and far-reaching implications, of this subject matter.”
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The USGA and The R&A will also accept relevant original or commissioned data and research directly related to distance via email until Dec. 20, 2018. Individuals or organizations may also request to present their data in person. The Distance Insights email address, as well as terms and conditions regarding the submission of research and data, can be found here.
There’s no guarantee that this is a majority rules situation and the USGA isn’t under any obligation to actually take the feelings of the average/recreational golfers that make up the overwhelming majority of the golfing population to heart. That said, if you don’t speak up, there’s zero chance you’ll be heard.
The survey is open to anyone until October 31, 2018.
Click here to take the survey.
A year or so ago, Starbucks announced a new menu offering: sous vide egg bites. They are one of their only gluten-free food options and I’ve seen several people raving about them on social media. I tried them while traveling when there were no other decent breakfast options and I’ll give it to Starbucks on the taste… they...
Continue reading Sous Vide Egg Bites Recipe (Make Them at Home)...
In March of this year, LA Golf Shafts officially acquired the inventory, assets, and patents from the now-defunct Matrix Shafts. Once upon a time, Matrix was a purveyor of high quality and high dollar shafts, but in recent years it suffered a variety of financial wounds, many of which were self-inflicted. Perhaps the most egregious misstep was selling shafts in the aftermarket for nearly the same price as a complete club with the same shaft. Not many consumers are going to pay $199 for a shaft when they can spend a couple of pennies more and get the entire club.
The pieces Matrix left behind (OZIK line in particular) provided a perfect opportunity for Reed Dickens. He promises that LA Golf Shafts isn’t going to be just another run of the mill blasé shaft company.
Given this context, LA Golf Shafts’ aim is to be exactly what most existing shaft companies are not, and that starts with the business model. Dickens started Marucci Bat Company out of a shed. Under his stewardship, it evolved the number one bat brand in Major League baseball, not by paying players to rep the product but by offering something more organic – equity positions. Now, Dicken’s latest endeavor (LA Golf Brands) is looking to replicate his uber-successful model in the golf space.
Companies often talk about finding athletes who fit the brand. This isn’t a simple matter of shuffling around puzzle pieces to get optimal brand exposure. LA Golf Shafts, via equity partnerships, places a premium on finding players who both fit the brand and want to engage in a different style of marketing platform. We’re talking about guys who will invest in both the “control and passive” elements of the game. Suffice it to say, how Reed decides to promote and market the brand will fit the premium nature of the product, but he won’t be afraid to push some boundaries either.
The theory is players who receive fractional ownership of the company in lieu of a paycheck will have a more vested interest in how the company performs. As such, LA Golf Shafts hopes to create a more organic experience by requiring its Tour staffers to have some proverbial skin in the game.
Unlike stock endorsement arrangements, the players don’t represent the company – for all intents and purposes, they are the company. As such, LA Shafts isn’t going to recruit every Tom, Dick, and Harry, but it would do well to have a major name or two to put in front of consumers to create some positive momentum and brand credibility before it makes product available to retail consumers – which should happen sometime in early 2019.
The 7th ranked player in the world, Bryson DeChambeau, is already on board, bagging an LA Golf putter shaft en route to winning back-to-back FedEx Cup events and being named to the United States Ryder Cup team over the last few weeks. That said, Bryson is a different cat. He’s an outlier of outliers in terms of his equipment, demeanor, and approach to the game. So, while his bent toward quantitative analysis and mad scientist persona sounds like a match made in super geek heaven, LA Golf Shafts will likely be looking to acquire a balanced stable of players, including several others currently ranked in the OWGR’s Top 10.
LA Golf wasn’t willing to name names, and while Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson have been tossed around the rumor mill, at this point, it’s all conjecture. However, what we do know is the OEM wants visible players who are active on social media and willing to embrace the R&D side of shaft creation. It’s hard not to think of names like Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, and Justin Rose. Rickie would make sense because he’s a media darling and Brooks is the poster man-child for free-agent golfers having won three majors in 15 months playing a set of Mizuno irons designed specifically for him – all without compensation. He hits the ball a country mile, and as one of golf’s young guns, everything seems to suggest he’ll be a constant presence on the professional stage. New World #1, Justin Rose, is a known serial shaft-swapper. The upside and downside are he’s shown a willingness to play whatever gives him the best performance – even if the relationship might be a little short-lived. Rose won three times in 2017, including the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, using a TPT 15 series driver then curiously switched to MRC’s Tensei Pro Orange for 2018. LA Golf Shafts could be a good fit for a player like Rose as it would be able to quickly modify designs to fit specific player needs – particularly if and when those needs change.
Additionally, LA Golf Shafts plans to be a global company, so it will work to find player/owners to fit each of the intended worldwide markets. It’s reasonable to expect the company to target international players with some pull in Europe and Asia and select players on the PGA Tour Champions. The concept is to cast a wide net and maximize exposure rather than trying to load up on a single marquee player or two.
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The world of golf shafts – particularly those of the OEM variety – can be a shady one. On the shaft production side, working with major OEMs is often “a pain in the ass” according to industry veteran and noted shaft guru, John Oldenburg, who brings two decades of experience as the lead engineer at Aldila to his new role of Chief Product Officer at LA Golf Shafts.
Accomplished shaft designers are asked to take their best thinking, materials, and technology and cut it down to fit within the strict cost parameters set by the purchasing OEM. You might as well be asking Bobby Flay to make mac ‘n cheese out of a box. Because it’s a large volume conversation and a major profit center for the shaft company, it’s a necessarily evil companies have historically been forced to negotiate to remain relevant and move the requisite volume of product.
That said, LA Golf Shafts will not be in the OEM/inline business – at all. Every shaft will be exclusively available in the aftermarket and will be designed by Oldenburg. Moreover, all shafts will be 100% made in the good ol’ United States of America, in an environment where Oldenburg will be able to oversee the entirety of the process.
“It is a huge competitive advantage for us that all of the material sourcing, prototyping, manufacturing and testing is happening here in the US with a dedicated and talented workforce that has decades of experience creating prototypes.” – John Oldenburg
In a word, Oldenburg and his team are about authenticity– against the backdrop of an industry which has long struggled with transparency. “Whatever the shaft says it is, it is,” asserts Oldenburg. Consumers will know exactly what is under the paint and it won’t use names or clever paint schemes in an effort to dupe golfers into thinking they’re playing the same shaft as a tour pro. At the same time, if a shaft is sold as the same as one being used by an LA Golf Shafts player, it will be identical.
The truth is, even some very expensive aftermarket shafts work off blueprints which might be a decade old. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is misleading when the only new or improved element of the new and improved shaft is the paint job.
Unless someone is willing to put a signature on the design, consumers don’t know if the vendor simply chose a profile from a catalog or sourced the design work to a third-party. When production happens offshore, there can be little to no oversight by the shaft company which eventually slaps its name on the product. If it can’t speak firsthand to how the shaft is made, there might be a significant difference between what it knows and what it believes to be true.
LA Golf wants to remove all doubt and in doing so attract clients who are willing to pay a bit more ($400-$600 is the likely starting range for premium shafts) for a shaft designed by Oldenburg, crafted from the highest quality materials available, and built to the level of quality required by the world’s best golfers.
Regarding materials, Oldenburg told MyGolfSpy, “There are only a handful (of companies) that make really good composite materials, some of which aren’t golf specific companies.” Consider Mitsubishi Chemical. It’s primarily a carbon fiber company, and a very good one, but even at that, Oldenburg wants to push limits and explore other materials, which previously might have been off the table due to cost. It’s a liberating and motivating proposition for Oldenburg who will have a deeper well of tools at his disposal than at any time in his career.
Over the last couple of years, we’ve started to hear more about shaft manufacturing processes. It used to be that table rolling/wrapping was the only method employed, and while Oldenburg estimates at least 90% of shafts are still produced this way, companies are experimenting with other methods. Seven Dreamers cures shafts in an autoclave, and TPT says its thin-ply winding method eliminates human error by using advanced machinery and robotics. Oldenburg is quick to remind consumers that while it’s easy for companies to sell consumers on a revolutionary process, “The process doesn’t matter if the design and materials aren’t correct. You have to get all of the pieces right.”
Reed Dickens and company are intending on doing just that and giving the industry a taste of something different along the way.
Does it pique your interest? Which players do you think LA Golf Shafts should go after?
