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PureSpin has not been around long by golf equipment standards. But as of late, this wedge maker has been gaining significant traction in a very competitive market. PureSpin is now the #1 preferred wedge on the Senior Tour.

Why has PureSpin suddenly emerged as a major contender?

PureSpin is the only wedge or golf club for that matter, to use diamonds in the club face. That’s right diamonds. PureSpin has touted this their Diamond Face Scoring Wedge that has seen a marked improvement in both durability and spin making over conventional wedges.

What, durability you say? Most definitely. While durability may not be thought of as a wedge attribute, it is an important one. This may come as a surprise to some, but conventional wedges begin to loose their spin making ability after just 50 shots, the equivalent of only 5 rounds of golf! This premise was confirmed by independent testing using robotics that hit wedge shots at a specific launch angle and speed. The results were quite astonishing. Conventional wedges such as Cleveland, Odyssey and Taylormade, begin to loose their spin rate between 50 and 100 shots. PureSpin on the other hand was able to maintain spin rate not only after 100 shots but 1,000 shots. PureSpin was able to hold the green after the durability test, averaging 2′4″ from the pin, four times better than their counterparts. This test scientifically proved that the diamond face does provide a durability unrivaled by conventional wedges and therefore improves the spin rate for the life of the wedge.

The reason for the improved durability is the diamond crystal technology. Industrial diamonds are crushed into fine crystal granules and mixed with a proprietary solution to form a compound. The material is then bonded permanently to the face of the PureSpin wedge using a special nickel electroplate process. This makes for an extremely hard club face surface.

The only negative that seems to echo from some golfing enthusiasts is that because of the inordinate hardness of the club face, it does seem to cause more scuffs and cut marks in balls. This may be a concern to some and worth mentioning.

Nevertheless, PureSpin is gaining in popularity as a wedge of choice and has waged war with the big boys on the block.

It is a well known fact the majority of golf shots in a round of golf come within the 100 yard red marker. Why not improve your ability to hold the green and scoring chances with a PureSpin wedge - diamonds may have just become a golfers best friend.

Wedge Bounce may be one of the most simple, yet misunderstood or at least underrated concepts in golf - many frequently overlook or underestimate this variable. Ensuring you have the proper bounce for course conditions and your skill level is vital to achieving a consistent and reliable short game.

What is bounce? Wedge Bounce or Bounce Angle, is the measurement in degrees, of the angle from the leading edge of the club to the lowest point of the club, which rests on the turf or ground. In essence, the more bounce, the higher the leading edge is off the ground. There are two factors that affect bounce angle, sole width and sole camber or “rounding.” A wider sole increases bounce. More camber or rounding of the sole on the other hand, reduces bounce. These two characteristics should be taken into consideration.

So, what bounce do you need for various course conditions? High bounce is desirable for tall grass, deep rough, and fluffy sand or any condition where you want to reduce the “digging effect.” Low bounce on the other hand, is needed for tight lies, hard turf, firm bunkers, fairway shots. Wedge bounce ranges from 0, up to 14 degrees or greater. Standard bounce varies by wedge so you will want to look at each wedge manufacturer for more information.

So what does this mean to the average golfer? Well, using the right bounce will allow you to hit cleaner shots for any given situation. Using the wrong bounce can contribute to skulls, fat, and thin shots. The better player may want to use multiple bounce angles depending on the conditions of the course. The beginner or high handicap golfer on the other hand, may want to stay with more of a standard bounce for the wedge. In either case however, bounce experimentation is the best way to determine what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment on the range or even during rounds to determine the best bounce for your game.

There are many golf wedge manufacturers. Cleveland and Titleist, probably two of the bigger names in wedges have different ways of identifying bounce. Cleveland offers the popular 588, CG12, and CG14 series and employs the red dot method to identify bounce - one dot equals low bounce, two dots standard bounce, and three dots high bounce. Whereas Titleist, maker of the classic Vokey Design, identifies bounce in the suffix of the model name. For example Vokey 256.14 is the 200 Series, loft 56, bounce 14. Another wedge gaining in popularity is the Solus wedge. Solus incorporates something called a crescent cut sole contour which supposedly allows as little as 4 degrees of bounce with a closed club face, to as much as 18 degrees of bounce with an open club face.

Hopefully this will allow you to see the importance of wedge bounce and how it can contribute to properly executing golf shots. Selecting the right bounce really comes down to course conditions and experimenting with different wedges to suit your game.

If you review the score card from your last round of golf, chances are very good the majority of your shots came from inside 100 yards of the pin. Even though its common knowledge having a good short game equates to low scores, many golfers carry only 1 or 2 wedges in their bag - this includes a pitching wedge which comes standard in most golf sets. Unless you are adept at controlling distances by varying your swing, limiting your wedge selection is significantly reducing your ability to score well. The margin of error increases as you get closer to the pin. In most cases, being able to take a full swing is more desirable for distance control. Do you have the necessary wedge selection in your bag?

How many times have you hit a nice drive to set yourself up for a chance at par or even birdie only to end up scrambling to make bogey or worse after hitting an awkward distance 3/4 shot with a pitching wedge? Unfortunately, this is very common. You can significantly improve your chances of pulling off these shots by filling those yardage gaps with numerous wedges. In order to have a club for most distances inside 100 yards for example, you should be carrying a pitching wedge, gap or approach wedge, sand wedge and even a lob wedge in your bag. Having a full arsenal of wedges to choose from will allow you to take that full swing and improve your chances for better scoring.

So what type of wedges should you carry? A very common method of determining loft is to simply add 4 or 5 degrees starting with your pitching wedge and ending with a sand or lob wedge. For example, a good range of wedge lofts may be 46, 50, 54 and 58 degrees. Therefore if your pitching wedge has 46 degrees of loft, you would have 50 degree gap wedge, a 54 degree sand wedge and a 58 degree lob wedge.

There are many great wedges to choose from - Cleveland, Titleist, Callaway Taylor Made and Ping, are some of the more popular wedge manufacturers. Other very popular wedges come from Adams, Ben Hogan, Cobra, MacGregor, Mizuno, Nike, Olimar, Pure Spin, Solus and Wilson.

Your wedge selection may vary from this example and will ultimately come down to personal preference, the yardage you hit for each wedge, the ability to control your shots, and the type of courses you most frequently play. However this guide will provide a good opportunity to shore up your wedge selection and shave strokes inside the scoring zone.

If you’re an avid golfer, you may have that persistent desire to upgrade your golf clubs frequently, if not every year. You may even begin to believe it’s your God-given right to experience the latest in technology that will allow you to take your game to the next level and seek the holy grail of golf. That long drive with a slight draw… or maybe that crisp iron shot that lands softly on the green to set you up for a birdie try. You know the feeling.

Let me see if I can set the stage.

It’s early Spring and still too cold to play golf but you are beginning to get the itch back. You pick up the spring edition of the Golf Equipment Buyer’s Guide to peruse the latest equipment. You soon find yourself day dreaming about how the latest Game Improvement irons will allow you to drop a club and hit 150 yards with an “easy” 7 iron. Or, how about that new driver that will add yardage by eliminating that annoying fade, making you the envy of your foursome?

Then the real danger sets in. You attend one of those dreaded “golf demo days” where you scrutinize every new club salivating at the grand new technology. Finally you do something you know you will regret but do it anyway. You head out to the heated range with a bucket of balls in one hand and that new driver in the other, the one with a $450 price tag and five star rating from Golf magazine, with the intent of validating its touted acclaim. The final verdict is in. Two thumbs way up. You may even wonder how you got through a round of golf last year without this club.

Sound hauntingly familiar? Well, you’re not alone. Technology is an amazing game equalizer that affect some sports more than others - golf is at or near the top of that list. One can even make the argument that golf technology has gone too far, providing unfair advantages over the golfer that maybe cannot afford the luxury of upgrading equipment regularly. I personally fall into the camp that technology is a great thing for the game of golf and the average player. It allows golfers with mediocre abilities to experience the thrill that comes from hitting that 250 yard drive right down the center of the fairway, that they know would not be a possible with outdated equipment. Anyone serious about the game understands and maybe even welcomes technology as part of this game.

There are other ways however, you can experience new technology, improve your game, and do it in fashion that will allow you to pay next months light bill. It’s called a golf re-shaft or golf shaft replacement. By upgrading what many call the “engine” of the golf club, one can experience amazing results. Today’s golf shafts are so technically advanced, you can easily take that driver you have been using the last couple years and add 10, 15, or even 20 yards with a correctly fitted shaft!

Shaft characteristics and measuring characteristics to each swing are integral to a proper golf fitting - they all play key roles in determining the correct shaft for each golfer. A high level description for some of these characteristics are described below:

Flex

A very general guideline for shaft flex is 70 to 90 mph head speed = Regular, 90 to 100 mph head speed = Stiff, and excess of 100 mph = Extra Stiff.

Torque

Defined as how much the shaft twists given a certain amount of force. In general, the lower the torque, the harder the feel and less twisting occurs (club head turning around the shaft). Steel shafts are fairly constant and do not twist much. Graphite shafts given their properties, vary considerably more. Lower torque with stiffer shafts are more difficult to hit without adequate club head speed. In general, slower swing speeds typically need a higher torque to help square the club face, while faster swingers need lower torque.

Kick Point

Defined as the maximum bending of the shaft (also called flex or bend point). This characteristic affects the trajectory of the shot. If someone hits the ball too low of a trajectory, a lower kick point will get the ball airborne, and vice-versa. The lower the kick point, the more the club head will feel like it is moving through impact. In contrast, a higher kick point will make the shaft have a “one-piece” feel. In general, a higher kick point is easier to control.

Length

In general, there are standards in place for most clubs, especially irons. For example, most 7 iron shafts are 34.5″ in length. The standard driver length is 43″. Recent advancements in driver technology has allowed for an increase in driver shaft lengths. Many drivers now come standard with 45″ shafts, some even longer. The maximum legal length for drivers is 48″.

Weight

Most steel driver shafts weigh between 90 and 120 grams while their graphite counterparts come in between 65 and 90 grams. Many driver shafts are going to lighter weights to increase club head speed and distance. The weight of irons vary in accordance with the length of the shaft, incrementing 2 grams per club ranging from 120 grams for the longer irons to 110 grams for the shorter irons.

As you can see from the above descriptions, selecting the right shaft can be an involved process, one that should not be taken lightly if game improvement is your objective. That brings me to the point I would like to stress most about shaft selection. In my opinion, getting custom fitted by a trained professional is one of the best decisions you can do for your game. Analyzing your swing dynamics using computer generated results significantly reduces or eliminates the guess work out of the shaft fitting equation. This personally happened to me last year. I was using a UST Proforce V2, a great shaft by all measures. However, I was custom fitted and found that the Fujikura ZCom Six, was a better shaft for my swing. It allowed me to increase my club head speed while maintaining or even improving control. I increased my drive by at least 15 yards. This was all done on a 5+ year old Taylor Made R5 club head.

One caveat to this thesis is that extremes should be avoided. In other words, do not expect drastic positive results by putting a $300 shaft on a 20 year old antiquated club head. Although you may see improvement, you may be better served with a brand new club.

There are plenty of great golf shaft manufacturers to choose from including Accuflex, Aldila, Fujikura, Grafalloy, Graphite Design, Harrison, Mitsubishi, Penley, Rifle, Royal Precision, True Temper, and UST. All of these companies in my opinion, produce great shafts and offer a wide variety of choices. In general, shaft prices range from $50 upward to and over $200 however, expect to find a very good shaft to fit your game somewhere in between. Try out the more popular auction methods to get even better prices.

Hopefully you can now see how re-shafting your golf clubs can be a very cost-effective and gratifying alternative to a total replacement of your golf clubs. I urge all golfers to take a serious look at this option in order to get a taste of the latest in golf technology while improving your game and saving some money.