The Difference A Club Can Make

By: FeelGolf Mood: like playing 36 holes Date: 10/06/2008 20:20:49 Music: None

On the first sudden death hole, the 18^th - a 233 yard, Par 3 and historically, one of the most difficult Par 3's played on Tour all year, Camilo landed his tee shot on the green and Sergio found the right rough, behind a bunker guarding the green.  Advantage Camilo.  And in fact Camilo two putted from about 44' for the win. 

Sergio had a difficult chip shot: His lie was in deep rough and he had to chip over the bunker guarding the green and also had very little green to work with. Further, if he landed the ball on the green, Johnny Miller, NBC's golf analyst & commentator said he would be lucky to leave himself with a 12' putt to save par, as the green ran away from where Sergio would be hitting his shot, making it very difficult to stop the ball once it landed on the green. 

The trick was to hit the ball hard enough to not leave it short and land in the bunker (a very probable outcome) but not hit the ball too hard as to leave Sergio with an unrealistic one putt from > 20+ feet to save par.

Sergio, one of the best known ball strikers on Tour, swung and made it just barely over the bunker, but the ball stopped short in the heavy grass between the bunker and the green.  It was almost a great shot, but not good enough - leaving Sergio with another challenging short bump and run to save Par, which he left short of the pin to lose to Camilo.  How much did that difficult chip shot from the rough and over the bunker cost Sergio you ask? 

Ever have a shot like that to win a local golf tournament? Or win a match between some buddies? Or to break a new personal best low score for a round or front or back nine?  I'm sure you have - we all have...

So what club should Sergio have used?

What club would you use?

The Answer is both surprising Mathematically, and yet Very Simple:

As short game guru Dave Pelz has been quoted, the need for higher lofted clubs (wedges) is becoming more and more important in today's game of golf, and is not just for amateurs who traditionally have short game woes, but also for Tour players as well. 

Today's courses are becoming more and more challenging - not just in greater length and varying hazards, but also in the subtle differences on and around the green.  Many greens are elevated and/or have substantial tiers and breaks in them making approach shots and putting more challenging, let alone more deep bunkers guarding these greens.  Further, in the economic times we are in, many courses are making greens smaller to reduce maintenance costs.  The Result?  Today's golfers need much more precision when approaching the green.

And as Dave Pelz says, the higher lofted the wedge: the greater opportunity to get closer to the pin and have more one putts.

The 73° was designed by the collaborative efforts of Charlie Sorrell, a Master PGA Professional and one of Golf's 50 Greatest Teacher's of All Time (Golf Digest) and Dr. Feel, aka Lee Miller, a Master Club Engineer with over 20 years of club making experience, a PGA Member and former player on Tour.  The goal was to design, engineer and produce a wedge that eliminated most of the short game challenges any golfer has:

1)         How far do I open my stance:  a little or a lot?

2)         Where do I aim - How far to the left or right of the Pin?

3)         How hard do I swing: ¼ swing?, ½ swing?, ¾ swing?, hard swing? Etc.,

Answers:

The 73°'s high loft means a golfer simply aims directly at the pin - no more open stances to offset the loft's lie or approach angle.

The 73°'s high loft means a golfer makes their normal full swing - the most repeatable swing for any golfer - no more swing guesswork!

And distance is simply controlled by ball placement - more towards the back foot for shots of 35-50 yards depending on your hitting distance and more towards the front foot for flop shots - that you never before believed you could make so easily!

The best part about the 73° is on difficult shots that we all encounter, it literally can save us a few to several strokes per hole or round or in Sergio's case a lot of Euros!   The hi loft of the 73° produces an very high ball flight and upon landing, the ball has very little forward momentum - making it stop very soon - as little as a few inches to a few feet - depending on the speed and slope of the green. For better players - you can easily place good back spin on the ball creating even more shot opportunities to get closer to the pin.

Lower Scores = More Fun

(And Sometimes Lots of $'s!)

So why not test out Feel Golf's revolutionary 73° Wedge

The winner of Golf Illustrated's 2007 Baggy Award

for the Most Innovative Product to Improve a Golfer's Game.

For only $99 + Standard Shipping & Handling

A $30 savings (>20 % Discount) over the Regular MSRP of $129

Feel Golf:  Better Feel for Better Golf.