Pros Bend Their Drivers

[warbirdlover]

Article in GolfWorld this week. "Pros bend clubs to improve both performance and LOOK"

Although the drivers played on the PGA Tour look like the ones your and I play, fact is many of them aren't. They're drivers with a twist---literally.
That's because in the tour pro's quest to fine-tune equipment, many players (about 50%) bend their drivers for loft, face angle and/or lie angle. The tweaks can range from subtle (Retief Goosen has had his driver bent to the exact lof of 8.2º) to severe (John Daly turned a 10.5º driver into a 7.5º club so the face was more open, making a hook less likely).
Keith Sbarbaro, vice president of TaylorMake's tour operations, says bending is done for appearance as much as performance. Last year Mike Weir, for example, had a 10.5º club bent to 9º. Normally, a player would simply be fit into a 9º driver, but Weir felt his club looked too square and needed a more "open" look. Bending the higher-lofted club achieved that. Sbarbaro said most players prefer an open look, but there are exceptions. Darren Clarke, for one, prefers a slightly closed look.
Bending for lie angle is important, too. David Toms recently put a new driver in play that was bent 2º flatter to give him a shot shape that falls a bit to the right---his preferred ball flight.
In the days of persimmon, players shaved the heel or toe in an effort to close or open the face, respectively. Today options such as movable weights make things easier. Sbarbaro says he does half as much bending now because a ball-flight tweak can be done with weights. And when bending is required, he said it normally takes one try and then moving some weight to get it right. In years past it often took up to three bends before a player was satisfied.
Call it progress, with a twist. GW

[LyleG]

Yep, been happening for years.

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by LyleG

Yep, been happening for years.

Except for the Callaway guys.

R35

[clemsonhacker]

camilo v. driver is bent to 8.75..

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by clemsonhacker

camilo v. driver is bent to 8.75..

8.75....what? Degrees? I'm willing to bet that it's hand picked rather than bent to that.

Bending is more for face angle and lie, not so much for loft. The key is finding the three that work together.

R35

[BStone]

My current driver is a 9.5 that has been bent 2 degrees open so it plays closer to an 8.5-8.7 loft.

[Clemson]

Show Off!!!

[WildCatGolfer17]

Originally Posted by tmag

My current driver is a 9.5 that has been bent 2 degrees open so it plays closer to an 8.5-8.7 loft.

Speaking of that, the one i got from you was that bent anymore than the standard 1*? I know you said it was weighted but was it bent more? Also is the weight Neutral or toe or heel?

[VtDivot]

Vijay's infamous 9 wood which is like 14 degrees or something.

Vijay's driver which is 4 degrees open.

I'm not sure if it's bent that way (the driver I mean - the 9 wood definitely is) or made that way

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by VtDivot

Vijay's infamous 9 wood which is like 14 degrees or something.

Vijay's driver which is 4 degrees open.

I'm not sure if it's bent that way (the driver I mean - the 9 wood definitely is) or made that way

His driver is made with a different hosel. The 9 wood is bent to 7 wood loft, but the face is wide open to eliminate left.

What a weirdo.

R35

[VtDivot]

Originally Posted by Rockford35

His driver is made with a different hosel. The 9 wood is bent to 7 wood loft, but the face is wide open to eliminate left.

What a weirdo.

R35

just stupid like...

[dave.]

Its not weird,its commitment to the shot.He can blast that wood knowing exactly where it won't go.There is a story about David Love who visited Shady Oaks,to see where Hogan played etc etc.They gave him Hogans persimmon driver and asked him to hook it.The face was 6 degrees open and stood at E5 swingweight,and the shaft was XX stiff steel.Love just hit wormburny sliders all day with it,the thing would not go left.

[Dannykos]

have you guys seen the callaway tour clock? It's an angled sleeve that you can set at difference positions which changes the loft/face angle of the clubhead.

Do a search at GolfWRX to see more - i just remember stumbling accross it.

[LyleG]

Yes, the tour clock eliminates the need to bend Cally drivers.

Vijays driver is bent open a fulL 7*.

I was told that a ton of heads get broken being bent in tour vans. Titanium dont like to move.

[BStone]

Originally Posted by WildCatGolfer17

Speaking of that, the one i got from you was that bent anymore than the standard 1*? I know you said it was weighted but was it bent more? Also is the weight Neutral or toe or heel?

It was not bent, one of the reasons that I replaced it. The weight was added with a heavier weight in the sole, so it is in the center (neutral).