Friday, March 29, 2019

EXCLUSIVE OFFER: SHOTSCOPE V2

We’ve told you about Shot Scope’s V2. 

It’s our opinion that the Shot Scope V2 is one of the best golf analytics packages in the industry.

“It’s the easiest shot collection data device there is, all you have to do is go play golf.” – John Barba

CLAIM EXCLUSIVE OFFER

For a limited time, Shot Scope is available exclusively to MyGolfSpy readers at the absolute lowest price anywhere. During this offer period, golfers can purchase the Shot Scope V2 (normally $250), for $159. That’s $90 off the standard retail price. For those preferring percentages, it’s a shade more than 33% off.

Shot Scope offers over 100 Tour-Level statistics, a dynamic GPS that provides the distance to the front, back, and middle of the green as well as hazards. There are no annual fees, required tagging or a need to carry a phone in your pocket.

Shot Scope is renowned for excellent customer support, and relies on its own database of course maps, so should questions arise– a single phone call is all that’s required.

This offer won’t last long – seriously; it won’t. It ends on Sunday, 7th April.  So, if you’ve been on the fence about giving shot tracking and full game analytics a try in 2019, here’s your excuse to go for it.

CLAIM EXCLUSIVE OFFER

MyGolfSpy’s job is to help you put the best clubs and gear that help lower your scores. We don’t care about names, we only care about the stuff that actually works, and this works.



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First Look: Cobra KING MIM Wedges

Which construction produces a softer feeling wedge – forged or cast? According to Cobra and its new KING MIM wedges, the answer is a polite “neither.” The correct response would be Metal-Injection-Molded (MIM) wedges, which feature smaller and more evenly distributed voids (holes) in the 304 stainless steel grain structure to generate a softer feel at impact.

Typically, when discussing wedges, the dialogue centers around grinds, groove technology, CG location, and bounce options, but MIM is a fundamentally different way to go about producing a wedge – and for its part, Cobra believes it’s a superior method. As the name implies, metal injection molding involves, well, injecting metal into a mold to produce the rough shape of a club head.

More specifically, Cobra starts with a mixture of 304 stainless steel metal powder and a polymer binder which form a malleable paste. The paste is heated and injected into a mold to create the rough head part. From there, it’s put in a furnace and heated to remove the polymer, leaving only the pure metal. At this point, the head is heated to 1340 C° and sintered (higher temperatures than standard forgings) to achieve the desired grain arrangement.

Because the MIM process is more exact, it reduces the need for post creation/manufacturing polishing and grinding. What work remains is handled by the industry’s first fully robotic polishing process which Cobra states, eliminates variances in head weight and delivers more precise grind shapes and bounce angles. Compared to cast wedges, Cobra says its process generates 50% tighter tolerances and as a characteristic, stricter tolerances are often more costly to maintain, particularly for a mass-produced piece of equipment. That said, less human involvement likely yields some cost-savings in the long run. It’s why your favorite pizza joint dropped $30,000 for the automated dough maker in place of three, part-time college students.

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FEATURES

The KING MIM wedges come in six discrete lofts (50°,52°,54°,56°,58°,60°) and showcase a versatile Tour Grind with more toe relief for delicate shots around the green. It’s similar to the grind Cobra staffer, Rickie Fowler uses on his wedges.

The face and grooves of each wedge are CNC milled to exacting tolerances and a radial milling pattern provides a little extra traction on finesse shots along with a visual indication to enhance focus on the SWEET ZONE.

The depth and width of grooves are loft-dependent in order to produce ideal launch conditions for shots most commonly played with a particular wedge. Specifically, higher-lofted wedges have grooves which are wider and deeper whereas wedges with less loft are paired with shallower, narrower grooves.

The single finish option is a chrome plating, which may feel limiting to some, but does leave the door open for other finishes moving forward.

The stock shaft is the KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 and each wedge is equipped with Cobra Connect, Powered by Arccos, an industry-leading stat tracking and performance management system.

We already know machines operate beyond human capability in a variety of contexts, but the general thinking has been (specifically in wedges and putters) that there’s something organic and uniquely personal about hand-finished clubs. So, is one better than the other and in broaching new territory?  Does Cobra’s MIM process encourage other OEMs come to market with something other than a stock cast or forged wedge? What would you like to see?

Retail Availability and Pricing: April 12th  –  $149 MAP

 

 

 



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Thursday, March 28, 2019

The 3 Questions You Need to Answer Before Writing Your Next Story

It’s difficult to know what to plan for when starting a novel. Is it essential to have each and every character, scene, and key change in mind beforehand? How much, or how little, do you need? Are there any specific questions to ask before writing a book, or do you just need to know everything?

3 Essential Questions to Ask When Writing a Book

There’s good and bad news. The bad news is that whether you’re a planner or a “pantser,” you can’t possibly plan everything and get it all right on the first try. You’ll write scenes that don’t work, create characters that are out of place, and take the story places that it shouldn’t go.

You already have enough on your plate.

So to save yourself a ton of stress, take fifteen minutes to answer these three questions to ask when writing a book.

Because when you do, you’ll be building your story on a rock-solid foundation that will give you the freedom to take risks that won’t cost you a ton of time and energy in the long run.

3 Questions to Ask When Writing a Book

Ready for these fundamental questions? Here we go:

1. Whose story is it?

This first question may be the easiest, or at least the most obvious, to answer. Authors tend to dream up stories with a particular protagonist in mind.

The key is to keep this information in mind throughout the drafting process so the story doesn’t get off-track. As your protagonist meets friends, enemies, lovers, mentors, and more, it can be easy to want to jump into these other characters’ heads and start telling their story.

It’s entirely possible that your story will belong to an ensemble of people. One of my favorite authors has always been Michael Crichton, probably because Jurassic Park was adapted for the screen when I was nine years old. Like many adventures and thrillers, Jurassic Park is the story of a group of people. Each character is the protagonist of at least one section of the book.

Thankfully, this is never confusing because the author clearly establishes this point of view in the book’s opening scenes, dropping the reader into a number of scenes that each have its own protagonist. By the time the dinosaurs get loose and start eating people, the reader is ready to go on the adventure with anybody.

It’s also possible to establish the story as belonging to a pair, or a trio. This was a detail that surprised me about a recent thriller, Star of the North. While its back cover material identifies an American woman, Jenna, as the protagonist, the novel quickly establishes two other characters, North Koreans, as co-protagonists with her. Author D.B. John stays true to this trio of main characters up to the very end, bringing the characters together and intermingling their destinies with one another.

The main takeaway here is that from beginning to end, your story needs to know who the story belongs to. Does it belong to one person? A duo or trio? Or an ensemble? Whatever the answer is, stick to it through the whole story so your reader doesn’t get lost.

2. What physical object is the protagonist pursuing?

Whether your protagonist is a single mother or a team of scientists, you need to make it abundantly clear what is being pursued.

This is a step where many authors try to get clever and write a “deep” book. Instead of clearly identifying a physical goal (like money, a job, a love interest, freedom, escape, safety, etc), the author focuses more on emotions. The idea is that the physical goals, buried in the subtext, are there for the reader to magically discover.

While this kind of Anti-plot story can work in the hands of a master storyteller, it’s not the route most aspiring writers should choose.

Rather, build your story around the pursuit of a physical goal. If your reader reaches page ten and it isn’t crystal clear what everyone is after, then you’re going to have problems, and have them soon.

3. What internal need does the protagonist(s) have?

If you were put off when I said some authors try to get clever, never fear: This is where your story can strive for depth.

Every protagonist must have an internal need. However, he or she probably doesn’t know what it is. It plays against (though occasionally with) the pursuit of the physical object.

You can see this conflict occurring when a character has the chance to get what he wants (like when Aladdin can use his third wish to be a true prince), but can’t quite do it because he knows it goes against what he needs: to be good and kind. This scene is foreshadowed when Aladdin promises to free the genie, complicated when Aladdin threatens to renege on his promise, and fulfilled when he keeps his word and wishes for Genie’s freedom.

Out of all three of these questions, this is perhaps the least important to know with 100% certainty. However, you still need to have an idea of what keeps your protagonist up at night. Even if it’s a vague notion, use it. Find ways to complicate your characters’ journey, or else your story risks getting stale.

Plan for Success

I wish there was a list of questions, or to-do items, that could help you write a perfect first draft.

But stories are living, breathing things that refuse to be tamed very quickly.

Thankfully, answering these three questions will put you on a high-probability track toward success. When you nail the story’s protagonist, plot, and layered conflict, so many other elements will either fall into place or derive naturally from the healthy foundation you’ve built.

So what are you waiting for? Take time today to answer these three questions about your current or next story and start writing with a rock-solid story foundation!

What information do you make sure you know before you begin writing your first draft? Do you have any more essential questions to ask when writing a book? Let us know in the comments.

PRACTICE

Think of your current work in progress or a story you’re planning. Take fifteen minutes to answer the three questions: whose story this will be, what he/she wants, and what internal need he/she might also be trying to satisfy. Feel free to dream up multiple possibilities for your protagonist’s goal and internal need in order to see what combinations are ripe with the most potential for conflict.

Don’t have a story idea? Get started with this prompt: no matter how hard she pushed, the door wasn’t opening.

When you’re done, share your answers in the comments below. Be sure to leave feedback for your fellow writers!

The post The 3 Questions You Need to Answer Before Writing Your Next Story appeared first on The Write Practice.



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2019 MOST WANTED MALLET PUTTER

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Wednesday, March 27, 2019

R. L. Stine MasterClass Review: Will This Help You Write Stories Readers Love?

Thinking about taking R.L. Stine’s MasterClass but want to know if it’s worth it? Want to know what you’re getting and if it’s helpful before you sign up? Read on for my R.L. Stine MasterClass review.

R.L. Stine MasterClass Review

R.L. Stine is the author of over 300 books for readers ages 7 to 15. Generations of kids have been introduced to the wonderful world of horror through Stine’s Goosebumps and Fear Street series. Stine is a true master of reaching young readers, and who better to host his course than MasterClass?

In this post, I’m going to share my personal R.L. Stine MasterClass review. I’ll outline what’s in the course, what I learned and what I didn’t, and why you should (or shouldn’t!) take the class.

Before we get started I want to be fully transparent. I wasn’t paid to write this review, but you should know that the links below are affiliate links. If you sign up for MasterClass, it will help me be able to keep writing (and help me continue sharing what I’ve learned about the writing process). Of course, this won’t affect your overall price, and it didn’t affect my decision on the course.

Take a look at R.L. Stine’s MasterClass here. Now, let’s jump in.

How to Write for Young Readers

I almost lost it when I found out R.L. Stine was doing a MasterClass. I grew up devouring every book of his I could get my hands on. When I first started trying to write a novel at about ten years old, it was the Fear Street books I was trying to emulate.

Of course, at that time I was in his demographic. I’ve since gotten older, unfortunately, and the idea of writing middle grade or even young adult books is quite frankly terrifying.

Kids are so brutally honest. They’ll love you or hate you and they won’t be afraid to let you know which one. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. (See what I did there? Hehe.)

I just had to see what Stine’s tricks of the trade were, though.

What You Get in R.L. Stine’s MasterClass

If you haven’t taken a Masterclass before, here’s the deal: You get pre-recorded video lessons, intensive assignments, an interactive community, and instructor “office hours.”

In this particular case, the course material includes almost four hours of video, a class workbook with assignments, and case study outlines and character cheat sheets to download.

1. A Sit-down With Bob Himself

Yes, R. L. Stine, author of over 300 books, who has sold more than 400 million copies, wants me to call him Bob.

In each one I felt like I was sitting fireside with Stine as he recounted his 40 years of writing advice. I leaned forward. I was smiling. It was like getting life lessons from a grandparent.

Bob (I still can’t get used to that) had me scribbling down profound quotes while I chuckled at his jokes. I felt at home and like he was talking directly to me.

2. 28 Vibrant HD Video Lessons

There are twenty-eight video lessons in this course. Count them: Twenty-eight! Each one is beautifully shot and the transitions are underscored with delightfully creepy music to set the mood.

Here’s an outline of all the lessons:

  1. Introduction
  2. The Idea Store
  3. Other Rich Sources of Ideas
  4. Getting From Idea to Plot Outline
  5. Outlining: Surprise Endings and Cliffhangers
  6. Outlining: Plot Twists and Tricks
  7. Outline Case Study
  8. Kids Are the Best Audience
  9. Writing for Different Age Levels
  10. Case Study: Comparing Young Adult and Middle Grade Fiction
  11. The Key to Scary Writing: POV
  12. Hook Readers Right Away
  13. How to Scare Your Readers
  14. Making Monsters
  15. Dialogue and Prose Style
  16. Mixing Horror and Humor
  17. Creating Middle Grade Characters
  18. Creating YA Characters
  19. Have Fun With Your First Draft
  20. Revising and Getting Feedback
  21. Developing a Book Series
  22. Borrow From Your Influences
  23. Writing as a Career
  24. Promoting Yourself
  25. Combating Writer’s Block and Developing Routines
  26. Twenty Story Ideas for You
  27. Exercises to Get You Going
  28. Conclusion

To learn more about what’s inside each lesson, click here.

3. PDF Downloads

The videos were just the start of the lessons. There are several downloadable resources, including a very thorough class workbook with assignments, lesson reviews, suggested readings, and more.

I expected the videos and class workbook. When I got about halfway through the course and Bob started referring to his outlining process, I found out he shared his actual outlines for download, plus a character cheat sheet for one of his novels. I got to see directly into his process and I was so giddy about it.

There are actually two outlines for the same book, one his publisher rejected and the other they greenlighted. That added an extra layer of learning, as not only was I seeing how Stine worked, but also what would cause a publisher to kick something back to you.

As a bonus, at the end of the course Bob includes story ideas for you to use and exercises to get you writing.

4. Homework

Each lesson comes with writing exercises and there’s an overall class project (to actually write a novel for young readers!). The exercises are fantastic and I love the idea of an overarching project. The homework takes you through the process of writing a novel step-by-step and then sets you free to finish up your own story.

I’ll admit right now that I haven’t done all the homework, but I definitely plan to as soon as I’m done with my latest novel. I’m really interested to see if I can produce a decent middle grade or young adult horror book.

5. Office Hours + Class Interaction

The MasterClass also includes “office hours,” which gives you the opportunity to ask Bob questions and get a response via video. That part was so cool! He had the same charisma and easy charm in video responses that he had pre-recorded. (Okay, I’ll stop fangirling.)

You also have the option to interact with other writers taking the class in the Hub and via comments on the videos. As you know, we’re super into interaction with other writers here at The Write Practice, so that was a feature I was really excited to see.

R.L. Stine’s MasterClass: What’s to Love

  • Bob. I’ll say it again: This was seriously like sitting in the same room with him. He was so natural in his lessons, I couldn’t help but be enthralled.
  • No-nonsense advice. A lot of writers like to pretend writing is a mysterious thing, magical even. Bob doesn’t believe that. Do the work, reap the benefits. His tips are amazingly down to earth and are all things you can practice now. No Ouija board or magic beans needed.
  • Tricks of the (young reader) trade. Not having children, I had no idea how to reach younger readers before this course. Bob outlines what kids like, what they don’t, and how to keep them reading. Now I feel like I might be able to manage writing for littles.
  • Case studies. There are countless case studies in these lessons. Bob reads excerpts from several of his novels, and even a short story or two, to show you exactly what he means. It was beyond cool to see the outlines and character sheet. He’s huge on prep work and I’m not so much, so when he started talking about outlining (and you can see above there are several lessons on it) I groaned. Then I saw the outlines and realized his prep work is not at all how I pictured it, but is actually pretty close to what I do.
  • Jokes. If you didn’t already know, Bob was a humor writer for a long time before hitting on horror. The man is funny. His life stories are funny. Just like he does in his Goosebumps books, he does a nice job of injecting some comedic relief into this course.
  • Step-by-step process. This course takes you through Bob’s entire process from idea to writing to marketing. Throughout it all, he reminds you to relax and have fun, which is something I definitely needed to be reminded.

The Negatives: Why R.L. Stine’s Master Class Might Not Be for You

Like any class, this isn’t for everyone. Here are a few reasons why you might want to skip this one:

  • No-nonsense advice. I know I just said this was a pro and not a con. But if you’re looking for some magic formula to write, you won’t find it here. (Because there isn’t one.) What you’ll find instead are realistic, down-to-earth tips on what being a writer is like.
  • No critique. The class doesn’t promise this, but if you’re looking to interact more with an instructor, namely getting critique or brainstorming, this isn’t the class for you. Bob will take questions for his office hours video, but he’s not going to read your book.
  • No playbook. If you’re looking for someone to tell you exactly what to do and when to do it, this might not be for you. Bob gives you how he does it, but flat out says things work differently for everyone.
  • Some of this sounds familiar . . . If you’ve taken a couple writing courses or have read writing books, you may find some of this course to be rehashing what you already know. Personally, that was the case for me on most of the writing portions of the course. But I’m already a horror writer. And I’ve taken a ton of writing courses and have read every writing book out there (or it feels like it). What I did learn was how to reach young audiences and was reminded to have fun during the writing process.
  • You’re really not into writing for young readers. Bob has made an incredibly successful career writing for MC and YA audiences. This is less of a horror writing course and more of a course about how to connect with young readers. If you’re not interested in writing for YA or middle grade readers, this isn’t for you. But if you’re cool with that, then read on for my final conclusion.

Sign up here or read on for my final review.

My Review: Is R.L. Stine’s MasterClass for You?

Should you take R.L. Stine’s MasterClass? Do it! If you’re able, I would definitely recommend putting in the time for this course. In my opinion, the videos alone are worth the money.

Ready to take R.L. Stine’s MasterClass and transform your writing?

Click to sign up

I’m not super interested in writing for the MG crowd. That said, the tips Bob gives to learn to connect with your audience are applicable to every genre and age group.

The writing-oriented advice was familiar to me, but may not be to you. He covers a lot of standard ground but in a different way, like reminding you to have fun. (Fun! I had completely forgotten that’s why I started writing to begin with.)

You might not jive with the writing process he recommends. He knows that and fully admits there are different processes for everyone. Still, he lays out a pretty good one and with some tweaks (or without) it might be a process that works for you.

This course is for those writers who maybe want to get nostalgic (if you grew up on Stine) and for those who really want to see the process of writing a book step-by-step. And hear some pretty funny personal stories along the way.

MasterClass offers two options to access their courses. If you’re interested in R.L. Stine’s MasterClass alone, you can purchase this single class for $90.

Or, if you’d like unlimited access to all the MasterClasses for a year, you can get an all-access pass for $180. There are several other MasterClasses by expert authors, including one by Neil Gaiman, so if you’d like to learn from as many great authors as you can, the all-access pass is a great option. You can read our review of Neil Gaiman’s MasterClass here.

Final verdict: I thoroughly enjoyed R.L. Stine’s MasterClass and I was legitimately sad when I watched the last video. Even if you don’t write horror or have no interest in writing for young readers, I still think you could learn a thing from this master. I’m thankful he reminded me the reasons I started this whole writing thing to begin with: to have fun and to entertain people.

Ready to learn from R.L. Stine? Sign up here.

Have you taken R.L. Stine’s MasterClass? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments.

PRACTICE

R.L. Stine normally starts with a title. Today, your practice is to think of a title. Do it quickly and don’t overthink it.

Then, take fifteen minutes to write a story based on that title.

When you’re done, share it in the comments, then leave feedback for three other writers. And don’t forget to check out R.L. Stine’s Masterclass, too.

The post R. L. Stine MasterClass Review: Will This Help You Write Stories Readers Love? appeared first on The Write Practice.



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Why Does MOI Matter in a Putter? A Discussion with Odyssey’s Chief Putter Designer

Are you obsessed with your golf gear?

As a group, golfers are notorious for stressing over the most minute of golf club details. The game of golf is just so damn difficult that we feel the need to dial in our equipment with precision to a single gram, or single degree. The hope is that precisely fitted equipment provides the best opportunity for success. We know that little things can make a huge difference.

The most obsessed among us dial-in lofts, lengths, lie angles, flexes, alignment schemes, grip textures, and even grip wrap additions down to the 1/16 of an inch.

Thankfully, our play data supports our obsessiveness. Clubs that fit better result in better swings and better scores. That’s why getting fitted for clubs is a must. Most of us have been fit for our swinging clubs, but the poor putter has, more often than not, made the game bag because it looked nice, or inspired confidence.

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Times are changing, however, and golfers are starting to grasp the idea that choosing the right putter is about more than finding one that looks and feels good. Golfers are starting to realize that the putter that can inspire confidence for the long term is the one that has the correct length, toe hang, lie, and loft. Kudos to us for approaching putter selection with the same precision as driver and irons selection!

The question I put to you today though is “Do you include a preferred MOI in your putter spec list?”

Why Should Moi Care About MOI?

If you are a French golfer, then you definitely should be concerned about how clubs will perform for moi, but that is not what we are diving into today. Instead, we will be looking at the MOI – short for Moment of Inertia. Many of us already insert MOI into the conversation when we talk about golf clubs since it’s a huge talking point and element of modern golf club design. If you put MOI into the search bar at the top of this page, you’ll find twenty-three pages of articles where MOI is mentioned. MOI discussions happen in the context of drivers, fairway metals, irons, and yes, even putters.

The general idea is that, from an MOI perspective, bigger. Larger is often more forgiving. Just last year we showcased the mightily massive Evnroll ER9, with an MOI over 10,000 mark. Scotty Cameron recently announced a new Phantom X line that features multi-material construction to boost MOI. If you head over to the Cure Putters website, you’ll see that they allow customization of weighting of the RX5 putter model to achieve MOI over 18,000. Does that MOI number mean that we should all be switching to the Cure RX5? What should we really be looking for when shopping putter MOI?

EXO Marks The MOI Spot

This MOI question seems like one best left to the experts, which is fine, since I happened to meet with a few putter experts when I visited Odyssey headquarters back in December. While a good portion of the discussion that day revolved around the new Stroke Lab shaft, there were a couple of slides in their presentation about MOI that popped out as we were going through the new 2019 EXO models.

To quickly review, the EXO line of putters, first launched in 2018, utilizes multi-material construction to boost the MOI values. You can find more details about the 2019 EXO line, and all of the other Odyssey offerings HERE. While previous Odyssey designs offered elevated MOI, EXO was the first to cast MOI as the main character of the story.

But again, what is MOI, and why should I care about it in my putter?

The 2019 Odyssey EXO putters will soon be in a shop near you (like at the end of the week), so it seems like a good time to address these and other questions with Odyssey’s Chief Putter Designer, Austie Rollinson.

What follows are Austie’s responses to my questions about MOI, and its role in the new EXO designs.

What is MOI, and how is it defined/measured?

Moment of inertia, in the technical sense, is the rotational analog to mass. In Newton’s famous 2nd law of motion, F=ma, the “m” is the mass of a body and “F” is the amount of force needed to be applied to change its speed, “a” (acceleration). The higher the mass of a body, more force will need to be applied to change its speed the same amount. This describes linear motion of an object. In a collision, like a golf impact, we need to look at rotational motion. An off-center hit in a golf shot will produce a torque on the head. The torque will cause the head to rotate about an axis through the heads center of gravity.  The farther away the impact is from the CG, the larger the torque will be. This torque will cause the head to rotate about the head’s CG at a speed proportional to the head’s moment of inertia (the rotational analog to mass). Thus, for a given torque (off-center strike) the large the head’s moment of inertia (MOI), the slower the head’s rotation rate. This will cause the head to rotate less during impact and the shot will be straighter.

So, how do you measure a heads MOI? The important thing to know about MOI is that in the linear 2nd law the sum of all the mass elements, or total mass, is used in the formula. In rotational motion, you need to know the sum of all the mass elements as well as the distance those elements are from the rotational axis. The farter the mass elements are away from the axis, the higher the MOI of the body will be. That is why larger and hollow club heads have a higher MOI than smaller, more solid heads. Most 3D CAD programs can calculate the mass of an object, the center of gravity location, and the MOI of a model. The programmer just has to input the densities of the components and the software does the rest. If you just have a head in your hand, you can use an instrument designed to measure MOI and CG. This is handy to confirm that the in-hand prototypes match the mass properties you designed in CAD.

Why does MOI matter in a putter?

The same way that MOI helps in drivers and irons be more forgiving on off-center hits, putters benefit from this effect as well. The speeds of a putter are very different than those of drivers and irons. With drivers, you are swinging the head anywhere from 90mph to 120mph. On putters, you swing the head anywhere from just above 0 mph on tap-ins to about 8-9 mph on longer 25-35-foot putts. However, off-center hits even at these head speeds produce significant losses in ball speeds and change the side angle at which the ball leaves the putter face. No golfer is perfect in their impact locations. The more you can help to mitigate these losses the closer to the hole your ball will end up…helping reduce your number of putts.

What will a golfer likely experience as he/she moves from a low MOI putter to a high MOI putter?

The golfer will most likely see putts that stay on their intended line better as well as better distance control. These all depend on the accuracy and consistency of how the golfer delivers the putter to the ball. Inconsistencies in head speed and face angle will cause inconsistencies in ball speed and direction that MOI will not fix. The MOI will help smooth out the inconstancies in impact location across the face.

Are there any disadvantages to increasing MOI in a putter?

More often than not the size of the head needs to get larger to make large gains in MOI. Also, designs also need to become more ring-like in appearance to really enhance the MOI while keeping the footprint of the putter small. The other disadvantage to chasing large MOI in a design can be that the CG of the putter gets deeper in the putter head. This can cause more movement in the face laterally for off-center hits. This creates larger side angle discrepancies even with large MOI values. In good designs, we look to optimize MOI while still working to keep the CG as shallow as possible in the design.

How does the Odyssey EXO line of putters achieve optimum MOI numbers?

In the EXO line of putters, we utilize steel and aluminum to achieve designs with high MOI values yet small footprints. All of the EXO putters have an aluminum truss in the center of the putter to enable us to move mass to the perimeter of the putter in steel. For example, on the EXO SEVEN design the aluminum truss in just 8.8% of the total putter’s mass while the stainless accounts for 88% of the mass. This enables us to increase the MOI of the design 21% over the standard large #7 design.  In the EXO SEVEN MINI, we were able to increase the MOI by 26% over the standard #7 design.

Where in the shopping/fitting process does MOI enter into the discussion vs. looks, length, weight, lie, loft, and etc.?

During the fitting process, you should access what your typical misses are. If you are constantly off-line and have poor distance control, you should definitely look at a high MOI putter. It is likely that your hit location is inconsistent. A high MOI will help to mitigate the energy loss and putter twist to make these misses more consistent. Also, if your line is off, it could be due to not being able to align the putter square to the target line consistently. Most hit MOI putter designs have enhanced alignment features on the crowns to help with alignment.

EXO Makes MOI Pretty

Does that clear up the MOI question for you? I think that one of the things about the EXO line that Austie forgot to mention is that they were able to boost the MOI values, and still make putters that are nice looking, traditional-ish shapes. Some of the other high MOI putters, like the Cure RX5 that I mentioned above, have higher MOI values, but it comes at the cost of traditional aesthetics. Most of us want to carry the putter that sinks more putts, but if I’m honest, I’m not going to carry a putter that I can’t stand to look at. I’m unwilling to purchase a putter where aesthetics have been completely sacrificed for MOI or any other characteristic. Those of you still bagging the Nike Sumo SQ 5900 driver won’t feel me on this, but I think that most golfers are of the same mind.

That’s the beauty of the EXO line. If I am going to be spending hundreds of dollars on a putter, I want one that I can spend hours looking at, exploring the angles, and finding cool features like the milled lines in the perimeter ring. I’ll admit that my putter obsession is more severe than the norm, but you can’t help but appreciate the aesthetic detail that goes into these. The fact that there were designed from a performance-enhancing directive makes the visual success of the EXO line that much more significant. It could hang on the wall, but it’s meant to drop balls in cups.

2019 EXO Putters Available In Stores on March 29th

I’m sure that the putter MOI story is far from over, but that’s not true for your EXO wait. You should be able to find the new 2019 EXO models in a shop near you at the end of the week. Don’t forget that the new mallets will also come with the S-neck option, fitting those of you with more of an arcing stroke. Included as well will be the new Odyssey Stroke Lab shaft. I’m never going to say that a $349 putter falls into the cheap range, but there is definitely a bunch of value and technology coming at that price.

Have Your Say

So what are your thoughts on the EXO line, and putter MOI in general? Is there a particular EXO model that you are thinking of trying, or have you already pre-ordered one? Check them out online at the Odyssey site, or better yet, go test-roll one at a shop near you.



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Tuesday, March 26, 2019

How Hard Should You Push Your Child to Play Golf?

When my father first introduced me to golf he had one goal in mind: He wanted to make sure it was enjoyable. To facilitate the fun, every time we went to the course or the driving range, he would set up a game or challenge. More importantly, we never kept score, and only occasionally did instruction take place.

What instruction my father did provide was always useful though. As a Class A PGA pro, he has a firm understanding of the fundamentals of the game and never tried to teach me a “perfect” swing. Instead, he embraced my individual swing and adopted Arnold Palmer’s “swing your swing” motto.

As a result of my dad’s guidance and approach to teaching me golf, I fell in love with the game. And I say game because my dad would always proselytize, “Golf is just a game.”

As my game evolved, my relationship with my father on the course began to evolve as well. He realized I had a talent for golf, and wanted to push me to excel. Every day he would remind me to practice, and every day I would tell him that I had. When I reached my teenage years, I became increasingly more independent and wanted less hands-on involvement with my game. For my dad, this was difficult. He wanted to guide me and help me realize my potential, but his encouragement felt like smothering.

Being the parent without falling into the trap of being the coach is a challenge many parents struggle to navigate. If you care about your child staying passionate about the game you will have to monitor yourself and make sure you’re not overbearing, and learn to realize when it’s time to bring someone else into coach your child.

If your child already has a coach and you still sometimes catch yourself pushing too hard, ask yourself, “When someone nags or pushes me to do something, does it make me feel annoyed and irritated and less likely to perform that task?” The answer is likely yes, and you’ll likely perform said task begrudgingly. It’s no different when trying to keep your kid passionate about golf.

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So how can you maintain a balance? Jacqui Nicoletti McSorley, author of Golf Guide For Parents And Players: Secrets Of Success For Junior And College Golf, The Pro Tour And Beyond, has played the role of a mediator often between the child and parent. McSorley, who is Class A LPGA instructor and an instructor at the Golf Academy of America, has taught countless juniors over the years, many of who have received golf scholarships to play in college.

“One of the biggest mistakes I see parents make is that they push them too hard. There was a parent I dealt with who would make his son do push-ups if he hit a bad shot. He was like a drill sergeant with the kid, and it sucked away any joy from his son playing golf,” McSorley said.

According to McSorley, parents need to be careful to not treat golf like an end-all-be-all with their child. “There is so much pressure around kids trying to get golf scholarships, so we place these false hopes that there’s this scholarship at the end of the tunnel, which for most kids there isn’t. So not only are the parents stressed, the kids get stressed too.”

Parents also need to be willing to be coached, “Often times I am coaching the parents more-so than I am coaching their child. But they have to be willing to learn, and see where their shortcomings are and how they can be a better support system for the children.” This means relinquishing control to instructors like McSorley, and trusting the process rather than dictating every step of their child’s future in golf.

In my case, my father eventually stepped back and put his ego to the side. He allowed me to make my own decisions regarding the future of my game, and only stepped in when he felt so strongly that he couldn’t stay silent.

I know it wasn’t easy for my dad. He believed in me more than anyone, and his main goal was always to make sure that I reached my potential. His willingness though to allow me to carve my own path and to focus on encouraging me rather than pushing me, led me to keep playing a game that I loved. It also allowed me to involve him in my game when I wanted him to be more involved.

He caddied for me in several junior tournaments, and when I went to qualifying school for the LPGA, he carried my sticks and provided emotional support on the golf course. Joyfully, on my third attempt to qualify for the LPGA, I earned my card with him on my bag. It was a moment I will never forget, and one I know he cherishes as well.

So, to all the parents out there who coach their kids, focus on what makes it fun for you to be with each other on the course. As a result, the game can be something that brings you and your child closer together – their success will just be the icing on the cake.



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