Clubmaking
- November 29, 2024
Holiday season has challenges for golf shops who are trying to cater to the gift giver over the phone, internet or even in person. Often times, it is a surprise gift from a loved one, especially one who does not play golf themselves. Aside from apparel and accessories, a gift certificate might be the best solution for a custom fitting operation. But for the giver, it may be impersonal and would rather have that person open something that was under the tree. Following are a few tips to make the fitting experience, or lack thereof, successful.
- October 21, 2024
When you purchase a titanium driver, stainless steel fairway wood or hybrid today, you expect that head to be black with an accent color on it. But that was not always the case. Prior to 2007, metal woods (drivers, fairway woods and hybrids) were all painted on the crown and leaving the face and sole natural silver. Today, low cost alloy clubs are still made that way.
What is a PVD Finish?
That lustrous black appearance mentioned is called a Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coating. This a process that involves the “deposition” or buildup of titanium carbon nitride under low vacuum conditions leaving a thin film of material onto the surface of the metal. The PVD coating provides not only a hard and wear-resistant layer on the surface, but a luxurious, non-glare finish too.
- June 18, 2024
One of the most popular reasons for using a 60 degree wedge is anytime you don't have a lot of green to work with. You can pull off those incredible shots that you see the pros do Sunday’s on TV. However, it takes some practice – something the average golfer might not have the time to do.
- April 10, 2024
For any clubmaker, one important step is good recordkeeping. It is simple, takes little time and it should become a habit for every club you build. Why is this so important? Well, think about what would happen if your customer lost, broke, or had a golf club(s) stolen? Chances are you would have to have that customer come back or ship their clubs to you to be able to duplicate. However, if you have kept good notes, then you become the hero and can have their club ready and not have to have them inconvenienced.
- February 08, 2024
What is the perfect golf club set up?
Golfers are always looking to make the most of the 14 allowable golf clubs you can carry in the golf bag. Strong golfers who are not overcome with distance problems but do occasionally need one club that allows them to hit a long way to reach par 5’s in two or play that controlled shot off the tee. Instead of deciding between carrying a #3-wood or #5-wood, it makes it simple to select a #4-wood
- January 15, 2024
At the beginning of the golf season or if you recently purchased new irons and have been able to go out to the range and get a few rounds under your belt, it might be wise to have your iron distance gaps checked. Why? By gapping your entire set of clubs or at least your irons and wedges correctly, it can help you score better by not having two clubs with overlapping distances or in other cases creating large gaps between two adjacent clubs in your set.
What is distance gapping?
It is the process of evaluating your clubs and making sure you are spreading out the distance gaps better between consecutive clubs.
- December 21, 2023
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the workshop
Not a single tool would sit idle, not even a mop.
The headcovers were placed in a gift box with care,
In hopes that Uncle Nicholas’s new clubs would soon be there.While his children were nestled all snug in their beds,
Dave rummaged for a ferrule for Uncle Nick’s heads.
With a cup of coffee and wearing his favorite golf cap,
He took a sip and carefully removed each head’s bubble wrap. - November 08, 2023
Several years ago, Hireko added a new piece of equipment to our shaft testing lab to help better quantify shaft stiffness and to educate clubmakers and customers alike to help select the right shaft. Our EI shaft profiler is a 3-point bending test that measures the deflection along the span of the shaft. By taking measurements from the tip to the butt and plotting the results provides a more comprehensive look at the shaft’s stiffness distribution and a better understanding of how that shaft will react.
- October 04, 2023
Golf grips are offered in a variety of materials; each of which provides golfers with a different firmness, texture and feel. From soft to firm, smooth or rough and everything in-between. The most popular grip materials are rubber, rubber composition, and synthetic (or polyurethane), plus there are a few others.
Corded Golf Grips
Before we answer the question, “What is a half cord golf grip”, we first need to understand what the cord is.
- September 28, 2023
Distance. Distance. Distance. That is a driving force of what the golf club industry has focused on. Sure, it is great for drivers, fairway woods and even lower lofted hybrids. But it now encompasses iron sets and there is a certain segment of golfers that won’t be well served with today’s newest irons. However, Hireko has continued to offer one iron set that is time tested and works extremely well with beginners, women, and senior golfers alike.
