Custom Grind Test Data THE GRIND REPORT 102 golfers evaluated for Sole Grind performance over 3 days at London Golf Club Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data ARCHER GOLF i
THE NUMBERS: WHEN FITTED WITH CORRECT SOLE GRIND: 85 % 97 % 47 % Increased ball speed by an average of 8.1% Increased distance while optimizeing ball flight average carry increased by 16.6%, Total distance by 10.9%, Peak height by 45.1% Average reduction in shot dispersion Better contact, cleaner strike, improved ball flight equals more ball speed, increased distance and improved accuracy. ii ARCHER GOLF Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data
SO: WHY HAVEN T YOU BEEN FITTED FOR THE CORRECT SOLE GRIND? Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data ARCHER GOLF iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS THE VENUE 1 THE EQUIPMENT 2 TEST PROTOCOL 3 RESULTS 4 FINDINGS AND SUMMARY 5 Sole Grind Fitting Works. 5 Is this a new concept? 5 But this is just for Tour Pro s, right? 5 Why hasn t a larger company offered this already? 5 What is the difference between each Grind? 5 What s the difference between Archer Project and Archer PROTEST? 5 SAMPLE PERFORMANCE DATA 7 Analysis 8 Archer Golf PO Box 1005 Naas Co. Kildare Ireland telephone: +353 45 899243 fax: +353 45 899243 info@archergolf.com archergolf.com iv ARCHER archerproject.com GOLF Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data Copyright Phoenix Brands Ltd. 2012. Archer, the A Device, Archer Project, Protest are trade marks of Phoenix Brands Ltd.
THE VENUE Archer Golf took the PROTEST Custom Grind Iron program to Golf Live, an unique golf event held at the London Golf Club. Golf Live was held over 3 days and over 15,0000 people attended the event. 102 golfers became official Archer PROTESTERS by testing the new Archer PROTEST irons and undergoing a Sole Grind fitting evaluation. The Archer fitting bay was situated on the outdoor driving range at London Golf Club and all PROTEST shots were struck off fairway quality turf. 1 ARCHER GOLF Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data
Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data ARCHER GOLF 2
THE EQUIPMENT Each golfer was given a series of three Archer PROTEST irons from one of our Control Club Groupings to test on the range. Our preferred shaft company is KBS, and we offer KBS Tour, KBS Tour 90 and KBS C-Taper as our three shaft options for each Control Club Grouping. Golf ball s were provided by Golf Live and Srixon. The aim of a Sole Grind fitting evaluation is to highlight the performance advantages when a golfer of any ability is fitted with the correct sole grind. The Control Club Groupings were/are: Archer PROTEST Square Iron #6 PROTEST Round Iron #6 PROTEST Neutral Iron #6 Fitted with either KBS Tour, KBS Tour 90, KBS C-Taper shafts. Control Club Specs: IRON HEAD: Archer PROTEST #6 (SQUARE, NEUTRAL, ROUND) HEAD WEIGHT: 265GM LENGTH: 37.5 LIE: 61* SHAFT OPTIONS: KBS Tour, KBS Tour 90, KBS C-Taper SHAFT FLEX OPTIONS: Regular OR Stiff GRIP: Lamkin R.E.L 3GEN Rubber (Red for Stiff, Grey for Regular) SIZE:.60 Round, 52GM, No Tape Due to the precise nature of Archer s manufacturing process, each club in each grouping is exactly the same... exactly the same head weight, shaft length, shaft flex and frequency, grip and grip size. The only variance between each club offered for testing is the sole grind. MID HIGH FLIGHT TOUR 90 LOW MID FLIGHT TOUR LOW FLIGHT C TAPER LOW SPIN LOW MID SPIN MID HIGH SPIN 3 ARCHER GOLF Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data
TEST PROTOCOL Each golfer was asked a series of preliminary questions to determine which Control Club Grouping would most likely suit their game and current shot patterns. The aim was not to correctly fit the shaft to the individuals game, rather to select a reliable shaft option most likely to provide consistent performance for the purpose of collecting and recording reliable data for each Archer Sole Grind evaluation. Each PROTESTER was then given three Archer PROTEST irons to test... a SQUARE, NEUTRAL and ROUND Grind #6 iron, each fitted with exactly the same shaft (model, weight and flex) and golf balls of the same construction manufactured by Srixon. Again, this ensured the only variable between each iron trialed was the Custom Sole Grind. Performance variables recorded were: Club Head Speed Ball Speed Launch Angle Azimuth Side Spin Back Spin Total Spin Descent Angle Carry Total Distance Offline Peak Height PROTESTERS covered male and female golfers of all ability, from Tour Professional through to rank novice. All were right handed, as Archer has yet to develop an option for left handers. The PROTESTER was asked to hit 4-5 shots as a warm-up, then hit a further 5-6 shots with each Custom Grind option within the recommended control club/shaft group #6 irons. The resultant shot data was analyzed and recorded using a FORESIGHT GC2 launch monitor and a Sole Grind recommendation was determined by the Archer Fitting Professional. Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data ARCHER GOLF 4
THE RESULTS 102 golfers completed the Archer Sole Grind evaluation during the three days, with data recorded for 70. All found performance benefits using the correctly fitted Sole Grind, and the majority could feel the difference themselves often correctly predicting which Grind had performed best for them. Grind Preference 37 % found improved performance with the ROUND Grind 32 % What does this tell us? There is no real pattern here other than golfers are inherently individual and the aim of the Archer program is to match the Sole Grind to the an individuals swing pattern for improved performance. PROTEST irons provide the technology and options to do that. found improved performance with SQUARE Grind 31 % performed best with NEUTRAL Grind 5 ARCHER GOLF Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data
Average increase in ball speed 8.1% Average increase in carry Total distance increase 16.6% 10.9% Average improvement in Offline measurement 47.1% Ball Speed 85 % found an increase in ball speed with the correctly fitted Sole Grind. This resultant average increase in ball speed was 8.1%. Why? A club matched to an individuals swing and attack angle provides an optimized interaction with the turf at impact. The reduction in drag, digging and twisting of the club through impact, the key point in the golf swing of connection between club, turf and ball, produces a cleaner and more consistent impact strike This results in improved ball speed. Distance 97 % found increased distance with the correctly fitted Sole Grind. Carry was increased by 16.6% on average, with Total Distance increased by 10.9% What s going on here? The improved ball speed obviously helps. More importantly, the cleaner and more consistent impact strike provides a much improved overall ball flight. The optimization of launch angles combined with significantly improved spin rate patterns both contribute to Carry increases. Peak height is also increased by an average of 45.1%. All improvements combine to produce an optimized flight pattern and the distance increases reported. Accuracy 47 % PRO-TESTERS found an average of 47.1% improvement in Offline measurement (a reduction in overall shot dispersion and improvement in accuracy) when using the correctly fitted Sole Grind. How? Improving the interaction of the club head with the turf at impact has a dramatic effect of shot performance. A cleaner strike leads to less twisting and an optimized divot pattern. Both result in improved ball spin performance, particularly a reduction in Side Spin. A consistently squarer head at contact optimizes overall Spin rates and reduces shot dispersion. Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data ARCHER GOLF 6
FINDINGS AND SUMMARY Sole Grind Fitting Works One of the keys to becoming a great iron player is making good ball/turf/ club contact at impact. It s also one of the hardest things for many players to do. A better quality strikes relays clubs head speed into ball speed. As this report shows, there is genuine performance improvements available to golfers of all abilities when fitted with the correct Sole Grind. The Archer Custom Sole Grind technology is valid and works for golfers of all abilities. Is this a new concept? No. The modification, or customizing, of an irons sole grind to improve this area of performance is not a new idea. Tour professionals have long been aware of the clubs sole grind and it s relationship to ball contact and ball flight, with many having their irons customized in a similar manner. Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman, for example, preferred a very flat, sharp sole grind not dissimilar to the Archer Square grind, and Sean O Hair recently requested a series of grind modifications to his new RBZ irons similar to the Archer Round specs. What is new, however, is the development of the custom fitting of SQUARE/NEUTRAL/ROUND sole grind concept and refining the technology to make it available to all. Since 2009, Archer Golf has been researching, testing and developing both the concept and product with the aim of improving performance. This is achieved by improving the quality and consistency of a golfers impact strike. Archer Golf is the first company to specialize in this area, making to concept commercially available to all golfers. But this is just for Tour Pro s, right? Wrong. Tour players have traditionally had some access to a service like this, whereas everyday golfers have not. Archer Golf is changing that and our report proves that a correctly fitted Sole Grind can improve any golfers performance, regardless of ability. Why hasn t a larger company offered this already? Well, for one, it s a difficult level of service for a big consumer-driven brand to offer. Larger companies rely on quick turnover and high sales volumes. Individually customizing every single iron head is time consuming and is more suited to a smaller company such as Archer Golf. Secondly, todays larger golf companies were not always that large with many starting just like Archer, with a really big idea that changes the way golfers think about the performance of their golf equipment. Archer Golf is the first company to intensively research the area of iron Sole Grind and it s relationship to custom fitting and performance, and first to develop a range of Custom Sole Grind offerings based on that research. Archer Golf is also first to make that technology commercial available to all golfers, for evaluation and purchase. What is the difference between each Grind? The different Grinds can appear very subtle to the eye, as this report shows however, the performance variance when fitted correctly is not. The name of each Grind hints at the look... the Square is sharp and angular, The Round is soft and rounded while Neutral fits in-between. What s the difference between Archer Project and Archer PROTEST? Archer Project is our unique custom grinding service available for PROTEST irons. Archer PROTEST irons are available in three sole grind options, SQUARE, NEUTRAL and ROUND. Archer Project sets are an individually customized set of PROTEST irons (your own unique Project) made up of any combination of the nearly 600 PROTEST Custom Grind options. For more information visit www.archerproject.com 7 ARCHER GOLF Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data
A CORRECTLY MATCHED SOLE GRIND RPOVIDES GENUINE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT FOR ALL GOLFERS GRIND OPTION ROUND NEUTRAL SQUARE TOP-LINE Thick Standard Thin TOE Round Standard Square LEADING EDGE Curved Curved Straight LEADING EDGE BLEND Rolled Killed Slight Bevel SOLE SHAPE 4-Way Roll Slight Camber Flat HEEL Rolled Off Rolled Off Sharp Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data ARCHER GOLF 8
SAMPLE PERFORMANCE DATA Our evaluations were performed by golfers of all abilities, and a random selection of data with a brief analysis is provided below. A complete set of raw performance data is also attached with this report. 9 ARCHER GOLF Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data
Tester 9 CHS BS LA AZ SS BS TS DA CARR TD OL PH R 83 121.5 19 4.9 99 3518 3525 45 191.74 206.29 21 37.27 S 82 119.2 14.4 4.4 896 4409 4571 40 175.77 190.39 30.32 27.7 N 84 122.4 16.4 7.8 675 6736 6771 48 173.66 182.36 36.55 35.58 +/ 1% 2% 16% 37% 85% 48% 48% 6% 10% 13% 43% 8% Analysis Neutral Grind eliminated. Though providing the highest ball speed, spin rates very high leading to loss of distance. Round Grind provides improvements in ball speed, and great launch angle. Side, back and total spin all reduced significantly. Descent angle is optimized, and combined with the increased Peak Height leads to more carry and more distance. Offline significantly reduced also. Recommendation: Archer PROTEST Round Grind. Tester 20 CHS BS LA AZ SS BS TS DA CARR TD OL PH N 73 106.6 13.9 2.2 745 4264 4364 36 150.22 166.91 1.19 19.74 S 72 105.6 13 3.8 888 4568 4638 33 147.84 165.76 8.14 18.22 R 70 101.6 14 4 1598 5273 5522 34 134.8 151.02 11.37 17.66 +/ 4% 5% 1% 45% 44% 13% 15% 6% 11% 10% 28% 12% Analysis Round Grind returned lowest performance in all areas and was eliminated. For this PRO-TESTER, the Neutral and Square Grind are both performing close to optimum. Neutral Grind is providing increased ball speed with an improved launch and descent angle, and optimized spin rates for this swing speed. Peak height is increased, improving carry and distance while offline is significantly reduced. Recommendation: Archer PROTEST Neutral. Tester 33 CHS BS LA AZ SS BS TS DA CARR TD OL PH R 60 87.4 21.9 1.6 519 3208 3250 38 120.54 136.14 12.36 19.12 S 61 88.4 17.2 1.9 1062 4567 4690 34 114.79 129.88 16.73 14.93 N 62 90.8 6.6 2.1 2289 2777 3600 10 73.06 118.55 26.76 2.76 +/ Analysis Neutral Grind eliminated due to overall performance For this PRO-TESTER at low swing speeds, the Neutral and Square Grind are both performing close to optimum. Neutral is providing increased ball speed, and a slightly improved launch angle, with optimum spin rates for this swing speed. Peak height ands decent angle are increased, improving carry and distance while offline is significantly reduced. Recommendation: Archer PROTEST Neutral. Tester 52 CHS BS LA AZ SS BS TS DA CARR TD OL PH S 77 112.4 20.3 0.1 706 3477 3552 44 174 189.03 18.3 32.23 R 80 116.7 15.2 0/9 1204 5446 5600 43 167.73 179.01 25.32 28.27 N 79 115.8 15.8 0.9 1050 4989 5100 43 168.7 180.85 23.86 28.43 +/ 4% 4% 34% 89% 41% 36% 37% 2% 4% 6% 28% 14% Analysis Round Grind provides best ball speed though spin rates very high leading to a loss of carry and total distance. Square has lowest ball speed but with optimized launch angle and spin rates. Carry, Total Distance and Peak Height all increased, with a reduction in Offline. Recommendation; Archer SQUARE Grind. GLOSSARY: S Square BS Ball Speed BS Ball Speed TD Total Distance N Neutral LA Launch Angle TS Total Spin OL Off LIne R Round AZ Azimuth DA Descent Angle PH Peak Height CHS Club Head Speed SS Side Spin CAR Carry Custom Sole Grind Iron Test Data ARCHER GOLF 10
Archer Golf/Archer Project PO Box 1005 Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland Ph. +353 45 899 243 E. info@archergolf.ctom www.archergolf.com