Keys for hitting great shots with the BIG STIK
DO NOT swing fast. Most people initially swing too hard and the long shaft can't catch up. If you swing hard, it HAS TO BE WITH YOUR BODY TURN, not with your arms. And it the turn should develop as smoothly as possible. It just isn't the same swing as with a regular length club. DO NOT tee the ball higher than you do with your own driver. That will result in shots flying too high or hitting under the ball. The flex of the long shaft will get the ball up for you. DO NOT swing “up” on the ball. If anything, try to swing level through the shot and keep your arms “long” throughout the swing and follow-through. In fact, try to keep the head at ball-level for 2 or 3 feet past the ball. The natural arc won't let you do that, but trying will help keep it low through impact. The most common miss-hit is bouncing the head behind the ball because people try to swing UP on the ball. DO take it back low and slow. With this long shaft, it needs to be a flatter swing plane throughout. LINE the ball up toward the toe. Because this is a heavy swing-weight, your swing will stretch your arms out so you meet the ball farther out than your set-up. The most common contact is with the heel because people line the ball up with the center of the face. Line the ball up toward the toe. SWING THOUGHT: Hit the ball with your right shoulder (for right handers). This promotes a good turn through the ball. |
More Tips… Especially for Charity Golf Outing Events
Lining up the ball toward the toe
As mentioned in one of the Keys above, it is best to line the ball up toward the toe because most golfers hit this club on the heel. This is even more important if you are letting other people hit it or using it at a charity golf outing where lots of people will hit it. In those cases, we suggest adding an arrow made out of black electrical tape toward the tow as pictured. This will make it easy for the person conducting the driving range practice shots and the contest hole to say, “Line it up with the arrow toward the toe because the heavier swing weight will stretch your arms out.”
Extending and Collapsing
We will include simple instructions inside the box for extending and collapsing the shaft. You can also see those online on www.divnickgolf.com/adjustable/instructions.php. Unless you are a giant with extra long arms, you won’t be able to hold the head and grip of this long driver as shown in the instructions, so you will have to hold the shaft below the head. BE VERY CAREFUL not to pinch your fingers when collapsing. Be sure to use concrete to collapse onto…it likely won’t collapse on a carpeted floor, and it can dent or break a tile or wood floor. (Basically, to collapse it, you smack the grip end down into a concrete surface which disengages the shaft.)
Swing Weight and Swing Speed
Because we use a special gold titanium alloy, we are able to keep the head down to the same 200-gram weight as a regular driver head. But the “swing weight” will FEEL a lot heavier because it is on the end of a longer shaft, and the two-piece steel shaft is also heavier. The shaft has more total flex because of that length and weight. So the best shots will be from those who develop their swing smoothly and let the shaft snap through the ball. Those who swing hard and fast will “out-swing” the shaft. So we suggest that the person conducting the contest or driving range practice encourage people to swing smoothly and slowly.
Lie Angle
The lie angle of this head is 2 degrees flatter than a normal driver head, but not flat enough for the head to rest flat on the ground on the end of this long shaft. So the toe will be up a little. Golfers will notice that right away, but it won’t be a problem for their shots. After all, they are not using this 5-foot driver for tournament play. We could solve this by making the heads with a much flatter lie angle, but then the heads wouldn’t work on normal length shafts. We have a surprising number of customers who purchase these heads with normal-length graphite shafts to use as their regular driver. Obviously, they aren’t concerned with USGA rules. But they are getting the best drives of their life with the larger head because of its huge sweet spot, and its greater spring-effect. So we don’t want to make the lie angle ONLY for the long shaft.
Expect Head Damage at Outings, But Help Prevent It
Like all drivers, the face is the most durable part of the head. But if the golfer mis-hits and makes ball contact with the heel, toe, crown, or sole, it can cause a dent. Golfers of all skill levels usually participate in charity golf outings, and some of them will mis-hit and might cause dents. So that is something to expect over time. That is also why we recommend that the person running the driving range shots and/or the contest hole emphasize the instruction to line the ball up toward the toe and DO NOT SWING FAST.
The head is made out of titanium-gold which is very durable. But on the end of this long shaft, golfers will contact the ball with portions of the head other than the face! Some people will swing and hit the ground behind it, others will swing over it, and others will hit the ball with the toe or heel which will mar the paint and even dent it since the shell isn’t nearly as tough as the face. This is common with the longer club and how poorly some people will swing. That’s also part of the fun of watching…even excellent golfers have been known to whiff their first try. As noted in the Keys above, the most common tendency is to hit the ball with the heel of the head. In other words, they will line it up with the center, but the swing will “lengthen” their arms and they will make contact toward the heel. Many golfers also “swing over the top” or they will hit the ground first. Again, this is part of the fun and part of the challenge.
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