AskMyGolfSpy is an opportunity to submit questions to our experts here at MGS. Let’s call this the abbreviated jetlag edition, as I’m still recovering from a brief trip to the west coast. I saw some cool stuff, but I’m tired.
Really tired.
If you’ve got a question for a future edition of AskMyGolfSpy, you can pass along your questions to the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or right here in the comments section below!
Q: What’s the effect of water on a driver? – andy_sp1
On any clubface, water is going to reduce friction. The result is invariably higher launch with reduced spin. While that’s not ideal with a wedge, with a driver it can be a good thing—in some cases.
Over the years, we’ve seen a few products designed to cut spin (and with that, help reduce a slice). Several years ago, we did a test with a product called No Slice (I don’t think it exists anymore) alongside cooking spray and butter. While not legal (as far as the USGA is concerned), all three helped cut spin and improve accuracy. While water will do the same, given the lower loft, the impact won’t be nearly as significant as it is with other forms of driver lube.
The upside is water isn’t as flagrantly against the Rules of Golf.
Q: Is Srixon trying to disrupt the DTC market? The pricing of their tour balls is similar to DTC – dblebuck
I don’t think so. I think Srixon’s approach is more about finding a soft spot in the zone where it can find a competitive edge in the market. I understand Srixon balls are not without loyalists but, in the grand scheme of things, its market share among the urethane set is small. With that, it’s not going to win fighting Titleist at $50+ a dozen.
Like direct-to-consumer brands, Srixon needs to offer value to a consumer but it’s not so much about going after DTC brands directly as it is finding a price point that works for the market.
As it turns out, that price point is not much north of where some DTC brands live.
Q: Thoughts on stretching out gapping with your irons to get more options at the top of the bag (mini driver, utility irons, high lofted FW) and more wedges (or a chipper!) at the bottom? – @UpandDown4Bogey
This is a conversation I had with Lou Stagner a while ago. Based on some research he was doing at that time, our thinking is that it might be beneficial to spread gaps out at the long end and narrow them at the short end of the bag. The general idea is that golfers get better results when the distance calls for a full swing so giving yourself more full-swing distances closer to the green might make sense.
There’s almost certainly something to be said for having even gaps with the irons but I’m curious about the idea of progressive gapping: again, tight at the short end of the bag and then stretched out in those fairway/hybrid/utility spaces you mentioned.
In a perfect world (or at least MY perfect world), the USGA would allow us another club or two (or three) in the bag rendering this discussion moot.
Q: Just talk about the new T-Series for like an hour – @phillipontacos
Not really a question, and it likely has more to do with the mailbag segment on our No Putts Given podcast, but we’ve seen ’em. We’ve hit ’em, too, and, yeah, if I had my way, we probably would talk about them for a solid hour.
At some point, we probably will.
More Questions?
As always, if you have any questions for the MGS crew (and they don’t have to be about the golf ball), drop them below for a chance to be featured in next week’s #AskMyGolfSpy!
