The Search for the Perfect Golf Club (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The average golfer knows little more about golf clubs than what he or she reads in advertising or sees in Golf Channel infomercials. This lack of knowledge leads, in turn, to a kind of equipment-induced frustration, called the "grass ceiling," which is one of the leading factors in nearly three million people leaving the game each year.

This is the first book that explains to the layman how and why golf clubs work the way they do. It lets you in on the secrets that will allow you to spend your money more wisely and play the game to the best of your ability.

It is also a book that challenges the industry to rethink what it's doing to the golfer and the game in the name of "modern marketing." It calls for a new "golfer-centric" approach to the sport that will insure the health of the game through the 21st Century and beyond. This is the one book EVERY golfer needs to read!!

"A few years ago, Tom Wishon, with his experience as a designer, helped me understand more about a particular aspect of golf-club performance. With this book, Tom will help you understand the entire field, make good buying decisions, and get the most from your game."

--Arnold Palmer, Golf Hall of Fame Member

"In the course of my career I don't know how many pro-am rounds I have played. In all those rounds, rarely have I seen amateurs with clubs that genuinely fit their game. For me, Tom Wishon stripped away the mystery of club fitting, which I believe helped me to become a Top 20 player on the PGA Tour. I am convinced this book will allow average golfers to get on the right track with their equipment as well. It is a 'must read' whether you are a scratch player or a beginner."

--Scott Verplank, PGA Touring Pro

"Tom Wishon's knowledge of golf equipment isn't theoretical. It's practical. He understands not just the theory of why and how golf equipment works, but how all golfers can make technology work for them. Even more important, he makes that knowledge easily understood whether you're a mechanical engineer or a CPA trying to break 90."

--Mike Stachura, Equipment Editor, Golf Digest

Anyone interested in golf equipment needs to encounter Tom Wishon--whether in person or in print. His passion for sharing his knowledge of the equipment we play with borders on the maniacal, yet he always provides clearly mapped out answers to the most complex equipment questions. Tom has always been an indispensable source and I've picked his brain for years. What's left of it is in inside these pages.

--Mike Johnson, Equipment Editor, Golf World

I have written about golf equipment and golf technology for a very long time. I can assure you that nobody in the game today knows more about golf clubs than Tom Wishon. Furthermore, he has a passion for golf that is really fun to behold. If the great mystery is understanding how clubs function in the hands of real golfers, Wishon gets my vote as the Sherlock Holmes of golf.

--James Achenbach, Equipment Editor & Senior Editor, Golfweek

From the Author

The sad fact is that the average golfer knows little more about golf clubs than what he or she reads in advertising or sees in Golf Channel infomercials. This lack of knowledge results in millions of golfers attempting to play an already difficult game with equipment that not only won't, but can't possibly, meet their needs. - Tom Wishon --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Sports Media Group (April 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587264439
• ISBN-13: 978-1587264436
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #525,845 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book that the OEMs don't want you to have!, April 19, 2005

By	Jason A. Poston (NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Search for the Perfect Golf Club (Hardcover)

This is an extremely well-written book on golf equipment technology for the everyday golfer. Too many ill-informed golfers are constantly buying the "latest and greatest" golf equipment without knowing the real facts that will help them to improve their game.

Amateur golfers DO NOT have a swing like Tiger, Phil, or Vijay. So then, why do so many rush out to buy clubs that are too stiff, with too low of a loft, and driver shafts that are too long?

Here are just a few things that I learned from this book.

FACT: Most amateur golfers need a driver with AT LEAST 11 degrees of loft - and perhaps even 13 to 15 degrees. How do you know which loft will provide maximum distance for your swing? In this book are some very interesting charts that explain how to figure this out based on your swing speed (which you can have checked at a clubfitter or pro shop).

FACT: The average driver length on the PGA tour is 44.5". Most "off the rack" drivers are 45" or even 46". If the pro's can't control a driver this long, can you? There is some eye-opening data regarding shorter length drivers that can provide much better control with no loss of distance.

FACT: If you don't have a very high swing speed and a very consistent swing, you have no business with a three or four iron. This book discusses some very interesting alternatives to long irons - explaining the pros and cons of each type of club.


In addition to the extremely useful information described above, there is also a neat compilation of stories that are a result of Tom Wishon's experiences working with Payne Stewart, Tom Kite, Harvey Penick, and various other PGA legends. I highly recommend this book to ALL golfers. Think about it this way, the pros have every club in their bag completely custom fit for their swing. With the information from this book, you can have the information to have your bag custom fit for YOUR game - just like them.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The owner's manual you never got, November 27, 2005

By	T. Enst - See all my reviews

This review is from: Search for the Perfect Golf Club (Hardcover)

Know before you buy is the motto of consumer advocates from ages back, but for some reason golf clubs, which are usually a major investment of at least several hundred if not thousand dollars, rarely get this treatment. People buy based on looks, a waggle or two, or just on what the latest and greatest pro happens to be using.

Clubs are to a golfer what paints are to a painter. The painter would not likely try to paint with colors that were off what he wanted, with brushes that were hard to use to create the effects he wanted. Golfers, for whatever reason, just love to hack around with equipment not designed for their particular games. This also has less to do with skill than you may think. Much of it just comes down to things like your physical characteristics (height, hand size, etc.) and how you try and swing the club (upright Nicklaus style, or around-about Hogan).

Tom Wishon is an expert in his field, and is capable of making the fine points of clubmaking and fitting come alive. He rarely talks down to the golfer (as in, you're not good enough). Rather he puts it in concrete terms: long clubs are hard to control, which is why even Tiger uses a shorter than "average" (45 in.) driver; the reason you can't hit a 3 iron like you hit in college is that a 3 iron now has the loft of what used to be a 2 iron, or less; etc..

Before you head out to buy a new club, any club, or to get one adjusted, this will give you the vocabulary to be able to make purchases you will not only be happy with, but which will give you what you are truely after: the potential to improve your game without having to worry about your gear.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this book, September 4, 2005

By	Esteban L. Silva Petersen (Mexico City, Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Search for the Perfect Golf Club (Hardcover)

Mr. Wishon knows more about club design and function than just about anyone in the world, and it shows in this book. But what could be an arid, dense subject is treated here with humor, clarity and above all, independence. There are no hidden agendas here. His ONLY objective is for the reader to learn how he or she can obtain the maximum benefit of having the right type of clubs that are made to fit adequately, considering size, ability, swing speed, type of swing, etc.
We who love the game of golf, are always on the lookout for something that will help us play just a little better than before. Reading this book, and applying its wisdom, can do that.

It necessarily has charts and some technical stuff, but I assure you, a book with this subject matter cannot be written more clearly than this one.
If you're even remotely interested in this subject matter, do yourself a favor with this book!