Clubmaking as a hobby

[andy]

I am thinking about getting into making my own golf clubs. I have read many books and have done a lot of research on-line and it it looks pretty straightforward (for basic assembly and swingweighting).

Is there anyone out there that has taken this up as a hobby and what are your results like. Should I continue along this road or should I drop and just buy the clubs finished?

Any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Andy

[mrcasual]

I've been building clubs for a few years now as a hobby. It is, as you say, pretty straightforward. If you are at all handy your results should be very good.

The best thing about it is that you can experiment with different shafts / flexes / heads to find out what you like and don't.

For the hobbiest you can do pretty much everything expect adjust loft and lie without spending very much on tools. Most people have what they need for basic assembly already.

Go for it.

[andy]

Thanks for the info!!

I have had a fitting session with a clubmaker to establish the specs I should build to.

What's your opinion of the starter kit available through Golfworks ($150) which includes a swingweight scale. I have precalcuated all my swingweights using silvershot.com's SW calculator and plan to pre weigh all my components to within 0.5grams. I feel that this will give me a very consistently SW'd set. Do you have any experience with this? If so, how did it turn out. I have a spreadsheet calculator you can see if you like. I would love to get some feedback on it.

As you may (or may not) tell, I have gone to great lengths to research clubmaking and all of it's nuances. I would class myself as someone who is quite detail oriented and also very mechanically inclined (I'm a mechanical engineer) and very comfortable in a workshop. I am very interested in building a set for myself not only for the potential savings and the benefits of a fit set but also for the challenge of doing-it myself.

I take it you would recommend that I continue?

Cheers

Andy

[mrcasual]

I'm not familiar with that kit off the top of my head but I'm guessing it includes the following:

Epoxy, shaft clamp, grip tape, grip solvent, swingweight scale and some other bits and pieces.

That is pretty much all you need.

I too am somewhat finicky about finish and when you take a critical eye to the finish of a lot of OEM clubs they are generally nowhere near what I would call acceptable.

I haven't messed around too much with swingweight differences as much as shaft types to change ball trajectory so I can't help there.

If you can find them look for Dave Tutelman's (sp?) clubfitting notes/guides. There is lots of good info there on general techniques as well as stuff on MOI versus SW fitting and rules of thumb to adjust for length and lie.

If you have already picked out the heads I would suggest building one iron (like a 7 or 8) and trying a few different shaft types and flexes at the same swingweight (or MOI) to see which you like best and then build the rest of the set to match that.

One word of warning, you have entered a zone of constant tinkering. I have built lots of clubs "Just because I felt like it." and swapped out shafts, especially in drivers, "Because I'd like to see how it plays."

This is the best part about doing it yourself aside from getting really good clubs at a good price.

Good luck!

P.S. I currently play Golfsmith forged cavity irons and Dynacraft forged wedges with Flighted Rifle 5.5 shafts.

Woods are a Dynacraft DFS driver (10 deg) and a Golfsmith Ti 3-wood. Both have Rifle Lite 6.0 shafts. I added 10g of weight to the 3-wood.

I haven't bought an OEM club in 6 years and probably never will again.

I usually by shafts and grips and the like from Golfworks here in Ottawa but heads I just hate their head designs. Golfsmith ships from Toronto and Dynacraft's Canadian distributor is GolfQuip (www.golfquip.com) in case you didn't already know.

[ParT]

Club making can add a whole new dimension to your game as well as provide you with the personal satisfaction of building your own clubs. Find yourself a supplier of heads you like.