Wishon GRT

[danscustom]

Does anyone here have one of these heads that they have actually hit?
The premise is Tom designs everything now with GRT - which in reality is - he keeps the face of his woods flat for 2/3's of the height then puts a small amount of roll in the upper third.
The goal is to give a more consistant launch angle.
If you look at your current driver there is bulge and roll. The roll causes a verticle gear effect, but also changes the launch angle. Tom states that the difference in launch angle can be +/- 3 degrees from the designed launch angle.
What I am getting at is if you hit high on the face you can risk a very high shot - limiting distance.
If you hit low on the face you will not get enough lift to keep the ball airborn long enough - resulting in early contact with the ground - reducing distance again.
I just built one and love the look and theory but have had not had any chance to hit it.
Just looking for feedback on his theory + anyone who has hit one - for comments.

[jvincent]

I have had three of the GRT models in the bag at various times. I picked up the first model, 515, when they were first introduced and have since played the 949G/Ti and the 915CFE.

In a word, they are the real deal. I can't ever see myself playing anything else.

I tend to miss low on the clubface with the driver and GRT is a godsend. I've hit some shots that were low on the heel that with a traditional driver would have gone nowhere but with the various GRT models have a normal ball flight. Obviously they have some loss of distance, but not compared to a traditional driver.

[danscustom]

The 949MC - Wishon states that you can hit 1 inch off center and only loose 2 MPH of ball speed, so with the flat face and consistent launch angle I really like his ways.
Tom is quickly becoming the elite of the elite.

Do you find that you do have a much more consistant launch angle now than with your previous head?

[jvincent]

Do you find that you do have a much more consistant launch angle now than with your previous head?

Absolutely. I have no fear with the driver.

Right now the 915CFE is my gamer. The 949G/Ti is currently being used for shaft experiments. I've never been a big fan of pear shaped heads, but performance wise it was a good head. It has since been replaced by the 949MC, which is easier to manufacture.

The 515 isn't available any more because it was prone to failures. It has been replaced by the 525, which is a mix of 515 and 915 concepts, and I will be getting one of those in Feb.

[Weirfan]

Dan,

I have used the fw and drivers with much success. Never experienced any ballooning at all

Only issue I hade was sometimes getting a knuckleball flight in wet weather...moreso than with other heads.....

[fundonny]

Dan or JVincent, how much does the 525GRT head cost? I might give this a try and see how it compares to my TM. I must say, you have my curious.

[jvincent]

PM sent.

[BC MIST]

Does anyone here have one of these heads that they have actually hit?
The goal is to give a more consistant launch angle.
If you look at your current driver there is bulge and roll. The roll causes a verticle gear effect, but also changes the launch angle. Tom states that the difference in launch angle can be +/- 3 degrees from the designed launch angle.
What I am getting at is if you hit high on the face you can risk a very high shot - limiting distance. If you hit low on the face you will not get enough lift to keep the ball airborn long enough - resulting in early contact with the ground - reducing distance again.
I just built one and love the look and theory but have had not had any chance to hit it.

We have discussed this question here before, but:
1. The GRT will obviously add some consistency to the ball flight of the golfer and that is important, however.

2. For a golfer who wishes to hit the ball higher or lower on purpose, the GRT technology makes it more difficult. While altering the angle of attack will help, having less loft on the bottom of the face and more on the top of the face makes it a lot easier to get the desired trajectory. I am not one who believes that a high trajectory results in increased net distance. My experiments in hitting balls at different heights with my 8*, SMT 455 Deep Bore, show that a low driving shot gives me more net distance than a higher trajectory, assuming average to firm fairways.

3. The 515's were long flying fairway woods, but they were prone to cracking.

[Chieflongtee]

8. Vertical Roll Radius
The vertical roll radius/curvature that is typically designed on all woodheads today has the effect of making the loft angle completely different at the bottom, center and top of the face. Loft angle is a hugely important factor for controlling the launch angle of the shot. And the launch angle of the shot is THE most important factor for ensuring that any golfer hits the ball as far as their swing speed and athletic ability will allow. Middle-to-high-handicap golfers will have much more of a tendency to miss-hit the ball high and low on the face of the driver and fairway woods. If they are using wood heads with conventional roll radius, they will experience far more inconsistency in the launch angle of their shots than if they are fit into wood heads with no roll radius, and thus have the same loft from the bottom to the top of the face.