A New Era in Shaft Load Testing – GEARS from Natural Point – at Cobra Golf

I spent yesterday morning at the Cobra Golf headquarters in Carlsbad, CA where they have the GEARS Golf motion capture system set up in their R & D department.  I saw the system originally at the PGA Show in Orlando in January, 2014, and was intrigued by its capability to do a better measurement of shaft loading throughout the swing using high-speed cameras.  Well, I was pretty amazed at the technology and how it will help us become even better fitters.  We have been using the True Temper Shaft Lab for at least 15 years, and the Mizuno Shaft Optimizer for the last five or so.  This new system will allow us to even more accurately match shaft profiles to individual golfer’s swing dynamics.  Basically, the system tracks sensors using 8 eight high-speed (360 frames per second) cameras.  The sensors are attached to a club in the grip position, on the shaft and on the head.  Since they are very light weight, their is no impact on the actual measurements caused by the sensors.  When I took a swing, at least two of the eight cameras could track every marker during my entire swing.  After warming up, I was handed a club used to fit Ian Poulter – a ZL Encore with a 50 gram Aldila RIP Phenom X.  Initially a lot of center-heel shots but got it going after a few swings.  Next up was a club used by Ricky Fowler- Bio Cell + with a Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana Whiteboard 73 X.  Trust me, I am no Ricky Fowler and the test results showed it!  Finally a Bio Cell with a Project X 60gr S flex shaft.  Not only did the feel and shot dispersion improve, I picked up 2 mph in club speed and the forward shaft deflection was maximized right at impact…Perfect!  The ability to measure club speed, shaft deflection, shaft droop, twist at impact, face impact, grip speed and grip rotation will be a HUGE help.  Couple this with all of our proprietary shaft research and fitting understanding of how to match shafts to particular swing dynamics and voila!…the Perfect Fit for Better Golf…Faster!  A big shout out to Mike Neff, GEARS Golf specialist who just happened to be on site, Adam Ash, Cobra R&D technician, and Will Miele, Customer Contact Manager at Cobra Golf.  Looking forward to working together with this cool, new technology!