A TechnicaI Discussion and Report on AdjustabIe HoseI/AdjustabIe

SoIe Piece Drivers in the Modern GoIf Equipment Industry

By Tom Wishon
Tom Wishon Golf Technology
1. Driver Head Position for Correct Loft, Lie and Face
Angle Measurement
During my entire career in clubhead design the most widely used
machine or clubhead speciFcations measurement is the deice
shown in the image below:

More commonly known in the gol equipment industry as the
Green Machine`, this deice has been used by irtually eery club-
head production actory and gol equipment company to measure
clubhead lot, lie, ace angle and ace progression since the early
1980s. Manuactured by 1ecnorama Ltd o Kaohsiung, 1aiwan, the
Green Machine is considered the industry standard or clubhead
speciFcations measurement.
1he Green Machine is a manual measurement machine. 1he opera-
tor must learn the correct way to manually position each clubhead
consistently in the machine to obtain accurate, repeatable measure-
ments. Substantial training is required is required to teach a person
how to properly position all types o dierent clubheads beore the
measurements can be relied upon as being accurate.
\hile the manual operation o the machine can allow or a slight
ariation in the measurement o a clubhead`s speciFcations, indi-
iduals with a depth o training and experience are able to become
ery consistent in the positioning o clubheads in the machine so
that lot, lie and ace angle measurements can be recorded within a
tolerance o -,- 1,8 or less.
Proper positioning o the drier head or accurate static specs
1his report originated because o claims being made
on behal o the modern adjustable hosel driers that
these adjustable deices allow the lot, lie and ace
angle to be customized or golers. In 1995, I de-
signed the Frst commercially aailable adjustable hosel
deice to allow a metal wood to be altered or lie and
ace angle. lrom my work to create this deice, as
well as rom my experience in haing made wooden
woods early in my career, I beliee that it is simply
not possible to change the lot through a hosel deice
which operates on the principle o changing the angle
o the shat into the clubhead.
Based on my experience, I Fnd it diFcult to beliee
the claims or speciFcation adjustment being made
on behal o these modern adjustable hosel deices.
1hereore, this report came about because I wanted
to learn or mysel i the modern ersions o adjust-
able hosel deices really could achiee the lot, lie and
ace angle speciFcations that the companies oering
driers say they can do.
A technical report about the modern ersions o
adjustable hosel driers has to begin with a discussion
o three ery important, related issues.
1he manner in which a drier head is positioned
in a clubhead speciFcations measurement machine
or the correct static speciFcations measurement
o lot, lie and ace angle.
1he importance o the static measurements o
drier lot, lie and ace angle to the goal o achie-
ing the optimum shot result or each indiidual
goler.
1he manner in which golers address the ball and
manage the position o the drie head beore hit-
ting a shot.
Note: the following report on modern adjustable drivers contains both a discussion of the methods of driver head specifcation measurement and typical driver head
use as well as actual loft, lie and face angle measurements of a number of the golf industrys adjustable driver models. If you are not interested in the technical
discussion and only wish to view the specifcation measurements of the drivers measured in this study, you may [CLICK HERE] to go directly to the measurements
measurement begins with placing the head in its correct lie angle
position. A number o methods or achieing the drier head`s cor-
rect lie position hae been deeloped oer the years:
I the ace scorelines hae been tooled or engraed to be paral-
lel to the tangent to the apex o the toe to heel sole radius, and
i the center o the ace is ertically in line with the apex o the
toe to heel sole radius, the head can be positioned so the bot-
tom scorelines on the ace are parallel to the base o the specs
measurement machine.
1he head may be positioned so the apex o the toe to heel sole
radius touches the base o the specs measurement machine.
Upon gently sliding two business cards on the base o the ma-
chine toward the center rom the toe and heel sides, when the
cards both stop the same distance away rom the center point
o the sole, the proper lie position is achieed. 1his is the
method o choice when scorelines are not parallel to the apex
o the toe to heel sole radius, or when the toe to heel radius is
not uniorm.
1he head may be positioned to touch the base o the specs
measurement machine in the center o the sole ertically in line
with the center o the ace, then the head is tilted in the ma-
chine so the distance rom the base o the machine to the toe
and heel side ends o the sole are the same distance up rom
the base o the machine. 1his method is not recommended i
the toe to heel radius is not uniorm.

Once the drier head is in the proper lie angle position, the head
then has to be positioned or proper ace angle and lot measure-
ment while retaining the correct lie position. Prior to the mid 1990s
this was easy to do because irtually eery drier head was made so
the plane o the sole along the ground line rom ace to back was
completely nat. \ith a nat sole plane rom ace to back, all that
is required or proper ace angle positioning is to Frst position the
head in the proper lie angle position, then press down on the top o
the head to make the head to sit nat on its sole.
Drier heads today are oten designed with a certain amount o
sole radius rom ace to back or complex sole eatures which make
Fnding the proper position or ace angle measurement more o a
challenge. lor such heads, the operator has to determine the point
on the sole rom ace to back that is the drier head`s predominant
position o rest when the head is placed on a close mown or Frm
and leel surace in its correct lie position.
Once this point or surace area o the sole rom ace to back is
ound the operator can mark the center o the predominant ace
to back sole rest position and duplicate that touch point when the
head is positioned in the specs measurement machine.
Neer since the inention o the clubhead speciFcations measure-
ment machine has the ace angle position deemed to be achieed
when the drier head rests on any other point o the sole than its
natural sole resting position on the predominant nat position o the
sole. I will admit due to the ariety o dierent drier sole shapes,
it has become a challenge to know or sure what the correct ace
angle and lot position o drier heads is to be. Again, people with
a lot o training and experience are able to determine this position
on a drier head with repeatable consistency.
Once the drier head is in its proper lie and ace angle position in
the specs measurement machine, the lot, the lie angle, the ace
angle and the ace progression o the head can be measured.
2. The importance of the static measurements of driver
loft, lie and face angle to the determination of the opti-
mum shot results for each individual golfer.
1he entire history o drier Ftting has always been based on choos-
ing the drier head to hae speciFc static lot and ace angle speci-
Fcations that when subjected to the goler`s swing characteristics
will result in a particular shot result or each goler. ,Chieny it is the
goler`s swing path, hand position, and angle o attack that dictate
how the static clubhead speciFcations will translate into the shot
result, 1he clubhead`s static specs, when subjected to the swing
characteristics o the goler, dictates a signiFcant part o what the
shot result will be. It is a pure CAUSL AND LllLC1` situation.
Static Clubhead Specications + Golfer Swing Characteristics =
Shot Results
O course the shat, length, total weight, swingweight and other
speciFcations o the ully assembled club play a role in the outcome
o the shot. \hen it comes to the ertical launch angle, backspin
rate, horizontal launch angle, and spin axis tilt o the shot, it is the
static lot and static ace angle o the drier head that contributes
the most to these shot parameters or eery goler.
1hereore, we hae to know the static specs o the clubhead so
the goler can acquire gol clubs that result in the best shot results
when the static speciFcations o the clubhead are subjected to the
goler`s swing characteristics. I the static specs o the club are not
within narrow tolerances o what they are said by the company to
be, it becomes more diFcult or the goler to Fnd the right clubs
that will result in the best shot results lOR 1lLIR S\ING.
1he reason a good clubFtter has to know the accurate static lot
and ace angle o a drier head is because it is rom identiying the
correct static clubhead speciFcations that the clubFtter is able to
optimize the ertical launch angle, backspin rate, horizontal launch
angle, and spin axis o the shot or the goler`s clubhead speed,
swing path and angle o attack.
\hen the clubFtter obseres that the ertical launch angle, backspin
rate, horizontal launch angle, and spin axis o the shot are not op-
timum or the goler, he knows the static specs o the head are not
yet correct or the goler. 1o be able to optimize the goler`s launch
parameters, the clubFtter has to select a drier head with dierent
static speciFcations which, when subjected to the swing character-
istics o the goler, results in the correct launch parameters and ball
night or the goler.
I one cannot rely on the accuracy o the static speciFcations or
lot and ace angle, it is impossible to oer the goler the best pos-
sible Ft or the drier. 1hereore, when a clubhead is stated by a
company to hae a speciFc lot and ace angle, it is most important
that those speciFcations are ery close to what they are stated to be
by the company.
3. The manner in which golfers address the ball and
manage the position of the clubhead when hitting a
shot with the driver.
\hen hitting a shot with the drier, golers are most typically taught
or most typically acquire the habit to sole the drier on the ground
behind the ball as they prepare to hit the shot. 1his means that the
manner in which a drier head is positioned in the Green Machine
or lot, lie and ace angle measurement should be similar to the way
the head sits on the ground when the goler addresses the ball.
1here exist some players who manipulate the drier head position
with the hands to achiee a speciFc look` or the clubace to the
intended target. In such cases, the goler has to teach himsel to
lOLD the drier or hoer the drier o the ground so as to retain
the manipulated position o the drier head to the ball. \ithout
question though, the ast majority o golers, amateur and pro alike,
set up to hit the drier by soling the head on the ground so that it
achiees ery close to the same position the drier head is in when
its lot, lie and ace angle specs are measured.
\hen a goler is Ft with a drier head that has a ery dierent ace
angle than what he has been used to playing, it is routine or the
clubFtter to teach the goler to sole the drier to let its dierent
ace angle assume its designed position to thus oer the accuracy
improement that the dierent ace angle was selected to achiee.

1he predominance o this habit among golers to sole the drier
beore hitting the shot makes it ery important or the clubhead`s
static speciFcations be as close what the company that sells the head
states them to be.
A Background in the Origin and Function of
AdjustabIe HoseI and AdjustabIe SoIe Devices
for Changing Woodhead Specications
lew golers, and I suspect ew members o the gol equipment
industry today are aware o the act that the origin or the manner
in which the modern adjustable hosel deices are able to change
woodhead speciFcations comes rom the era o wooden head
manuacture. In the time when woodheads were made rom trees,
the lie angle and ace angle o the woodhead were created by drill-
ing the hosel bore into the neck o the raw wooden turning. I a
dierent lie or ace angle was required, the bore would be drilled
at a dierent angle to the plane o the sole. 1he technique was
reerred to as cross-boring the hosel`.
1o establish a more closed ace angle the bore is drilled rom the
ace side o the top o the neck at an angle away rom the ace.
1o make a more open ace, the bore was drilled in the opposite
angled direction entering at the rear side o the top o the neck and
angling toward the ace.
A more upright lie was created by angling the bore rom the upper
area o the neck back toward the rear o the heel and a natter lie
was drilled by angling the bore in the opposite direction to that. A
skilled boring machine operator could combine dierent combina-
tions o lie and ace angle through the same bore by choosing an
angle or the bore that is in between these basic entry points and
angles or lie and ace angle.
\hat you cannot do through changing the angle o the bore into
the head is to change the lot o the woodhead. In no way can
the lot o a woodhead be changed by changing the angle o the
shat,bore into the head. 1o change lot on the wooden heads, raw
turnings o dierent lot had to be made, or, skilled workers would
careully Fle the wooden ace to increase or decrease the lot while
retaining the proper bulge and roll radii.
\hen the angle o the shat,bore into the head is changed, the lie
angle, the ace angle or both together can be changed, but the lot
cannot be changed. 1his is because when the head is placed on the
specs measurement machine, the head is still positioned to sit on
the major nat surace o the sole. A dierent lie angle certainly can
be achieed, so too a dierent ace angle. But no matter how you
angle the shat bore into the head, the static lot remains the same
as it was on the original raw turning.
(NOTE: It is VERY important to not confuse the proper position of a
driver head for static loft and face angle measurement with what hap-
pens to the loft and face angle when you ROTATE the head by turning
the grip end of the club. For proper static loft and face angle
Example of raw persimmon wood turning cross bored to achieve a closed face angle. Once the
measured about the center line of the angled bore, the head sits closed in the playing position.
(Wooden turning courtesy Louisville Golf Company)

measurement, the driver head must sit fat on the major fat surface
of the sole, similar to how the head sits on the ground when soled
behind the ball by the golfer. When the head is rotated by turning the
grip end of the club, the head no longer sits fat on the major fat sur-
face of the sole. While some golfers may intentionally rotate the club
to make the head achieve a desired "look" behind the ball, that action
changes the loft and face angle together at the same time. In such
cases, the launch parameters will be a result of how the golfer manu-
ally holds the clubhead behind the ball and not the result of the static
measured specifcations of the driver head. However, because the
vast majority of golfers do sole the driver on the ground when getting
ready to hit a shot, accuracy in the static specifcations of the driver
head become of utmost importance to the outcome of the shot.)
1he adjustable hosel deices in use in the gol industry are all de-
signed to work in the same manner as a change in the drilling o the
bore angle in a wooden head. 1he hosel is designed larger in diam-
eter to accommodate both the shat and the adjustable deice. 1he
adjustable hosel deice in which the shat is inserted is designed so
its bore is at an angle to the outside o the deice. 1hus when the
entire deice with shat installed is rotated, the angle o the shat is
changed with respect to the ground line o the sole plane rom ace
to back - similar to how the bore is drilled at an angle in a wooden
head to achiee a dierent lie and ace angle. low much this angle
o the shat in the adjustable hosel deice can be altered depends
on how large the hosel is made so as to be able to accommodate a
greater o bore angle in the adjustable deice.
1he Frst commercially aailable adjustable hosel deice or a metal
woodhead was introduced in 1995 in a set o woods that I designed
or Golsmith. I conceied this design or two reasons:
1. I wanted a way to alter the lie and ace angle o a metal wood
or custom Ftting purposes. Producing multiple ersions
o the design with dierent ace angle and lie specs was too
expensie or the potential sales olume o each dierent
model. All metal woods at the time were inestment cast rom
1-4 stainless steel. 1he mechanical properties o 1-4 made it
irtually impossible to bend the hosel as a way to oer a wider
range o custom lie and ace angle Ftting options or metal
woods or golers.
2. In the early 1980s I worked in a wooden head manuactur-
ing department. 1his experience taught me i a way could be
conceied to change the angle o the shat into a metal wood
in the same manner the bore was drilled in a wooden head,
it would be possible to change the lie and ace angle within a
narrow range. But not the lot. lrom my wooden head manu-
acturing experience I remembered that it was not possible to
change the lot by changing the angle o the bore or shat into
the head. In the copy on the Al1 \oods catalog page, this
act was written clearly that the adjustable hosel deice could
only be used to change the lie, the ace angle or both together.

1he Al1 \oods are shown in the ollowing image o the page in
the 1995 Golsmith catalog in which they were presented.

1he Al1 \oods were designed with a larger hosel OD and ID
to accept a CNC machined aluminum sleee, into which the shat
was to be installed. 1wo dierent aluminum hosel sleees were
produced as an option or clubmakers, one in which the bore or
the shat was dead straight to the ID o the hosel so that the lie and
ace angle could be exactly the same standard specs designed into
the head. 1he other sleee was made with a 2 oset bore so when
the shat was installed and then the sleee and shat rotated, the lie,
ace angle or a combination o both together could be customized
in the Al1 \oods.
\hile the Al1 adjustable hosel deice required epoxy to secure
it and the shat to the woodhead instead o a sole access locking
screw, it worked on the same principle as do all the adjustable hosel
deices in use today - to allow the shat to be rotated to dierent
angles to the ground line o the sole plane rom ace to back to
alter the static lie and ace angle specs o the clubhead.
Changing Woodhead Specications Through
a Change in the Orientation of the SoIe to the
Ground
\ith respect to an adjustable sole deice or changing woodhead
speciFcations such as the deice attached to the sole o the 1aylor
Made R1 Drier, the basis or this alteration was Frst conceied
during the wooden head era. In written inormation proided by
the company to club repairmen in the 1960s, the ormer Kenneth
Smith Gol Company o Kansas City, Missouri taught that post
production ace angle alterations o their woods could be made by
remoing the soleplate, routing the caity or the plate deeper in
either the ace heel side or rear heel side, reinstalling the soleplate
and then sanding o the protruding wood. 1he result was that the
woodhead would tilt dierently on its sole rom the alteration to
make the ace more closed or more open.
\hile this certainly is an alteration that requires a high leel o
workmanship with the right equipment, this is the principle upon
which the 1aylor Made R1 sole deice changes the manner in which
the head sits on its sole to change the ace angle and lot o the
head. loweer, any time the sole position o the head is altered by
using a deice which protrudes down or which retracts up rom the
sole, the lot will automatically be changed with the ace angle.
A sole deice which changes the way the head sits by protruding
down or retracting upward rom the sole does the same thing as i
the head is rotated by turning the grip end o the club in the hands.
Adjusting a sole deice such as the one on the R1 Drier to pro-
trude more downward rom the sole is the same thing as turning the
head more closed in your hands - the trailing edge o the sole rises
up in relation to the leading edge to close the ace and decrease the
lot. Adjusting a sole deice to retract up more is the same thing
as turning the head more open in your hands - the leading edge o
the sole rises up in relation to the trailing edge to open the ace and
increase the lot.
\hen the clubhead is rotated more open or more closed by turning
the grip end o the club in the hands, the lot automatically changes
at the same time. lence in the case o the modern R1 sole deice,
when it is adjusted to protrude down or retract up, both the ace
angle and the lot are being changed at the same time.
The Modern Drivers with AdjustabIe HoseI
and AdjustabIe SoIe Devices and their Effect
on Static Loft, Lie and Face AngIe
Specications
lor this study our dierent adjustable hosel and adjustable hosel,
adjustable sole driers manuactured by our dierent major gol
equipment companies were obtained.

1aylor Made R1
Nike Coert
Ping Anser - 10.5
1itleist 913D2 - 10.5

Measurements o the static lot, lie and ace angle were recorded or
each possible combination o adjustable hosel settings, and in the
case o the R1, or each possible combination o adjustable hosel
and adjustable sole piece settings. 1he static lot, lie and ace angle
measurements were recorded using the Green Machine` which
was described preiously in this report.
Accuracy o the Green Machine and the measurement deices was
eriFed by using a precision engineered calibration clubhead`
which is machined to hae a perect 55 lie, 0 ace angle and 10
lot.


1he calibration clubhead` is produced by the 1ecnorama Com-
pany o Kaohsiung, 1aiwan, the same company that manuactures
the Green Machine or the gol equipment industry. 1ecnorama
Calibration "clubhead" machined to perfect 55 lie, 10 loft and 0 square face angle
Accuracy of the loft measurement protractor was checked with the calibration "clubhead"
Accuracy of the face angle measurement fxture was checked with the calibration "clubhead"
oers this special calibration clubhead` with the Green Machine to
ensure the accuracy o the machine and accompanying deices or
lie, lot and ace angle measurement.
Driver Head Position for Specihcations Measurement
All our o the driers in this study are manuactured with the ace
scorelines parallel to the ground line tangent to the center o the
sole rom toe to heel. 1hereore, the position o each head or
proper lie angle position was achieed by tilting each drier head
in the Green Machine so the center o the sole rom toe to heel
touched the base o the machine with the bottom scoreline set par-
allel to the base o the machine. Assurance o the parallel position
o the scorelines to the base o the machine was assisted by the use
o the straight edge slide that comes with the Green Machine.
(Note: In all cases, great care was taken to position the heads in the
machine with the scorelines parallel to the base of the machine. If the
photos look a little different in this aspect, it is only because of a slight
tilt of the hand held camera)
1he sole position or proper ace angle and lot measurement was
ery careully determined by allowing each drier to sit nat on its
sole on a nat surace in the proper lie position and careully noting
the exact area o contact with the nat surace in the ace to back
plane o the sole. 1he point o contact on the sole was marked and
duplicated or each measurement.
Correct face to back sole touch position for the Nike Covert Driver is on the only fat surface of the
sole due to the ascending rear cavity shape
Correct face to back sole touch position for the Titleist 913D2 Driver is on the widest fat sole
surface slightly forward of the center of the sole
Correct face to back sole touch position for the Ping Anser Driver is on the largest fat surface in the
center of the sole
Correct face to back sole touch position for the Taylor Made R1 is defned by the twin touch points
of the front sole and the rear protruding adjustable sole piece
1he measurements or ace angle, lie angle and lot or each possi-
ble hosel position and hosel - sole piece position were made as pre-
cisely as my experience in clubhead design enables me to do. I hae
been designing clubhead models since 1986. lrom 1986 to present
I hae designed more than 350 dierent models o clubheads so I
hae a depth o experience in clubhead speciFcation measurement
that ew hae in the gol industry. In addition, at times in my career
I hae also been asked by two o the largest clubhead production
actories to teach proper clubhead specs measurement techniques to
the workers in their inspection and tooling departments. \ith these
experiences, my ability to determine the proper clubhead position-
ing and to accurately measure clubhead speciFcations is as reliable
as can be ound in the gol equipment industry.
Modern Adjustable Hosel / Adjustable Sole Driver Mea-
surements
1. Taylor Made R1 Driver
1he 1aylor Made R1 drier head is oered in a single model which
the company says can be adjusted or lot between 8 and 12 and
adjusted or ace angle between 3 open and 3 closed using the
sole adjustable piece. 1he hosel deice has 12 dierent positions
or lot adjustment, the sole piece has dierent positions or ace
angle or a total o 84 possible adjustment positions or combina-
tions o lot, lie and ace angle. \hile it is not stated by the com-
pany, they also claim a lie position change is possible through the
designation on the adjustable hosel piece or U ,upright, ater two
o the lots ,9.5U & 10.5U,.
1he measurements or lot, lie and ace angle or each o the 84
dierent possible combinations o the hosel and sole adjustable
deices are as ollows:

TAYLOR MADE R1 MEASUREMENTS
Hosel
Setting
Sole
Setting
Face
Angle
Loft
Angle
Lie
Angle
8.0 N 6.5 open 11.25 59.25
8.0 / 9.5U N 7.0 open 11.5 60.5
9.5U N 6.75 open 11.5 61.5
9.5U /
10.5U
N 5.0 open 11.5 62.5
10.5U N 3.0 open 11.5 62.5
10.5U /
12.0
N 0.75 open 11.5 62.0
12 N 0.75
closed
11.5 61.25
12.0 / 10.5 N 1.25
closed
11.5 60.25
10.5 N 0.25
closed
11.5 59.25
10.5 / 9.5 N 1.0 open 11.25 58.75
9.5 N 3.25 open 11.5 58.25
9.5 / 8.0 N 5.0 open 11.5 58.75

8.0 1 Closed 5.0 open 10.5 60.25
8.0 / 9.5U 1 Closed 5.75 open 10.75 61.25
9.5U 1 Closed 5.0 open 10.5 62.0
9.5U /
10.5U
1 Closed 3.75 open 10.5 62.5
10.5U 1 Closed 1.75 open 10.5 62.75
TAYLOR MADE R1 MEASUREMENTS (CONTINUED)
Hosel
Setting
Sole
Setting
Face
Angle
Loft
Angle
Lie
Angle
10.5U /
12.0
1 Closed 0.75
closed
10.5 62.25
12 1 Closed 2.0 closed 10.25 61.25
12.0 / 10.5 1 Closed 2.25
closed
10.5 60.5
10.5 1 Closed 1.5 closed 10.5 59.5
10.5 / 9.5 1 Closed 0.25 open 10.25 58.75
9.5 1 Closed 2.25 open 10.25 59.0
9.5 / 8.0 1 Closed 3.75 open 10.25 59.0

8.0 2 Closed 4.25 open 9.5 59.75
8.0 / 9.5U 2 Closed 4.5 open 9.5 60.25
9.5U 2 Closed 3.75 open 9.5 62
9.5U /
10.5U
2 Closed 2.25 open 9.5 62.5
10.5U 2 Closed 0.75 open 9.5 62.5
10.5U /
12.0
2 Closed 1.75
closed
9.5 62
12 2 Closed 3.25
closed
9.5 61.5
12.0 / 10.5 2 Closed 3.75
closed
9.25 60.25
10.5 2 Closed 3.0 closed 9.5 59.25
10.5 / 9.5 2 Closed 0.75
closed
9.5 58.5
9.5 2 Closed 0.75 open 9.5 58.5
9.5 / 8.0 2 Closed 2.5 open 9.25 59

8.0 3 Closed 3.25 open 9 59.75
8.0 / 9.5U 3 Closed 3.5 open 8.75 61
9.5U 3 Closed 2.5 open 8.75 62.5
9.5U /
10.5U
3 Closed 1.25 open 9 63
10.5U 3 Closed 0.75
closed
9.25 62.75
10.5U /
12.0
3 Closed 3.0 closed 9 62
12 3 Closed 4.75
closed
9.25 61.25
12.0 / 10.5 3 Closed 4.75
closed
9 60.25
10.5 3 Closed 4.0 closed 9 59.25
10.5 / 9.5 3 Closed 2.75
closed
9 59
9.5 3 Closed 0.5 closed 9 58.5
9.5 / 8.0 3 Closed 1.5 open 9.25 58.5

8.0 1 Open > 8 open 12 60
8.0 / 9.5U 1 Open > 8 open 11.5 61
9.5U 1 Open 7.75 open 11.75 61.75
9.5U /
10.5U
1 Open 6.75 open 11.5 62.25
10.5U 1 Open 4.25 open 11.5 62.75
10.5U /
12.0
1 Open 2.5 open 12 62.75
12 1 Open 0.75
closed
12 62
12.0 / 10.5 1 Open 0.25
closed
12 60.75
10.5 1 Open 0.25 open 11.5 59.5
10.5 / 9.5 1 Open 2.5 open 12 59

Note: The specifcations measurement machine has a limit of 8 open
for the face angle measurement
Note 2: Slight variations for the loft measurement within each com-
bination of hosel to sole settings are explained by the fact that as the
face angle changes dramatically, the head can tilt sightly different in
the machine.
2. Nike Covert Driver
As with the 1aylor Made Drier, Nike only oers one drier model
with the claim that all lots rom 8.5 to 12.5 in 1 increments can
be achieed with the one model ia the hosel adjustable deice.
In addition, the company claims that the ace angle can also be
customized in three dierent settings or Let, Right and Neutral
on a second rotational collar on the adjustable hosel deice. Nike
does not state a speciFc ace angle speciFcation or the Coert. 1he
company says nothing about a lie angle change being possible rom
their adjustable hosel deice. \ith the Fe dierent lot settings
and three ace angle positions, the Coert drier can be adjusted to
15 dierent positions.
1he measurements or lot, lie and ace angle or the Nike Coert
Drier are as ollows:
Note: The specifcations measurement machine has a limit of 8 open
for the face angle measurement
Note 2: Slight variations for the loft measurement within each single
face angle setting over all loft positions are explained by the fact that
as the face angle changes dramatically, the head tilts slightly different
on its face to back sole plane
3. Titleist 913D2 10.5 Driver
Unlike 1aylor Made and Nike, 1itleist manuactures the 913D2 in
dierent lot models. 1he company`s adjustable hosel deice has
a double ring setting, not unlike the Nike Coert hosel deice. Un-
like the other companies, 1itleist claims that their hosel deice will
allow adjustment o the lie in addition to the lot. 1he company
says nothing about the ace angle, and in the ull list o speciFca-
tions or the drier on their website, they do not state a ace angle
speciFcation. 1here are a total o 16 dierent combinations o the
adjustable hosel deice which are noted by a combination o letters
and numbers, A to D and 1 to 4. 1he code designations or the
adjustable hosel settings are translated into a lot and lie ia a chart
that 1itleist has created.
NIKE COVERT MEASUREMENTS
Lower
Ring
Loft
Setting
Upper
Ring
Face
Setting

Face
Angle

Loft
Angle

Lie
Angle
8.5 Right > 8 open 12.5 59.5
9.5 Right > 8 open 12.75 60.5
10.5 Right 6.5 open 12.5 61
11.5 Right 6 open 12.5 61
12.5 Right 5 open 12.5 60.25

8.5 Neutral > 8 open 12.5 60.25
9.5 Neutral 7.25 open 12 60.5
10.5 Neutral 6 open 12.5 60.75
11.5 Neutral 3.75 open 12.5 60
12.5 Neutral 4 open 12.75 59.5

8.5 Left 7.25 open 12 59.75
9.5 Left 6.25 open 12.5 60
10.5 Left 4.5 open 13 60
11.5 Left 3.5 open 12.75 60
12.5 Left 3.25 open 13 59.5
TAYLOR MADE R1 MEASUREMENTS (CONTINUED)
Hosel
Setting
Sole
Setting
Face
Angle
Loft
Angle
Lie
Angle
9.5 1 Open 4.5 open 11.75 58.5
9.5 / 8.0 1 Open 6.25 open 11.5 59

8.0 2 Open > 8 open 12 59.5
8.0 / 9.5U 2 Open > 8 open 12 60
9.5U 2 Open > 8 open 12 61.5
9.5U /
10.5U
2 Open 7.25 open 12.25 62
10.5U 2 Open 5.75 open 12.5 63.25
10.5U /
12.0
2 Open 3.5 open 12.75 62.5
12 2 Open 1.75 open 12.25 61.75
12.0 / 10.5 2 Open 0.75 open 12 60
10.5 2 Open 1.75 open 12 59.5
10.5 / 9.5 2 Open 3.75 open 12 59.25
9.5 2 Open 5.25 open 12 58.5
9.5 / 8.0 2 Open 7.0 open 12.25 58.25

8.0 3 Open > 8 open 13 59.5
8.0 / 9.5U 3 Open > 8 open 12.75 60.25
9.5U 3 Open > 8 open 12.75 62
9.5U /
10.5U
3 Open > 8 open 13 62.5
10.5U 3 Open 7.75 open 13 63
10.5U /
12.0
3 Open 5.25 open 13 62.5
12 3 Open 3.25 open 12.75 62
12.0 / 10.5 3 Open 2.75 open 13 60.75
10.5 3 Open 3.25 open 13.25 59.75
10.5 / 9.5 3 Open 4.75 open 13.25 58.75
9.5 3 Open 6.75 open 13 58.25
9.5 / 8.0 3 Open > 8 open 13 58.25

8.0 1 Open > 8 open 12 60
8.0 / 9.5U 1 Open > 8 open 11.5 61
9.5U 1 Open 7.75 open 11.75 61.75
9.5U /
10.5U
1 Open 6.75 open 11.5 62.25
10.5U 1 Open 4.25 open 11.5 62.75
10.5U /
12.0
1 Open 2.5 open 12 62.75
12 1 Open 0.75
closed
12 62
In the measurements or the 913D2, rather than use their somewhat
conusing chart, we compared the chart entries to the company`s
published lot and lie specs to translate the chart settings into actual
lot and lie speciFcations that each setting o the hosel deice is
claimed by the company to achiee.

1he 1itleist 913D2 measurements or lot, lie and ace angle are as
ollows:
4. PING Anser Driver 10.5
Similar to the 1itleist 913D2 but unlike the Coert and R1, the
Ping Anser drier is made in dierent lot ersions rom 8.5 to
12. 1he company claims that their adjustable hosel deice is used
strictly to make lot adjustments o -1,2 or -1,2 rom each
model`s spec lot. No mention is made o a change in ace angle or
in lie angle rom the adjustable hosel deice. 1he Ping adjustable
hosel deice has but three dierent settings or the lot adjustment,
noted by symbols o ,the head model`s spec lot, , - ,add 1,2
lot,, and - ,reduce ' lot,.
1he PING Anser 10.5 measurements or lot, lie and ace angle or
each o the three settings on the adjustable hosel deice are as
ollows:
ConcIusion
Upon reading how ar o the lot, lie and ace angle speciFcations
are rom each company`s stated speciFcations, it would be logical
or loyal ollowers o these gol equipment companies to chal-
lenge the measurements in this report as either biased or incorrect.
I assure you that the measurements are exactly as reported based
on the experience gained in 2 years as a clubhead designer and
as a serious student o the technology o gol equipment. 1he
measurements were perormed using
the accepted manner o positioning
a drier head or accurate lot, lie and
ace angle measurement as practiced
or many decades by eery clubhead
production actory I hae experience
with, seeral which hae produced
clubheads or the major gol equip-
ment companies or many years.
I will admit I was so amazed at how
ar o these measurements were rom
each company`s stated speciFcations
that I repeated the measurements or
each drier or eery combination
o adjustable deice settings to be
doubly sure o the accuracy o the
speciFcation measurements. 1hese
ARL the static lot, lie and ace angle
measurements or these driers when
the drier heads are placed in the specs
measurement machine in the manner
that has been practiced in this industry
or many, many years.
1he act that the lot angle does NO1 change rom any o the
adjustable lOSLL deices does not surprise me. I expected this
would be the case based on my experience in manuacturing wood-
en woodheads and rom my experience in haing created the Frst
adjustable hosel deice or metal woods. \ou can deFnitely change
the lie angle and the ace angle by changing the angle o the shat
into the hosel and into the head, but you simply cannot change the
lot o a woodhead through a change in the angle o the shat using
such an adjustable hosel deice.
I was also surprised to see the ace angle measurements be as
open as many o the combinations o the adjustable hosel deices
produced on the heads. I must also add that when a head measured
substantially open in the Green Machine, it also looked ery open
when placed on a nat surace to simulate the natural resting address
position o the head.
Only with the adjustable sole protrusion piece on the sole o the
1aylor Made R1 can you change the lot, but in doing so you also
change the ace angle at the same time. As can be seen in the
measurements, the measured ace angle was rarely close to the ace
angle as designated by the marks on the adjustable sole deice.
Rarely, een with the additional innuence o the R1 sole protrusion
deice, did the lot and ace angle end up being close to what the
company stated. As the head is tilted more closed by the sole piece
protruding more rom the sole, the lot automatically decreases,
and as the head is tilted more open by the sole piece receding more
TITLEIST 913D2 10.5 MEASUREMENTS
Hosel
Setting
Titleist
stated
Loft
Measured
Loft
Titleist
stated
Lie
Measured
Lie
Titleist
stated Face
Angle
Measured
Face
Angle
A1 10.50 14.50 58.50 60.00 Not Listed 6.75 open
A2 10.50 14.50 60.00 62.25 Not Listed 7.0 open
A3 12.00 14.50 60.00 62.25 Not Listed 3.25 open
A4 12.00 14.50 58.50 60.00 Not Listed 2.5 open
B1 10.50 14.50 57.75 59.25 Not Listed 5.75 open
B2 10.50 14.50 59.25 61.00 Not Listed 6.5 open
B3 12.00 14.50 59.25 61.00 Not Listed 3.25 open
B4 12.00 14.50 57.75 60.00 Not Listed 2.75 open
C1 9.75 14.50 57.75 59.25 Not Listed 6.75 open
C2 9.75 14.50 59.25 61.00 Not Listed 8.0 open
C3 11.25 14.50 59.25 61.00 Not Listed 3.25 open
C4 11.25 14.50 57.75 59.25 Not Listed 3.5 open
D1 9.75 14.50 58.50 59.50 Not Listed 7.0 open
D2 9.75 14.50 60.00 61.25 Not Listed 7.75 open
D3 11.25 14.50 60.00 61.25 Not Listed 3.75 open
D4 11.25 14.50 58.50 60.00 Not Listed 4.0 open
PING ANSER 10.5 MEASUREMENTS
Hosel
Setting
Measured
Loft
Measured
Lie
Measured
Face Angle

14.5 60.0 3.5 open

+
14.5 60.0 6.5 open
-
14.5 59.0 6.0 open
upward, the lot automatically increases.
1he ONL\ way any o these driers can come close to playing
at the lots stated on each company`s hosel deice is i the goler
manually rotates the clubace until the rotation achiees the stated
lot. But then the goler has to manually lOLD the club o the
ground, and as careully as possible, hold the clubhead in that posi-
tion when addressing the shot and when commencing the swing to
hit the shot. 1o truly achiee each stated lot, the clubhead would
hae to be rotated into a dierent position, and again, lLLD
manually by the goler in that position. In perorming a manual
rotation o the head to achiee the stated lot, the ace angle will
also change. Manually holding the drier in a speciFc lot position
is ery diFcult to do with any leel o accuracy. low many gol-
ers can tell i they hae rotated the clubace to a dierence o 1 or
een 2 o lot
1hat`s why the commonly accepted manner o playing a drier has
been to sole the club on the ground so it adopts its static speciFca-
tions or lot and ace angle, taking the grip, and starting the swing.
No goler should be or can be expected to hae to rotate the club-
head to a speciFc position and hold the head in that position beore
starting the swing.
lollowing is a photo o one o the driers that shows the general
position or how each o these adjustable hosel driers would hae
to be positioned and manually held so as to make the lot be closer
to what the hosel deice says it is. Rotating the ace around to
change the lot also changes the ace angle. So een i the goler
managed to guess that he has manually rotated the ace to achiee
a speciFc lot, the ace angle is locked in whateer position to go
with that - which may not be a proper Ft or the goler`s horizontal
launch angle and accuracy.
By ar, the ast majority o golers, een the majority o tour pros,
set the drier down to rest on its sole when they address the ball to
hit a tee shot, and leae the drier sitting on its sole when they start
the swing to hit the shot. Doing that will result in these driers set-
ting up to the ball with the static speciFcations measured and stated
in this report.
1hat is how golers are supposed to set up to the ball with a drier
or any wood or that matter. 1he whole reason a clubhead designer
and his production actory painstakingly try to produce drier and
woodheads to accurate static speciFcations is to allow the goler to
address the ball with as close to those speciFcations as possible so
that the static specs o the club combine with the swing character-
istics o the goler to produce a speciFc shot result. Cause and
Lect.
Static Clubhead Specications + Golfer Swing Characteristics =
Shot Results
Being a clubhead designer since 1986 with more experience in all
areas o clubhead design and ClubFtting research than perhaps
anyone in the game, I hae complete respect or the engineering
and design capability o the major gol club companies. I sincerely
do. 1o use that engineering ability to create beautiully made drier
heads which are ery ar o rom achieing the speciFcations
stated by each company is o no help to golers who simply wish to
acquire the ery best gol clubs with which to play this great game
to the best o their ability.
1he best gol clubs or any goler will be built with clubheads
which possess static speciFcations which hae been determined
by the gol company and,or an experienced clubFtter to be able
to produce the most consistent shot results when subjected to the
swing characteristics o each goler. I a goler cannot rely on the
static speciFcations o the clubhead to be what they are stated to
be, achieing the most consistent shot results becomes a ery disor-
ganized trial and error process.
For any of the adjustable hosel drivers to be able to achieve close to the lofts claimed by the
company, the driver head would have to be manually rotated and held by the golfer. This is not
how drivers have been played by the vast majority of golfers so this type of manually held address
position is simply not feasible for the majority of golfers to adopt.