Sure, Evan.
This
website explains the new UST Putter Shafts with Balance-Certified Technology:
"UST Hopes New Putter Shaft Gives Golfers Good Vibrations
From Brent Kelley,
Your Guide to Golf.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Nov 1 2005
"Frequency Filtered" Putter Shaft Designed to Improve Feel, Feedback on Putts
Golfers don't pay much attention to the shafts in their putters. The length is just about the only attribute of putter shafts that most of us ever concern ourselves with. And with good reason. Compared to the importance of the shaft is full-swing clubs, the importance of the specific shaft used in putters is (aside from its length and weight) miniscule.
Only golfers with the most refined sense of "feel" might be able to interpret, for example, a putter shaft that bends a little more than they like on a long putt; or be able to learn from the vibrations caused by slightly off-center strikes.
But shaft-maker United Sports Technologies (UST) is hoping that its new putter shaft gives more golfers good vibrations.
The UST Frequency Filtered putter shaft is a multi-material shaft, co-developed with Balance Certified Golf, whose purpose is to filter out the "static" of off-center strikes and allow only those vibrations that provide positive feedback to travel up the shaft to the golfer's hands.
"The Frequency Filtered putter shaft provides a scientifically measurable increase in player sensitivity during putting, and the biggest benefits are easily seen in putting distance and directional control," said Shawn Mullin, PGA Tour manager for UST.
The Frequency Filtered putter shaft has been undergoing testing on the PGA Tour for a while (it was used in winning the Michelin Championship in Las Vegas), but is now available to the rest of us through golf shops, component companies and custom clubmakers.
Ust ReviewsFrequency Filtered .370" Putter rated 5.0 / 5 by 1 customerreviews.golfsmith.com
The UST Frequency Filtered putter shaft carries an MSRP of $85.
The Frequency Filtered putter shaft features a graphite grip end and a steel tip end. In between is where the Frequency Filter technology is employed. The Frequency Filter device is designed to allow only certain vibration frequencies to pass through to the player's hands, blocking out other frequency ranges.
Vibrations are created when the putter face strikes the ball, and those vibrations differ in characteristics depending on where on the clubface the ball is struck, according to Skip Pankewich, product developer for UST. Pankewich explained that many vibrations are like static noise on a stereo, but some vibrations at selected frequencies are helpful in providing feedback on how the ball was struck.
By filtering out the static noise vibrations, the Frequency Filtered putter shaft permits only those vibrations that provide positive feedback to travel up the shaft, so players can - according to UST - learn to hit more putts on the sweet spot, thus gaining putting distance and directional control.
Will it work? Reaction has been positive from Tour players who've tried the shaft. It seems that golfers who already have that refined sense of feel would benefit from a shaft such as this. The rest of us, however, might not be as able to capitalize, because, first, you must be able to appreciate the "feel," and second, you must be able to interpret that "feel" correctly. Recreational golfers aren't exactly known for their "feel.""
*****
The
UST website has this:
"Frequency Filtered Putter Shaft
The first true putter shaft technology in more than 70 years.
The new Frequency Filtered™ putter shaft amplifies touch and feel. And if you like to feel every putt, then you are about to feel real good. This radically new putter shaft design improves the ability of all players to perceive or feel where ball impact occurs on the face. This instantaneous feedback results in improved putting ability since the player learns to consistently stroke more putts on the sweet spot of the putter. Feel becomes clearer and so does the confidence to make solid contact to sink more putts.
Filtering Diffuser in the mid-section filters out higher, unwanted vibrations. Therefore, only the true feeling of the ball impacting the putter face is released to the hands.
Interlinked Carbon fiber in the butt-section creates a tremendous amount of hoop strength for a consistently solid feel in the hands.
Steel tip-section makes the shaft a perfect fit for the hottest putter heads on the market.
Frequency Filtered putter shafts are available in 7 tip-bend configurations."
*****
Here's a little more info from a
GolfGear Review article.
*****
Since Harrington works with harold Swash, the inventor of Yes! putter, and Balance-Certified Golf has long worked with backweighting Yes! putters, and now Balance-Certified is partnering with UST for the shaft-vibration technology, it stands to reason that Harrington's putter has BCG backweights working in tandem with the shaft vibration filter. This is the casae, for example, with
Christina Kim on the LPGA Tour.
*****
Harrington had this to say:
"Harrington wasn't sure what to make of his round.
"I've been well in control, knowing what's happening," he said. "Today wouldn't have been one of those rounds, I've got to say. It would be nice getting everything going together, holing putts and playing well."
The putting held him together in the first round at Quail Hollow.
Starting on the back nine, he missed the 11th green long and saved par with a 10-foot putt, then holed an 18-foot par putt after putting his approach into the bunker on No. 12. Facing one of the most dangerous shots on the course, however, he started making things easier.
From the right rough on the 351-yard 14th, with the green running away toward the lake, his sand wedge rolled to a foot for his first birdie. He went over the green on the par-5 15th and chipped to 3 feet, then made it three straight birdies with a 15-foot putt.
The Irishman picked up his next batch of birdies over a four-hole stretch on the front nine, hitting inside 4 feet on the second and third holes, and making a 25-footer for birdie on the fifth.
He had no bogeys on his card, and really no explanation for such a fine start.
"My focus wasn't as sharp as it could have been," he said. "You obviously need to take breaks, but definitely I was not as good mentally as I would have left off three weeks ago."
He also said:
"I didn't really hit the ball that well or have that much control, so it was definitely a round of good putting," Harrington said.
"I just wasn't as good and as sharp as I was maybe three weeks ago, before I took the break, but obviously you need to take breaks."
It wasn't until Harrington described his birdies that he realized that perhaps he hit more good shots than he initially thought.
"The first five birdies, they were all stone dead," he said. "I did hit a few shots close."
But the key to his round nonetheless was his putter, which he used to save par on several occasions after errant approach shots.
"I ended up using a new putter shaft this week, something that's quite revolutionary, and it worked wonders," he said."
*****
Here are Harrington's putting stats for the past two days at the Wachovia:
TOTAL PUTTS---24-----30------27.0---T5
PUTTS PER GIR--1.500---1.444---1.476--1
*****
There is only a little news on
Harrington's website. The "what's in the bag" page is way out of date and lists a "Wilson Staff Kc4 putter with interchangable plates" with a date of January 2004. Harrington typically uses an Odyssey two-ball putter.
Last fall he was still using this putter: Odyssey Two-ball blade. "This week, I'll use a one degree loft because the putting surfaces greens at The K Club will be smooth but these greens are exceptional and that's not always the case. Depending on the time of year, I'd often use a three degree loft on poa annua greens."
*****
This
PGA Tour video clip shows the putter Harrington is using (2nd round) -- an Odyssey two-ball blade.
Cheers!
Geoff Mangum
Putting Coach and Theorist
PuttingZone.com
Golf's most advanced and comprehensive putting instruction.
Visit the new PuttingZone Blog for podcasts of putting tips:
Site
PuttingZone Blog
RSS XML
Subscription
