Questions with David DeNunzio

This article appeared in the June issue of Momentum Newsletter. Quick Hits is a feature every other month where GolfTEC asks 10 questions to a golf industry professional.

 

1. What do you do? I produce and edit the instruction stories featured in GOLF Magazine, which typically consists of the Top 100 Teacher tips in the Your Game section and the cover story, which almost always focuses on Tour instruction, new ways to play or specialty features involving the Top 100. I also work on producing related video material for golf.com and the magazine’s new app, Front9. Between issues I’ve been editing a series of instruction books, GOLF Magazine’s Best Ever! series, which now totals five volumes.
2. Why do you do it? The job is a perfect blend for me—I love to write (started out as a medical writer following college) and basically golf is my passion. Plus, I’m just like our millions of readers in that I’m constantly on the lookout for the next great fix to help me with my game.
3. How’s your golf game?I’d give it a B right now. I’ve been playing for 25 years, and can pretty much count on my short game and putting to save me a few strokes here and there. I tend to get in trouble off the tee—still trying to swing for the fences on every tee box. When I’m able to keep the ball in play consistently off the tee I tend to shoot a score that I’m happy with considering I don’t play as much as I should.
4. What’s the worst piece of golf advice you’ve ever received? “Hit up on the ball with your driver.” I know that technically this is the case—science proves that the best drivers ascend into impact—but it’s not something you want to actively try to do. It got me into the bad habit of hanging back on my right side too long and never fully releasing the club. Hitting up with your driver happens automatically if your swing is right and if you position the ball correctly in your stance.
5. What’s the best piece of golf advice you’ve ever received? “Turn your left arm through the hitting zone rather than swing it.” This was a big eye-opener for me. Look at any great player and you’ll see that their left arm moves very little laterally through impact—it rotates more than it does anything else. Makes it very easy to square the clubface and keep the left arm from “chicken-winging”, which is an all too-common mistake among the amateur ranks.
6. Who is in your dream foursome? I’d have to bring my dad along since I’ve played more rounds with him than anyone else. Then it would have to be Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods. And since it’s a dream foursome, I’d take Arnie in his prime and Tiger circa 2000, with Jack Nicklaus on my bag. A foursome and caddie filled by the people who have left the most indelible stamps on the game, and the one who made it possible for me to enjoy it in the first place.
7. You’ve worked on hundreds of instruction articles for Golf Magazine. Which article personally helped your game the most?I wrote a feature, “The New Way to Improve” for GOLF Magazine’s 50th anniversary issue (September, 2009). It looked at the way people practice and learn instead of nuts and bolts swing changes. The proven science behind increasing your muscle memory and focusing on the right kinds of clues and swing thoughts cannot be disputed. It changed the way I go about hitting balls on the range and warming up before rounds and making sure I’m able to transfer my best practice and warm-up swings to the course. There’s a right way—and wrong way—to learn, and if you’ve been making the same kinds of mistakes for years on end, then this story is for you.
8. Why did you get into the golf industry? It picked me, really. I was offered a job out of the blue by a journalist friend of mine who was working at Golf Tips Magazine in Los Angeles back in 1995. I wasn’t actively looking to write about golf. The rest, as they say, is history.
9. What advice would you offer to a golfer who is frustrated with their game or has an obstacle they can’t seem to overcome?Bite the bullet and get some lessons. Sure, you can do your game a lot of good by reading instruction in magazines and watching videos online, but it’s no substitute for the long-term and lasting improvement you get when you consistently work with a professional who knows your swing inside and out.
10. What do you think is golf’s biggest myth?The statistics that state most golfers don’t improve, or that the average USGA handicap hasn’t changed in 50 years. Golfers do improve. Golfers are scoring better, but they’re a special subset of the overall pool. They’re the ones who are taking lessons.

Changes in Golf Club Technology

New club technology comes at you faster than a speeding golf ball. Since 2000, manufacturers have stepped up their game with nearly every new product line creating clubs that can increase accuracy and distance.

Even in the past three years, golfers who have not updated certain clubs are missing out on advances that could close gaps in their bag and drop strokes from their game. With the help of Doug Rikkers, GolfTEC Director of Club Fitting, we’ve compiled this short list of advancements in golf club technology. What are your clubs missing?

Past 1-2 Years

1. Lie angle adjustment – Some drivers, such as the Titleist 910, and hybrids, like the Adams Idea Pro, can now be customized either at the factory when ordering, or in some cases by the golfer as they choose.

2. Aerodynamics – Driver head designs now take into account the aerodynamics of the head. This technology results in less wind resistance and more clubhead speed.

3. Lighter weight components – Advancements in technology now allow manufacturers to build clubs that are 50 grams lighter than they were just a couple years ago. The Cleveland Launcher XL279 is an example of a club created to use its lighter weight to increase swing speeds and distance.

Last 3-5 Years

1. Higher MOI – Moment of Inertia (MOI) is a technical way of expressing a club’s resistance to twisting on off-center hits. These higher MOI head designs mean more distance and accuracy on off-center shots.

2. Better graphite shafts – Manufacturing techniques have improved over previous methods. As a result graphite shafts perform more consistently than before.

3. Adjustable face angles – Several manufacturers, such as Nike and TaylorMade, offer the ability to adjust loft and face angle. These adjustments allow the player to customize their settings to maximize launch conditions.

6-10 Years Ago

1. Longer shaft lengths – In the continued effort to gain distance, nearly all the manufacturers began making driver shafts longer to increase clubhead speed.

2. Adjustable weight technology – Manufacturers recognized the effect weighting can have on ball flight and began introducing this technology as a corrective measure to eliminate slices and hooks.

3. 460 CC driver heads – 460CC is the largest the rules of golf allow. As club materials got lighter, manufacturers were able to increase the head size without making them too heavy. All the manufacturers took advantage of creating these larger heads that are more forgiving and less penalizing on off-center hits.

The GolfTEC 30-minute Set Analysis is on sale now. Find out if your clubs are ready for the season.

Sneak Peek at the GolfTEC Newsletter…

Russ Clark is the newest member of the instruction department at GolfTEC’s Headquarters. Here’s a sneak peek at What’s in His Bag. The full article will be in the February edition of Momentum.

Russ Clark
Director of Teaching Quality
GolfTEC Headquarters

Driver: Cleveland DST Tour 8.5-degrees, with Diamana 44 gram stiff shaft.

This driver is very light. At less than 300 grams total weight I feel like I can swing easier and still create high clubhead speed at impact. With slightly more than 110 MPH of clubhead speed I still have about 2500 RPMs of backswing and an initial launch angle of about 14 degrees. In plain English, I picked up about 10 yards off the tee with this club.

Fairway wood: TaylorMade R9 3-wood with 13-degrees and Motore stiff shaft.

I like a “strong” 3-wood that allows me to use this club off the tee on tight driving holes and still hit it high enough from the fairway to hold most par-5 greens when I go for them in two.

Hybrid: Cleveland DST hybrids in 16-, 19- and 23-degrees.  All these clubs have the stock graphite shaft in a stiff flex.

I will usually use two of the three hybrids depending on the course I am playing and I try to match the hybrids to the longest par 3 on the course. Personally, I prefer using a hybrid vs. a fairway wood into a green.

For more information about GolfTEC’s Personal Club Fitting process and how to buy custom golf clubs at the best discount available, click here.

TaylorMade 2.0 Burner Irons…coming to a city near you!

The NEW TaylorMade 2.0 Burner irons are on a demo tour. Are they coming to a city near you?

San Diego, California, October 9 at the Encinitas Golf Resort

Houston, Texas, October 23 at the Kingwood Country Club

Palm Springs, California, November 6 at the Marriott Shadowridge

Orlando, Florida, November 6 at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club

Phoenix, Arizona, November 13 at TPC Scottsdale

Tampa, Florida, November 13 at Legacy Golf Club

Miami, Florida, November 20 at the Doral Resort

Palm Beach, Florida, December 5 at the PGA National Resort and Spa

What’s In the Bag

This article appeared in the September issue of the Momentum Newsletter. The October Newsletter will be sent October 1, to sign up, send an e-mail to return@golftec.com today!

Gabe Rios

GolfTEC Coach

GolfTEC Halsted Row

Driver: TaylorMade R9; SuperTri 8.5-degree

I tend to leave the driver in the right rough.  A highlight of this club is the adjustable face technology.  I set the face to a draw setting which alleviates my misses to the right!

Fairway wood: Taylor Made R9; Aldila Voodoo NV6 TP; 15-degree stiff flex;70 grams

I crush this club every time!  I feel confident over the fairway woods.  The clubhead on this model gives me complete confidence in launching the ball high and straight.

Hybrid: TaylorMade Rescue 2009 TP 19-degree stiff flex; Aldila Voodoo NV6 TP

For most of my career, I carried a 1-or 2-iron in my bag.  Once I switched to a rescue club, my scores came down dramatically.  The Rescue TP lets me change the face angle for better control.  I use this club primarily from over 200 yards out and off the tee on shorter Par 4s.

Irons: TaylorMade Tour Preferred Irons 3-pw with a Dynamic Gold S300; steel shaft

I stuck with the Tour Preferred irons instead of upgrading to the new R9 models.  The stability of this iron is perfect for my game.  I try to stay away from the small blades or clunky big faced irons.  The Tour Preferred model gives me the feel of a blade with more forgiveness on off-center hits.

Wedges: TaylorMade XFT Wedges 52, 56, 60-degree

Very solid wedges!  The spin produced rivals any wedge I have used in the past.  The replaceable face technology provides an opportunity to use these wedges for longer than one or two seasons.

Putter: Titleist Kombi 37 inches

I lengthened the shaft to 37 inches in order to promote better posture at the address position.  The ball rolls great with the larger club head design.

Ball: TaylorMade Penta TP

For the first time in my career, I have a golf ball that does not cut within one or two wedge swings.  This ball also limits ballooning with the driver and longer irons.  I recommend this ball for playability and price.