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This ball changes - Callaway Golf

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I-MIX READER<br />

CASE STUDY<br />

t<br />

After Brooks spends a few minutes warming<br />

up on the driving range, Sabella starts the<br />

session by handing Brooks the 9-degree<br />

FT-5 Neutral clubhead fitted with a Matrix<br />

75-gram shaft. Brooks is pushing a lot of his<br />

drives to the right off the tee, so they move<br />

on to a 9-degree FT-5 Draw clubhead with an<br />

Aldila 75-gram shaft. Brooks’ shots fly longer<br />

and straighter with this configuration, but he<br />

says the shaft feels stiffer in the tip and thinks<br />

he might prefer a slightly lighter feel.<br />

2<br />

t<br />

With the goal of increasing Brooks’ clubhead<br />

speed, Sabella fits the FT-5 clubhead with a<br />

Grafalloy Pro Launch Platinum 65 Stiff Shaft.<br />

Both Sabella and Brooks are enamored with<br />

the shape and distance of the shots. Brooks<br />

tries the FT-i Neutral clubhead with the same<br />

shaft. Although the high moment of inertia<br />

helps his off-center hits, Brooks still prefers<br />

the more traditional look of the FT-5 Driver.<br />

Sabella explains that the square-shaped<br />

FT-i Driver requires an adjustment period<br />

and that the I-MIX system is a great way to<br />

experiment with technology combinations.<br />

3<br />

t<br />

After about 30 minutes, Sabella and Brooks<br />

find the perfect combination – a 9-degree<br />

FT-5 Driver with a Grafalloy Pro Launch<br />

Platinum 65 Stiff shaft. Brooks’ drives are<br />

now flying as straight as an arrow, and his<br />

shot dispersion has narrowed into a nice,<br />

neat patch some 40 yards left of where his<br />

earlier pushed shots were landing on the<br />

Ely <strong>Callaway</strong> Performance Center test range.<br />

Brooks’ <strong>ball</strong> flight is slightly lower, but he<br />

is carrying the <strong>ball</strong> farther.<br />

4<br />

An introduction<br />

to i-mix<br />

By greg sabella<br />

“The USGA used to have a rule on how the clubhead was attached to the<br />

shaft of the golf club. It basically stated that there needed to be permanency<br />

in the bond. That’s why golf equipment manufacturers used a strong glue<br />

to fix the two components together and also why it required significant heat<br />

and/or force to break that seal.<br />

A couple of years ago, to improve the speed, efficiency and accuracy of<br />

our fitting for Staff Professionals, we developed a system called OptiFit,<br />

which is very similar to what I-MIX has become. That system enabled us to<br />

quickly and easily interchange clubheads and shafts for the players to test<br />

on Tour or when they visited us at the Ely <strong>Callaway</strong> Performance Center.<br />

When the USGA announced that it was going to change the rule, we were<br />

ready to introduce I-MIX to both our Staff Pros and amateur golfers.<br />

The I-MIX System allows you to change your driver loft for differing course<br />

32 <strong>Callaway</strong> <strong>Golf</strong> SUMMER 2008

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