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Thursday, March 23, 2000

An exclusive club
Corpus Christi's golf pros tee off on tools of the trade
By Ruth Cochran-Escamilla
Caller-Times

Paul Iverson/Caller-Times

Pharaoh's Country Club pro Seve Bowman, who spent 11 years on the PGA and European tours, has used only Titleist or Ping clubs since 1978.

For the golf professionals around Corpus Christi, their clubs are a mixed bag.
   They look for performance and fit, but mostly they want a club that feels good when they hit the ball. Their preferences are as different as each individual.
   Tem Miller, head pro at Alice Country Club, chooses from an arsenal of five complete sets of clubs and currently is playing Spaulding, Pure Spin, Olimar and Pro Gear.
   NorthShore Country Club head pro Damon Solle is solidly a Ping man, though he uses a Callaway 4-wood and a Titleist putter.
   Bruce Haddad, head pro for Gabe Lozano Sr. Golf Center, carries mostly Spaulding clubs but favors a Ben Hogan sand wedge he's had forever.
   Pharaoh's Country Club head pro Steve Bowman has been in the Titleist corner since his days on the PGA Tour.
   Bowman, who spent 11 years on the PGA and European tours, has played either Titleist or Ping since 1978.
   "I've played Titleist for a long time now," he said. "I think the ones I've got right now are the softest feeling and most consistent I've gotten from Titleist."
   For the last eight months he's been using 990 irons, the 975D driver and the 975F 3-wood. The 3-wood features a graphite shaft, which offers low torque and good accuracy, Bowman said. In his irons, though, Bowman has opted for iron shafts.
   "I've tried graphite irons and it seems I can't hit as consistently," he said.
   Miller goes for graphite in his Olimar 3-wood because the material acts as a shock absorber and is easier on his 53-year-old elbows. His Spaulding Top Flight Tour Grand irons have steel sensicore shafts that also cut down on vibration.
   "They're a cavity-back blade, and they're very forgiving," Miller said. "You can hit a toe shot and you still get your distance. You might not get accuracy, but you don't have to hit the sweet spot and you'll still get out there every time. Also, the shafts are steel, but the head is a forged club, whish is a softer metal so they can be adjusted with a lie and loft machine to fit your specific stance and swing."
   A perfect fit is why Solle plays Ping. He's been using ISI irons for almost two years because they can be fitted for lie angle and because, he said, they're very forgiving.
   "I also use a TSI driver. It's the only driver out there that you can actually be fitted for," Solle said. "It's also very forgiving and long hitting. You see it more and more on Tour."
   Haddad has been playing his Top Flight Tour irons for about two years, switching from a set of Hogan irons.
   "They've got a larger sweet spot and a low center of gravity in the clubhead," Haddad said. "They're a a little easier to hit."
   For about a year he's been favoring a Spaulding driver called the Intimidator.
   "It has 10 1/2 degrees of loft and it has a graphite shaft," Haddad said. "The graphite's lighter (than steel), so the club's longer. Therefore, you can hit the ball longer. The sales rep let me hit it on the driving range and I really liked it. The ball seemed to come off really solid and the club just looked real good - real square - when it addressed the ball."
   Putters have been very personal to each golfer with the exception of Solle. The NorthShore pro's philosophy on putting is if it's not working, get a new club.
   He currently favors a Scotty Cameron Newport by Titleist.
   "It's a good feeling putter," he said. "They've got a milled face and it's a solid feeling putter. I've had it for a couple of years. But if you start putting bad, the first thing you do is go buy a new putter."
   Miller tends to exchange putters, rotating from his collection, but he picks a club to fit the course.
   "My putter of choice right now is a CG100 by Pro Gear," he said. "It's a blade putter with C grooves in the face; it's kind of like a rainbow with grooves. It makes the ball roll a lot sooner.
   "When you putt, the ball will get a little airborne and slide before it starts rolling. With the C groove, the ball doesn't slide: It rolls immediately and you get a more pure putt. On our new greens that are very fast you need to be rolling the ball, not slugging it."
   Haddad also will occasionally rotate putters, but he's been sticking mostly with his Titleist Bullseye.
   "It's a real solid hit on the ball," Haddad said, "and it's easy for me to align the putter, too."
   Bowman almost loathes making a drastic change in putters. He has about six Ping Answers that he uses.
   "It's got a really square look," Bowman said. "All the angles are very square."
   Though all of the pros tend to change at least some of their clubs every year or two, they recommend that weekend golfers take their time and choose new clubs carefully.
   "I don't think it's wise to trade too often," Haddad said. "It takes a while to get a feel for your golf club. When you do choose new clubs, a player somehow has to get his hands on teh club and be able to hit some range balls them. Whether a friend has them, they're used or its a demo set, you've got to find someone who has them and see the true result of the hit.
   "To pick up a magazine and see something then order it . . . that's pretty risky."


Staff writer Ruth Cochran-Escamilla can be reached by email at escamillar@caller.com

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