Mizuno Shaft Optimizer

The Optimizer is a golf shaft with sensors that measure speed, tempo, toe down flex, kick angle, and release. Basically giving you your shaft DNA.  All of these readings are vital to being fit for the right golf shaft, especially in your irons.  Here is a brief description of each of the readings.   

Club Head Speed: This is based off a 6 iron and is very accurate. My speed on it and units like the Trackman are almost identical.  My current speed is 91mph, Mizuno average is 82 (over 1 million readings), Luke Donald 92, Charles Howell 95, and Stacy Lewis 84.

Tempo: Mizuno measures tempo as the transition from top of back swing to start of down swing. I like this!  It is interesting when I have students with more speed than me measure for softer shaft flex and some with less speed than me measure for stiffer flexes. Without the Optimizer, it would be almost impossible to predict the tempo-speed relationship. I am pretty good, but this gets it perfect.

Toe Down: This measures how much the shaft is bowing down during the swing, important when it comes to shaft profiling.  Each shaft has a different profile and is measured by butt stiffness, mid stiffness, and tip stiffness. Yes there is a big difference between Pro X 5.5, KBS S, and Dyn Gold S 300.  In order to hit solid and straighter shots, these "bends" must match what your swing does.

Kick Angle: This is the bend of the shaft that we sometimes see on high speed cameras. How much or little a shaft is bending during the swing is important once again to hit solid shots.

Release:  Maybe my favorite category.  This tells the teacher and student when the shaft is releasing. If you release shaft sooner in swing (number will be 7-9) you want a soft tip shaft so head can catch up. If you release shaft a little later (2-4) you will want a tip stiff shaft.  

In 2012, Mizuno launched version 2 of the Optimizer, a huge upgrade to the original.  The Optimizer is now re-chargeable which for someone who uses it as much as I do was a huge key as the old one chewed up batteries that were not easy to change. The 2012 edition also allows for any current Mizuno head to be attached. This is a nice feature so that you can actually place the head of your choice (in my case MP 59) onto the Optimizer and hit shots. The new Optimizer is also a little more consistent with readings when mis-hitting shots and can be used for both right handed and left handed golfers. 

If you have not been on the Optimizer by Mizuno, do so. You will learn a lot and be assured of the shaft you should be playing in your irons. My findings are that 80% of the golfers I teach and fit were playing the wrong shaft in their irons. Breaking it down further, most were playing shafts too light (graphite) followed by too stiff, then too soft. An 8 hdcp last week had 55 gram R flex with 84mph speed, quick tempo, and late release. He fit perfectly for Pro X 5.5 of Dyn gold S300. I know he will be playing better this season with his new irons. Asked why he went with graphite, he was told (by a non-PGA Professional) they were lighter and he would hit them farther and R flex because he was in his 50's.  In this case, they could not have been more wrong.  

Go Low in 2012!