Hireko Golf Blog

Four Model Iron Family Utilizes CAD To Better Optimize Weight Distribution And Center Of Gravity.

Hireko Golf announces four new irons designed specifically for the varied playing styles of today’s modern golfer. The new Acer XK Irons cover a wide spectrum of golfers from professional and highly skilled amateurs (Pro), the everyday golfer (Standard), ladies (Ladies HT) and seniors and beginning players (HT).

“As a result of our research, we have designed four distinct irons that will focus on performance and feel and optimize launch conditions and ball flight based on the targeted players’ ball speed range,” states Hireko Technical Director Jeff Summitt.  “The Acer XK family was a culmination of feedback accumulated over the years. We thoroughly examined the profile of the target golfer for each model and incorporated all the modern game-improvement features at their disposal to help them hit more solid shots, inspire confidence and lower their score. Yet at the same time, we factored in the aesthetic requirements for each level of golfer. Each model within the family has a distinct look and function.”
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Jeff Summitt’s Olympic Musings

If you were like me, you were glued to your TV set watching the 29th Olympiad in what seemed like non-stop coverage around the clock. My hat’s off to the people of China for being such great hosts and showing their national pride in their first ever Olympics (and also not delaying any of my new golf clubs samples too). Congratulations to all the medal winners (“USA! USA! USA!”), as well as all the athletes who received nothing other than to participate for their respective countries.

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In a continual effort to help everyday golfers make this difficult game just a little easier, we decided to alter the head weights of our ever-popular ladies line - iBella Obsession hybrids.  This set of hybrids was initially developed in 2005 and the head weights were patterned off of the trend amongst many of the popular hybrid models on the market at the time.  Several of the name brand hybrids were being manufactured @1” longer than a standard iron, thus the head weights were subsequently lighter to achieve normal swingweights or balance.

The iBella Obsession series consists of matching irons and hybrids that can be inter-mixed to create a truly customized set make up for the skills and desires of any lady golfer.  The problem with mixing irons and hybrids that are not proportional in length is it can create distance gaps.  In addition, for shorter stature female golfers or those who struggle with the usage of longer clubs may not see the true benefit of the hybrid’s weight distribution.  Therefore the weights of the Obsession hybrids are now the exact same as the matching irons to solve both problems.

All the additional weight was positioned on the soleplate to further lower the center of gravity which will assist in creating a higher launching ball flight and allow a better chance of stopping on the green.  Plus, the shorter assembly length will increase the solidness of contact, which will create a win-win situation for all that play this unique model.

Both the iBella Obsession irons and hybrids are heavier or “graphite-weighted” to allow for normal assembly lengths and swingweights with today’s graphite shafts.  The tendency for most manufacturers is to make their graphite-shafted clubs longer, which makes it more difficult for shorter or petite players to hit the ball solidly.  With the iBella Obsession you don’t and even golfers needing even shorter-than-standard lengths will find more than adequate head weight resulting into better feel.

iBella Obsession Hybrids Only $44.10 Buy Now!

New DSFI Interactive Module Eliminates The Guesswork In Shaft Choice

How Do I Choose The Best Golf Shaft For My Game?
Hireko carries hundreds of golf shafts. Which is the best for my game? Hireko, under the leadership of Tech Director Jeff Summitt, has created the new DSFI Module, featuring the Dynamic Shaft Fitting Index to help you along the way.  By answering a few questions, we can steer you into to the right type of shaft.  But you will need to know a few things first.

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70% Of Your Shots Come From Only 30% Of Your Clubs

Have you ever heard the term 80-20 rule?  It is a general rule of thumb that associates that 80% of an outcome is derived from 20% of a cause. One example is in business where 80% of a company’s sales come from 20% of their customer base. This is also referred to as the Pareto principle, named after an Italian economist in the early 20th century to help explain why not all things are equally distributed.

Your golf bag also has a general rule of thumb regarding the frequency of clubs used.  That is approximately 70% of your shots come from only 30% of your clubs.  What are the most popular clubs in your bag?  They are the putter, driver and wedges and are often the [Read more →]

New Patriot Grip Arrives September 1

In honor of Patriot Golf Day, Golf Pride grips has formed a partnership with the Folds of Honor Foundation. The Folds of Honor Foundation is a legacy foundation designed to provide educational scholarships for dependents and spouses of service members who are either killed or disabled while serving and defending our country. To support the foundation and its beneficiaries, Golf Pride developed a specially-designed red, white and blue all-rubber grip, named the Patriot. Featuring all-rubber design and proven Golf Pride performance, the Patriot sports the colors of the red, white and blue. In Stock September 1. Pre-order now!

Golf Pride Patriot Grip Only $6.17

Jeff Summitt Uncovers Some Of The New Technology Employed In The 2009 Line

In the design of a golf club there is often hidden technology that you cannot see or may not even be aware that it exists. Recently at Hireko, we have been employing some new technology that will eventually help golfers out on the course and in their wallet.

New Clubface Structure / Welding Techniques
While we do not want to show exactly how we are doing this to tip off other foundries that may not have the knowhow or expertise, we wanted you to be aware of the upgrades we have and will be making in the future.  One of which is a change in how our titanium drivers are fabricated. Customers should realize that each and every company has to deal with a small percentage of defective products, especially modern titanium drivers that are made to push the limits.  Often times if there is a defect it will be along the weld line.
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Be Creative & Color Coordinate your Clubheads & Grips

When it comes to golf grip selection you can’t go wrong with black. After all, black goes with anything. But sometimes you or your customer may say to yourself “I want the go against the norm and express myself with the clubs that I play.”  There is no better way than adding a splash of color.

The past two years you have seen a concerted effort by the grip manufacturers to make that possible by offering some of their most popular golf grips in various colors.  For years, graphite shafts were the components made in a cornucopia of colors to coordinate to the club’s paint scheme.  Golfers can make that same fashion statement with today’s grip offerings and not sacrifice either feel or performance.

Many of Hireko’s grips have certain accent colors.  Following is a list of them:

Product Line              Primary Color(s)
Acer Mantara            Dark Blue or Orange
Acer XP 905                          Red
Dynacraft Avatar                Dark Blue
Lady Acer XP                        Pink
Oxygen Type X                 Light Blue
Power Play Caiman             Orange
Power Play Q2               Yellow or Red

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Why Clubs with the Same Loft Don’t Go the Same Distance

There is a TV commercial that says “twenty-one is twenty-one” to help educate teens and young adults about the legal drinking age in America.  But when it comes to golf club selection twenty-one might not be twenty-one.  What I mean by this statement is many golfers will assume that the loft is what controls the distance they hit the ball.  So if a player already has a 21° loft 7-wood, they may think that a 21° hybrid or iron will also go the same distance.  Golfers may be surprised that in order to have better game management skills to fill their distance gaps they may possibly need two clubs in their bag with the same or similar lofts.

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Jeff Summitt’s Thoughts On The ‘08 Open

With Tiger missing his first major since turning professional, you would have thought there would not have been much excitement in the 2008 Open. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Instead of doing much need chores around the house, I am sure many of you were glued to the couch like me in the air conditioning watching the adverse weather conditions we all come to love when watching the Open Championship. And like the picture to the right, we couldn’t believe it all happened again.

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