Hi, I am new to ABS and looking forward improved ball striking. I am a 9 handicap and the biggest thing holding me back from improving is inconsistent contact and low point. I have played golf on and off for 40+ years. The first clubs I played were persimmon woods and blade irons.
I wanted to ask about the reasons to purchase a persimmon driver today. I assume that since they are sold here there are some benefits. (Or is it just nostalgia?). And then how should I incorporate a persimmon driver into my practice and maybe play?
Lagâs channel is good place for starting your personal decision journey- hereâs a good video with the added attraction of being backdropped by either an ancient Mayan ruin or 2 missile silos. Buying a persimmon wood from a thrift store first before committing would be another option.
I hit the bag with a 14.9 ounce persimmon. I added weight to it and probably can do heavier. I used to hit alot of balls with persimmon but messed up my toaster driver as would hit wood better. I will now play 6500 or less courses with persimmons and 1950 dynapowers or other sets i have.
I used to just pipe 3 drives with persimmons before a round then struggle with my driver early. Now i use it mostly for drills but i do occasionally practice with it just not before playing like i used to.
I mostly play-practice with persimmon during winter and when playing short courses like bethpage yellow or blue or muni 9 rounds. I hit the persimmon in my net at home â itâs quieter and less jarring on the hands and ears.
Come tournaments or when I play the Black or other super long track Iâll switch to a 400cc model as a compromise.
After a few months I canât wait to use the lumber again. The feel of the persimmon connects on a visceral level and the reward for the strike is so much better. Tempo and balance has to also improve because of the Precision required. Itâs really a totally different game. Golf 1.0 was hickory, 2.0 persimmon, 3.0 is the current state.
The older blades feel a bit better but the difference is minimal compared to the super drivers and fairways vs persimmon.
Getting the old stuff dialed in is a heck of a lot of fun.
Reconnect with the game you fell in love with back when you were a kid.
Enjoy the feel and the sound of striking the ball. Way better experience IMHO. Who wants to hear that stupid high pitched tink of a frying pan when you can smack the hell out of it and hear that -CRACK- of the persimmon. Canât beat it.
Know that youâre holding yourself to a higher standard of technique, and itâs not unattainable. Hone your swing. We all have it in us to strike it pure without âgame improvementâ bs gear. You got this.
I do all my impact bag work with a persimmon or 1 iron. I also will play 5-7 holes a day with whatever persimmon I have in the bag that week. I like adding persimmon to my play because it improves my strike pattern more than anything else. Also it reminds me about how important gear effect can be if I want to play a little fade I just strike it a tad towards the toe or if I want to play a draw vice versa a tad closer to the heel. I will not play over 6500 yards with the persimmon driver but I have found out that the 3 wood 4 wood and 5 wood are still great options even when I play feim the tips with the other coaches but the driver is totally obsolete over 6500 yards to be honest on the golf course in competition with very good players playing the modern driver.
To be honest the weight difference has never been something that I cared about for some odd reason. I have done the module work with a Titleist 975D with great results also. I know for many the weight is important to their training but Iâm a feel player so I adjust really really fast.
Blades and smaller head drivers really help dial me in. I took out my Titelist 975D from 1997 260 CCs which is a 3 wood in todayâs clubs and its still top 3 favorite drivers when the shift went to metals for woods. And playing the 975D is way more challenging than todayâs drivers but it is extremely similar to playing a persimmon.
The classic gear definitely forces improved technique. IMHO, my experience mirrors our mantra that ABS technique can only truly be learned with the correct heavy, flat gear (such as a persimmon driver or blade irons with proper flat lies). In the process of learning ABS technique, youâll find you can (eventually learn to) hit these clubs. After 3 years of ABS study and practice, I was finally able to improve my technique enough where I could hit these clubs well.
I occasionally play with my modern gearâŚ. however itâs clear that when I do, my ABS technique execution clearly degrades, and I donât improve my technique. The modern gear lets me âget away with itâ thus less/no improvement - but the persimmon drivers / blade irons set to ABS specs - wonât let me get away with it and tells me if I am executing ABS or not.
I would say that ABS can be accomplished with pretty much any and all gear but the Hogan Modules demand a very specific gear and set up. I am helping to produce some amazing junior golfers using the ABS protocols with modern gear and modern technology. ABS is not as demanding and critical as the Hogan modules appear to be and the ABS modules also have much more freedom when it comes to grips, backswings and takeaways etc. Just my personal observation as a professional golf performance coach.
I had purchased one of @NRG âs Titleist 975D flat, heavy driver builds a year ago. Really flat, super stiff tipped shaft 43â. It really took me quite a while to learn be able to hit it - the club couldnât lie, I needed to execute ABS and Hogan Modules well. But now, after 1 year since I bought it, 1 year after starting Hogan Modules and 3 years after starting ABSâŚ.. I can hit that club really well. Itâs such a gift from all of you at ABS to be able to have the experience of the ball flight and the sound coming off that ABS-spec driver. Thanks to all of you!
I started practicing and gaming persimmon a few years back when I lived on the gulf coast. Heaps of humidity, sea level, and coastal winds. Lag has mentioned this; with the modern, less spinning ball, and firm conditions, you can cheat the wind with a persimmon and beat an opponent with a metal wood. Ive done it, and my opponents went full tilt fast. They couldnât figure out why I was sneaky long with outdated gear.
