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Edwin Watts debuts “ARC” club matching

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Golf retailer Edwin Watts has announcing the debut of its new “ARC,” a system, which will be released as part of the company’s Clubsmarts Report and provide golfers with a matrix that will help them find the club that best matches their particular needs.

The ARC system is the results of robot testing, conducted to try and help golfers find clubs that suit them. Edwin Watts has tested most of the big name drivers in a variety of categories and posted the results on its site (http://www.edwinwattsgolf.com/ARC.aspx) in order to show golfers unbiased results of club testing, which can be viewed free of charge.

Unbiased club testing is a pretty important tool in 2013, because manufacturers have been bery aggressive in their marketing strategies, hoping to convince golfers that new products are considerably better than previous models.

That is not to say that Edwin Watts’ system is perfect, because it is not. Most golfers don’t swing clubs like robots do, although I imagine the results might be appreciated by someone like say, Martin Kaymer, who might actually be a robot. And some golfers aren’t going to be fit into stock-length clubs, or stock-shafted clubs. But it will be a good starting point for many golfers to begin their testing. Furthermore, Edwin Watts doesn’t suggest you buy clubs based on this test, only that you use it as a guide for further testing based on your swing/impact type.

Screen Shot 2013-04-08 at 11.39.38 AM

So what does the ARC club matching system reveal? Well, it shows a list of top-three performers for various categories, further subdivided by the type of contact made by the golfer (in this case, a robot). Do you hit most your shots off the toe? If so, maybe you should consider lessons.

But if you believe that lessons are for sissies, you could check the ARC results and see that the Tour Edge Exotics gave the robot the most distance on toe hits. Or you could find out that the RBZ had the highest ball speeds, or that the RBZ Stage 2 was the most accurate in terms of dispersion.

What if you tend to hit your drives thin (low on the face)? Well, if you are looking for distance on thin shots you might want to test the Ping Anser, which also had the fastest ball speed on those shots. So let me put it to you this way: If you hit it thin, just go buy a Ping Anser, OK buddy?

Of course, if you are like me and you hit dead solid perfect basically every time, the robot tells you that the Cleveland Classic is a low-spin bomber, as is the TaylorMade R1. Did I recently want to buy a Cleveland Classic? Yes I did. And now I want to even more, so thanks Edwin Watts!

The tests show results in five different categories: most distance, highest ball speeds, highest launch, most accurate and lowest spin. Those categories are further broken down into as many as six different categories based on where golfers can impact their drivers — high on the face, low on the face, on the toe, heel, sweet spot and an “overall” rating. Using those categories, golfers can pick some clubs to test based on their tendencies and see if they get similar results.

The results  also seem pretty unbiased. Why do I say this? I’ll give you two reasons: Wilson and D100.

Screen Shot 2013-04-08 at 11.39.57 AM

That club, which we’re yet to see used by anyone on the PGA Tour, was sprinkled all over the test. It ranks in the top three in a lot of the distance and ball speed categories, so much so that I thought for a second that Wilson endorser Padraig Harrington hacked into Edwin Watts website and just started doing stuff.

Would you have tested a Wilson club in your 2013 driver shootout? Put your hand down Kevin Streelman, because we know you would have. Then again, you happily hit your Ping G20 en route to his first Tour win at The Tampa Bay Championship, so maybe not.

While the robot results likely aren’t perfect, golfers would be foolish not to consult the Edwin Watts ARC results before they do their next round of driver testing. There are a lot of club tests out there, but very few that actually rank clubs based on anything not subjective, or that don’t recognize many different clubs with the same award.

Anything that helps golfers filter through the hype and even make an attempt to classify things in an organized matter is OK in my books.

Screen Shot 2013-04-08 at 11.40.16 AM

Of course, Edwin Watts’ test doesn’t tell you at what swing speed the robot was set to, and the ARC system has not yet tested 3-woods, hybrids or even irons. But these are things that can be easily be done in the coming months and years. And while my guess is people will demand they provide a bit more details into the settings and results of the ARC tests, the bottom line is they have released information to the public that no one else has, and it’s something that can help the average golfer.

So good for Edwin Watts, good for us, and good for Wilson!

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Jeff Singer was born and still resides in Montreal, Canada. Though it is a passion for him today, he wasn't a golfer until fairly recently in life. In his younger years Jeff played collegiate basketball and football and grew up hoping to play the latter professionally. Upon joining the workforce, Jeff picked up golf and currently plays at a private course in the Montreal area while working in marketing. He has been a member of GolfWRX since 2008

22 Comments

22 Comments

  1. thatsjapanesesfor far

    May 1, 2013 at 11:36 am

    I appreciate any testing of clubs and i think ewg is less biased than say golf digest since golf digest does get big advertising dollars from the major companies but i love reading their testing also get all the info available and go enjoy the game more, make friends make birdies, make great memories.

  2. Kj

    Apr 20, 2013 at 8:23 am

    As a data point I think this is great. Bottom line, you have to get fit. The hardest part for some of us is that very few fitting carts have X flex shafts. It becomes a guessing game after that.

  3. BobD

    Apr 9, 2013 at 4:07 pm

    This relative ranking is next to useless without the associated data. You need to publish the means and standard deviations for each driver in each category as well as the configurations and environmental data for this to be meaningful at all.

  4. Roger Faithfull

    Apr 9, 2013 at 1:34 pm

    Well done Erwin Watts! A simple visual guide punters can understand. If Wilson has a $100 lower price point…………
    Thats called winning market share.
    If the TEE works real well, and has a more consistent flexing shaft
    in true CPM numbers than this years Callaways (all over the place based on reader reports) then test it out and be Open Minded!
    I will bag any brand that works Better Than What I Got Now
    and hits More Fairways/Greens in Regulation. 44/45 inch Drivers will help you get Centre Impact…but we all knew that. Cheers.

  5. naflack

    Apr 9, 2013 at 12:33 pm

    I agree that this very unscientific but a great place to get the ball rolling…

  6. Joe S

    Apr 9, 2013 at 12:05 pm

    This testing is flawed for sure; And they do need to provide more info. like clubhead speed, AofA, Path, etc. (i.e. full ‘trackman’ data points) and shafts utilized. That said, this is FREAKIN AWESOME. There is so little objective/’scientific data’ out there, I feel this is a big step forward; maybe will help get the ball rolling for more and help us see thru the haze of the manufacturers hype. Robot testing is fine as far as I can see to help establish a base line; particularly as it would relate to ball flight characteristics/spin rates on center /off center hits. I applaud EW for their efforts.

  7. Bill Marshall

    Apr 9, 2013 at 9:24 am

    You want fitted clubs that work for you,go to a professional club fitter,and not some cut and glue guy.You want the same thing you currently have,clubs that don’t work as described for you,go to an “off the rack” store. Newer version than current heartache,but still a heartache. Bill Marshall, certified level 10 club fitter AGCP,Lakeland Florida

  8. J

    Apr 8, 2013 at 8:17 pm

    So… The Wilson and the Exotics come with aftermarket real deal shafts.

    Not sure, but the comment seemed like a backhanded insult to those drivers…

    Seems to me that those are great driver options at a great price point with great shafts..

    I don’t and won’t play either one of them but for someone’s money… Seems like a good deal

    • hbugolf89

      Apr 9, 2013 at 10:09 am

      False…….TEE uses watered down versions of these high end shafts with the retail graphics. The CB 4 had a made for RIP and the XCG series has a made for DI shaft. Not big into following Wilson, but I’m sure it correlates respectivly.

      • Joe Golfer

        Apr 10, 2013 at 1:00 am

        I’m not surprised. Clubs would be too expensive if they used the real deal aftermarket shafts. The Graphite Design Tour AD DI, if that’s what you mean by the “DI”, retails for $380. The Aldila RIP shafts go for about $160.
        What is even more amazing is that, some “made for” shafts are actually made by the same company that has the graphics, just watered down versions with lower technology, less graphite and more resin, higher torque, etc etc…
        And some of those “made for” shafts are not even made by the company that has their name on them. This was revealed in a blog by component company Hireko’s Jeff Summit. The real deal shaft company just takes the money and lets the clubmaker use their name and graphics, but the clubmaker can have a totally different company make that shaft, which just might be a piece of garbage or it might be something reasonably decent, but hardly the quality of the real deal.

    • thatsjapanesesfor far

      May 1, 2013 at 11:29 am

      they are not aftermarket shafts they are the stock shaftsthose companies choose and most all major companies have the same ability to put whatever shaft in they like the pings and titleist do not have made for shafts in 2013 it is the true shfts which sell for big dollars as well as the callawy razr extreme with the same shaft as exotics in it’s option package

  9. paul

    Apr 8, 2013 at 2:56 pm

    I tried the Wilson D100 at the golf show when it came to town. What a great club. I hit it farther then the anser…

  10. Adam

    Apr 8, 2013 at 1:51 pm

    I can say with 100% certainty that this testing is bogus. There is no way that the Ping Anser is the highest launching anything.

  11. purkjason

    Apr 8, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    I smell money being exchanged under the table on this testing. Like everyone else I was shockingly suprised with the outcome of this testing. 1)Wilson Staff D100 …. now that’s funny. 2) Where are all the Adams Drivers? 3)The lack of Callaway hitting better scores. I did my own testing this weekend for 4.5 hours hitting every driver possible at Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy and the “Winner For Me” in distance and accuracy was the Callaway X Hot 9.5 Standard Head with a FREE upgrade Project X Velocity Pro 5.5 Shaft cut down 1.5″ to make it feel more like a 6.0 . The “FREE UPGRADED SHAFT” is what made the “BIG DIFFERENCE”. Outdrove every driver with that shaft by 9 yards !

  12. rtylerg

    Apr 8, 2013 at 1:12 pm

    This ARC system is not a scientific test. Unless they’re using the same shaft with the same length in each of these heads matched to the same swing weight, which wasn’t mentioned anywhere on the website, there are far too many variables to determine which head is really the best. After checking on the Wilson D100 and Tour Exotics specs, it turns out that both these drivers come with premium aftermarket shafts whereas the other heads come with “made for” shafts. I could put a premium shaft in a KMart driver head and it would perform better than most drivers with “made for” shafts. I guess if you just want to buy a driver off the shelf then this testing is fine. However, most good manufacturers have aftermarket shaft options that will make a world of difference compared to their “off the shelf” shafts. Those of you using premium shafts in your drivers know what I’m talking about.

    • SV

      Apr 11, 2013 at 11:56 am

      This article simply states the ARC system gives starting information for people to consider based on manufacturer offering. It doesn’t pretend to be all encompassing. The majority of people can’t break 90 and a lot can’t break 100. I doubt premium shafts are going to make a difference. Until you have someone consistently in the low to mid 70s the premium shafts are just an ego trip and a waste of money.

    • thatsjapanesesfor far

      May 1, 2013 at 11:26 am

      Thw matrix in the exotics and wilson are stock shafts and the shafts for ping and titleist are not made for shafts anymore either the callaway raxr x has the same matrix shaft as the exotics also But just the comment itself is a little funny to me, if you go looking at a corvette and a chevy cruz do you ask them to put the ls9 in th cruz to check performance no you test what the companies produce so that arguement is kind of silly sounding.

  13. Double Mocha Man

    Apr 8, 2013 at 1:07 pm

    Very good catch John.

  14. John

    Apr 8, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    Very good article

  15. Jaacob Bowden

    Apr 8, 2013 at 12:07 pm

    Interesting. 🙂

    Wish this test would include a lot of the smaller manufacturers that have great products but limited marketing budgets.

    Last I checked, I found 97 different companies that make a driver model…bet there would be some surprises in there.

  16. Displayname

    Apr 8, 2013 at 11:59 am

    This is awesome! Glad to see Wilson shine, but I really wish Adams would have been included.

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Whats in the Bag

Chesson Hadley WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620 CB (4, 5), Titleist 620 MB (6-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball
Grip: Odyssey

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Check out more in-hand photos Chesson Hadley’s clubs here.

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Whats in the Bag

Gary Woodland WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Cobra Darkspeed X (8 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 70 M5

  • The white circle that appears at the top of the face a removable sticker that’s used for launch monitor tracking, and Woodland removes it for competition!

3-wood: Cobra Darkspeed X (14 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

7-wood: Cobra LTDx LS prototype (20 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

Irons: Wilson Staff (18 degrees), Cobra King MB (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X

Wedges: Cobra SB (48), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-14F), Cobra King (60)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X (48 degrees), KBS Tour V-Ten 125

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0P

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

See more in-hand photos of Gary Woodland’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

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As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

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I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

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