On 2002-09-02, Guy Owen rated this Dynacraft DFS a 5...(499)
Purchase: After struggling with my mediocre game for many years, I finally decided to get Custom-Fitted for a new set of clubs. I live in Hyattsville, Maryland and started searching on the Internet for a local Club Fitter. I came across CustomClubsofFrederick.com and liked what I read on the Website -- especially the news about his use of The Golf Achiever, a computerized analyzer that would allow complete review of clubhead speed, ball position at impact, approach angle, etc. After a two-hour session at his location, we discovered that the main problem with my game seemed to be the Lie Angle of my clubs. After hitting 50 or so balls into a net, virtually all of them were hit in the toe area of my irons, no matter which iron I hit or which shaft I used -- until I tried a clubhead that had a 2-degree up lie adjustment. Suddenly, I hit virtually everything near the sweet spot. I then tested several different clubheads and chose the Dynacraft DFS as the best-feeling for me. I coupled these with Precision Rifle shafts (Regular), dropping twelve years of playing with nothing but graphites. I also chose the Winn soft grips. My final pricing was about $59 per Club, Custom-Fitted and Assembled.
During the testing, The Golf Achiever, showed that my Swing Speed was about average-to-slow, at 74MPH. Angle of Approach was good. Direction through the Impact Zone was good. The only oddity seemed to be repeated toe hits. The unit actually gives a read-out for about 30 different test areas of interest. CustomGolfClubsofFrederick was the only local place that I could find that offered this service. If you wish to talk to the owner, Mike Bednarcik, his email is: CustomGolfClubs@aol.com. I have no affiliation with him. In fact, we had a few small misunderstandings during this Sale -- one, I did not realize adjusting the Lie might cause small marks on the club heads; two, I did not understand some descriptions on why the Flighted Rifle Shafts that I requested would not really help me; three, he does not take Credit Cards. So, I am only writing this to you to speak about the most important issues -- the quality of the clubs and the results I've seen.
Pros: I'll admit, for a so-so (but fairly avid) golfer, I was not real turned on by the idea of buying off-brand clubs. I was in the habit of dropping upwards of $360 per Driver in an effort to discover that one magic solution, but nothing ever really worked. My scores for this past year in our League Play were averaging around 102. My first time out with the new Custom-Fitted DFS Irons by Dynacraft was an 85 -- my lowest score ever in 12 years! My next game was a 95 -- my second-lowest score for this year. The Rifle Shafts added a sense of control that I had never really felt before. The radius sole of the DFS Irons cuts through the turf like nothing I've used before (and I've only played $900 sets the past 8 years, currently owning both a set of TaylorMade Bubbles and King Cobra Seniors). The accuracy is uncanny. As you can tell, my average score of 102 means I'm not very accurate -- and short of my intended target a lot of the time. I used to push everything right -- the result of repeated toe hits. I hit virtually every single Green on my two most-recent rounds with these new clubs. I would never have thought such results could come from an off-brand set. The combination of Rifle Shaft with Winn soft grip feels less harsh to me than did any of my high-dollar irons with graphite shafts. I'm actually thinking about trying to learn how to squeegee the ball! I originally did not order the 3 and 4 iron because I simply could never hit them. My confidence is so high, right now, that I just placed an order for those two remaining clubs from Mike. My true feeling is that the steel shafts and headweight are fairly-well balanced. My clubs feel like I'm using a scythe instead of a plastic stick with a rock on the end of it.
Cons: The "off-brand" nature of these clubs do a mind-game with you. I've been playing all namebrand equipment since I started playing golf twelve years ago -- except for a few experiments here and there. Had I known that a Club Fitting would have such a dramatic improvement, I would have done this years before. It took me twelve years to realize that a "name" does not guarantee results. I've got a basement full of namebrand clubs that I still can't hit to prove it.
Quality: Top-notch. These clubs look as good as anything I've ever used. However, the design of the Numerals leaves a little to be desired. The "5" looks just like the "S" on the Sand Wedge. I use an Eagle's Nest to organize my clubs in my bag, and that helps. The Rifle Shafts are gorgeous. I've always hated "stepped" steel looks, but this smooth taper looks very appealing. And an added feature to steel -- they don't get dinged-up in the bag like all of my graphites have. Some friends do not like the feel of the soft, sponge-feel of the Winn Grips, but I like them a lot. One small problem I've had in the past is I tend to release my grip slightly at the top. This sponge grip lets me keep contact during that instance.
Review Summary: Custom-Fitting is worth the price and the effort! Be sure ytou find a reputable Fitter. I think The Golf Achiever was the wildest thing I've seen in determining whether any other critical area in my swing was suffering. It's a $3,900 to $6,500 Retail unit, so you may have some difficulty finding a shop that uses one. You can check it out at www.golfachiever.com. Custom Clubs of Frederick was the closest Fitter that I could find, and I feel lucky that I did.
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