Krank Golf President Lance Reader Explains the Truth Behind CT Testing on the PGA Tour and the USGA’s Used-Driver Crackdown - Big Gravy & Sleeze SiriusXM Radio

Are used drivers becoming non-conforming? Lance Reader breaks down the rules, the myths, and what every golfer needs to know.”

Colt Knost (Host 1): [00:00:00] Lance Reader, who is the President of Krank Golf, which is the manufacturer of the driver that Bryson DeChambeau plays, is on the line with us now. Lance, how are we doing? It's Colt Knost, and George Savaricas.

Lance Reader: [00:00:08] Hey, guys. Doing really good. Doing great. Crazy weekend.

Colt Knost (Host 1): [00:00:13] Well, yes, it was. It was awesome to see Bryson played really nice in his runner-up finish. He's been a force in major championships, but I know you obviously have a lot more insight about this whole driver testing, that you can kinda fill us in about.

What Is CT Testing, and Why Does It Matter?

Lance Reader: [00:00:26] You bet. I think it's important. I mean, getting this information out effectively and accurate is really, really hard. We got started in the world of long drive and conformity, especially with CT testing and with what they call migration. And migration is when you take a driver and you hit it and you hit it. And what happens is when you hit any driver, it eventually gets a little flatter in the face, and that CT number, which is how they actually test drivers now, will continue to go up and up and up. The flatter the face, the higher the number. It never stops. Right? Even if the driver's not hitting better, the CT number goes up. And so 257 is the maximum number allowed. All these drivers are coming in around that 240 mark, you know, and you can't really push it much past that because the harder the hitter, the faster the face will flatten, and that number will go up. So what they're testing now, which they've done for many, many years in world long drive, is they're now testing used drivers. In the past, they only tested new drivers. Well, all new drivers are under conformity. They're under the 257 mark. So now they started testing used drivers.

The Real Meaning of a “Broken” Driver

Lance Reader: [00:01:41] And my biggest concern with the USGA on this was you have a rule that's 4-1b, and I'll paraphrase, that says "Any driver tested new that is conforming can never be deemed nonconforming". Well, the USGA put in another rule in the last few years that basically states, and I don't have the total the number on it, but that any driver that exceeds 257 in a used state is considered broken and will be pulled from play. So it's not conforming it's the driver is not considered nonconforming. It's considered broken. And there is the most important thing as you go through everything that happened with McElroy and other players that get stuff pulled is that they're really just considered broken. They're not considered nonconforming because they can't be nonconforming because they were conforming to begin with. And no head can be deemed nonconforming if it's conforming in a new state. So they created the other rule that just simply said, it's considered broken, and it will be pulled from play. Like, you would have to pull it if it had a crack. And that that is not being reported properly on any of the broadcasts. But that is Alright.

Colt Knost (Host 1): [00:03:00] Well, that's awesome information. Obviously, you know better than anybody. But, Lance, just to, like, sum it up, would you just say that it's not a big deal? Like, this stuff just happens.

Krank’s Advantage: Harder Metals and More Curve

Lance Reader: [00:03:10] It's not a big deal. And, like, with Krank and with Bryson, when I set him up with his drivers, you know, I know exactly what he's got. I know exactly where it starts. Our driver metal is much, much harder than everybody else's, and we have more curve Bulge and Roll in the face. So it's more durable. It's not just beneficial to gear effect. It's also a benefit to spring effect and durability. But our manufacturing style is so different than everybody else's. And so that's one of the reasons that I think Bryson's you know, he has number one strokes gained out fatigue for the second straight tournament, the masters and this one, because of the way we make our drivers, and it's what he needs.

Why a Flatter Face Means Less Control

But what happens with these other drivers is they're not as curved in the face as Krank is, and so they will flatten quickly, and their metal's not as hard. So if they start flatter in the face and you have a McElroy that's swinging, you know, moving it quick. Right? And so he's pushing that thing flat, and so they'll lose control. Not only is it going over that 257 mark, but the flatter the face, the harder it is to hit straight.

Lance Reader: [00:04:16] And so they're kinda doing them a favor by removing the drivers from play because if they put a new one on, it'll have a little more curve in the face, which will help them hit straighter.

Why the Rule Change Makes Manufacturers Look Bad

It is complicated, but I think it would be really great for the USGA to come out and say, "Look this isn't a nonconforming thing. Because in a used state, it can't be non-conforming". It is considered now broken because it's exceeding that 257 mark. I think it makes the manufacturers look bad to say, "Oh, well, he got his driver pulled because it's non-conforming". Well, the truth is it wasn't nonconforming. It was broken. And that's a really important thing. Manufacturers go through a lot, I'm one of them. To get these amazing drivers to these guys, and it just kinda makes us look bad. And then the reality is everyone is gonna push the boundaries a little bit. But with us and having world ball drive experience with the fastest guys in the world, we've figured out our metals and the curve in the face called Bulge and Roll. Interesting.

George Savaricas (Host 2): [00:05:16] Lance, for the average fan, George Savaricas with you, they hear nonconforming, and I think of the ERC driver, like, twenty years ago, way back in the day or twenty-five years ago, whenever that was. As the USGA has now implemented this protocol, and it's been a bit piecemeal, Scottie Scheffler thought it should be more expansive with their approach. I think it's a third of the field at eight to ten weeks out of the year. How do you think they've approached it so far, and are there any strategic changes that you think would be best going forward?

A History Lesson: The ERC Driver and Past Missteps

Lance Reader: [00:05:51] Well, just a little mark on the ERC. ERC was actually not conforming. It was made to go into the .87 world instead of the .83 core world. And the RNA actually approved it, and the USGA said they were going to or were thinking of it. Callaway years ago made that .87 driver, and then everyone reversed course, and they were stuck with all these million heads that were meant to be conforming that were now non-conforming because they didn't adopt the .87. Anyway, enough of that. I don't think Callaway's ever tried to make a non-conforming driver. But what do I think? I think it's a complicated equation, honestly. I think it's tough. And, you know, Krank has had to build drivers for the Kyle Berkshires, Tim Burks, Dustin James the fastest guys, the Borgmeyers, all the fastest, fastest guys. The guys that are way faster than Bryson.

Building for the Fastest: Krank’s Long Drive Roots

We've had to build drivers that number one, can't break. Number two, don't go overconformity used. There's a big difference between being overconformity in a new state and being overconformity in a used state. And that used state thing is what's causing all the grief to the majors. Well, Krank's been having to deal with that for 23 years with the fastest guys in the world.

Why Spring Effect Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All

Lance Reader: [00:07:19] So I think the USGA, I'm not a huge fan of controlling spring effect anyway because that there's no material known to man that can really make a person that swings really hit it further. Like, even with Bryson, he's swinging a 135 mph, let's say. I actually have to give him a little thicker face for him to maximize spring effect. And so I'm not pushing this conformity. If I gave Bryson a 250 CT, which 257 is max, if I gave him a 250, he would actually hit it shorter than giving him a 235. Crazy. That's how complicated it is. If I gave my wife a 300, she would hit it a lot further than if I gave her a 250 because she swings 62 mph. So the spring effect, you know, with Krank, we make three different face thicknesses, which is a whole different story. But the fact still remains that all golfers need to have the proper face thickness based on the metal and the curvature, which is Bulge and Roll, for them to not only get durability, not only get accuracy but also get spring effect. The whole thing is a big mess, to be honest.

Colt Knost (Host 1): [00:08:41] Alright. Well, thank you so much. It's fascinating stuff and some great insight from Lance Reader, the President of Krank Golf. Thank you so much, Lance. We appreciate it!

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