Non Stock Shafts

[JimR]

I'm interested in knowing how many of you play with non-stock shafts (i.e. shafts not provided by the original equipment manufacturer or OEM) and, for those of you who do, how you choose the shaft you are using and to what degree you believe it has benefited your game.

I am gearing up to purchase a new driver this Spring and have heard that the performance of almost all OEM drivers can be significantly improved by "upgrading" the shaft. Fact or fiction? And if fact, how do you ensure its the right choice assuming one doesn't have access to modified demo clubs to test the combination on the range or simulator?

JimR

 

[d0n]

I used to think that aftermarket shafts were the only way to go. Then we played with a guy who plays open tour events. On one of the long straight par5's he took all four of our drivers and hit a ball with each. 4 different drivers, all different stiff shafts (2 stock, 2 aftermarket) he put all 4 balls within 15 or so yards of one another and all in the 275-290yd range. I now believe if you have a good swing the difference between OEM and aftermarket is not near as great as I used to think it was.

With that being said, they can definitely change the feel and ball flight.

I like "tinkering" and "modifying" everything I can. This mentality hasn't been lost on golf clubs. Maybe it is placebo but I really like the feel and shot characteristics of premium aftermarket shafts but alas, I feel their value is lost on my mediocre swing...

<I'm referring to wood, hybrid, and driver shafts>

 

[otto6457]

I'm interested in knowing how many of you play with non-stock shafts (i.e. shafts not provided by the original equipment manufacturer or OEM) and, for those of you who do, how you choose the shaft you are using and to what degree you believe it has benefited your game.

I am gearing up to purchase a new driver this Spring and have heard that the performance of almost all OEM drivers can be significantly improved by "upgrading" the shaft. Fact or fiction? And if fact, how do you ensure its the right choice assuming one doesn't have access to modified demo clubs to test the combination on the range or simulator?

JimR

I have changed the shafts in my Titleist 755's from the stock Trispecs to Project-X. It made a HUGE difference. Much better trajectory and they feel much better. I decided to try the Project-X's after my lesson with Brian last Spring when he recommended them.

I have played around with driver shafts with less benefit. For me the problem was a lack of different shafts to try. I would love to spend some serious time with a completely equipped facility and hit 20-30 different shaft/head combos. Using a Trackman would be a major hoot. The best driver shaft decision I made was going to a little heavier shaft. I became a little more consistent with it. I certainly don't think my driver is optimum for me right now, but I hit it OK.

 

[jenhaoyen]

Project X owns.

 

[birdie_man]

Never tried em....."what's the deal"??

 

[tobell]

IMO shafts are very important, especially in the driver. I've tried many and for me I can't beat the old Speeder 757...newer shafts just don't feel or perform as good for me. Once you find whatever works for you, stick with it and save yourself some time and money. Every swing is unique...everbody loads and unloads the shaft a bit differently... that is why you have to do your own homework. I can hit other shafts as well as my gamer, but no other balance the feel/feedback/performance characteristics.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Shafts are a great fine tuning tool; i will admit that stock shafts have come a long way mainly because the OEMs are contacting the big shaft makers like Fujikura, Aldila, Matrix, UST, Accra, etc to make them really nice shafts at a lower price point that they can throw in their drivers.

Plus many of the OEMs also have upgrades straight to the real deal shafts too. And to the OP 15 yards IS A LOT.

 

[Cope]

Get on the launch monitor / trackman, etc.

 

[Burner]

Never tried em....."what's the deal"??

The truth is out there somewhere. But, make sure you don't get shafted whilst looking for it.

May be a silly question - and its generalised, i.e not specific to you, so anyone can have their $0.02 worth - but why would any one be so foolish as to spend big bucks on expensive OEM equipment only to take it home and trash it?

 

[cmartingolf]

I like the project X too. Mine are the satin looking shafts as opposed to chrome. Don't know the diff, but sure liked them the moment I hit'em.

To me, if you are going to err, err on the side of stiffer. Your body will adjust and it will adjust more aggressively. Give a soft shaft to a bomber and he'll have to wait for it and won't be able to be as aggressive.

There's no science in that comment, only a lot of years.

 

[Bronco Billy]

Stiffer Shafts Forces(f=ma) the Face to Stay on the Ball Longer in the Impact Zone...

I like the project X too. Mine are the satin looking shafts as opposed to chrome. Don't know the diff, but sure liked them the moment I hit'em.

To me, if you are going to err, err on the side of stiffer. Your body will adjust and it will adjust more aggressively. Give a soft shaft to a bomber and he'll have to wait for it and won't be able to be as aggressive.

There's no science in that comment, only a lot of years.

.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Project X are unique shafts; they are designed to launch higher with less spin to flatten out the ball flight. These work well for high ball hitters, people who spin the ball a ton or even low ball hitters who need to get the extra initial launch.

The project x were designed by kim braley who also designed the accra tour iron series (great shafts too expensive) and he is also the brain child behind the new called FST KB Tour. They are a better version of the project x and are taking off on tour.

BTW the difference between the satin and the chrome versions is NADA. When True Temper bought out royal precision they stopped producing the satin shafts due to the amount of time it took to do them. Also, the older satin shafts that were produced while Royal Precision was still the owner were NOTORIOUS for being way off in flex, usually way too stiff. Now they are a more butt stiff shaft so they CPM higher than others but normally they played too stiff. The TT qa is much better

 

[birdie_man]

The truth is out there somewhere. But, make sure you don't get shafted whilst looking for it.

Did you mean this pun Burner??

May be a silly question - and its generalised, i.e not specific to you, so anyone can have their $0.02 worth - but why would any one be so foolish as to spend big bucks on expensive OEM equipment only to take it home and trash it?

You must have a lot of time $$$ patience.......!

This stuff (equipment) can get crazy if you get really into it.

Hooray for demo clubs!, baby.

Having said that though.....even here we don't have any kind of real super-duper selection...there is just so much out there.

 

[birdie_man]

The project x were designed by kim braley who also designed the accra tour iron series (great shafts too expensive)

UST Accra?

The TT qa is much better

TT qa?

"Quality [blank]".........??

 

[jmessner]

I've been doing clubmaking as a hobby for quite a few years and have gotten fairly technical with shaft profiling (measuring staff stiffness at various points down the shaft). There's a fairly standard method for doing this now, but the real question is what do you do with the data and how do you use it for shaft fitting. Some new ideas are being floated, and some relate the different "zone" stiffnesses to swing tempo, transition aggressiveness, clubhead speed and release characteristics. Tom Wishon has a method that's probably a good starting point. (cmartin - interesting comment about going stiffer because Wishon's rule of thumb is to always go softer when in doubt.)

Still, there's a non-mathematical feel aspect to shafts that makes it hard sometimes to predict what will work for some players and not others. So, there's some black art in getting what feels good AND performs well. I will say I'm not sure there's a proportionate value in $300 shafts vs $30 shafts. I've seen OEM shafts perform very well, so I'd not automatically switch unless there was some dislike from the golfer or obvious performance problem.

Personally - I build all my own clubs custom so I know what's going on with the shaft and the head (it's amazing how many OEM clubheads are way off in loft and face angle, etc. when you actually measure them).

Jay

 

[jmessner]

UST Accra?



TT qa?

"Quality [blank]".........??

I assume Jim means Quality Assurance - that True Temper now builds those shafts that measure in a more narrow band of stiffness, weight, etc.

 

[jpeck]

Yes, err on the side of stiffer....

I like the project X too. Mine are the satin looking shafts as opposed to chrome. Don't know the diff, but sure liked them the moment I hit'em.

To me, if you are going to err, err on the side of stiffer. Your body will adjust and it will adjust more aggressively. Give a soft shaft to a bomber and he'll have to wait for it and won't be able to be as aggressive.

There's no science in that comment, only a lot of years.

I agree, get the stiffest shaft you can handle, and I think it's especially important for the younger player trying to become a 'better golfer'. With stiff shafts it always seemed that my game was improving. When I went back to softer shafts my swing speed dropped significantly and I hit the ball all over the place.

My driver and hybrid have up-market shafts, but I like the stock shafts in my fairway woods and couldn't imagine changing them.

 

[tongzilla]

Have you ever wondered why it says "exclusively for Titleist" on the shaft? It ain't cuz they customised the shaft so it performs better with the Titleist head .

 

[mjstrong]

Never tried em....."what's the deal"??

Spec-wise, I'd have to look it up. But, performance-wise, I was able to get a higher, flatter trajectory out of my irons, while still feeling stiffer than S300's. Played very well with them in a tournament, right out of the box.

 

[Burner]

Did you mean this pun Burner??

Good old English humour! Well meant; every word of it.

Another question, again in open forum:-

With competition for market share being so fiercely contested by the OEMs, why would any of them jeopardise their position by fitting crap shafts?

Finally, how many forum members have bought a "top of the range, mega bucks (gain an extra 25 yards)" OEM Driver and then pulled the shaft and stuck something else in its place? And, (truthfully now!) did it make any real difference?