Thoughts on higher-end shaft choice for Ping G400 Max driver

I am a newbie to GolfWRX.

Have found that there are is such a wealth of knowledge and opinions regarding all things golf from so many knowledgeable players and community.

Happy to be part of this community.

I just bought a G400 Max. Fitted for 9deg (Tour 65s).

About me: 95-105 swing speed, mid transition (can be quick at times, leading to high slice), neutral angle of attack, spin 2200-2700, moderate smash factor. Average (240-260 carry).

Thinking about these aftermarket high-end shafts:

Oban kiyoshi (white, purple, black)

Tensei CK (orange, orange pro, white, white pro)

Hzrdus

Any thoughts/opinions/suggestions?

I am a newbie to GolfWRX.

 

Have found that there are is such a wealth of knowledge and opinions regarding all things golf from so many knowledgeable players and community.

 

Happy to be part of this community.

 

I just bought a G400 Max. Fitted for 9deg (Tour 65s).

About me: 95-105 swing speed, mid transition (can be quick at times, leading to high slice), neutral angle of attack, spin 2200-2700, moderate smash factor. Average (240-260 carry).

 

Thinking about these aftermarket high-end shafts:

 

Oban kiyoshi (white, purple, black)

Tensei CK (orange, orange pro, white, white pro)

Hzrdus

 

Any thoughts/opinions/suggestions?

Love my kiyoshi white.

Respectfully, what is wrong with the shaft it came with? Those are pretty good numbers that you have posted. More expensive doesn't necessarily mean better.

Considered Tour AD DI?

High and lower spin... I love the set up.

I find the tour 65 to be an excellent shaft in the ping drivers. I could easily replace my rogue silver on my callaway if needed with one.

Numbers look pretty good with that shaft, . If you are getting those carry numbers with your swing speed you may not gain much. There are a lot of great shaft options out there but be prepared to spend $$$. Might look at the Aldila synergy line if you really want to try other options. Tensai Orange could work well also.

I was fitted for the G400 Max earlier this spring, and they kept me in the stock shaft b/c of how it was performing for me. Do your numbers look off or do you just want a higher end shaft?

The tour 65 shaft is a great fit for the G400 Max. If it feels good to you, might be worth trying it for a while.

I hit that shaft in X flex and really have been happy with it. I have a ton of shafts at my disposal but the Tour 65 wont be leaving anytime soon...What are you trying to change or gain in your numbers?

G400 Max is a high launching head, that being said i’d steer clear of a high launch shaft like the AD DI or AD IZ. They’re great shafts and great suggestions, but just not for the G400 Max.

Tensei Pro Orange (in my opinion) is the best shaft to pair with any G400. It’s a slightly Counterbalanced shaft and that plays perfectly with the 205-208gr head of the G400 (specifically 206gr for the MAX).

TollBros “big bad low spin shaft review” is a really good place to look for reviews on some of these high end shafts. (Spoiler, they all loved the Tensei Pro Orange).

I agree with Bomber. After hitting it on the range and on the course for the past couple of months, I have found that the Max is a high launching head and would be best paired with a lower launching shaft. Also, as many have said, the Tour shaft is a great option and may be worth spending some time trying to groove it in before switching up shafts. However, like all WRX'ers, I have been wondering how I might tinker and get a couple more yards out of the Max and two shafts I have been thinking about as a potential good match are the Tour AD GP and the Speeder Evolution II series. Also wondering how a Kuro Kage XT shaft might work in a Max head as well.

Either way, welcome to WRX and keep us posted on what you end up going with!

No need to go with an exotic shaft in the MAX. I have tried a bunch of shafts, 661 Speeder Evo TS, the stock ALTA, Tour 65, 661 Evo (blue), the HZRDUS yellow, and am currently playing a Diamana D+ 72... All performed pretty much the same and produced the same numbers. The Tour 65 spun a little more but that's only because it's a tipped R flex and still only spun at 2500 RPM at the highest for me. I have a MAX on the way with a HZRDUS yellow 76 and some hotmelt high on the face so I will have to wait to see how that performs but that shaft, again, produced very similar numbers to the rest. The MAX, besides the sound, is a great performing head and seems like it does the bulk of the work on it own..LOL

OP here.

Thanks for everyone's thoughtful opinions and insight.

As a newbie to this site, my ho'ing is getting the better of me.

Tour 65s is a great shaft. Just feel I may be missing something.

OP here.

 

Thanks for everyone's thoughtful opinions and insight.

 

As a newbie to this site, my ho'ing is getting the better of me.

 

Tour 65s is a great shaft. Just feel I may be missing something.

Take a look at this, particular #6: http://www.golfwrx.com/6419/tom-wishon-talking-to-wrx-readers-10-myths-about-shafts-factual-info-about-shafts-to-help-you-all/

The short version is that more money doesn't necessarily mean that you'll gain anything unless the shaft happens to be a better fit for your swing, but your numbers look pretty good with the Ping 65 shaft so it's not obvious that you'll pick up anything significant by changing shafts.

OP here.

 

Thanks for everyone's thoughtful opinions and insight.

 

As a newbie to this site, my ho'ing is getting the better of me.

 

Tour 65s is a great shaft. Just feel I may be missing something.

 

Take a look at this, particular #6: http://www.golfwrx.com/6419/tom-wishon-talking-to-wrx-readers-10-myths-about-shafts-factual-info-about-shafts-to-help-you-all/

 

The short version is that more money doesn't necessarily mean that you'll gain anything unless the shaft happens to be a better fit for your swing, but your numbers look pretty good with the Ping 65 shaft so it's not obvious that you'll pick up anything significant by changing shafts.

Please, please, please listen to this post. High end does not mean better. Marketing is strong in the shaft world. With the numbers you have posted you will do well as long as your swing is producing solid strikes. Now I am a bit of a hypocrite because I have spent large amounts of money on shafts when all I should have been doing is going to the range. Good luck.

I am a newbie to GolfWRX.

 

Have found that there are is such a wealth of knowledge and opinions regarding all things golf from so many knowledgeable players and community.

 

Happy to be part of this community.

 

I just bought a G400 Max. Fitted for 9deg (Tour 65s).

About me: 95-105 swing speed, mid transition (can be quick at times, leading to high slice), neutral angle of attack, spin 2200-2700, moderate smash factor. Average (240-260 carry).

 

Thinking about these aftermarket high-end shafts:

 

Oban kiyoshi (white, purple, black)

Tensei CK (orange, orange pro, white, white pro)

Hzrdus

 

Any thoughts/opinions/suggestions?

I have similar swing speed as you. I have a Tensei CK Pro Orange in mine and couldn't be happier.

You don't have to go super high end, but I would be trying to lower your spinrate to 1900-2200. You can always add loft...

Some older shafts you may be able to get cheap

1. Rogue Silver

2. Diamana S+

3. Aldila Tour Green

OP here.

 

Thanks for everyone's thoughtful opinions and insight.

 

As a newbie to this site, my ho'ing is getting the better of me.

 

Tour 65s is a great shaft. Just feel I may be missing something.

 

Take a look at this, particular #6: http://www.golfwrx.com/6419/tom-wishon-talking-to-wrx-readers-10-myths-about-shafts-factual-info-about-shafts-to-help-you-all/

 

The short version is that more money doesn't necessarily mean that you'll gain anything unless the shaft happens to be a better fit for your swing, but your numbers look pretty good with the Ping 65 shaft so it's not obvious that you'll pick up anything significant by changing shafts.

 

Please, please, please listen to this post. High end does not mean better. Marketing is strong in the shaft world. With the numbers you have posted you will do well as long as your swing is producing solid strikes. Now I am a bit of a hypocrite because I have spent large amounts of money on shafts when all I should have been doing is going to the range. Good luck.

Exactly. Where on the driver face you make contact is probably the most important factor in launch conditions... see the second graphic on this post:

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/909991-diy-driver-tune-up-diy-fitting/

G400 Max is a high launching head, that being said i’d steer clear of a high launch shaft like the AD DI or AD IZ. They’re great shafts and great suggestions, but just not for the G400 Max.

 

Tensei Pro Orange (in my opinion) is the best shaft to pair with any G400. It’s a slightly Counterbalanced shaft and that plays perfectly with the 205-208gr head of the G400 (specifically 206gr for the MAX).

 

TollBros “big bad low spin shaft review” is a really good place to look for reviews on some of these high end shafts. (Spoiler, they all loved the Tensei Pro Orange).

How about the lower launching AD TP?

I went from a G30 LS with KK XT

To a G400 Max w Pro White

Love the move

240 carry at the low end with 95 mph and moderate smash is... optimized.

Whatever shaft you get that with, keep it and never let it go.

The Tour 65 is a top notch shaft. I had this in my G LS driver and it was a magic combo.

But now I have the G400 Max, this is a high launch head, relatively low spin but I went the Fujikura ATMOS route since that is a Tour winning shaft with superb dispersion and, for me, really controlled the launch of this head and even less spin.

Here is my post and pictures in the ATMOS Testing thread of my driver

Another option - If you look around, there is a site sponsor here that you can "rent" a high end shaft for a week. They use Conex adapters so you have +/- 1* limited but that should be fine. Check them out.

Just my MO but you might lose distance with some of the shafts you posted.........You're not a TXXXXX like 99.9% of the golfers on WRX..

With your SS you want something that will aid in launch and keep spin exactly where you have it. A CK Pro White/Orange would not be a good choice you might lose enough spin that the ball will fall out of the air. Those 95mph strikes would be hurt really bad in that situation.

Been playing the Max for over a year now. Loving it, very forgiving, but I’ve lost distance on flushed strokes compared to my old Titleist 909 (yea that old) which comes down to height and spin. Average length might be longer as I am more consistent, but man I am launching it hiiigh.

Trying the Matrix Black Tie 6M3 in stiff next week instead of the Alta 55. Will be interesting to see the difference.

105ss and 8hcp, so hoping I have the “juice” to reap the benefits of that rather strong shaft.

I've been a G400 Max lover, and hater of money for quite some time. I also tend to have numbers very in-line with those you posted. The three high end shafts I have tested include:

Tensei PO - 45.5" - great shaft and my gamer for quite some time. For me, it felt extremely stable with a really nice kick when loaded properly. Definitely kept both flight and spin pretty low. Moved on from it recently to try to gain a bit more launch as my home course is wet and does not roll at all. Figured I'd optimize for carry.

Fuji Evo V - 45.5" - also a great shaft, but didn't work quite as well with my swing. Nice feel, higher flight and spin than the PO, but for me - slightly wider horizontal dispersion. I might go back to both it and the PO to test again soon given some swing changes and speed gains, however...

GD AD-VR - 44.75" - this shaft is AMAZING for me right now. Great feel, great looks, higher ball flight, increased distance over the other both PO and Evo V at a shorter length. I'm in love with this thing right now as the driver has actually become a weapon rather than a liability for me lately.

I'd love to try the Ventus given the hype, however it's tough given my success with the VR lately

I have all sorts of shafts with Ping tips

Aldila Nasty Long 60x would be good

I am a big Oban guy, the Revenge 65x is MONEY in the LST head. The white 65 s is pretty good as well

OP I support your shaft ho'ing, that I also love, I must have close to 60 shafts in the basement

I'm using the KKDC tour stiff proto and it's going pretty well but the ball is just going to high to be ideal right now. I think w the Max it's probably best to pair it with a stiffer tipped shaft. I've been looking for similar shaft but with stiffer tip. Been thinking a KK XM, Oban tour limited, Yellow Smoke, or a EF white. I usually like mid soft shafts, 65-70 g and I have a quick tempo and transition w about 105 head speed.

> @PorscheFan said:

> 240 carry at the low end with 95 mph and moderate smash is... optimized.

>

>

>

> Whatever shaft you get that with, keep it and never let it go.

That's what I was thinking..... But..... Very few of us really have ten mph difference in our swings. At least from what I've seen. So if he's really at 105 most of the time the 240's are mishits and a different shaft or length or weight may help. He really cannot be carrying 260 some if the time with 95.

My opinion is to not guess. Get to a qualified fitter and get it right.