A little help with shaft selection please guys.

Guys, a little help please. I am 60 years old, barely hanging on to 14 handicap (mind you I was told I would not use my left arm again 16 years ago ha ha), and hit driver about 200 - 220 yards. I hit a fade and want to upgrade from my G25 and get the G400 LST. I am not after distance just want to keep the dispersion down and was thinking of a 44" stiff shaft (not too stiff, I obviously won't have the club head speed to make it work) of some description. Clearly, I want minimum spin also.

I do not believe I am a good enough golfer to go for the full fitting etc so am hoping you guys can steer me in the right direction.

Is my thinking right and what shaft do you guys suggest?

Thanks,

Rob from Sydney

Please see above - haven't worked out how to delete these things yet.

Thanks,

Rob

At the very least get on a launch monitor. Find your swing speed and launch conditions. You have several options stock on the LST so you may just need a certain flex profile in Regular flex to get the flight/spin you are wanting. Don’t get caught up in the flex...for example I have 8 shafts with cobra tips. I have used cobra drivers for 6 years. Some are stiff, x stiff and I have one prototype in a regular flex and they are very similar in how they play. Slight differences in flight and spin. My clubhead speed is 117-120...I switch between the shafts depending on course conditions at times or when I lose feel for one shaft. The flex is a small part of the equation...the way the shafts performs is a much bigger factor. White tie/red tie/ black tie for example. Do yourself a huge service and try some demo shafts and do it on a monitor. It shouldn’t cost you anything to do that.

> @mogc60 said:

> At the very least get on a launch monitor. Find your swing speed and launch conditions. You have several options stock on the LST so you may just need a certain flex profile in Regular flex to get the flight/spin you are wanting. Don’t get caught up in the flex...for example I have 8 shafts with cobra tips. I have used cobra drivers for 6 years. Some are stiff, x stiff and I have one prototype in a regular flex and they are very similar in how they play. Slight differences in flight and spin. My clubhead speed is 117-120...I switch between the shafts depending on course conditions at times or when I lose feel for one shaft. The flex is a small part of the equation...the way the shafts performs is a much bigger factor. White tie/red tie/ black tie for example. Do yourself a huge service and try some demo shafts and do it on a monitor. It shouldn’t cost you anything to do that.

Thanks mate, that is very helpful and exactly what I was looking for. Even I would say I know a lot about putters but the modern equipment, in particular shafts, launch angles etc - I am completely ignorant, so thanks again. ?

Rob

Many places offer “free” fittings when you are purchasing a club. These free fittings aren’t as in depth as the ones that cost $100/hour but they are perfect for what you are asking about. You’ll be able to test out some of the different stock shaft offerings and dial in the loft and lie settings. Where do you live? Maybe someone on here knows a location that offers this service.

> @"Rob McHugh" said:

> Guys, a little help please. I am 60 years old, barely hanging on to 14 handicap (mind you I was told I would not use my left arm again 16 years ago ha ha), and hit driver about 200 - 220 yards. I hit a fade and want to upgrade from my G25 and get the G400 LST. I am not after distance just want to keep the dispersion down and was thinking of a 44" stiff shaft (not too stiff, I obviously won't have the club head speed to make it work) of some description. Clearly, I want minimum spin also.

> I do not believe I am a good enough golfer to go for the full fitting etc so am hoping you guys can steer me in the right direction.

> Is my thinking right and what shaft do you guys suggest?

> Thanks,

> Rob from Sydney

A couple of mis-conceptions might need to be cleared up first.

* First, and most important, higher handicaps actually can get more of a benefit out of a fitting than lower handicaps, so the idea that you are not good enough to to go for a full fitting is just plain nonsense - no offense intended :-).

* Second, you don't need any particular club head speed to make any shaft "work" no matter what the stiffness. The only "requirement" is that it doesn't feel too stiff or too soft in your particular judgement.

* Third , the effect of the shaft stiffness on launch and spin can vary a lot depending on the player. For many amateurs, it can have zero effect. The faster the swing speed and/or the later the release, the more likely it is to have some (small) effect. But for a small percentage of players - who are very sensitive to the feel coming from the shaft and "need" that feel to match their expectations of how they think it should feel - it can be significant.

* Finally, shaft weight and finding the right playing length are generally much more important specs to consider than the stiffness when it comes to looking for consistency and low dispersion. For many, stiffness will play only a minor role in that aspect of the results.

The bottom line is that finding out what shaft stiffness (and weight) is a good fit can only be done through a trial and error process (which is what a fitting really is). It's just too subjective in how different individuals can potentially react to different feels from the shaft to figure out any other way. You can do it yourself by demo'ing whatever you can get your hands on (e.g. trying different stock shafts or shafts in the OEM fitting carts found at most retail outlets) - or go see a fitter who can help guide you through the process.

> @"Stuart G." said:

> > @"Rob McHugh" said:

> > Guys, a little help please. I am 60 years old, barely hanging on to 14 handicap (mind you I was told I would not use my left arm again 16 years ago ha ha), and hit driver about 200 - 220 yards. I hit a fade and want to upgrade from my G25 and get the G400 LST. I am not after distance just want to keep the dispersion down and was thinking of a 44" stiff shaft (not too stiff, I obviously won't have the club head speed to make it work) of some description. Clearly, I want minimum spin also.

> > I do not believe I am a good enough golfer to go for the full fitting etc so am hoping you guys can steer me in the right direction.

> > Is my thinking right and what shaft do you guys suggest?

> > Thanks,

> > Rob from Sydney

>

> A couple of mis-conceptions might need to be cleared up first.

> * First, and most important, higher handicaps actually can get more of a benefit out of a fitting than lower handicaps, so the idea that you are not good enough to to go for a full fitting is just plain nonsense - no offense intended :-).

> * Second, you don't need any particular club head speed to make any shaft "work" no matter what the stiffness. The only "requirement" is that it doesn't feel too stiff or too soft in your particular judgement.

> * Third , the effect of the shaft stiffness on launch and spin can vary a lot depending on the player. For many amateurs, it can have zero effect. The faster the swing speed and/or the later the release, the more likely it is to have some (small) effect. But for a small percentage of players - who are very sensitive to the feel coming from the shaft and "need" that feel to match their expectations of how they think it should feel - it can be significant.

> * Finally, shaft weight and finding the right playing length are generally much more important specs to consider than the stiffness when it comes to looking for consistency and low dispersion. For many, stiffness will play only a minor role in that aspect of the results.

>

> The bottom line is that finding out what shaft stiffness (and weight) is a good fit can only be done through a trial and error process (which is what a fitting really is). It's just too subjective in how different individuals can potentially react to different feels from the shaft to figure out any other way. You can do it yourself by demo'ing whatever you can get your hands on (e.g. trying different stock shafts or shafts in the OEM fitting carts found at most retail outlets) - or go see a fitter who can help guide you through the process.

>

>

This is spot on and a more explained version of my response. There are so many options and it really is trial and error because no two people load, release and feel the club the same. Length, weight, flex, bend point all play a factor in what you the player feels. Hence the eight shafts I have...I went through about 20, but ended up with different options that all are real close. All are 70-75 gram range and all measure out at 44 1/4 playing length. At the very least do the free fitting with purchase.

> @mogc60 said:

>At the very least do the free fitting with purchase.

>

I'm not saying don't do it - but people need to be aware that the vast majority of retail store "fitting" generally do not address and ignore the most important specs - playing length (for longer clubs) and swing weight. And most of the time they don't really pay much attention to shaft weight either or face angle or even grip size for that matter. Although you never know and may get lucky.

If you want tight dispersion, consider the G400 Max. It’s the easiest to hit and most forgiving driver on the market in my opinion. It will spin a little more than you would like with the stock shaft, but I’m using the Project X Even Flow Black in mine. Helps keep the launch and spin down where I prefer it. But yes, like others have said, go get custom fit.

> @"Stuart G." said:

> > @mogc60 said:

> >At the very least do the free fitting with purchase.

> >

>

> I'm not saying don't do it - but people need to be aware that the vast majority of retail store "fitting" generally do not address and ignore the most important specs - playing length (for longer clubs) and swing weight. And most of the time they don't really pay much attention to shaft weight either or face angle or even grip size for that matter. Although you never know and may get lucky.

>

>

Agreed. Sad but true. Playing length and weight are so overlooked. Huge factors in face angle, angle of decent....etc.

Hello guys,

I can’t thank you enough!

I have decided to go get a proper fitting. (I won the comp today so maybe I’m not quite as s*** as I think). You have given me so much food for thought that I am going to get expert assistance.

I love this place, for years I have endeavored to help people out where I can on putter advice, so it is great to get such helpful advice from you guys on stuff I know very little about - thanks again. ??

Rob