Tipping shaft to improve distance?

[ApinkPanduh]

So a little background, I’m currently playing a Titleist 818H1 19* with a Diamana D+ 92g X shaft. I hit the ball about 250-260 but I’ve been having trouble making consistent contact and the shaft feels really heavy in my hands for some reason.

 

I used to play the Adams Idea Super Black 19* with an Aldila Green Voodoo shaft that I think plays around 80g S. I only hit this club about 235-240 but I was much straighter and more consistent with it. The ball just tended to fly much higher with much more spin.

 

Now I’m wondering, if I tip the Aldila shaft an inch to increase the stiffness of the flex, would it reduce the spin and launch enough to counteract losing an inch on club length and losing an inch and a half in club length compared to the Titleist hybrid. The gap in my bag is at that 250-260 range but I want something I can hit more consistently particularly as a fairway finder off the tee.

 

For reference my swing speed with the driver is about 118 and I play about a 6. I’m not too concerned with the length being too short for me just concerned with not being able to make up the distance because the club is too short.

[Stuart_G]

If you are not getting consistent contact, than the current spin, launch and even ball speed - are useless to compare or judge what will happen if the 'new' shaft improves that impact in the new head - as are the numbers you had in a different head with that shaft.

 

Don't tip it yet. That's not something that can be undone. Try it first in the new head untipped and see what happens before making any decisions on tipping.

 

And even if the the launch and spin does become a bit too high - it's not impossible but it really is unlikely that tipping will make that much difference and solve the launch/spin issues. Tipping is generally done as means to tweak the feel of the shaft loading/unloading. It's not typically all that effective for tweaking ball flight for most. Now if the shaft does feel a bit too soft in the new head, that would be a perfectly valid reason to try some tipping. And actually, it's even possible that the feel of the shaft stiffness (as well as weight) could have been a contributing factor to the straighter and more consistent ball flight - and by tipping you could loose some of that benefit.

[ApinkPanduh]

If you are not getting consistent contact, than the current spin, launch and even ball speed - are useless to compare or judge what will happen if the 'new' shaft improves that impact in the new head - as are the numbers you had in a different head with that shaft.

 

Don't tip it yet. That's not something that can be undone. Try it first in the new head untipped and see what happens before making any decisions on tipping.

 

And even if the the launch and spin does become a bit too high - it's not impossible but it really is unlikely that tipping will make that much difference and solve the launch/spin issues. Tipping is generally done as means to tweak the feel of the shaft loading/unloading. It's not typically all that effective for tweaking ball flight for most. Now if the shaft does feel a bit too soft in the new head, that would be a perfectly valid reason to try some tipping. And actually, it's even possible that the feel of the shaft stiffness (as well as weight) could have been a contributing factor to the straighter and more consistent ball flight - and by tipping you could loose some of that benefit.

 

So I may not end up gaining or losing any distance at all but I could have the potential to gain consistency again which could in then improve launch, spin, ball speed, etc...

[Jagpilotohio]

Only on WRX does someone lament “the gap in my bag at 250-260”. Good stuff. ; )

[grochol17]

Maybe not exactly an answer to your question, but, in my experience, the Voodoo NV and the Diamana D+ are two completely different shafts in terms of feel. So, if you liked the feel of the Voodoo NV in your old hybrid, I'm not surprised you're having trouble getting along with the D+ in the 818.

 

When it comes to swapping out shafts and looking for a performance change, keep in mind that there are a lot of factors that go into ball flight. With your Adams, it might not have been the Voodoo NV that was giving you too much spin, it could have simply been the design of the clubhead... if I recall correctly, the super black was almost a fairway wood in terms of design, so I could see that being a higher spin head.

 

Just putting your Voodoo NV straight in to your 818 may give you exactly what you're looking for and, like Stuart said, you can always tip it later if you want. Another option would be to try and find an Aldila Tour Green hybrid shaft. Those were the stock option in a previous model of Titleist hybrids (I think the 913s) and should be pretty similar to your Voodoo NV. I'm pretty sure those have the same adapter as your 818, so, since they were a stock shaft, you should be able to find one easily and put it straight in to your 818.