Shaft Fitting: Worth It or Not?

[bvanlieu]

This can open up quite the can of worms. While not apples to apples (I would need the same heads and a lot of launch monitor data) I have a set of purred shafted Accras I bought used. I put the same shafts into my other set of irons a month ago with no purring of course: it was my garage shop :)

 

I am not discounting the purring may prove that that set is a smidge more consistent given a lot of data, but I am not that consistent and hit both sets strait and not so strait at times :)

 

A common theme from expert fitters who chime in the Tech forum is getting the right overall shaft weight for the golfer so their timing and sequencing is optimal for them. From there, stiffness etc...is fine tuning. Get the weight right first, tune the bend profile. Builders will have their preferences on alignment, and purring is an add on some do, some don't.

 

[hunterdog]

It was my understanding, based on numerous fittings, that it is important to find the correct shaft that matches the club head and the golfer’s swing profile. In other words, a generic shaft fitting may be helpful it will not tell you if the selected shaft is optimal in that club head. A case in point, last year I was interested in a set of Ping i500s. I went to a certified Ping fitter and, in part, based on past iron shaft preferences, Steel Fiber 95s, were chosen. When I received.the clubs it was quickly apparent that the fit was not for me. In fact, it was horrible. Back to work and we replaced shafts with only slight improvement. I sold the clubs and lost about $900. In chats with Ping customer service, I learned that Ping does not recommend Steel Fiber shafts in the i500s. The point is, I went to a fitter, spent a chunk of money, and it didn’t work well for me. I think that if I went to a fitter, with various club heads and shafts that be switched for the fitting, I would have had a much better result because I could have seen how a club head and shaft combination would have worked. My 2 cents.

[Russ757]

 

wait. So you didnt get to test them out before buying? What exactly was the 'fitting' you had?

[bpink21901]

I'll go with the analogy that shafts are to golf clubs like speakers are to a sound system. Definitely worth spending the money to get the correct ones if you want/need that level of performance in your game.

Also, I would be my preference to have them frequency matched when they are installed but you may not care about that level of detail.

[jmichael204]

Everything works together in unison between the head and shaft. If it is something you are serious about in terms of being able to elevate your game and play your best, it would be a wise investment. T 100 and 714 AP2 have different head characteristics so sometimes just swapping same shafts might not just automatically produce better results FOR YOU. Its imperative to have your gaps and launch characteristics optimized. So in my opinion for you, it would be wise because it would at least give you an idea of where you stand.

[MattH89]

100% worth it. I just went through this and was absolutely shocked at how much just changing out the shaft impacted dispersion, flight, and even distance. I went to a Club Champion and was able to sample about 5 different shafts and they all had very different performance and feel. I was skeptical but it really was a major difference.

As others have mentioned it's probably not something you need to do often so it's a great ROI to know what you should be in for the next couple of years or so.

In addition, having your lofts and lies checked is also really worth it. The way you come into the ball has a major effect on your dynamic loft and whether you need something a little stronger or maybe even weaker. All of this can really help.

[JB_007]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and insights.

 

I just finished up my fitting, after hitting about 6 different shafts, I ended up going with the KBS C Taper. I ended up getting a much better descent angle, a little more spin and a much tighter grouping( at least today) vs the DG S300. I also picked up about 7 more yards, which wasn't the goal, but I will gladly take. I was able to do my fitting outside hitting into a range green with trackman, which I would recommend, it's nice to really see ball flight, and watch the difference in stopping power on a green.

 

Again, I appreciate everyone's thoughts... Going through this process has made me a believer in fitting fit and trying some stuff out to see what is best.

[JStang]

I think this topic comes down to your overall knowledge of shaft offerings, their bend profiles, their weight and what works for your swing. I am by no means a fitter but I would bet that I know more about shafts than 99% of golfers. I am not sure that I have ever had a good quality fitting but I know that I have had really, really bad fits.

I have plenty of friends who have bought clubs and haven't even considered the shafts. 10 years ago, I was that guy. Now that I've joined this site, I know more about golf equipment than I probably should.

[Russ757]

Booked a full bag with cc for the 20th. I'm excited to either get confirmation my clubs are a good match (cause when I connect, I play well and I just suck the times I dont) or they are a mismatch (because I should be more consistent and my future range time will be much more beneficial)

 

Either way I win.

[Russ757]

Can you elaborate the process?

[Ruleschamp]

Please report back to us in a few weeks after you've played 10 rounds and tell us if the real world results mirror what you saw in a controlled environment.

[JB_007]

@russ757 Sure - We set up outside of the range / practice facility, I warmed up with my current DG S300. After I was warm, I took a few shots, until I had 5 shots I would classify as "good", these were not perfect, but also not something that was a complete swing flaw issue. I then proceeded to do the same with the Project X Rifle, DG AMT White, DG X7, Modus, KBS C Taper, KBS $ Taper. I did try an OBAN just to try, but the cost was going to exceed what I wanted to spend, even with a family discount.

After collecting what I would say were 5 shots with each shaft that represent a normal golf shot for me, again not perfect, we spoke about what I felt, what I liked and didn't like, then reviewed the data. For the most part, my feelings lined up with the data, maybe I just didn't like the feeling and the shots didn't go as well, but it came down to the DS S300, KBS Ctaper and Modus. We moved to the part of the facility that has a green you at to provide a a solid target, and I proceed to hit 5 shots with each, and rotate the 3 shafts, until we had about 10 solid shots. In the end, the Ctaper and Modus beat out the S300 a bit in data.

 

I chose the Ctaper in the end, because of the feel and dispersion, it was much tighter (for me) than the Modus. The Modus was actually longer for me the Ctaper, on average, by about 3 yards, with the longest being about 9 yards longer. Both shafts gave better spin numbers and descent angle for me over the S300.

 

I hope this helps - again this was just my experience. I've never been to CC, so I can't explain really how it will be.

[JB_007]

@Ruleschamp I usually track a lot of stats when playing normally, so I have a good base line to report against. I will report back once I have a few rounds under my belt.

[ckay]

DG is the standard in steel shafts. You can enjoy the huge savings you’ve had or go for a fitting and realize you should’ve just ordered them with the shaft you were fit into from the jump.

Personally speaking if you played DG in your prior clubs then I don’t think fitting and reshafting is worth it.

[Fujikura Golf]

We think it's well worth it! ?



[Mitchell]

I would agree with that, although between thinking highly of Marshall and having an affinity for both older and newer Fujikura stuff, might be just a bit biased?

[jggerard9]

Absolutely worth it in my opinion!!!

[shart6]

Spine aligned or Purred is unnecessary today. Any shaft you would consider putting into your irons is already round. This wasn't always the case and the set of Titliest irons I'm building will be spine aligned because the shafts were made in 2006. Similarly if you see any machine measuring frequency leave the shop. Shaft flexibility is an area under a curve.

[Ruleschamp]

Thank you. I always love to see real world vs. what we fitting sessions shows. It helps others to make a better assessment as they consider those options.

[BigUrsus]

100% worth it. I've never been more accurate since my last fitting for both irons and woods. Some people have unique ways of loading the club that would benefit from an aftermarket shaft.

[JB_007]

@Ruleschamp I just wanted to follow up as I have played roughly 15 round with the new shafts. Using my Shotscope data and comparing to my stats via TheGrint, I can 100% conclude that the CTAPERs are a much better fit for my golf game. Just what I'm seeing / feeling, have a lot more confidence in my iron play, I have noticed a better ball flight and have the confidence when I stand over the ball I'm going to hit the ball where I'd like ( or as close as a 8-10 handicap can). Statistically, I'm scoring lower than I ever have before, my GIR are up from about 5/rd to 9/rd. The biggest statically difference is my par 3 play, I was hitting 15% of par 3 before and now I'm hitting about 45% (per Shotsope). I will say, I'm playing much better than I have ever before, and this has been my first year taking lessons, so that may also be factoring in.

I started the year at an 18, was a 12 when I got my shafts swapped and now am floating around 8-9, but I will say, I can attribute some of this to the shafts, and fully believe getting fit was the right move.

[mcc0819]

I 100000% believe in getting fit, especially for shafts. Testing out different shafts outdoors on a trackman can give you realistic performance numbers that will likely translate on course.

[Howard_Jones]

'it never was, and never will be, the ONLY source of energy is still the player, the shaft is more like a transmission, NOT a power plant.

Shafts is #1 Weight, #2 Feel, #3 Dispersion...ball flight is heads and loft.

If weight feels fine (no body fatigue before the round is over - and no tempo issues), flex and profile feels fine (dont feels to stiff or too loose), and dispersion is good, save those money and spend them on a swing trainer, the distance between GOOD shaft fitters worth the fee is LONG.

 

 

[dekez]

On 6/3/2020 at 10:52 AM, akatoast said:

I was wondering if anyone has had their shafts Pured or spline aligned when fitting for iron shafts? I have recently watched some videos that showed how much of a difference that could make in your irons and woods.

I have not, but both Barney Adams and Tom Wishon have commented that puring and spline aligning provide no benefit.

[Fairway14]

On 6/2/2020 at 7:30 AM, 2ndCut16 said:

I recently was able to snag a new set of T100 irons off ebay to replace my 714 AP2s. I was able to get these almost below 50% off MSRP, which I thought was a great deal and jumped at the opportunity.

My question is, is it worth going to get a shaft fitting? They currently have DG S300, which was what was in my 714AP2 ( I was not fit for these either), but I'm curious how much the shaft may make a difference? I'm sorry if this has be covered before, I'm just recently was bit by the equipment bug and am trying to learn all that I can.

Given that I saved a good junk of the cost of the clubs, I'd be willing to spend a little to get the right shaft, if it is actually going to make a difference, I just wanted to check here before I spent the $100 for the shaft fitting.

 

As with most golf equipment components, each shaft model has its positive and negative attributes. Compared to DG you may find one shaft that "feels better" , another shaft which "launches the ball higher",  a third shaft from which you might "swing faster and gain yardage" etc....

Usually players find alternative shaft models do one thing well but are lacking in other areas.

However, DG has been popular for decades for all skill levels, from beginner to Tour pro, because of its distinctive all around functionality.

"Fitting" is done by striking many consecutive shots with the same club, from a perfect level lie, so it's nothing at all like real golf course conditions.

Fitting may be a "fun experience" but I don't think the process is helpful to striking better golf course shots or shooting lower scores.

If you've enjoyed playing DGS300 shafts and your shot results are good from your good swings, then stick with DGS300 for your next set.

[liveagua]

On 6/2/2020 at 9:49 AM, monkeyboy said:

100% worth it. More important than the head IMO.

 

I really do wish it was more important than the head, it would make my job much easier. There is no empirical evidence to support the notion that the shaft is more important than the head you choose.

 

Try the shaft you normally play, with a blade, a muscle cavity, a GI head and then a SGi head. Then tell me how unimportant the club head is....

[liveagua]

On 6/2/2020 at 10:00 AM, juststeve said:

The s-300s are good shafts, I play them myself. How do you hits yours. Do you feel the shaft is wrong for you? If so try a fitting and something else, but unless the s-300 are very wrong for you, I mean dreadfully wrong don't expect you scores to change much from changing shafts.

Steve

Real world, empirical data completely disproves this opinion. 

[liveagua]

On 6/2/2020 at 11:56 AM, WristySwing said:

With the rise of independent fitters, I don't think that is the case any more. Low profit margins on equipment comparatively from 10-15 years ago has certainly made it difficult to credit back value for a fitting. None of my local fitters do it, custom studio or big box. They all require that payment, whether you purchase or not. That 12% margin over the course of a year (assuming 25% margin on equipment and a retail price of $500 + $100 fit fee) can be the make or break for a lot of places that are smaller operation. Especially this year.

You have no idea what you are talking about. This has been the best year in the golf equipment business in the last 25 years. All time sales revenues for everyone in the business. 

 

 

[monkeyboy]

2 hours ago, liveagua said:

I really do wish it was more important than the head, it would make my job much easier. There is no empirical evidence to support the notion that the shaft is more important than the head you choose.

 

Try the shaft you normally play, with a blade, a muscle cavity, a GI head and then a SGi head. Then tell me how unimportant the club head is....

Jesus...no kidding...Let's just say then for example that the person looking for new clubs has a functional brain and does not select blades when the more appropriate head for him/her is Game Improvement.  Assume your fitter gets you into the proper class of head and there are 4 comprable heads 'in your class' to choose from...THEN, the shaft become more important.  Sorry for not being so precise for you.

[kstrong84]

I say worth it.... I've been a long time project x 6.0 user and got fitted for the nippon 1150gh in my new Titleist T100s irons and it was mind-blowing....