Shaft recommendation to reduce spin rate

jnicks8 · December 20, 2005

Hi everyone.

I'm new to the site (please be gentle!) What a great source of information!

I'm getting a new driver this winter, and I'm looking for some opinions on shafts.

My current driver is a Callaway Hawkeye VFT, 9 degrees with the stock Callaway firm flex shaft. It's standard length (45 inches), with a swingweight of D2 (if I'm reading the chart on Callaway's website correctly).

I have a reasonably quick tempo, and my swingspeed is usually between 105-110 mph. Unfortunately, my swing isn't very consistent (I'd say 3 out of 10). I'm about a 15 handicap.

I'm looking at either an R7 425 or a G5 (or possibly a G2, if I can find one with the setup I want). I've tried both (R7 9.5 degree, and G2 8.5 degree), and with stock shafts, I hit both with too high a launch angle, and WAY too high a spin rate, which is the same as my current setup, although both were significantly longer than my current driver. Unfortunately, I'm usually playing in somewhat windy conditions, so my drives tend to balloon a lot.

I've tried a bunch of drivers on a launch monitor in the last couple of weeks (including a Titleist 905T, Cleveland Launcher, Cobra Comp, and Callaway Fusion FT3), and the R7 and the G2 were by far the best. However, my launch angle was still averaging around 15-16 degrees, and my spin rate was usually between 4500 and 5500 rpm. I had a reasonable amount of success getting to the lower end of those ranges with the G2 with an Aldila NV65 stiff. Ball speed was between 140-150 mph.

Any other suggestions for shafts with those drivers?

Thanks in advance for the help! :dntknw:

turbodog · December 21, 2005

unfortunately, i don't think the shaft is gonna do it. as many a clubfitter will tell you, you pick a shaft to fine tune, not fix. your launch and spin are way out of the range of a shaft to help effectively. in theory, you COULD get a shaft that would help, but it would most likely be so stiff and so unpleasant feeling that it would cause other problems.

less loft will help your launch conditions, but what i notice most about your comments is that your contact doesn't seem to be very efficient... your ball speeds for your clubhead speed are a little low. my guess is that your angle of attack is steep and that you make toe-side contact and hit high fades... is that the case?

jnicks8 · December 21, 2005

Thanks for the replies, guys.

Turbodog, you're definitely right. There are definitely some swing flaws that are contributing to my launch conditions, and I've certainly got some work to do there. When I'm swinging reasonably well, I still hit it high, but I tend to hit a draw or even a hook. However, when things start to go wrong, it goes right in a hurry. As far as my angle of attack goes, it's certainly better than it used to be, but it still tends to be a bit steep, I think. I do tend to be out towards the toe on the clubface.

I know I'm not going to be able to fix all my problems with the shaft, but any other recommendations as to shafts that might help bring down the spin rate? Will a higher kick point help, or will that just bring down the launch angle and not the spin?