Wesquire

Pros also play what works best. Such as Brooks and DJ playing 10.5* drivers. If they were amateur, good chance they would think they need something like 8* due to their speed. Or when Finau was playing the G400 Max instead of the low spin option. Combined with the average pro not torching their swing to hit up 5 on the ball, or chase 1700 rpm spin. Just playing the equipment and swing that gives the most consistent results, then tipping the shaft a bit seems like a very reasonable approach.

To me this is similar to the logically bankrupt idea of "eliminate one side of the course". If you aim for the left side of the fairway and intend to play a cut thinking you are eliminating the left side of the course, it is just like a player aiming down the middle thinking they have margin for error on both sides.

This is a talking point that frequently comes up. I don't follow the logic here. If the pin is tucked and you aim for the the middle of the green, why would a push or pull toward the pin be less likely to happen than a favorable curvature and starting direction?

In theory that's how it would work. Just incremental improvements with instructors being informed by the movements that work at the highest level. However, that assumes that the instructors are able to correctly identify the movements and how to implement them. This is much harder that we might assume. You could get "X factor" "hold the lag" and "restrict your hip turn on the way back" from looking at the top level at different points in time.

It seems like we get a lot (maybe most) of our insight into the swing based on looking at what tour players do. But how much of what tour players do is simply a result of prior popular instruction? Would some of the outlier movements you see on tour be the norm if instructors didn't teach it out of the players early on?

I've hit them in TX setups. Not much difference between them at all.

Smoke Black RDX

Yes. 60TX tipped 0.5"

Other than Monte and AMG, the only one that I actually trust to give good information is Chris Ryan. I've gotten a few good perspective changes from Malaska and Clement.

Got the Blue RDX last week. So far it is definitely my favorite shaft I've used for driver. I've historically played very stout shafts (OG HZRDUS Black, T1100, Pro Orange) and the Blue RDX retains the stable feel of these while also feeling like I get a bit of a kick at impact. I personally don't feel any load, just a bit of release. Haven't hit on a launch monitor with it yet, but ball flight is nearly identical to what it was with Pro Orange.

Driver. 60TX tipped 0.5"

So I've played a few rounds with the Smoke Blue now. It is definitely a better feeling shaft than the pro orange IMO. The ball always went where the swing and strike felt like it should go. You can really feel the kick at impact when you make a good swing. I'm very happy with it. I don't know what the numbers will look like on a launch monitor, but so far I'm more impressed with it than the pro orange.

My natural pattern is to be a bit steep in transition and then shallow too much. I also tend to start down on the same path I came up. So for me to hit the shallowing 'benchmarks', it is easiest for me to have an inside takeaway and then feel like I'm swing hard to the left from there.

It's been all iron so far, but I do intend to send driver next

You've never mentioned me doing that in my lessons with you, so I wouldn't think that is a particular issue of mine.