Putting a graphite shaft in a putter

[thebigrig]

Ok silly question of the night, but it's something I've always wondered...

1) why use/not use a graphite vs steel shaft for your putter.

2) I always see the matrix graphite putter shafts- what makes them so special vs. say a normal graphite shaft.

 

Essentially if I wanted to throw a 100g hybrid shaft I have laying around into a putter, what would the result be? I'm not sure how much it matters but the shaft I have laying around is an Aldila RIP phenom 100tx hybrid shaft. I feel like that would be relatively comparable to the 130g matrix shafts I see and much cheaper...

 

As always, thank you for any input you can provide to me. Club building certainly isn't my strong suit, curiosity on the other hand... I have plenty of that.

[Howard_Jones]

Putter shafts is mostly to the stiffer end of the chart, so a X flex will do.
The difference between Steel and Graphite will be feedback, and thats strictly a personal preference.
(ive only tried with PX 7A3 and HB6 but i went back to UST freq matched with dowel in the tip)

[Seedbe]

Would look different for sure. Try it and see. It might make sense. Strictly a feel weight issue compared to steel

[oregongolf]

I have a Fujikura PT-110 in my TeI3. It's definitely a distinct feel and I prefer it by a longshot now. It would be the first thing I would change if I ever had to replace my putter.

I've read about guys here putting heavy, very stiff graphite shafts in their putter with mixed results. I don't know if that is a function of not using an actual putter shaft or the feel not being for everyone though.

[Mackdiddyp]

I remember John Daly use to have a Penley Shaft in his Dunlop RedNeck Putter. Always wondered what that made the putter feel like.

[todd.ashford]

For fun I tried this in my backup putter. I read in another thread that you should use an 8 iron shaft cut to length. I had an Aldilia VL Series shaft laying around so I tried it in the putter. Overall, I liked it but the whole putter was very light. I think with toying around with some counterbalancing it would work out just fine.

[HawkeyeDan]

Too lazy to check for myself, but are there graphite shafts in those newer Bridgestone putters that stand up on their own? The ones with the big yellow foam grips?

[CallawayKid86]

I had an Aldila Prototype wedge shaft (about 125g) in a putter. Was a nice soft feel and really muted the impact sound. Was unique for sure. No better or worse per say in the performance category. I think I have another one I may throw in a putter just to experiment again.

[TomWishon]

[quote name='thebigrig' timestamp='1418885863' post='10610791']
Ok silly question of the night, but it's something I've always wondered...
1) why use/not use a graphite vs steel shaft for your putter.
2) I always see the matrix graphite putter shafts- what makes them so special vs. say a normal graphite shaft.

Essentially if I wanted to throw a 100g hybrid shaft I have laying around into a putter, what would the result be? I'm not sure how much it matters but the shaft I have laying around is an Aldila RIP phenom 100tx hybrid shaft. I feel like that would be relatively comparable to the 130g matrix shafts I see and much cheaper...

As always, thank you for any input you can provide to me. Club building certainly isn't my strong suit, curiosity on the other hand... I have plenty of that.
[/quote]

More often than not, the worse the golfer is in putting, meaning the more inconsistent he is in distance control, pull/push tendency and off center hit results, the HEAVIER that golfer wants the WHOLE Putter to be. Not just heavier headweight but heavy total weight and very much so, heavier in the grip end, AKA heavy counterweighting (80g/100g) in the butt end of the putter.

Our work in researching putter fitting for the golfer who is inconsistent in his putting shows that a big reason they are inconsistent is because their fine motor control is just not that gifted vs those who are very good putters. And from that we find that heavy helps offset poor fine motor control.

So to use a graphite shaft in the putter means you typically lower the total weight of the putter which is typically not the way to go for the inconsistent putter.

[DL4Golf]

Some of the old Rapport shafts were the best looking ever. I think they were called Diamet, with a marble look finish. Some of them, like this one, weighed about 120g:
[attachment=2540195:diamet.jpg]