3 Wood shaft- Diamana S+ X vs S

[JJPIV]

Looking for a new 3 wood shaft. Picked up a used 915F cheap with a regular flex shaft that is too weak for my swing. I demoed the 70 S+ stiff and it felt really good. I found a 60 in X stiff for a great price, stock from a 913F. Moving to a lighter driver shaft and this will fit the weight transition in my set better. I know the blueboards are known to have slightly different flexes in different weights. Will the S+ 60 X feel similar to the S+ 70 stiff? I already fight the hook with my 3 wood, so I am thinking the X could help there too. Is it crazy to have a stiff driver and hybrids, but an X flex 3 wood?

 

Additional note, judging by the paint, the 60 X is the version in the 913F vs the 70 S I demoed in the 915F. From everything I have read the only difference is the color, not the feel/technology.

 

A little about my swing, every time I have been fit I have been on the edge of X vs S. 105 driver SS, but tend to launch driver lower, so I have stuck to stiff flex. Am I wasting my time picking up this shaft or is it worth a try?

 

 

[Stuart_G]

Well, every ones mechanics and sensitivities are different so it's always difficult to predict what people will feel with a bend profile change but

For most, no I would not expect the 60 X to feel anything like the 70 S. Even when companies do change the stiffness with weight it's not even close to a full flex change.

Would it be crazy to play an X in the fairway and S in driver and hybrids? No, not at all. There is no standard for flex so it's not unusual to fit into different flexes for different shafts, particularly if you are in the area 'between' the average flexes.

Will the stiffer shaft help with that hook miss? Maybe, maybe not. It's certainly far from an automatic thing that too soft results in a hook but it can be true for some. Completely depends on how your swing changes based on different feels from the shaft.

It couldn't hurt anything to demo one and try it out but if you have to buy the shaft in order to try it out, only you can decide if the risk that it might help or not is worth the cost.

[ZeUS159]

Not trying to jack the thread, but I have a similar issue. I'm right on the verge of S and X flex as well. My SS is 105-108. I got rid of my old R flex driver shaft for a S and it made a world of difference. I demoed the new nike vapor clubs this season and the diamana blue shafts they had in their hybrids were great. Tried a regular an was all over the place with too high of a launch. The stiff however was perfect, with near identical trajectory and spread of +/- 12 yards L and R with their 4 hybrid. I want to pick up a new hybrid this Christmas and saw they also have X flex shafts. As I'm getting more into golf and looking to improve, do you think I should get the X shaft for a 4 hybrid? This could help me improve and experience different flex's, right, and if not lesson learned. I see most pro's play X and although I'm not expecting to be pro, it has to be for a reason and would much rather work up rather than handicapping myself with too weak of a flex.

Thoughts are it is a 4 hybrid and want an easy swinging club, but also able to spank it off the tee. Mid trajectory would be great for distance, but also to land long par 3's. This is where it makes me think S flex may be a better fit since it should work better off a smooth swing, but like I said I can swing hard and it would be good to have a solid, accurate hybrid in the bag if X flex would provide this.

And to the OP, my buddy plays all S shafts but has a X 3 wood. I tried it and it would take time getting used to. I feel with our SS it would just take some practice but would not be a wasted purchase. It was fun to blast at some from the fairway, and its crazy how that club head follows you with little lag.

[Stuart_G]

Increasing stiffness will not automatically increase accuracy or control. You had better results with the stiff over the regular flex because it was a better fit for your swing not simply because it was stiffer. The only way to know if the x stiff will improve the results it to go try it side by side with the stiff. "Experiencing different flexes" may help you understand the different flexes or feels from the flexes might impact your swing - but it's doubtful that it will do anything to improve your game. In fact, If it ends up being a poor fit, it could even possibly make your swing worse by introducing some bad tendencies - increased grip pressure, too quick a transition, etc...

And keep in mind, as I mentioned before, there is no standard for flex. Not all shafts labeled as "stiff" are the same so the specific shaft make/model will matter. You may find that with one particular shaft model, "stiff" might be the best fit, for another it could be "x-stiff" and for a third it could even be "regular".

[JJPIV]

I ended up getting the X flex to put in my 3 wood and it is great so far. It has a very solid feel without being boardy. My main concerns were feel and not being able to launch it high enough, but so far so good. Definitely worth the experiment.

As for the hybrid question, maybe try a different stiff shaft before moving to an X flex. I have pretty much always played a mid launch shaft in hybrids, currently the Diamana S+ and the earlier version kai'li in my last hybrid. After having to send one in for warranty work I picked up an Adams with a Diamana D+ and it was great, but different. The whiteboard is built to be a lower launching shaft, but still has good feel. You might demo one of these vs the X flex to see what you like more.

The 915H with the S+ plays more like a 5 wood than hybrid, launching the ball high and holding greens. The Adams with the D+ is closer to a 2/3i, lower launching and more penetrating flight. After hitting them side by side on the course they are similar in distance with much different ball flights. I switch them out now depending on the course I'm playing or if it is really windy. Sometimes the same shaft doesn't fit you best in all of your clubs.

[Duffmeister]

I'll admit that I've shafted clubs in X-Flex in the past because my ego wanted to show off that it could keep up with the pros.

Since then I realized my best swing has a fairly smooth transition / tempo and I hit the ball much further, more accurately and more consistently with softer shafts.

This will more than likely get ignored but my advice is to play the softest shaft you can control, swing easy and consistently with. Slow down the tempo and swing easy, you will hit just as far if not further. The advantage you have with softer shafts is being able to continue loading the shaft and hitting the ball just as well on the last few holes as the first, where as with stiffer shafts you may not have enough strength left to load the shaft for optimum performance over the last few holes.

I would also recommend the Diamana Thump 75 fairway wood shaft in stiff flex, easy to load and launch, goes long and you get enough height and spin to hold par 5 approaches.

[drscho]

60 is light for a 3 wood. If you demoed a 70 S+ Stiff and it felt really good, I'm sure you can come across one at a good deal. Have you tried adjusting the hosel to mitigate your hook?