Transition to Graphite Shafts? Advice needed...

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Saw a doe and two fawns last night during the round. Uploaded a video here:

https://www.youtube....gcCnbJE-ZySWvuw

 

Which part of Wisconsin are you in ? Still have frosty greens in the early morning , in July ?

East central Wisconsin - Sheboygan County. No frost anymore. Just heavy dew some days. Most days actually. Sunrise tee time this weekend will probably be about 5:10 AM

[wkuo3]

Saw a doe and two fawns last night during the round. Uploaded a video here:

https://www.youtube....gcCnbJE-ZySWvuw

 

Which part of Wisconsin are you in ? Still have frosty greens in the early morning , in July ?

East central Wisconsin - Sheboygan County. No frost anymore. Just heavy dew some days. Most days actually. Sunrise tee time this weekend will probably be about 5:10 AM

 

Heavy dew ? I thought it was frosted fairway and greens. We have that in early late Fall into early Spring each year.

[oldschoolrocker]

Increased interest in this thread for me after the flooding. Going to start removing heads in the next few days. Thinking of building up a set of fg17s with either graphite or steel fibers, going down to an R flex and giving them a whirl. One thing I do not want to do is increase length. Short height, long armed guy, that finds the old specs right in my wheelhouse. Usually like to play a modern set 1/2 short of standard. Lead tape is my friend.

Any thoughts, pro, or, con with regards to the shafts would be appreciated.

 

[Davewn]

Increased interest in this thread for me after the flooding. Going to start removing heads in the next few days. Thinking of building up a set of fg17s with either graphite or steel fibers, going down to an R flex and giving them a whirl. One thing I do not want to do is increase length. Short height, long armed guy, that finds the old specs right in my wheelhouse. Usually like to play a modern set 1/2 short of standard. Lead tape is my friend.

Any thoughts, pro, or, con with regards to the shafts would be appreciated.

 

I am not a shaft maven by any means, but from what I've read, many of the better quality aftermarket graphite shafts have low balance points nowadays so they no longer have to be built over-length to achieve normal swingweights. Recoils and Steelfibers seem to be the most popular choices with Recoils having a more lively feel and Steelfibers playing more along the lines of steel. Stuart G and Nessism are very knowledgeable and hang out in the Tech forum quite a bit and could provide a more informed opinion. Regardless of the shaft you choose, make sure you countersink the hosels of your vintage irons. Without the epoxy cushion the countersinking provides, the shafts will eventually splinter and fail. Golfworks normally sells an 18* countersink bit- it was out of stock earlier this month when I tried to order one, unfortunately.

 

I'm playing as well as I have in my life after switching to graphite irons last year and can't see switching back. There was definitely an adjustment period, but it's just way easier on my arthritic 55 year old joints.

[NRJyzr]

Increased interest in this thread for me after the flooding. Going to start removing heads in the next few days. Thinking of building up a set of fg17s with either graphite or steel fibers, going down to an R flex and giving them a whirl. One thing I do not want to do is increase length. Short height, long armed guy, that finds the old specs right in my wheelhouse. Usually like to play a modern set 1/2 short of standard. Lead tape is my friend.

Any thoughts, pro, or, con with regards to the shafts would be appreciated.

 

I am not a shaft maven by any means, but from what I've read, many of the better quality aftermarket graphite shafts have low balance points nowadays so they no longer have to be built over-length to achieve normal swingweights. Recoils and Steelfibers seem to be the most popular choices with Recoils having a more lively feel and Steelfibers playing more along the lines of steel. Stuart G and Nessism are very knowledgeable and hang out in the Tech forum quite a bit and could provide a more informed opinion. Regardless of the shaft you choose, make sure you countersink the hosels of your vintage irons. Without the epoxy cushion the countersinking provides, the shafts will eventually splinter and fail. Golfworks normally sells an 18* countersink bit- it was out of stock earlier this month when I tried to order one, unfortunately.

 

I'm playing as well as I have in my life after switching to graphite irons last year and can't see switching back. There was definitely an adjustment period, but it's just way easier on my arthritic 55 year old joints.

 

Piggybacking on Dave's post...

 

Some of the answer will depend on trajectory requirements. The retail version of the Recoil (95, 110, 125) will give you a higher trajectory than the SteelFibers or the Aldila NV105. The SteelFiber i95 and i110 are said to have profiles essentially identical to DG. However, the SteelFibers also are said to swingweight a bit light, having a higher balance point than the others mentioned. I've not tried them, can't offer personal experience on build or performance, I'm sorry to say. They also have an i125, but I haven't seen it in R flex.

 

I mentioned earlier I selected the NV105 for one of my sets. I found it to give me a DG-like trajectory, with excellent spin characteristics. If that fits your interests, would be worth a look. They seem to swingweight close to steel, in my experience. They're also priced lower than the other two I've mentioned. Come in both tapered and parallel, constant weight, dedicated shafts for each club.

 

There are some Paderson options at GolfWorks, but I know little about them.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Update: The hybrids are working well. I'm currently experimenting with the driver/fairway wood combinations along with the number of hybrids & wedges.

 

Currently in the Bag:

Diawa Driver with A flex graphite shaft

Callaway 7 wood graphite

3, 5, 7, 9, PW, AW hybrids

Ping iWedge SW graphite senior flex

Callaway 60 deg lob

Spalding High Efficiency Putter

Using a Wilson Tour Distance Soft, Wilson Zip, Wilson Duosoft, & Callaway Chromesoft.

 

Scores are consistently lower as I am hitting better shots. Accuracy has improved. Mishits have not been so bad.

 

Really like the 3 hy for tee shots on several holes. The short game is also getting better. The titanium driver just doesn't seem to add all that much to my game, so there is an opportunity to carry vintage.

 

Pain level is good, and the large grips seem to suit me better. So far so good.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Switched to modern clubs for the remainder of the year. Switch has been good. Dropped the elbow strap, less overall pain, lighter bag, better results. I just don't hit it far enough playing vintage steel / persimmon to justify enduring the pain. Scores reflect that I'm having more fun. I love the vintage stuff, but the body doesn't. So....contemplating my future playing vintage at all. It saddens me, but I am not good enough with vintage to continue. I have the off season to decide.

[rwc356]

Switched to modern clubs for the remainder of the year. Switch has been good. Dropped the elbow strap, less overall pain, lighter bag, better results. I just don't hit it far enough playing vintage steel / persimmon to justify enduring the pain. Scores reflect that I'm having more fun. I love the vintage stuff, but the body doesn't. So....contemplating my future playing vintage at all. It saddens me, but I am not good enough with vintage to continue. I have the off season to decide.

 

We must be drinking the same Kool-aid. I've also put the hickories away for the season as well as the vintage clubs. My nearly modern clubs have senior graphite shafts (TM 360 driver , 3-4 hybrids, Ping i20 7-9-Gap and Glide SW). Graphite has really helped the arthritis pain and new technology has seemed to help make my ball striking dispersion more consistent. Playing at 6,000 yds, I've had couples of 80s and one side at 39 over past few weeks. I will stick with these clubs for the rest of the Chicago season and then ponder what to do during the off-season. Love the hickories but also like being to to shoot the lower scores.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

We must be drinking the same Kool-aid. I've also put the hickories away for the season as well as the vintage clubs. My nearly modern clubs have senior graphite shafts (TM 360 driver , 3-4 hybrids, Ping i20 7-9-Gap and Glide SW). Graphite has really helped the arthritis pain and new technology has seemed to help make my ball striking dispersion more consistent. Playing at 6,000 yds, I've had couples of 80s and one side at 39 over past few weeks. I will stick with these clubs for the rest of the Chicago season and then ponder what to do during the off-season. Love the hickories but also like being to to shoot the lower scores.

Yup. I totally get where you are coming from. My shafts are senior graphite also, except for the GBB, which I have to regrip and shorten.

 

Once I shortened the current driver, those results started to become much more repeatable. In fact, so much so that most of my ball tests have the two balls sitting within 6 ft of each other off the tee. So now that the driver is more predictable, I focused on getting my approaches closer and the short game.

 

I have also played the same course a LOT this summer, so I know where every shot should go and where to miss and not to. So my recovery game has improved as well. Last time I snuck out before sunrise I scored par on the first 6 holes and finished at 3 over. It's like there was a plateau at 40, and once I crossed it I haven't been back. I wish I could say I had the same results with the vintage clubs. It's not for lack of trying, that's for sure. I think I have put more effort into my game this year than ever, and have seen better results with the graphite shafts than the vintage. Now that I am somewhat restricted in playing time and traveling to play, the results and my enjoyment have become more important.

 

Still plan on playing some vintage next season, but probably only a few rounds. I'll think it through this fall / winter, but will most likely unload about 10 bags full of clubs and sell my hickory set. And use the proceeds to buy rounds next season. I guess I've gone to the dark side...

[oldschoolrocker]

Not the dark side, as long as you are getting out there, still with a love of the game, how can there be a dark side. Father Time dictates much of what we do as we age. There are changes that must be made in different avenues of our lives to continue our pursuits of passion.

[rwc356]

Not the dark side, as long as you are getting out there, still with a love of the game, how can there be a dark side. Father Time dictates much of what we do as we age. There are changes that must be made in different avenues of our lives to continue our pursuits of passion.

 

Very well said!!