Anybody Playing a Weaker Driver Shaft ?

[SugarPenguin]

Always used a low/low sort of driver shaft profile as I used to be a high spin high launch kind of guy with a quick transition.

SS is around 109 - 112mph on a good solid full swing.

Originally got fitted for the T1100 6.5 Evenflow for my TS3. Absolutely loved it for about a month. Hit some absolute monsters and I thought I had found the elusive unicorn combination.... However, when I wasnt swinging it well I would snap hook everything or block fade. Also really struggling with dispersion in general and the two way miss was horrendous.

So I have been on a shaft journey....... firstly, went with the Evenflow 6.0 and same sort of thing..... really hated it.

Then a few Aldila Rogue Silvers.

Then tried a HZRDUS Yellow 6.5, then a HZRDUS Black 6.0 (I did like this and still own it).

Recently I had a Diamana Dialead X-Stiff and stiff blueboard (917 range stock), a CK Pro White Stiff 60 and then a CK Pro Blue 60 Stiff.

I hit the CK Pro Blue 60 so so good and I have been gaming it for about 3 months now. Funnily enough apart from the HZRDUS Black.... it gives me the lowest flight and lowest spin and is the most consistent for me. I actually weirdly hit a fade with the blue when everything else has been a slight draw. I will be sticking with it until I swap driver (Mavrik looks good :) )

Obviously it is a great shaft but something I wouldn't test originally. I really do think chasing a more alpha shaft can be really detrimental. End of the day the shaft is basically a timing device. I think with the CK Pro Blue I can feel that its fully loaded and I stay behind the ball and don't get ahead of it with the hips or flick the wrist at impact.

Anybody else gaming or tried a shaft that doesn't necessarily match your swing and is 'weaker' in terms of flex / torque / bend profile?

 

[cgasucks]

Shaft flex is such a discretionary term among shaft manufacturers. There is no standard on what constitutes a stiff, regular or senior flex. One company's stiff is another company's regular. My gamer driver is a 905R with a Proforce V2 shaft in a stiff (and it feels like a stiff) but I also have a 975D with an old school EI-70 in a regular flex (and it feels just as stiff as the Proforce).

It is best for people to swing with shafts that feels good to them and can control regardless of flex.

[ChipNRun]

It just depends on what shaft works for you.

At recent golf expo, heard story of an older club pro with 90 MPH clubhead speed on driver. He found he could pick up 20 yards a drive with the new 45-gram UST Helium Black shaft. He has much heavier shafts in the rest of his clubs, but the HB seems to work for him on the tee box.

[Z1ggy16]

Just goes to show you how silly it can be to chase flight/spin outputs via a specific shaft or type of shaft.

Flex rating virtually useless, too, so anybody who says they 'only game x flex' is being vane and possibly is missing out on better golf scores because of that. I play different flexes in my set and I've pretty much been professionally fit for every club. Unless one is extremely high speed, there's a chance one could benefit from trying lower flexes or non "low spin" profiles.

[forrester_fire]

Not in driver, but I'm playing with an r-flex in my 3h, and my driver SS is in the 105 - 110 neighborhood.

[Kamen]

I have a friend who can easily handle X flex but he plays stiff in his whole bag except his 2 hybrid which is X, and his driver is a 50g reg flex shaft. Works well for him but goes against the norm!

[GSDriver]

I learned a while back, I don't look at labels, I try then go with what feels best, as I'm mostly a feel player. For example, for the one or two PX shafts I play, those are in 5.5 ® flex, because I can't stand the feel of 6+, in PX. I also have a wedge I like that has a Rifle 7.0, so go figure.

Bottom line, try something before ruling out, might find something you really like that wouldn't have done otherwise.

[Yuck]

Tensi Pro Orange Stiff is a good shaft for someone transitioning away from X flex, but does not want to worry about overdrawing.

[OrangeGravy]

This is kind of why I've never gone to a fitting. It seems as though most of them will take your numbers from your current driver and pick a target range from there that's much narrower than is prudent. I don't blame them really. There are so many shafts out there anymore it would take forever to truly be thorough.

[Thayneil]

PX 5.5 is no R flex!

 

more like a solid stiff

would flex equal to Rifle 6.0 and S400 TI!

[Howard_Jones]

Spot on, and there is no common standards for flex labels, not even within the same shaft brand, even the PX line up is a big mess if we think 6.0 in one model is the same flex as 6.0 in another because its NOT, its only a address so we know whats softer or stronger within the same shaft model. They could have named them what ever they like, and Padersen has labels like D40....its stronger than D30, but softer than D50, but is it R, S, X or 6.5 maybe?, nope its D30, D40 or D50.@Thayneil
PX 5.5 is maybe the strongest 115 gram shaft on the marked, i did not have zone flex number for 5.5 but its in the middle of 5.0 and 6.0, and compared to RIFLE FCM 7.0...not much of a difference. The butt end is like PX 6.0, (beam 36 or butt), the rest of the shaft is softer than PX 5.5 and "feel players" who tries them side by side would judge PX 5.5 to the the strongest of them, because it is the strongest, and the only iron shaft on the marked with the label "R flex" who is in this area of PX 5.5 is Modus 130 R, all other models is WAY softer, so dont compare 2 different shaft models by their flex labels, they cant be used for that.
[img]https://s3.amazonaws.com/golfwrxforums/uploads/664/YF6UBDGX5RMZ.png[/img]

[jimes]

I experienced something similar a few years ago. I swing the driver 108ish (160ish ball speed) with a very smooth transition and 2 Hdcp. I’ve alternated between S and X flex shafts and always played with Low/Low style shafts in the 60-70 gram range. On travel I used rental clubs with a 2016 M2 driver with Fujikura Pro 50 regular flex shaft. I hit this driver better than any driver I’ve ever owned. My typical driver shape is draw or hook and hiring a cut is nearly impossible but with the light weight setup I hit the ball a lot straighter and able to hit fades when needed.

The set had matching fairway woods that I hit incredibly well too.

Now a few years down the road I’m looking to replace my irons and experimenting with lighter and softer shafts to see if I can get the benefits.

[Howard_Jones]

Search the forum for "ladies flex" and you will find tons of stories where a player grabbed their wifes driver and striped it longer and straighter than they ever did before, and the reason is simple. The shaft did not push them into use of power, they could totally free use swing tech and then we make the very best swing and make the best impact, so feel does matter and going to strong is a common mistake.

The way shaft weight and flex makes a influence on the players swing is something ive been taking advantage of for many years, and i have developed a fitting concept based on it that i call VISUAL FITTING, because a trained eye can SEE "club specs" or whats wrong, simply by looking at the player swinging his clubs. Its not a secret i keep to myself either, the concept an what to look for and what we judge is all described in post #8 of my DIY driver tune up.

if this link works you should be transferred there directly, if not just scroll down to post #8https://forums.golfwrx.com/discussion/comment/7871739/#Comment_7871739

[jimes]

I don't have much success hitting my wife's driver or Fairway woods but I did hit her irons one day at the range and was able to hit them high, low, fade, draw and straight at the target. They have 55gr graphite shafts. That's actually what got me thinking about changing my irons this off season. I've tested lightweight steel in both regular and stiff flex and leaning towards DG XP95 S300. I also tested graphite from 70-125gr but all in regular flex. I liked all the sub 100gr shafts (Steelfibre and ACCRA) and really disliked the heavier samples. The fitter didn't have any of the lighter graphite in S flex for testing.

I read your DIY post and there is lots of great information in there. Doing things myself I'm relying heavily on feel and worried that what I have success with indoors won't exactly translate to the course.

[Howard_Jones]

Indoor from mats we get higher launch and lower spin with irons and wedges, but as long as you compare side by side with what you got now, the DIFFERENCE is the same and what we look for, just like when we use a bending machine. Non of them return "True loft or lie", but if the gauge say 61* lie and 21* loft before bending, and 60* 20* after bending, the difference 1.0* on both loft and lie is "true" or the fact.

[thed0n]

Maybe this is related so I'll share it. I use the Aldila Tour Green 65S (3.9 torque) in the winter and switch to the TX version (3.5 torque) in the summer. Oddly enough both shafts are marked as "S" with the torque stated differently. I feel that I can hit draws better with the 3.9 version in cold weather and the carry is longer as well.

[averysdad]

I’m in the camp that promotes experimentation. I love the Tensei silver in my epic flash hybrid in R flex but that was AFTER testing it initially in stiff. Hated it then. The club came alive in an R flex. I’m a 98-105 (winter speed to fully in July speed ?) SS with the driver.

[Shades234]

Was fitted yesterday for driver, 3w and hybrid. SS 113-114 throughout the session (Trackman) and we ended up going with "stiff" shafts tipped an inch (1/2" on hybrid) and playing length at 1/2" shorter than standard.

My gamer driver going in was giving great numbers. Near 170 ball speed w/ 1900-2200 spin, but it wasn't an easy club for me to start on line. Due to a combination of swing weight and shaft characteristics (probably). Struggled with big blocks and snap hooks. New combo was much better for me. And is much easier for me to swing even though a lot of fitters would look at my previous driver numbers and say they were pretty good. Can post specs if wanted, but I'll have to look them up.

[doctormizuno]

I remember reading a statement by Jack Nicklaus where he had said " I want to play the weakest shaft that I can control"

[SugarPenguin]

Mad.

I have completely ruined my thread. Went for a swing with the New Mavrik. Better launch control with the XS Aldila Rogue out of all the stock offerings.

Funny game.