Stiff vs X-Stiff driver shaft

[derekmunster]

Hello I know everyone will get on me and say go get fitted and all that, but wanted to just get some feedback. I have a Cobra f9 driver, stiff shaft (Atmos Black 6s) and sometimes when I swing regularly, about 103-106, it can go pretty left when teeing off. Sometimes I kinda slow my speed down to maybe 99-101 and can hit it fairly straight, but the slowness kinda throws me off a little, out of rhythm. If I were to try an x-flex, would that make the ball go more straight or a little more right when I swing my normal speed? I know sometimes whippy shafts can tend to make drives go left, or sometimes hook left, in my case.

Any advice would be awesome!

thank you,

Derek

[derekmunster]

Have you ever tried the atmos shafts at all? Similar to the Kuro Kage?

[Howard_Jones]

You should really take a LM test so see the numbers and what happens, but to me, this dont sound like a shaft flex issue, but a face angle issue when you go for it, and a stronger shaft will only trigger you to give it even more power, and that want solve the problem. Its face to path, or face angle vs the direction COG travels at impact that causes the left/hooks, and it takes A LOT of shaft bending to do that, so its not likely the reason.

Look at how you place your hands on the grip, especially the lowest hand. Make sure your lowest hand dont have a to strong grip who force to much face closure. You might also consider the grip size and shape you play. If its a sharp taper grip like New Decade, try the +4 models. More diameter under the lowest hand will improve face angle control if thats the issue, and i think it is. When we "speed up" we dont always does that fully "synchronized", so some parts of our swing goes to fast, others to slow, we simply get "out of the right rhythm and timing".

Shaft flex or feel of flex works like a trigger for how much power we will use on the #2 swing with the club, if feel is strong, we speed up, and the synchronize problems shows up if we go to strong, so dont go there yet, but look at your own hands, and the grip. If that dont work, get on a launch monitor (Trackman or Flightscope), and make 3-4 swings of each (slow vs fast), and look over the numbers like this.

Dynamic loft MINUS angle of attack MINUS static loft = Dynamic loft added from the shaft.

Now compare that number from both types of swings, and you will be able to see if the shaft actually bends a lot more and cause the closed face angle, because IT IS the face angle thats the issue, the question is if its shaft bending or your timing, its most likely the last.

Quick fix, check your hands on the grip, and open face angle a bit from address before you place your hands on the grip.

[Stuart_G]

Not impossible but very unlikely the shaft. Much more likely that the difference is in how well you are sequencing the body during the swing. You're not speeding up or slowing down the upper body the same amount as the lower body so how well the body is synced changes - and thus the ability to consistently release and square the club also changes. If I had to guess I'd say that in the faster swing, the lower body and hips are getting too fast for the upper body motion. They don't sync as well as they do with the slower swing. Then you get a little stuck and flip to compensate resulting in the closed face hook. At least that's a fairly common swing flaw in better/faster swing players. There are certainly other possibilities. If you want a more accurate assessment, post your swing over in the instruction sub-forum.

 

[derekmunster]

Great feedback by all of you guys I really appreciate it! I will take notice in my grip as well as my body tempo.

[Adam C]

You have just described what I think any reasonable golfer knows and has experienced. If you start swinging out of control, the results will be out of control. Swinging too hard just exaggerates whatever issues you may have in your swing when your timing is off. That can be getting stuck and flipping at the ball at impact as described, it can be losing your posture in the downswing, altering your leg to spine angle and therefore altering your swing path leading to pulls or pull slices.

Best you can hope for with equipment is a weight balance that minimizes the frequency of that issue. But in the end it's 90% you and maybe 10% equipment.