KHT Autoflex shaft

[enfuego]

I was previously playing 505x uncut 46.75 with long smooth swings getting a some extra yards but really had to concentrate on delivery. Even put my old shaft back in a few times just to see if it was my swing that day or the shaft, usually was me. I saw a few people playing under the d1 recommendation with success and decided to give it a try. I don't know exactly what it swing weights to but I now agree with others that it is less important. I cut it down to 46" playing length with the same light head and its even better. Sim 8 weighing 188g plus a 6g metal sleeve for 194g. I think someone else mentioned a similar head weight working around 190-192g. I don't have the weights to try that yet but I might order some to shave a few more grams off. The light head with less length definitely stiffens up the shaft and let's me feel like I can go after it more with less concentration.

[ewill48]

4 hours ago, stealthall said:

 

question on grip weight. Is it placed at the very butt end or front end of the grip?

I prefer a few extra wraps of grip tape to keep things uniform.

[stealthall]

Does anyone know the head weight of the new Epic Max LS?

[RNG]

Question, if anyone might know.....If you change the backweight in a Callaway Epic Max LS to a lower weight, how much would that affect the MOI of the head?

 

Thanks!

[DLiver]

I got an Autoflex 505 the other day, and got a chance to try it out. Here's the executive summary:

 

For me, much of what people have been saying about this shaft is true.

1. CHS is higher

2. Ball speed is higher

3. The ball goes farther

4. The ball really likes to go straight

 

Here's where my experience was different:

1. I did not have to put a smooth swing on the ball

2. I did not have to use a particularly light head

3. I did not launch the ball noticeably higher

 

Here are the details. I am 67 years old, have played forever, and currently have a 2.4 index. Like most geezers, I battle declining CHS (and distance). I combat this by working out a lot. My current CHS is about 94 ±3mph. I have tried lightweight driver shafts in the past without success. I have an aggressive transition.

 

My gamer is a Callaway Epic Subzero with UST Mamiya Chrome Elements 6F4:  66g played at 46". Total driver weight is 337g, with the head weighing 195g. The adapter adds 14g. I set up the AF at the same length.

 

I went to the range with my Rapsodo MLM, got warmed up, then hit a bunch of drives with my gamer. My club's range balls are at the end of their usable life (new balls coming this month), so they go nowhere. My smash factor normally tends to be in the 1.48-1.50 range, but with these worn out balls there is no way to get to those numbers. Conditions were 56º and windy. My club sits at sea level, and that is a distance killer.

 

Anyway, I got some pretty normal numbers with my gamer: CHS around 94, ball speed around 137, carry distance around 225. Launch angle 15º-16º. Pretty consistently normal numbers for me at my range. I put in the Autoflex, and my numbers immediately jumped up: CHS around 97, ball speed around 142, distance around 233. No real change in launch angle. Best of all, there wasn't a whole lot of curve on the ball. I tried swinging really hard, and the AF didn't blink an eye. The AF delivered everything I hoped it would.

 

I'm going to take it to the course tomorrow and see how it goes. Then I'll probably hit some balls on our Flightscope and see if I can optimize things. My spin rate is normally 2,100-2,300, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I may be getting a little more spin with the AF judging by my ball flight. I also have some lighter weights that I can put in the head to reduce that by 7-10g to see if that makes a difference.

 

So far, I am pretty pleased with the AF, and looking forward to seeing how it performs with premium balls. It isn't often that a hyped golf product deliver, but this one sure has for me--so far.

 

 

 

 

[ewill48]

47 minutes ago, DLiver said:

I got an Autoflex 505 the other day, and got a chance to try it out. Here's the executive summary:

 

For me, much of what people have been saying about this shaft is true.

1. CHS is higher

2. Ball speed is higher

3. The ball goes farther

4. The ball really likes to go straight

 

Here's where my experience was different:

1. I did not have to put a smooth swing on the ball

2. I did not have to use a particularly light head

3. I did not launch the ball noticeably higher

 

Here are the details. I am 67 years old, have played forever, and currently have a 2.4 index. Like most geezers, I battle declining CHS (and distance). I combat this by working out a lot. My current CHS is about 94 ±3mph. I have tried lightweight driver shafts in the past without success. I have an aggressive transition.

 

My gamer is a Callaway Epic Subzero with UST Mamiya Chrome Elements 6F4:  66g played at 46". Total driver weight is 337g, with the head weighing 195g. The adapter adds 14g. I set up the AF at the same length.

 

I went to the range with my Rapsodo MLM, got warmed up, then hit a bunch of drives with my gamer. My club's range balls are at the end of their usable life (new balls coming this month), so they go nowhere. My smash factor normally tends to be in the 1.48-1.50 range, but with these worn out balls there is no way to get to those numbers. Conditions were 56º and windy. My club sits at sea level, and that is a distance killer.

 

Anyway, I got some pretty normal numbers with my gamer: CHS around 94, ball speed around 137, carry distance around 225. Launch angle 15º-16º. Pretty consistently normal numbers for me at my range. I put in the Autoflex, and my numbers immediately jumped up: CHS around 97, ball speed around 142, distance around 233. No real change in launch angle. Best of all, there wasn't a whole lot of curve on the ball. I tried swinging really hard, and the AF didn't blink an eye. The AF delivered everything I hoped it would.

 

I'm going to take it to the course tomorrow and see how it goes. Then I'll probably hit some balls on our Flightscope and see if I can optimize things. My spin rate is normally 2,100-2,300, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I may be getting a little more spin with the AF judging by my ball flight. I also have some lighter weights that I can put in the head to reduce that by 7-10g to see if that makes a difference.

 

So far, I am pretty pleased with the AF, and looking forward to seeing how it performs with premium balls. It isn't often that a hyped golf product deliver, but this one sure has for me--so far.

 

 

Great summary!  Congrats...I love what I am seeing as well.  Here's my key takeaway after reading your post:

 

- A properly setup Autoflex WILL POTENTIALLY enhance output of a solid swing.

 

- A properly setup Autoflex WILL NOT fix a crap swing.

 

When I make a competent pass at the ball, I love what I see.  When I get lazy and lose swing fundamentals...the Autoflex laughs at me.

[jimmyt]

I just joined the AF family. 

The first day out on the range it felt real light and I had to get comfortable full swings. My swing speeds gradually increased. So I then moved to the course and of course the first drive was a slice as  I really went after that shot. Throughout the round it got better on some holes. So basically I need more range time to get comfortable with the swing difference of this shaft.  After a few weeks I will go and get on a track man to adjust the driver to optimize the driver. I'm playing Tour Edge Exs Pro. More to come.

 

 

[DLiver]

Personally, I feel  that if you need to adjust your swing to hit a club, then it is not the right setup for you. I think most of us are best served by gear that fits our swing rather that swings that fit our gear. JMHO, YMMV.

[Morry]

15 hours ago, DLiver said:

I got an Autoflex 505 the other day, and got a chance to try it out. Here's the executive summary:

 

For me, much of what people have been saying about this shaft is true.

1. CHS is higher

2. Ball speed is higher

3. The ball goes farther

4. The ball really likes to go straight

 

Here's where my experience was different:

1. I did not have to put a smooth swing on the ball

2. I did not have to use a particularly light head

3. I did not launch the ball noticeably higher

 

Here are the details. I am 67 years old, have played forever, and currently have a 2.4 index. Like most geezers, I battle declining CHS (and distance). I combat this by working out a lot. My current CHS is about 94 ±3mph. I have tried lightweight driver shafts in the past without success. I have an aggressive transition.

 

My gamer is a Callaway Epic Subzero with UST Mamiya Chrome Elements 6F4:  66g played at 46". Total driver weight is 337g, with the head weighing 195g. The adapter adds 14g. I set up the AF at the same length.

 

I went to the range with my Rapsodo MLM, got warmed up, then hit a bunch of drives with my gamer. My club's range balls are at the end of their usable life (new balls coming this month), so they go nowhere. My smash factor normally tends to be in the 1.48-1.50 range, but with these worn out balls there is no way to get to those numbers. Conditions were 56º and windy. My club sits at sea level, and that is a distance killer.

 

Anyway, I got some pretty normal numbers with my gamer: CHS around 94, ball speed around 137, carry distance around 225. Launch angle 15º-16º. Pretty consistently normal numbers for me at my range. I put in the Autoflex, and my numbers immediately jumped up: CHS around 97, ball speed around 142, distance around 233. No real change in launch angle. Best of all, there wasn't a whole lot of curve on the ball. I tried swinging really hard, and the AF didn't blink an eye. The AF delivered everything I hoped it would.

 

I'm going to take it to the course tomorrow and see how it goes. Then I'll probably hit some balls on our Flightscope and see if I can optimize things. My spin rate is normally 2,100-2,300, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I may be getting a little more spin with the AF judging by my ball flight. I also have some lighter weights that I can put in the head to reduce that by 7-10g to see if that makes a difference.

 

So far, I am pretty pleased with the AF, and looking forward to seeing how it performs with premium balls. It isn't often that a hyped golf product deliver, but this one sure has for me--so far.

 

 

 

 

Which model AF are you using?

thanks

[DLiver]

Autoflex 505

[JMATHEEENS]

The Radspeed has been delivered. I'm waiting on the shaft now which is expected to arrive today. Hopefully I can get out to the range this evening for some testing on the mevo.

[dodgyman]

I just demo'ed the 505. I almost bought it on the spot, most likely I'm going to get it on friday.

Seeing the exact same thing everyone else is saying. I'm hitting my "max "speed/distance with my normal effort. The dispersion was also a lot tighter. It took exactly 1 swing to get used to it.

 

Swing speed used to be around 100 but I'm slowing down recently to work on some things so my gamer was topping up at 96-97SS, and the autoflex shot back up to 100 and I even hit 102, and the dispersion was ridiculous, I hit my 5 longest drives all within 5 yards of the center line it was crazy. I am so impressed, I was not expecting such a massive difference.

 

Regarding feel and different swing, maybe I was expecting such an insane difference I was actually surprised that while absolutely a different feel it wasn't as jarring as I thought it would be. It felt natural rather early, but given I'm working hard on loading the shaft a bit more I think my old swing would not have taken to this shaft very well. I can see a bunch of people just not being able to use it, and so it definitely needs to be tried out.

 

I'm in the same boat as a lot of others. 505 or 505X. Anyone notice any other differences between the two? Any things to consider?

[JMATHEEENS]

What clubhead were you pairing with the shaft? 

 

I switched my order from the 505x to the 505. We're in a similar swing speed range. 

[dodgyman]

Callaway Epic speed, 9 degree set to 10. I originally had it at 9 but my launch was just a little too low, I'll probably switch back to 9 with the AF which is great as I liked how it sat better at that angle.

[bfizzy]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CL8X19ile7C/?igshid=148bin1ra4s1g
 

My friend got a hold of a XX Autoflex and was hammering it, got one to 206 MPH ball speed with a range ball. This thing was playing 47” and I think head weight was mid 190s.

[stealthall]

29 minutes ago, bfizzy said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CL8X19ile7C/?igshid=148bin1ra4s1g
 

My friend got a hold of a XX Autoflex and was hammering it, got one to 206 MPH ball speed with a range ball. This thing was playing 47” and I think head weight was mid 190s.

That is just nuts. 

[GolfTurkey]

4 hours ago, bfizzy said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CL8X19ile7C/?igshid=148bin1ra4s1g
 

My friend got a hold of a XX Autoflex and was hammering it, got one to 206 MPH ball speed with a range ball. This thing was playing 47” and I think head weight was mid 190s.

 

He has such nice efficient speed, reminds me a bit of Champ (opposite end of the spectrum from the Bryson "Hulk Smash")

[ewill48]

I officially caught a personal best of 105mph swing speed drive with the 505.  I have never been above 102 prior it so I think comfort level is increasing. 

 

155 ball speed.  286 total yards on the sim.  That's 18 yards better than my average with old gamer shaft and same clubhead.  TWO FULL CLUBS ADVANTAGE.  $hit is getting real !!

 

Has anyone done research on best balls to play?  I generally play mid tier price point Bridgestones, but gonna start testing to see if there's a better fit.

[stealthall]

58 minutes ago, ewill48 said:

I officially caught a personal best of 105mph swing speed drive with the 505.  I have never been above 102 prior it so I think comfort level is increasing. 

 

155 ball speed.  286 total yards on the sim.  That's 18 yards better than my average with old gamer shaft and same clubhead.  TWO FULL CLUBS ADVANTAGE.  $hit is getting real !!

 

Has anyone done research on best balls to play?  I generally play mid tier price point Bridgestones, but gonna start testing to see if there's a better fit.

That is awesome. In terms of ball, you can try Vice Pro Plus and ProV1x...those two balls have always been my longest and most durable with green side spin. 

[JMATHEEENS]

Played around on the range last night with my old driver (Cobra Speedzone set to 9.5* with stiff UST Helium shaft) and the new driver (Cobra Radspeed with AF 505). 

 

I haven't been hitting my old gamer particularly well. I was in a nice groove in November / December last year but have been super inconsistent the past couple of months with it. Below are my Mevo stats on the gamer.

 

 

I then tried several configurations with the 505 and found that 8* Draw setting with 2 grams in the front and 12 grams in the back worked best for me. 

 

 

The main thing I noticed on with my gamer vs the Radspeed 505 was that I was more consistent especially on my mishits. I would have a two-way miss with my gamer but on the new set up I found it tougher to draw the ball (I have an inside-out swing so I typically play a baby draw/draw). My misses would be slight fades or high and right stemming from getting too quick with my swing.

 

I haven't picked up CHS but there's a tighter deviation on CHS and ball speed with the 505. I also found that I hit the 505 much better when I focused on making smoother swings - so I really do not have to go  after the ball to produce decent results. 

 

I'm not sure what swing weight the club is playing at so I need to go by a store to get that measured. I also plan on ordering more weights to tinker with. I'm also going to try and get on a trackman a few times over the next couple weeks to continue to dial it in. I'll keep the updates coming as I continue to optimize the driver. I think once I fix my angle of attack my carry numbers will really pick up. Mevo doesn't show this stat but on a trackman a couple weekends ago I was consistently in the -3 range. I ideally want to get back to neutral if not +3 here and then I should be seeing some legit distance gains with more consistency from the 505. Any tips/drills to improve AoA are welcomed! 

 

One other thing to note is that I was not hitting off a tee, but the plastic tees on the range had in the mat. I'm going to try and hit another range today where I can hit off a tee in the grass. I like to tee the ball up higher so we'll see if that impacts the numbers. Also the range balls are super washed up so I would guess my numbers should be a bit better using premium golf balls. 

 

I am playing Pine Needles and Dormie (and hopefully No. 4) in Pinehurst/Southern Pines this weekend. So I should have some good intel on how the 505 plays on course. I've been out to Pine Needles a bunch of times the past few months so I'll be able to tell how the 505 plays vs. where I'm usually at with my gamer.

 

 

Edited March 4, 2021 by JMATHEEENS

[Howard_Jones]

On 3/2/2021 at 7:43 PM, DLiver said:

I got an Autoflex 505 the other day, and got a chance to try it out. Here's the executive summary:

 

For me, much of what people have been saying about this shaft is true.

1. CHS is higher

2. Ball speed is higher

3. The ball goes farther

4. The ball really likes to go straight

 

Here's where my experience was different:

1. I did not have to put a smooth swing on the ball

2. I did not have to use a particularly light head

3. I did not launch the ball noticeably higher

 

Here are the details. I am 67 years old, have played forever, and currently have a 2.4 index. Like most geezers, I battle declining CHS (and distance). I combat this by working out a lot. My current CHS is about 94 ±3mph. I have tried lightweight driver shafts in the past without success. I have an aggressive transition.

 

My gamer is a Callaway Epic Subzero with UST Mamiya Chrome Elements 6F4:  66g played at 46". Total driver weight is 337g, with the head weighing 195g. The adapter adds 14g. I set up the AF at the same length.

 

I went to the range with my Rapsodo MLM, got warmed up, then hit a bunch of drives with my gamer. My club's range balls are at the end of their usable life (new balls coming this month), so they go nowhere. My smash factor normally tends to be in the 1.48-1.50 range, but with these worn out balls there is no way to get to those numbers. Conditions were 56º and windy. My club sits at sea level, and that is a distance killer.

 

Anyway, I got some pretty normal numbers with my gamer: CHS around 94, ball speed around 137, carry distance around 225. Launch angle 15º-16º. Pretty consistently normal numbers for me at my range. I put in the Autoflex, and my numbers immediately jumped up: CHS around 97, ball speed around 142, distance around 233. No real change in launch angle. Best of all, there wasn't a whole lot of curve on the ball. I tried swinging really hard, and the AF didn't blink an eye. The AF delivered everything I hoped it would.

 

I'm going to take it to the course tomorrow and see how it goes. Then I'll probably hit some balls on our Flightscope and see if I can optimize things. My spin rate is normally 2,100-2,300, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I may be getting a little more spin with the AF judging by my ball flight. I also have some lighter weights that I can put in the head to reduce that by 7-10g to see if that makes a difference.

 

So far, I am pretty pleased with the AF, and looking forward to seeing how it performs with premium balls. It isn't often that a hyped golf product deliver, but this one sure has for me--so far.

 

 

 

 

Interesting project, but you have more to get here, your smash factor is far from optimized, and i know everything about getting older and slower, so let me help you to get out the last 12-15 yards.

Simply follow my DIY driver tune up, its easy to follow and dont demand any knowledge about fitting or club tech, it dont even demand any special tools, but a roll of lead tape is very handy.

More than 125.000 readers have this knowledge already, and some report back and say they gained more than 30 yards.
 

A quick view who shows how important IMPACT POSITION is can be seen in this chart. Since your smash factor is in the area if 1.46, your impact is HEEL SIDE, so to improve ball speed to the max, you need to move it to slightly toe side, and ABOVE the center line of the face. The DIY driver tune up help you to measure exactly where YOUR head has the highest potential.

Dont be surprised if a tune up delivers 147-148 mpg ball speed, its more than just possible, and each mph ball speed is average  2 yards + on carry, so its at least 10 yards more to get...15 on total if you make it right.

In your case, 245 carry and 270 as potential total is within reach, and you can make it on your own with the guide provide in the DIY driver tune up.



This illustration is made for a player Trackman measures to 100 mph club speed.  His TOTAL is about 25 yards as difference if impact is on the BLUE spot vs the RED. Both launch and spin values changes like this chart explains, so when we move impact higher, launch goes up, and spin drops.... (High launch low spin)



 

Edited March 4, 2021 by Howard_Jones

[stealthall]

So here is where I am at and my observations for club heads to use. 
 

These are what I have tried:

 

Sim Max

Sim 2

Sim 2 Max

G425 Max

Mavrik SZ

 

FYI - the AF 505X - cut 1”
 

What we know so far is that lowering the head weight under 190g so that you net out at 192, 193,194g is key. Therefore you should be exploring with drivers that allow you to severely drop the weight, ideally drop from back and front like the Mavrik SZ and Sim. Reason being, you may need the front weight customization to increase or decrease your spin and trajectory depending on your person profile. Additionally, AF shaft should inherently improve forgiveness and dispersion, hence why we are all here. 
 

Therefore here is my 2 cents:  
 

Sim max was not too bad, but you need to buy extra weights so you can lower the head weight. The Sim Max just doesn’t feel that stable. 

 

The Sim 2 Max is a big improvement in stability. The problem is there are not aftermarket or OEM weights yet. I took out the weight but it was to much of a drop and I personally don’t think loading up lead tape to the tune of 12+ grams works long term. 
 

I even put the Sim 2 weight in the back but still a little to light. Plus you would have to own both heads in order to keep the 16g weight, I was not interested in that. 
 

again, once Sim 2 aftermarket weights hit the the market, I think this head will be a real great option. The feel is special with TM drivers. 
 

The G425 Max - I bought extra weights, really started cranking drives, hit 300 yard drive, gave up because of the sound. Truth be told this driver probably had the most promise. Forgiving as sh$t by nature, good looking, tons of aftermarket weights, loft/lie adjustability, etc. I am really thinking about revisiting the G425 Max 9*. This may be a case of get over the sound and focus on results. 
 

Currently - I have moved the adapter to Callaway and have been testing the Mavrik SZ. Word on the street plus my testing shows it has promise. Now, I have taken out the 12g (or 14g weight can’t remember) and have been using lead tape to get back up to D1/D2. I ordered more weights and am now going to drop the weight, 2g back, 2g front to start which should net out to C7-C9 Sw to give that a go.

 

Lastly, I have a Sim 9 degree as well and have bought a bunch of back and front track weight options. I am going to give that a run too. 
 

Final thought, the G425 eve though I wasn’t fully dialed in seemed to deliver better results without the extra effort. The Sim 2 (even though not dialed in) and the Mavrik (almost dialed in) seemed to require more focus and effort to equal the same averages. For example, my total distance average with Mavrik was 279, the total distance average with G425 on multiple 10 shot groups was 284. This also includes both drivers having similar misses. 
 

anyhow, this is where I am at, I think after one more week I will be settled on something. 

[Howard_Jones]

2 hours ago, JMATHEEENS said:

Played around on the range last night with my old driver (Cobra Speedzone set to 9.5* with stiff UST Helium shaft) and the new driver (Cobra Radspeed with AF 505). 

 

I haven't been hitting my old gamer particularly well. I was in a nice groove in November / December last year but have been super inconsistent the past couple of months with it. Below are my Mevo stats on the gamer.

 

 

I then tried several configurations with the 505 and found that 8* Draw setting with 2 grams in the front and 12 grams in the back worked best for me. 

 

 

The main thing I noticed on with my gamer vs the Radspeed 505 was that I was more consistent especially on my mishits. I would have a two-way miss with my gamer but on the new set up I found it tougher to draw the ball (I have an inside-out swing so I typically play a baby draw/draw). My misses would be slight fades or high and right stemming from getting too quick with my swing.

 

I haven't picked up CHS but there's a tighter deviation on CHS and ball speed with the 505. I also found that I hit the 505 much better when I focused on making smoother swings - so I really do not have to go  after the ball to produce decent results. 

 

I'm not sure what swing weight the club is playing at so I need to go by a store to get that measured. I also plan on ordering more weights to tinker with. I'm also going to try and get on a trackman a few times over the next couple weeks to continue to dial it in. I'll keep the updates coming as I continue to optimize the driver. I think once I fix my angle of attack my carry numbers will really pick up. Mevo doesn't show this stat but on a trackman a couple weekends ago I was consistently in the -3 range. I ideally want to get back to neutral if not +3 here and then I should be seeing some legit distance gains with more consistency from the 505. Any tips/drills to improve AoA are welcomed! 

 

One other thing to note is that I was not hitting off a tee, but the plastic tees on the range had in the mat. I'm going to try and hit another range today where I can hit off a tee in the grass. I like to tee the ball up higher so we'll see if that impacts the numbers. Also the range balls are super washed up so I would guess my numbers should be a bit better using premium golf balls. 

 

I am playing Pine Needles and Dormie (and hopefully No. 4) in Pinehurst/Southern Pines this weekend. So I should have some good intel on how the 505 plays on course. I've been out to Pine Needles a bunch of times the past few months so I'll be able to tell how the 505 plays vs. where I'm usually at with my gamer.

 

 

Dont tell me you spent 700 to get those numbers? read my last reply and follow the link to my DIY driver tune up, the return values tell me that club dont fit you at all, not even close, and that DIY will help you find whats needed to make it work.
 

Edited March 4, 2021 by Howard_Jones

[DLiver]

@Howard_Jones Thanks so much for your expert advice (and all the other great advice you share so freely here)! I have some time over the next couple of days to get this thing dialed in and am looking forward to the results.

[Howard_Jones]

48 minutes ago, DLiver said:

@Howard_Jones Thanks so much for your expert advice (and all the other great advice you share so freely here)! I have some time over the next couple of days to get this thing dialed in and am looking forward to the results.

Keep us updated please!

 

[RNG]

On 3/1/2021 at 10:53 PM, stealthall said:

Does anyone know the head weight of the new Epic Max LS?

201 grams per Callaway customer service!

[gsrjc]

8 hours ago, ewill48 said:

I officially caught a personal best of 105mph swing speed drive with the 505.  I have never been above 102 prior it so I think comfort level is increasing. 

 

155 ball speed.  286 total yards on the sim.  That's 18 yards better than my average with old gamer shaft and same clubhead.  TWO FULL CLUBS ADVANTAGE.  $hit is getting real !!

 

Has anyone done research on best balls to play?  I generally play mid tier price point Bridgestones, but gonna start testing to see if there's a better fit.

What length are you playing at?

[ASN21]

I really want to try one of these out. I’m pretty convinced I could reach 108-110 mph with one of these. I’m waiting for another vendor to knock these off!

[DLiver]

3 hours ago, Howard_Jones said:

Keep us updated please!

 

Today I went back to the range to work on optimizing my set. As a baseline, my gamer before the AF (Epic SZ 10.5) gave me about 94 mph CHS, 137 mph ball speed, carry distance around 225, and launch angle 15º-16º. The first time at the range with the AF got me up to about CHS around 97, ball speed around 142, distance around 233. Pretty good gains all around.

 

Today, things got even better. the Epic SZ has two weight screws in the bottom: a 12g in front, and a rear one of 2g (I can't can't recall if these are the original weights or if I had changed them before. I think they are orig.) I replaced the 12g with a 7g. I got some pretty good improvements. I went even lighter (3g), but got no better numbers and lost some consistency. I went back to the 7g, and turned the loft down to 9.5º (neutral FA). I got my best numbers of the day, and consistently hit the middle of the club (I sprayed the face with foot powder to monitor impact location.) By the end of the session, I was consistently hitting a CHS of 100-101, max distance of 245 (carry) and ball speed of 145. I hit Pro V1 to compare to our beat up range balls, and got another 3 mph of ball speed.

 

The bottom line is that since I installed the AF, I've gained 6-7 mph CHS(!!), and 8 mph ball speed (which would be several MPH more with premium balls). Accuracy was pretty good. You can still hit the ball off the planet with the AF, you just have to make an especially bad swing to do it.

 

I am very very impressed with the AF. I had tried superlight driver shafts in the past, and although I picked up a few MPH, I couldn't keep the ball in play. Somehow the AF has given me even more CHS while allowing me to keep the ball in play.

 

Just a note for all you guys trying to make your driver perform at its best: read Howard_Jones DIY Driver Fitting thread (if you haven't already). 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2021 by DLiver

[My2Dogs]

Well my journey with AF is still going.  I got up to a 10 year personal best 116mph swing speed and 167mph ball speed.  Not bad for a 51yo with a bad back.  This is by far the quickest ball speed and swing speed since 2009 (post cancer).  
 

unfortunately the AF cracked right near the adapter but the company was quick to respond and offered to replace it under the warranty.  So I’m waiting for the new shaft to come in. Also I’ve been talking with a fitter who works closely with the AF company and he stated that I needed to move up to a SF505XX.  So for the replacement shaft, instead of sending back a SF505X, they are sending me an SF505XX.  So far they have been nothing but great to deal with.   Cant wait for the new shaft to arrive and then I can continue my journey of getting faster but also building back my swing after the latest hospital stint in Jan. 
 

I’ll make certain to post numbers when I get it in and back on the course.