X Flex shaft at 101 Swing speed

[gr8 flopshot]

Can someone give me some guidance here.  My driver swing speed averages right around 101.  I have always played low/low shafts because I need to keep spin down.  I now find myself tiring of "boardy" feeling shafts (currently playing Evenflow white).  I want to experiment with a mid spin smooth feeling shaft in a lighter weight (60 grams) but with an x flex.  My thinking is even though it is a X flex, going to a softer mid section and lighter weight will counter effect each other.  Am I crazy?  Is this experiment worth trying?

[enfuego]

I'm slightly faster but I have a friend that swings 100 and he loved my setup enough to copy it. Sim 8 with diamana limited s+ 60x (stock shaft option). The blueboard profile with the softer mid section adds launch and the 8 degree sim head keeps spin down. Loft and CG of the head will always do more than a shaft to manage spin. I think the shaft weight is around 65g but they make a tensei blue 55x. 

[gr8 flopshot]

19 minutes ago, enfuego said:

I'm slightly faster but I have a friend that swings 100 and he loved my setup enough to copy it. Sim 8 with diamana limited s+ 60x (stock shaft option). The blueboard profile with the softer mid section adds launch and the 8 degree sim head keeps spin down. Loft and CG of the head will always do more than a shaft to manage spin. I think the shaft weight is around 65g but they make a tensei blue 55x. 

thanks for the input.  Oddly enough, I am looking at a Tensie Blue 6X for the experiment.

[Stuart_G]

1 hour ago, gr8 flopshot said:

Can someone give me some guidance here.  My driver swing speed averages right around 101.  I have always played low/low shafts because I need to keep spin down.  I now find myself tiring of "boardy" feeling shafts (currently playing Evenflow white).  I want to experiment with a mid spin smooth feeling shaft in a lighter weight (60 grams) but with an x flex.  My thinking is even though it is a X flex, going to a softer mid section and lighter weight will counter effect each other.  Am I crazy?  Is this experiment worth trying?

 

There is no standard for flex and really no reliable relationship between weight and stiffness with graphite shafts.  Don't assume that lighter will be softer or need any compensation with a change in flex.  Even when a lighter shaft of the same model is a bit softer, it's not going to be close to a full flex.   And when changing models anything can happen.

 

so if you're looking for a different stiffness feel:

1) don't limit yourself based on that logic.   Try whatever you can get your hands on to test regardless of the flex but I'd start with changing the profile first w/o changing flex.  Then if it's too soft, you can move up a flex.

2) Weight is generally more important than stiffness for most so 1st find the best weight for you then start exploring different profiles in that weight class.  Don't change weight in an effort to change stiffness.

Edited February 25, 2021 by Stuart_G

[gr8 flopshot]

2 hours ago, Stuart_G said:

 

2) Weight is generally more important than stiffness for most so 1st find the best weight for you then start exploring different profiles in that weight class.  Don't change weight in an effort to change stiffness.

I hear what you're saying but is seems contrary to everything i have read.  If you look at the shaft specs for pretty much every manufacturer, there is a weight difference as you go from one flex to another.  You are spot on with trying a different shaft profile as I mentioned going to a smooth feeling shaft. Also, I already play my driver shaft in the 70 gram range, my idea of going lighter is the probability of increasing swing speed with a lighter shaft thereby having a chance to optimize the change if flex by going to an x flex.   All that being said.  I will try another profile in the same weight and see what happens. 

[Stuart_G]

13 hours ago, gr8 flopshot said:

I hear what you're saying but is seems contrary to everything i have read.  If you look at the shaft specs for pretty much every manufacturer, there is a weight difference as you go from one flex to another. 

 

Seeing that is not uncommon with steel iron shafts but hardly a rule.    But it's actually the minority when it comes to graphite shafts (except for maybe the ultra-lights).   If stiffness was so dependent on weight, you wouldn't be able to get both a 55 gm X stiff along with a 75 gm reg flex shaft for the same model?

 

 

 

 

[gr8 flopshot]

12 hours ago, Stuart_G said:

 

Seeing that is not uncommon with steel iron shafts but hardly a rule.    But it's actually the minority when it comes to graphite shafts (except for maybe the ultra-lights).   If stiffness was so dependent on weight, you wouldn't be able to get both a 55 gm X stiff along with a 75 gm reg flex shaft for the same model?

 

 

 

 

I am not saying flex is 100% dependent on weight or vice versa.  However, from the research I have done, every graphite shaft maker follows a similar change in weight and flex as the chart below based on model.  As you can see, regardless of the "base weight" the "X" flex in each weight class is heavier than the "r" flex.

 

[Stuart_G]

A gram or two is meaningless, what you should be noticing is that there are shafts that are 48 gm, 56 gm, 64 gm, 73 gm and 83 gm - and all of them are the same flex.   And in the OP, the question was talking about changing from a 60 gm to 70 gm shaft,  not a 64 gm to a 65 gm shaft.

Edited February 27, 2021 by Stuart_G