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Experimenting with Driver Shafts


dtsmith904

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Long-time lurker, first time poster here. 

 

Recently I have been considering testing out a new shaft for my driver, but would like to know if it's worth it or if it's a swing issue. I have a 102-105 SS, but hit the ball comically high - like sand wedge high. I'm still able to squeeze out 240-260 off the tee, sometimes more if I put a good swing on it and can control the height and spin. The problem is I get virtually no roll out, sometimes I find my ballmark in front of my drive. On sims I'm getting about 3,500-4,500 spin rate. It's ridiculous because I can hit my 3-wood just as far. My driver ball flight just hits a wall at it's apex and comes straight down.

 

I'm comfortable working the ball both ways depending on my swing on a given day. I also rarely miss fairways, which is part of why I'm hesitant to make change.  My current setup is an off the rack Ping G400 10.5 with a 55 Alta CB R-flex shaft. I've only recently become obsessed with the game hence the "beginner" setup in my driver. 

 

Any reccomendations on where to start experimenting with lower launching, lower spinning shafts? Should I immediately jump to the other end of the spectrum (70 g x-flex) to feel the difference, or start more gradual? Thanks.

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Considering where were at, this might be an unpopular take, but if youre hitting it that high, I dont feel its the shaft. No driver shaft is designed to launch THAT high where you get negative yards roll. 

 

I'd recommend getting ahold of a teacher that uses some technology and view your swing. Youre likely flipping your wrists at impact. I used to be in this same boat. 

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I'm not an expert but with a SS of 102-105, you should definitely be a stiff in most shafts.  The R-flex shaft in your current driver is probably the reason for the high spin rate of 3500-4000.  Switching to a stiff will drop that down.

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First off, at your swing speed I would go stiff, and maybe even X stiff. What's your launch angle on the sim? Sounds like you may also have a negative angle of attack. Maybe dial down the loft on your driver to 9 or 9.5, and definitely try a shaft with a higher kick point. I just tried out the the X Caliber super light in Tour stiff, I wanted to see what a shaft in the 50 gram range felt like, (SS around 110 on course) and it hit boring drives that had a really nice roll out. Really stout shaft, felt like the old white boards to me. Maybe give that shaft a chance, and it's under $100. 

Driver: PING G425 LST/Callaway Epic Speed LS
3 wood: Taylormade mini 300
2 Hybrid Callaway Maverick

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3 minutes ago, gioreeko said:

First off, at your swing speed I would go stiff, and maybe even X stiff. What's your launch angle on the sim? Sounds like you may also have a negative angle of attack. Maybe dial down the loft on your driver to 9 or 9.5, and definitely try a shaft with a higher kick point. I just tried out the the X Caliber super light in Tour stiff, I wanted to see what a shaft in the 50 gram range felt like, (SS around 110 on course) and it hit boring drives that had a really nice roll out. Really stout shaft, felt like the old white boards to me. Maybe give that shaft a chance, and it's under $100. 

Angle of attack could deifnitely be an issue. I can't remember what it was for my most recent sim sessions but I do remember my pro mentioning this last fall when I began working with him and before I made some drastic swing changes. I'm thinking going heavier/stiffer could help my delivery because I feel like the club is a little out of control sometimes. 

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My good buddy had a similar issue where he would actually launch 20 degrees and spin in that 4000-5000 rpm range. Picked him up a 440 m3 with tensei white x stiff (70g), jammed the weights in the front, and he picked up like 40-50 yards no bs. He's a bit faster swinger than you, but I'd say an equipment change could certainly help you out. 

 

Check to make sure you aren't striking it really low on the face, that'll also drive spin up. Maybe try and pick up a stiffer shaft in the low/low bracket (low launch low spin shaft profile), maybe add some lead tape near the front edge of your current driver (diy lst) as long as the thing doesn't become a sledgehammer.... That or go get a fitting and see for real. But kinda easy to fit yourself when you know your issues. (to a certain degree)  

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1 minute ago, dtsmith904 said:

Angle of attack could deifnitely be an issue. I can't remember what it was for my most recent sim sessions but I do remember my pro mentioning this last fall when I began working with him and before I made some drastic swing changes. I'm thinking going heavier/stiffer could help my delivery because I feel like the club is a little out of control sometimes. 

My stepson had a negative one, and when I really paid attention, I noticed that he plays the ball too close to the middle of his stance. He hits deep drives, but gets some balloons that leave big ball marks in the fairway, and gets very little roll. We've worked on playing the ball off his front heel, and he's getting about 25-30 more yards of roll. Something to look at maybe?

Driver: PING G425 LST/Callaway Epic Speed LS
3 wood: Taylormade mini 300
2 Hybrid Callaway Maverick

4 Hybrid Taylormade Superfast

5-UW: Ping i210
Maltby TSW sand wedge

Odyssey OG 2 Ball stroke lab
Titleist ProV1 left dash/Snell MTB-X/Vice Pro Plus

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7 minutes ago, kmay__ said:

My good buddy had a similar issue where he would actually launch 20 degrees and spin in that 4000-5000 rpm range. Picked him up a 440 m3 with tensei white x stiff (70g), jammed the weights in the front, and he picked up like 40-50 yards no bs. He's a bit faster swinger than you, but I'd say an equipment change could certainly help you out. 

 

Check to make sure you aren't striking it really low on the face, that'll also drive spin up. Maybe try and pick up a stiffer shaft in the low/low bracket (low launch low spin shaft profile), maybe add some lead tape near the front edge of your current driver (diy lst) as long as the thing doesn't become a sledgehammer.... That or go get a fitting and see for real. But kinda easy to fit yourself when you know your issues. (to a certain degree)  

Interesting, I never really considered the lead tape route. Especially since with counterbalanced shaft I kinda lose feel of where the clubface is, so I'm excited to try this.

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21 minutes ago, dtsmith904 said:

Any reccomendations on where to start experimenting with lower launching, lower spinning shafts? Should I immediately jump to the other end of the spectrum (70 g x-flex) to feel the difference, or start more gradual? Thanks.

 

Nobody has mentioned this yet, but check where on the face you are hitting the ball. If it's low on the face it will spin a lot more than if it's higher up.

 

As to what shaft, at your speed you would probably do better with a heavier/stiffer shaft. That will probably improve your face contact which will reduce the spin. It's not that the shaft is lower spin, it's that it allows you to make better contact.

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It’s probably a combination of both a swing and an equipment issue, but it’s impossible to comment on your swing since we can’t see it. 
 

The Alta 55 Regular shaft is too soft and too high launching for your swing speed. As a next step, I’d recommend trying one of Ping’s tour 65 shafts in a stiff flex. It’s a relatively affordable shaft and should bring down the launch and spin. Other than that, you’re probably better off getting fit if that’s an option.  

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I am with those who said a stiffer shaft and also a lower lofted head. I felt like I was spinning the ball too much off my driver, so I went back to Edwin Watts to check it out on the launch monitor. After hitting shots with several shafts, the fitter said we need to keep the shaft but find a head that lowers your spin. He took me from a 9.0 Sim Max2 to an 8.0 Sim2 (adjusted to 8.75). Once I got comfortable with it, my swing speed jumped from 88-90 to around 95 consistently. I picked up almost 30 yards on average as my spin dropped 2,000 rpm from 4,500-4,750 on average and my ball flight straightened out as a result of less spin. I can't wait to hit the course on Friday.

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A lot of golf retailers are now able to do shaft fittings on a launch monitor. However the adapter type on Ping drivers changed between the 400 and 410, and you're not likely to find a fitter with a huge range of shafts with the 400 tip. 

 

I recommend buying some impact stickers to use during your fitting. Center face contact is the most important thing. The stickers don't lie. 

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Start with the loft.  Look into a shaft fitting if you're still not getting your desired ball flight.

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Swing issue.  Maybe Monte can chime in on this.  I think you're hitting down on the ball.  It causes the sky ball with a ton of spin.  I would personally get some lessons first to learn how to hit up on the ball with driver or whatever issue you have that the teaching pro can identify.  Then you should look into shafts. 

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