Experimenting with driver shafts.

[jjmmagoo]

Good afternoon, I am in the midst of an experiment.  I am playing a Taylormade Sim2Max driver at 10.5.  Its been paired with the Project X EVENFLOW "White" T1100 shaft 75g 6.0.  To be honest, this is the most accurate i have been with a driver in years.  I guess where there is give there is take.  I am also feeling I have lost some distance.  After hours of reading and internal discussions between the 6 inches between the ears I decided to try the Project X RDX Smoke Blue shaft.  Went to the range and was very impressed.  I am wondering if anyone else is using this shaft and if they can offer any insight?  I know I need to get fitted. and that would probably make the decision a little easier but i truly enjoy the tinkering.  Also helps, all i have to do is screw one shaft in and shaft out and i'm good to go.  Thank you in advance!

[phizzy30]

I'm not a fan of PX shafts in general but I would like to add some input.  There are shafts that are an ok fit for your swing and then there are those that really fit your swing which give you distance with tighter dispersion.  For me I had the Ventus Black in my bag for quite some time.  Dispersion was really good but I felt as though I wasn't getting max ball speed.  I made the switch to the Tensei 1k.  Ball speed went up 3 mph BUT dispersion is iffy.  When I connect, it goes 10 to 15 yards further with a very flat trajectory.  When I mishit it, I can hook the living s*** ou of it.  Getting fitted would be best, but it's always fun to experiment. 

[Fairway14]

10 minutes ago, jjmmagoo said:

Good afternoon, I am in the midst of an experiment.  I am playing a Taylormade Sim2Max driver at 10.5.  Its been paired with the Project X EVENFLOW "White" T1100 shaft 75g 6.0.  To be honest, this is the most accurate i have been with a driver in years. 

Keep your  current driver producing accurate shots and enjoy.

[Cactus Jack]

 N

[layts14]

I recently moved from a Radspeed with RDX Blue 6.0 60g into an Epic Max LS w/Hzrdus Smoke im10 6.0 60g. I enjoyed the RDX blue so I kept it and sold the Radspeed head separately. My RDX blue is currently with a builder getting a Callaway adapter installed, so I look forward to seeing how it pairs with the Max LS head. I've got the RDX Blue, Smoke im10, and also recently picked up a GD AD DI 6x to test (I am also a tinkerer, probably to my detriment at times!) so will comment further once I can do a head-to-head...to-head. 

 

For me, the softer mid section (compared to the tip and handle) is noticeable compared to the Hzrdus Smoke Black, but the shaft remained very stable amidst my relatively quick transition. Even when I went after a swing and could feel the action in the shaft I didn't feel like I lost control of the head. I also hit up on the ball so generally have no issues with low ball flight, and found the launch was low/mid, I think due to the softer mid section.

 

Of course everyone's swing is different so as always YMMV. 

[jjmmagoo]

I was able to hit a few balls at the driving range on Friday.  I was impressed with the feel.  I think I gained some more yardage only a little but an increase is an increase and it was my first time hitting it.  I feel as I get used to it some more i feel the distance will be more then just a little.   When I first got the T1100 it took me sometime to get used to it. At first i felt it was too boardy but it soon grew on me.  The RDX Blue was immediate success.  I felt it had a similar ball flight but smoother.  I first started to play the Evenflow Blue, Evenflow Riptide, Evenflow white T1100, and now moved on to the HZRDUS line.  May ball speed went up 10MPH which i thought was impressive.  I have some more testing.  I like what i see so far!!!  Thank you everyone!

[me05501]

I find it helpful to use impact stickers when swapping out shafts. You'll generally find that one shaft helps you produce a more centered impact pattern than the other. 

Many times we get caught up on the flex, bend profile, etc. and forget that center-face contact is just as important. Some shafts droop more than others or have more torque, and that can become obvious once you see the impact patterns. 

At the very least, observing the impact data can tell you if a slight tee height adjustment would help or hurt. 

[jonmay]

I have the new TM Sim head in 9deg with the new tensei 1k.  best shaft I've played yet for me.  I've tried a bunch, the PX never fit me well.  GD TP was not bad, AD DI spun too much.  1K is perfect for my swing.  lot of good reviews on it so far

[jjmmagoo]

I know the bottom line is I should be fitted professionally.  I just enjoy the journey trying to find the holy grail.  And worse comes to worse I put back the T1100 and swallow some pride with the loss of distance.  So far I really like the RDX blue.  Playing Bethpage Black on Friday.  That will be the big test for me.  

[Drivingrangehero]

If you find the center of the face, your dispersion is good, launch and spin are optimized, then a couple of mph’s of ball speed is just a number, especially if you aren’t getting the optimum spin/launch/ direction out of it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

I read how people say they have 3-5 mph ball speed increase from one shaft to the next and I’m like “why doesn’t that happen with me” 

 

if I hit my driver flush with 10 different shaft at the same length and wieight,  I will not see any change in ball speed. It will be within 1 mph variance ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

I have a Aldila Xtorsion Copper 60TX (67g) in my Ping G410 lst and I have a UST Proforce V2 black (66g)  as well, I see the same ball speed of 166-168mph on good days.
 

On any given day I could see a little slower or a little quicker, but the variance is never more than 2mph per session 

 

Now if I hit my Titleist 905r with a Proforce V2 shaft from 2006 that is  78g and 15 years old. I will get the same ball speed of 166-168mph as my modern Ping G410 with a TX or x-flex shaft. It’s usually within 1mph, but the Titleist is 1/4 shorter than my Ping, which I just recently discovered 

 

The only time I see a change in ball speed from one shaft to the next on ones that are flushed, is if I’m trying a driver off the rack that is usually an inch longer than mine since I play my Driver around 44.5”

I can achieve a higher one time ball speed number with the longer shaft, but if I hit 15 shots with each, the one that I’m fit for, will have the highest ball speed average. 
 

id say go with what gives you the best feel and dispersion, then fine tune with Howard’s DIY driver tune up. I bet your gains will come in the form of optimized numbers of launch/spin/distance and fairways hit with a shaft you can have confidence in through feel. 

 

 

[layts14]

5 hours ago, me05501 said:

Many times we get caught up on the flex, bend profile, etc. and forget that center-face contact is just as important. Some shafts droop more than others or have more torque, and that can become obvious once you see the impact patterns. 

 

Excellent point! I am one of the many who get caught up in shaft differences and enjoy learning about that stuff, but regardless of the shaft/profile/flex the one that delivers the club to the ball best is what is important. Time to get some impact stickers.