Tough Fit - Give me Your Shaft Recommendation - Thanks!

[AndersonGT]

I'm back again to ask the genius' before I buy yet another shaft. 

 

Swing speed between 85 to 95 mph on any given day. Swing profile is fast tempo short backswing, fast transition, early to mid release. Currently working on eliminating over the top move which has been going well although it still creeps in. Miss is either fat, right, or slice right. I will say I pretty much consistently hit around the Infinity Circle on the driver face.  

 

Playing a RadSpeed XD currently on Prolauch Red Supercharged Regular. I have not found a better shaft yet but I know one is out there. Prolaunch is low and straight for me. The only shaft where I actually have had to loft up. 

 

I've read that I should look for a soft butt, stiff mid section, soft tip driver with my swing profile. Whether or not that is true is what brings me here. My goal is to add some distance perhaps and keep the accuracy of the Prolaunch.  One last note, I have not gone back to trying a stiff shaft. Not sure with my lower speed and aging that would benefit me as much as perhaps moving to a 70g shaft. 

 

Others I've tried most recent to years past.

1. NV 2KXV Blue 60 Reg - Fade/Right machine, but nice mid trajectory. Also topped this shaft more than others.

2. Fuji Motore X F3 Reg - Came with Radspeed. High and right. Balloons. 

3. Atmos Blue - Very similar to 2KXV with higher flight. 

4. Atmos Red - Worst shaft I used, short, high, and all over the place. 

5. Rogue 95 MSI Stiff - 2nd best shaft I have tried to Prolaunch Red. 

6. Evenflow Green 6.0 - All over the place, no consistency. Did produce results when hit well.

 

Thanks again for your help. 

 

 

 

[Stuart_G]

1 hour ago, AndersonGT said:

I've read that I should look for a soft butt, stiff mid section, soft tip driver with my swing profile. Whether or not that is true is what brings me here.

 

Those kind of suggestions are really only, at best, a starting point in the search.  Only testing will tell you how true it might be for you.   Based on your actual results, I'd say it's a good chance that it's not.

 

 

1 hour ago, AndersonGT said:

My goal is to add some distance perhaps and keep the accuracy of the Prolaunch.  One last note, I have not gone back to trying a stiff shaft. Not sure with my lower speed and aging that would benefit me as much as perhaps moving to a 70g shaft. 

 

Weight and stiffness need to be explored independently to find the best fit, it's not really a trade off between the two.   There is also no standards for flex so even the flex selection might vary based on the specific shaft model.  Don't just blindly look at the flex label,  make your assessment by how the shaft actually feels to you in terms of stiffness.

 

 

1 hour ago, AndersonGT said:

Others I've tried most recent to years past.

1. NV 2KXV Blue 60 Reg - Fade/Right machine, but nice mid trajectory. Also topped this shaft more than others.

2. Fuji Motore X F3 Reg - Came with Radspeed. High and right. Balloons. 

3. Atmos Blue - Very similar to 2KXV with higher flight. 

4. Atmos Red - Worst shaft I used, short, high, and all over the place. 

5. Rogue 95 MSI Stiff - 2nd best shaft I have tried to Prolaunch Red. 

6. Evenflow Green 6.0 - All over the place, no consistency. Did produce results when hit well.

 

Unfortunately, unless every one of these shafts were tested with:

1) the exact same head model, loft, and hosel setting,

2) the same playing length,

3) the same swing weight,

3) the same grip,

 

There is no way to be sure how much the shaft actually influenced those results.  Even then we'd also need to see the weight and flex of the shaft model chosen (you list a few of the flexes but not all nor any of the weights).

 

Your struggles could be an indication you're not really looking in the right place for the problem.  The best way to start is actually dial in 1) playing length 2) shaft weight and 3) swing weight -  with the focus on the quality and consistency of the face impact location, not how high/low the ball flight might be.  Although face and path control (start line and shot shape) is also important.    You can probably do that with your current driver and shaft.

 

Once you get that done, you can narrow down the search and start to look at the stiffness profiles and flexes and see if that really is having much of an influence on the results.

 

Here is the tutorial on how to do that.  All you need is some lead tape, some foot powder spray and a bucket of range balls.

 

 

And finally, keep the expectations realistic.  Yes a bad fitting club can make the results a lot worse in a wide variety of ways, but what you'll get with a good fitting club is still going to be limited by your ability.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Stuart_G

[Valtiel]

5 hours ago, Stuart_G said:

And finally, keep the expectations realistic.  Yes a bad fitting club can make the results a lot worse in a wide variety of ways, but what you'll get with a good fitting club is still going to be limited by your ability.

 

Stuart covered everything you need, and I just want to expand on the above. 

If you are struggling with:
 

Quote

Currently working on eliminating over the top move which has been going well although it still creeps in. Miss is either fat, right, or slice right

This means you are struggling with being steep and controlling the face (which is pretty much always the case with a OTT move). Combine that with a quick tempo/short backswing and you have a VERY narrow window to hit a solid shot, this is just your reality right now. Attempting to effect change via shafts within this framework is like trying to find the best running shoe while you have an ankle injury. It is a significant overriding factor that will always thwart any attempts to find consistency/better performance outside of addressing it directly. Any perceived change will virtually always be down to how you are managing the problems on that given day and will leave you chasing your tail. Plus, even if you did find something that creates a tangible difference, that will surely change as you address the underlying swing issue. 

So while you work on your swing, the absolute best thing you can do is mess with length and weight. Shortening your driver has a good chance of softening some of your swing issues, especially if your current setup is anywhere near the ludicrous lengths of most stock drivers these days. Adding weight to the head to taste after shortening per the guide Stuart posted is the next step, and I would leave it at that with your Prolaunch Red until you reach a better place with your swing mechanics. Even then you may not need to change anything. 

[doctorjedi]

since you asked for a shaft reco... Fujikura Ventus Red 5R velocore.

[NerdyGolfer]

On 9/30/2021 at 1:29 PM, Stuart_G said:

 

Those kind of suggestions are really only, at best, a starting point in the search.  Only testing will tell you how true it might be for you.   Based on your actual results, I'd say it's a good chance that it's not.

 

 

 

Weight and stiffness need to be explored independently to find the best fit, it's not really a trade off between the two.   There is also no standards for flex so even the flex selection might vary based on the specific shaft model.  Don't just blindly look at the flex label,  make your assessment by how the shaft actually feels to you in terms of stiffness.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, unless every one of these shafts were tested with:

1) the exact same head model, loft, and hosel setting,

2) the same playing length,

3) the same swing weight,

3) the same grip,

 

There is no way to be sure how much the shaft actually influenced those results.  Even then we'd also need to see the weight and flex of the shaft model chosen (you list a few of the flexes but not all nor any of the weights).

 

Your struggles could be an indication you're not really looking in the right place for the problem.  The best way to start is actually dial in 1) playing length 2) shaft weight and 3) swing weight -  with the focus on the quality and consistency of the face impact location, not how high/low the ball flight might be.  Although face and path control (start line and shot shape) is also important.    You can probably do that with your current driver and shaft.

 

Once you get that done, you can narrow down the search and start to look at the stiffness profiles and flexes and see if that really is having much of an influence on the results.

 

Here is the tutorial on how to do that.  All you need is some lead tape, some foot powder spray and a bucket of range balls.

 

 

And finally, keep the expectations realistic.  Yes a bad fitting club can make the results a lot worse in a wide variety of ways, but what you'll get with a good fitting club is still going to be limited by your ability.

Stuart beating everyone to the punch and giving you the best possible response. There are so many variables in golf it's insane. Trying to keep something constant will help you worlds over when it comes to experimenting. Can't say I always do that, but when something isn't working, most people change the driver head, the shaft, the grip, etc all at once. Only change one thing at a time and see how things go. I'm a shaft experimenter myself and I'm plagued with this, so practice what I preach, not what I do haha. Good luck!

[NerdyGolfer]

On 1/30/2022 at 10:30 AM, doctorjedi said:

since you asked for a shaft reco... Fujikura Ventus Red 5R velocore.

Ventus is a great line and I've enjoyed the Atmos line up as well!

 

Stock vs aftermarket will get you every time. Stock is usually the watered down version and will produce slightly different results. Think of the stock evenflow vs "handcrafted".

[801]

I'll refrain from giving swing, lesson, and/or life advice ... since your question was really just about shaft options.

I have identical swing 'specs' as you posted above.  And pretty much identical swing 'characteristics' as well.

 

I installed a Ventus Blue 5R (yes, velocore ... real deal) in my Callaway Epic 10.5 degree drive last season.

It was a game changer.  Longer than anything.  Straighter than anything. More solid feeling (not harsh) and more controllable than anything ... that I've previously tried.

 

For cats like you and I with slower Driver swing speed ... getting into Ventus is allllllllll about the weight class.  5, 6 or 7 weight class are the options.

 

Blue 5R was / is ... an absolute perfect fit for me.  

 

[Gerr]

Similar swing to yours, I recently tried a HZRDUS Smoke Black 60 5.5 and LOVE it!  6.0 was just too stiff for me and the Riptide's didn't kick right for me.  Plus you can get them cheap on ebay as most people don't want the 5.5.

[chasdr]

Adding my 2 cents...the Fujikura Speeder NX has been amazing for me in 5S.  Play regular shafts in most everything else, but the NX really loads and unloads predictably.  Would never have looked at this shaft had I not been fit into it...

[st1800e]

We’ll, I’m not going to say “ this worked for me”.  Get a fitting that you PAY FOR. Right after playing. The golf shop staff watching you hit a dozen shots with whatever they have in stock doesn’t cut it.