Age Old Question...What Shaft?

[UPNDWN2]

Looking to purchase new metals, and every time I purchase new clubs, I always wonder should I be playing Stiff or Regular. About a year ago I went from 917 AP2s to p790s. During that change I also made the jump to Reg shaft on the Irons.  Mentally It just made me think I don't have to jump on it as much or just try to be a little smoother. My distances didn't really change much and still nice flight and the ball stops when it hits. So, after making that change, I thought should I be swinging a reg in my driver? (first gen Epic w/Jailbreak, Tour AD 60g Stiff) changed to a Fubuki 60g Reg. Again, distances were about the same, no real change, little more spinny, a touch higher but nothing crazy different. The idea with the driver shaft change was, days I play 36, towards the middle of 2nd round maybe I don't have to work as hard, etc.

Well, I am now thinking it is time to replace all my metals. (Driver, 3 wood, 3 hybrid). And of course, I am thinking...what shaft? I know the right thing to do is go hit a bunch at Golf Galaxy or wherever and look at the numbers, but I just hate dealing with all that, salesman, time, etc. My Current 3 wood is 915 D3, 70g, stiff. 3 hybrid is 915 D3, 80g, stiff. Standard Titleist issue (I forget what mfg. shafts they are) I never buy brand new clubs (I just hate paying all that money for something that in the long run isnt night and day difference, but it is nice hitting "newer" clubs. For this purchase I think I have narrowed it down to the TS3, D3 for all 3 metals. (I know, a few years old now but from all the reviews, the majority opinion is there isn't a huge difference between the TS3 and TSi3. I know I will probably get all sorts of different opinions but putting it out there anyway.

I am kind of leaning to the same set up, Driver-reg, 3 wood-stiff, 3 hybrid-stiff.  But I always wonder if i am losing any real benefits?? 

Opinions...?

Background:

10 Hdcp

Driver: 275 yds average

3 wood: off ground: 245-250

               Tee: 260

3 hybrid: 230

Thanks !!

[Stuart_G]

15 hours ago, gcholtko said:

Looking to purchase new metals, and every time I purchase new clubs, I always wonder should I be playing Stiff or Regular.

 

Just a word of warning.  Dont' read too much into the flex label for a shaft or focus too much on it.  It shouldn't really be a major part of the selection process.  The ONLY time it actually tells you anything is if you are comparing different flexes of the exact same model and weight shaft.   Outside of that they aren't really very accurate way of assessing the stiffness of the shaft since there is no real commonly used standard for what flex a shaft should be.  e.g. There are plenty of "R" flex shafts that are actually stiffer than other model "S" flex shafts.

 

It's not the greatest (or all that reliable) approach but you can also maybe use the launch characteristics to tweak the feel a bit.  e.g.  a high launch stiff shaft can sometimes get you more loading feel than a low launch shaft of the same flex.

 

Yes, I understand that you are not all that fond of going in and testing but unfortunately there are no short cuts to finding the best shaft.  Anything else (other than just using the same shaft models/weights/flex as you've used before) is really just throwing dice in how well it may or may not work.

 

 

15 hours ago, gcholtko said:

 

About a year ago I went from 917 AP2s to p790s. During that change I also made the jump to Reg shaft on the Irons.  Mentally It just made me think I don't have to jump on it as much or just try to be a little smoother. My distances didn't really change much and still nice flight and the ball stops when it hits. So, after making that change, I thought should I be swinging a reg in my driver? 

 

Due to the longer length, stiffness changes can effect the feel more with the driver and fairways than the irons.  Also, not everyone swings the driver/woods the same as the irons.    So while it's a good reason to try out some softer shafts for the longer clubs, just be aware that it might be easier to jump into a "too soft" feel with those longer clubs than it is for the irons.   Now at what point does a shaft become too soft for an individual?   There is no ideal or optimal amount of loading.  It's really all about how the loading feel effects the swing.   Some can swing a wide range of stiffness ranges w/o any negative effect on the swing.  In fact, for a lot of am's, stiffness really isn't all that important part of the fitting process.   But there are others who might need a very specific amount in order to maintain their best swing.   But only testing will tell you where you lie in that spectrum range.   Simply put, if it feels like it's loading too much to you then it probably is.    On the other hand, feeling like you have to work harder than you want to load the shaft is a good indication that it might be too stiff.   Or if you're mostly indifferent about the loading feel, then it probably doesn't matter all that much.

 

 

15 hours ago, gcholtko said:

But I always wonder if i am losing any real benefits?? 

 

There are a lot of misconceptions but there are really no inherent benefits or detriments from the shaft stiffness or amount of loading outside how the feel for you effects the swing.    So the simplest approach - find the shaft that feels the best - is usually the safest approach if you're not into putting the time and effort into an in depth evaluation of the numbers with different shafts.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Stuart_G

[Gerr]

TONs of Titleist shafts on eBay for cheap, just get a couple and try.