Lighter, softer wedge shaft = lower launch higher spin???

[hammergolf]

Was looking for a different feeling on some wedges so I went completely opposite of what I normally do. I’ve been a guy that uses an 8 iron shaft that’s heavier and stiffer than what I use in my irons. Wanted a little more feel and lighter weight, so I installed some Fujikura Pro 95 Reg flex shafts in some Raw MG4 wedge heads at D5 swingweight. My current wedges are CBX Zips with DG Spinner 115 in them. I was fully expecting full shots and pitches to launch a bit higher and maybe spin a bit less, however what I’ve found so far is the complete opposite. The launch is considerably lower and is just loaded with spin. It’s a headscratcher for sure, but maybe I’ve stumbled onto something. Does this make sense to anyone?

[Trippels]

4 hours ago, hammergolf said:

Was looking for a different feeling on some wedges so I went completely opposite of what I normally do. I’ve been a guy that uses an 8 iron shaft that’s heavier and stiffer than what I use in my irons. Wanted a little more feel and lighter weight, so I installed some Fujikura Pro 95 Reg flex shafts in some Raw MG4 wedge heads at D5 swingweight. My current wedges are CBX Zips with DG Spinner 115 in them. I was fully expecting full shots and pitches to launch a bit higher and maybe spin a bit less, however what I’ve found so far is the complete opposite. The launch is considerably lower and is just loaded with spin. It’s a headscratcher for sure, but maybe I’ve stumbled onto something. Does this make sense to anyone?

 

[MiloMalt]

1 hour ago, Trippels said:

 

hmm.. do you think the shorter shaft, lower weight and softer flex is the reason why he changes his swing or is he intentionally swinging faster and more aggressively to get those numbers. The dispersion is quite a bit worse with the franken-wedge also so probably not the best idea in practice. Would be interesting to see if others have tried this in their wedges and what their results are.

[Stuart_G]

9 hours ago, hammergolf said:

I was fully expecting full shots and pitches to launch a bit higher and maybe spin a bit less, however what I’ve found so far is the complete opposite. The launch is considerably lower and is just loaded with spin. It’s a headscratcher for sure, but maybe I’ve stumbled onto something. Does this make sense to anyone?

 

The direct effect of the shaft stiffness and weight of the shaft on the result is actually very minimal.  The shorter the playing length, the less the influence.  That means, if a robot was doing the swinging and you made the shaft change, you would see very little difference in the ball flight results.   For shorter and slower swings like chips and pitches - what little direct influence there might be goes away completely.

 

So what happens in real life with real people is ALL about how the player responds to the change in feel and how the swing itself changes.   It's how the feel of the club influences their control of the club.   When it comes to those types of subjective responses, there are no rules or useful generalizations.

 

So basically there really was no real basis for your original expectations of what might happen.   Only actual testing by the player can give you those types of answers for that player.   Even the experiences of other players are not really useful in helping figure out what will happen with you.

 

And to make things worse,  there is nothing that will guarantee that the ball flight changes you see in this type of test will be long lived.   They might be, but the more you play the new configuration, the more you get "used to" the new feel and that opens the door for you to possibly revert back to previous swing habits.

 

If the main purpose is to get a different feel - that's fine.  If nothing else, that can certainly have a beneficial effect on the confidence in the club and the swing.   But trying to chase launch and spin changes through shaft changes can always be unpredictable and even potentially unreliable.

 

Edited March 5 by Stuart_G

[phizzy30]

DG spinner launches high and spins like crazy for me.  Recipe for disaster for distance control with wedges which is why I have KBS Tour and 610 as my current setup.  You've been around the game long enough OP, to know that even slight changes in flex and weight can do some weird things in affecting delivery into the ball.  Are your divots the same size or bigger with the lighter setup?  Maybe the change has you delofting a bit and coming in a bit steep causing the lower launch with higher spin?   

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, phizzy30 said:

DG spinner launches high and spins like crazy for me.  Recipe for disaster for distance control with wedges which is why I have KBS Tour and 610 as my current setup.  You've been around the game long enough OP, to know that even slight changes in flex and weight can do some weird things in affecting delivery into the ball.  Are your divots the same size or bigger with the lighter setup?  Maybe the change has you delofting a bit and coming in a bit steep causing the lower launch with higher spin?   

Crazy how different shafts have different results for players. I played KBS Tour shafts in my wedges before with good results, but the 610 was not good for me at all. DG Spinner has been really good for me though. Divot wise they are the same, I’m a medium divot guy. It’s been interesting so far, I am getting the feel I wanted but hitting really low flighted shots with more spin. Not sure if it’s the lighter weight, but so far I like it.

Edited March 5 by hammergolf

[RobS]

8 hours ago, MiloMalt said:

hmm.. do you think the shorter shaft, lower weight and softer flex is the reason why he changes his swing or is he intentionally swinging faster and more aggressively to get those numbers. The dispersion is quite a bit worse with the franken-wedge also so probably not the best idea in practice. Would be interesting to see if others have tried this in their wedges and what their results are.

I haven't tried the soft flex set up but have tried a shorter, lighter head, low swingweight set up.  It's lousy for anything more than a half shot.  I could generate a lot of spin on partial shots and around the green.  The concept is that you can swing faster to generate more spin since the ball doesn't come off the face as fast.  That's primarily a function of the lighter head.  There are a few players on Tour playing with a traditionally weighted sand wedge and a light lob wedge with swingweights down in the C's.