Best Value Driver Shaft for Higher Swing Speeds

jrdubbb · April 15

I know I am not the fastest by any means, but I have had issues with my current driver shaft having too much kick and being COMPLETELY unpredictable. When I was fit two years ago, the HZRDUS Blue 6.5 60g that came in the Mizuno ST-Z 220 worked for my swing at the time that could max out at 115SS and needed to prevent a slice. Now, my normal swing cruises at 118 and gets a little over 120 during the round. I have taken a couple swings with a Ventus TR Black 7X, and while that worked for a few swings, it wasn't a fitting and it is out of budget. I have been looking for anything that is very stiff, especially in the tip, and not expensive. There are plenty of cheaper shafts in lighter weights and flexes than I am looking for. Are there any older or value shafts that can still keep up with a faster swing that hopes to keep the hooks away?

Urb · April 15

Hzrdus RDX green or black. Lots of used pulls available pretty cheap. Either option will have more support in the mid vs blue.

RDX blue is a pretty wacky profile. Very stiff handle and tip but extremely soft mid.

Kai'li blue or white are basically cheaper versions of Diamana blue/whiteboards. They were OEM on a lot of stuff, can find cheap.

It may suck to spend $200 on a shaft but you can buy three $80 pulls to test and maybe still not end up with a winner.

phizzy30 · April 15

What's your budget look like? Kai'li White in TX is reasonable price and so is the Smoke Green Hulk TX. Both very stable and low spin but lack feel. CK Pro White/Pro Orange are older but but still excellent that have more feel than either Kai'li or Hulk, IMO that are a bargain these days brand new. Diamana DF is a generation old but still serviceable and stable with decent feel.

Edited April 15 by phizzy30

jrdubbb · April 16

16 hours ago, phizzy30 said:

What's your budget look like? Kai'li White in TX is reasonable price and so is the Smoke Green Hulk TX. Both very stable and low spin but lack feel. CK Pro White/Pro Orange are older but but still excellent that have more feel than either Kai'li or Hulk, IMO that are a bargain these days brand new. Diamana DF is a generation old but still serviceable and stable with decent feel.

Fujikura Pro 2.0 Tour Spec Driver Shaft (D-32437052120) | 2nd Swing Golf
This is a shaft around what I am looking to spend. Seems like this was the previous generation Ventus Black at least from the spec sheet. Would getting something like this be a waste of money?

phizzy30 · April 16

8 minutes ago, jrdubbb said:

Fujikura Pro 2.0 Tour Spec Driver Shaft (D-32437052120) | 2nd Swing Golf
This is a shaft around what I am looking to spend. Seems like this was the previous generation Ventus Black at least from the spec sheet. Would getting something like this be a waste of money?

It's still a good shaft that Cameron Champ used to play a couple years ago so it's definitely still serviceable. I tested one a long time ago and didn't like the feel but it's pretty anti-left/stable. At least the Ventus Black has some feel to it, while the Pro 2.0 TS felt dead. If you don't really care about feel then it's worth picking one up. I believe you can find a new or used Kai'li white in TX flex that would be 150 or cheaper that feels smoother than the Pro 2.0 TS while still being low/low and stable.

Edited April 16 by phizzy30

jrdubbb · April 16

6 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

It's still a good shaft that Cameron Champ used to play a couple years ago so it's definitely still serviceable. I tested one a long time ago and didn't like the feel. At least the Ventus Black has some feel to it, while the Pro 2.0 TS felt dead. If you don't really care about feel then it's worth picking one up. I believe you can find a new or used Kai'li white in TX flex that would be 150 or cheaper that feels smoother than the Pro 2.0 TS while still being low/low and stable.

NEW MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL KAI'LI WHITE 70 TX FLEX DRIVER SHAFT #367621 - ProClubs

I think this will be what I pick up then!

vietnameeh · April 16

I bet you can get a HZRDUS Black gen 4 for pretty cheap since it came stock in a bunch of drivers...

I was actually surprised by it... i hated all the previous gens... I liked then Gen 4 it was comparable to ventus black... (but not really LOL)

phizzy30 · April 16

4 minutes ago, jrdubbb said:

NEW MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL KAI'LI WHITE 70 TX FLEX DRIVER SHAFT #367621 - ProClubs

I think this will be what I pick up then!

Wow, that's a deal. 100 bucks for a new Kai'li white TX. The builder/fitter that's my go to can play any shaft he wants still has the Kai'li White 60TX in his bag and he's a scratch. It's a great shaft that's underrated, IMO.

Edited April 16 by phizzy30

cgasucks · April 16

I'm out of touch when in comes to today's shafts so I don't know what's a good current model shaft these days but I do know a few from yesteryear.

For a tip stiff shaft, I'd go with an Original Proforce (Gold). It is a 20+ year old design but I like the shaft. I'm toying around with an and TM 320 Tour with a Proforce 65 in a Stiff and just like its performance.

Since the model is so old it is listed as a value line of shaft on UST's website so it is quite affordable, but back in the day lots of pros used it. Olazabal won the '99 Masters with that shaft.

Edited April 16 by cgasucks