What shaft for the G10 will stop me hooking??

[Davie C]

My previous driver was a King Cobra 400sz (non tour) in 9 deg of loft with a UST proforce 60in stiff flex. This club (being the non tour model) was set up maybe 1 or 2 deg closed. I absolutely hated this club - not that it was a bad club in it's own right - it's just the feel off it was "glassy", poor and not satisfying. My previous club before that was King Cobra SS 310 Tour in 9 deg (same Proforce stiff shaft) and I think that to this day (I still own it) it is one the sweetest feeling and forgiving drivers I've ever hit.

 

I bought the Ping G10 as everybody has been raving about it on this site and others and I wanted to move up to the 460cc size seeing as everybody is doing it now and figured it would give me more forgiveness and extra yards.

 

I went to for the 10.5deg model as I am quite a low ball hitter generally. My flight with this club is pretty good (height wise)

 

I did laugh at DrSchteeves comment above as I agreed with what he was saying. I am a pretty good golfer and my long game is normally very consistent but if I pick up a new club and start hooking it like crazy I am not going to just assume it is my swing straight away. That's common sense!!

 

I do think though that there is nothing wrong with the shaft quality but I am definitely now thinking that the length of it is just too long and I am going to get it shortened to make it more manageable. Maybe 44 3/4 from 45 3/4.

 

All this talk of lofts, flexes, torque etc is frankly driving me mad! Lots of folk are saying on here that the g10 launches very high but take a look at this review on youtube

that video alone made me go with the 10.5 as the trajectory on that looks good to me!

 

Atlanta Golfer you are right that the club is a standard driver and it is a standard shaft bit it isn't a standard length.

 

If I cut the shaft down by an inch at the tip (or even the butt) I am sure this will help me somewhat ie making my swing plane more upright slightly and reduce the club twisting close dthrough impact...?

[atlanta golfer]

I wonder if it could just be that you are not used to the 460 cc head, if you did not previously have a driver of this size? When I first started hitting the larger head driver a year ago (yes, I was a late adopter) I remember how large and awkward it felt for awhile. And much lighter feeling than what I was previously used to. Just a thought.

[Davie C]

Yes, you could be right regarding the size of the head.

 

I still think I will get the shaft length reduced by an inch though.

 

I didn't get to play today but will play tomorrow and see how I get on. I will experiment and choke down on it an inch and see if that changes things.

 

My last 2 drivers were 44.0" - 44.5" in length (guessing when standing them next to the G10) so it would seem logical to reduce the shaft length a bit.

 

I think the G10 is a great driver to hit though and the feel off the face is very good so I'm definitely going to keep the club and hopefully the shaft.

 

I was a bit puzzled by the comment above about the g10 being a draw biased club. Surely it would be in PING players interests to have a non draw biased club as standrard and leave the offset version to deal with those that slice!

[DrSchteeve]

I'm rather astounded at all the golf tips you are getting. You have been playing 20 years and are a single digit handicap, and you haven't been hooking your previous drivers. Why in the world would you start changing your swing because you are hooking a particular club?!? If it was all of your clubs, that would be a problem with your grip/swing/etc., but not when it is just one club.

 

Also astounding are the "it's a great shaft so don't change it" comments. There aren't any shafts that work for everyone. If the shaft doesn't work for you, change it. Don't change your swing to fit the shaft.

 

Now the comments about shortening the shaft may have some merit. What you really may want to try is to tip the shaft, making it tip firmer; 3/4 inch to 1 inch would probably be a good length to try. The combo of a shorter shaft length and a stiffer tip may indeed help with the hooking problem you are having.

 

As for other shafts that might work, anything tip stiffer is likely to help - yes, the Aldila NV might work. So might the Prolaunch Red. I'm partial to the GD Pershing, especially in the 75 gram weight, and this is a fairly tip stiff shaft. All of those are reasonably inexpensive, but still will run you $100 or so installed. More expensive options might be Diamana; I think the Whiteboard would be a bit tip stiffer than the Blueboard, but I'm not sure.

 

I would tip the stock shaft first, then look at the other shafts if that doesn't work. Don't mess with your mechanics unless your general game suggests the need.

 

I agree that no one club and shaft combo is best for everybody BUT we are talking about a pretty mainstream driver with standard shaft. If someone is a little low, high, left, right, or short, then yes, perhaps some fine tuning is in order. But if someone is HOOKING a standard driver with standard shaft, then how can it be the driver or the shaft? I think it might be relevant to know the original poster's previous driver. If a person is going to a driver design that is significantly different than what they had before, then some setup or swing adjustments might be in order. I say MIGHT be.

 

Surprised on this board for someone to be referencing a "standard" anything. There's no such thing as a "standard" driver or "standard" shaft. Heads can be high or low spin, draw or neutral or fade biased, consistent with stated specs or not. Shafts can play firmer or softer to stated flex, can be tip stiff or tip soft, butt stiff or butt soft, spin creating or spin reducing.

 

If you adjust your dirver setup or swing, are you adjusting your fairway wood and hybrid swings as well? Why go to a setup that would force you to change swing characteristics that have worked well for you?

[DrSchteeve]

With a 100-110 mph swing, you might also try the stock shaft in X flex, if Ping offers it. I have a 95 mph swing, albeit with a fast tempo, and I find the stock stiff in my G10 fairway wood to be just fine, and perhaps even a touch soft.

[atlanta golfer]

I'm rather astounded at all the golf tips you are getting. You have been playing 20 years and are a single digit handicap, and you haven't been hooking your previous drivers. Why in the world would you start changing your swing because you are hooking a particular club?!? If it was all of your clubs, that would be a problem with your grip/swing/etc., but not when it is just one club.

 

Also astounding are the "it's a great shaft so don't change it" comments. There aren't any shafts that work for everyone. If the shaft doesn't work for you, change it. Don't change your swing to fit the shaft.

 

Now the comments about shortening the shaft may have some merit. What you really may want to try is to tip the shaft, making it tip firmer; 3/4 inch to 1 inch would probably be a good length to try. The combo of a shorter shaft length and a stiffer tip may indeed help with the hooking problem you are having.

 

As for other shafts that might work, anything tip stiffer is likely to help - yes, the Aldila NV might work. So might the Prolaunch Red. I'm partial to the GD Pershing, especially in the 75 gram weight, and this is a fairly tip stiff shaft. All of those are reasonably inexpensive, but still will run you $100 or so installed. More expensive options might be Diamana; I think the Whiteboard would be a bit tip stiffer than the Blueboard, but I'm not sure.

 

I would tip the stock shaft first, then look at the other shafts if that doesn't work. Don't mess with your mechanics unless your general game suggests the need.

 

I agree that no one club and shaft combo is best for everybody BUT we are talking about a pretty mainstream driver with standard shaft. If someone is a little low, high, left, right, or short, then yes, perhaps some fine tuning is in order. But if someone is HOOKING a standard driver with standard shaft, then how can it be the driver or the shaft? I think it might be relevant to know the original poster's previous driver. If a person is going to a driver design that is significantly different than what they had before, then some setup or swing adjustments might be in order. I say MIGHT be.

 

Surprised on this board for someone to be referencing a "standard" anything. There's no such thing as a "standard" driver or "standard" shaft. Heads can be high or low spin, draw or neutral or fade biased, consistent with stated specs or not. Shafts can play firmer or softer to stated flex, can be tip stiff or tip soft, butt stiff or butt soft, spin creating or spin reducing.

 

If you adjust your dirver setup or swing, are you adjusting your fairway wood and hybrid swings as well? Why go to a setup that would force you to change swing characteristics that have worked well for you?

 

I don't like these posts with multiple quotes but I'm contributing to this one anyway. For the vast majority of golfers, they go to a store, hit a few different "standard" drivers, select one, and go with it. The only adjustments would typically be shaft flex and loft. Depending on their game, they might ask for something a little more forgiving for a slice. That is about it. Less that 5% of golfers are going to get into any type of special (non-standard) shaft. A standard club means it's on the rack at Dick's, ok?

 

And then when I talk about setup or swing adjustments with a new larger longer driver, I am talking about things like ball position relative to front foot, distance standing away from ball, and perhaps pace of swing. These things will normally be different for a driver compared to a fw wood, hybrid, or iron. It doesn't mean you are changing the basic character of your swing.

[DrSchteeve]

I'm rather astounded at all the golf tips you are getting. You have been playing 20 years and are a single digit handicap, and you haven't been hooking your previous drivers. Why in the world would you start changing your swing because you are hooking a particular club?!? If it was all of your clubs, that would be a problem with your grip/swing/etc., but not when it is just one club.

 

Also astounding are the "it's a great shaft so don't change it" comments. There aren't any shafts that work for everyone. If the shaft doesn't work for you, change it. Don't change your swing to fit the shaft.

 

Now the comments about shortening the shaft may have some merit. What you really may want to try is to tip the shaft, making it tip firmer; 3/4 inch to 1 inch would probably be a good length to try. The combo of a shorter shaft length and a stiffer tip may indeed help with the hooking problem you are having.

 

As for other shafts that might work, anything tip stiffer is likely to help - yes, the Aldila NV might work. So might the Prolaunch Red. I'm partial to the GD Pershing, especially in the 75 gram weight, and this is a fairly tip stiff shaft. All of those are reasonably inexpensive, but still will run you $100 or so installed. More expensive options might be Diamana; I think the Whiteboard would be a bit tip stiffer than the Blueboard, but I'm not sure.

 

I would tip the stock shaft first, then look at the other shafts if that doesn't work. Don't mess with your mechanics unless your general game suggests the need.

 

I agree that no one club and shaft combo is best for everybody BUT we are talking about a pretty mainstream driver with standard shaft. If someone is a little low, high, left, right, or short, then yes, perhaps some fine tuning is in order. But if someone is HOOKING a standard driver with standard shaft, then how can it be the driver or the shaft? I think it might be relevant to know the original poster's previous driver. If a person is going to a driver design that is significantly different than what they had before, then some setup or swing adjustments might be in order. I say MIGHT be.

 

Surprised on this board for someone to be referencing a "standard" anything. There's no such thing as a "standard" driver or "standard" shaft. Heads can be high or low spin, draw or neutral or fade biased, consistent with stated specs or not. Shafts can play firmer or softer to stated flex, can be tip stiff or tip soft, butt stiff or butt soft, spin creating or spin reducing.

 

If you adjust your dirver setup or swing, are you adjusting your fairway wood and hybrid swings as well? Why go to a setup that would force you to change swing characteristics that have worked well for you?

 

I don't like these posts with multiple quotes but I'm contributing to this one anyway. For the vast majority of golfers, they go to a store, hit a few different "standard" drivers, select one, and go with it. The only adjustments would typically be shaft flex and loft. Depending on their game, they might ask for something a little more forgiving for a slice. That is about it. Less that 5% of golfers are going to get into any type of special (non-standard) shaft. A standard club means it's on the rack at Dick's, ok?

 

And then when I talk about setup or swing adjustments with a new larger longer driver, I am talking about things like ball position relative to front foot, distance standing away from ball, and perhaps pace of swing. These things will normally be different for a driver compared to a fw wood, hybrid, or iron. It doesn't mean you are changing the basic character of your swing.

 

Someone else help me here. Am I really in the minority, especially on this board, that there is no such thing as "standard"? You might want to read "The Search for the Perfect Golf Club" by Tom Wishon.

 

As for distance from the ball, obviously that changes for a different driver length. I don't buy position relative to the front foot or pace of swing - those are fundamental changes that I don't see making unless a swing problem is consistent throughout all clubs.

[OrangeBlood]

I absolutely agree w/ you....there is no such thing as standard...one manuf. reg flex could be another's women's flex.

 

For example I play TT GS-75's in stiff flex, any other model I should be using reg. flex....maybe it's the lighter alloy..who knows....even with the same manuf. there could be a major difference.

 

That driver 45.75" long...good grief....does anyone actually realize what 2-3" extra will do to a otherwise good swing.

 

IMO there are to many people that listen to what they hear and take it as gospel, w/o researching it on their own......educate yourself.

[atlanta golfer]

Are not the G10 and the TM Burner drivers, at 45.75 to 46 inches, two of the top selling drivers in the past year? It's not like these are some kind of crazy long lengths, unless tens of thousands of golfers are all out there using these crazy long hook producing drivers? :russian_roulette:

[OrangeBlood]

That's an intersting comment. I have o'... I don't know 6-7 playing partners that have those drivers in their bag....5 of them have them cut down.

 

What does that tell ya?

[e-man]

FWIW, I ordered my G10 from Ping 1/2 short at 45.25 inches. Just seemed like the sensible thing to do given that I've always played 45 inch drivers.

 

BTW, I just received the confirmation from Ping today that the G10 is on the way -- 45.25 inches, maintain D3 swingweight, digitally lofted to 10.1 degrees. :russian_roulette:

[atlanta golfer]

People on this board and their playing partners are in a small minority of golfers that do lots of customization of their clubs and shafts. And for better players and students of the game, this makes sense to do this tweaking. But the much larger and broader golfing population as a whole does not do this. They buy off the shelf and take them to the course. Maybe we are talking semantics. Instead of the word standard, let's use the term off the shelf. It is my opinion that a single digit handicapper should be able to take most off the shelf drivers that have a neutral face say plus or minus one degree, with the correct flex shaft and the correct loft, and hit them reasonably well. Yes, a shorter shaft or different shaft or modified swingweight might very well help them hit the driver even better. But a single digit handicapper ought to be able to hit most off the shelf drivers without a severe hook or slice. That is why I suggest looking at the swing and not just trying to modify the club. It is quite obvious that we disagree on this, but this is my opinion. I have had golf pros giving lessons just walk up, take my clubs including driver, and use them to knock the ball nicely on down the fairway. None of them have said "oh, this shaft is too long, this shaft is too soft, the swingweight is not what I am used to, blah blah blah, I can't hit this club without modifying it".

[OrangeBlood]

The sad thing about all this is the only way manufs. can claim to have the longest driver is by making the new driver lengths hard to manage by the recreational golfer. We go out and buy the new $400 driver only to find we can't hit it straight, so we go and pay for multiple lessons from our local PGA pro who after 3-4 $50 lessons suggest that we might want to try it w/ the shaft shorter.....how's that for a marketing ploy?

 

While I am not a single digit HC. I will say I can hit every driver off the shelf to a certain degree very well. The point I was trying to make earlier was sure most of us can hit off the shelf stuff, but by shortening the shaft we can narrow the width of our misses..left or right.

 

There seems to be some sort of ego boost by many people to say they have a 46" driver. If people were smart they would realize that drivers made last year and the year before are just as good if not better than what's out now. I mean come on' a driver head is a driver head, there is not to many ways they can be made nowadays.

 

I would challenge anyone that is having issues w/ spraying tee shots all over the course, to try a driver that is 43-44.5" and tell me that they didn't have better accuracy. I would also bet they might even gain some distance...

 

OK rant over...sorry for that....