G10 Shaft choices

[diablojoe]

need some help...

I've been hitting a few drivers in the past few days. Tour Burner, L4V, FT5 Draw. All in 10-10.5 with stiff shafts.

Can't make the Tour Burner work -- just doesn't feel right. Some like the TaylorMade feel; I don't.
I hit the L4V to the moon -- I just can't believe how high that ball goes. Way too loud.
FT5 Draw works pretty good -- nice boring flight, great feel. Not very forgiving of toe strikes -- ball snaps left if hit on the toe (a common miss for me). I was ready to go with the FT5, but...

Then the guy next to me hands me his G10 10.5* Draw with a reg flex Ping TFC 129 shaft. Kaboom. Five balls farther than the other three clubs, with a straight flight and a slight fade as the ball dropped to the ground. Ball was maybe a little high.

I'm pretty much sold on the G10, but I am wondering about the three shafts choices: TFC 129, ProLaunch Red and V2 High Launch. My shop has all three.

I know the right answer is to get on a monitor, but that's not gonna happen. So, I need this peanut gallery to give me some thoughts on these three shaft choices. I have no trouble hitting a ball high. I tend to fade the ball. My SS is in the mid-high 90's. I'm on the cusp between stiff and regular according to most charts. I have a pretty normal tempo with the driver. Not too fast, not too slow.

What are the key differences between these shafts and how will they work with what I know about my swing? Any thoughts on the stiff versus regular choice?

[leftiesonly]

I went through a Ping fitting on their new system and hit both the Pro Launch Red and the stock shaft. The fitter didn't even have me it the V2

high launch, he knew I would hit it to high. My numbers were better with the Pro Launch Red and I hit it great, although the stock shaft performed

well too. The Pro Launch Red is a very popular combo with this head, if you can't get fitted I would go with this. IMHGO.

[RoscoeCoaltrain]

I hit all 3 shafts on the range and found the prolaunch red the best fit for me. Both the TFC stiff and pro launch stiff felt good, the red hit a little lower for me which works well with my drives. I went with the red. I sprayed the regular flex TFC shaft all over the range, no control. Way to whippy for me. I really don't know my swing speed but my normal drive is in the 250 range.

 

I could live with either the TFC stiff or Prolaunch Red. I found a decent price on a red on eBay so I bought it.

[Wedge]

I have the G10 10.5 w/the stock Stiff TFC129 and have been very happy with it. I didn't hit the other shafts....I did hit the G10 against a few other drivers....but my specs were excellent with the stiff TFC.

 

My swing speed runs between 95-99mph and I carry my driver around 240-250yds.

 

I've been extremely happy with the G10 on the course. Very consistent & my misses are better.

[atiesi]

BEWARE: in my opinion, the pro launch red stiff is much stiffer than the average stiff shaft. You should test it before you buy, if possible.

[diablojoe]

Thanks for the advice, gang.

 

I did manage to get on a monitor briefly at lunchtime today. Hit the 9* (non-draw) in the Red, stiff and regular. Was hitting the ball way too high with the regular shaft and getting way too much slice spin. The stiff shaft cut the slice spin down; the draw head will probably be perfect.

 

But, I was not getting much backspin with the stiff Red. Barely creeping up to 2,000 with ~16+* launch angle and 140 ball speed. Not enough spin?

 

Should I be hitting the 10.5* and not sweeping up so much into the ball?

[crazygolfnut]

I went to a Ping fitting session with the local Ping rep. He worked at the factory for several years and seems to know his stuff. My swing speed is only about 85 to 90 and I ended up with a regular V2 high launch. Everyone is different. have fun!

[Bama]

I got fitted for a G-10 9 degree with a Prolaunch Red Stiff last weekend at Edwin Watts. Many people do not like the Grafalloy shafts, but it was a no brainer for me. I went from a Blue shaft to the Prolaunch Red. I need the stiff tip. Without it, I spray the ball all over the place. The TFC is a great shaft, but it has a mid-launch and more flexible tip, which did not work for me. I have a high trajectory and produce a lot of spin (3,800 rpm). My swing speed is 105 to 109 mph, and a ball speed around 155 to 160. The Red shaft helps lower my spin and trajectory.

 

Based upon what you have given us. The Red is probably not the shaft for you. The TFC would probably be your best bet. It seems you put some side-spin on the ball, so the 10.5 may be the ticket for you. Shaft flex is subjective since you are on the cusp between flexes - do you need distance, accuracy, etc? However, it is always best to get fitted.

[diablojoe]

I got a chance to hit the stock shaft, stiff, in a 9* Draw head. Perfection. Launch angle stayed down (around 15*), backspin went up to 2500 or so and side spin reduced. Once I found a groove, I was really able to unload on the ball. I hit a few at 102-105 swing speed just for kicks (I usually hit at 92-95). I actually hit the ball reasonably straight even when going at it that hard.

 

I bought the 9* Draw with the stiff TFC shaft. The Prolaunch Red ended up feeling too stiff for me. The Red had too little spin for me -- knuckleballs and hard fades. I had some solid ball strikes (with good monitor reads) that had <1000 rpm of backspin!

 

Thanks for all the tips.