Wrong shaft in ft-5?

volrus · August 10, 2008

NO CONSISTENCY!

I love my ft-5, but I have absolutely NO consistency in it. One hole I'll hook and the very next fade. Also, I hit the ball extremely high. My swing speed is 110 - 115. When I tried it vs. others when buying I had practically the same launch angle with every driver! I'm sure some of it is my swing, but is there a possibility I don't have the right shaft and this is hurting my consistency? It has the shaft that came stock, Fujikura FitOn 160 stiff. By the way, I'm an 8 handicap. Thanks for all helpful information!

hi voltage · August 10, 2008

I am having the same issue with my FT-5 i-mix. I have the 686 Speeder stiff and I think I need an X. My swing speed is right near yours and I think the shaft is just too weak. That thing is a cannon when you connect.

stevesxm · August 10, 2008

well... im no expert by any means. i have a swing speed of about 95 and i hit a ft5 draw /regular original fujikura 150. it hits straight as an arrow between 220 and 240 every time. it was the difference between me losing 16 balls a round on the drive by fading them out of bounds and gone to hitting 16 of 18 fairways most days. so... i have nothing bad to say about this club. what i will pass on is what a tech rep at a shaft manufacturer told me when i was researching shafts and that was that if the shaft is too stiff there will be a tendancy to slice and a shaft too soft will tend to hook.

this was validated when i bought a set of used x20s from callaway with carbon shafts after hitting steel all along. i just figured carbon was better because... well... it HAD to be because it was so trick. wrong. these x20s would hit left so fast i could barely track it... i couldn't AIM far enough right to keep the ball in play. thats when i had the conversation with the shaft guys and, sure enough, a regular carbon is much softer than a regular steel...

got x forged with regular steel shaft... instant straight , long , iron shots.

it was explained to me that if your drive distance is 250 or more, you need a stiffer shaft ( don't we all) . judging by your description and what i was told by the experts, i would conclude you need a stiffer shaft. but i can tell you that the club itself is wonderful...

if a hook is your normal "error" you might want to try a " fade setting" on the club from callaway.. the " draw" " setting was a miracle for me.

Slapjax7s · August 10, 2008

Its possible you have the wrong shaft, but by what info your giving it sounds like there is something going on in your swing as well. Sounds like you have no "FEEL" with it. Did you get fit for the club on a launch monitor?

volrus · August 10, 2008

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the club. It feels unbelievable and I average about 280 yards, but when it's sometimes left and sometimes right it doesn't do me much good. I'm sure there's something in my swing, but I can't help but think it has something to do with the shaft because with my old driver (an old Hawkeye Pro Series) I hit it pretty straight.

I did get on the launch monitor as I said earlier, but I didn't really try any different shafts other than what was stock stiff in each of the drivers I tried.

stevesxm · August 10, 2008

well... i can say that when i try to swing too fast, the first thing that fails is that my hands get there ahead of the club head... that ball goes right.

when i am under pressure or just screw up and pick my head up too soon, that ball goes left.

if i just slow everything down , don't try to over swing the backswing and just pay attention and watch the club head contact the ball, those balls go perfectly straight, right where i aim them.

ridin93 · August 10, 2008

I have the same SS as yours, I hit the stock shaft in the FT5 10 degree on nine holes and sprayed everything. Went to Chip Usher and we installed a Fuji Vista Pro S flex tipped 1 inch and believe me ther is a world of difference

volrus · August 10, 2008

I have the same SS as yours, I hit the stock shaft in the FT5 10 degree on nine holes and sprayed everything. Went to Chip Usher and we installed a Fuji Vista Pro S flex tipped 1 inch and believe me ther is a world of difference

Thanks for the valuable input. I'm thinking I need to go somewhere and get fitted for the proper shaft. Where is the best place to do that? Can you do it at Golf Galaxy or Edwin Watts?

Jimbo999 · August 10, 2008

I was very inconsistent with my superquad with a stock stiff and was scared of using driver on the course! I went to an X flex Rombax X and now its my most consistent club! Id say at your swing speed, X flex would be a good option. Id recommend a shaft change most definitely. From personal experience, moving to the heavier rombax gave me more feel and a lot more consistency.

volrus · August 10, 2008

I was very inconsistent with my superquad with a stock stiff and was scared of using driver on the course! I went to an X flex Rombax X and now its my most consistent club! Id say at your swing speed, X flex would be a good option. Id recommend a shaft change most definitely. From personal experience, moving to the heavier rombax gave me more feel and a lot more consistency.

Now that I think about it, the shaft I hit best was the 360 version of my shaft. They put it in as stock in the tour version of the ft. However, when I went to buy the driver I liked the 9* better than 8.5* so went with the 9* non tour version (tour versions are in half degree lofts). I didn't think there could possibly be that much difference in the two shafts but thinking back, the 360 was heavier than the 160.

Evil R1 · August 10, 2008

...gone to hitting 16 of 18 fairways most days

Do you play 27 holes a day? Most 18 hole course have only 14 fairways

lol... sorry, I just couldn't resist. :black eye:

rattler917 · August 10, 2008

A heavier shaft maybe? You're definately strong enough. Maybe you need to feel the clun more through out your swing, so a higher swing wieght might work. Just a suggestion.

letsgolf · August 10, 2008

I have a SS of 108ish, handicap of 8, and was recently fitted for a Fuji E360 X-stiff in the FT-5. I had the same problem with the Stiff while on the range, so tried the X-stiff and it tightened up the pattern considerably. This is a great combo for me. It's so darn long, and I love the feel. Good luck.

brad71983 · August 11, 2008

I love my ft-5, but I have absolutely NO consistency in it. One hole I'll hook and the very next fade. Also, I hit the ball extremely high. My swing speed is 110 - 115. When I tried it vs. others when buying I had practically the same launch angle with every driver! I'm sure some of it is my swing, but is there a possibility I don't have the right shaft and this is hurting my consistency? It has the shaft that came stock, Fujikura FitOn 160 stiff. By the way, I'm an 8 handicap. Thanks for all helpful information!

if you are spraying shots both ways, a stiffer shaft isnt going to help you, lessons will. however if you consistently miss one way, then a shaft can help.

If you hook go to a stiffer shaft.

If you fade/slice, go softer.

Heavier shaft will help disperson at the expense of distance.

That being said, ditch the e160 stiff, its mediocre. I went from an e360 stiff to a diamana blue x and it was quite noticeable, in a good way. Lost some distance from losing shaft whip but gained a much tighter dispersion.

Rmarin · August 12, 2008

I think you need to be properly fitted. You can go to one of my instructors at your local Edwin Watts golf store. I believe you have fitting problems and swing problems as well. The swing speed, the launch angle and the side spin are not the only factors you have to take in consideration. Also your swing style. You can reach the same swing speed with a smooth swing ( Payne Stewart) or with a 'nervous' one ( Olazabal ) . And obviously you would need two different shafts. Let me know if I can help you.

Which is the closest Edwin Watts golf store to you?

Riccardo Marin

Director of Instruction

Edwin Watts Golf Academy

volrus · August 12, 2008

I think you need to be properly fitted. You can go to one of my instructors at your local Edwin Watts golf store. I believe you have fitting problems and swing problems as well. The swing speed, the launch angle and the side spin are not the only factors u have to take in consideration. Also your swing style. U can reach the same swing speed with a smooth swing ( Payne Stewart) or with a nervous one ( Olazabal ) . And obviously u would need two different shafts. Let me know if I can help u.
Which is the closest Edwin Watts golf store to you?

Riccardo Marin
Director of Instruction
Edwin Watts Golf Academy

Thanks! The closest one to me is in Nashville, about 30 minutes away. Who would I need to speak with there? Also, if you have anything to do with it would you please suggest a store for the Franklin/Brentwood area? It's the wealthiest area in TN and a pretty good golf market. I spoke with a guy at your Memphis store and he said he was hoping to open one in Franklin.

Big Ben · August 12, 2008

The FT-5 is a fantastic driver but it's very fussy and hard to dial in. I've been through a number of them to finally find what I was looking for.

Rmarin · August 14, 2008

Sorry for the late reply.

You need to get in touch with Sam, who is our teacher at the store, or if he's not available, Jeff. I would suggest to call the store at 615-883-0125 and set up an appointment so that they can dedicate a full hour or more to your fitting. If you have any other problem, feel free to get in touch with me or with Erich, who is the manager of the Nashville store. He is aware of your situation and is very eager to help. Don't hesitate to call him

Riccardo Marin

volrus · August 14, 2008

Sorry for the late reply.

You need to get in touch with Sam, who is our teacher at the store, or if he's not available, Jeff. I would suggest to call the store at 615-883-0125 and set up an appointment so that they can dedicate a full hour or more to your fitting. If you have any other problem, feel free to get in touch with me or with Erich, who is the manager of the Nashville store. He is aware of your situation and is very eager to help. Don't hesitate to call him
Riccardo Marin

Great, thanks! I may try to go see them this weekend.

volrus · August 16, 2008

Well, I went to Edwin Watts and those guys were great, worked with me for about an hour. We finally figured out that no shaft is going to get my launch angle down to the 12 to 13* that I need because of my steep approach angle. However, we went through several different shafts from my stock e150 to a Diamana blue board. When it was all said and done, we figured out that the shaft I hit best was the Fujikura E360 X-Stiff. I didn't have quite the distance from it (around 280 to 285), but my dispersion was a little tighter which is what I'm after. However, I do want to look at some shafts that are similar to the E360 because many around here don't think too highly of it. The funny thing is once again, the ProLaunch Red resulted in even higher shots which shouldn't be the case but oh well. If anybody has any other suggestions let me know.

Thanks to Riccardo for hooking me up with the guys at Edwin Watts!