Any Driver shaft advice would be appreciated!

[DonD]

I am new to GolfWRX, and have been struggling to find a resource of informed reliable opinion on golf clubs and components. Specifically, I am looking for advice as to a new shaft for my driver. My info is as follows:

 

1. What is the club existing set up? ( loft, shaft, flex, swing weight, lenght, etc ) - I have a Cleveland HiBore XLS, 9.5 degrees, with the V2 H.MO.I. shaft as installed by Cleveland (says "V2 M.O.I." on the "top" of the shaft, says "M.O.I. technology engineered for Cleveland Golf" on the bottom of the shaft), stiff flex, standard length and swingweight (D3 according to Cleveland's website).

2. What type of swinger are you? ( smooth or quick tempo swinger )Loading factor on your swing? - Of the 2, I would say I am more of a quick tempo swinger who loads the club pretty well...I am 5 foot 7 1/2 inches, and generate about 105-108 MPH of clubhead speed and carry the driver about 250-255 yds on average I would say; probably average about 260-270 total distance, can get a 275-300 poke in from time to time, depending on the day I'm having and the conditions. My swing feels pretty smooth to me, but I am obviously not generating that clubhead speed based on my height and big swing arc :) .

 

3. What is your handicap and on a scale 1-10 how consistent is your swing?where is your striking ability? - I am an 8 handicap. My swing is consistent (8 on a scale of 10) and my ball striking is good.

4. What is the the problem w/ the existing set up? - When I swing the club well, it usually goes well. My dispersion is very good, the ball rarely goes far off line. However, the shaft feels very "boardy" (not smooth, lacks a real feeling of "power" or "kick" at impact), and periodically I will hit a drive that barely gets 10 feet of the ground. It still goes straight, but has no trajectory at all. As I often will play to cut off the corner of a hole, or fly over trees, water, or bunkers, this trajectory (or lack thereof) could create a problem where my distance would normally be more than enough to carry whatever is in the way.

5. Have you ever had a launch monitor session before? What brand of LM? ( swing speed, launch angle, ball speed, spin rate, Swing path,Attack angle, etc?) These numbers has to come from the existing club or the club that you are trying to fix or buy. IMPORTANT! - I have not had a launch monitor session with this club. In past sessions, with a Nike Ignite 460 10.5 driver with a Stiff flex V2 shaft (67g), my swing speed was 105-108, launch angle was between 10 and 14 (usually around 12) my spin was realteively low (3000-3500 rpm) if I recall correctly.

6. What are you trying to change or achieve on your new set up? - I would like to optimize my launch angle, and of course, pick up a few more yards if possible.

7. Have you had any dynamic club fitting before? Lie angle? For RH players, What is your measurement Knuckle to floor on your LH...Vice Versa for LH players? - I have had a dynamic fitting with irons before...usually comes out just a little flat (1/2 degree or so). In street shoes, from my left middle finger knuckle to the floor is 28.5 inches.

8. What is your shots tendency on mistakes when you are not playing so good? - With my driver, bad shots usually go right' but I tend to hit my driver pretty straight.

9. What is your shot tendency that you like when you are playing good? - My best drives tend to be a power fade, with just a very little left-to-right action.

10. What type of course condition you are playing most? Where are you from? - I live outside of Orlando, FL, and play mostly typical Florida courses - flat, lots of water, can get soggy sometimes and don't offer a lot of roll

11. Body build and postures? - I am 5 ft. 7 1/2 inches, about 165 lbs., pretty good shape, traditional golf swing posture.

12. If you have to be honest, who your swing look like on PGA tour? at least who do you like it to be? - I would say from the old days maybe like Nick Price...not quite as quick, but that's the first one that comes to mind.

13. etc. The more the better it become. - My previous driver was a Nike Ignite 10.5 degree with a V2 67g Stiff shaft (installed aftermarket). I really hit that club well when I hit it well, but lost it right a bit more than I would like and felt like I might be missing something by not having one of the newer heads, so recently changed to the HiBoreXLS. I went with the V2 M.O.I. shaft becasue I really liked the V2 I had in the Nike. The new shaft just feels "non-responsive" to me, and periodically gives me a 10 feet off-the-ground shot with no trajectory. The ball goes very straight with this setup, but I am not confident in consistent trajectory and distance. I don't want to balloon the ball (I have no problem getting the ball up in the air); but would like a consistent trajectory that is going to maximize distance without sacrificing too much is the way of disperison. Other key info: I play Mizuno MX-25 irons with Dynalite Gold S300 shafts, I hit my 8 iron about 150-155 yards, my 3 iron about 205, and my PW about 125. I play a Callaway X Hot 3 wood with a Stiff Banzai shaft (and hit that club VERY well), and an Adams RPM 5 wood with a Grafalloy Prolaunch 65 Stiff shaft (just got that club, seems good so far; not getting quite as much distance as I'd like). I usually play a "Tour"-type ball (Pro V1 or B330) or sometimes the Bridgestone e5+ or the Nike Ignite ball.

 

Any suggestions as to a shaft to consider? I have heard that maybe a little lower kick shaft would be a good combination with a less lofted head (9.5 in my XLS), but I obviously don't want to balloon it...I was looking at the Aldila VS Proto, any thoughts on that shaft...should I be considering the Aldila DVS instead? Should I just go back to the V2 I had pretty good success with in my Nike driver (although I'd like to pick up a few more yards than I was getting with that club)? Anything from the other manufacturers - Diamana, Grafalloy, Fujikura? I don't want to spend a fortune, but I will invest in a good shaft if the performance warrants it.

 

Any help and advice would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Don

[kylemacca01]

Ok to start with im not massively familiar with the hmoi, never hit it and probably never will. That being said i know it is backweighted to help offset heavy heads and other than that im guessing it plays pretty similar to the V2. Most people feel the V2 is very boardy and im not a massive fan. If you like the vs proto try a blueboard it is such a great shaft, similar to the vs, slightly lower spin and super smooth. That would be my best offer.

[DonD]

Thanks for the feedback...quick questions on the BlueBoard...would you recommend the S or the X...looking on Diamana's website, it looks like I'm right on the edge of both - swing speed about 105-108, driver carry about 255...maybe Stiff shaft tipeed 1/2 inch? Thanks again.

[kylemacca01]

Yeah personally i would go for the S untipped if you tend to lose them right on occasion. If you find that too weak you can always tip it but obviously you cant undo a tipped shaft if you feel its playing too stiff.

[cbrian]

Something with a lower kick point, to get a higher ball flight, and more torque, to get that "feel" that you want.

[DonD]

Thanks, cbrian...any shaft in particular in mind?

[DonD]

One quick follow-up...anyone have any thoughts on the Grafalloy Blue? I have read some good reviews, and it is so cheap now ($30 or so on eBay), I thought it might be worth a shot...good idea/bad idea? If worth considering...I have read that it plays a little stiffer than the stated flex...with a .350 tip HiBore XLS, and a 105MPH ss, might I consider a Regular flex; or better off to go with the Stiff?

 

Thanks again,

Don

[skinny99]

I have read your post and think you could look at Aldila DVS in stiff maybe have it installed 1/2" long and adjust the rest upon playing conditions. Just my thoughts. Todd

[kylemacca01]

Grafalloy blue is a good shaft, very stable, however it is extremely stiff butt to tip. Very boardy and very much a hitters shaft. At your swing speed S will be perfect but it certainly wont be smooth like a blueboard or a VS proto. It is also a low launch and low spin shaft so it might not be what you are looking for. Cheap experiment though. Honestly your best bet is to get on a LM somewhere with a fitting cart and you can try out a number of different shafts albeit not in the xls but at least you can get a feel for them.

[bigdriveandy]

Yeah the Blue won't get you away from a boardy feel. However I do love the VS Proto in a heavier weight, like the 70 or 80 grams. The blueboard is always the cream of the crop in terms of feel, but then again you do have to drop at least $250 to get one. Another shaft to consider would be the Fujikura Rombax X series if you want to go for higher end shafts, I think that would fit the bill nicely. Look at the Graphite Design Pershing, the ProLaunch Platinum and the Grafalloy Epic (on sale now) too, that should give you a pretty wide variety to choose from.

[DonD]

Thanks a lot Todd...out of curiosity, why the advice to install it 1/2" long? Purely to try to pick up some extra distance, or something related to the DVS shaft? Thanks again.

[shinichi808]

if you want feel you might want to try either the mamiya-op axiv line or the graphite design tour ad quattro tech line. the original "green" quattro tech has a low kick point. and the new "blue" quattro tech md has a mid kick point. the mamiya-op has 3 lines for their axiv shafts, the original axiv, the axiv v-series, and the new axiv x-series. for the original axiv shafts you could specify either low, mid or high kick, the axiv v line has a mid-high kick, and the new axiv x line has a mid kick. all shafts have a weight range from 50g-80g. and they all, quattro tech and axiv lines, provide a superb feel.