steel shaft in ur driver....

[scroller52]

anyone use this?

just wondering if anyone uses a steel shaft in their driver anymore. my cobra 4wood uses a nippon ns pro 950 stiff shaft and i absolutely love it. i hit it straight, long and is the most trusted club in my bag when cant find my swing. i'm not sure if its the head or the shaft that makes this club so great, but just wondering if it will help with the driver.

i do pretty decent with my driver and the stock redboard in my cobra l4v, but i dont mind a bit more consistency. how would a steel driver shaft compare to the normal graphite shafts?

just wondering if anyone has tried this yet before i go looking for a nippon steel driver shaft.

[stage1350]

I haven't played X-100 in years. There are multiple heavy graphite options out there. One of them is bound to have the launch and spin characteristics that will fit your swing.

 

I completely understand your preference for a club with a heavy total weight. I played 116g graphite for years before coming down to 83g.

[StaffBag]

If you absolutely have to it works great. However, your driver will have to be shorter in length due to the weight of the shaft. The heads can be weighted lighter to a degree, but not that much.

 

There are numerous "heavy" graphite shafts out there that almost do the same thing now days and they still weigh less than steel.

 

Since TIGER doesn't use steel any more in his driver (and he is about the only person left on earth that would need to use it due to how he loads the shaft) I wouldn't even look at it any more.

 

PGA Pros don't even really use them in thier fairways any more either, but that is a more logical place to find steel shafts in woods now days.

 

 

 

...However it is still an individual thing and the OEM's still have them available for custom installation. If you think you need it, maybe you do.... but go and get fitted first before you pull the trigger and get a driver with one installed in it.

[mat562]

I'd never say 'never' when it comes to equipment, but I've got to say I don't know anyone who still plays steel in their driver - or who has played graphite and gone back.

 

I know a few handy players, including some really long hitters who play on tours or at top amateur level, and none of them are playing steel. Some are playing heavyweight models, but all of them have made the switch in their drivers. Graphite shaft design is now so advanced that it's possible to get all the benefits of steel with the advantages of graphite, even if you're looking towards a heavier weight.

 

Ultimately, use what works for you, but it's likely there's something out there, in graphite, that will outperform an equivalent steel shaft.

[scroller52]

thanks for the replies. i just figured it wouldnt hurt too much to at least try a steel driver shaft since they're relatively cheap....~15 bucks and then a shaft change on the driver at a local golfsmith or pro shop.

 

 

my stock redboard is 62grams...i think i can give the 83 gram shafts a try also. just wondering if theres anyone whose actually tried a newer head with a steel shaft option yet.

[floyd]

I loved the steel in the driver, really miss it.

[dbweaver]

The version of the story I heard was that there was a disagreement about whether Arnie's ball was embedded on the outside lip of a green-side bunker. I think Venturi took offense to the ruling because the official said that the ball was "half-embedded" and gave Arnie the free drop, to which Venturi replied "That's like being half-pregnant, there is no such thing. You either are or you aren't." Again, this whole thing is off the top of my head, so I may be wrong about the story.

 

 

Just to reiterate what some others have said, whatever works for you is what you need to use. I go back to a steel shafted driver occassionally. I find that I lose no distance with it and certainly no accuracy lost. That is just my game, though, that might not be the case for all people. Maybe my graphite shafts are not exactly what I need specification-wise... If you are comfortable with it and play better with it, by all means throw it in the bag. Good luck.

[clubshack]

I play X100 DG in my driver at 44". Loads great and takes any swing you want to give it. VERY accurate and absolutely have lost no distance. Played every graphite imaginable and the last was the EPIC S68 Too much spin and not enough mass. I am longer and more consistent now. The best part is the tempo. I know when impact is now. Graphites are too light and stiff to feel consistent for me. The last graphite I hit was a Fubuki in the new FT iQ That felt really nice but with in 5 swings, I was all over the place again.

I will stay with steel until I find something to tickle my fancy.

[ricar1610]

I was just doing a search about this very topic and looking for old Titleist drivers like the 975 series and putting in a steel shaft. I played today on a very tight course with lots of water and used my 17* Mizuno hybrid all day - 10 times and hit every fairway with it - hit two drivers in the water right!!! The hybrid has a steel shaft but it is a dynalite gold sl - was thinking about putting the Dynalite wood shaft into an old Titleist and see what it does - it would be a cheap experiment and fun too. For me I think it is the length - 45 inches is long. I guess you could get a shorter length in graphite but when I did that it messed up the SW - and yes you can custom order with a heavier shaft and SW but I still think steel in the driver would be more accurate. I made 2 doubles in 4 holes with the driver today and because the hybrid was so easy to hit this just made me wonder. I would say do it if you want to - I am going to try it - it will cost less than $50 total to try it.

[frozen_rope]

Steel works well with finished club lengths of 43" or less.

Any driver head over about 265 cc size needs a shaft longer than 44", or the finished club is out of balance. For this reason the 265 cc head size of several years back was the last common usage of steel shafts for drivers.

Modern size 460cc size heads need a finished length of 45" to 46", much too long a shaft length for steel material.

 

 

just wondering if anyone uses a steel shaft in their driver anymore. my cobra 4wood uses a nippon ns pro 950 stiff shaft and i absolutely love it. i hit it straight, long and is the most trusted club in my bag when cant find my swing. i'm not sure if its the head or the shaft that makes this club so great, but just wondering if it will help with the driver.

 

i do pretty decent with my driver and the stock redboard in my cobra l4v, but i dont mind a bit more consistency. how would a steel driver shaft compare to the normal graphite shafts?

 

just wondering if anyone has tried this yet before i go looking for a nippon steel driver shaft.

[schneck1977]

Steel works well with finished club lengths of 43" or less.

Any driver head over about 265 cc size needs a shaft longer than 44", or the finished club is out of balance. For this reason the 265 cc head size of several years back was the last common usage of steel shafts for drivers.

Modern size 460cc size heads need a finished length of 45" to 46", much too long a shaft length for steel material.

 

 

just wondering if anyone uses a steel shaft in their driver anymore. my cobra 4wood uses a nippon ns pro 950 stiff shaft and i absolutely love it. i hit it straight, long and is the most trusted club in my bag when cant find my swing. i'm not sure if its the head or the shaft that makes this club so great, but just wondering if it will help with the driver.

 

i do pretty decent with my driver and the stock redboard in my cobra l4v, but i dont mind a bit more consistency. how would a steel driver shaft compare to the normal graphite shafts?

 

just wondering if anyone has tried this yet before i go looking for a nippon steel driver shaft.

 

In my personal opinion the head size has nothing to do with it. Your driver length should be whatever you are comfortable in hitting the center of the face with. I have several drivers, all 460 cc, that are all in the 44" range. You do need to be careful when assembling things with head weight and shaft weight etc. But this works very well for me, and a lot of other golfers as well.

A steel driver shaft is a good alternative to increase a clubs total weight. This can be done with graphite, but the cost of the ~100 + gram graphite shafts can be quite spendy, and most of them start in the stiff category. what if you need a more flexible shaft?

The Nippon's are not a cheep steel shaft. They do have a driver shaft in the 950 series, but I have yet to find one here in the states, I haven't looked real hard yet either. I am trying out the 950 Nippon in a FW right now, and if it works like I think it will I will be putting one in a driver for next year as well.

I say go for it, find a steel shaft that has a flex and bend profile that you like and put the ball in the fairway.

[dmitch37]

Had a steel shaft fitted to my TM R5 in Jan of this year. Also had it cut down to 43.5 inches.

 

No loss of distance due mainly to hitting the ball in the middle of the club more often.

[robb01]

I cant think of a single player I know that still uses steel

[clubshack]

Lets go play. We can start at $2 a stroke.

[Samsquanch]

Is Ernie still playing steel in his fairway woods?

[robbie91]

id try a heavier and stiffer graphite shaft if that dosen't work out. get a diamana blueboard 73 s or x.

[Boomermike]

[quote name='robb01' date='08 December 2008 - 12:31 PM' timestamp='1228761114' post='1364899']
I cant think of a single player I know that still uses steel
[/quote]


Now THERE'S a valid argument. Heck...I can't think of "a single player I KNOW" who's ever shot a 68 at Pebble Beach. So by all means...AVOID using equipment used by anybody who's ever shot a 68 at Pebble Beach, because, by golly, I don't know them.

Airtight logic, dude. Bravo.

[acgolfer]

i have an old 975 with a steel shaft and i love it!

[Wooderson]

I am very glad you posted this. I have a Taylor Made 200 with a rifle 6.0 steel shaft. I pull it out of the closet when my tempo gets out of whack. The extra weight really helps get me back into a groove. I know there are heavier graphite options, but the thing is they are a bit more pricey than a steel driver shaft.

I'm thinking a new driver to take advantage of the forgiveness of modern drivers with a steel shaft would be great. Maybe one of the new lighter head drivers like the superfast or cleveland would allow a 44" length. Time to hit the bay.

[Vintage1976]

[quote name='robbie91' timestamp='1228797252' post='1365736']
id try a [b]heavier[/b] and stiffer graphite shaft if that dosen't work out. get a diamana blueboard [b]73[/b] s or x.
[/quote]


Is 73 grams "heavy"? Gosh, when you can get a Miyazaki in a 39 gram wood shaft I guess 73 grams is heavy in comparrison. I've been trying to wrap my head around the 68 gram shaft I have in my driver right now. It just sounds so light.

I had a Cobra X speed (original series) that I put a TT XL into. I played it at 45" and it came out to E9 or somethink like that. I think a steel shaft would probably still be a great training club for me, but if I did ever consider going back to steel, the Nippon 950 would be where I ended up. I have a couple 950 fairways around and I like them a lot, I just have a fantastic V2 shaft in my 19* hybrid and I'm way too @n@! to go from graphite driver to steel fairway to graphite hybrid to steel irons. That's not a line I'm willing to cross. I think time would start to move backwards or I'd forget my own name or something else inexplicable would happen.

[Ben B]

I am using my 975D 9.5 (underlined) with a 43.5" S-300 in it. Just played yesterday and hit 12 of 14 fairways hitting most drives around 275-285 with one at around 293 and one around 302. I haven't lost any distance since I switched, but I am hitting the ball very straight or with a little baby draw.

**The driver I was using before was a Mizuno MP-600 with a UST Mamiya Attas-T2 44.5"

[ej002]

What about counterbalancing the steel to offset the goofy swing weight?

This all sounds like a super cheap experiment.

[Vintage1976]

[quote name='ej002' timestamp='1313009190' post='3470973']
What about counterbalancing the steel to offset the goofy swing weight?

This all sounds like a super cheap experiment.
[/quote]

Jack used to secure nickels into the butt end of his shafts back when steel drivers were all the rage.

[acquadiice]

i play steel in both driver and 3W

975D x-100 tipped 1/4" plays to 43.5"

r9 3W x-100 tipped 1/4" plays to 42"

[DeCuchi]

Picked up an old 975J specifically to put a steel shaft in it. I'd like to find a 905S or a 983E for cheap maybe after this experiment. When I used to play steel I was more accurate, and not much shorter. I think it will be a fun experiment.

[OffCourse]

old topic.... but just built a 3W and driver with DGS300. Driver will be 43.5" and 3W is 42"

... what is it about steel?