Need Help from the club makers...

[j.b.newton]

Driver head way too closed now

Thanks in advance for those of you kind enough to read the tangents and drop your 2 cents...

Disclaimer: I do not do my own club repair/modifications, yet. Haven't gotten the opportunity (space, $, etc).

I recently (2 weeks ago) upgraded the shaft of my Nike Sq Dymo 8.5, to a UST ProForce V2 75X. I have a swing speed of 115 (275-280 carry), with steep swing, so a very high ball flight. Like most steep swingers, i battle a push/slice, and was told this shaft would help lower the flight of the ball. I previously tried a PL Red 65X with great results in a different club, however i was "sold" on the fact that the two shafts were almost identical and the V2 was in stock. The shop is a local store, and the club guy is an after hours guy who likes to tinker and has done good work for me in the past.

I have played no more than 3 times (range included) with the new shaft and hit the ball fairly well (higher than PL Red, seems 5-10 yrds shorter - previous was HiBore XLS 8.5 N swing weight of E1, now SW was D9). Not as impressed with the shaft as i thought i would be, but that's a different tangent. This weekend, the driver seemed a little off to me at the range and the first 3-4 holes - giving me a different flight (low quick hook). I didnt think anything of it for the next few holes (mainly b/c i didnt hit driver b/c i couldnt control it), until i asked my 2 playing partners if i could simply take a stance with their driver. After addressing the ball with both, it seemed that mine was closed 7-8 deg, so that i almost had to move my hands to my left pocket to square the face of my driver.

Is it possible that the head has twisted? Is it something the club guy should fix gratis? (i keep clubs indoors and only in trunk to travel - very careful with that) I don't want to stiff the guy, but it seems like there may be some worker error. If not, is there a cheap fix (economic times are tough & wife is now back in school)...

much obliged!

[eppey]

7 or 8 degrees? Are you sure he didn't just put the grip on crooked? Sometimes if you don't shim the shaft correctly you can get goofy angles going on as well. Chances are the hosel didn't twist because the changes you are mentioning the club would have snapped.

[j.b.newton]

I agree with your logic, but my previous couple of times hitting, the grip, shaft, & face were all just like it was when i left the shop. Would it make any difference if the shaft was pulled from an unhit floor model rather than brand new?

[I_HATE_SNOW]

Do you mean the grip and face no longer are ligned up? Unless you use an adjusting ferule, their is no way to make a square driver become 6-7 closed, I think the limits of a ferule is about 2°. http://billybobsgolf.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=49&osCsid=8cc870d279900e7bbd0e459eb76e97da

I don't think I understand the problem.

[j.b.newton]

dirty,

basically it looks like i went from a "neutral" position head to a SUPERDRAW head. The head points to a spot 2-3 feet in front (target line) of the tongue of my shoe (not an intermediate target spot). Even when I manipulate the grip to check just to see if the grip is on wrong, the head opens up the loft considerably (like opening the face for a sand shot).

[I_HATE_SNOW]

The shaft goes straight into a tight hole in the head, it is impossible to replace the shaft and cause the club to become 6° closed.. Not sure what could have happened, grip or shaft could have rotated but the face angle can't be changed that drastically without a welder and plasma cutter.

[RookieBlue7]

Unless he bent it in a bending machine (would've snapped going that far), it'd be kind of hard to close it that much unless there were one of a few things happened. First, is it a Str8 fit hosel? It's possible that it got moved to a draw bias, but I don't think even that would've closed it that much. Second, he could've possibly over prepped the tip (which he'd have structurally damaged the shaft if he'd done it enough to do it) and got it in there crooked. Chances are, though, if he did that, it'd have snapped shortly there after. It could be a combination of both, and he slightly over prepped the shaft and got it in there a little crooked and then if it's str8 fit it got moved to a draw bias. It's kind of hard to say without looking at it in person though. The only other thing is he used a drill bit to clean the hosel instead of a brush and got it reamed a little to one side and thus it's now in crooked. Again, without taking it out and looking at it in person and using a set of calipers or sticking a proper diameter shaft in it, hard to say.

[j.b.newton]

Its not a Str8 Fit, just the regular Dymo. I have attached a couple of pics to hopefully illustrate my point. (numbered down then over)

pic1. view down the shaft
pic2. to square clubface, grip now at left pocket
pic3. shafts parallel to each other (cleveland hibore xls with PL Red), Cleveland is just inside left toe with face square (normal set up)...same line for nike, but notice how closed the face is..

thanks for the ideas guys...

[j.b.newton]

Any thoughts? Am I just seeing something that's not really there?

[Lewinski]

The last picture looks really steep like your on top of the ball position. Can you take pictures with a ball there and setup like your gonna hit it? If you just moved the club in the last picture to more normal ball position I think it would look better. The middle pic looks better but still the shaft is really leaning forward, is that normal for your set up. The pics help but with poor angles its hard to tell.

[j.b.newton]

Ill work on better pictures. I tried to give you a view down the shaft, but ill try to get an address view as well. The one with my thumb is to show where i have to put the shaft relative to my left foot to attempt to square the face at address. The one with my right foot it approximate head position at normal address, and the comparison is just to see the differences in angle. They are not in a true address position, just relative to foot position.

Any help is appreciated guys!

[BPavlet]

Definitely looks dead shut to me. I would take it and have the shaft removed and reset. Pretty much the only way to figure out what's going on with it. If there is nothing wrong with it look at the positive. You'll never hit an OB shot to the right.

[PGW]

cmon BP-
you never say that-there is always possibilities!
hope all is well and see ya in a few months

[j.b.newton]

i cant even sniff the right side of the left rough with that club! Sadly i let shankopattomous slicer buddy hit it, and it goes straight. Maybe he will reconsider my offer of a trade for his FT-IQ...


Do you guys think i should have to pay for the fix if the work is only 4 weeks old with minimal play? Just trying to get opinions...

[laxwax]

Well you said that he used a pulled shaft. He could have damaged the tip with too much heat or twisted it during the pull. The graphite fibers could be unwinding and causing the head to move. That would also cause the tip to break at some point and the head will go flying down the fairway.

I broke the epoxy bond in my 3 wood playing in 108° heat and I could twist the head back and forth. The tip didn't break nor was it damaged, so I just had to epoxy it back in and it's still fine.

You seem to have a different thing going on there though.

[j.b.newton]

Laxwax, I thought about that but wasn't sure. I do live in the deep south with excessive temps. Clubs are only kept indoors, only see the trunk on the way to the course. Is it possible for it to melt and redry in the same round within 2-3 holes? Or could it have melted in 105* on the cart (still in the head cover) and the first hit was a little towards the heel... Closing the face? Then drying by 2 hole later??