Very basic question...

[drbrjb01]

So I am brand new here...i have never had any shaft in a driver except stock shafts...I bought a Titleist 910 D2 and I have the stock Ahina stiff shaft in it, it is really straight but I might be getting 5 yards of roll, I typically hit it in the 265-280 range. Does anyone have a recommendation of what to try and how to get it...I can probably spend 200-300 on something if it is a legit upgrade. Thanks for any help.

[Awalkspoiled]

Welcome!

What does the ballflight look like? High arch or starting out low and then sort of cresting to a high apex, or what? Luanch angle and spin numbers would help, but a good description can be just as good. What shafts/heads have worked for you in the past. what's the loft on the Titleist?

The stock Ahina is a pretty good shaft, so figuring out what's happnening is crucial if you're going to get a real improvement. 265-280 is with this club, or previous clubs? 265 carry implies a swingspeed close to 110, which is at the north end of suitability with a Stiff, even the fairly stout ahina...

[drbrjb01]

Thanks for the reply...it is a 9.5 degree head and I am playing it .5 degree open and delofted .75 degrees...if I don't deloft it it goes REALLY high. The flight like this is high but it is not balooning...I would say to be conservative I carry it an average of 260 with this driver and when I really catch it it is closer to 270. I guess my real question is if I am willing to pay $200-300 for a shaft am I going to get an extra 10-15 yards with a similar or tighter dispersion...I typically hit a lot of fairways, probably 9-10 a round and when I miss it is close...does all that make sense?

[drbrjb01]

also, played an FT Tour last year with the stock stiff shaft...same loft but hit it lower and more boring flight...probably carried it 10 yards less with more roll...trying to get the best of both worlds

[Awalkspoiled]

[quote name='drbrjb01' timestamp='1307668586' post='3296838']
Thanks for the reply...it is a 9.5 degree head and I am playing it .5 degree open and delofted .75 degrees...if I don't deloft it it goes REALLY high. The flight like this is high but it is not balooning...I would say to be conservative I carry it an average of 260 with this driver and when I really catch it it is closer to 270. I guess my real question is if I am willing to pay $200-300 for a shaft am I going to get an extra 10-15 yards with a similar or tighter dispersion...I typically hit a lot of fairways, probably 9-10 a round and when I miss it is close...does all that make sense?
[/quote]

It certainly makes sense, and the answer to your question is a definite maybe. The shafts in the 200-300 range are honestly not all that much different than the ahina, and it's the next step up where the massive improvement sits - something like the Matrix F7M2 comes to mind - serious spin reduction with very tight control.

The thing is, you're already getting pretty good results (and btw this doesn't belong in the "average Joe" folder - you swing is a LOT better than average).

The maybe comes in because something in your price range - Axivcore Green for instance, or Matrix HD7 - might just synch with your swing and produce what you want. However, what you're getting from the shaft now is actually sounding OK to me. The clubhead seems to be the culprit, and my first vote would be to screw that same shaft into an 8.5 and see what the flight looks like. You've got that one shut down as much as can be, you're loading the shaft well, so it's not JUST the shaft, and the first and cheapest rule is to fix launch with loft, not with shaftage.

[KGWGOLF]

I would kill to hit 9/10 fairways 265 out. So I would be pretty happy about that if I were you.

That being said there is always room for improvement. Is your shaft the made for Titleist or the retail version?

The only way to figure out what can be improved is to get to a launch monitor and check on your launch stats.

My guess is a combination of spin/angle that are causing the short roll out.

Also, what type of ball are you using?

[grillnugz]

graffalloy epic driver shafts are selling on golfsmith for $20, not sure its exactly what you want but it is cheap.