Comments on: Shaft Spining, Splining, and PUREing: Black Art or the Ultimate Tweak?

By: Norman926

Norman926 — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 06:15:38 +0000

Well now I am totally confused. After reading every post, and some great work by everyone involved I must say, I have tossed between getting my new DG 2300 shafts pured and not. I was all set to do it, but then rememberd that some clever club manufacturer has now put out a shaft that can be rotated within the hosel to adjust lie angle etc. That being the case, doesn't this eradicate the arguements for puring?

By: Frank Sallee

Frank Sallee — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:09:39 +0000

I had the opportunity of working in a graphite shaft production company...During the process of cleaning the shafts after pro sanding the shafts were submerged into a cleaning solvent prior to the finishing (coating & coloring). We found the shafts floated and the spine always went to the bottom...we marked opposite of the spine and then double checked in the frequency machine and the results confirmed the location.....

By: Hamish Brownie

Hamish Brownie — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 01:54:22 +0000

I learned spining from the inventor:

Mr Ted Lockie of Lockie Golf, North Palm Beach FL,

(Even Jack Nicklaus has Teds spine finder...)

First assemble shaft dry cut to length and swingweight, flex etc, so you are measuring the correct portion of the shaft to be used.

Anyway if you have Teds deflection board with roller bearings , or similar type spine finder tool, first locate the spines N1 (netural 1), S1 (spine1), N2, S2 depending on type of shaft.

Now slide cut grip on butt of shaft, place in frequency machine or clamp so shaft is horizontal...level the bench!

Place shaft S1 @ 6 o clock.... if you had the club at address (9 is to target, 3 away, 12 at toe)

Install head on shaft tip with fishing line to secure with out epoxy. (face at sky)
Twang club for perfect oscellation up and down...(look down the shaft...or tape a laser on head).
If it is not twanging good then rotate shaft back to 5 o clock a little, or fwd then twang again. Keep adjusting it to get it right.
If not go to S2 @ 6 o clock and repeat
If not go to N1 at 9 o clock...(N1spine pointing to target)
Twanging to perfect oscelation is key...this must be done with head on to offset toe weight of head etc and be a real test.
O.k now its twanging perfect...wiggle head off...glue with fishing line on again...line level the face angle square to shaft/floor
Spine at 6 clock seems to work best for toe droop and shaft stability, especially with drivers, as it limits shaft deformation at impact with toe droop
Also shafts with strong spines are WAY better than others with slight spines.
Also note if you set it up N1 to target...rotate shaft fwd=fade, back = draw.
I suggest N1 to target in short irons (softer) and slightly rotated fwd for fade shot, long irons back a little for draw or shaft torque twist counter...
However it may take 2-5 re-sets to get it perfect...so deal with a good shaft with a strong spine to start with...
Perfect twanging or club oscellation is what you are looking for regardless of spine location...but its usually close to S1 at 6 o clock.

I have been testing this for 20years

P.S after all this if its not working well...get another shaft !

Long live the true club master Mr Ted Lockie, who was a absolute genius. I was there to witness it for 3-4 years before he passed... God bless Mr Lockie

By: Christopher

Christopher — Thu, 06 May 2010 09:16:15 +0000

I'm a beginning golfer and can't say that I've experienced the difference between shafts that are spine-aligned and ones that aren't. However, I have played tons of pool and I always try to find the spine in my pool cues before I play. I orient the spine straight up. The cue ball reacts more consistently on off-center shots. It feels like a noticeable difference to me. Meucci cues has a chart on their website comparing cue ball deflection between different shafts. Cue ball deflection happens when you hit the ball off-center. Off-center hits cause the ball to go away from the direction of aim. It's similar to pushing or pulling a putt. Non spine-aligned shafts of competitors result in up to 233% more cue ball deflection than their best shafts. These tests were done with a robot.

By: tpcollins

tpcollins — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:49:31 +0000

Comments on the last 2 posts:
Les

Hi Les, if you pluck the shaft so it oscillates in straight line towards and away from you, where does this position get oriented into the head? Thanks.

By: Mr. G.

Mr. G. — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:50:13 +0000

http://www.clubmaker-online.com/spines.html

This informative article by Bill Day sheds some light on the subject of shaft spines. Hope this helps.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to be the winning bidder on a set of Mizuno irons with TT Black Golds (factory frequency matched), that have also been custom spined and with -1.5 lie. These babies ROCK! (too bad these shaft are only available for pros now).

There is no comparison to my previously stock Mizuno set with standard TT DG, standard specs. I'm now at least a half, if not a full club longer with a much tighter shot dispersion, hitting more greens. Bottom line: I'm playing better golf, period!

If you're an avid golfer and love the game, get your clubs fitted by a pro. Like I said, I was fortunate, but my friends who are scratch golfers, swear by it. Getting fitted is a combination and balance of your physical makeup, swing style and of course equipment. I equate it to like having your stock sedan engine overhauled with better, custom parts... a sleeper.

By: Paul Musco

Paul Musco — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:55:00 +0000

Being an amateur club maker for the past twenty years I have expirenced many changes in the golf equiptment market and the latest is now spining. I recently changed the shaft in my driver and prior to affixing the shaft I "spined" the shaft using a fairly inexpensive ball bearing type spine finder. After marking that point on the shaft I placed the butt end of the shaft in the vice and temporarlly put the head on the shaft with the face facing the floor and the spine facing the ceiling. Lift the shaft at the head end about 2 inches and quickly let it go. Look down the shaft, the head should be moving up and down with no side movement at all. If you have some side movement move the shaft slightly realign the head and try it again. Keep doing this until you the head moves up and down only. once you find the perfect spot mark it and then assemble the club. I have played with this club for a couple of rounds and I am very happy with the results. I am not an engineer nor can I explain the mechanics involved in spining but for the non-belivers I ask you this; If there are no spines in the shafts what causes the shaft to rotate and stop at the same place when using the ball bearing spine finder? Is finding the spine in your shafts worth the extra money ? If you are serious about your game and you want to improve - have your clubs spined.

By: foxy

foxy — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:03:37 +0000

hi i am very new to clubmaking but am keen to do the right things not for money but because i am a perfectionist. i recently bought a spine alignment tool the bearing type.

I have a brand new set 11 shafts of aldila NV85 MLTI GRAPHITE shafts not a cheap shaft but there are lots more expensive.

whether spine aligning works or not i dont know but when you test a shaft its hard to believe that not aligning them wont make a difference i was amazed at the difference in each shaft. it certainily makes you wonder why there is any difference in the cost of shafts.

I am certainly going to align my own in a new set im building just to see how they feel, all i have to do now is actually understand what ive found where is that nuetral position.

By: jamie starrett

jamie starrett — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:09:46 +0000

Once again bobbill, Golf clubs are not fishing rods. Although your note is eloquent, your statement is based on conjecture, not fact, and you provide no providence as to your expertise. Shaft spinning is a proven beneficial technology for all player skill levels. I believe that the PGA tour usage is above 70%. Of course 7 out of 10 of the most adept players in the world could be completely wrong and a one legged duck does swim in circles.

By: BobBill

BobBill — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:22:26 +0000

Spining cannot hurt, but it must be noted that spining spin and fly rods is easy (push down on rod blank in vertical position while resting on soft surface) and it does add some accuracy and distance. but, that maybe overkill from a practical point of view.

Most, if not all, carbon/graphite/glass fish rod manufacturers assemble rods for aesthetics, that is, straightness, not the spine...

Moreover, if one casts either, most anglers would never note the difference.

I daresay it follows, that the average golfer, including so called low handicap golfers and many pros would not note the difference between a spined club and one with same shaft installed unspined or normally.