Shaft weight question

So, I'm looking at some shafts for a free driver I got. The shafts I've seen are anywhere from 60-107g. Are there any benefits or is it just personal preference to get a heavier shaft? Also, when going from say a 60 to like a 107 can you feel a difference?

60g = 0.066 138 679 lb
107g = 0.235 894 621 lb

Sorry, if this is a newb question, but I just wanted to know. Thanks in advance.

Anyone? Bueller? :p

Haha, sounds good. My friend who is a clubmaker can switch shafts out for me. I'm going to mess around with some. I just need to pay for the shaft and the rest is free.

Then have him build a couple irons for you with everything being the same: loft, lie, length and then use different shafts to see which feel better and work better for you :)

That sounds like a good idea. I'll give that a shot.

I like the Speeder 757 shaft in my driver cause it is light enough for added swingspeed but stable enough for accuracy. If I use anything lighter then I tend to overswing. Anything heavier then I get to tired by the end of the round. I have thought about trying the Dynamic Gold Superlite or Project X steel shafts in my driver. Will lose about 5 yards but will find more fairways, sounds like a good trade off and a whole lot cheeper to experiment with. Still use steel in my fairway woods.

Mike

Agree with what Erik said. Get the lightest you can control.

If you're a "hitter" that goes at the ball pretty hard, a heavier shaft is generally better. 75-85 grams is about the top end of the best shafts these days. I think Tiger's playing an 83 gram Diamana shaft in his driver.

If you're a "swinger" that has a smoother tempo, you can generally go with even lighter shafts. I have a pretty even tempo and am grooving on the 55-gram Aldila NVS in my Fusion FT-3.

But if you have someone that's willing to install a few different shafts for you, take advantage. Shafts are the hardest thing to fit because there are so many variables. If you can try multiple options, then you're way ahead of most people!

Also look at more than weight. Sometimes weight can fool you. Different kick points, shaft flex, and manufacture can all have different results. If you have a local pro shop that you can demo your same driver head with different shafts is available that is the best and cheepest way to go. I am here in Michigan and we have a place thats alled Carls Golf Land. A group of my fellow golf nuts go there almost every weekend trying new combos. At no cost and they give us balls as long as we demo. I am new to this site but I have been playing since 6 years old so 30 years of teaching and coaching the game has taken me down many golf club roads. I have done much testing and have demoed many clubs. Did I mention I was left handed. Well I hope this helped a little.

Yeah, weight is not the only factor I'm looking at. I just wanted to test out what a heavier or steel shaft w/ the same characteristics (I know even though they may seem the same, they're not) would exhibit. So far I've tried true temper dynamic gold SL S300, TT tx-90 stiff and royal precision unit rifle wood 6. The rifle is really nice, but after a while (about 40 balls or so), I get a pretty good workout haha. It seems as if I'm losing some distance w/ the steel shafts, but my shots are more accurate. At least with all the balls I've hit. I'll trade distance for accuracy anyday. I think I'll be sticking with steel for a bit. Maybe when I have a little more money to play with, I can test some graphite shafts, but for the time being, I'm happy.

The only way to find out what shaft is best for you is by getting fit. You need to seek out the advise of a fitting professional. With all the technology available today, (launch monitors, impact tape, range finders) someone in your area must be using it. Basically, by seeking out the advise of these types of professionals they can look at your ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, angle of attach, path angle, and so on, to identify which head/shaft combination works best for your swing. Don't rely on what sells well, what looks good, or what your buddy uses. None of that matters. A fitter will likely first identify what length driver you need. Today so many companies are going longer and longer for more distance. Well, sure, you can hit a longer club further, look at the long drive guys using 48 inches, but how often will you be able to find the center of the face with a club that long. You begin to loose control. It's easier to control a shorter club, therefore you begin to gain consistency. (You probably never really miss with your PW, do you?) This isn't to say that your fitter will hand you a 43 inch driver, however, you'll find what length you're most accurate with. Once you've determined what length you're most able to find the sweetspot with, you can begin to accurately evaluate different shaft options. I hear many people talk about swing speed and tempo determining what shaft weight you should use. How about ball speed. If you two different clubs with different shafts, and swing them both at the same speed, wouldn't you want to begin looking at the one that produces the most ball speed. Ball speed is a sign of how well you are able to transfer energy to the ball. The more energy you transer most effectively, the more distance you'll get. Heavier won't always be better, there is a certain shaft out there that will fit you and your swing, you just need to find it. From there, you'll begin to mess around with different shafts in that weight range, with various lofts and tip stiffnesses to determine the proper swing weight based on your ball speed and launch angle until you find something that you are hitting something further and more accurately. But how about the cost involved with getting fit...? Well, drivers today are selling for up to $600+ depending upon manufacturer and shaft combo. You'd have to be pretty crazy to drop that much cash just to see if something works for you. I am also beginning to see a lot of Diamanas out there these days cause Tiger is using it. That shaft is one of the most expensive available and is really designed for a player with high ball speeds and spin rates typically seen from the impact created by tour players. Most of the weekend warriors out there using that shaft won't ever have any business using that shaft, but Tiger has it so they stick it in the bag. With all that said, say you have to pay $100 to get fit for a driver. Well, now you'll know exacly what you need (no guessing, no worries about potentially paying $400 bucks for something that won't help you - since you got fit remember) you can justify the costs associated the the process by avoiding loosing money on something you wish you never paid for. So without any further ramble, the only person who can answer your question is a club fitter. P.S. don't use a place that has you hit balls into a net with a monitor either. Unless, you plan on bringing that net out with you during you play one the course as well. Get out there on the range and work with someone who knows what your ball flight should look like.

I'll just add to the comprehensive post above, that you should factor swing weight into the equation. Do you know how much the stock shaft weighs? OEMs match head weight to shaft and grip weight to create an average swing weight that most people like, e.g., D-2. If you like the swing weight of the club as it is, try to go with a shaft weight that is close to the original.

I suspect that since this is a freebie you just want to play around and experiment on the cheap. So if you do decide to go with the steel, I'd consider going a flex down to compensate for the slower swing speed you'll generate.

the "lightest shaft you can control" is good advice. I go at it pretty hard with the woods, but I have stuck with the Harrison Pro 2.5 Tour for my fairway woods for many years, the best weight for me was 80g. However, when I tried the Harrison in my driver, I was not absolutely convinced and now use the Grafalloy Prolite 3.5 S, which is 72g, so a touch lighter. I am not sure I could tell the difference in weight, but the Harrisons did not work for me with my driver head, but do work for my Bang fairway woods.

I guess, what I am saying ( the moral of this story ) , is keep experimenting until you feel you have the right combo