New shaft for driver. Help with some ?'s. weight, flex, aldila, fujikura, etc..

I recently got a Callaway Big Bertha 460 cc driver. The shaft is a Aldila nvs regular flex. Way to flimsy for me and the trajectory is much higher than I want. I am looking for a lower boring trajectory that will have some roll on the end of it.

I want to get a good shaft for this driver. Got online, but got confused quickly. Weight in grams, 55, 65, 75, 85, etc.. and torque got me lost. I am in over my head. I am 6'6" and thought about a 1-2" over length shaft to facilitate a flatter swing plane. If I can't control it, I can always get it cut down to standard length. Correct?

Anyway, I don't know what brand/model to go with. Not sure what my swing speed is, but I drive 270 yards on average so I suspect my swing speed is above average, but not sure to be honest. I can swing 3/4 speed and hit 255 yard drives and once or twice a round, I will get one really solid and have a 295-305 yard drive. Any help appreciated.

OK, forget the questions above. Seems to be a quiet group

Anyone willing to tell me what shaft they are hitting in their driver and how they like it. I am on an island (Nantucket) and have no golf shop here. Only one public course ($125/round) and the driving range is closed. I am just looking for some input. Any input. I go home (NC) for a visit in three weeks and wanted to get a new shaft in my driver. Figured the best way to do that would be have it ordered and ready to put in as I will only be home for a short visit. Any suggestions appreciated.

I had the same problem with my Cleveland HiBore XL. I took it to a club repair guy here in Davis and he told me more than I could have possibly thought to ask about shafts and flex and what not. It sounds like you're having the same issues I was, so maybe the solution should be similar. He sells a lot of graffaloy shafts, so he suggested one of those to bring my traj down and to get a bit more roll. These shafts tend to run a bit stiffer than the shafts you buy in the store, so he said he would "tip it a bit stiffer" (regular flex) and that should be perfect. My distances line up with yours as well.

He said the ProLaunch Red by graffaloy is essentially the same as their old Prolite 35, but that the prolite is way cheaper now. (Check ebay). Also, the Prolite 35 is the winningest shaft on the PGA tour (i believe this is still true). I'd recommend checking this guy out. It turned my joke of a driver into a real club. I got a much tighter shot dispersion off the tee and a lot more confidence. The shaft made the club load more consistently and the extra inch gets a bit more distance and definitely flattens out your swing.

If i got a new driver right now, I think i'd keep the same shaft.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the reply man. I do appreciate it.

I used to like the low boring trajectory too until I figured out higher launch low spin shafts/drivers were the way to go. Right now I have the Matrix Ozik XCON 6 and you couldn't pry it from my dead hands. Its a high launch low spin shaft and is amazing. But before this shaft I've played a few others with low launch...

Graf blue: low piercing, but seemed like shot dispersion wasn't very tight
Graf pro launch Red: same as above, but balls seemed to roll out more
Aldila VS Proto By You 70 (not the retail 65 crap) : Probably my favorite aside from the Matrix. Shot dispersion was tight. Low spin, but had a slightly higher launch than the red or blue.

Go Matrix bro, you won't regret it.

torque depends on your swing speeds and tempo. if you have a quick tempo and hard swing you'll want a shaft with low torque 2-3.5 because its less likely the clubhead will twist the shaft causing open clubfaces and pushes. and on the other side, if you swing slower and easier you have higher torque because if not impact will feel hard with super low trajectory.

weight plays less of an issue for me. i've found i can adapt to weights of shafts easier. lighter shafts will usually equate to higher swing speeds, but if its too fast obviously things will go sour. you just gotta find somethin thats right for your tempo and speed.

If your driver distance numbers are accurate your swingspeed is in 100 mph range. The NVS shaft that comes with the BB is pretty soft so you are definitely in the wrong flex.

Some other popular, economical and lower launching shafts: UST Proforce V2, Grafalloy Prolaunch Platinum, Grafalloy Blue (not Prolaunch), Graphite Design YS-6+. The Matrix shaft mentioned above is going to be pricey in comparison. For me personally I probably would not stick an expensive shaft in a Big Bertha driver -- if I was spending those $$$ I'd buy a new driver.

I agree with previous post that you don't want launch to be too low. If you can get fit for a shaft on a launch montior and optimize launch angle that would be best.

Thanks for the replies fellas. That is some very helpful info. I have alot to learn about driver shafts. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. Now I have something to research. Much better off than I was yesterday. Thanks!

Check out the Aldila NV (sick green colour); it's a low launch, stiff-to-flex shaft. I tried it and it's certainly a lower launch. The shaft seemed a bit stiff for me; more like a weak extra-stiff maybe. Good shaft though.

You might take a look at the new Graphite Design YSQ-st. Supposed to be low launch and GD make some of the sweetest feeling shafts around. I have the regular YSQ (75g, stiff) in my backup driver and it's an excellent shaft.

Check out the Accra shafts as well. The XC range is exceptional. A little less dosh will get you the SC which is also very, very good. The M5 flex in their range is roughly the same as an extra-stiff.

My personal favourite right now is my Grafalloy Epic. I have the Tour 75 in stiff and it's a real beauty. Great feel, really tight dispersion, mid-launch. It feels really stable to me; I can give a real ride and it doesn't get away from me. Liked it so much I got the Epic Fairway in stiff for my 3-wood as well.

If you're a big, strong guy (you sound like you might be) you might want a heavier shaft. I can't deal with sub-70g shafts as I get too quick with them. In general, for a given shaft, a heavier version will also hit it lower.

Thank you so very much for that reply. I appreciate it. Been researching the Aldila NV since reading your post. Lots of options out there. Thanks to you guys, I will be making a more informed decision.

Interesting to hear about big guys preferring heavier shafts. I don't know a thing about the 55g, 65g, 75g, etc... At 6'6" 303 lbs, I guess a heavier shaft makes sense

Unfortunately, the shaft weight is a very personal specification. You really should try out many different ones to see which you prefer - like someone said before, if it's too light for you, you might get too quick, too heavy and you might not get the benefit of loading the shaft and really ripping the driver the way you want. That being said, the prolite i have is 62 grams and I love it. I'm not sure there's a shaft too light for me at this point! I prefer a heavier shaft in the fairway woods though, as most of the people here should as well. That being said, many people play the exact same shaft in both their driver and 3W. (all personal preference). Since it doesn't sound like you have the ability to try many different shafts, you should consider your swing speed and tendencies. If you tend to get too quick on your first move down, go heavy, if you have problems getting consistent results and your dispersion is huge, go heavy. If those two things aren't a problem, go a bit lighter and really rip the Sh** out of it! hope that helps!

Very helpful indeed. Thanks man.

I am a bit quick on the downswing (from the top). I hit about 270 on average, but hit a few 300 yard drives a round. As you suggest "huge dispersion" ha ha... that is me man. Pushing many to the right, but I never see the left side of the fairway unless I get a strong draw. I never hook or slice, but I do hit a strong draw or a push. Just depends on things I am yet to understand.

One thing I can say with certainty, I always have a hard time feeling the driver while swinging it. It is sooo light in my hands. Makes me really curious about what a heavier shaft would feel like.

I am really curious about the difference (generally speaking) in heavier versus lighter shafts. Also is heavy 75? 85? etc.. and is light 55? 65? etc... Curious how the actual numbers go. Thanks guys!

As for weights, you'll generally find heavier weight has lower torque numbers as well i.e. more resistance to rotational inertia in the downswing. If you're blocking right a bit, you might want lower torque than you currently have.

For driver shafts, I would rate sub-60g as light, 60-70g as "standard", 70-80g as heavy and >80g as Tour/light-speed swingers! Our assistant Pro has a 85g in his driver and although he's on the shorter side, he's pretty strong and has a quick tempo; works for him. Some of the Tour pros have what we would call very heavy shafts - 90g or more.

One shaft I forgot to mention is the UST Proforce V2. I've never hit it but it's known for being lower launch, and in the ~75g version may be one worth looking at. Very popular and very competitive price as well. I _think_ iacas is a big fan of this one...maybe he could comment?

At 6'6 303lbs I'd suggest a telephone pole.

LOL! Might be stiff enough I guess....