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R9 460 shaft help


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About a month ago I got a new R9 460 with stock Regular flex Aldila RE*AX 60-gram shaft. Being I am 5' 4" tall I had the butt end of the shaft cut down an inch to 44.5" and re-gripped with an undersized Wynn grip and still choke down a little to feel comfortable with the club in my hands.

The shaft flex to me feels pretty firm for my slower tempo swing (which is about 83 mph on average).  My older driver actually had an L flex shaft and was 43" tall and I could hit it about 245-250 if I caught it really well.  I always felt with the L flex I was getting the most out of the club and letting the club do the work.  With this driver I feel like I have to try and kill it for it to go anywhere.

Granted its been cold out and not much roll but I am only hitting this club about 200-210 on average, maybe 220 max on the course.  When I catch my 3 hybrid right I can hit it about 200.  So I feel like something is awry and not catered to my swing with the R9.

First question I have is:

If I wanted to get an aftermarket shaft, how much would I have to spend to have a better quality than the stock shaft?  $30 range, $50 range, $100+ range, etc?

Second question:

Can anyone recommend an R flex shaft that is tailored for a slower tempo swing?  Or should I maybe consider dropping down to a Senior flex?

When I was at golf galaxy looking at drivers they said anything over 80 mph should warrant a R flex shaft but the current crop of R flex shafts just seem kinda stiff to me, especially after I am cutting it down an inch.

Any help is appreciated.

Driver: Ping G25

3w - Ping K15

3h - TEE Trilogy

4h - TEE Trilogy

5h - TEE Trilogy

Irons: Ping G25 6-LW

Putter: Odyssey White Ice D.A.R.T
Bag: Nike SQ Tour

Optics: Bushnell Tour V2 Slope

Shoes: True Linkswear

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OK....there are a couple of things at play here.  Cutting off an inch will most definitely make the club play stiffer.  Also, you have changed the swing weight.  First thing to do would be to try some lead tape to get the swing weight back up to where it was.  That is the cheapest route.

I have not seen you swing, but I tend to over swing lighter clubs.  Could be part of the problem. You might be making some adjustments to account for the lighter and stiffer feel.  Try some 80% swings and see what happens.

With the length that you were playing in your older driver at 43...that is standard 3 wood length.  You could try a taylormade 3 wood shaft.  Any of the golf shops around you should have one in the fitting cart.  Give it a try.  The only thing is that it will be a little heavier, but will play true to flex.

Without knowing what type of launch and spin you are looking for....it is hard to recommend a specific shaft.

Hope that helps a little.

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Thanks for the reply.

How much lead should I add? and where would be the best placement for it?

I really don't want to mess with the bias (draw or fade) with the lead so should I put it on the top middle or bottom middle of the head?



Originally Posted by HappyG

Cutting off an inch will most definitely make the club play stiffer.  Also, you have changed the swing weight.  First thing to do would be to try some lead tape to get the swing weight back up to where it was.  That is the cheapest route.

Driver: Ping G25

3w - Ping K15

3h - TEE Trilogy

4h - TEE Trilogy

5h - TEE Trilogy

Irons: Ping G25 6-LW

Putter: Odyssey White Ice D.A.R.T
Bag: Nike SQ Tour

Optics: Bushnell Tour V2 Slope

Shoes: True Linkswear

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Add a couple of grams worth.  I doesnt really matter where per say.  You are just trying to get some feel back.  I would just put a couple of pieces on either side of the head or on the back.  I have a horrible time keeping it on the bottom.  Dicks and other places sell these lead strips that just stick on.  Its not perm.

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Ok I may try that.  I think on the lead tape I saw at Dicks, it said something about if you put it on the top of the head it promotes a low flight.  If you put it on the bottom it will help get the ball in the air.  I have a tendency to hit low liners so I was thinking bottom of the head.  But if it falls off all the time that might not be a good location.  Plan to hit up the range Thursday and try it out.

Also I think the r9 needs a little higher tee than my old driver.  It was a 460cc head as well but I think the face wasn't as tall as the r9.

I plan to try out the taller tee as well.

Driver: Ping G25

3w - Ping K15

3h - TEE Trilogy

4h - TEE Trilogy

5h - TEE Trilogy

Irons: Ping G25 6-LW

Putter: Odyssey White Ice D.A.R.T
Bag: Nike SQ Tour

Optics: Bushnell Tour V2 Slope

Shoes: True Linkswear

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Originally Posted by HappyG

OK....there are a couple of things at play here.  Cutting off an inch will most definitely make the club play stiffer.  Also, you have changed the swing weight.  First thing to do would be to try some lead tape to get the swing weight back up to where it was.  That is the cheapest route.

I have not seen you swing, but I tend to over swing lighter clubs.  Could be part of the problem. You might be making some adjustments to account for the lighter and stiffer feel.  Try some 80% swings and see what happens.

With the length that you were playing in your older driver at 43...that is standard 3 wood length.  You could try a taylormade 3 wood shaft.  Any of the golf shops around you should have one in the fitting cart.  Give it a try.  The only thing is that it will be a little heavier, but will play true to flex.

Without knowing what type of launch and spin you are looking for....it is hard to recommend a specific shaft.

Hope that helps a little.




Trimming the butt end of the shaft affects the balance and swing weight more than the flex.  Generally, 3 points of swing weight per 1/2" of trim.  Personally, I have never really been adversely affected by changing the length of a club, maybe I am just too numb to notice such a minor change in weight.  As for using a 3 wood shaft in a driver.....hmmm....The real problem there is that they start life as the same thing, but are tip trimmed differently, which would affect the flex a lot more than butt trimming his existing shaft down.  For instance:  If I were to buy a 2 new shafts, one for my driver and one for my 3w, I would be buying the same shaft x2, and using the manufacturers trim code, lets say it is W6.  For the driver, I would only be prepping the tip according to the W6 tipping instruction for that particular shaft, then butt trimming to final length.  For the three wood, I would need to tip trim it an inch before I prepped it.  If I put that 3w trimmed shaft in my driver, it would play stiffer and raise the bend point and lower the ball flight more than what I would have expected if I had used the properly trimmed shaft.

The best thing you can do if you are unsure of what you need, is to go get properly fitted for a driver shaft.

***Edited for grammar***

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Good points Moparman.  I will probably give my driver one season and see the results.  I've only played it 4 times at the range and 3 times on the course so far  So still learning what kind of a swing I need with it, tee height, etc.
Luckily on the course I have my 3w and 3 hybrid to fall back on if the driver is failing badly.

Out of curiosity since 1" was cut off my club, that would be 6 points of swing weight (according to your post).  What does that equate to in grams if I wanted to try and get the weight back to stock by adding lead?

Driver: Ping G25

3w - Ping K15

3h - TEE Trilogy

4h - TEE Trilogy

5h - TEE Trilogy

Irons: Ping G25 6-LW

Putter: Odyssey White Ice D.A.R.T
Bag: Nike SQ Tour

Optics: Bushnell Tour V2 Slope

Shoes: True Linkswear

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Without measuring your club on a swingweight scale, I have no idea. Two grams per swing weight point.  Switching to a lighter grip would help.  Just keep adding tape until you are happy with how it feels.

Here is a handy little calculator if you know the particulars about your specific club:

http://www.hirekogolf.com/hireko/graphics/orderportal/modules/swingweight.html

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  • 4 weeks later...


Originally Posted by HappyG

With the length that you were playing in your older driver at 43...that is standard 3 wood length.  You could try a taylormade 3 wood shaft.  Any of the golf shops around you should have one in the fitting cart.  Give it a try.  The only thing is that it will be a little heavier, but will play true to flex.

does anybody know if the r9 3w shaft will fit on the r9 460 head?

The FTC adapter looks to be about the same diameter in both clubs, but the guy at Dicks wouldn't try swapping them.

Also does anybody know if Taylormade still sells the r9 3w shafts?

Driver: Ping G25

3w - Ping K15

3h - TEE Trilogy

4h - TEE Trilogy

5h - TEE Trilogy

Irons: Ping G25 6-LW

Putter: Odyssey White Ice D.A.R.T
Bag: Nike SQ Tour

Optics: Bushnell Tour V2 Slope

Shoes: True Linkswear

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Yes, the R9 shafts are interchangeable throughout the model line up.  Obviously, the 3W shaft is going to be a fair amount shorter.  I don't know if TM is selling stock 3W shafts but you can get an R9 adapter sleeve from Golfsmith for $15 and then put whatever shaft you want into it.

FWIW - I had an R9 460 and have an R11 now and I use an R flex Grafalloy ProLaunch Red shaft.  It's a lower launching/lower spin shaft than the Reax and I like it quite a bit.  It's around $40 or $50.

One more thing - if the shaft "feels" firm that may have more to do with the torque of a shaft instead of the stiffness of the shaft.  A lower torque shaft has a firmer "feel" to it.

:tmade: SLDR 12* :ping: G20 4W :adams: Speedline Super S 4H :mizuno: JPX-825 Pro 4-G :tmade: ATV 56* & 60* :cameron: 2014 Select Newport or 1997 Teryllium 3 Newport

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  • 4 weeks later...

I ordered a UST Proforce V2 Tour Flight R flex shaft. I am 69 and have a slower swing and wanted to play a shorter 3 wood length shaft and lower my ball flight. I installed the adapter and a 6g hosel weight so I would not have to use lead tape. The shaft is 42.25" new and would play 3 wood length. It is softer than R flex since it was not tipped. It may be what you need. Personally I decided to get a full hybird set so I no longer need this shaft or the Aldila stock shaft and adapter. If you are interested you are welcome to contact me at termides@gmail.com .

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Note: This thread is 4693 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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