Need shaft advice

[Abs777]

I have been inconsistent with my Burner stock stiff driver. I had a lesson Saturday and the pro told me that the shaft was wrong for me. He said I need a mid 3, medium stiff, low point shaft. He said the shaft has way too much torque flex and the head is all over the place. Does this sound right. Has anyone had this issue with the stock Fujikura that comes with the club. I just found out how important the shaft is in the club and am trying to get info before spending 100-150 to have a new shaft put in my driver. Any recommendations on what kind of shaft to get?

Thanks guys for helping me out!!!

[bigoak]

Don't spend $150 for a shaft. Dick's is selling a new driver for $199. Go demo the club and find the shaft that fits you and "trade in" your driver for a new one.

[DDBowdoin]

just a small word of advice... just because Taylormade uses a Fujikara stock shaft does not mean that the shaft is on the same quality level as other shafts they produce. Case in point is the TP line which comes with a "rombax" shaft... this shaft is no where near the the non TM rombax shaft which retail price is almost as much as the driver

find a pro shop / course / fitter that has a good selection of driver/shaft combinations and demo the hell out of them

[Abs777]

So my best bet would be to Demo and buy a new driver? Could I demo and find the shaft and just have them put a shaft in the Burner? How is the best and least expensive way to approach this?

[DDBowdoin]

not necc. abs... you could definitely reshaft! there are lot of nice shafts out there that are well under 100 dollars

depends on your area... a local course here in MA just takes your liscence and you're allowed to bring the club out for your round (for free!)

Harrison is a company that flies low under the rader and offers a multitude of different shafts that fit different specs... give them a look

The Harrison Striper is a nice shaft that I have used in the past, shaft + installation was around 80 dollars... the torgue is a little higher 3.7ish but the 76gram weight sort of balances that out. Just to mention one thing, try and find a clubfitter and test out different length drivers. The Burner line is a double edge sword IMHO... yes, the longer club produces greater clubhead speed and what not but the extra length also makes it harder to make solid, consistent contact

[HytrewQasdfg]

Why did he say you needed a new shaft again? It sounds like he wants you to go to an ultra-stable shaft, because your swing isn't stable. It is his job to train you to have a smooth, stable swing. Changing your equipment is just a patch. I'd recommend finding someone that is good at clubfitting to recommend a shaft.

Go to golfsmith.com, click the clubmaking tab and browse their shafts. They have the torque, recommended swing speed, and kick point for each shaft listed. Price doesn't always indicate quality though. I'm partial to the UST shafts, which have a mid-price point.

The general rule I've always heard is you should use the most flexible shaft you can handle, because the more flexible the shaft the longer the distance. If you have a smooth swing, you should go with a shaft more flexible than your swing speed would indicate. If you have a choppy swing, you should go with a shaft stiffer than your swing speed would indicate.

I didn't realize the Burner was longer than normal. Before you yank the shaft, you might want to consider trimming it down to 44 inches (1 inch below normal.) The extra control will mean extra distance.

[DDBowdoin]

Im not sure of this but that beast could be almost 46 inches long...

[HytrewQasdfg]

  DDBowdoin said:

Im not sure of this but that beast could be almost 46 inches long...

Isn't 46 inches the legal limit?

No matter, that's too long. The average length of PGA players is 44 something (which is below the current 45 inch standard men's length.) Why does anyone think they can control an extra long driver when the pros don't seem to think they can. What good does it do hitting it longer into the woods? Wouldn't it be better to hit is shorter onto the fairway?

[Abs777]

Great info guys! Thanks so much for the help. I am going to go today and talk to the Golf Shop by my house and see what they think and maybe hit the launch monitor. Thank you for educating me before I go, so I know the right questions to ask.

[Cheez-It]

  HytrewQasdfg said:

Isn't 46 inches the legal limit?

I agree. My question is that instead of cutting down the shaft, could you choke up on it? Would that have the same affect?

[bigoak]

you are having a torque issue with your shaft. You don't need a Harrison Stripper with nearly 4 degrees of torque. There are Harrison shafts with less than 2 degrees of torque that will get you straighter. A stiff shaft with a lot of torque is going to get you swinging harder to load the shaft but with left and right issues due to greater torque.

[DJYoshi]

the shaft is more important than the clubhead.
what's the problem with your swing? are you not getting the ball high enough? Do you need stability? what did your mishits look like?
i would lean on agreeing that maybe you'd need a shaft with a torque of 3.2 medium-low kickpoint if you're having problems getting the ball up.
and it's 100% absolutely true that just b/c fuji or mitsubishi make the stock shafts and call them the same line:
i.e. Mitsubishi Diamana Shafts in Nike Drivers. no they're not the same as a blueboard, whiteboard, s.e. red board, basura, etc.

I'd base my shaft choices on what you want to accomplish.
higher or lower ball flight
stability (stock shafts tend to have high torque so they play/feel "whippier" than other shafts).
ie: 2 shafts can be regular flex. but the regular flex with a 3.6 torque is gonna feel more like a sr. flex than a reg flex shaft with 3.2 torque.

If you need help deciding, I did TONS of research and testing b4 I went with the diamana whiteboard. i'd be more than happy to share whatever knowledge I have:

aol im: dbdjyoshi703

[erikpmort]

i dissagree with the guy that says its just a patch. Tip stiffness is very important with these new big heads. i changed from a crappy stiff shaft. I would recommend prolaunch blue by grafalloy or the proforce v2 like i got on this forum for 35$ ish shipped. Fantastic shaft, so different from a ys-6. 28 tip stiffness and a 2.2 torque. No more ballon bendy crap shots. feels just right. i can still hit off the tip of the club and hit it straight like i did today, a great feeling. I do agree that the shaft is more important than the clubhead. Just find something that stiff in the tip for a good price and don't look back. its better to be too stiff imo.

[HytrewQasdfg]

  erikpmort said:

i dissagree with the guy that says its just a patch.

Well, I agree with the guy that says it's just a patch.

Look at he first line of the original post: "I have been inconsistent with my Burner stock stiff driver." Let's pretend he has a swing speed of 110 mph, and plays a ladies flex shaft with a low kick point and a torque of 5.8 (and his club face has a 14 degree loft.) Totally wrong equipment that will produce horrible drives, but if he has a consistent/repeatable swing, he will consistently produce the same horrible drive over and over again. Consistency has to do with your swing, not your equipment. It is his coach's job to teach him how to develop a consistent/repeatable swing. Going to a stiff drive with low torque will mask his swing inconsistency (because there are fewer variables to deal with), but it also means he loses out on the advantages he might have gained by using the correct shaft for his swing. His coach should concentrate on helping him develop a consistent/repeatable swing. Once he has done that, then is the time to start tweaking his equipment to match his swing.

[erikpmort]

yeah you know what, stick with the ladies shaft, that sounds like the best option

[klaymon]

To address the length issue: yes, the Burner is 46" long (2007 model anyway). As far as the shaft, I had a ProLaunch Red put in mine and have been hitting far better than I ever did with the stock shaft (both shafts Stiff flex). It is a high kickpoint shaft with 2.5 degrees of torque (torsionally stiff).

[Guest]

I was using Atlas Nano but switched to the Harrison Striper J and what a great shaft for the money. I am averaging 290-well over 300 yars off the tee. 5th hole on the course I play is 345 yds off the tips steep up hill and was 8 yards from the front edge. Very easy bird. Point is very very stable and consistent shaft. Jess

[golf_junkie27]

  Abs777 said:

So my best bet would be to Demo and buy a new driver? Could I demo and find the shaft and just have them put a shaft in the Burner? How is the best and least expensive way to approach this?

The best way to do this is find a fitter than can combine the right shaft with the right driver head. He can tell you how your clubhead plays, example, it causes too much spin or he may tell you that you need something with a deeper face or it can be too open or too closed. Lots of variables that affect performance.

He can then find a shaft that will counteract those negatives as well as make adjustments on your current club. There is no need to go out and purchase a new driver. What ails you can be fixed.