Shaft Pureing... Real or Placebo?

[firstcut]

I've been thinking about re-shafting my Callaway FT-i. I called Callaway for a quote and asked them how much extra it would be to have the shaft pured. I was told that Callaway did not believe that Puring a shaft was a valid process and as such they did not provide the service.

This really surprised me. I *thought* pureing was a well accepted practice by now.

In doing some research on the subject, I found that there is still some contention over the practice. I also found an article here on The Sand Trap by Jack Waddell from 2006. There are still comments going on from that article *over two years later*!

I'm curious what the Sand Trap masses think about shaft Pureing... Snake Oil? Worth twice the price? Not certain, but worth the peace of mind?

Thanks!

[tjy355]

I'm curious what the Sand Trap masses think about shaft Pureing... Snake Oil? Worth twice the price? Not certain, but worth the peace of mind?

Hocus Pocus!

[Q.Q.Quillume]

Hocus Pocus!

I think I'll go along with Callaway & tjy355.

[drtbk933]

What is shaft puring?

[Q.Q.Quillume]

What is shaft puring?

According to Cleveland Golf (see

http://www.clevelandgolf.com/faq_irons.html ): Quote: Q: What does it mean to pure a shaft? Is this the same as spine align or frequency? A: Yes, they are the same thing. Some people believe that by orienting the spine of the shaft in a certain way they will improve the performance of the golf club. However, there is no data that can prove spining (or puring) actually works. Due to this lack of data, Cleveland Golf does not offer this service.

[drtbk933]

Thank you Quillume. I personally wouldn't fork over the mula for it.

[bigoak]

I have checked spline displacement in my shop. Some shafts make almost no difference others show some difference. Maybe for the OP that Callaway shafts need no alignment for purity and that is why no service is offered. Maybe Callaway doesn't want the labels to be in different directions from club to club.

[wachesawgolfer]

I will have a driver shaft pured. Golfsmith offers this service. I agree that Callaway probably wants the shaft oriented a certain way for cosmetics and that is their reason against pureing. I would add that the two Graphite Design YS +6 shafts, I bought, both Pured logos down. If the logo is off to a side, it would look bad. Plus, a set of graphite irons with the shaft logos all over the place looks bad, but at least it shows the spine variances that can occur.
Most clubfitters tell me they can tell a defective shaft just by testing the CPM, in that the shaft will not oscillate correctly but wobble. If the shaft has a straight back and forth oscillation, pureing may not be necessary.

[michaeljames92]

well you may find that a shaft is too stiff or not stiff enough and by frequency checking you eliminate that problem

[golf_junkie27]

I believe it's real. Take a look, here: www.sstpure.com .

Look at the graphs involving puring vs non-puring and then ask yourself "Is it hocus pocus?"

[Surefire]

Maybe Callaway doesn't want the labels to be in different directions from club to club.

Maybe, but surely if a golf company can charge extra for something, this is worth more to the company than having the labels aligned?

Must say a lot that they don't even try and take the money.

[Blades4me]

I've been thinking about re-shafting my Callaway FT-i. I called Callaway for a quote and asked them how much extra it would be to have the shaft pured. I was told that Callaway did not believe that Puring a shaft was a valid process and as such they did not provide the service.

First, this is just my opinion. If you are a high hc'er and/or just interested in playing sometimes on the weekends, "no" its not worth it. OTOH, if you are a mid to low hc'er and are at least somewhat serious about your game, "yes".

I've spined every club in my bag, and yes, even my putter-I was on a roll. I think its more important with graphite then steel. My rule of thumb is the more flex the shaft has the more important spining is. Basically spining or puring positions the shaft into the club head, (at 12 o'clock on the hosel). As 1 swings the club it puts torque on the shaft and turns the club head out, as in twisting the opposite direction of the shaft on the down swing. Once the club reaches the ball, theoretically, the club head comes back to it natural position. So if that "natural position" is at 12 o'clock on the hosel the club head should be square to the ball at impact. All shafts have a spine regardless of what the manufacturer sez. So, should one spine? Depends as I said in the above. Will it make a big difference? Again, it depends; the better you are the more you will notice it. Is there anything that everybody should do with their clubs? Absolutely, getting fitted, IMO is probably the most important thing. Spining will cost you significantly, and not bad if you do your own work. A spining unit isn't hard to build and there are directions on the web on how to do it. I don't worry about FLO, (flat line oscillation) b/c its basically 90* from the spine. Hope this helps and if its confused you my apology. Maybe some else could do a better job.

[bigoak]

First, this is just my opinion. If you are a high hc'er and/or just interested in playing sometimes on the weekends, "no" its not worth it. OTOH, if you are a mid to low hc'er and are at least somewhat serious about your game, "yes".

never thought to spline a putter shaft, we are going to get right on that. But for distance clubs it is important as well for accuracy clubs. Remember the heads are hubcaps and the shafts are the engines. Shafts are important.

[DJYoshi]

if you're gonna re-shaft your driver, or any club, I would say order the shaft spined online. most companies like golfsmith will pure the shaft for like $10.
when i was buying my px's last year. they asked if i wanted them ordered pured already..i was just starting out and didn't know what puring was. my friend that worked at golfsmith had his mp-60's with px shafts in his. i hit them better than the demo set they had there. He neglected to tell me that his shafts were spined. so i believe that it helps...i did it for my driver and yeah...i feel a difference.

[Blades4me]

never thought to spline a putter shaft, we are going to get right on that. But for distance clubs it is important as well for accuracy clubs. Remember the heads are hubcaps and the shafts are the engines. Shafts are important.

LOL. Well like I said, "I was on a roll"; if it does make a difference it is probably between my ears. As long as I am on the subject. I use 5.5 rifle spinner wedge shafts in my wedges and since they were spined they are noticably more accurate and feel better.

[alf174]

Steel has "grain" based on the direction of its molecules and the molecular alignment was set when the steel was manufactured at the mill. Anyone that has been involved in metal stamping can vouch to this. This characteristic and any other introduced by the club manufacturer is going introduce irregularities. Assuming folks like SST has figured this out and knows how theses irregularities effect the shaft performance, IMHO, $10 sounds like a no-brainer investment. Knowing that your equipment will yield its optimum performance is going to instill some additional level of confidence no matter what their handicap is.

[tjy355]

I believe it's real. Take a look, here:

Oh, I believe it's real. I just think it's debatable as to if it would make any difference at all to the average golfer.

[Divot Tool]

Oh, I believe it's real. I just think it's debatable as to if it would make any difference at all to the average golfer.

Well said.