Shaft stiffness

[prutkows]

as some of you may already know im currently in the market for a new driver. i was wondering what types of things determine the shaft stiffness that would best suit my swing.

[DDBowdoin]

it can actually be a bit complex depending on what you expect to get out of the shaft in terms of performance, your best bet would be to find a launch monitor at your local club or store and they are pretty useful tools to determine what flex is appropriate. The reason why I stated it can be more complex than it seems is just because there is more to a shaft then flex, you obviously have to look at flex in terms of regular and stiff and xstiff but also flex points in shaft differ, as well as the softness or stiffness of the shafts butt... weight and torque are also issues you need to look into... but to keep in simple find a good launch monitor and a resource that has many shafts combinations available... a lot of times feel becomes the most important factor...

[Everardo]

  prutkows said:

as some of you may already know im currently in the market for a new driver. i was wondering what types of things determine the shaft stiffness that would best suit my swing.

There are several of us that can kinda fit you online but a face to face meeting with a fitter in your area would be a good help. I don't know what island you're on but the guys at the Nevada Bob's in Oahu are pretty nice.

Virtually every shaft company publishes their specs but they won't mean anything until you know your swing speed, how you swing and current vs desired ball flight.

[gas_can]

  prutkows said:

as some of you may already know im currently in the market for a new driver. i was wondering what types of things determine the shaft stiffness that would best suit my swing.

Prutkows,

There are no industry standards among shaft manufacturers for values such as flex, torque, kick point, etc. With that said, I've hit just about every shaft on the market now and have bounced them all at various points on the CPM scale. With that info, I know where each shaft is stiff and flexible. This is called "bend profiling" and will fit you into the correct shaft for your swing. However, there are several questions I need you to honestly answer in order to get you in the right shaft. 1. What is your tempo: fast, medium, slow. 2. What is the length of your swing arc: long, medium, short. 3. What is your transition at the top: pause at the top, or smooth? 4. Where do you release your wrist cock: early, middle, late. 5. What is your swing speed, launch angle, and spin rate? 6. What head do you plan on putting the shaft into? With that info honestly answered, I can fit you into the right shaft for you, and then we can determine what flex based on the bend profile that fits you.

[prutkows]

  Everardo said:

There are several of us that can kinda fit you online but a face to face meeting with a fitter in your area would be a good help. I don't know what island you're on but the guys at the Nevada Bob's in Oahu are pretty nice.

yeah i live on oahu. i assume you've been here and you've met the guys in nevada bob's? there are actually 2 nevada bobs on the island and im not sure which you went to..

if i were to go to them for assistance would i just go to the guy at the counter and ask to get fitted for a driver?

  gas_can said:

Prutkows,

1: medium tempo

2: currently my arc is a bit long but im working on shortening it. 3: im not sure what you mean by pause/smooth but my transition at the top is similar to tigers. 4: i release late, a few inches behind the ball. 5: i have no idea what my swingspeed/launch angle/spin rate are. 6: most likely a 9.5* 905R head. i'll probably go to nevada bobs tomorrow or friday to see what they tell me and i'll let you know their suggestions as well.

[Everardo]

  prutkows said:

yeah i live on oahu. i assume you've been here and you've met the guys in nevada bob's? there are actually 2 nevada bobs on the island and im not sure which you went to..

Yeah I've been there for work. I'm talking about the one in Honolulu on Kapiolani. Most of the time you can just stop in and ask to be fit on the launch monitor. There you'll be able to get the ball spin rates, swing speed, etc. that gas_can is mentioning. If you can try to use the same ball you use on the course or bring a couple with you. This will help keep some of the numbers consistant with what you already see. Oh and bring your current driver so that you have a good baseline.

Good luck and have fun!!

[prutkows]

  Everardo said:

Yeah I've been there for work. I'm talking about the one in Honolulu on Kapiolani. Most of the time you can just stop in and ask to be fit on the launch monitor. There you'll be able to get the ball spin rates, swing speed, etc. that gas_can is mentioning. If you can try to use the same ball you use on the course or bring a couple with you. This will help keep some of the numbers consistant with what you already see. Oh and bring your current driver so that you have a good baseline.

ah ok, thank you very much :] i'll definitely go try it out within the next few days.

[gas_can]

  prutkows said:

1: medium tempo

Prutkows,

I think something that is stiff in the mid and tip sections, but very soft in the butt would be a good fit for you. The Aldila NV, Accuflex Evolution would be good bets. The Proforce V2 is a little more "flexy" overall, but still retains the relatively stiff tip soft butt, and fits a wide variety of players. I'd give it a strong look. The Fujikura Zcom BW series is another good fit bend profile wise as well, although you need to hit it to make sure your release is late enough to keep up with its very stiff tip. If you want to spend some money and want something a hair softer that's Titleist approved, the Speeder 665 would be a good choice as well, although it's a little closer to a mid bend than the other shafts I mentioned. I'm interested to hear what your lanuch monitor numbers are like. The 905R is a spinny head, and players with high launch and spin numbers tend to not get along so well with it. My best advice to you is to be flexible with the head you choose, because if you pick the right head to dictate the launch conditions and then use a shaft to fine tune them, you will be much happier overall.