Shaft Experts Please Read

[warbirdlover]

In my on-going search for graphite (driver) shaft information I'd appreciate it if any experienced club makers or players would comment on these shafts. Rate them if you can also. Thanks.

UST Proforce V2
Accuflex Evolution Lite
Grafalloy Prototype Comp NT
Grafalloy Blue
Grafalloy ProLaunch Blue

Add any shaft you think is exceptional except Aldila shafts.

[st8fan19]

In my on-going search for graphite (driver) shaft information I'd appreciate it if any experienced club makers or players would comment on these shafts. Rate them if you can also. Thanks.

UST Proforce V2 - very good shaft nice mid ball flight Accuflex Evolution Lite -never hit Grafalloy Prototype Comp NT - never hit but i have heard it is very good Grafalloy Blue - very very low ball flight much lower than the prolaunch and also harder to hit consistantly Grafalloy ProLaunch Blue - very good shaft probably my favorite of these very easy to hit and very easy to control... good luck... i fit clubs all day long and i know what i am talking about

[gas_can]

In my on-going search for graphite (driver) shaft information I'd appreciate it if any experienced club makers or players would comment on these shafts. Rate them if you can also. Thanks.

Warbirdlover, Let's get off the shaft merry-go-round and fit you for a shaft based on your swing so we can take the guess work out of things. Every shaft you've mentioned above has a different bend profile, and only one is a good fit for your swing. If you can honestly answer these questions, we will be well on our way to fitting you for the proper 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? Also, why the anti-Aldila bias? Aldila makes incredible performing shafts and has changed the OEM shaft game for the better.

[iacas]

i fit clubs all day long and i know what i am talking about

I'll never trust a clubfitter who doesn't even bother to find out how someone swings a club before talking about the ball flight a shaft produces. It's irresponsible.

I also don't believe you can "fit" anyone over the Internet, but you can get them pointed in the right direction... after you've asked them questions about tempo, desired ball flight, current ball flight, current shafts, swing speed, etc. In other words, warbird, be careful who you listen to. Some people may mean well, but that doesn't mean the advice fits your swing.

[st8fan19]

I'll never trust a clubfitter who doesn't even bother to find out how someone swings a club before talking about the ball flight a shaft produces. It's irresponsible.

i would never tell him to buy a certain shaft over the internet unless i see his ball flight with the shaft and the desired head... he mearly asked about the shafts and i told him about them... i didn't fit him over the internet...

[warbirdlover]

Okay, these are all for me and my toys.

I have a 100 mph swing speed, 250-260 avg driver (not carry) and ocassional 280-300, usually straight in fairway. Once in a great while a slight fade at the end. Don't load the shaft hard, very smoothly. Not much pause at top but acelerate club smoothly so need a shaft that loads easily. I've been told I have a nice swing by a teaching pro (who has one of the prettiest swings outside the PGA tour and easily drives the ball 300+). Usually make perfect contact (center of face).

what I am trying to do with this post is learn what to look for in a shaft that would be ideal for my swing. I want to pick the shafts and just have the clubmaker put them in the head. My goal is to know what I'm picking.

[Everardo]

You're listed a pretty broad range of shafts as far as their specs are concerned and like Gas Can and Iacas mentioned it's wreckless to try and fit you over the internet.

Q. What is it about these shafts that peaked you interest? Q. What's with the dislike for Aldila?

I want to pick the shafts and just have the clubmaker put them in the head. My goal is to know what I'm picking.

I test a lot of equipment, shafts, heads, etc to see what I like but it also helps me understand and give an opinion of the equipment based on my game. Personally without seeing someone's swing in person I am reluctant to fit over the internet.

I'm with you in that I like to be educated and when I first picked up the game I too wanted to pick my own equipment and know it inside and out. However for me there came a point where I needed to also consult with a swing coach to see it was the indian or the arrow, so to speak. Q. The internet and this forum are great for public opinion but why not visit a local clubfitter, get fitted and let him/her help you pick the right shaft as well.

[gas_can]

Okay, these are all for me and my toys.

Okay warbirdlover,

Instead of giving you a fish and letting you eat for a day, I'll teach you how to fish and let you eat for a lifetime. The job of a golf shaft is to deliver the clubhead in the proper geometry with relation to your swing so the correct launch conditions are achieved. Shafts are flexible and stiff in certain sections in order to achieve this. Terms such as kickpoint, torque, and flex all mean nothing from different manufacturers and sometimes different lines within the same manufacturer. In order to standardize things a little better, bend profiling was concieved so different shafts could be compared in their relative stiffness in three specific areas, the butt, middle, and tip. A weight is placed in three standard areas on a raw shaft, and it is bounced on a cycle per minute machine to give a reading. That way clubmakers are able to compare an Aldila NV's tip stiffness with that of a graphite designs YS-7. Now that you understand the how's, let's get down to the why's. To somewhat simplify things right now, there are three basic keys to look at in determining what bend profile fits a player: transition, swing arc, and wrist cock release. Players with a compact aggressive swing arc, and a hard transition tend to fit better into butt stiff shafts. Players with longer smoother swing arcs and smooth transitions fit better into butt soft shafts. Players with a late wrist cock release fit better into tip stiff shafts while players who release their wrist cock early fit better into tip soft shafts. If you can fit yourself based on that, with wrist cock being the most crucial omission, I can reccomend you a shaft that will fit that bend profile.

[warbirdlover]

Everything you said suggest an Aldila (soft tip) would be ideal for me but I hit my Ping G5 with the Grafalloy ProLaunch (stiff tip) perfectly straight and long. That's kind of why this whole thing appears to be more trial and error then science, LOL. I ordered this book to try and learn more. It was recommended to me by someone else.

"Search for the Perfect Golf Club"
by Tom Wishon

I'm not trying to get fitted online. What I was looking for with the shafts listed in this post was not for immediate use by myself but more like "this one is for someone that swings smooth and doesn't load the shaft quickly" etc. That is what I understand so far. I can't find that kind of info on them very easily, only flex point and torque etc.

It might take me years but I'll get the hang of all this. Thanks for the comments to everybody.

[gas_can]

Everything you said suggest an Aldila (soft tip) would be ideal for me but I hit my Ping G5 with the Grafalloy ProLaunch (stiff tip) perfectly straight and long. That's kind of why this whole thing appears to be more trial and error then science, LOL. I ordered this book to try and learn more. It was recommended to me by someone else.

warbirdlover, Part of your problem may be that the Aldila NV isn't a soft tipped shaft. The NVS is, but I wouldn't say it's a good fit for driver applications. Tell me exactly which one you fit into, and I will reccomend a list of shafts for you to research and try. Often times you can e-mail the customer service departmetns correctly and they will give you more info about fitting reccomendations. Tom's book is a great one, I'd highly suggest you read it, it will give you the basic info on concepts such as loft, lie, swing weight, and club design. Tom's a great guy, and I'm proud to call him a friend. He's also one of the pioneers of bend profiling. As far as this being trail and error, it is to a certain extent since people have different feels when swinging the clubhead. The better you can express your feels to me, as a fitter, the better I can reccomend things to you, but until you hit them, it's tough to know. However, the bend profiling part is not trail and error, it is simple fact. If you can tell me which swing profile you fit into, I can give you a long list of shafts to demo which are of the appropriate bend profile. Also, it's best to have someone else such as a pro asses your swing since we often tend to overestimate our own abilities. EDIT - Also, if you tell me what part of the country you are in, I can reccomend a good clubfitter to you who can help get you fit in person. If you don't do this sort of thing for a living, it becomes mighty difficult to keep up with the changes in shaft technology. Also, if you take a look at my friend's website here: http://www.clubfitters.com/ Pay the $25, answer the questions honestly, and you'll have access to one of the best internet clubfitters in the world.

[warbirdlover]

Might just have to do that gas_can. Thanks.
Jerry