Cutting shafts: What effect does it have on dynamics?

[kurtwainwright]

I've been told by an experienced golf fitter that the best driver shaft selection for my physical body measurements, m swing and my 92 MPH CHS is a Matrix Ozik XCon 6 R-flex, cut to 44 inches.   My current driver has a Matrix Ozik XCon 5.5 S-flex.  Apparently the 5.5 is especially made for Taylormade to put in their r7 Limited drivers from 2008, because I can't find a shred of data on it.

Looking at the specs for a stock length XCon 6 R-flex as follows:

Weight 67.5 grams

Torque 2.5

Launch High

Spin Low

Length 46

Tip OD 0.335

Tip PAR 3.5

The problem I'm having is this.   The price of a retail Matrix Ozik XCon 6 is a hefty $300.  I paid $299 for the entire club 2 years ago, so that's a non-starter.  So before I go and make such a purchase, I'd like to know what you good people think. First some information...

Looking at the specs for a stock length XCon 6 and XCon 5 S-flex here's the primary difference:

XCon 5 Weight 59.5

XCon 5 Torque 4.0

XCon 6 Weight 69.5

XCon 6 Torque 2.5

Going with pure logic... I'd venture to say that an XCon 5.5 S-flex is probably somewhere between the two values, right?  Interpolating, I get the following spec:

Weight 64.5 grams

Torque 3.25

If I cut my XCon 5.5 S-flex 46 inch stock shaft down to 44 inches, would that come close to equating to an XCon 6 R-flex??  The same club fitter said not to do this as it would upset the shaft's dynamics.... but I don't quite know what that means.  He said I should just learn to choke down on the club.  If I cut the 5.5, should I get it frequency tuned?

Thoughts?

[Jay-Bird]

Cutting your shaft (butt cutting) 2 inches will drop the swing weight down four points. It will also make it slightly more firm.

So, I'd guess that cutting the XCONN 5.5 Stiff would result in an XCONN 5.5 stiff plus with slightly lower torque.

[enis750]

Originally Posted by kurtwainwright

I've been told by an experienced golf fitter that the best driver shaft selection for my physical body measurements, m swing and my 92 MPH CHS is a Matrix Ozik XCon 6 R-flex, cut to 44 inches.   My current driver has a Matrix Ozik XCon 5.5 S-flex.  Apparently the 5.5 is especially made for Taylormade to put in their r7 Limited drivers from 2008, because I can't find a shred of data on it.

The problem I'm having is this.   The price of a retail Matrix Ozik XCon 6 is a hefty $300.  I paid $299 for the entire club 2 years ago, so that's a non-starter.  So before I go and make such a purchase, I'd like to know what you good people think. First some information...

If I cut my XCon 5.5 S-flex 46 inch stock shaft down to 44 inches, would that come close to equating to an XCon 6 R-flex??  The same club fitter said not to do this as it would upset the shaft's dynamics.... but I don't quite know what that means.  He said I should just learn to choke down on the club.  If I cut the 5.5, should I get it frequency tuned?

Thoughts?

sounds to me like your "clubfitter" is trying to upsell you a shaft, rather than actually try to recomend something for you

to answer your questions, no cutting your 46 to a 44 will NOT turn it from a stiff to a Regular flex

maybe the "numbers" might be similar, but they are 2 completely different shafts

also cutting 2" off your driver will affect the swingweight (as mentioned above and below)

heres the real deal bro

as a 22 index a $300 shaft is going to do NOTHING for your game

spend the $$ on lessons, $300 will go a LONG way in lessons

to be honest, I COULDNT tel the difference between a $20 shaft and a $300 shaft, as long as the specs of the shaft suit my swing (and im a 2.9 index)

now if you are horny for a shaft, you can have them for much less than in retail

check ebay, the marketplace here or the BST on golfwrx

as well, a shaft with a torque rating of 2.9 is going to be insanely hard for you to get in the air...it will feel like a 2 x 4, in any flex for you

go see a different clubfitter, this guy is trying to make a buck off you

did he even ask your budget???? to reccomend s high end shaft to a 22 index is insane

Originally Posted by Jay-Bird

Cutting your shaft (butt cutting) 2 inches will drop the swing weight down four points. It will also make it slightly more firm.

So, I'd guess that cutting the XCONN 5.5 Stiff would result in an XCONN 5.5 stiff plus with slightly lower torque.

it will affect swing weight, but it will NOT affect the stiffness of the shaft nor the torque (buy trimming at the butt)

you would need to cut the TIP of the shaft for it to affect the stiffness

[TeedUP]

I have experimented and researched shafts. In fact I have a Matrix XCON 5.5 Stiff shaft installed in a Titliest 909D2 driver.

I can tell you that trimming the butt end of the shaft will not change the flex value. Trimming the tip is done to the particular head your installing as if it is either a driver head, 3 W, or 5 W etc. There are charts which list the amount such as 1" for the 3W.

For a driver lenght it is you option as they start at 46" raw and you fit to your swing. Most are in the 43.5 to 45" range.

I didn't cut my 46" raw shaft to determine how much I could swing. Then I would adjust from that as I can apply grips, cut shaft, and install. I was delighted to find that I could swing the 46" shaft as good or better than a 43-44" shaft with the 909d2 head. The reason I got a very nice ball flight and carry as with  a distance gain of 20-35yds (Maybe more). It was noticeably more distance right away and the impact of the ball was distinctively improved. I am still grinning from the results.

So bottom line you may not want to cut any off the new shaft until you test.

I have 3 other 909D drivers with high end shafts in all but this one has topped all. I own 4 other high end shaft that I have experimented with to keep improving. So do your homework on the Internet.

TeedUp

[MS256]

I've been told by an experienced golf fitter that the best driver shaft selection for my physical body measurements, m swing and my 92 MPH CHS is a Matrix Ozik XCon 6 R-flex, cut to 44 inches.   My current driver has a Matrix Ozik XCon 5.5 S-flex.

A fitter should find the correct shaft profile for you and then find a shaft that "fits" your swing through at least frequency matching.

Recommending a certain high end shaft and leaving it's true flex to chance doesn't sound right for a fitter that knows what he is doing.

Just my opinion but I would find another fitter.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by enis750

... as a 22 index a $300 shaft is going to do NOTHING for your game

spend the $$ on lessons, $300 will go a LONG way in lessons

to be honest, I COULDNT tel the difference between a $20 shaft and a $300 shaft, as long as the specs of the shaft suit my swing (and im a 2.9 index) ...

Before you take your lessons, put an impact decal on your driver face. See where the impact tends to be.

If you have a shaft that's within your shaft band - a group of shafts that capture the variance range in your swing - it's going to work OK. For us middle to high HDCP players, we have driver swing speeds that probably vary + or - 4 MPH, So, we're not like Manuel Angel Jimenez who's testing a driver in Ping-land and hits four in a row ranging from 109.5 to 111.1 MPH (see May Golf Digest , p. 118).

And, here's what trimming 2 inches off the butt will do: It will drop your swingweight * by 12 points. If your driver is now D5, it will decrease to about C3. And yes, it will stiffen the shaft slightly, but this a science fair difference: you could measure the change on a deflection board, but probably wouldn't notice it much when swinging the club.

* Planning rule: Trimming shaft by 1/2" drops swingweight by 3 points.

When it comes to shorter shafts, you are trading distance for more control.

Also, you can stiffen a shaft by tipping it, but you can't make a shaft softer (unless you add an extension, which adds length).