Stock shafts vs. After-market shafts

[LBlack14]

Advertised manufacturing tolerances on club heads are usually +/- 1°, and it's not a stretch AT ALL for a head to be up to 2-3° or more off from what is stamped on the head.

And for grins, if anyone is familiar with Grafalloy, you know Robin Arthur is THE MAN that put the modern lightweight graphite shaft on the map.  He has since left Graffaloy and has his own line out, Arthur Xtreme XCaliber shafts, all priced between $20-something and $50-something.

In his words.....

EXCELLENT, Thank You! I am familiar with him and happen to have an AXE Xcaliber 7 TS, original Grafalloy Blue and a ProLite here as I type.

[mvmac]

Yes very interesting video, thanks for sharing

[glock35ipsc]

Robin is a helluva nice guy, and extremely knowledgeable.  After emailing him a few times with some questions, he gave me his cell number so I could give him a call to make the conversation easier.  Wonderful person to speak with!

[spearq8]

I thought the following video was very informative

[LBlack14]

Things like that are why I've chose to educate myself about the technical side of golf equipment. I don't like having smoke blown up my culo.

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by LBlack14

I don't like having smoke blown up my culo.

Off topic, but in the old days that's exactly how they tried to revive drowning victims.

The more you know.

[tonycarnevale]

I came across this video on youtube. I play a Diamana whiteboard, which is an after market shaft. I can't believe how little effort is put into these made for shafts. It seems to me that there needs to be more industry regulations and standards.

I also heard that loft tolerances for Taylormade clubs is +/- 1.5 degrees. So a 9 degree driver is anywhere from 7.5-10.5 degrees. And a stiff shaft is anywhere better a regular and an x-stiff.  With this whats even the point of having a driver fitting unless you get the club+shaft properly measured after wards?

[Shorty]

It is very a very common golf forum topic.

People like to criticise "made for" and non "real" shafts.

Very often, they don't want their non "made for" shaft to be confused with one that is.

Fact of the matter is, the manufacturers have found a formula that works and standard shafts suit the majority of players.

If you want to buy an upgraded shaft, that's up to you. but the notion of "made for shafts being "crap" or garbage is not true.

I can't believe how little effort is put into these made for shafts.

As for the above comment,  I think you'll find that a huge amount of effort is put into them the OEM shaft manufacturers and club makers don't want their reputtaions tarnished. Standard shafts are fine for the vast majority of golfers.

[tonycarnevale]

Originally Posted by tonycarnevale

I also heard that loft tolerances for Taylormade clubs is +/- 1.5 degrees. So a 9 degree driver is anywhere from 7.5-10.5 degrees. And a stiff shaft is anywhere better a regular and an x-stiff.  With this whats even the point of having a driver fitting unless you get the club+shaft properly measured after wards?

What about my question?

[delav]

That video is far from scientific, or conclusive.

While there is certainly a difference between the OEM/made-for shafts and a true aftermarket shaft, we don't how comparable these two shafts were in the first place.  Was the made-for shaft a 55g ultra-light driver shaft, and the aftermarket Aldila a 95g hybrid shaft?  The creator had an obvious bias in illustrating this difference.

A much better comparison would be seeing launch data from a 'real' and made-for shaft in an identical head off of various points on the face.  that is something I'd like to see.

I think Shorty nailed it here.  Obviously the aftermarket shafts are superior equipment, but the majority of mid and high-handicap players would likely hit worse shots with a 'real' shaft.  The manufacturers optimize these made-for shafts to provide ideal results for the average player.

[WUTiger]

On loft tolerances...

Couldn't find any specifics on loft/lie tolerances for TaylorMade clubs, or other OEMs, in either catalogs or websites. Closest one was this line at the bottom of several club specification tables in the Ping Play Your Best equipment pamphlet printed in Fall 2011:

"These are design specifications that may vary due to the manufacturing tolerances."

If a golf shop orders you irons from the factory after a fitting, the clubsmiths should check the loft and lie for you when they arrive. Out of eight irons, it's not uncommon for one or two to need a tweak.

Also, you need to understand the details of loft on woods, especially drivers. Woods (metal woods) usually have some roll - arc top to bottom - on the clubface. Let's say the driver clubface (represented below) had a factory loft of 10⁰. If you hit the clubface on vertical center between sole and crown (see ~ ), you would have 10⁰ functional loft at play. If you hit it a quarter inch above center, you would have maybe 11⁰ loft.  A quarter inch below , and you would have maybe 9⁰ of loft. The actual launch angle would include the functional loft - high or low - plus attack angle and the influence of the shaft kick and ball characteristics.

~ ( _/

Note 1: Clubface would hit ball to left of screen.

Note 2: Most jumbo drivers (460 cc.) function best if you hit the ball a quarter-inch above vertical center of the clubface.

[Mr. Desmond]

OEM Tolerances are better than they once were -

About 3 years ago, Ping would tell you their driver lofts might be 1.5 degrees too weak - you'd pay extra for digital lofting. I think they and everyone else are demanding better specs from their suppliers today.

[Harmonious]

In reference to shafts, and how expensive they may be (which is true in a lot of cases), the "real" green shaft tested in the OP's video is an Aldila NV, which you can get at Golfsmith these days for $55. It's a good shaft that isn't expensive.

http://www.golfsmith.com/product/30025505/aldila-nv-65-350-tip-wood-shaft

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by delav

That video is far from scientific, or conclusive.

While there is certainly a difference between the OEM/made-for shafts and a true aftermarket shaft, we don't how comparable these two shafts were in the first place.  Was the made-for shaft a 55g ultra-light driver shaft, and the aftermarket Aldila a 95g hybrid shaft?  The creator had an obvious bias in illustrating this difference.

Very true.  The guy is in the business of clubfitting. You are right, the 1st shaft may have been from a beginner set which would have a very cheap shaft installed, probably.

[tonycarnevale]

I was just using the video as an example of what I was talking about. I was making my comments mainly off my own experience with drivers and shafts.

[clubchamp]

I've had some "made for" shafts work great for me but I've also had some that were terrible. The flip side I've tried some after market shafts that worked great for me but I've also had some that were terrible. It's not a matter of "made for" being a cheaper quality as much as what fits a golfers swing. Now the TM loft being +/- 1.5* I'm pretty certain most OEMs are the same in that the lofts will vary but I don't know the exact amount. That's why most OEMs give the option to pay for digital lofting and as for the shafts I'm sure there is some slight flex variance but not enough to even notice.

[moparman426]

That video should be taken down from youtube.....it's pure garbage.  There is already another thread here with this information.

http://thesandtrap.com/t/44339/stock-shafts-vs-after-market-shafts

[Mr. Desmond]

Over the years, I haven't heard of OEM driver lofts being strong - only weak. Which for most golfers, is not necessarily a bad thing. But it should be up to the golfer, not the OEM's poor manufacturing suppliers and the OEM acceptance of such wide tolerances. But I think tolerances are getting tighter.

As to "made for" shafts, Titleist seems to have the reputation for having the best 'made for' shafts. I've always gotten along with their shafts but I am not a high speed, high spin, or quick player. Just an average Joe going for an above average technical swing.