Stock shafts vs. After-market shafts

[moparman426]

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

Just an average Joe going for an above average technical swing.

I believe that is the basis for pretty much all of the "made for" shaft tweaks.  I am going to speculate here and say that they know/realize that the hardcore golfer is going to go get fit for his/her driver and will end up with something aftermarket (most likely).  Their made for shafts are tweaked to work well with their particular head design for the average golfer who does not get fitted and just buys "off the shelf".  In my area, I know of only one person that has actually been fitted for a driver.  Most just buy off the shelf, with word-of-mouth reviews.

I have had results that went in both directions when it comes to "made for" shafts.  My TBTP had a "made for" Rombax that was killer for me, and my R11 TP 3 wood has a very nice "made for" Motore F3 x-stiff that suits my swing well.  On the other hand, the stock "made for" Motore 60 that came in my Supertri was terrible for me, as it was designed with a softer tip to aid in getting the ball up quickly.  My swing speed puts me borderline with stiff/x-stiff, depending on what manufacturer I go by.  I have a quick tempo, so the softer tip just attributes to me being more prone to spraying the ball.  This kinda excludes me from fitting into the "average" group of golfers that the "made for" shafts are more tailored for.  Actually, now that I go back and read my post, the only shaft that wasn't up to par for me was the only non-TP shaft (Motore 60) I had tried, but they were all still "made for" designs.

I guess what I am trying to say is; Don't discount all of the "made for" shafts until you actually try one, and see if it fits your swing.

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by moparman426

I guess what I am trying to say is; Don't discount all of the "made for" shafts until you actually try one, and see if it fits your swing.

Yes, some 'made for' shafts are actually good and some OEMs give you a choice so a shaft can fit you. i.e. Titleist. On the other hand, TM Matrix and Blur shafts for the non-tp versions, I found, are garbage, and I've found club makers who naturally concur, not only because they can make a sale, but they see guys coming in all the time and they've tested the shafts in their shop and on the course. One must be careful out there.

[x129]

My impression is that most of this stuff is pretty intentional. Guy walks in the shop and asks for a 9.5 in stiff since he doesn't want a girl regular shift or a senior 10.5 loft.  If you give him a shaft that is 10.5 but marked 9.5 and a stiff shaft that is more of a regular plus, he will hit the ball a lot better. If he hits the ball better, he is more likely to buy the club.

Originally Posted by 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.

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by x129

My impression is that most of this stuff is pretty intentional. Guy walks in the shop and asks for a 9.5 in stiff since he doesn't want a girl regular shift or a senior 10.5 loft.  If you give him a shaft that is 10.5 but marked 9.5 and a stiff shaft that is more of a regular plus, he will hit the ball a lot better. If he hits the ball better, he is more likely to buy the club.

Yeah...

[tonycarnevale]

Remember when they came stock with ys6 or ys+? dont you think your getting a better value out of that than something that a club manufacture paints? Does everyone on here work for club companies or....

[moparman426]

Originally Posted by tonycarnevale

Remember when they came stock with ys6 or ys+? dont you think your getting a better value out of that than something that a club manufacture paints? Does everyone on here work for club companies or....

The ys6 can be bought new for $65.  As for the shafts just being painted, there's usually a little more to it than that.  Most made for shafts are usually tweaked a bit to work with a specific head design, be it TaylorMade, Titleist, Callaway, whatever....  This may include moving the kickpoint slightly, increasing/decreasing the torque rating, softening/stiffening up the tip, whatever....  Don't discount a shaft because it has "Made for" or "Designed with" painted on it somewhere, or because some random stranger on the internet says a particular shaft is crap.  Try it first.  Sure there are going to be some out there that are terrible for your swing, but there also may be some that are perfect.  I do not work for any golf company, but I have spent a lot of time researching information.  FYI, I use a retail version Aldila NV in my driver.

Are you the owner of that video?  Why do you have the made for shaft clamped about 6 inches too far up (away from the hosel area).  Why, at 1:35 in the video, did you torque the clamp even more (can clearing hear cracking)after stating that it was already tightened to where it would normally be to extract a shaft?  The guy in the video is an idiot, and you can see it on his face, he knows exactly what it is he is doing wrong.

[moparman426]

Clearly, not clearing.....

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by tonycarnevale

Does everyone on here work for club companies or....

No, but a lot are more interested in golf than golf equipment and understand that a stock shaft can, and usually does give great results.

[glock35ipsc]

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?

Originally Posted by tonycarnevale

What about my question?

The "typical" manufacturing tolerances on club head lofts are +/-1°.  So an 11° driver, for example, measured at the center of the face, could be anywhere from 10° to 12° and still be "in spec".  Now, take into account roll radius, and there could be up to a 3° difference from the center to the bottom of the face, and another 3° from the center to the top of the face.

The point of having a driver fitting is to find the shaft (length, flex in CPM and not a letter designation, etc) and loft.... among other things, that are right for your swing.  Then have a club BUILT to those exact specs, not someone grabbing a 10.5° (or whatever the fitting resulted in) driver with an XX.X" length R flex shaft in it off the shelf.  So many times you hear of people hitting a driver at a store on the monitor and declare "THIS IS THE ONE!!", only to order what they believe is the identical one and not have anywhere near the same feeling or results.  It's because the shaft is not the same.  The loft is not the same.  The weight is not the same.

Same is not the same unless it's verified to be identical.

[Sai-Jin]

I'm wondering, do after market shafts really make that huge of a difference compared to stock shafts?

ie: Fujikura blur stock in a driver vs After market Fujikura blur

I was told by a club maker that they make a huge difference.