Shaft For Driver and Fairway

[kevin.chan]

You already have a decent swing and you go for driver and woods fittings. You found your best combination for the driver and fairway with the stock shaft. But there are some exortic shafts that will give you better distance , ball flight , feel and control . However , it will cost you $250 more . Will you go for it ?

[Gerald]

If a stock shaft fits you (does for most of us) and you are satisfied with the results, there is no real reason to invest $250 at a custom shaft.

But there are lots of aftermarket shafts that cost less than $100 and if they mean a better ballflight or tighter dispersion, lower backspin and maybe 10-25 yds extra distance, I see no point why you should not invest the extra.

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by Gerald

But there are lots of aftermarket shafts that cost less than $100 and if they mean a better ballflight or tighter dispersion, lower backspin and maybe 10-25 yds extra distance, I see no point why you should not invest the extra.

Absolutely. There are a number of very fine shafts that are now a couple of generations old and no longer the "new new thing", so they are priced very reasonably. Some classic examples are the UST Proforce V2 and original Grafalloy Prolaunch series, which can be found new for around $50. Both are still being played by guys on the PGA tour who could use anything else for free. If your fitting has given you a reasonable idea of the general shaft profile that suits you best, you should be able to find good options within a fairly wide price range.

[saevel25]

I don't see the improvement in using a $250 shaft. To me there just gouging you on there own proprietary technology. I rather fit the Stiffness, kick point, torque, weight, and look. That should get you very close to optimal.

[Ernest Jones]

I bought 2 3DX Nickent hybrids at a clearance sale 2 weeks ago. The 3H had a UST proforce V2 shaft - awesome! The 4H had a stock SR2.5 shaft that REALLY didn't work for me, big ballons that sliced. I managed to score a brand new IROD shaft for $8 dollars at golftown!!! $25 installed with new grip! I believe these IROD shafts we're selling for around $80-$100 a few years ago so there are definitely deals to be had if you don't mind using an older generation or discontinued shaft.

PS, I got the Hybrids for $50 a piece, even the one with the UST shaft.

[Tomboys]

While I'm all for finding a bargain, at the end of the day, all I care about is how well and consistent my ballstriking is.  At my level, the stock OEM shaft choices offered by the manufacturer are more than good enough.  However, if I my swing ever improves enough to where I find there's a distinct and substantial advantage to install an aftermarket shaft, then I'm going to do it.

[TAPNPAR]

Why not? If it's going to increase your performance than go for it!  I've tried many driver shafts over the years, last year I installed a RIP alpha shaft in my R9 460, only to  replace it with the R11 stiff stock because I had much better numbers on the monitor-even when I put the RIP into thr R11 head.  so you gota do what cha gota do!

Beat Down Tools:

TaylorMade R11 Stiff Driver and 3-wood,Burner 19 and 22 degree hybrids,  R7 P-5 Iron with KBS Tour shafts, Cleveland Wedges(62, 54, 50) Odessey white hot #7 putter, turn between the Bridgestone 330s and ProV1 ball.

[WUTiger]

Depends on how much money I have to spend. Also, how much is "more distance."

One thing golfers should consider: Get the "Pro" or "Tour" version of a driver or FW - the standard shafts are often a notch above what you would expect from "stock."

This is especially true of Pro or Tour versions with R flex shafts. My HyperX Tour driver and XTour 3W both came with Fuji E360 shafts: low-mid torque, and mid kick - not the high-launch shaft of the non-Tour variants.

[bplewis24]

Can you guys give examples of exotic aftermarket shafts for $250+?  Would Project X shafts fit the bill?  I'm looking for a 3-wood soon and was planning on looking into the Project X 6.0 shaft for a replacement to the stock shaft.

Brandon

[TAPNPAR]

There are a lot of great after market shafts out there.  I would suggest that you go to the biggest golf store in your area (Golf Galaxy for me) and hit as many different drivers and 3-wood shaft combos as possible to get a sense of what you want.  But don't think that the stock shafts are junk-I recently got on a monitor to compare my RIP Alpha shaft to the stock stiff Blur shaft in my R11, guess what.....my ball and swing speed was a few mph faster with the stock shaft!

[bplewis24]

So, I went to a demo day in the area. Turns out to get the 3-wood I want fitted with the Project X Graphite after-market shaft, it is an extra $150 to the price, effectively doubling it. Ouch. Unfortunately I can't even test out the shaft on that particular 3-wood cause they didn't have them there. There is a bigger demo day next week nearby, so I will see if I can try it out there instead. Brandon

[Harmonious]

Guess it depends whether you feel an extra 5 yards (maybe) is worth $250.  Personally, I wouldn't.  I doubt whether the difference would even be noticeable.  At a demo day, hit a bunch of different shafts to see which you like the best.  Most major manufacturers have a number of standard shafts that come at no extra cost.  At a 13 handicap (or even at a 2 handicap), they will work just fine.

[bplewis24]

An extra 5 yards is definitely not worth it for me, but I was assuming no more than a $50 premium for an after-market shaft. The thing is I rarely hit driver off of any tee box, so the 3-wood is very important to me. I figure if I can hit the 3-wood in the 220-240 range every time I'm just going to give up on the driver until I get some swing lessons. I was ready to pay the $50 premium. $150? Not so much. Brandon

[WUTiger]

Go online to True Temper and Project X. They will have the specs of the different shafts they offer. Also, see if you can find the 2011 The GolfWorks catalog. It has prices and basic specs for most mainline shafts.

Also, see if any specialty shafts from a year or two back which would work for you. Some are now on spring clearance. I saw some excellent upgrade shafts for 65% off at stores from two different chains.

[kevin.chan]

Thanks for the feedback . Let says that the Exotic shafts are like the japanese forged iron and the stock shaft is like the cast iron , which give you superb feel at impact. It give you better launch angle which less back spin. It give you 10 to 15 more yards with the slight less effort to swing them . Will you still go for it ? There are huge price difference in some of the shaft like some are $50 but some can go as high as $400. What is the justification ?