standard club shafts?

[mswings]

i have been looking and hitting new drivers. are the taylormade and cobra driver shafts just fine from factory or is it better to get a different shaft. i hit the stiff flex in each driver just fine. i didnt know if i could just walk in to somewhere like dicks sporting goods and buy one of the rack and it be just fine.?

[Harmonious]

If you hit them just fine, then they are just fine.  If you want to spend $300 extra for a different shaft, that's up to you. But unless you are thinking of joining a pro tour somewhere, I doubt you would notice an appreciable difference. Some standard shafts have different characteristics (ball flight, spin rate, etc.) but for the average Joe, find a standard shaft that works for you and go with it.

I've played with a stock Aldila Voodoo shaft on my driver for thw past 2 years, and just can't see where dropping $300 for an upgraded shaft would make a difference.  No doubt others will disagree.

[WUTiger]

It's more a question of whether the shaft fits your game. "Regular" flex varies in stiffness according to the shaftmaker and model. Also, shaft model torque and kickpoint (low, medium, high) come into play. How does the shaft feel, and what shot data does it show on the launch monitor.

As Harmonious said:

If you want to spend $300 extra for a different shaft, that's up to you. But unless you are thinking of joining a pro tour somewhere, I doubt you would notice an appreciable difference. Some standard shafts have different characteristics (ball flight, spin rate, etc.) but for the average Joe, find a standard shaft that works for you and go with it.

I play a Callaway HyperX Tour driver, 10.5* loft, with a stock Fuji E360 regular flex shaft. It has a mid kickpoint, which gives the ball a medium launch which I prefer. This driver won out against six others in a launch monitor test in 2008.

In August, I tried a 10.5 TM Burner 2.0 with an R flex shaft, but the shaft had a lighter weight and a lower kick point (makes ball go higher). Between the lighter shaft and the kickpoint, the ball went noticeably higher - too high for windy days. So, if I went with a Burner 2.0, I would probably need a lower loft, or a non-stock shaft with a mid kickpoint. Also, not all upgrade shafts are "exotic" upgrades that cost hundreds of dollars. You need to check the club OEM site and see what's available and what the upgrade cost would be.

As far as quality control goes, upgrade shafts may be somewhat better than stock shafts - or maybe not. A custom clubmaker cautioned me that occasionally a batch of shafts will be flawed, rather than all upgrades being slightly better than stock.