Shaft Stiffness and Club weight?

[Elmer]

I recently went and was fitted for the new Taylormade Driver. The Pro suggested I go with a 10 (10.5 turn down ½ degree) and a stiff shaft.
Since I don’t have the $400 to drop on the new Taylormade I sought out a more economical equivalent.

After hitting a few clubs yesterday I came down to the Cobra 10.5 w/ stiff shaft or Callaway Razr X black 9.5 Stiff.

The callaway is a heavier club and it is noticeably heavier. However I was still carrying 250 on a cold day in Feb day, and considering I have not swung since Oct I think It was a decent distance.

So my 2 part question is this.

How much does weight really affect the driver? And would that slight weight of over 300 grams make that much of a difference?

Now if I do make the switch to a driver with a stiff shaft, should I also make the switch with my 3 wood, which is regular flex! (if the answer is yes, it will have to wait as it is just going to cost too much to replace all my woods).

I do have to saw being Taylormade driver/wood player for the entirety of my short golf career,(although I love my bertha irons) I really liked the Callaway Razr X black!!!!

Any advice or help would be appreciated!

[Righty to Lefty]

In my opinion the total weight and swingweight is the second most important factor to a club only coming in a close second to the having the proper shaft profile for your swing. I used to be a tour lock pro fitter and I literally saw with my own eyes how effective the proper total weight and balance of the weight is to a golfer, however most people have no clue about it and never address it. Swingweight and total weight are completely different and not the same at all. What I found was that adding weight at the proper depth within the shaft made a tremendous difference in how aggressively the club is delivered into impact. I added 75 grams to all of my irons placed at 17 inches deep (the swingweight doesn't register and I love it but with that same 75 gram weight I could easily get at low as a C1 swingweight) and actually gained distance because I could feel the club head tracking around me the entire time and released the club very aggressively. If you don't feel the club tracking around you it becomes very difficult to find the middle of the clubface and when you miss the middle of the clubface with a ultralight club the MOI of the club goes to crap. Adding weight to the right location on the club makes a huge difference in how the golfer will deliver the club to impact and it is a element of a club that cannot be overlooked.

[WUTiger]

Originally Posted by Righty to Lefty

... If you don't feel the club tracking around you it becomes very difficult to find the middle of the clubface and when you miss the middle of the clubface with a ultralight club the MOI of the club goes to crap. ...

Heavier shafts will not generate the same clubhead speed as lighter shafts. But, as R to L notes, it's hard to feel a shaft that's too light.

Very light weight shafts (under 50 grams) can be unstable if you have even moderate clubhead speed. As one of the OEM reps said two years ago, the weight has to come out of somewhere, so the walls are thinner, including the tip.

Recent tests indicate that golfers must be excellent ballstrikers to swing the lighter shafts consistently. There's just not enough weight to feel the club "drop into the slot."

R to L also talks about backweighting, or counterweighting, something I want to learn more about.

I replaced my 2008 Callaway HyperX Tour (R.flex) driver - 330 grams - with a Razr Fit (R.flex) driver - 290 grams. I'm getting much more consistent distance with the lighter Razr Fit.  Fit shaft is only only 60 grams, compared to old 68.

Light enough vs. too light is something you just have to figure out on the launch monitor, and by "feel" once you narrow down drivers to a couple of finalists.

[Elmer]

Thanks for the advice.
The Cobra I tried was just too light.

I do like the Burner driver I have, but it is an R Flex and that is causing me to snap shots to the left.

I think I am going to be picking up the Callaway Razr X black. It is noticably heavier and stiffer, but I was straight with it. Like I said I have a 105 swing speed and as the pro told me, If I ever learn to keep my body planted, instead of swinging out of my shoes or off my back foot, I could hit some serious drives. As if 250-260 isnt good enough.

I have been lifting with a kettle bell all off season, and building some stregnth, so I may be able to manage the few extra grams on the club.