Graphite shaft splits on normal hit?

[bossfrog]

Last week I was browsing the bargain bin at the golf shop and they had a TM Burner 09 for $35.  So I took some swings with it and decided I liked it and bought it.  I've played 2 rounds with it and saw average drives somewhere between 210-225, which is good for me!  Today I went out with my nephew who plays golf for Illinois State University.  He's a scratch player who averages around 270 with his G20.  He's hit as far as 310-ish in competition before.

Anyway, he offered to give me some impromptu lessons today at the local public course (free golf on holidays if you walk :).  I took a couple shots and hit the first one a draw just off left of the fairway.  The second went straight and about 200 yards but very low.  So my nephew asked if he could hit my Burner because he wanted to see how much difference there was between it and his old 07 model.  Well, he hit it nice and high and well over 250 yards.  The second time he used it, it sounded kind of funny and his ball went low and barely cleared 150 yards.  When he handed it back to me, the shaft had delaminated about a 6 inch strip of the outer layer just above the hosel.

Now I'm not worried about replacing it.  The guys at the shop told me they'd replace it with something else, but I was wondering if this happens often on clean shots?  I understand it happening if you smack the ground, but since I've had it, I haven't done that.  I know my nephew uses stiff shafts on his driver and he's been thinking of moving to x-stiff.  Could it be that the regular flex shaft simply couldn't hold up to his swing speed?  Or was it likely already cracked internally when I bought it?

[vangator]

The hosel of the club head needs to be coned so the shaft flexes back and forth, the hosel won't crease the shaft. That what is sounds like to me. That usually doesn't happen with a OEM. The hosel has to be coned and perfectly smooth.

[bossfrog]

So are you saying there was likely already some damage/stress in the shaft before he hit it, or that it was simply way too soft for him to hit like that?

[Joe Cartpath]

I'd say it's a pretty good bet that the shaft already had a slight crack that hadn't been apparent yet - but made itself known with your nephew's greater swing speed. It would have happened eventually anyway...

[bossfrog]

Thanks Joe.  That's kind of how I was thinking.  I'm going to exchange it this afternoon.  He said he has an older Ping G10, a Cleveland Hibore xls or a Callaway Diablo Edge he could give me.  I have to leave in a couple hours.  Any quick opinions on these two?  The Ping and the Cleveland are both 9.5* and the Diablo is 10*, IIRC.