SLDR 430 fitting

[Unforgiven93]

Hi all, Recently bought a new SLDR 430 with a stock X flex shaft from eBay. I'm coming from a Ping i15 with an X flex TFC 700 shaft. The SLDR shaft seems super floppy and bendable compared to the i15 shaft, is this normal for Taylormade driver shafts? Anyway, because of this I'm thinking of going to get fit for a new shaft at some point. I've been fit for a driver and an iron set in the past and I felt like. I couldn't trust the guys doing it at all. I went a couple places and always got conflicting information. Is there any way for me to know I'm getting properly fit? Thanks

[Pretzel]

Hi all,

Recently bought a new SLDR 430 with a stock X flex shaft from eBay. I'm coming from a Ping i15 with an X flex TFC 700 shaft. The SLDR shaft seems super floppy and bendable compared to the i15 shaft, is this normal for Taylormade driver shafts?

Anyway, because of this I'm thinking of going to get fit for a new shaft at some point. I've been fit for a driver and an iron set in the past and I felt like. I couldn't trust the guys doing it at all. I went a couple places and always got conflicting information. Is there any way for me to know I'm getting properly fit?

Thanks

I personally dislike the Taylormade shafts because I find them really light and whippy compared to what I like. Especially how light they are, I mean the heaviest one is only 62 grams, and the lightest is 54.

I would recommend looking into some aftermarket shafts. You don't have to break the bank to get a quality shaft such as a Proforce V2, Bimatrix, or any other shafts in the ~$70 range that are excellent performers (I only mentioned the first two since I've used and liked both, one of them currently in use with my G30).

[Unforgiven93]

I personally dislike the Taylormade shafts because I find them really light and whippy compared to what I like. Especially how light they are, I mean the heaviest one is only 62 grams, and the lightest is 54. I would recommend looking into some aftermarket shafts. You don't have to break the bank to get a quality shaft such as a Proforce V2, Bimatrix, or any other shafts in the ~$70 range that are excellent performers (I only mentioned the first two since I've used and liked both, one of them currently in use with my G30).

That would be awesome if I could get a shaft for that price. How would I know I was getting the right shaft for my swing though? I know I swing fast enough for extra stiff but I don't know what I would need as far as weight and kick point. Also, are there shafts available that already have the connector to the head in place?

[saevel25]

That would be awesome if I could get a shaft for that price. How would I know I was getting the right shaft for my swing though? I know I swing fast enough for extra stiff but I don't know what I would need as far as weight and kick point.

Tough to say. I would say go get fitted for a driver. At least that way you can find what golf shaft fits your swing.

Hi all,

Recently bought a new SLDR 430 with a stock X flex shaft from eBay. I'm coming from a Ping i15 with an X flex TFC 700 shaft. The SLDR shaft seems super floppy and bendable compared to the i15 shaft, is this normal for Taylormade driver shafts?

Depends on a lot of things.  Typically Taylormade is towards higher handicap players with their non-TP version. i15 is Ping's more better player in mind driver. So you are not really comparing drivers that are aimed towards the same market.

[Unforgiven93]

Tough to say. I would say go get fitted for a driver. At least that way you can find what golf shaft fits your swing.  Depends on a lot of things.  Typically Taylormade is towards higher handicap players with their non-TP version. i15 is Ping's more better player in mind driver. So you are not really comparing drivers that are aimed towards the same market.

Would it be frowned upon if I went and got fitted with no intention of buying a club, just to find out what shaft would be good? That seems like it would be wrong. I figured since the i15 and SLDR 430 were extra stiff they would be very similar, but they are quite a bit different. I guess I haven't even hit the SLDR yet, maybe the stock shaft is floppy, but perfect for my swing. I'm going to wait until it is more then 5° outside and I can hit it a few times before I decide regardless.

[saevel25]

Would it be frowned upon if I went and got fitted with no intention of buying a club, just to find out what shaft would be good? That seems like it would be wrong.

I figured since the i15 and SLDR 430 were extra stiff they would be very similar, but they are quite a bit different.

I guess I haven't even hit the SLDR yet, maybe the stock shaft is floppy, but perfect for my swing. I'm going to wait until it is more then 5° outside and I can hit it a few times before I decide regardless.

First, most places would just charge you for the club fitting. Usually they wave that price if you buy the club.

Second, you can not compare golf shafts by just looking at the flex. Actual flex of the golf shaft vary between make and model, heck even between different model of the same make. Also it depends on how your swing is as well.

There is no industry standard on shaft flex. Even if you have two flexes measured the same, they can still perform difference because the tip and mid section of the golf shaft could flex way differently than the other.

It is way more complex than the general assumptions of going by shaft flex. Best thing to do is the trial and error process of a club fitting.

[Big C]

is this normal for Taylormade driver shafts?

I'm not a fan of TM shafts either. I switched out the stock "S-Flex" shaft in my R11s and saw much more consistent performance by using something a bit stiffer. I've also hit the SLDR quite a bit and have found difficulty predicting the flight off the clubhead.

[MrFlipper]

That would be awesome if I could get a shaft for that price. How would I know I was getting the right shaft for my swing though? I know I swing fast enough for extra stiff but I don't know what I would need as far as weight and kick point.

Also, are there shafts available that already have the connector to the head in place?

You can buy the adapters on line for pretty cheap, maybe $20 or so, just make sure they fit the size of your after market shaft if you go that way.

I've read online (danger, danger) that folks with TM shafts from adjustable drivers from say r11 forward can swap out shafts and plug them into other TM adjustable drivers but don't take my word for it.

FWIW I'm very happy with the stock TM shaft in my SLDR but my swing is pretty plain vanilla and I've been easy to fit as a rule---

And you are a + hdcp, when you get fit and try different shafts you'll know when when you find the right shaft, you'll have an "oh baby where have you been all my life" moment.

[Pretzel]

I bought my G30 adapter on eBay for $11 with free shipping. As for a shaft fitting, a lot of higher end golf course well offer comprehensive fittings on their range with a trackman or something. The one I went to in Colorado charged me $25 for the fitting and I drove maybe 30 minutes each way to get there, so comparable to my drive to school. They had a whole small building full of racks of shafts and drivers with different adapters, as well as plenty of "tour van" epoxy if I wanted to try a driver/shaft combo that wasn't available otherwise. It was vastly helpful in allowing me to find my preference for very low torque shafts as well as giving me a number of reference points for shafts that are now "known quantities" to me.

[Unforgiven93]

Another quick question about fitting: I'm always hesitant to get fit at the beginning of the year because I haven't swung a club in 4 months. I feel like my swing may not be the same as when I'm in mid season form. Should I wait or should I just go get fit ASAP?

[iacas]

Another quick question about fitting: I'm always hesitant to get fit at the beginning of the year because I haven't swung a club in 4 months. I feel like my swing may not be the same as when I'm in mid season form. Should I wait or should I just go get fit ASAP?

Wait a bit, but you don't have to wait until the middle of the season.