Testing different shafts?

[jackace]

Are there any retail place that allow you to try out different shafts in different flexes? Even if its with only a single club.

I have been testing drivers lately and i just cant understand how i hit 1 driver so well and another one i hit cleanly but the ball flight is just ugly. My only conclusion is the std. shaft is not ideal for my swing. But, how to test other shafts and make sure thats the problem and it really isn't the club is my problem?

[RickinMA]

you're probably best off looking for a local club fitter

The Professional Clubmakers' Society

most of them have a bunch of demos and/or the club connex system that makes them interchangable

the other option would be one of those callaway opti-fit carts, but the club fitter option is better

[gunning4u]

I have found that the Larger Stores like Golf Galaxy and Golf Smith are probably the best stores to go and try out shafts. Just tell them your story and with the large selection of clubs on hand they will probably be able to find a few different combos for you to try out. I would do some research on their web-site before you go in look up shafts and look at the specs first so you have an idea on what type shaft might work for you and go and hit it. They will more than likely let you get on the simulator and you can get you launch angle and swing speed.

What is the problem with your driver are you hitting it two low or to high. Also what club do you hit from 150yrds it might give some people on here a ruff idea of what your swing speed might for flex considerations.

Weclome to shot talk by the way.

[jackace]

Well i currently don't have clubs anymore, they were stolen out of my car last fall. So I'm out trying the new clubs available now and some of them i hit very straight and strong and others just don't go straight at all even though i hit them clean. I have a hard time believing its the club head thats causing the ball to not go straight so i was wondering if trying other shafts on a club i otherwise had a hard time hitting straight might turn me onto a club i might have passed by on the initial testing.

As far as 150 yards i hit my 8 iron. My irons (titleist 962s) had DG s300 stiff flex shafts and i hit the ball pretty high still and i hardly had any problems with getting the long irons in the air.

Thx for the welcome.

[gunning4u]

Out of the drivers you have hit so far what ones did you like and what ones didn’t.

[gunning4u]

If you hit the ball high look for a high kick shaft The Graphalloy blue and the Pro Launch Red, Aldila NV and VS proto might be some shafts to look at just off the top of my head.

[jackace]

The TM r7 460 in stiff flex shaft would not stop producing a draw (had the pro check the weights too). I tried the titleist 907D2 and it hit much straighter every time. I tried the superquad in stiff flex and it hit the ball straight as well. I tried the nike (the square one) and it too had a draw i could not stop. I asked the pro and the only comment i got from him was some clubs just hit different for other people. I know that some clubs hit different but i find it hard to believe that i could not stop the draw on those 2 clubs especially the r7 460 which i assume uses the same or a very similar shaft as the superquad.

I didnt really think much of the problem until i read the post on these forums talking about how bad some std shafts are for uniformity. Taylormade mas2 shafts were even mentioned. I was just hoping to be able to try some of the shafts i see a lot of you guys using without having to spend a lot of time and money "testing" them with the trial and error method.

[LyleG]

Jackace,

First off, welcome to shot talk.

On to the driver problem you are having.
The problem is their is no, and I mean ZERO consistency from one shaft to another when dealing with stock OEM shafts.
The reason for the unstoppable draw on those two clubs could very well that the shafts, even though they all are called stiffs, are in reality much softer in flex than the clubs you were hitting straight.
In another thread i spoke of this very problem with Taylor Made M.A.S.2 shafts. I have tested over 2 dozen of these shafts that were labeled as "S" flex and they frequency anywhere from a soft "R" to a full blown "X" in actual flex.
My advice when testing clubs with stock OEM shafts is to hit the clubs and simply see if they work for you. Pay little or no attention at all to the flex designation on the shaft as it is worth about as much as the paint they put it on there with.

Hope this helps.

[jackace]

Yeah your other post is the one that got me thinking about the clubs i hit and whether the clubs i had a hard time hitting straight were actually the club or just a crappy shaft.

Why do golf club manufacturers make a $300-$500 driver and put a crappy shaft on it making it useless to people who try them in the golf shop?

[LyleG]

simple, its called profit margins.

[jackace]

no profits if i can't hit it straight and you lose a sale though.

[ezra76]

If you get a chance to get on a launch monitor, do so. Maybe a demo day as well. I found it helpful to rule out what I didn't want first then figure out what I do want and need. You can pretty much cross off Senior and X flex shafts. Now you have R for more distance, easier to turn over, Stiff for more control. I'd recommend looking at something in the mid to mid high bend, tip firm, low spin, mid launch. With a true 150 carry 8iron you are most likely right on the line of R and S. Then, like I said, you need to figure out what you want the shaft to do for you.

I played with my boss's son today. He has the same driver as me with the stock ReaX, mid-mid 65g. He hits it very long, very high and quite often, very left. I'll guaruntee if he were to drop a VS Proto 70-X in that thing it would be lower, longer and straighter more often.

[warbirdlover]

If you can find a Callaway dealer or demo that has the "fit on" screw in shaft system you can test different shafts on their heads until you find one that works good and then say goodbye.