Shaft Advice Needed

[Snowman]

My current driver is the Callaway X460 with a Grafalloy Prolaunch Blue shaft in it. Now I do not know if it is me or the shaft, but I get sky high trajectory on my drives.

This is my first season back after a 7 year layoff from golf, and my playing partner says that my extremely high drives are more of a result of my steep swing and not so much from the shaft. I know my friend means well, but I am not so convinced he knows as much as he would like lead me to believe.

I am mostly a lurker here, but from reading everyone's post for the past few months, I understand a higher kick point in a shaft will produce a lower ball flight. With that knowledge, I looked up the Grafalloy Prolaunch shaft in my Golfsmith catalogue, and saw that it is listed as a shaft with a low bend point and its trajectory rating is set at HI.

Now I am not blaming it all on the shaft, but with the characteristics of the Prolaunch combined with my so-called steep swing, I think I am losiing valuable roll distance when my drives land like wedge shot to a green.

So I am here to see if you all agree on my assessment of the Prolaunch in my driver. If I am somewhat accurate, I am looking for shaft suggestions. Basically what it comes down to, I want a more penetrating ball flight. I am not looking to magically start hitting 300+ yard drives, but a 20 yard roll after carry is not too much to expect.

Price range would be $200 or less, just looking to swap something into driver real quick to finish out the season. I plan to continue grooving my swing over the winter then going to a launch monitor in the spring to get properly fitted before next season.

Thanks for any help you all can provide me.


Greg
Fredericksburg VA

[RickinMA]

you're right that the ProLaunch is a high launching shaft - but the shaft has less effect on ball flight than 1) loft of the club and 2) angle of attack (your swing)

any idea what your swing speed is? how about tempo and transition move? smooth/average/aggressive?

I'm not entirely sure I'd spend up to $200 reshafting your current driver for the rest of the year - for that money, I'd probably buy a gently used alternate

you can pick up a 9* x460 at Global Golf with a lower launching shaft Callaway X460 Driver 9 Degree Used Golf Club at GlobalGolf.com (warning - the NVS shaft in this link is also high launch)

you'd then have 2 shafts (1 high, 1 low) and 2 heads (1 9*, 1 10*) and hopefully, when you go and get fit, the clubmaker can mix and match if need be

the other reason I wouln't just buy a shaft is because that head is a bore-thru design and swapping shafts isn't as easy as standard hosels - then again, I would recommend having a clubmaker pull your current shaft anyway

a high launching driver might be nice to have around for those early spring rounds when the ground is still soggy - on days like this you'll get the most distance with carry not carry + roll

[Snowman]

Rick,

Thanks for your reply.

I guess I did leave out a bit of info in my first post. My current driver is infact 10*, and I am told that my swing is more power than finesse, but I am working on that. I am a big guy at 6'6" and weighing around 315, played div 1 football in college, so I basically have the frame of an old offensive lineman. I know my swing isn't the smoothest on the course, been working on it, but I'm surely not chopping at it.

12 years ago when I was fitted for irons for the first time, my swing speed with a driver was clocked around 105 - 110. Granted that was before these launch monitors came out, so it actually may not be that acurate.

I do like your suggestion on buying a used driver with a different shaft, would be nice to keep my current one intact considering I can split the fairway with it, will make a nice backup.

I already am planning on purchasing the Callaway Hyper X driver when it comes out, and that's why I am trying to find a shaft that fits me now. So any suggestions for a low trajectory shaft?

I would prefer something that is not too light, being as big as I am, it helps when you can feel the position of the club during the swing. Basically I do not know what brands and models are decent and which ones to stay away from. The range was set at $200, just so I would have 10 guys log on and recommend the Creation, my wife is understanding, not crazy.

So once again, any help will be appreciated.



Greg
Fredericksburg VA

[indacup]

Not meaning to cop out on providing you a specific answer...but I'd recommend going to an unaffiliated, establised club fitter and getting his input.

You might wanna check and see if any of these are close to you:

The Professional Clubmakers' Society

[RickinMA]

Originally Posted by indacup

Not meaning to cop out on providing you a specific answer...but I'd recommend going to an unaffiliated, establised club fitter and getting his input.

You might wanna check and see if any of these are close to you:

The Professional Clubmakers' Society

this really is the best option if there's a good fitter in the area (not a guy in a goldsmith or edwin watts)

a cheap shaft that will lower your ball flight if you're just looking for a quick fix is the royal precision saber tour vector - golfworks was closing them out for $15 (originally $50-something)

if you buy an add'l driver, the NV, prolite, graf blue should all work

[myndcraft]

Originally Posted by RickinMA

this really is the best option if there's a good fitter in the area (not a guy in a goldsmith or edwin watts)

Okay so being new what exactly does this mean to be fitted. For example if I go to a Golfsmith and get fitted for clubs whats the difference versus going and being fitted by one of these guys?

[RickinMA]

Originally Posted by myndcraft

Okay so being new what exactly does this mean to be fitted. For example if I go to a Golfsmith and get fitted for clubs whats the difference versus going and being fitted by one of these guys?

in some cases, it makes very little difference - it depends on who you deal with and how knowledgable they are

It's like having someone at H&R Block do your taxes (an average joe off the street who might have been hired a week prior and told to read the IRS Instructions publication and then told to do your taxes) vs a more seasoned, experienced CPA who's gone to college and has a certain amount of experience

the thing with many of the big chains, is that they're spoon-fed marketing info from the big companies - for example, TM markets that a longer shaft = more distance, so people think that 50 gram 46" long POS they shove into the stock Burner is a good thing - but a shaft that long and light will properly fit a very small percentage of golfers

a professional clubfitter - someone who isn't just working retail, but has made a commitment to do this as a career, is, in my opinion, much more likely to get it right and get you into equipment that will most help your game

there's more to being properly fitted than measuring swingspeed and lie angle then ordering irons with "Stiff" shafts - a professional fitter will look at your current set, watch your swing, then make an educated guess about what may fit you. For example, if you're wrist to floor measurement is 33", you may need a 37" 5iron - but maybe just cutting down a stock shaft results in a club too light - simply adding weight to the head may help, but it may make the shaft to flexible for you

(you've probably seen posts where Lyle recommends tip trimming a certain amount on certain shafts for every 10-12 grams of weight you add to the head - this gets the club to the best weight for that particular golfer while maintaining the desired flex) - how many kids working the floor at Dicks' Sporting Goods, Golfsmith, or Edwin Watts know that?

unfortunately it's all on a case by case basis - but generally, getting semi-fit in a chain store is better than just picking up off the rack - but to be truly custom fit, I think you need to see a professional

I'll stop rambling on, but I'd recommend reading Tom Wishon's "Search for the Perfect Club" before buying any other clubs - I think someone posted some links to Maltby's putter fitting videos on YouTube - they're worth a look too

good luck

[footballking732]

loft of the club = 80% of the loft
shaft= 20% of the loft

i would recommend that you go for the Aldila NV in a Stiff flex.. it sounds that you swing hard or semi hard, so no way regular.

the NV is the lowest launching shaft you will find.. of course, you could also buy a whole new clubhead with a 9* loft, and fit that with a medium-low launch and see how that works... im sure the latter would work alot better..

[LyleG]

Footballking is correct. Loft of the head accounts for about 80% of the height of the shot. You angle of attack acounts for about 15% while the shaft imo only about 5%. This does not include a shaft that is ill fitted for flex which will make that number go up, but strictly the effect of the shafts bend point. Even shafts will soft tips or stiff tips only effect height by a small amount, usually no more than 1 or 2* at the most. If you are hitting high either fix your swing plane or get a head with less loft.

[footballking732]

Originally Posted by LyleG

Footballking is correct. Loft of the head accounts for about 80% of the height of the shot. You angle of attack acounts for about 15% while the shaft imo only about 5%. This does not include a shaft that is ill fitted for flex which will make that number go up, but strictly the effect of the shafts bend point. Even shafts will soft tips or stiff tips only effect height by a small amount, usually no more than 1 or 2* at the most. If you are hitting high either fix your swing plane or get a head with less loft.

i just happened to remember what you said awhile back... i learned it from you ..

oh, what would we do without you lyle??