Question about 983K and shaft...

[AaA]

Hey everyone,

I just bought a 9.5 983K with the stock Titleist shaft (can't remember the exact model of the shaft). I had my swing analyzed and was told that a Regular flex shaft was in order. My swing speed is around 105 mph, so I guess that's ok. He also told me that I wanted a shaft that would promote a low launch angle because I have a tendency to hit it a bit high. The thing is, before I bought this club, I had demoed it somewhere else and it had a Grafalloy ProLite shaft in it. I was hitting it in a simulator and it felt great, which is why I bought it. When I got fitted and I told the guy about the Grafalloy ProLite, he told me that that shaft would actually make me hit the ball higher. In viewing Grafalloy's site, they say that it's actually a low trajectory shaft. What do you guys think? Am I ok with the stock shaft?

Does anyone have any experience using both shafts? I'd appreciate any comments. I love the club, by the way. This thing is awesome and sounds great. I've never been so confident with a driver before.

Thanks, guys!

[Butcho22]

From the end of your post, it sounds like you should stick with whatever you have right now. But if your swing speed is in fact 105 mph, you need a stiff shaft. With that speed, you will not get optimal launch or maximum distance with a regular shaft.

I would be careful to believe what you are told at any store buying clubs. A lot of guys that work at places like that, will just rattle of a bunch of bull that they don't even really know about. If the company itself says it's low launch, I would go with that.

[nsherman2006]

I think at 105, a stiff is good if you're aggressive, or regular if you're smooth. ProLite is a low-launch shaft, maybe your ultra-knowledgeable companions were thinking of the ProLaunch, a high-launcher made by Grafalloy. I'd say demo it and see what ya think

[AaA]

Thanks, guys. The information I got was from a friend who's family owns the shop. They're good people. I got the 105mph swing speed from a simulator I was hitting in. They said it's one of the most advances simulators on the market. When I was hitting, I wasn't paying too much attention to the data, but they guy that runs the shop was saying that my swing speed was consistently around 105-106. But the "Shaft-Lab" that measured my swing indicated a regular flex. It even indicated that the Grafalloy ProLite was a recommended shaft to use as well. I also thought that maybe he was confusing that with the ProLaunch.

Oh well. I'm going to play a few more rounds and see how things go.

Thanks for your input, gentlemen.

[dave.]

You need a stiff shaft and probably the Graff BLue would be a good shaft.But if you hit a 983 high then have a look at your swing,its certainly not an easy club to hit high,the sweetspot is small and the weight isn't as far down as many oher drivers.Don't get the Prolaunch if you belt it high,it will go even higher.I have a 983E with a Prolaunch and get a beautiful trajectory,low riser coming down slowly for loads of run in summer.I'm a big hitter for a least 2 weeks every year.

[Eracer]

I knew immediately reading your first post that you had used the True Temper swing analyzer to get the "regular flex" recommendation. My swing speed with a driver is 100mph, and the analyzer told me I needed A-flex, which is even more flexible than regular. I reshafted my driver according to their recommendation and immediately began spraying shots all over the place. I now play stiff shafts. I could probably go with regular steel in my irons, but the stiff OEM shaft in my TM R5 seems to be perfect for my swing (maybe even a tad bit soft).

I have a ProLite shaft in a TM 200 13-deg. 3-wood (sitting in my closet) and it seems that I can't get the ball more than 20 feet off the deck. The ProLite is definitely a low-launch shaft.

I think the True Temper analyzer is a crock.

[Eracer]

I knew immediately reading your first post that you had used the True Temper swing analyzer to get the "regular flex" recommendation. My swing speed with a driver is 100mph, and the analyzer told me I needed A-flex, which is even more flexible than regular. I reshafted my driver according to their recommendation and immediately began spraying shots all over the place. I now play stiff shafts. I could probably go with regular steel in my irons, but the stiff OEM shaft in my TM R5 seems to be perfect for my swing (maybe even a tad bit soft).

I have a ProLite shaft in a TM 200 13-deg. 3-wood (sitting in my closet) and it seems that I can't get the ball more than 20 feet off the deck. The ProLite is definitely a low-launch shaft.

I think the True Temper analyzer is a crock.

[obagain]

If you are not getting numbers like launch angle, spin rate then it is not the most advanced. I would never suggest a regular flex for someone who has a swing speed of 105 and hits the ball high.
I would not change what you have unless you are seeing spicific problems that a different shaft would help.

[AaA]

Eracer,
That is exactly what it was! The Tru-Temper shaft lab. I guess you went through the same thing as well.

Obagain,
The simulator does measure all that jazz, I guess I never mentioned it. My launch angle seemed to be a bit high, close to 15 or 16, and sometimes 17 degrees. I was told optimal with a driver is somewhere in the 12-14 range I thing. I don't recall my spin rate to be quite honest. In reality, it's probably my swing that is causing my to get under it a bit much. But I wonder sometimes if I should have my swing examined again, somewhere else perhaps. What do you guys think?

[AaA]

Oh and one more thing: my swing analysis also concluded that I have a low shaft flex or shaft bend. Maybe it's shaft deflection...yeah, I think that's the terminology. My shaft deflection is on the low side so I think that's part of the reason why they were recommending a regular as opposed to stiff. Would that make sense?

[dave.]

what does the ball flight tell you?

[AaA]

Dave,

When I hit good drives, the ball flight doesnt' seem terribly high. I guess without knowing the precise launch angle, which is impossible to tell on the course, it's tough to say. I only hit 6 of 14 fwy's the last time I went out. This was primarily due to a lazy swing and wrist which resulted in an open club face. But when I connected, I'd say about 4 or so were a slightly higher trajectory, while the other 2 were lower.

I wonder if I'm playing the ball too far forward in my stance? I usually line it up inside my left toe/heel.

[dave.]

Thats what I was getting at,if you are playing with ball position,wrists,lazy swings,whatever,then changing shafts may not help.You really need to be hitting consistently out of the middle to really know.With a 105 mph swing speed get a stiff shaft and stick with it until you hit it consistently.

[obagain]

I agree dave. When you are working on that many thisg your swing is changing every time.
Once you work some of those thing out then you can narrow down what you are looking for.
BTW, I try to get most of my customers with your swing speed launching at 15* with a spin of around 3000 rpm to get the best results.