I demo'd the Callaway 454 today...

[Slingblade61]

Stock shaft, R flex.

We had the men's club opener today (scramble, 3 under 69) so I figured I'd try the new driver....long story, short....I put it away after 7 holes.

I had no trouble hitting it but my Dunlop with the stiff NV is WAYYY longer.

I have the feeling that the 454 with either the NV or the new pro launch would have been a much better experience.

The sad thing is, the Callaway rep showed up and set up a tent after I had already finished my round and he had the 454 with several different shafts.

Good news is that you can get these shfts in the 454 with no upcharge.

 

[Rockford35]

If anything, Callaway suffers from their stock shafts.

Put a Grafalloy Blue or an NV and go deep all day. With a 454, you can't miss.

R35

 

[Slingblade61]

Another interesting thing is that I mentioned my experience to the Callaway rep and we asked him who made the stock shaft.....his answer, "they won't tell us."

Must be some real crap...

 

[mediaguru]

I hit about 10 drivers at a demo day the other day. The callaway went good but the best was the Ping G2 and the Tit 905t next.

 

[Rockford35]

Another interesting thing is that I mentioned my experience to the Callaway rep and we asked him who made the stock shaft.....his answer, "they won't tell us."

Must be some real crap...

I had a stock "firm shaft" in my GF's GBB. Took it out and replaced it. Had that stock shaft tested, came back as senior flex +.

Great. At least it was still graphite and not made of licorice.

R35

 

[mediaguru]

Callaway's graphite shafts have always had the rap that they're soft. I guess that's a good example.

 

[Rockford35]

This is my 4th Callaway driver, and my 4th re-shaft.

Anyone at Callaway reading this?!?

It is cool that alot of the big guys (Titleist, Callaway, TM, ect) are now offering a zero up charge for aftermarket shafts in their clubs. I bet it saves them from doing it a week after someone buys a club...

R35

 

[CKGuY914]

Callaway and Titleist driver's stock shafts are really soft because of the bore through on their heads.

 

[Rockford35]

So why not tip the shaft then and stiffen them up? Cutting even an inch off the shaft would make it play much stiffer.

I'm not sure I buy that Bore Thru story. No offense, but why does the club play so much better when you put ANY aftermarket shaft in it?

Makes you think....

R35

 

[CKGuY914]

So why not tip the shaft then and stiffen them up? Cutting even an inch off the shaft would make it play much stiffer.

I'm not sure I buy that Bore Thru story. No offense, but why does the club play so much better when you put ANY aftermarket shaft in it?

Makes you think....

R35

They play more stiff than they are when tested just itself because of the bore-through. Let's say you rip out a stock shaft from a Titletist driver and stick in a stiff after market shaft, it could end up playing like an X or even stiffer than X flex.

My 975D plays right in between S and X even though it has a regular flex ProLite through the bore-through head. A Callaway driver's shallower bore-through may stiffen the shaft by half a flex at best.

And yeah Callaway stock shafts have always sucked because they're designed to better fit your average 100+ shooting hackers who may benefit from a shaft with more torque and low kick point, but so were other company's clubs until they started offering selections of better shafts straight from the factory for the better players with preferences.

 

[Rockford35]

I'm not sure I follow you.

How do you mean when you say "A Callaway driver's shallower bore-through may stiffen the shaft by half a flex at best".

I don't get what you mean by "shallower".

But I do follow you on the fact that putting an aftermarket shaft into a Callaway will make it play a bit stiffer. However, any shaft that you put into these heads should play stiffer, being that you basically eliminate the first 2" of the shaft when you put it into the head. Grafalloy specs ZERO tip trim in Callaway heads for this very reason.

But what I don't understand is that if a stock shaft is labelled "Firm", it should play firm, not as a regular shaft inserted into a Bore Thru in order to "bump it up" to a stiffer feeling shaft. You follow me?

I do agree that "most" Callaway shafts are aimed towards higher handicappers, but is it poor marketing to push the wrong shafts on players such as myself that need a "firm or stiff" shaft when in fact we need a Callaway Tour Stiff shaft? That doesn't seem right.

Basically what I am trying to say is that when I put my Stiff Blue shaft (which plays very stiff compared to many shafts out there to begin with) into my GBBII, am I now playing a shaft that approaches XX-Stiff because of the Bore Thru? Even with no tip trim? That I'm not so sure.

Maybe I'm over simplifying things. In the end, Callaway stock shafts are garbage, plain and simple. If anyone has tried a Callaway product and hated it, go out and try one with a proper shaft in it. It truly is a work of art.

Cheers CK,


R35

 

[Nevercompromise]

Nothin like a Cleveland Driver.:smilie_cl

 

[Rockford35]

You bastard!

R35

 

[Silver]

He's right though. It's all about the Launcher 460, even when I leave it at home, at least it's pretty.

 

[Rockford35]

Leave it at home?

Cripes man, i'll use it!

R35