40 yard gain with new shaft

[Chieflongtee]

Read this from another thread. Not to discredit the poster but I have a hard time believing that you can gain 40 yards just by switching shafts unless the shaft change cured a severe slice/block or a hook/pull. A lighter longer shaft will supposedly enable you to swing faster therefore longer that is if you hit the sweet spot consistently. But IMO if you switch from one brand to another( let's say a 60 g shaft from Company A to a 60 gram shaft from company B) you won't see any substantial gain in yardage if any. Any similar experiences?

[davevandyk]

40 yard gain is hard to believe, but i can see 20 yards. Say you are using a 43.5" shaft regular flex shaft, then you switch to a 45" shaft that is fit to your swing, then i can see 20 yards for sure.

[Pinshark]

maybe the fairways were dried out

[Kilroy]

I agree, an equipment change alone should not result in such a dramatic difference.
But, I did catch a big fish once.

[Rusty]

One explanation could be that with the confidence that he feels with the improved combination of shaft/head his swing is got a little more zip to it.
Maybe he stayed at a Holiday Inn last night!

Rusty

[Golfbum]

I agree, an equipment change alone should not result in such a dramatic difference.
But, I did catch a big fish once.

What shaft did this dude install? Because I want one
And Dan you should have seen the fish that broke the line
IT WAS HUGEEEEEEEEEEE. It was bigger than these two!

[Big Johnny69]

I have played with the poster of this claim. I bet the shaft has helped him but I'm sure the closed face on the 454 Comp has helped as well. Both of these factors together would for sure straighten out his ball flight resulting in more yards but I don't think it is like he is now hitting it out there 280-300yds. Would have to ask him to confirm this though.

[BC MIST]

Do you not find it ironic that the equipment folders are full of posts about the huge benefits of this head or that shaft, while the instruction folder remains almost silent?

Suggests to me that the marketers have really convinced us that we can, indeed, buy a better game. Perhaps if we spent more time in sharing ideas of how to swing or play the game, our scores would be lower.

40 yards, eh?

[The Saint]

I would have to agree with Chieflongtee on that. 40 yrds seems to a bit excessive unless a slice or hook was straightened out "by the shaft". Hard to believe though that a shaft could do that. If that's the case what is the brand name cuz I'm putting one in my driver tomorrow. My ball has become too friendly with too many trees lately.

[psniddy]

I coincedendly posted that I had gained 40 yards from a shaft shange just a couple days ago. HMMMM

Let me tell you that I have played with Geoff and Mr. Saint and I think if they saw what how a new shaft has increased my distance they could report back that it is possible.

I had had a hard time swinging hard with my old shaft so there was some yardage gain there since the new shaft hold the itslef on my swingplane much better due to it lower torque rating. Secondly and most importantly it has added previously lost yards caused by a slice/fade.

I won't try to convince you that a shaft can make this much differnce because all that matters to me as I am hitting more fairways and thus getting much better scoring chances.

[Big Johnny69]

That is exactly what I was thinking psniddy. Glad to see the shaft is working for you.

[dbleber]

I wouldn't have thought so but today I was on the launch monitor trying to find the right shaft for me and with shaft A I was averaging a carry yardage of 235, with shaft B a carry yardage average of 265. Thats a big difference. All things equal just a different shaft. Now add that with the trajectory and a hard fairway and that would be a have decent drive in my books! Not to mention that with the different tip flexes i saw some difference in side spin which we all know the less the better. Can't wait to pick it up on Thursday!

[jvincent]

I wouldn't have thought so but today I was on the launch monitor trying to find the right shaft for me and with shaft A I was averaging a carry yardage of 235, with shaft B a carry yardage average of 265. Thats a big difference.

Just curious, what changed to increase the carry distance?

Was it ball speed or launch angle?

[dbleber]

That's a good question! I know the launch angle on the 2 were close. One was 10.5° and the other 11.5°. I would have to check out the print outs when I go and pick it up.

[Chieflongtee]

Care to tell us which shafts they were?

[dbleber]

The 235 yrd was a Fuji Vista pro and the 265 yrds was the Accra tour Series. Not rocket science to figure out which one I'm having put in. The Accra also had much less side spin. The launch angle on my Speeeder was a low 7° and only 230 yrds with a lot more side spin. Was a really cool experience to see just how much of a difference a shaft makes. All of the shafts were Stiff flex and the heads were 10.5°.

[Chieflongtee]

Let us know how it turns out on the course. How much does a launch monitor session cost?

[dbleber]

Free. I didn't have to pay for the session, maybe because I am getting the shaft. I am not sure what they charge if anything if you do not actually buy a shaft.

[Chieflongtee]

In TW'S new book he talks about gaining 26 yards off the tee. I am sure it has some to do with launch angle. Book is on its way btw.

[Golfbum]

I coincedendly posted that I had gained 40 yards from a shaft shange just a couple days ago. HMMMM

Let me tell you that I have played with Geoff and Mr. Saint and I think if they saw what how a new shaft has increased my distance they could report back that it is possible.

I had had a hard time swinging hard with my old shaft so there was some yardage gain there since the new shaft hold the itslef on my swingplane much better due to it lower torque rating. Secondly and most importantly it has added previously lost yards caused by a slice/fade.

I won't try to convince you that a shaft can make this much differnce because all that matters to me as I am hitting more fairways and thus getting much better scoring chances.

Did you go from a stiff to a regular flex? Or the other way around? A friend of mine was on the launch monitor last summer after his clubs were stolen. He had been using a TM stiff and went to a 983K with a R shaft, he not only gained some yardage he gained a ton of accuracy too. He just did not swing the S shaft fast enough to get the clubhead through the ball. I did the same thing, only I did not go on the monitor (I will when I buy a brand new driver), I went from S to R and I am hitting it a bit longer and straighter now.

[jvincent]

That's a good question! I know the launch angle on the 2 were close. One was 10.5° and the other 11.5°. I would have to check out the print outs when I go and pick it up.

Adding 1 degree at your ball speed, which is probably in the 160 MPH range based on when we played, will definitely add a noticable amount of carry. You need to be way up in the 180 MPH ball speed range to get maximum distance out of a 10.5 launch if I remember the charts correctly.

[BC MIST]

Did you go from a stiff to a regular flex?

Have we not yet learned that, in reality, there is no such thing as a "REGULAR" or "STIFF"?

While it is nice to see that on a launch monitor golfers go from hitting it 235 with one shaft to 265 with another, when you get on the course, do you actually drive the ball, an average of 30 yards longer, WITH THE SAME EFFORT? We have seen from a previous poster that a distance gain of 40 yards was attributed, in part, to swinging faster, and not exclusively, to the change in shaft.

Or the other way around? A friend of mine was on the launch monitor last summer after his clubs were stolen. He had been using a TM stiff and went to a 983K with a R shaft,

So is the Titleist "R" 10 cpm's more flexible than the TM "S"? One should compare apples to apples not apples to pomegranates before drawing a conclusion that it was the change in flex. Does the "R" or "S" refer to butt frequency, mid frequency, tip frequency, all, neither?

He just did not swing the S shaft fast enough to get the clubhead through the ball.

The faster one swings an "S" shaft, the LESS chance there is of getting the club head through.

I don't mean to be a smart a**, but, "Things are not always as they appear to be."

[Chieflongtee]

[QUOTE=BC MIST]

The faster one swings an "S" shaft, the LESS chance there is of getting the club head through.
QUOTE]

Please elaborate your point of view.

[dbleber]

Adding 1 degree at your ball speed, which is probably in the 160 MPH range based on when we played, will definitely add a noticable amount of carry. You need to be way up in the 180 MPH ball speed range to get maximum distance out of a 10.5 launch if I remember the charts correctly.

I am not sure of the exact ball speed, I have been working on a smooth take way which has given me quite a bit of umph when I contact the ball. I do remember him commenting that the ball speed was up there but when I go back and pick it up I will get the print out and let you guys know. I am also going to take a couple balls with me (ProV1, ProV1x and NXT tour) to see which one gives the best results.

[dbleber]

[QUOTE=Chieflongtee]

The faster one swings an "S" shaft, the LESS chance there is of getting the club head through.
QUOTE]

Please elaborate your point of view.

Not to put words in his mouth but to me it would mean that your technique would not be as good if you take the club and swing it like a gorilla! A controlled, on plane swing will give you better results and club speed then just muscling the club.

[BC MIST]

The faster one swings an "S" shaft, the LESS chance there is of getting the club head through.

Please elaborate your point of view.

It is generally known, and written by Tom Wishon, that stiffer shafts increase the probability of going right(not getting the clubhead through) and the opposite for one that is too flexible.

A golfer who has a fast, aggressive swing, one who has the ability to seriously delay the unhinging of the wrists, and who has his hands well ahead of the ball at impact, where the club face is more open than one whose swing mechanics are the opposite, might be better to have a shaft that will tend to close the club face a little faster.

Contrast this with a golfer who swings smoothly, and who loses the wrist earlier that the golfer above. Would his club face not tend to be closed too much already and would a more flexible shaft not also tend to close the club face? This why I am always wary of the tradition to put faster swingers in stiff shafts and slower ones in flexible ones. We also know, although many do not believe it, that all other things being equal, the flex of the shaft does NOT determine how far the ball flies. But, if stiffer shafts project the ball a little lower, which may not be good for the slower swinger, that can be balanced by increasing the loft.

You know that where the shaft is STIFF or FLEXIBLE is extremely important. I have two SMT 455 Deep Bore drivers, one with an ACCUFLEX VS 339 "S" and the other with an Accuflex Evolution "R" shaft. The VS 339 "S" is BUTT STIFF, but TIP FLEXIBLE and I have a greater tendency to hit hooking shots than I do with the EVOLUTION which is BUTT FLEXIBLE and TIP STIFF, with which I hit the ball quite straight or with a little fade.

Since the flex designation on any shaft represents the BUTT stiffness, we now know that the terms L, A, R, S and X are relatively meaningless when it comes to actual performance, except that in any one company's line of shafts we can assume that an S is butt stiffer than it R. Although in comparing an SK Fiber Lite Revolution S to the corresponding R, I found the R had a stiffer tip section than the S. Helpful, eh?

[Cobraguy]

So where exactly is eveyone get their shafts changed and their swings measured. I'm one of those stubborn guys who has never had a lesson and have learned everything by trial and error. However, I was golfing this summer out east and was playing with a member on a prestigeous course and he suggested that I get monitored and get the shaft on my new driver changed. The reason is that I swing quite fast and hit the ball quite far but my ball tragectory is way too high. I'm hitting a stiff flex (which we know doesn't mean anything) Cobra 440 SZ driver with a 9 degree loft. I bought the club to specifically keep the trajectory down and while I'm spanking the ball huge distances and I generally have control its going way up and generating very little roll. That might not be a bad thing in some cases but like everyone else I'll take another 15-20 yards.

So I guess the question is ...where, what does it cost, is it worth the money and do they try and screw with my swing dynamics?

Thanks in Advance

[jvincent]

So I guess the question is ...where, what does it cost, is it worth the money and do they try and screw with my swing dynamics?

Thanks in Advance

There are a few places in town that will do a fitting/analysis with the Vector launch monitor. Golftown and Kevin Haime I am sure of. Of the custom clubmakers, I think Artisan Golf does it, and probably some other.

Charges vary depending on whether you are buying a club or shaft, but just to get on the monitor is about $75 at Golftown if I remember correctly.

[dbleber]

Go out to Artisan Golf. He is very easy to talk to and he will not try and talk you into anything or change your swing. His prices are reasonable and you getting some very good knowlegde. Just give him a call and talk to him about your needs...the rest just seems to fall into place!

[Chieflongtee]

So where exactly is eveyone get their shafts changed and their swings measured. I'm one of those stubborn guys who has never had a lesson and have learned everything by trial and error. However, I was golfing this summer out east and was playing with a member on a prestigeous course and he suggested that I get monitored and get the shaft on my new driver changed. The reason is that I swing quite fast and hit the ball quite far but my ball tragectory is way too high. I'm hitting a stiff flex (which we know doesn't mean anything) Cobra 440 SZ driver with a 9 degree loft. I bought the club to specifically keep the trajectory down and while I'm spanking the ball huge distances and I generally have control its going way up and generating very little roll. That might not be a bad thing in some cases but like everyone else I'll take another 15-20 yards.

So I guess the question is ...where, what does it cost, is it worth the money and do they try and screw with my swing dynamics?

Thanks in Advance

The Cobras being closed face will effectively hit the ball a lot higher. Check out the Cobra web site I don't think a shaft change will accomplish much in this particular case.

http://www.cobragolf.com/drivers/details.asp?id=1

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