TaylorMade R5 Driver shaft

[Kiwi]

Last year I bought myself a full set of Taylor Made clubs, including the R5 driver, 9.5 degree, with the "D" set up for Draw, to counter my slice. Worked fine for a while but now I am all over the place and using my 3W exclusively. Getting good distance, up to 240,and better yet keeping it between the trees, if not in the fairway.

My question relates to the shaft on my R5. It is a Stiff but with a "soft tip". I have heard that this set-up helps beginners get the ball up. Getting it up, no pun intented, is not my issue. I lose so much distance due to the trajectory on my drives. I have rarely hit 250-265 with the driver, but those are the times when it comes off the face in a lower trajectory, and is more of a fluke than good planning. Anyone out there have an opinion on the "soft tip" issue. With a 9.5 you'd think that I'd be able to hit a low boring drive, but all who play with me comment on how high my shots are. I get zero roll, and often am within a foot of my pitch mark. The 3W goes lower, even thought it is a 15 degree. I tend to hit my irons very high also, and that is why I went with the lower lofted driver.

Thanks, Kiwi.

[mcgoo]

I played with a R5 TP with the stiff shaft (83) on Monday and the result was a random hit each time. It is a stiff and very heavy shaft. Unless you have a very fast clubhead speed, say 110mph, the club is useless. I have also hit the R5 draw earlier in the year with a R flex and I liked it.

The 3 wood is not the answer, reshaft the driver.

[BC MIST]

My question relates to the shaft on my R5. It is a Stiff but with a "soft tip". I have heard that this set-up helps beginners get the ball up. Getting it up, no pun intented, is not my issue. I lose so much distance due to the trajectory on my drives. I have rarely hit 250-265 with the driver, but those are the times when it comes off the face in a lower trajectory, and is more of a fluke than good planning. Anyone out there have an opinion on the "soft tip" issue. With a 9.5 you'd think that I'd be able to hit a low boring drive, but all who play with me comment on how high my shots are.

Is this the shaft in your driver? Taylor Made M.A.S. R5 S flex?

If it is, you will not be glad to hear that the stiffness in the butt section is in the "X" flex range, while the TIP section is equivalent to the Aldila NVS 75 "X" flex.

If it is not this shaft, would you give me the exact name that is on the shaft.

[BC MIST]

I played with a R5 TP with the stiff shaft (83) on Monday and the result was a random hit each time. It is a stiff and very heavy shaft. Unless you have a very fast clubhead speed, say 110mph, the club is useless. I have also hit the R5 draw earlier in the year with a R flex and I liked it.

The 3 wood is not the answer, reshaft the driver.

Is it possible that the randon hits are caused by the random swings of the golfer?

Consistent swings with any shaft are going to yield consistent results, and inconsistent swings are going to yield inconsistent results. Figuring out the kind of transition one has, overall swing tempo, release position, swing speed and club head path, BEFORE RE-SHAFTING will save time, frustration and money. While it is easier to look at the shaft as the problem, it ususally isn't.

As an Ojibwa friend of mine says, "It ain't the arrow, it's the injun."

[mcgoo]

Is it possible that the randon hits are caused by the random swings of the golfer?

Consistent swings with any shaft are going to yield consistent results, and inconsistent swings are going to yield inconsistent results. Figuring out the kind of transition one has, overall swing tempo, release position, swing speed and club head path, BEFORE RE-SHAFTING will save time, frustration and money. While it is easier to look at the shaft as the problem, it ususally isn't.

As an Ojibwa friend of mine says, "It ain't the arrow, it's the injun."
__________________

BC Mist; I have been reading your posts all season long with great interest and they have helped in making my swing more consistent, especially with respect to swing plane and grip. Someone is listening! And, I have learned that shaft characteristics are random between manufacturers with respect to labeling.
I have used about ten different drivers (demos not club-hooing) this season and concluded that the club head makes little difference in the result. It is the combination of the swing and the shaft together. It is all in the shaft. With a light, low bend point (not “kick” as you have pointed out) shaft I now drive consistently straight when my swing is consistent. When the shaft is too heavy or too stiff (high bend point) for me I push it or pull it or slice it as I try to correct the previous drive result with swing adjustments. That is what I was referring to as “random results”. Think of changing the motto you use to “It’s the swing and the shaft, not the club head” or something like that.

[BC MIST]

I have used about ten different drivers (demos not club-hooing) this season and concluded that the club head makes little difference in the result. It is the combination of the swing and the shaft together. It is all in the shaft. With a light, low bend point (not “kick” as you have pointed out) shaft I now drive consistently straight when my swing is consistent. When the shaft is too heavy or too stiff (high bend point) for me a push it or pull it or slice it as a try to correct the previous drive result with swing adjustments. That is what I was referring to as “random results”. Think of changing the motto you use to “It’s the swing and the shaft, not the club head” or something like that.[/FONT][/SIZE]

Any golfer with a reasonable swing and who plays without anxiety soon develops a FEEL for what is good and not, in a shaft. Some declare, "It's too whippy," or "It feels like a board." With those kinds of reactions, the golfer very likely starts frigging around with his swing, and his performance gets worse. On the other hand, some will find a shaft that just feels right and his confidence in the whole club soars.

I have tried too many shafts getting similar feelings, however, what else I have noticed is that the ball flight and club head speed seldom changes, regardless of the flex of the shaft and and its weight. The only perceivable difference is a slight change in trajectory. In another recent post in the OEM section, I compared, for example, a UST V2 "A" flex and an Accuflex Evolution S flex. Frequency wise, along the entire length of the shaft, they are as different as night and day. Feel wise, very different. Performance wise, there was NO DIFFERENCE. Same distance, same trajectory, same accuracy.

Perhaps it is the way I swing that causes this and a stronger golfer with a fast tranition, tempo and late release may experience different results. I am finally coming to the conclusion that, unlike you, the shaft means very little in determining the flight of the ball and the distance it goes. My swing determines almost all of these two, with the club head next in significance. Having said that, the shafts in my irons are single frequency and MOI matched and these two assembly features are very important to me, because I get identical swing feels from all clubs.

I need a club head with the correct loft to give me the flight I want. It must setup squarely. I use a low lofted driver head, (8*, last year 7*), but I can hit the ball very high if I want and obviously very low, too. With the "correct" loft, the ball would go too high and not low enough when desired. The irons must have a thin topline and very little offset. Having recently switched from Wishon 550 blades to his 560 forged cavity backs, my accuracy and distance control is even better and I have come to like the increased size of the face. With forged iron heads the lies can easily be adjusted, and this is absolutely essential for consistency to be increased.

So for me, the head is very important.

[pheenster]

With a 9.5 you'd think that I'd be able to hit a low boring drive, but all who play with me comment on how high my shots are. I get zero roll, and often am within a foot of my pitch mark. The 3W goes lower, even thought it is a 15 degree.

FWIW, this sounds like a problem I used to have (and still sometimes still do). In my case, I was hitting down on the ball with the driver generating a lot of backspin. I would get these high shots that looked like they were going to go a mile and then drop straight down. Sometimes, I would walk up to my ball and it would have actually spun back a few feet!

I for the most part fixed this (thanks to a post somewhere else on this forum) by teeing the ball up high, keeping it forward in my stance off the inside of my left sole. This pretty much forces me to catch the ball on the upswing. Not saying that this is what you're doing, but it does sound familiar!

Cheers,

Chris

[Kiwi]

Sorry guys, I started this then left it hanging. My driver shaft is Flex S M.A.S. 2 mid torque Tip Soft. Just after starting this I went back to see Marty at T&L. His assessment is as yours in that it is the club holder, not the club. Apparently more and more now the manufacturers are matching the shaft with the club head, so to change one and not the other, would be useless. Best advice is to go to a good golf school and get on a launch monitor to find the optimum launch angle and loft for your game. I do have a tendency to strike down on the ball creating a very high shot with a lot of back spin. I usually find my ball within a foot or two of the pitch mark. Frustrating to fly the ball 200+ yds and get no roll. I am trying to adjust with the higher tee, ball forward in the stance and a swing thought of "sweep" (I curl also). Trouble is that I still get so tense using the big dawg that it only adds to the problem. Getting duck hooks, slices and only about 1/10 in play. Wish I could predict my pulls as they are straight and 250-270. Got a couple more games left so will see what happens.

Kiwi.

[byerxa]

Wish I could predict my pulls as they are straight and 250-270.

Hmmm, pulls that are straight and long. Dead giveaway of an out to in swing path. It seems the large headed driver makes people suddenly swing all crazy (I am bad for it as well). Obviously you want a professional to look at your swing, but based on my experience those types of ball flights are typical of trying to "pull" the ball straight and you end up swinging off the back foot. Try to slow waayyy down, stay balanced and smoothly accelerate through the ball finishing with your weight on your lead foot. Let the club do the work. The driver is the longest club, so it should take the longest to swing it. There is lots of time to build up club head speed once you start your down swing.

[Kiwi]

Thanks for the insight. I was good with the driver until mid season then all of a sudden, shotgun. I have been able to slow down the swing on all my other clubs but this one just kind of takes over. Wish there were a range still open that I could go and work on it. Hit some great 3 woods today, straight as an arrow, and would like to know how I would have done with the big dawg in my hands. Hopefully a couple more rounds left in the year and if I get the right hole, I might just give it another chance.

kiwi

[byerxa]

For most of the summer I was basically yipping with the driver. I was trying to hit it too hard and snapping from the top. I knew it but it was real tough to stop - my confidence was shattered and it was a vicious circle. To make it worse I was pushing off too hard with my right (rear) foot and me heel was way off the ground not even half-way in my down swing. That was forcing me over the top even more and really promoting a steep out to in swing. Went to my pro and he was shocked at how bad it was. Since then have been working on slowing down and lately it has been really starting to click again. Hit some nice "effortless" bombs (for me 240 carry) on the course the other day and on the range it is getting much better.

Of course the funny thing is during the summer I was thinking about different drivers I could make up to deal with this, but of course now that I am hitting it better the same old drivers seem like gold!

[Kiwi]

What range is open now?

Kiwi

[byerxa]

What range is open now?

19th Tee on Carling west of Moodie. They stay open until the snow sticks. I work in the west end so I get out at lunch when the weather is OK. Yesterday was gorgeous and was not too happy to be working instead of playing golf