Which shaft to increase driver launch angle ?

[Lefty]

Hi, I currently have a Grafalloy Pro-Lite 4.5, R flex (the head is a Golfsmith CM 350, 10*) and my launch angle has lowered since mid summer (swing modifications). Which shafts would be suitable replacements ? The lower angle hasn't affected total distance too much but I can't drive any hole which is significantly uphill or has any trees between the tee box and fairway. It also makes it more difficult to play doglegs since I have to go through them instead of over them.

Thanks in advance.

[laxgolf]

Anything with a lower kick should work well for you. I use the Proforce 65 ATR in my driver and find that I'm hitting the ball much higher than I was with the stock Taylor Made POS shaft it came with my driver. Also get the softest shaft you can control. Makes a big difference.

[Chieflongtee]

A softer tip shaft will help a bit but the fact remains that higher loft will accomplish more than any shaft out there.

[BC MIST]

A softer tip shaft will help a bit but the fact remains that higher loft will accomplish more than any shaft out there.

The difference between a low kick point and a high kick point is no more than 2", but most importantly will increase or decrease the effective loft of the club by 1 degree, which is barely perceptable. What is a factor is the stiffness of the tip end of the shaft. A soft tip will project the ball higher than using a low kick point shaft.

Beware the marketers bovine manure.

Angle of attack, tee height, ball position and kind of golf ball will get the ball up(or down) more than a change in shaft. Or, as Andre suggested, change lofts, but even them make sure the head is of the same kind, as a 10* CM 350 is not the same as a 10* SMT or 10* Taylor, or 10*.... 'Tis unfortunately confusing.

[el tigre]

What is a factor is the stiffness of the tip end of the shaft. A soft tip will project the ball higher than using a low kick point shaft... Angle of attack, tee height, ball position and kind of golf ball will get the ball up(or down) more than a change in shaft.

I have to agree with this statement - in my experience tip stiffness seems to be more of a factor than kick point. But your setup and swing are the biggest factors of all.

In my case, I'm trying to bring the trajectory down. I have a 9* Bang Mellow with a TT BiMatrx Rxi shaft that I have been testing alongside a 9* Wishon 915CFE with an Accuflex C.A.S. shaft. The MY with the BiMatrx shaft has a much lower trajectory, and the steel tip of the BiMatrix Rxi definately makes it a tip-stiff shaft.

But as Andre said, loft is a much bigger factor. My 10* Adams 363 also had a TT BiMatrx Rxi shaft - and it had a much higher trajectory than the Wishon.

[jvincent]

I'm in the middle of a shaft change experiment exactly on this subject.

My current driver is a Wishon 515 11* with an NV65-S in it. This is definitely a low launch combo for me and the Vector confirms it.

I'm going to be putting an NVS65-S, which has a softer tip than the regular NV. I'm only hoping for an extra degree or two of launch since that would put me right at my optimal launch angle.

[MMasikJr]

Another interesting approach would be to fill the head with a few grams of Rat Glue. I find it hard to justify putting a $90 shaft into a $60 head. A few extra head grams will soften the shaft slightly and lower the CG slightly giving you a little higher trajectory. This sort of goes with my theory of fitting a head to the shaft you like. If this fails I say buy a new head with a little more loft as opposed to getting rid of the shaft.

Cheers,
Mike

[Chieflongtee]

Another interesting approach would be to fill the head with a few grams of Rat Glue. I find it hard to justify putting a $90 shaft into a $60 head. A few extra head grams will soften the shaft slightly and lower the CG slightly giving you a little higher trajectory. This sort of goes with my theory of fitting a head to the shaft you like. If this fails I say buy a new head with a little more loft as opposed to getting rid of the shaft.

Cheers,
Mike

Mike. Wouldn't you have to add a lot of weight to see and feel a difference? 10 grams won't make that big of a difference. 20 grams and the club starts to feel heavy.

[jvincent]

Another interesting approach would be to fill the head with a few grams of Rat Glue. I find it hard to justify putting a $90 shaft into a $60 head. A few extra head grams will soften the shaft slightly and lower the CG slightly giving you a little higher trajectory. This sort of goes with my theory of fitting a head to the shaft you like. If this fails I say buy a new head with a little more loft as opposed to getting rid of the shaft.

The head in question is actually about the same cost as the shaft so that's not really an issue.

I am actually pretty happy with both the shaft and the head but based on the session with the Vector, I'm just slightly off from ideal launch conditions.

Messing with the head weight would change it's swingweight enough that I'm not sure how different it would feel. Granted, there's no guarantee that the NVS will feel the same either. Ultimately, it's really trial and error process, so I'm changing one variable at a time.

The extracted NV has a home waiting for it assuming I don't like the NVS in the driver since I'm going to be building a 515 5-wood with whichever shaft isn't in the driver.