Benefits of a new shaft?

[TheAlbatross]

I am looking for some advice.

I have never even considered the potential benefits of being fitted for a new shaft in my driver but having read this forum for a few months it seems something which many amateur golfers now consider and also gain benefit from.

i play off 11, my driving is decent but I suffer from a lack of height. I have no great desire to invest £200-300 on a new driver. I currently play a G15 with a stiff shaft.

I am am wondering what benefits I may gain in terms of ball flight, dispersion and distance with a new shaft? Would it be better to get fitted for a shaft to complement my swing rather than a whole new driver with a stock shaft?

I am a member of Surbiton Golf Plaza and have been going there over the winter to use their indoor facilities. They specialise in shaft fitting. I am seriously considering it but am after some general feedback.

thanks

 

[SVB]

Got to be worth a look see, let the numbers tell the story!

(btw - is the G15 a bonded shaft or adjustable, i.e. can you easily swap shafts into your chosen driver head?)

 

[MadAdey]

Do it. When I got my SLDR finding the correct shaft tightened the dispersal and gained distance.

The only problem you might run into is trying the different shafts out in your driver as they will not have the Custom shaft options with a G15 head. The good things about the interchangeable drivers is you can just switch shafts in and out.

 

[SVB]

So if the OP tries a variety of shafts in a G30 head (for sake of argument), would it follow that the similar shaft would be right for him in a G15?

 

[MadAdey]

So if the OP tries a variety of shafts in a G30 head (for sake of argument), would it follow that the similar shaft would be right for him in a G15?

He might find a shaft that suits him better, but IMO if you are be fitted for a shaft you need to try it out in the correct head. One option is to use the G30 to find a shaft then get it put into the G15 and see how it goes before buying. But you wouldn't go and get custom fitted on a set of G10 irons if you wanted to buy the G30.

The G30 and G15 are totally different heads, they will have different launch and spin characteristics, so what works in the 30 is not necessarily what is best in the 15.

 

[SVB]

Given changes in lauch / spin emphasis over recent year or two I feared that would be the case.

Therefore someone willing to work with the OP on an older head may be a slightly more difficult beast to find.

Obvious solution (and may not be too much more expensive in long run) may be to eBay G15 and go for a new club!

 

[shewy]

The G15 has a fairly high launching shaft anyway unless it's the serrano or tour shaft. If you want a cheap option try the graffaloy prolaunch blue that's decent and can be had cheap.

 

[Oddsocks]

I played off 12 when I was fitted for a driver, albeit as a prize I doubt I'd ever buy a driver unfitted

 

[Alex1975]

I am looking for some advice.

I have never even considered the potential benefits of being fitted for a new shaft in my driver but having read this forum for a few months it seems something which many amateur golfers now consider and also gain benefit from.

i play off 11, my driving is decent but I suffer from a lack of height. I have no great desire to invest £200-300 on a new driver. I currently play a G15 with a stiff shaft.

I am am wondering what benefits I may gain in terms of ball flight, dispersion and distance with a new shaft? Would it be better to get fitted for a shaft to complement my swing rather than a whole new driver with a stock shaft?

I am a member of Surbiton Golf Plaza and have been going there over the winter to use their indoor facilities. They specialise in shaft fitting. I am seriously considering it but am after some general feedback.

thanks

More loft on the head would be the most effective way to add launch/hight.

 

[TheAlbatross]

Thanks very much for some great advice. I guess the one thing I'm trying to achieve is to keep costs down. I would imagine a G30 with a custom shaft would be well over £300.

I was was thinking a new shaft may improve my current driving ability with the existing G15 head, and when I came to investing in a new driver I could,d just interchange the shaft.

I really like my G15 head, great feel on impact, lovely sound off the club face and very forgiving.

Think I'll speak with the pro's down in Surbiton Golf studio and see if I can try a few with an interchangeable head before trying one in my current driver head.

 

[the_coach]

do you know what your average launch angle range & swing speed is with your current driver?
what loft is your current driver?
what's your shot shape, curvature, on drives & all shots in general, & what's is the bad misses shot shape wise?
is lack of height an issue with your irons?

 

[kozmos]

So if the OP tries a variety of shafts in a G30 head (for sake of argument), would it follow that the similar shaft would be right for him in a G15?

A friend played a callaway driver for years, then tried a rack of different shafts whilst having a fitting for the 915, and ended up with the same shaft in the titleist...

I'd say yes :thup:

 

[Maninblack4612]

More loft on the head would be the most effective way to add launch/hight.

I don't believe so. I have experimented with many shaft / loft combinations & have found that the shaft has much more effect. I could hit an 8½° driver with a stock shaft higher than my current SLDR, set at 10½°. Also, the higher loft will produce more backspin.

 

[groundskeeperwilly]

Is there a second hand rack at your golf place? Or a local driving range with a decent stock of second hand clubs you can demo on the range? If you're not looking to spend a load that might be a good way of trying a few and potentially picking up something at low cost. They might even have a few of your current driver with different stock options.

 

[Foxholer]

The G15 has a fairly high launching shaft anyway unless it's the serrano or tour shaft. If you want a cheap option try the graffaloy prolaunch blue that's decent and can be had cheap.

Even the Serrano was high launching - for me - in G15. I certainly agree with the other comments (though I didn't think there was a 'Tour' option - the Serrano was it). Ping is not a 'naturally low launch' brand imo!

I believe it's worthwhile trying out, if you can, some different shafts in a G30 head, even though it's a different head if you can. This at least gives you an appreciation of the different feel of the shaft, something that I believe is very important for confidence. Too boardy does not work at all for me, nor does a semi-noodle feeling one. Oddly, after years of dabbling, the G15 with slightly too boardy Serrano that I bought from my Ping addict mate - to re-sell on ebay - just went great!

If the G15 is the 9*, like I had, I'd be inclined to check Ebay for an 11* one with the same shaft as you currently have, otherwise consider a lesson to see why you are 'too low'. It may be just a case of teeing it higher and a bit further forward in your stance. I agree that simply forking out £300+ on a new driver is not going to give you a lot of benefit unless the shaft just happens to be right for you! The G15 is a great head!

Hope that helps.

 

[MadAdey]

I don't believe so. I have experimented with many shaft / loft combinations & have found that the shaft has much more effect. I could hit an 8½° driver with a stock shaft higher than my current SLDR, set at 10½°. Also, the higher loft will produce more backspin.

To be honest both you and Alex make a good point. It is getting right combination between shaft and loft that will maximize your driving, not just changing one on its own.

If you just change the shaft to gain more height then you are at risk of getting a spin rate that is too high, so you end up loosing distance and adding side spin to the poorly hit shots increasing dispersal.

Optimizing your driver is all about getting the launch angle, spin rate, peak height and Smash factor as close to perfect as possible. You can't just do this on shaft alone.

 

[RobertB]

do you know what your average launch angle range & swing speed is with your current driver?
what loft is your current driver?
what's your shot shape, curvature, on drives & all shots in general, & what's is the bad misses shot shape wise?
is lack of height an issue with your irons?

this.

go and get a lesson or two with a pro who has a launch monitor (on a proper range, not in a shop) to get some numbers to aid their eye and your feelings.

last summer I kept my 913 head but changed shaft down (& traded it in shop) to a 62 gm stiff put 10mph on ball speed and stopped ball going to right...... ~243 carry with range ball. Like a new driver WITH improved performance for few £10's - I look at a 915 once summer comes.

 

[TheAlbatross]

Thank you for your advice, it's all very helpful.

I do not know my launch angles but have a swing speed of 90mph with the driver (which has a loft of 10.5 degrees and a stiff Ping stock shaft). My stock shot is a low to medium height soft draw, with the bad shot being a block right or a snap hook left.

My driving is fairly consistent but i was wondering whether a new shaft would be of benefit as opposed to going all out for a new driver at £250-300. I really like the feel and consistency with my G15 and have no burning desire to change it.

I'll look into a lesson with a shaft fitting tagged on also next time i'm at the golf studio. Perhaps a simple set-up change would improve my ball flight and is something which a Pro would pick out.

I appreciate that a launch monitor on the range would be best but this service is going to cost around £50 and i can't afford that at the moment. I pay £50 for 5x1 hour sessions on the GC2 with flightscope at the golf studio.

 

[the_coach]

I do not know my launch angles but have a swing speed of 90mph with the driver (which has a loft of 10.5 degrees and a stiff Ping stock shaft). My stock shot is a low to medium height soft draw, with the bad shot being a block right or a snap hook left.

My driving is fairly consistent but i was wondering whether a new shaft would be of benefit as opposed to going all out for a new driver at £250-300. I really like the feel and consistency with my G15 and have no burning desire to change it.

I'll look into a lesson with a shaft fitting tagged on also next time i'm at the golf studio. Perhaps a simple set-up change would improve my ball flight and is something which a Pro would pick out.

I appreciate that a launch monitor on the range would be best but this service is going to cost around £50 and i can't afford that at the moment. I pay £50 for 5x1 hour sessions on the GC2 with flightscope at the golf studio.

my take & advice would be at this point looking at a shaft change is probably not the ways to go - if the flight is a good ways down from where it should be. very low, no height then no real carry so not the optimum distance for the swing motion made would probably mean issues with the delivery at impact.

given that you have 10.5º of loft to really lower the flight a bunch too low would really have to mean something at set-up could well benefit from a change - could be a bunch of things from ball position, where the hands are in relation to the clubhead so the vertical angle of the shaft at address.

& also what's happening in the swing motion that presenting most likely less dynamic loft through impact than the 10.5º static driver loft, so what is the AoA + dynamic loft & why it is what it is, so that it's not giving you the optimum launch angle. could be you have too much handle drag, could be that the impact location on the face is too low so with the vertical face bulge the dynamic loft at impact then would be a good ways too low.

your $'s would be better used with a PGA Pro to find out the answers. then once you sort set-up/swing motion you could then fine tune the driver shaft.

your view of what's too low am guessing is the distance your getting on average with the driver.