Rifle Shafts.

[MVP]

to my annoyance a lot of manufacturers Demo clubs are being supplied with Rifle shafts. Few examples
New Cobra Pro CBs, callaway X forged, X 20 pro,
as was on the markeet looking for a bit more of a players iron most of the better looking clubs in that department had Rifle shafts. Personally i think that s300 dynamic gold shafts are the nuts and prefer them. even the 4.5 Rifle shaft which is actually a regular flex was bloody horrible to say the least. the pros in the store i use 'centregolf chatham' all agreed that theyre pretty much only for tour pros and the leading manufacturers are stupid for using them in there demo clubs. It was mentioned that having a rifle shaft is seen as a FASHION ITEM for the posing golfer(ie Muppet), and at the end of the day Pros arent going to buy clubs in a pro shop aimed at the amateur market so why the hell bother with them.

What are the views of the people on here ? Have you got or experienced these shafts?

also i tried the nippon shaft in the MP57 at direct golf that was horrible too yet i manage to hit bladed clubs with a S300 shaft lovely.

further to this do you think the shaft is more important than the club head itself?

 

[mikest]

ive tried to use them at a demo day, the thing is like you said they are aimed at the pro. The stiffness of the shaft can be altered very accurately to the needs of a player and also to the conditions on a given day but for the likes of you and me the difference between these and normal stepped steel shafts isnt worth it and is a technology that wont make much difference to my game. If I was playing off +4 and I was looking to fine tune my game maybe so but I agree they are merely a fashion accessory for the "all the gear, no idea crowd".

i think the feel of the club head is most important aspect to me but there-again if the flex is wrong then you wont get the most out of them. I would first choose and iron that is pleasing to your eye and that feels good through the ball and then get my pro to recommend the shaft if it was me.

 

[theeaglehunter]

thats strange to me, I have rifle shafts in my 3-7 irons and true temper shafts in my 9 iron and pitching wedge (god knows why, I bought them in a box set when I took up the game as I was told they were good clubs, despite now realising that they were not good for a beginner, and at £50 I wasn't moaning as they were brand new; with just the 8 iron missing)and I get on absolutely fine with them. I'm probably as far from a pro as it is possible to be and they still seem to work fine. Although it may just be that im to poor to notice the difference, and that if I tried a different shaft I would become much more consistent.

 

[MVP]

that probably is the case Eagle hunter. Like i said even the club pros said they were naff for amatuers, if you got dynamic gold you might be ok. Do you hit the ball low?

 

[theeaglehunter]

nope. When I connect with the ball it soars much higher than some of the shots low handicappers I have played with make with the same club. I have even been told that I may loose distance because of it, however am not too worried about that as it makes the ball stop fairly quickly, which is good as I wouldn't have a chance of getting it to check due to spin I'd put on the ball. My average shot though flies about an average height as far as I'm aware.

Its all a bit strange to be honest, although I do have a pretty quick swing speed I think. I've only ever been measured with the driver and I was swinging it over 100mph. Whether this is also the case for irons and that can be used to explain it I don't know. But I'm hoping to change my irons within the next 6 months so will give some other shafts a try. The rifles seem fine at the moment though, unless of course they can be blamed for my invariable inconsistency.

 

[MVP]

Im having a nightmare trying to choose new clubs think im thinking about it too much i just wanna make sure i get the right ones.

 

[thecraw]

If your getting custom fitted is does'nt matter one iota if you have rifle or S300's. The fitting process will show the best result/shafts for your game.

I had rifles in an old set of Callaway X16 pro series and got on well with them. I now have TT S300's in my Pings and hit them with no problem either.

 

[brendy]

Rifle 6.0's here and to be honest I find them grand, no better or worse than the r400s I used to have and I wouldnt say im clueless. I dont subscribe to any elitism in golf gear, If someone wants to spend their hard earned cash on something that is maybe a little above their station, then so be it. I find it funny when they still try to blame the clubs but I dont begrudge them for having them.
All the gear and no idea transfers across most subjects in life, for examples the fat girls that wear belly tops, the old women running around in boxsters, tramps wearing trainers.... Just because they dont actually use the items to their full potential doesnt mean its wrong, maybe just a little misguided.

 

[stevelockie]

I have project x 5.5 in a set of Bridgestone irons, then had a very brief dalliance with Project x Flighted 5.0 in a set of Callaway X-20 Tours.

Found the 5.5 a bit too stiff for me, unforgiving. The 5.0 were better, but the X-20s were too big and heavy.

Now back to TT R300 on my R7 TP's. Love the shaft.

I would stick to TT shafts.

 

[USER1999]

I have always been advised that rifles hit a lower flight. If this is what you want, then no reason not to have. If you hit high with rifles, it could get worse with dynamic gold. This is what custom fit is for (oh no, I have brought that up, pandoras box is now open....).

Like Brendy, I have nothing against someone having nice kit if they can afford it, regardless of ability. Why not? Each to their own.

 

[Nico]

Look guys this is all a case of "if the cap fits".
I am firmly of the opinion (and the guys who built my kit agree) that the shaft is the most important part of the club!
If it fits you then it is the right shaft,there is no ultimate right or wrong.
Lee Westwood has spent most of his career playing Ping ZZ65 shafts which is their uniflex,and his livelehood depends on it!
p.s. This game is for everyone all pockets,all types,which is why it is the greatest game.

 

[brendy]

I have always been advised that rifles hit a lower flight. If this is what you want, then no reason not to have. If you hit high with rifles, it could get worse with dynamic gold.

I hit a very high ball (it still travels!) and am using taylor made RAC LT (low Trajectory) with rifle 6.0 shafts, imagine what I would be doing with x-18's with soft steel or whippy graphite! the ball would literally be coming down with ice on it!

 

[frasting]

I had the Rifle 6.5 shafts in my last set, but went back a little to the 6.0 in my current set and have saw a benefit I feel.

Noticed that Ernie Els uses Rifle 7.2, man those must be really stiff???

I like the look of the Project X shafts though.

 

[SammmeBee]

Project X are the way forward.....