Shaft length

[darren22]

Hello,

I have purchased a TM RBZ 3 hybrid, second hand. It's arrived and is in really good condition. There is a problem though! The shaft is genuine, but has been taken from a TM RBZ 4 hybrid. The shaft length is 1/2 inch shorter. I have a TM Superfast 4 hybrid, so I know the length and know it should have been longer.

I took the club up the range today and it went like a rocket. There was a little difference in the distance between clubs (Superfast and RBZ).

Will this 1/2 make a huge difference to somebody who has a handicap of 28 (me)? If anything because the shaft is that little shorter I find it easier to hit than my previous 3 hybrid TM Superfast..

Thanks
Dal

 

[mab]

I would have thought the previous owner decided the existing shaft was too long and cut it down, not removed the existing shaft and replaced it with another. Let me know if you think otherwise, though.

On the basis the previous owner has cut the shaft down, i.e. removed the grip and butt trimmed, the playing characteristics and flex of the shaft will not have materially altered.

However, by playing the club 0.5" shorter and doing nothing to account for swingweight changes, you will have lost 3 swingweight points.

If you're happy with teh club, then you don't really have a problem. If you're not happy then you could add a graphite shaft entender to the butt of the club to get the 0.5" back or you cuold play at the current length and add 6g of lead tape to the clubhead to recoup the 3 swingweight points.

 

[darren22]

Thanks for the reply.

I am pretty confident the shaft has not been trimmed. I forgot to mention, on the bottom of the shaft, just above the head, the original label is still in place. It states it's a shaft from an RBZ 4 hybrid. This confirmed what I already thought about the shaft being shorter and from a TM RBZ 4 hybrid.
On the basis the shaft has not been cut, how will this affect the club P.s please explain swing weights I am confused

 

[sawtooth]

The chances are if you are less than 6ft than the stock TM shaft is going to be too long for you. If you're worried go and see a pro and get measured properly.

 

[mab]

Thanks for the reply.

I am pretty confident the shaft has not been trimmed. I forgot to mention, on the bottom of the shaft, just above the head, the original label is still in place. It states it's a shaft from an RBZ 4 hybrid. This confirmed what I already thought about the shaft being shorter and from a TM RBZ 4 hybrid.
On the basis the shaft has not been cut, how will this affect the club P.s please explain swing weights I am confused

Swingweight is essentially how the club feels when you swing it. If the swingweight is too light you won't be able to tell where the clubhead is during your swing; conversely, if the swingweight is too high the club will feel too head heavy.

A 3 hybrid from TM would typically be around D4; don't worry about what that means, it just give you the baseline norm for that club. It is said that people struggle to feel a 0.5 - 1 swingweight difference, so theoretically you may not feel a difference if the changes to your club put it at D3 or D5. Above 1 swingweight point does become apparent, so you would notice a drop to D1 from D4.

REMEMBER THOUGH THAT YOU MAY PREFER THE FEEL OF D1 to D4 - THERE IS NO RIGHT AND WRONG WITH SWINGWEIGHT.

If the 3H shaft has been pulled and replaced with a 4H shaft, then you've essentially hard stepped the shaft (you may want to google that term). In essence, you're using a slightly shorter shaft that may have been tip trimmed a little more, etc. etc. and that means the shaft will play a little stiffer than the standard 3H shaft and you will have lost approx 3 swingweight points. The shorter shaft may, however, mean that you get a better average smash factor as you may hit the sweet spot more frequently.

So, in summary, you're tweaked 3H will be playing shorter than standard, will be playing 3 swimgweight points less than standard and slightly stiffer than standard. However, if you're hitting the ball well and you're happy with the distance and dispersion you're getting, this is completely irrelevant and you should enjoy the club.