Shaftoid help.

[DanFST]

Hello all,

After some help from some people that actually understand shafts! I'm currently using a Benross RIP Speed 2, driver. It is so easy to hit, and dispersion was great when i tested back to back with other drivers. It is fitted with an Adila Tour blue shaft.

I'm a high handicapper, but my driving outshines everything else in my game. I back myself on a calm day to hit almost all fairways, and use the driver off the deck instead of a three wood.

The issue i'm having is the ball flight, it's very very high. I carry the ball a respectable amount, but on a windy day it can really ruin my round. I don't want to change driver, but i think a shaft change could help me. But i know nothing about shafts! Can i gain a lower ball flight by changing the shaft? Help, Expand and discuss please!

 

[Ethan]

Hello all,

After some help from some people that actually understand shafts! I'm currently using a Benross RIP Speed 2, driver. It is so easy to hit, and dispersion was great when i tested back to back with other drivers. It is fitted with an Adila Tour blue shaft.

I'm a high handicapper, but my driving outshines everything else in my game. I back myself on a calm day to hit almost all fairways, and use the driver off the deck instead of a three wood.

The issue i'm having is the ball flight, it's very very high. I carry the ball a respectable amount, but on a windy day it can really ruin my round. I don't want to change driver, but i think a shaft change could help me. But i know nothing about shafts! Can i gain a lower ball flight by changing the shaft? Help, Expand and discuss please!

You often can lower ball flight by changing the shaft, but if you are hitting it very very high, that sounds like a swing fault rather than an equipment fault. I would start with a lesson, or at least have the pro cast an eye over your swing, better still get some launch monitor data. .

 

[DanFST]

You often can lower ball flight by changing the shaft, but if you are hitting it very very high, that sounds like a swing fault rather than an equipment fault. I would start with a lesson, or at least have the pro cast an eye over your swing, better still get some launch monitor data. .

Apologies, i should change that, it's not very very high. Just alot higher than i'd like. (above the treeline on most courses). Trackman will be set up here end of the month, so i can have a go on that.

 

[pokerjoke]

Hello all,

After some help from some people that actually understand shafts! I'm currently using a Benross RIP Speed 2, driver. It is so easy to hit, and dispersion was great when i tested back to back with other drivers. It is fitted with an Adila Tour blue shaft.

I'm a high handicapper, but my driving outshines everything else in my game. I back myself on a calm day to hit almost all fairways, and use the driver off the deck instead of a three wood.

The issue i'm having is the ball flight, it's very very high. I carry the ball a respectable amount, but on a windy day it can really ruin my round. I don't want to change driver, but i think a shaft change could help me. But i know nothing about shafts! Can i gain a lower ball flight by changing the shaft? Help, Expand and discuss please!

Is this not a total contradiction of your reply on another thread where you said
you hit 7 out of 9 fairways above 300 yards average.
Golf isn't just played on calm days.

 

[DanFST]

Is this not a total contradiction of your reply on another thread where you said
you hit 7 out of 9 fairways above 300 yards average.
Golf isn't just played on calm days.

Please find the post, as i've just trawled through mine and can't find it. I can't imagine you will find it however!

I know golf isn't played on calm days, hence why i want my ball to fly lower. Any particular reason for the attacking post?

 

[Imurg]

I think the Tour Blue is a higher launching shaft than the Tour Green but we're talking a couple of degrees of launch angle
If you're hitting it that high then it may be a swing fault or you just need something like a Prolaunch Red to keep it down.

 

[DanFST]

I think the Tour Blue is a higher launching shaft than the Tour Green but we're talking a couple of degrees of launch angle
If you're hitting it that high then it may be a swing fault or you just need something like a Prolaunch Red to keep it down.

I'm having a lesson tomorrow, so will ask the pro then. I imagine it is a swing issue, But my driving has been very consistent (albeit too high). So i'm reluctant to change anything, I wasn't sure if a shaft could have brought the ball lower, so that i didn't have too basically!

 

[Ethan]

A launch monitor session will help. If the ball is coming off with too much spin or height, then the pro should be able to tell if it is a swing problem of something which an equipment change would deal with. Reducing the club head loft may be a more reliable way of achieving this.

If it is a swing issue, it may be easy to fix, with ball position and where the hands are relative to the club head. Bubba hits it a mile partly because of his positive (5 degrees upward) angle of attack. A negative (downward) angle will cost distance, although may improve accuracy, up to a point.

 

[RGDave]

Are you hitting it high off the deck?

 

[Foxholer]

The Ahina D+ that mab was advertising could well have been ideal for you, but it has gone elsewhere now.

Indeed a Prolaunch Red could be a good choice too.

Benross gear tends to be designed to get the ball high, as that's the requirements of most of its customers.

You could try PM-ing Swinger and checking his specs. He's 'quite!' long, was kitted out for Benross gear last year and I think that was the Aldila Blue. Possibly an X-Flex or maybe the Green (again maybe X-Flex). Pretty stout shaft though, so important to get it right. A Pro mate uses the same head and a Regular shaft, but he's a bit 'weird' (in more ways than 1!).

Jump on the Trackman and see what Swing Speed, Spin and Launch Angle you are getting. Shaft won't normally bring Spin down by a huge amount - unless a pretty bad original fit - but can change Launch quite a bit. As others have posted, a check by a Pro might be the best starting point though.

 

[DanFST]

Are you hitting it high off the deck?

It's not going as high of the deck, however the ball seems to travel steadily upwards, Then die and drop.

 

[RGDave]

It's not going as high of the deck, however the ball seems to travel steadily upwards, Then die and drop.

That's a good sign, surely.

Now, don't get me wrong, I no nowt about smashing the ball but I have seen enough strong players (as in, fast c/h speed) to recognise when a ball is going up due to spin...

I suspect the Aldila blue is designed to help not restrict extra height.

You need to try some others, or better still, get on a LM.


(I wonder if you can google trackman driver fitting optimal numbers....?? )

My "old" playing partner hit his 10 degree mad high... just too much backspin...

 

[the_coach]

Hello all,

After some help from some people that actually understand shafts! I'm currently using a Benross RIP Speed 2, driver. It is so easy to hit, and dispersion was great when i tested back to back with other drivers. It is fitted with an Adila Tour blue shaft.

I'm a high handicapper, but my driving outshines everything else in my game. I back myself on a calm day to hit almost all fairways, and use the driver off the deck instead of a three wood.

The issue i'm having is the ball flight, it's very very high. I carry the ball a respectable amount, but on a windy day it can really ruin my round. I don't want to change driver, but i think a shaft change could help me. But i know nothing about shafts! Can i gain a lower ball flight by changing the shaft? Help, Expand and discuss please!

Any shaft change will only really drop spin rate by around 400-500 rpms max, shafts there really for fine tuning in effect.

Hitting low off the face, or heel or toe has the outcome of greatly changing your spin rate, 1500 rpms & even more right out of the bottom even as much as 2000 rpms, so you get the very high flight to balloon height.

The real thing to concentrate on first is technique to give you a more reliable centered contact through the strike.
Bearing in mind that correct grip set-up, posture & ball position has a huge influence on this.
As does the ability to turn over a solid base and not sway off or into & through impact.

The correct swing sequence in the downswing, where the weight is (should be on lead leg at start downswing) & the fact that the lower body leads the upper body arms & club through into impact, clearing the hips properly at the right time to give you the space to get the arms & club through that will give you a shallower swing path a flat left wrist, & the optimum impact conditions through strike.

Not a left wrist collapsed towards target, this along with your weight wrongly still on your trail leg through impact will give you an over steep swing, this all combines to give you the higher, weaker flight you don't want.

Changing shaft isn't going to help you over much to be truthful.

It's getting set-up really right, plus the correctly timed sequence into the ball that will give you the correct impact conditions to get a good penetrating flight on your shots.

if you get on Trackman don't get fixated with distance. The numbers that are really important to show you what's exactly happening at impact are your AoA, your launch angle & your spin rate plus spin axis & peak height, distance should be your last concern really. Get the others right & you get distance for free !!!

 

[pokerjoke]

Please find the post, as i've just trawled through mine and can't find it. I can't imagine you will find it however!

I know golf isn't played on calm days, hence why i want my ball to fly lower. Any particular reason for the attacking post?

My apologies if it was not you.

 

[DanFST]

Thought i'd bump this. Had my first trackman session today. What an eye opener, It's fair to say my the Benross will be chucked out of the bag.

 

[shewy]

what was the cause? interested as I have a high ball flight

 

[DanFST]

what was the cause? interested as I have a high ball flight

I've posted up another thread with some numbers an bigger better explanation. Basically the cause was a regular, high launching shaft, a positive angle of attack, and a 100mph swing speed. As i stated on the other thread, get on a launch monitor. It's so easy to see what the cause is!

 

[the_coach]

what was the cause? interested as I have a high ball flight

Always the same kind of causes, first one is where on the driver face you strike the ball, sweet spot less spin rate ball doesn't balloon, but lots of different swing technique issues to not give you a centered strike. Also your AoA & LA & SS.

Second is a flip at impact left hand/wrist & right hand/wrist collapsing because there's too much weight on the trail side so there is a great deal of dynamic loft added through impact.

Lastly is a shaft issue, has the least bearing out of the three on the height of ball flight, but does have a baring on it to a limited extent.

 

[DaveM]

Why not just learn to hit it high or low as you want. It's no different to learning to draw or fade the ball.

 

[Foxholer]

Thought i'd bump this. Had my first trackman session today. What an eye opener, It's fair to say my the Benross will be chucked out of the bag.

I think a shaft change would actually be able to help most of this.

While I agree with the_coach that shaft CAN be the least of the causes (though is often the easiest, though maybe not the best, solution) in this case, the fact that the shaft is both high launch and (almost certainly) too soft would mean a 'proper fit' shaft would be much more likely to give better numbers. The NV Green is at the other end of the scale in terms of Launch and Spin and a stiff one of those should provide much better numbers - make sure it's not the 'NVS' though as that's similar to the Blue. As already posted, the Grafalloy Red is Low Launch/Spin and a stiff one of those should work much better too.

Of course, swing can affect it loads too. The guy who previously owned my SL290 w 43R (that I hit high and short) was quite happy with the flight and he swung faster (but much better!) than me.

So advice to Shewy is the usual 'it depends! get on a LM and find out!'.