Question on Shaft/Driver suggestions.

bigdaddy

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I have been hitting the Taylor Made R9 460 with the Aldila NV 65S since the beginning of the year and my issue is I hit the ball REALLY high and get almost no roll at all. My reason for complaining was it was the first time I played with this driver in strong winds and the ball was just getting pushed everywhere. I went on the monitor yesterday and here was what I found with my current driver. My normal swing path favors a mild draw.

Swing Speed: 105-113 mph
Backspin range: 3,000-3950 RPM
Clubface at impact: 11 degrees open

From what I had read, the backspin should be in the 2,000-2,500 rpm range.

I suspect that the R9 460 head is what is causing the problem more than the shaft. I used this shaft in my old Callaway 454 and I had much more rollout on typical drives.

The guy suggested that I try the Callaway FT Tour in a 9 degree as that would bring the launch and backspin down as the CG is higher in it. He also said that Voodoo that is stock is stiffer than the NV and has a higher kickpoint.

His other comment really confused me: I should either go with a X flex and a higher loft or a S flex and a lower loft. Not sure which way to go...

Any other suggestions and does this sound logical?
 
I would not put the blame on the head more than the shaft actually. The shaft is capable of being a mid 2000 range shaft. Your number range is pretty darn large on both SS and spin, was there a few shots outside the norm and the rest were in a nice controlled area, or were they all over the place?

Is an actual fitting not available?
 
The average spin was 3,680 and average swing speed was 108. This was over thirty shots with a few outliers on the high and low end. Also, I had the same exact shaft in my old Callaway 454 and spin on that was around 2800 before the head cracked.

The "fitting" was back burnered as I didn't fully understand why he was suggesting both the stiff and extra stiff but different lofts.
 
The average spin was 3,680 and average swing speed was 108. This was over thirty shots with a few outliers on the high and low end. Also, I had the same exact shaft in my old Callaway 454 and spin on that was around 2800 before the head cracked.

The "fitting" was back burnered as I didn't fully understand why he was suggesting both the stiff and extra stiff but different lofts.

Do you have a GolfTEC in your area by chance?
 
Yes, In providence RI.

If it were me, and its not, but if it were, I would jump over there and get a full shaft fitting. With your numbers, you should be able to really dial something in. Tell them you are a THPer and you want a fitting special or something of the sort...hehe
 
I was thinking of that as well. Otherwise it is just buying driver after driver til one is ideal...
 
I was thinking of that as well. Otherwise it is just buying driver after driver til one is ideal...

Now because it was my genius idea...hehe
After your fitting you have to come back here and give us a write up. Deal?
 
I was thinking of that as well. Otherwise it is just buying driver after driver til one is ideal...

Ya that could be fairly expensive


Tap tap taparoo
 
Another alternative would be to just tip the shaft you have now (which of course would mean adding a shaft extender to the butt to get back to your original shaft length).

It's been my experience that the NV 65 can be a bit "whippy" in the tip section and taking a 1/2-inch off would probably stiffen it enough to bring the rpm down. It might not get you down to the low 2,000's, but I would wager it would get you under 3,000 at least.

As far as NV shafts go, when I was in my Aldila phase ( I used them for a number of years) I've always preferred the NV 75 because it's got a stiffer tip section which tends to create a lower trajectory and more rollout.
 
I hate to say this but "Take JB's advice" :cute: It'll save you money and lots of future questions to just go get fitted for the correct driver.
 
Took the advice and they recommended the Callaway FT Tour in 9.5 X flex Voodoo shaft or 8.5 S flex Voodoo shaft.

Advantages either way? My thought would be 9.5 x flex, but my numbers were pretty good with both. Will the 9.5 X flex be more accurate, but not as long as the 8.5 S flex. I have a ton of data and both seemed pretty much better than my current shaft/head combo.
 
Took the advice and they recommended the Callaway FT Tour in 9.5 X flex Voodoo shaft or 8.5 S flex Voodoo shaft.

Advantages either way? My thought would be 9.5 x flex, but my numbers were pretty good with both. Will the 9.5 X flex be more accurate, but not as long as the 8.5 S flex. I have a ton of data and both seemed pretty much better than my current shaft/head combo.

They both just gave you the optimal numbers is my guess.
Glad to hear you went for the fitting. I like higher lofted drivers personally because they seem to add some forgiveness to my game.
 
Interestingly, they recommended that I ditch my ball as well. They recommended the Bridgestone B330. That is a nice ball. I love the feel of it with my irons!

I am leaning towards the 8.5 S flex. Don't think I can swing a X flex all day. The feel felt great on every other swing while the stiff was pretty even.

Thanks for the recommendation.
 
The "fitting" was back burnered as I didn't fully understand why he was suggesting both the stiff and extra stiff but different lofts.

The higher loft and stiffer shaft counter each other. X-Flex shafts tend to have a lower peak than Stiff shafts.
It's all about preference once they say X-Flex 9.5° or S-Flex 8.5°. Our swing speeds are almost identical (Avg 110, peak of 118) and I was given the same option. If I was to buy a shaft, I'd probably go 9.5° with the X-Flex. In my personal testing (eyesight and feel) the dispersion was better with the X-Flex shaft...basically, my lefts weren't "as left".
 
Loft is the main determinant of the amount of backspin.
 
Well, not exactly. The clubhead I have found through the fitting makes a huge difference. My existing r9 460 has a real low and back center of gravity which causes a ton of backspin. My NV S 65 shaft helped bring it down, but when we put in a x flex version of the same shaft, the RPM dropped a bunch. He showed me that as I was thinking the same thing, but he easily exhibited to me that it is a total package, not just one factor. Sure, I could have bandaided it by moving to a heavier and stiffer shaft, but really, what was needed was a different style head and a different shaft profile.

I went to my local Callaway fitting center last night and hit balls on their outdoor range with both options (S 8.5 and X 9.5) I felt very comfortable with the S 8.5 and was really bombing it. It is nice to actually get some roll out on the drives! Best drive was well into the 3's and worst was around 260 left (awful swing). The ball trajectory was a nice change and dispersion seemed well.

He also noted that I had been letting my grip go to the end of the grip and hang over (this was causing the random wrist break at the top of my swing) and I fixed that, but he also recommended I widen my stance....A LOT! I was turning away (the video showed me being in a terrible position (almost swaying forward at the top) and was out of whack balance-wise, he widened me out and I seemed to be in better balance all around. And I could tell that I was smoking the drives...
 
This is a real interesting thread, thank you for putting it out there BigDaddy. I had some questions on why the lower loft was recommended on my fitting as opposed to what I had been using and it completely makes sense. Thanks for the write up!
 
I went to my local Callaway fitting center last night and hit balls on their outdoor range with both options (S 8.5 and X 9.5) I felt very comfortable with the S 8.5 and was really bombing it. It is nice to actually get some roll out on the drives! Best drive was well into the 3's and worst was around 260 left (awful swing). The ball trajectory was a nice change and dispersion seemed well.

That's more like it with the SS and LA you were giving us. There are plenty more factors however 260-300+ is more what I had in mind. Glad you found the distance that you were missing with the Driver!
 
Holy cow! I just hit some balls with my new driver at the range near my house and this thing is crazy! (in a good way!!) I actually hit it really well and was impressed with it. Not as forgiving as my R9 460, but this thing was much longer (I would guess at least 20-30 yards longer, but my biggest complaint with my old driver was that I lost yards, but gained accuracy.) In the wind last week, it was really bad. I was all over the place with it (as the wind was grabbing the ball and tossing it around pretty good). I guess you live and learn with golf superstore "fittings" .

Only minor change is the grip. It is a little too small for my hands and the midsize Winn Excel will be on it before sundown!

I can't wait to play this weekend. I am playing at TPC River Highlands in CT and should be fun. I played there last week as well and it was in nice shape considering the Traveler's was there the week prior.
 
on a seperate note, the swing changes really take some getting used to, especially the wider stance.
 
Well....it's been almost 2 weeks and I have to admit it. I hate the FT Tour. I hit it a long way, but my accuracy is way off.

I went to a Golftec in Denver last monday night after I flew out all morning and he reviewed my session from the week prior. He told me that a better fit would be the Tour Edge Exotics CB4 driver with the RIP S sigma shaft. So they were willing to take the FT Tour in trade and exchanged the CB4 (along with 2 dozen balls) for my FT Tour.

What a difference. I shot an 87 that evening (as I still wasn't feeling great from flying all day and hitting more balls at GT), but Tuesday afternoon, I shot even par through 8 holes (we had to stop playing as they closed the course due to lightning and very heavy rain. I hit every fairway and was satisfied with the trajectory and rollout. Thursday, we played Riverdale Dunes in Denver and I shot 78 (which tied my best score YTD) and hit 12 of 14 fairways. I shot 40 on the front (2 double bogeys from the missed fairways.) and 38 on the back (was even par through 16 on the back, but tried to go for sucker pins on 17 and 18 and bogeyed them both...)

Overall, I like the new driver. Almost as long as the FT Tour was, but it consistently hits the fairway. In the thin air in Denver, I hit a few that were in the 320+ range, but consistently was around 295-305 off the tee.

In summary, I think Golftec is valuable, but if your not feeling the club they fit you with, get a second opinion. In this instance, it ended up really helping me a bunch. The guy really took his time.
 
Do you remember which GolfTec you went to here in Denver?
Nice score at the Dunes! It can punish you if are wild off the tee.
 
The GT branch was in Golden. The round I played where I was even through 8 holes was Fossil Trace (that course is really beautiful) I was really bummed out as we teed off 9 in a driving rain and I hit my best drive of the trip. I then hit my hybrid just to the front of the green and likely would have made birdie if it didn't start hailing like crazy. The Dunes was also nice, but I bogeyed 2 and 8 and doubled 3 and shot 40 on the front. I buckled down on the back and birdied 11, but bogeyed 15, 17 and 18 as I was trying to get "even". Overall, very pleased with the golf, even though every round had a "halftime show" that included lightning.
 
newby THP'er i have a question to the peeps with the knowledge about aldila voodoo i recently bought an aldila voodoo shaft 62g . 4.5* mid kick point and it doesn't
say anything else any info would greatly appreciated and if it helps the shaft is "BLACK"
 
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