Another 'recommend a shaft/tell me to ditch my driver' thread!

the_paulo

Euro target practice
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Right guys. My range session last night was perhaps the tipping point for me with the driver. I got some hard numbers that proved what I already know. In brief -

I'm not launching the ball anywhere near high enough
I'm not getting near enough spin

I'm losing so much distance on my drives due to this, and although I can hit it fairly straight, it's now starting to frustrate me! So I think I need the brain trust to get together and spit out some shaft recommendations. First, you'll need the data.

My current driver - TM R9 460 with Motore F1 shaft - x flex.

The stats from last night. I was swinging badly and the conditions weren't great, but I guess I'll face these on the course at some point too! (there are a couple of particularly bad ones in there, so discount those!)

R9460-070911.jpg


None of this was swinging 'hard' at the ball....tried to contain it a bit this season looking for consistency!

Whaddya fink?
 
Yowza. I'm wondering if the shaft flex is too stiff? Kick point to high?
 
Yowza. I'm wondering if the shaft flex is too stiff? Kick point to high?
I was thinking the same thing. The distance and ball speed seem a little off for a swing speed suited for an X flex.
 
Yowza. I'm wondering if the shaft flex is too stiff? Kick point to high?

It's a bit too stiff, yeah. Even though the same shaft in the 3 and 5w seems to behave well. I should have mentioned that I tried the Callaway Razr Hawk with the Aldila RIP in stiff flex, and was actually launching it lower! Same story with the Octane Black Tour with the Project X stiff.

I took the driver with the intention of swapping out for a S flex shaft (which I'll be going back to if I find the right one) but found that at first I liked the fact that I could keep it in play compared to the previous driver!

There are swing factors, but I think I might need a little help in getting it airborne too!
 
You need a Miyazaki Silver.
 
Miyazaki Kusala series in stiff (not XS).
61 gram version. Blue series to get launch slightly higher without going to high in the silver.
 
You need a Miyazaki Silver.

Miyazaki Kusala series in stiff (not XS).
61 gram version. Blue series to get launch slightly higher without going to high in the silver.

Ooft, 2 very similar in one minute. You guys still in the same bed? :wink:

I'd really like to try something Miyazaki. Even if a Miyazaki Silver sounds a little like a member of a Japanese pensioner's social club. :D
 
Ooft, 2 very similar in one minute. You guys still in the same bed? :wink:

I'd really like to try something Miyazaki. Even if a Miyazaki Silver sounds a little like a member of a Japanese pensioner's social club. :D

He loves wearing that Lee Westwood mask :p
 
Ooft, 2 very similar in one minute. You guys still in the same bed? :wink:

You are assuming there is nobody else there...hehe
 
It's a bit too stiff, yeah. Even though the same shaft in the 3 and 5w seems to behave well. I should have mentioned that I tried the Callaway Razr Hawk with the Aldila RIP in stiff flex, and was actually launching it lower! Same story with the Octane Black Tour with the Project X stiff.

I took the driver with the intention of swapping out for a S flex shaft (which I'll be going back to if I find the right one) but found that at first I liked the fact that I could keep it in play compared to the previous driver!

There are swing factors, but I think I might need a little help in getting it airborne too!
A stiffer shaft, generally speaking, will give you a tighter dispersion but less distance. You could try a stiff flex and tipping it one-inch, or a stiff flex with a lower kick point. Or, if you want to try something really radical (if you're experimenting), try a regular flex tipped one-inch. I know a gent with a SS of 105 who plays the latter and averages 280 off the tee. [It can also depend how you load the shaft.] Most club builders recommend the less flex you can handle the better, i.e., the more distance you will get: if you play a stiff flex but can handle a regular, go with the regular.
 
He loves wearing that Lee Westwood mask :p

You are assuming there is nobody else there...hehe

Now it's just getting freaky. And not in a good way! :D

The things that happen when GG goes to the shop.

(tries to get mind back to pondering Miyazaki)
 
You may already be doing this but here goes anyway just to reiterate: to maximize distance with a driver you have to have the shaft lean correct first of all, it must lean back with the clubhead just slightly ahead of your hands, it is the opposite of what you do with an iron. This is just a guess but these figures you posted, especially the launch angle, look like square alignment and square contact swings, good for a straight 5 iron shot but you are not getting any help from that setup with launching the driver higher. I could be wrong but if you move the ball forward a ball or two and tee it higher so half the ball is showing above the club head along with opening your stance just slightly you will hit a much higher shot with that same driver. If any of these adjustments go beyond the point where you can control the fade it will put on the ball then just adjust the ball position and stance back slightly until you hit it higher but straighter. The ball will come off this setup much higher, like a fly ball to right field in baseball vs a line drive to center field (I know you are in Scotland - look it up) and your target line will be well to the right of what you are used to. You will get more distance out of a stiff shaft even with your current setup however as you may not be generating enough SS to really get the most out of an X shaft. It will cause you to lose some control but you will gain a lot of distance going to that stiff shaft and you will be able to do it without swinging as hard as you need to with an X shaft. You might be able to alter your flight with new equipment but if you do that it means less ability to hit that lower flying line drive shot when you need to. Unless you want to carry two drivers like Phil.
 
The Silver will get the ball up there for sure. Since you have an adjustable head, you could look at the Dromos too.
 
Just for my curiosity what loft are you playing?
 
A stiffer shaft, generally speaking, will give you a tighter dispersion but less distance. You could try a stiff flex and tipping it one-inch, or a stiff flex with a lower kick point. Or, if you want to try something really radical (if you're experimenting), try a regular flex tipped one-inch. I know a gent with a SS of 105 who plays the latter and averages 280 off the tee. [It can also depend how you load the shaft.] Most club builders recommend the less flex you can handle the better, i.e., the more distance you will get: if you play a stiff flex but can handle a regular, go with the regular.

Yeah, I was going for the tighter dispersion thing when I decided to stick with this shaft, but I've just got frustrated knowing I could be seeing so much more distance with the right combo. that's a couple of interesting options. I've got a couple of older drivers I could mess about with too. Cheers Sean.

You may already be doing this but here goes anyway just to reiterate: to maximize distance with a driver you have to have the shaft lean correct first of all, it must lean back with the clubhead just slightly ahead of your hands, it is the opposite of what you do with an iron. This is just a guess but these figures you posted, especially the launch angle, look like square alignment and square contact swings, good for a straight 5 iron shot but you are not getting any help from that setup with launching the driver higher. I could be wrong but if you move the ball forward a ball or two and tee it higher so half the ball is showing above the club head along with opening your stance just slightly you will hit a much higher shot with that same driver. If any of these adjustments go beyond the point where you can control the fade it will put on the ball then just adjust the ball position and stance back slightly until you hit it higher but straighter. The ball will come off this setup much higher, like a fly ball to right field in baseball vs a line drive to center field (I know you are in Scotland - look it up) and your target line will be well to the right of what you are used to. You will get more distance out of a stiff shaft even with your current setup however as you may not be generating enough SS to really get the most out of an X shaft. It will cause you to lose some control but you will gain a lot of distance going to that stiff shaft and you will be able to do it without swinging as hard as you need to with an X shaft. You might be able to alter your flight with new equipment but if you do that it means less ability to hit that lower flying line drive shot when you need to. Unless you want to carry two drivers like Phil.

Cheers. I've been messing about with ball position, swing path, stance and everything else this season. I get the best, and most consistant results when I tee the ball a little lower (it actually launches higher too, strange as it may seem). I can mess about with stance to get it to fly higher, but my total distance is still suffering and I'm not as confident with hitting a foreign shot shape. I looked up your baserball thing and I'm thinking of entering my local team into that world series! :wink:

The Silver will get the ball up there for sure. Since you have an adjustable head, you could look at the Dromos too.

More Miyazaki ponderance! Miyazaki is very difficult to get over this way, outside of the stock offerings in the Cleveland products though.

Just for my curiosity what loft are you playing?

It's 10.5, should have stated that in the initial post!
 
Can you demo the Z-Star over there?
 
Can you demo the Z-Star over there?

There are no stockists that I know of in the country. The biggest golf store in Scotland is only a few miles away from me, and even they only hold a few Cleveland drivers. Darnit!
 
The home of golf needs more choices, imo. Windermere, FL may just have to take that title :devil:
 
Sorry I'm a bit late to the party. I have an Aldila NVS 60g stiff and it launches super high for me. It's a cheap alternative and may work well for you. I'll trade with you as I could use a lower launch. :)


I wish golf was as easy as Tapatalk.
 
You need a Miyazaki Silver.

Miyazaki Kusala series in stiff (not XS).
61 gram version. Blue series to get launch slightly higher without going to high in the silver.

Late to the party but thirded.

Also if that's a 10.5 driver, it looks like you're hitting slightly down on the ball instead of up. If it's working for you, no biggie, but if you're looking for more carry distance it might be something to look at with a pro.
 
The home of golf needs more choices, imo. Windermere, FL may just have to take that title :devil:

It's well on the way there! And I agree totally, the market here can't be that small!

Sorry I'm a bit late to the party. I have an Aldila NVS 60g stiff and it launches super high for me. It's a cheap alternative and may work well for you. I'll trade with you as I could use a lower launch. :)

I'll take a look into that too, thanks. Just bring yours over and we can trade! :wink:

Late to the party but thirded.

Also if that's a 10.5 driver, it looks like you're hitting slightly down on the ball instead of up. If it's working for you, no biggie, but if you're looking for more carry distance it might be something to look at with a pro.

Yeah, my tendency is to slide at the hips which gets me in front of the ball, and I've been working on it most of this season. Even taking that into account, I've always launched the ball rather low.

Thanks guys!
 
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