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Theoretically, would a heavier/stiffer shaft help lower spin numbers?

Nippon Shafts
GolfFest

GolfFest

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I say theoretically because I was only able to get ball numbers from the monitor and not club, and to really answer this question I should see a pro fitter. It is more of a question of something I should be thinking about.

My driver is the R1 with the stock stiff 55 gram shaft set at 9.5 degrees. I hit the ball pretty high, ball speed between 155-160. On my better shots backspin was around 2900 and on the worse up to about 4000. Launch angle was around 15.

I'm a pretty well built guy and my swing tempo sometimes gets too quick. I had thought with the high flight I had a fairly upward angle of attack but seeing the spin numbers I'm not so sure anymore. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get club data.

Is is a heavier/stiffer shaft something I should look into?
 
The short answer here is yes. Typically going from an s-flex to an x-flex or going from a 50g range to a 70g range will lower launch and spin simultaneously. It's important to be cautious though, as with many shafts the different weight ranges can change the profile entirely.
 
My pops just went through this exact scenario. The heavier shaft gave him much much better numbers. Also a MUCH smaller dispersion area. Sounds like your guys's numbers are pretty much exactly the same and he was playing the RBZ Stage 2 stock shift shaft which is like 50g I think. Same with you causing high back spin numbers. He ended up fooling around with heavier shafts they had in stock and the 60g shaft worked much better for him. Other things to look at are kick points.
 
2900 is just fine the higher spin from misses is to be expected. An inconsistent swing will cause this. Based on the numbers you shared, you have access to launch monitor and a fitting, I'd go test some shafts
 
Yes. A heavier shaft can help slow down your tempo, which should lower your spin numbers. One factor that gets overlooked a lot when trying to maximize distance through launch and spin readings is angle of decent. If you have high spin numbers it can rob you of total distance by limiting your roll out distance after the ball lands.
 
2900 rpm at 15° launch at 155 ball speed is pretty close to ideal.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I was under the impression that 2900 was still on the high side.
 
For what its worth I got the TM MAT-T fitting/analysis done today and they put the TP 65 gram RIP Phenom stiff in vs the stock 55 and it lowered my spin by 800 rpms.
 
blugold said:
2900 rpm at 15° launch at 155 ball speed is pretty close to ideal.
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Blu is correct. A heavier shaft will help you control your tempo a bit more. I was having a huge problem last year and switched to an 83g shaft. Lost about 9 yards of carry but found more fairways. And that's a tradeoff I'll take 8 days a week.
 
GolfFest said:
Thanks for the feedback. I was under the impression that 2900 was still on the high side.
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IMO if that's with 160 mph ball speed, its slightly on the high side for 15* of launch, but not too bad. I think perfect would be about 2400-2500 with those other numbers to maximize distance. Of course, if you drop your spin with a heavier shaft, you may drop your launch too, and if the result is say 11* and 2200 then I think the 15 and 2900 is better.
 
I am going to test out the stock 65 gram shaft and see what kind of difference it makes compared to the 55. Won't be able to test many other shafts until I see a fitter. I'll let you know what differences I see. Depending on how much it lowers the launch/spin I may be increasing the loft but the major goal is to be more accurate.
 
Has anyone played around with this tool before? http://flightscope.com/products/trajectory-optimizer/ (Warning potential time suck playing with the settings and possibilities)

It is pretty interesting/educational to see the way spin and launch angle effect each shot.
 
Thank you for filling my morning tomorrow. I'm all booked up with "meetings" tomorrow morning now.


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