Got shafted...

[flydigital]

So I have been struggling with my high ball flight with my driver (RBZ 9.5), and was hoping a new shaft could help bring me a few more yards via lower ball flight (was showing 5-6000RPMs on the flightscope). I have about a 105MPH swing speed and hitting about 240 yards on average and making around 80% of fairways.. pretty happy but was hopeful I could find more distance.

So a few days ago I got fitted at a local outfit and a couple days and couple hundred dollars later I have a new shaft installed. Fujikura Motore F1 65g R2 Flex cut 1.75" shorter than my previous stock TM RBZ Matrix S-flex shaft.

I take my new shaft out to the range .... and .... it was a total disaster. Duck hooks all over the place. I had to slow my swing way down and play a huge cut swing to get the thing to go even somewhat straight. The shaft felt way too soft and almost felt like it was buckling with a normal speed swing. I was hitting my irons and FWs just fine but could not hit this driver/shaft.

Did I get shafted by the fitter or is it just me? Maybe I need more time with the shaft? I really feel I was put in WAY to soft of a flex and despite my concerns given to the fitter he was sure this was the way to go for me.

 

[c0ncept]

So I have been struggling with my high ball flight with my driver (RBZ 9.5), and was hoping a new shaft could help bring me a few more yards via lower ball flight (was showing 5-6000RPMs on the flightscope). I have about a 105MPH swing speed and hitting about 240 yards on average and making around 80% of fairways.. pretty happy but was hopeful I could find more distance.

So a few days ago I got fitted at a local outfit and a couple days and couple hundred dollars later I have a new shaft installed. Fujikura Motore F1 65g R2 Flex cut 1.75" shorter than my previous stock TM RBZ Matrix S-flex shaft.

I take my new shaft out to the range .... and .... it was a total disaster. Duck hooks all over the place. I had to slow my swing way down and play a huge cut swing to get the thing to go even somewhat straight. The shaft felt way too soft and almost felt like it was buckling with a normal speed swing. I was hitting my irons and FWs just fine but could not hit this driver/shaft.

Did I get shafted by the fitter or is it just me? Maybe I need more time with the shaft? I really feel I was put in WAY to soft of a flex and despite my concerns given to the fitter he was sure this was the way to go for me.

He gave you and SR flex with a 105MPH SS? wth

 

[Fourwiggle]

So I have been struggling with my high ball flight with my driver (RBZ 9.5), and was hoping a new shaft could help bring me a few more yards via lower ball flight (was showing 5-6000RPMs on the flightscope). I have about a 105MPH swing speed and hitting about 240 yards on average and making around 80% of fairways.. pretty happy but was hopeful I could find more distance.

So a few days ago I got fitted at a local outfit and a couple days and couple hundred dollars later I have a new shaft installed. Fujikura Motore F1 65g R2 Flex cut 1.75" shorter than my previous stock TM RBZ Matrix S-flex shaft.

I take my new shaft out to the range .... and .... it was a total disaster. Duck hooks all over the place. I had to slow my swing way down and play a huge cut swing to get the thing to go even somewhat straight. The shaft felt way too soft and almost felt like it was buckling with a normal speed swing. I was hitting my irons and FWs just fine but could not hit this driver/shaft.

Did I get shafted by the fitter or is it just me? Maybe I need more time with the shaft? I really feel I was put in WAY to soft of a flex and despite my concerns given to the fitter he was sure this was the way to go for me.

Yeah, if your hitting hooks the shaft is WAY to soft for you...

Just so you have a frame of reference, my SS is at 108mph and I've got Project X 6.5s in my woods/hybrids. And my driver plays at 45.25".

I don't have a problem with them fitting you to a shorter shaft (I think all shafts are too long) but they tried to compensate flex with an R2 flex. Maybe if they'd tipped the shaft 1" and butt-cut 3/4" it might have worked (I say might have). If they butt-cut 1.75" and installed a R shaft straight-in, it was a recipe for disaster. Can you take it back?? The Motore's are good shafts you just got the wrong flex/install...

 

[flydigital]

Yes I can take it back, just wanted some confirmation on what I was thinking. Thanks for that. I'm new to this fitting thing and like I said just wanted less spin and lower ball flight. Not sure why the fitter put me in R2. I'm fine with the shorter shaft as I figured it would help me be even more consistent, but the flex is just all wrong I guess.

Would the S flex (same Motore shaft) sound right, and if so, how should it be cut? I don't have much confidence in the fitter atm, so I hope to give him exact instructions this time around!

 

[c0ncept]

Yes I can take it back, just wanted some confirmation on what I was thinking. Thanks for that. I'm new to this fitting thing and like I said just wanted less spin and lower ball flight. Not sure why the fitter put me in R2. I'm fine with the shorter shaft as I figured it would help me be even more consistent, but the flex is just all wrong I guess.

Would the S flex (same Motore shaft) sound right, and if so, how should it be cut? I don't have much confidence in the fitter atm, so I hope to give him exact instructions this time around!

Stiff sounds right. R2=SR=Soft Regular...No idea how you got put into that shaft. I say leave it stock at first and choke up if needed.

 

[Fourwiggle]

Yes I can take it back, just wanted some confirmation on what I was thinking. Thanks for that. I'm new to this fitting thing and like I said just wanted less spin and lower ball flight. Not sure why the fitter put me in R2. I'm fine with the shorter shaft as I figured it would help me be even more consistent, but the flex is just all wrong I guess.

Would the S flex (same Motore shaft) sound right, and if so, how should it be cut? I don't have much confidence in the fitter atm, so I hope to give him exact instructions this time around!

If your intention is to play the shaft at 44.75" I would say straight-in with butt-cut to length. The R2 shaft has a soft tip and the S will have a mid tip.

F1 65	R2	46	63	118	94	3.5	.335	.610	M/H	L	L/M
F1 65	R	46	65	112	84	3.2	.335	.610	M/H	L	L/M
F1 65	S	46	65	103	76	3.2	.335	.610	M/H	L	L/M
F1 65	X	46	65	93	66	3.2	.335	.615	M/H	L	L/M

At 103 with an S shaft vs 118 for the R2, I believe it will suit you well. Ideally, I always like to play shafts just a tad softer than what I can actually handle. This shaft will also feel stiffer because the butt-flex is 76 in the S vs 94 in the R2. If you're concerned about the S flex and want it to play closer to S+ then I would have them tip the shaft .25" but otherwise I think you'll be great. I assume your RBZ is NOT an adjustable driver??

 

[ArmyGolf]

Yikes, an SR shaft with a 105mph SS? Just goes to show that any fitting is only as good as the fitter.

 

[tequila4kapp]

Yikes, an SR shaft with a 105mph SS? Just goes to show that any fitting is only as good as the fitter.

I bet they were trying to compensate for cutting the shaft down so much, which (i think) makes a shaft play stiffer.

 

[ArmyGolf]

I bet they were trying to compensate for cutting the shaft down so much, which (i think) makes a shaft play stiffer.

Only if you cut from the tip though right? Still it seems like quite the stretch.

 

[flydigital]

A little update on this...

I decided to give the shaft more time (I have 3 months to replace it) and it is growing on me. It turns out the fitter butt-cut it, not tipped, but the frequency has it reading about a standard R flex. I am hitting it much better now and while the confidence and accuracy is not quite there yet, I really like it when I hit 'em good. Getting better distance (260 avg), numbers are right (17deg and 2500rpm avg) with much nicer lower ball flight. It turns out that with the higher weight and shorter shaft vs my old shaft I lost about 9mph (96mph avg now). With the distance increase, that's no big deal. I just need to get it a bit more tight on the dispersion.

So in conclusion, I panicked a bit and didn't give it enough time to get used to the feel and timing of it, but its getting better and I might end up sticking with this after all.

 

[golfinFF]

A little update on this...

I decided to give the shaft more time (I have 3 months to replace it) and it is growing on me. It turns out the fitter butt-cut it, not tipped, but the frequency has it reading about a standard R flex. I am hitting it much better now and while the confidence and accuracy is not quite there yet, I really like it when I hit 'em good. Getting better distance (260 avg), numbers are right (17deg and 2500rpm avg) with much nicer lower ball flight. It turns out that with the higher weight and shorter shaft vs my old driver I lost about 4mph (96mph avg now).

So in conclusion, I panicked a bit and didn't give it enough time to get used to the feel and timing of it, but its getting better and I might end up sticking with this after all.

Glad to see your adjusting to the new shaft. I'm not sure what the ratio is for shortening a shaft and loosing club head speed, but typically when you go shorter you'll loose speed. On the plus side you'll probably gain accuracy and find the center of the club face more and see more consistent dispersion, distance.

Good luck on the taming the new beast!

 

[capt.dru]

A little update on this...

I decided to give the shaft more time (I have 3 months to replace it) and it is growing on me. It turns out the fitter butt-cut it, not tipped, but the frequency has it reading about a standard R flex. I am hitting it much better now and while the confidence and accuracy is not quite there yet, I really like it when I hit 'em good. Getting better distance (260 avg), numbers are right (17deg and 2500rpm avg) with much nicer lower ball flight. It turns out that with the higher weight and shorter shaft vs my old shaft I lost about 9mph (96mph avg now). With the distance increase, that's no big deal. I just need to get it a bit more tight on the dispersion.

So in conclusion, I panicked a bit and didn't give it enough time to get used to the feel and timing of it, but its getting better and I might end up sticking with this after all.

Glad to hear this shaft is starting to work out for you.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0

 

[Fourwiggle]

A little update on this...

I decided to give the shaft more time (I have 3 months to replace it) and it is growing on me. It turns out the fitter butt-cut it, not tipped, but the frequency has it reading about a standard R flex. I am hitting it much better now and while the confidence and accuracy is not quite there yet, I really like it when I hit 'em good. Getting better distance (260 avg), numbers are right (17deg and 2500rpm avg) with much nicer lower ball flight. It turns out that with the higher weight and shorter shaft vs my old shaft I lost about 9mph (96mph avg now). With the distance increase, that's no big deal. I just need to get it a bit more tight on the dispersion.

So in conclusion, I panicked a bit and didn't give it enough time to get used to the feel and timing of it, but its getting better and I might end up sticking with this after all.

Good for you! Those numbers are REALLY good aside from the slower mph on swing speed. Which may have been the issue to begin with. If you overswing with that type of shaft you are going to overpower it and the ball is going to go left. If you'll stay within yourself you may find that shaft will work.

Keep us updated...

 

[JF]

The numbers confuse me. First, how the heck did you have 6000 rpms in the first place with a driver? That's insane. Second, a shaft killed over half of that spin? And less than two inches of length killed almost 10mph of swing speed? I'd consider you an outlier.


THPing on Tapatalk

 

[flydigital]

The numbers confuse me. First, how the heck did you have 6000 rpms in the first place with a driver? That's insane. Second, a shaft killed over half of that spin? And less than two inches of length killed almost 10mph of swing speed? I'd consider you an outlier.
THPing on Tapatalk

No idea how I had that spin... but my instructor hit it, 116MPH swing I think, and hit it just shy of 11000rpm! I think flightscope showed 310 total distance. He hit the new shaft also, about 3300 rpm, I think about 330 distance. Not sure on distance but the spin I remember.

I think I went up about 20 grams in weight on the shaft and almost 2" shorter. I'm also swinging it a bit smoother and with less confidence right now, I think that will go back up a little.

 

[JF]

No idea how I had that spin... but my instructor hit it, 116MPH swing I think, and hit it just shy of 11000rpm! I think flightscope showed 310 total distance. He hit the new shaft also, about 3300 rpm, I think about 330 distance. Not sure on distance but the spin I remember.

I think I went up about 20 grams in weight on the shaft and almost 2" shorter. I'm also swinging it a bit smoother and with less confidence right now, I think that will go back up a little.

Something is off on that monitor is he hit a driver with 11,000 rpm of spin. Especially with over 300 yards of distance.


THPing on Tapatalk

 

[flydigital]

Maybe, but for my fitting I was also getting around 6000rpm of spin with the old shaft (different monitor, but same model). Maybe the Flightscope has issues at higher ends of the scale, but it's all I've had to go from. Anyway, just sharing my experience. I've seen similar claims of unwanted high spin with the same stock RBZ driver shaft, and this new shaft has certainly helped me in that regard.

 

[JF]

Maybe, but for my fitting I was also getting around 6000rpm of spin with the old shaft (different monitor, but same model). Maybe the Flightscope has issues at higher ends of the scale, but it's all I've had to go from. Anyway, just sharing my experience. I've seen similar claims of unwanted high spin with the same stock RBZ driver shaft, and this new shaft has certainly helped me in that regard.

I'm gonna talk to the fitter at my pro shop next time I go. He worked on tour vans for quite some time and knows all there is to know about fitting. I'll ask him the highest driver spin number he's ever seen and if 11,000 is even comprehendable.