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Do You Over Think Shafts?

Nippon Shafts
In the past there is no way I thought enough about shafts. Today I think about shafts almost as much as anything else. I wish I understood more about what makes certain shafts do certain things, but everything you need to know can be understood by trying out the shaft.
 
I used to think that I was overthinking shafts. I've played tons of different flexes and have a mixed bag. I've spent many hours researching trying to find out what would work best.

Then I had a club fitting this past weekend. Neither myself or BOTH of the pros working on my fitting could figure out why I hit X-flex so perfectly in my 3-wood, 2 hybrid and 3 hybrid; yet I fit best with regular flex in both my driver and irons. In fact they're having me come back again this Saturday for a second fitting session to see how my consistency pans out lol.

So maybe I need to do even more thinking/researching on shafts.
 
codybwallace said:
In the past there is no way I thought enough about shafts. Today I think about shafts almost as much as anything else. I wish I understood more about what makes certain shafts do certain things, but everything you need to know can be understood by trying out the shaft.
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Agree, I do not know enough about various shaft performance so I leave that to the pro's to figure out for me. After experiencing a few club fittings, I rely on their input to suggest what is optimal for my swing.
 
blugold said:
I think about my driver shaft WAY TOO MUCH. Iron shafts, I found some that I love. Thinking has ceased.

But driver shafts, I know I put too much time into thinking about torque ratings and tip stiffness and the like.

I will say, I know that I like my driver shafts in the 60 gram weight class with a stiff tip. I think.
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And it's for this very reason that I have 4 different driver shafts. I always threaten a shaft when my drives start going awry. If they do not straighten up by the end of the round the shaft is replaced. The pulled shaft is then put into a dark closet and forced to listen to me talk to my friends about how awesome my new driver shaft is.

I think I'm like most in here when it comes to thinking about shafts, though. I used to not care at all. Heck, I didn't even check for flex. If it looked good I bought it. Now that I understand golf a whole hell of a lot more, the first thing I look at is the stock shaft. Most times it's a shaft not suited for my game, so I end up re-using an old shaft that worked or buying a new one. With that being said, I believe that the shaft is truly the engine of the club. Well, theoretically your body is the engine and the shaft could be the transmission....but let's keep with the shaft is the engine. All shafts have different characteristics. Kick point, tip and butt stiffness, weight, etc. And what I have found is that there's a reason why some of these shafts are $400. They may not be for everyone, but neither is a Maserati. Plus, you have to be able to control the club too. All speed + No Control = A lot of second shots hit from behind trees or from the tee box.

That's what blows my mind with what the club manufacturers are doing now with their ultra light shafts. Sure you're going to hit the ball farther with a shaft that's 5g lighter, but chances are that you can't control the club face as well anymore. Proof of this is found in the resale area of golf stores. A week after a driver comes out you see 5+ drivers that were hit maybe 20 times, in the resale rack.

I wish more people had a better understanding of which shaft is right for them. People would get a lot more enjoyment out of the game. Too many people shelf their driver because they, "can't hit it".
 
As others have said, I didn't even think about golf shafts until I joined THP...I had no clue about the differences between them. I still don't think I think about shaft selection enough...I've gone through some short pseudo-fittings, however I feel like I need to spend some quality time with a fitter and go through the bag and see if the shafts I'm playing are the best for my game.
 
Honestly, before I came here the only thing shaft related I thought about was "I know I need a stiff shaft" other than that I never had a clue really the amount of different shafts and the amount of different characteristics they offered. Now I won't buy anything without a fitting.
 
I definitely do not under think shafts but I don't think I over think them either. In the last 12 months I have tried so many different shafts that now I know what works and what doesn't for my swing. When I started the process I was overthinking everything...how do I know I was overthinking? When you are worried about going from a 2.9 torque shaft to a 3.0 - you are overthinking.
Now I absorb what the manufacturer states the shaft should do, mix that with as many reviews as I can find and then I place it into a category. My categories are low/low, mid/mid, and high/low. I now know to avoid everything that isn't in the "mid/mid" range so I'll focus on those and will eventually work my way through all the one's that interest me until I find "the one".

I'll buy without a fitting over and over for a few reasons. I like to think I'm educated on the subject, at least a little and secondly because I really enjoy the proverbial chase for the holy grail...it's part of my love of the game.
 
I feel like I think about shafts the right amount. Pretty much only when a change that is going to require a new shaft is coming. Like getting a new driver. I'm very happy with the shaft options that I have made. But I'm always reading and educating myself for my own knowledge. Very few stock shafts are going to fit me, and I don't think I have found one yet.
 
Playdough said:
I feel like I think about shafts the right amount. Pretty much only when a change that is going to require a new shaft is coming. Like getting a new driver. I'm very happy with the shaft options that I have made. But I'm always reading and educating myself for my own knowledge. Very few stock shafts are going to fit me, and I don't think I have found one yet.
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And the knowledge you have on shafts is astonishing to me.

There are several others here that know a ton as well and it amazes me and something I am working on getting to understand.
 
Before MC2012, I don't think I thought about shafts as much as I should have. Now, at the least, I ask around for opinions on shaft choices.
 
I over think. I tend to be in the majority when it comes to my handicap class, which tends to need some help getting the ball up. Most manufactures offer stock shafts that compensate for this, yet I always look at after market shafts when it's probably not needed.
 
Short answer No.

I honestly had never really thought of shafts making that big of a difference, until this year. But now I really want to get into proper shaft fittings further.

I had never had an opportunity to throw different shafts into my driver, until I ended up With FrancisD's 910D2, and he sent it up with 2 shafts. The 'Ahina and Project X gave me an opportunity right on the range to swap stuff out between shots if I wished, and it took all of maybe one range session to settle on the Project X. I didn't have stats mind you, only what I could see and feel. What I saw was better, what I felt was less harsh and more pleasant.

I grabbed a 4w so I could try the same thing with the 'Ahina and an Ilima. Haven't had a chance to swing it yet, but really looking forward to it.

I wish I had more opportunities to try out different shafts, but the facilities here really don't have anything available. The only sims tend to be in a golf store, and that store really only carries the same shaft in Stiff or Regular. There is one Trackman here within 2 hours drive, but the availability on it is brutal.
 
I honestly never really knew anything about different shafts until I started on this site, and how much finding the right one can make such a difference. Now when I go do a demo day I like to try as many different shafts there are. I don't think over think it as I still don't know enough about them, but do like to try.
 
I think the average golfer thinks little about shafts (other than Sr, Reg or stiff) until he or she goes for a fitting. Then, all hell breaks loose. Once they see what options they have, it becomes a brain overload. I would bet most still end up with the standard shaft. The exception being the low handicap golfer..
 
Iron shafts - No, I was properly fit. Driver Shafts - YES. I think with the number of driver shafts on the market and with companies offering 2 to 4 different stock options shafts are always in my mind. I find the biggest issue is that unless you buy them, it is hard to test anything that isn't a stock shaft. I finally bit the bullet and bought a couple Miyazaki shafts last year.....found out the black fits me much better than the silver. Haven't gotten to unload the silver yet so but it just seems like shafts are not so easily availible to test. And every shaft has a different profile that I always feel like something out there could give me a couple "extra" yards!
 
Personally, I don't really think that much of it at all. Irons I like a couple different kinds, never fit for them, just based on results on the course. Woods, I know which style I like, stiff with a stiffer tip section. So I tend stay in that range when looking at wood shafts. But I don't really change much, I have liked the Project X shafts for awhile now and just purchase clubs with those in them or pick the shafts up afterwards. Only shafts that I haven't changed to them, is my R11s 3w and Rescue, the RIP Phenom seems to really be working for me in the 3w, so haven't felt the need to change it. The Rescue I will have to look at it in the future, as I do seem to hook that club more than normal.
 
I did for my driver... thinking too much about torque and how that affected my ability to get the face square at impact. With a low-mid 90's mph swing speed I convinced myself to go from the stock Ping shaft in R flex to stock S flex for the lower toque rating and the need to flex (no pun intended) my ego. After gaming the S flex for the last 4 months I'm ready to go back to R... I'm having it re-shafted now.
 
JB said:
A spent a lot of time speaking with an authority on golf clubs over the past two weeks as I prepare for a few things and we got speaking about amateurs, shafts and what goes into their thought process.

Do you believe you are over thinking shaft choices?
Do you believe you are thinking enough about shaft choices?

And assuming it is not a direct result of fitting, what makes you put a different shaft in play?

During our talks we spoke about ball flight and different shafts and how they impact the amateur golfer. Then we spoke more about the direct relation to the driver head, the golf ball and even the grip in terms of performance.
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Personally I think the shaft is more important than what's on the end of it. yes the head design and look/feel make big differences but if you don't have the right shaft you may as well have a ball of s**t on the end of the club
 
Other than thinking about shaft flex I never really thought about shafts much until recently. Right now I am considering new irons with graphite shafts. This will be the first time I have had graphite shafts in irons. In testing the G25 and JPX 825 I was amazed at the impact different shafts have on all aspects of my swing, ball flight, distance and accuracy. It has managed to confuse the heck out of me and now I am probably over-thinking it!
 
I think about my shaft selection so much that it is one of the reasons I purchased a launch monitor. I love to tinker and ponder. It is one of the things that keep me attracted to this game.

With driver, wood, and hybrid shafts I find what works and stick with it. I'm always second guessing my iron shaft choice though.
 
Not really. Other than being fit for the right flex, I dont really think about shafts.
 
I over think all my equipment choices. Im a very analytical golfer, i really grind over the numbers and swing mechanics. Its probably my greatest enemy when it comes to my golf game. I always struggle with clearing my mind while i play and tends to lead to poor decisions on the course and sometimes club selection.

Sent from my N9100 using Tapatalk now Free
 
It's used to think that fitting was only for pro golfers and scratch players. I had switched out some $12 shafts without much improvement in the results. ( This was around the year 2000).

Not thinking that anything would help someone that shot in the low 90's I started demoing clubs with stiffer shafts, higher kickpoints, lower weights , etc.

I bought some Mizuno irons a while back with x100 shafts and it made a big difference. Last week I bought some fairway woods with x stiff shafts, and installed a grafalloy stiff low launch in one of my old fairway woods.

Right now it is occurring to me how important the shaft really is.

The selection is only getting bigger.

It's a good thing my driver doesn't have a screw in quick change adapter. lol

Practice is important, but you cant play with equipment that is soooo far out of spec.


Jackal
 
Prior to joining THP, I didn't realize how important shafts can be. At my fitting we tied several shafts for the irons. Finally found a shaft that tightened up dispersion. On to the Driver, tried several drivers and found the one that fit me then. 6 months later after some lessons, my swing started getting better for the irons but started hooking the driver.
Talked my local Pro and he watched my swing and let me try his driver with a Diamona 72g stiff shaft. I hit that shaft/head combo so much better. Was able to pick up one here on TPH and have been driving the ball much better and farther.
With the fitting, and belonging to THP. I have lowered my handicap by 15 strokes. I'm almost back to what I was in high school before I got injured. Very exciting.
Now that I know the importance of the shaft/head relationship, I won't be buying off the rack until I get fitted correctly.
 
I have definitely over thought shafts in the past! Mainly because what I was fit for at a demo day was too expensive and I needed something close, but I didn't know what. I also did this week at the Grandaddy fitting just because they didn't have the interchangeable head for the iron I wanted; that caused somewhat of a guess and two options given by the fitter.
 
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