We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Overthinking Of Shafts

Nippon Shafts
I don't go the overthinking route when it comes to shafts in my clubs. For me it's all about feel and performance. If I test a club and it doesn't feel or perform well, if they have another stock shaft I will try that, but I'm not going to dish out another $100 - $300 dollars on a shaft to make it better. I'll just try a different club. I'm of the opinion that, in today's competitive golf club landscape, manufacturers are going to put together the best combination of club and shaft as possible to meet most peoples needs. Otherwise they're just shooting themselves in the foot. I have demoed drivers where a custom shaft makes a big difference in how it performs but then again I'm not willing to pay the price for that shaft and will keep looking elsewhere until I find a driver that works as is.

As you can see, I have 3 different shafts in my woods/hybrids and I don't notice any differences in them when I swing. Up until a few years ago I always played DG S300s in my irons until I did a side by side with KBS when fitting for a new set and then the DGs had to go. But once I get a club that performs like I want I'm not thinking "if I got a so&so shaft I could hit it even farther/higher/lower/straighter/etc.", I'm good to go.
 
I don't overthink it at all. I've been through several fittings over the years and stock shafts were always fine for me for the most part.
 
Do I over think shafts? Yes.
But I pretty much over think everything in golf. Heck, I couldn't pick out a pair of shoes this morning.
 
As I continue to learn about shafts, heads, and shaft/head combos I definately overthink.
However, the heavy shafts I had in one set of irons are tailored for better players, and when my 5 iron shaft broke, it is a good time to make the move to something lighter I feel.
 
Michigan Slice said:
As I continue to learn about shafts, heads, and shaft/head combos I definately overthink.
However, the heavy shafts I had in one set of irons are tailored for better players, and when my 5 iron shaft broke, it is a good time to make the move to something lighter I feel.
Click to expand...

CJ I like your move to lighter shafts in your irons. I think the move will pay off in a big way.
 
I tend to think less about the numbers and more about the feel and results now. I do have a preffered shaft profile and weight though so if it doesn't feel right to start with I just toss it aside. I'm rocking CFS shafts in my PING's and I'm also a fan of PING driver/woods shafts. So I'm all good with whatever works.
 
I don't know if it's over thinking or just buying into the hype seen on tv and reviews posted on THP. I think most have no idea what works and take stabs in the dark because they heard or read it did one thing. The one thing is what is broken that week in their swing.

For me, to be an over thinker, you have know what you are thinking about. Most don't have a clue and that included your truly. I know what I have been fit for and I know what I like. So I have searched for the combo that works. For the past month I'd say I found it. But this past week I swung a new shaft and saw some great ball flights. Was it just a good swing day or did that shaft/head combo really work. With getting on a monitor to compare numbers it's all guess work.

Do I think people tinker, hell to the yeah. But over think, not really.
 
I have been a relentless shaft changer over the past year and 3 weeks of lessons have shown me what the real issues were and it was not the shafts. Now I know what feels good to me flex wise and with the swing improvements coming along I have the right combination of head and shaft to move forward with. At least for a while....
 
I have just recently dipped into the shaft market, heck, I finally got the right shaft flex for the first time recently. I think they are often used as a scapegoat for something going wrong, but there is something to them. For the average amateur, I don't think they have a grand effect unless you have a repeatable swing. I know which one's do not go with what I am trying to achieve and what may, but you still have to put a swing on the ball.
 
I'm pretty new at golf again. This is my third year and I haven't developed really any consistency yet.

I did get some irons w/shafts that help with my low ball flight this spring and they do help, but when I put a bad swing on the ball it still is low. Can shafts help? Sure. Will they turn your ballooning drive into a cannon shot? Probably not.
 
Yes. I over think shafts. I always think that a different shaft in my driver or irons will be the difference between low 80s and a PGA tour card.


But I have tried to trust my fitter and just groove my swing.
 
I think they absolutely do. No doubt that going from an R300 to KBS Tour S has made a major difference for me, but there is a huge difference between those shafts. I don't think there's any appreciable difference, for a golfer of my skill level, when tinkering with some of these small changes between shafts, there are many other factors in my game that are far more limiting than minute shaft changes.
 
I don't think golfers in general overthink their shafts, but reading a lot of threads on here, I think a lot of folk do.
 
While I think most of the time you are correct, and I never discount a stock shaft.
I have proof that it can make a HUGE difference.

My Amp Cell was a pretty good driver when I first got it.
But when I paired it with my current shaft it was a VERY noticeable difference.
Easily 20% more fairways and a good 15 yards longer.
 
Barberakb said:
While I think most of the time you are correct, and I never discount a stock shaft.
I have proof that it can make a HUGE difference.

My Amp Cell was a pretty good driver when I first got it.
But when I paired it with my current shaft it was a VERY noticeable difference.
Easily 20% more fairways and a good 15 yards longer.
Click to expand...

This club is a PERFECT example. The right shaft for that club truly unlocks the head.
 
I look for a shaft that best fits my swing. My transition is violent and many times the stock offering doesn't hold up well. This isn't to say its bad in any way, just not for me. That is by no means true all the time. When I find a shaft that I feel fits my timing, I stick with it.
 
I love to tinker with different shafts and it's a bit of a never ending process. I have Trackman confirmation now that the Kusala White is the best option for me in the driver as far as distance goes, but I still can't help but think that the soft tip costs me a number of FIRs.
Is that an example of overthinking?
 
Wicked Cool Bearded Man said:
This club is a PERFECT example. The right shaft for that club truly unlocks the head.
Click to expand...

nd that's why I believe that SOME people should be fit for head first and then shaft. Trying to fit an inconsistent swing to unforgiving head has to be maddening for all involved. Fit an inconsistent swing to the head and average the whole sample size, find the best head, and then work on fitting the shaft...
 
Playdough said:
nd that's why I believe that SOME people should be fit for head first and then shaft. Trying to fit an inconsistent swing to unforgiving head has to be maddening for all involved. Fit an inconsistent swing to the head and average the whole sample size, find the best head, and then work on fitting the shaft...
Click to expand...
I agree with this process completely.

Is the premise of "overthinking shaft selection" saying that one shouldn't even be bothered to be fit for a shaft? Or just saying that once we are fit we should leave well enough alone?
 
I don't over think shafts, I just confused the heck out of my GolfTec coach when we did a fitting fir irons today. Out of all the combos we tried today and despite my not so quick swing speed the KBS Tour 90 S and the TM MC TP's were the ones I hit the best, and hit them solidly despite my tendency to hit my current TM R9 TP's with the same shaft thin - regularly.

Like he said " its just weird." Mind you TM's fitting cart is a little short on interchangeability. Which is again odd considering they developed adjustable clubs first.
 
I don't think I over-think shafts. If the stock offering of a driver is an improvement on what I'm gaming in terms of distance and forgiveness, I'm very likely to stick with the stock offering. My swing is and pretty much always will be the biggest inhibitor of a driver's performance anyway, IMO.
 
I think that most people simply focus on the wrong aspects of shafts. Higher launching, lower launching, and even stiffness aren't nearly as important to most amateurs as other aspects. Things like feel, balance and weight are far more important, IMO. Fitting the balance of the club and the weight of the shaft to the individual makes it much easier to repeat the same swing more often. Getting one that has a feel that fits the golfer's taste has a positive psychological effect that generally results in more confidence. More repeatability and more confidence lead to better golf. They are far more important to me than flex and how high the shaft is supposed to launch.
 
baldguy said:
I think that most people simply focus on the wrong aspects of shafts. Higher launching, lower launching, and even stiffness aren't nearly as important to most amateurs as other aspects. Things like feel, balance and weight are far more important, IMO. Fitting the balance of the club and the weight of the shaft to the individual makes it much easier to repeat the same swing more often. Getting one that has a feel that fits the golfer's taste has a positive psychological effect that generally results in more confidence. More repeatability and more confidence lead to better golf. They are far more important to me than flex and how high the shaft is supposed to launch.
Click to expand...

Feel, which to me is totally subjective, is more important than the launch profile? So I tend to have a lower ball flight and rely on a higher launching shaft. I should not worry about that and just get something that feels good? Please explain because that just doesn't seem right to me.
 
This thread made me think quite a bit. I think shaft selection is important to an extent. I don't really over think like I used to. I know what shafts work best for me regardless of which head they have on them.

What's really interesting about this question is that when I went to Club Champion for my MC fitting the fitter was telling me how their normal fitting process works. Their fitting process involves finding the proper shaft first and then finding the correct head. I thought this was strange at first and then Mike (the fitter) explained it to me a bit more. He basically said that you're going to load the shaft the same way regardless of which head is at the end of it. Getting the proper transfer of energy from your body to the business end of the club is what they were looking for. After they find the proper shaft it's then a matter of finding the right head to get you the ideal numbers. I wasn't to sure about this, but after I was fitted for the PXi shaft we went and hit other heads on that shaft, and for me it out performed any of the other shafts I had hit regardless of which head we put on there.

I definitely feel that I did over think shaft selection, but it was due to a lack of knowledge and faith of which shaft was actually the best for my swing.
 
I probably don't think about them enough. But, it could be that, because I tend to keep a club in my bag for several years, I don't worry about what new exotics are out there. When I got fitted into my current driver (910D2), 2 years ago, we never discussed aftermarket shafts. I hit the stock option very well, after making a adjustment to 1* closed. The other thing to consider is that, even though an aftermarket shaft may improve some numbers, compared to the stock offering, the improvements would have to be significant to justify the "up charge".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top