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Can different shafts help with a rushed tempo?

Nippon Shafts
V14_Heels

V14_Heels

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I'm playing off a 16 handicap right now and live mostly in the low 90's, but have the ability to go low 80's if my tempo is on point that day. I'm currrently playing a 105 Xcaliber Rapid Taper graphite shaft in my Mizuno Hot Metals. My common miss isn't even debatable, it's a thinned ball, and I'm to the point where I can feel that I rushed it and end up thinning the ball.

I've felt like ever since I switched from my 120 Nippons to these 105 Rapid Tapers I really struggle to keep the tempo slowed down.

It got me thinking that maybe I just need to try a different graphite shaft but I don't know how kickpoints, torque, etc could help with a rushed tempo? Or maybe it's I just go heavier?
 
a shaft change might help in my experience but not nearly as much as letting the left (lead arm for most) stay in controlf of the club. Most of the time fast tempo for me means my left hand grip releases and the right hand takes over. smallest three finders of lead arm must have most grip pressure and feel a bit of a stretch across the chess as the transition nears.

that said, my 3w and driver shafts are both tour lenght driver shafts with different characteristics and thursday night I moved them. My ball flight did change but the narritive did not. Leading me to say work on the golf swing and don't focus on masking swing flaws with shafts.

when I start striking the ball very well then I will ask a fitter to optimize what I'm already doing to a reasonable level.
 
Acesteve said:
a shaft change might help in my experience but not nearly as much as letting the left (lead arm for most) stay in controlf of the club. Most of the time fast tempo for me means my left hand grip releases and the right hand takes over. smallest three finders of lead arm must have most grip pressure and feel a bit of a stretch across the chess as the transition nears.
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This is so true, especially for people who have a career using their hands like mechanics, plumbers, electricians, etc. We become so right-hand dominant that it can be a constant fight with it letting take over the swing.

I also thought I got too quick with my tempo but it was just the right arm/hand trying to take control.(y)
 
V14_Heels said:
I'm playing off a 16 handicap right now and live mostly in the low 90's, but have the ability to go low 80's if my tempo is on point that day. I'm currrently playing a 105 Xcaliber Rapid Taper graphite shaft in my Mizuno Hot Metals. My common miss isn't even debatable, it's a thinned ball, and I'm to the point where I can feel that I rushed it and end up thinning the ball.

I've felt like ever since I switched from my 120 Nippons to these 105 Rapid Tapers I really struggle to keep the tempo slowed down.

It got me thinking that maybe I just need to try a different graphite shaft but I don't know how kickpoints, torque, etc could help with a rushed tempo? Or maybe it's I just go heavier?
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Shaft weight can be a factor with tempo for some/many players, torque to a much lesser degree, if any, and I have not seen any compelling info/data on any of the other shaft parameters affect tempo at all. Try different shaft weights to see if/how that affects your swing (seems like it based on our Nippon-to-Rapid Taper comment) and should be set.
 
Practice with foam balls in my back yard has really helped my tempo. I see the ball travel farther when my tempo is correct.
I never really got enough feedback hitting into a net and looking at a launch monitor.
It was so bad during my first season that I'd try to club up and take something off and the ball would go a lot farther!

As my distance has improved I've used higher lofted clubs to keep the ball from leaving the yard. Nowadays I use a 52/10 MD5 wedge to take full swings.
 
I really like the project x LZ shafts for that exact reason; they help me in the loading zone. I get quick sometimes.
 
A fellow golfer I know struggles really bad with tempo and has been taking lessons and his coach forces him to count throughout his swing and as long as he does that he strikes the ball so much better. When he rushes the tempo it is a disaster.

I am a tad bit rushy when it comes to tempo, but it kind of works for me because I have a fairly fast swing for someone my age. Some of the league guys say my swing is violent and I am ok with that :ROFLMAO: I do have to watch it though because I can definitely thin one here and there, but I know myself well enough that I simply move the ball back a tad and make sure my cg is not moving. Once my swing stabilizes a bit during a round I can reposition the ball as needed.

Someone would have to watch you play to see what you are doing, but sometimes thinning is because your cg point (arc bottom) is off from where your ball position is. That might be a tempo issue, but it could also be where your cg is at. I have heard different people say different things when it comes to thinning the ball. Some thin because they extend a tad too early, or don't carry the swing through the rotation toward the target.
 
vgolfman said:
Shaft weight can be a factor with tempo for some/many players, torque to a much lesser degree, if any, and I have not seen any compelling info/data on any of the other shaft parameters affect tempo at all. Try different shaft weights to see if/how that affects your swing (seems like it based on our Nippon-to-Rapid Taper comment) and should be set.
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what about weight distribution and/or balance point? do you think a shaft with a stiffer butt section can help certain players smooth out their tempo. specifically those with an aggressive transition or handle-pullers?
 
McLovin said:
what about weight distribution and/or balance point? do you think a shaft with a stiffer butt section can help certain players smooth out their tempo. specifically those with an aggressive transition or handle-pullers?
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Possible? Of course, but very player dependent. There is an argument to be made that “handle pullers” will like/play better with a stiffer butt section shaft, but that shaft spec may or may not affect tempo.
 
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I went to Club Champion today and found that an extra 5g with 3 up on the swing weight REALLY helped with my thins. They didn’t have a 105g shaft which is what I have now, so I’m not completely sure if it was the extra 5g in the shaft or the fact that the fitting club sits at like a D6 swing weight. Regardless some of my irons are sitting at D0 so I think I’m gonna try adding some lead tape to bring them up to D3 and see if that helps.
 
Some great advice in this thread. I for one find heavier weight makes a difference. I have a quick tempo and especially with my driver. Heavier shaft makes a bigger difference to me that flex.
 
I’ve always been a fan of heavier iron shafts to help control my tendency to get quick. I had a brief stint with lighter iron shafts a decade ago but my accuracy especially with the short irons suffered. I’m back to DG S300’s and whenever I swing a buddies iron with a lighter shaft it feels like I lose control during the swing.
 
Weight has been the biggest eye opener for me. More so than flex. The heavier the better for me. I went from 60g to high 80s on driver and when I get that out of my head and swing through the ball and not at the ball it’s so much better.
 
This new TXG does a great job of speaking to this:
 
Swing weight makes the biggest impact on my tempo, it’s why I’m a D5 guy
 
Jman said:
Swing weight makes the biggest impact on my tempo, it’s why I’m a D5 guy
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I think I'm discovering I'm a heavy swing weight guy, but the problem is I'm kind of stuck. I can't really increase the swing weight easily and man, is this something that is hard and costly to figure out. I've tried adding lead tape, but I can't get my clubs anywhere near D5.

I'm closely following you though on the review thread on the new UST Mamiya Dart V's though. I might transition to those and then just get the swing weight right when i reshaft.
 
V14_Heels said:
I think I'm discovering I'm a heavy swing weight guy, but the problem is I'm kind of stuck. I can't really increase the swing weight easily and man, is this something that is hard and costly to figure out. I've tried adding lead tape, but I can't get my clubs anywhere near D5.

I'm closely following you though on the review thread on the new UST Mamiya Dart V's though. I might transition to those and then just get the swing weight right when i reshaft.
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What SW are you starting at?
 
Jman said:
What SW are you starting at?
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I had absolutely no idea what SW barely even meant when I had my Mizuno HM's shafted into the Xcaliber Rapid Taper 105's so I googled and stepped them like this...

4i thru 9i = D0
PW-GW = D1
54 & 58 = D2

So I've been able to get some of them up to like D2 by adding lead tape, but I can't really add 20-25 grams of lead tape on the heads so I'm kind of stuck right now.
 
V14_Heels said:
I had absolutely no idea what SW even meant when I had my Mizuno HM's shafted into the Xcaliber Rapid Taper 105's so I googled and stepped them like this...

4i thru 9i = D0
PW-GW = D1
54 & 58 = D2

So I've been able to get some of them up to like D2 by adding lead tape, but I can't really add 20-25 grams of lead tape on the heads so I'm kind of stuck right now.
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You don't need that much. 2g raises it 1 point.
 
you bet they can - and there's one in Japan I recently tried that definitely helps - called ZINGER.
 
Jman said:
You don't need that much. 2g raises it 1 point.
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The chart I have shows 5 grams = 1 point, so just when I thought I was starting to understand this, apparently I don't. Ugg.
20594235-FBE8-4F16-A370-3EB3E35543A3.jpeg
 
V14_Heels said:
The chart I have shows 5 grams = 1 point, so just when I thought I was starting to understand this, apparently I don't. Ugg.
View attachment 9169239
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Adding 2g of weight to the head will add 1 SW point, 5g to the butt will decrease it 1 point. Its a pretty solid rule of thumb. If you added 20g to a clubhead, it would tip out super heavy on a SW scale.
 
Jman said:
Adding 2g of weight to the head will add 1 SW point, 5g to the butt will decrease it 1 point. Its a pretty solid rule of thumb. If you added 20g to a clubhead, it would tip out super heavy on a SW scale.
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Dumb question but when you say butt, you're talking what part of the club? Butt as in heal of clubhead or butt as in top of the grip where you'd screw in a sensor?

Edit: Haha and never mind. That's perfect thanks for linking that!
 
V14_Heels said:
Dumb question but when you say butt, you're talking what part of the club? Butt as in heal of clubhead or butt as in top of the grip where you'd screw in a sensor?

Edit: Haha and never mind. That's perfect thanks for linking that!
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Of course! Happy to help!
 
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