emart2173
#journey2017
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The shaft looks nice. Love the logo. Nice couple updates already guys, looking forward to more thoughts from everyone
Feedback Journal Thread - The HandCrafted Experience w/ Project X
StanTheCaddy
Who wants 2 have some fun
Jealous of everyone. The shaft looks awesome! Got a text letting me know it arrived. Can't wait to get home on Sunday.
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cpljohnst
Go Jackets! Go Sun Devils
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A bit about me to get this started: Slow swing speed of around 90mph with driver. Carry is in the 225-230ish range and run out to 240-245 on typical dry fairways. Anything longer than 245 is a BIG hit for me. Best swings produce a mid height shot with a little draw. Common misses with Driver are high center contact or mid heel. The mid heel miss produces a push right with a little fade. Can get me into trouble because I'm usually aiming down the right side of the fairway for my typical draw.
I know very little about shafts. Depending on how you look at it I'm either blessed or cursed because I don't feel much during the swing. Concepts like "loading", "torque", "whippy", "stiff" are lost on me. I just don't feel those during my swing. I've had very good success with stock shafts in the past so I think I'm one of those players in the range that most OEM's are designing clubs around.
I went through a full bag fitting this spring at the Annika Academy in Orlando and was fitted with the LZ in 5.5 throughout my Driver and woods. Its been a great shaft for me and produces quality shots that have given me a ton of confidence. Ball flights are solid mid level in height.
Went over to the range this morning to hit the test shaft. Some stretching and about 8 PW swings to get started then right to Driver. About 6 swings with my current setup first - XR Driver with stock Project X LZ then switched to the test shaft. The first 5 swings with the tester were a bit all over. Some heel hits and some high hits. After that I seemed to get a better feel and was hitting some solid drives. Ball flight was very similar to what I see with the LZ. Mid height and a very, very slight draw.....a little smaller draw than with the LZ. When I did have misses they were on the heel mostly and produced a push-fade that was going further right then the same miss with the LZ shaft. Not a huge difference but easy to see on the range. Maybe 5 to 10 yards further right.
The test shaft feels slightly heavier than the LZ when in the club, but that could very well be in my head. Hit about 25 balls with the test shaft and switched back to the LZ for 10 more and then back again to the tester for another 15 or so balls. Got tired and called it a morning.
I'll take the tester straight to the course for play in my next round which will be Monday evening.
I know very little about shafts. Depending on how you look at it I'm either blessed or cursed because I don't feel much during the swing. Concepts like "loading", "torque", "whippy", "stiff" are lost on me. I just don't feel those during my swing. I've had very good success with stock shafts in the past so I think I'm one of those players in the range that most OEM's are designing clubs around.
I went through a full bag fitting this spring at the Annika Academy in Orlando and was fitted with the LZ in 5.5 throughout my Driver and woods. Its been a great shaft for me and produces quality shots that have given me a ton of confidence. Ball flights are solid mid level in height.
Went over to the range this morning to hit the test shaft. Some stretching and about 8 PW swings to get started then right to Driver. About 6 swings with my current setup first - XR Driver with stock Project X LZ then switched to the test shaft. The first 5 swings with the tester were a bit all over. Some heel hits and some high hits. After that I seemed to get a better feel and was hitting some solid drives. Ball flight was very similar to what I see with the LZ. Mid height and a very, very slight draw.....a little smaller draw than with the LZ. When I did have misses they were on the heel mostly and produced a push-fade that was going further right then the same miss with the LZ shaft. Not a huge difference but easy to see on the range. Maybe 5 to 10 yards further right.
The test shaft feels slightly heavier than the LZ when in the club, but that could very well be in my head. Hit about 25 balls with the test shaft and switched back to the LZ for 10 more and then back again to the tester for another 15 or so balls. Got tired and called it a morning.
I'll take the tester straight to the course for play in my next round which will be Monday evening.
So I received mine last night, but didn't see it til late as I was at a scramble for work. Arrived safe and sound! Couple pics below. The shaft is just a hair longer than my Velox, so I'd say it will play slightly longer than stock.
Once I installed it and just waggled it and flexed it, my first impression is that it's a little stiffer than the Velox. Swingweight feels quite similar though. Have to help my buddy with his house reno late morning into afternoon today, but I'm planning on giving this a test run at the range tonight and then plugging and playing on the course tomorrow morning.
A little about my tee game in advance of testing for those who don't know yet. My driver swing typically hovers around 100mph, +/- a couple mph. A well struck drive for me will typically carry at least 230, but I've been known to get closer to 250 carry when I really make good contact. Before my fitting a few months back, my potential was probably a good 15 yards less than that. The Vapor Pro/Velox combo has been great to me so far (thanks Josh at Swinomish Golf Links!).
When I miss with driver, I typically struggle with the lefts, so I'm interested to see what this shaft does for me in that area. A well struck drive will generally fly fairly close to straight, with a slight draw sneaking in if I make an aggressive hand move or a slight fade if I get more aggressive with the hips.
Will hopefully have more for y'all tonight!
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Once I installed it and just waggled it and flexed it, my first impression is that it's a little stiffer than the Velox. Swingweight feels quite similar though. Have to help my buddy with his house reno late morning into afternoon today, but I'm planning on giving this a test run at the range tonight and then plugging and playing on the course tomorrow morning.
A little about my tee game in advance of testing for those who don't know yet. My driver swing typically hovers around 100mph, +/- a couple mph. A well struck drive for me will typically carry at least 230, but I've been known to get closer to 250 carry when I really make good contact. Before my fitting a few months back, my potential was probably a good 15 yards less than that. The Vapor Pro/Velox combo has been great to me so far (thanks Josh at Swinomish Golf Links!).
When I miss with driver, I typically struggle with the lefts, so I'm interested to see what this shaft does for me in that area. A well struck drive will generally fly fairly close to straight, with a slight draw sneaking in if I make an aggressive hand move or a slight fade if I get more aggressive with the hips.
Will hopefully have more for y'all tonight!
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Chump Fries
Captain Awesome
So here's my first big update. I don't have a lot of time to write everything out because our 2 year old is sick, but I did make videos 
First impression, really nice shaft. I could definitely feel the loading going on during the swing. The dispersion was much better than what I was getting with my other shaft. Most of my shots were medium to medium-low straight shots a little out to the right. I think a little change in the torque and an ever so slight increase in launch would make a huge difference. So far so good.
If you have any questions after watching the videos, just let me know. Don't hate the swing, I'm not a great driver of the ball to begin with
First video (sorry about the wind noise):
Second video, really bad wind noise.
First impression, really nice shaft. I could definitely feel the loading going on during the swing. The dispersion was much better than what I was getting with my other shaft. Most of my shots were medium to medium-low straight shots a little out to the right. I think a little change in the torque and an ever so slight increase in launch would make a huge difference. So far so good.If you have any questions after watching the videos, just let me know. Don't hate the swing, I'm not a great driver of the ball to begin with
First video (sorry about the wind noise):
Second video, really bad wind noise.
Last edited:
Awesome start Courtney. Did you a feeling of it being to stiff or to bendy (lack of a better word)? I felt like it right there at stiff in my opinion. I have a similar swing speed to you and didn't have any issues getting it way up in air on some of my swings. I tend to hit it high with most shafts though.
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Chump Fries
Captain Awesome
Feedback Journal Thread - The HandCrafted Experience w/ Project X
Definitely not too stiff. I liked the bending feeling it gave. Kinda felt the bend right below the hands. I think I'd like to feel the bend maybe an inch or two closer to the ball.
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Definitely not too stiff. I liked the bending feeling it gave. Kinda felt the bend right below the hands. I think I'd like to feel the bend maybe an inch or two closer to the ball.
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I was had a similar feeling in bend profile. I don't have a very aggressive move and the baseline shaft really performed well for my swing type I thought.
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I love that you guys have some blind testing going on here. It was a great experience with the balls and I think it could be even better here - no preconceived notions allowed, just the facts.
Good start guys, keep up the good work!
Good start guys, keep up the good work!
Love seeing you guys getting the baseline shafts and getting to work on this. I really look forward to hearing all you have to say on this and what you end up with. This is exciting for me to follow as I'm a bit of a shaft ho on drivers hehehe. Enjoy fellas and keep up the updates!
cpljohnst
Go Jackets! Go Sun Devils
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Awesome job on the videos Courtney. We need to get you some Shot Tracer technology though so we can follow the ball. I'll likely record some video at some point too. Almost did so on Friday at the range.
I'll likely record some video at some point too. Almost did so on Friday at the range.
Spivey
Active member
I got this out on the range and course yesterday afternoon. I wrote some stuff up, but did not finish or post before heading to dinner last night.
So here is a brief recap. For ease, I will use "test" and Matrix (stock Cobra FlyZ Matrix VLCT Sp stiff) shafts for comparisons. Test will be the default. I use a Cobra FlyZ head, 9*.
1) The test shaft feels "harsh" compared to the Matrix at contact.
2) Dispersion on the drives was less than for the Matrix.
3) Ball flight seemed to be the same or a little lower with the test shaft than the mid flight I usually have with the Matrix.
4) Test shaft felt really good when swinging the club - I never felt as if I lost control of the club head during the swing.
There is a hole at my club where you HAVE to carry at least 240 yds to hit the fairway (par 5 530 yds, split fairway, right and straight carry is all over desert, bail out is left). After my round, I took some practice balls (ProV1, not current model), hit 8 with the test shaft. Breeze into my face and a bit left to right, not more than 10 mph.
Of the 8 hit with the test shaft, I could not find one, it may not have gotten to the fairway. I missed two, one was short left (low draw), one hit a tree in the desert (mishit pull), it was playable but not on grass. The other five - two were on the left half of the fairway, which was around 270 yds from the tee box, carrying a bit more than 240 to get there. One I hit off the toe, started right, drew a bit, but was by FAR the longest of the 8 drives, left me about 215 to the pin, right desert but just off the fairway. This shot had high ball flight, clearly penetrating, and had at least 260 yds of carry. The other three - all on the grass, carried the desert, left me with a bit more than my usual yardage to the hole (so about 235 out).
I picked up the 7 balls I could find, went back to the tee box and hit 4 with the Matrix and 4 with the test shaft.
The 4 with the Matrix - all in the fairway, a little more right than the test shaft, not sure about distance, but given location, they were all a little shorter. Ball flight was mid - high, slight fade (remember the L to R wind).
The 4 with the test shaft - again, contact felt harsh. Ball flight a little lower, dispersion was tight, all in play. Two balls were a bit left of my target, but were within 2 feet of each other (a hand towel would have covered them) and were on the left side of the fairway/rough, which left me 223 to the pin. I have been in this location before, but only when the wind has been at my back. Again, the breeze was in my face on these shots.
Bottom line - Dispersion is less, ball flight is a touch lower, the feeling is harsh when contact is made. I never felt that the shaft was too heavy, I always knew where the club head was during my swing, and the shaft felt solid throughout the swing.
So here is a brief recap. For ease, I will use "test" and Matrix (stock Cobra FlyZ Matrix VLCT Sp stiff) shafts for comparisons. Test will be the default. I use a Cobra FlyZ head, 9*.
1) The test shaft feels "harsh" compared to the Matrix at contact.
2) Dispersion on the drives was less than for the Matrix.
3) Ball flight seemed to be the same or a little lower with the test shaft than the mid flight I usually have with the Matrix.
4) Test shaft felt really good when swinging the club - I never felt as if I lost control of the club head during the swing.
There is a hole at my club where you HAVE to carry at least 240 yds to hit the fairway (par 5 530 yds, split fairway, right and straight carry is all over desert, bail out is left). After my round, I took some practice balls (ProV1, not current model), hit 8 with the test shaft. Breeze into my face and a bit left to right, not more than 10 mph.
Of the 8 hit with the test shaft, I could not find one, it may not have gotten to the fairway. I missed two, one was short left (low draw), one hit a tree in the desert (mishit pull), it was playable but not on grass. The other five - two were on the left half of the fairway, which was around 270 yds from the tee box, carrying a bit more than 240 to get there. One I hit off the toe, started right, drew a bit, but was by FAR the longest of the 8 drives, left me about 215 to the pin, right desert but just off the fairway. This shot had high ball flight, clearly penetrating, and had at least 260 yds of carry. The other three - all on the grass, carried the desert, left me with a bit more than my usual yardage to the hole (so about 235 out).
I picked up the 7 balls I could find, went back to the tee box and hit 4 with the Matrix and 4 with the test shaft.
The 4 with the Matrix - all in the fairway, a little more right than the test shaft, not sure about distance, but given location, they were all a little shorter. Ball flight was mid - high, slight fade (remember the L to R wind).
The 4 with the test shaft - again, contact felt harsh. Ball flight a little lower, dispersion was tight, all in play. Two balls were a bit left of my target, but were within 2 feet of each other (a hand towel would have covered them) and were on the left side of the fairway/rough, which left me 223 to the pin. I have been in this location before, but only when the wind has been at my back. Again, the breeze was in my face on these shots.
Bottom line - Dispersion is less, ball flight is a touch lower, the feeling is harsh when contact is made. I never felt that the shaft was too heavy, I always knew where the club head was during my swing, and the shaft felt solid throughout the swing.
emart2173
#journey2017
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Courtney and Spivey thanks for the updates. Not owning the characteristics of the shafts make for a fun test. Excited to keep following along with all you guys.
So I've got my first range session in the books and my first round as well - though the course I played only lent itself to hitting driver 4 or 5 times. See below for my thoughts! Hoping to get some launch monitor time in sometime this week - possibly tomorrow depending on when I can get in there - but for now, my thoughts are pretty qualitative.
RANGE SESSION (7-25-15: Lake Padden Golf Course, Bellingham, WA; 65*F, cloudy with showers, light variable wind)
After warming up with irons and the like, I started by hitting about 10 balls with my Velox 60 Sp and the Vapor Pro to give a baseline. Had a bit of a case of the rights, but all the hallmarks of the shaft were there - mid high ball flight, light weight that makes the head feel slightly "heavier", a noticeable kick and release of the shaft, and a little bit of a tip soft feeling.
Then, I moved to the PX tester shaft and hit a similar number of balls. The first ball I hit was absolutely ROASTED down the middle, and from there I started having a little trouble getting the ball up and was losing it right similarly to the Velox. Turned out I was standing a little too close and coming across it, so I made the adjustment and got a little further away from the ball, and proceeded to start seeing the ball flight I like to see - mid to mid high, starting on the target line, and drawing back about 5 yards. I definitely think it tends to launch the ball a bit lower - not a lot, but a bit. The feel I get from this shaft compared to my Velox is that it's a little stiffer throughout, but particularly in the tip. The curious thing is, I didn't seem to have any trouble lifting it on a well struck ball, even with the perceived extra stiffness in the tip. I also feel like the kick is a little further up the shaft as well. With regard to weight, I would GUESS that the shaft is a few grams heavier than the Velox overall, as the clubhead feels slightly "lighter" - I'm thinking because the shaft is slightly more balanced to the head.
Moving back to the Velox, I definitely began to feel the additional flex, the "heavier" head feel, and the lower kick point in sharp focus. The curious thing was though, I still wanted to lose this shaft to the right, even with the swing adjustments I'd made that gave me the nice draw with the tester PX shaft. I'm not sure I can say yet which one I "like" better, but I definitely get more of a stable feel from the PX and more of an explosive feel from the Velox.
So, to summarize:
1) Test shaft feels a touch stiffer than the Velox - I don't feel as much load and unload here
2) Test shaft feels a touch heavier than the Velox (since the head feels correspondingly lighter with the test shaft installed)
3) Test shaft seems to have a touch higher kick point, and hence a touch lower ball flight
4) Velox feels more "explosive" and "energetic" off the face - test shaft feels slightly more muted
Overall, I like the feel of the shaft and am looking forward to spending more time with it.
FIRST ROUND (7-26-15: Sudden Valley Golf Club, Bellingham, WA; 60*F, cloudy with showers, light variable wind)
I'll preface this by saying I did NOT have my best stuff today, but here it is anyways. Hit 5 balls on the range before teeing off with the test shaft/Vapor Pro, and hit them all fairly well. I remember thinking: "I feel like I can really gas this shaft". In that respect, it really reminds me of the Aldila Rogue Silver 60, a shaft that I quite like for accuracy, but that I didn't hit as far as others.
On course results below. Again, I wasn't able to hit a lot of tee shots with it due to the tightness of the course, but here you go:
Hole 1: Par 5, 487 yards. Made a really good strong swing but pushed it a hair, ended up just off the fairway in the right rough. Pretty good result, had 212 into the green from there. TOTAL DISTANCE: 275 yards
Hole 2: Par 4, 362 yards. Hole moves to the left slightly, so I tried to hit a nice draw deliberately - and made an absolutely awful swing and toe hooked in into a hazard.
Hole 3: Par 4, 369 yards. Also moves left. Got afraid of all the crap on the left side this time, and made another crap swing and fanned it right. Had to hit out sideways. I think I GPS'ed that I had around 130 to the green at that point, so TOTAL DISTANCE: approximately 250 yards.
Hole 6: Par 4, 399 yards. Moves slightly left, forced carry over the lake of about 150 yards. Hit a solid mid flight draw to the right side of the fairway to leave 145 for my second. TOTAL DISTANCE: 254 yards.
Wasn't able to hit it again due to tight holes on the back 9. I attribute the two mistakes with the driver to not quite being comfortable with the shaft yet, but the results on Hole 1 and Hole 6 show me I should be able to game it with no issue.
Sorry for the long sort of stream of consciousness post but there it is! Hope to get out for at least a few balls again tomorrow after work. Hit me with any questions you may have and I'll do my best to answer!
RANGE SESSION (7-25-15: Lake Padden Golf Course, Bellingham, WA; 65*F, cloudy with showers, light variable wind)
After warming up with irons and the like, I started by hitting about 10 balls with my Velox 60 Sp and the Vapor Pro to give a baseline. Had a bit of a case of the rights, but all the hallmarks of the shaft were there - mid high ball flight, light weight that makes the head feel slightly "heavier", a noticeable kick and release of the shaft, and a little bit of a tip soft feeling.
Then, I moved to the PX tester shaft and hit a similar number of balls. The first ball I hit was absolutely ROASTED down the middle, and from there I started having a little trouble getting the ball up and was losing it right similarly to the Velox. Turned out I was standing a little too close and coming across it, so I made the adjustment and got a little further away from the ball, and proceeded to start seeing the ball flight I like to see - mid to mid high, starting on the target line, and drawing back about 5 yards. I definitely think it tends to launch the ball a bit lower - not a lot, but a bit. The feel I get from this shaft compared to my Velox is that it's a little stiffer throughout, but particularly in the tip. The curious thing is, I didn't seem to have any trouble lifting it on a well struck ball, even with the perceived extra stiffness in the tip. I also feel like the kick is a little further up the shaft as well. With regard to weight, I would GUESS that the shaft is a few grams heavier than the Velox overall, as the clubhead feels slightly "lighter" - I'm thinking because the shaft is slightly more balanced to the head.
Moving back to the Velox, I definitely began to feel the additional flex, the "heavier" head feel, and the lower kick point in sharp focus. The curious thing was though, I still wanted to lose this shaft to the right, even with the swing adjustments I'd made that gave me the nice draw with the tester PX shaft. I'm not sure I can say yet which one I "like" better, but I definitely get more of a stable feel from the PX and more of an explosive feel from the Velox.
So, to summarize:
1) Test shaft feels a touch stiffer than the Velox - I don't feel as much load and unload here
2) Test shaft feels a touch heavier than the Velox (since the head feels correspondingly lighter with the test shaft installed)
3) Test shaft seems to have a touch higher kick point, and hence a touch lower ball flight
4) Velox feels more "explosive" and "energetic" off the face - test shaft feels slightly more muted
Overall, I like the feel of the shaft and am looking forward to spending more time with it.
FIRST ROUND (7-26-15: Sudden Valley Golf Club, Bellingham, WA; 60*F, cloudy with showers, light variable wind)
I'll preface this by saying I did NOT have my best stuff today, but here it is anyways. Hit 5 balls on the range before teeing off with the test shaft/Vapor Pro, and hit them all fairly well. I remember thinking: "I feel like I can really gas this shaft". In that respect, it really reminds me of the Aldila Rogue Silver 60, a shaft that I quite like for accuracy, but that I didn't hit as far as others.
On course results below. Again, I wasn't able to hit a lot of tee shots with it due to the tightness of the course, but here you go:
Hole 1: Par 5, 487 yards. Made a really good strong swing but pushed it a hair, ended up just off the fairway in the right rough. Pretty good result, had 212 into the green from there. TOTAL DISTANCE: 275 yards
Hole 2: Par 4, 362 yards. Hole moves to the left slightly, so I tried to hit a nice draw deliberately - and made an absolutely awful swing and toe hooked in into a hazard.
Hole 3: Par 4, 369 yards. Also moves left. Got afraid of all the crap on the left side this time, and made another crap swing and fanned it right. Had to hit out sideways. I think I GPS'ed that I had around 130 to the green at that point, so TOTAL DISTANCE: approximately 250 yards.
Hole 6: Par 4, 399 yards. Moves slightly left, forced carry over the lake of about 150 yards. Hit a solid mid flight draw to the right side of the fairway to leave 145 for my second. TOTAL DISTANCE: 254 yards.
Wasn't able to hit it again due to tight holes on the back 9. I attribute the two mistakes with the driver to not quite being comfortable with the shaft yet, but the results on Hole 1 and Hole 6 show me I should be able to game it with no issue.
Sorry for the long sort of stream of consciousness post but there it is! Hope to get out for at least a few balls again tomorrow after work. Hit me with any questions you may have and I'll do my best to answer!
Great stuff Ski. Majority believe this shaft is on the heavier and stiffer end. Curious as I have the exact opposite feeling with it. More testing for me today involved giving my wife her first golf lesson so only got in about 10 swings with the tester. I had similar feelings from my first outing with it. I feel as though a solid smooth swing produces a mid high trajectory with a slight fade. (My normal flight ). I can't really tell exactly where the kick point is but I can tell where ever it is it is helping me get the ball in the air. I will need launch monitor numbers to confirm this though.
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Thanks Awk. I did notice that, the prevailing thought does seem to be stiffer and heavier - but the curious thing is, for me, it doesn't seem to be causing too much difference where it comes to distance and launch on a quality strike. Like you said with your swing, I still get the ball up in the air with essentially my typical flight and get good distance when I make good contact.
I am extremely curious to see some launch monitor numbers though to find out if I'm talking out my a$$ or not though haha.
The other thing I'm extremely curious about is whether each shaft is tailored towards the operator, or whether they are all the same to serve as a control.
Spivey
Active member
Is it OK to get the shaft on a launch monitor? Or are we just supposed to give our feedback blind?
Chump Fries
Captain Awesome
I kinda thought the same thing. I think we're putty much to go by blind feel alone.
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DB said this in the event thread when he sent them out:
"Also, under no circumstances are you to weigh, frequency, flex profile, taste, smell or otherwise analyze the shafts when they arrive. Lock them into those drivers and grip and rip."
Doesn't say anything against LM's, unless that falls under analyzing the shaft. I would think it's OK. But I'm totally fine if DB would rather we use feel only.
I will hold off on the LM until we are 100% sure then.
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Myself as well.
Spivey
Active member
Forgot about that taste thing. Reminded me of chicken.
Mine tasted like burning...
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