Shaft Optimizer from Mizuno

[SW]

Yoc, my optimizer experience lasted about 3 hrs, we went through every fathomable combo that the cart had with the 2.0's and the JPX. No shaft was left unhit. In the end I came back to the JPX with the most recommended shaft, the TT light, as my tempo is pretty slow and the lighter weight helped me gain a little clubhead speed. In the 2.0 it had me with a KBS something or other, I really liked it but the combo in the JPX just worked better. It's a pretty amazing little tool and as TC illustrated incredibly accurate.

I really am surprised though that there is both left and right handed model.

 

[Tmex]

That's awesome man. I really need to make sure to have them check the clubheads I'm looking at with the optimizer.

Yoc, my optimizer experience lasted about 3 hrs, we went through every fathomable combo that the cart had with the 2.0's and the JPX. No shaft was left unhit. In the end I came back to the JPX with the most recommended shaft, the TT light, as my tempo is pretty slow and the lighter weight helped me gain a little clubhead speed. In the 2.0 it had me with a KBS something or other, I really liked it but the combo in the JPX just worked better. It's a pretty amazing little tool and as TC illustrated incredibly accurate.

I really am surprised though that there is both left and right handed model.

 

[biggsy]

If I can take a stab? Might be off a bit here but:

Speed: Obvious
Tempo: How fast your transition is between finishing your back swing and starting the down swing. A 6 is verging on mid-quick. I bet this is the reason it spit back a 125g shaft since a 6 means more load on the shaft and more load on a ligher shaft increases dispertion in theory.
Shaft Toe down angle: How much does the shaft boe or bend during the downswing. A 9 means there's a lot of boeing, a 1 is very little.
Shaft Kick Angle: How much is the shaft bending forward during the downswing. A 5 slots nicely in the mid kick angle
Release Factor: How much or little do you release the club. A 5 is smack on awesome. Higher means less release and more prone to slicing and a lower ball flight (heavier shaft with softer tip), lower means more release and more prone to hooking and a higher ball flight (lighter shaft with heavier tip)

If you boil this down, it essentially means that tempo with club head speed gives you the flex you need while the angles and release give you the bend profile you need.

I know this isn't for me, but that was a great analysis and makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

 

[Spank818]

If I can take a stab? Might be off a bit here but:

Speed: Obvious
Tempo: How fast your transition is between finishing your back swing and starting the down swing. A 6 is verging on mid-quick. I bet this is the reason it spit back a 125g shaft since a 6 means more load on the shaft and more load on a ligher shaft increases dispertion in theory.
Shaft Toe down angle: How much does the shaft boe or bend during the downswing. A 9 means there's a lot of boeing, a 1 is very little.
Shaft Kick Angle: How much is the shaft bending forward during the downswing. A 5 slots nicely in the mid kick angle
Release Factor: How much or little do you release the club. A 5 is smack on awesome. Higher means less release and more prone to slicing and a lower ball flight (heavier shaft with softer tip), lower means more release and more prone to hooking and a higher ball flight (lighter shaft with heavier tip)

If you boil this down, it essentially means that tempo with club head speed gives you the flex you need while the angles and release give you the bend profile you need.

Your missing a key component here is the "when" and I think your theory is reversed (See link on my previous post). Lag has something to do with it as well. The lower the number the later the release which you would need something more tip stiff, the higher the number the earlier the release which needs more whip. Light or heavy has nothing to do with it (it does in combination with the other factors). I had a 1 (which tells you I have an early release and it gave me two of the 3 stiffest tips on the shaft selection).

This is a segment I grabbed from the Mizuno Forum:

Good Morning guys. Hopefully I can clear some of this up!

1 release is a LATE release (think of how Sergio comes through the ball)
9 release is a EARLY release (think of how Zach Johnson comes through the ball)
A good reference would be here:

Sergio - check his wrists at 1:07 into the video:


Johnson - check his wrists at 0:33 into the video


Now these are both top notch golfers, they just load the shaft differently.

What a 9 release tells me is that you are losing your wrist angle before impact and this means that a softer tipped shaft.

 

[Super Tuna]

I know this isn't for me, but that was a great analysis and makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

Cheers Biggsy!

If I ever won the lotto I think club building/fitting would be what I would do in a heart beat. The science behind the golf swing and how it translates into a bend profile on a shaft is fascinating to me and the Mizzie optimizer ranks way up there in my cool gadget scale.

Edit:
Interesting Spanks. On a bad swinging day I score a 8 on the release with the Optimizer and it's because I don't release the club at all, thus cutting across the ball (I also need a tip stiff shaft but that's for another reason).

 

[Canadan]

For those knowledgeable on this fitting process and where I sit on the chart on the left, do you guys think that's an ideal place for a soft stepped x100 shaft? Is that what the "XS" means in this?

 

[TC]

For those knowledgeable on this fitting process and where I sit on the chart on the left, do you guys think that's an ideal place for a soft stepped x100 shaft? Is that what the "XS" means in this?

Yes, yes I do.

 

[Spank818]

For those knowledgeable on this fitting process and where I sit on the chart on the left, do you guys think that's an ideal place for a soft stepped x100 shaft? Is that what the "XS" means in this?

I think that's the way you're going to go (take a note on the PX6.5). It looks like you're a touch lower than an XStiff but higher than the XS (which is like the midway point between S and X). Just my opinion though from looking at those charts at length for my optimizer fitting.

 

[Canadan]

I think that's the way you're going to go (take a note on the PX6.5). It looks like you're a touch lower than an XStiff but higher than the XS (which is like the midway point between S and X). Just my opinion though from looking at those charts at length for my optimizer fitting.

When you say "take a note on" are you saying that would be the shaft you'd recommend? I've always ever played the DG s300 or x100. I've never ventured mostly because my ball flight is quite high, and it seemed like other companies only raised my ball flight. I'm all about getting creative for this process, and am ready to experiment.

 

[Spank818]

When you say "take a note on" are you saying that would be the shaft you'd recommend? I've always ever played the DG s300 or x100. I've never ventured mostly because my ball flight is quite high, and it seemed like other companies only raised my ball flight. I'm all about getting creative for this process, and am ready to experiment.

When I said "take a note on" I meant it normally spits a PX or Rifle .5 type shaft when you are a tweener. I think you're very much like TC that you have a high end swing speed that I would go the higher of the recommendations and soft step. So in your case if your between an S and an X, I'd go X and soft step (I think that would be more of a PX 6.75 if there was such an animal). I was also the same when trying out the shafts. Out of the 4 recommended to me (all low to mid ball flights) S300, PX 6.0, KBS Tour, Rifle 6.0 I was hitting them all at roughly the same launch angle off the LM (18-19 degrees) I was getting the best numbers from the Rifle (lowered my spin and gave me a touch more distance and better dispersion) so I went with that.

I wonder if there's a possibility of maybe going with the KBS C-Tapers. All the reports on it are that it's lower than the Tour but with the same feel. That shaft is not loaded into the optimizer so it'll be a guess to what might fit you. I'm super curious about it as well since I like the feel of the Tours but I didn't like the ball flight characteristics off of it (launch and spin were too high). I would love to hear what you think if you researched that route.

 

[Canadan]

When I said "take a note on" I meant it normally spits a PX or Rifle .5 type shaft when you are a tweener. I think you're very much like TC that you have a high end swing speed that I would go the higher of the recommendations and soft step. So in your case if your between an S and an X, I'd go X and soft step (I think that would be more of a PX 6.75 if there was such an animal). I was also the same when trying out the shafts. Out of the 4 recommended to me (all low to mid ball flights) S300, PX 6.0, KBS Tour, Rifle 6.0 I was hitting them all at roughly the same launch angle off the LM (18-19 degrees) I was getting the best numbers from the Rifle (lowered my spin and gave me a touch more distance and better dispersion) so I went with that.

I wonder if there's a possibility of maybe going with the KBS C-Tapers. All the reports on it are that it's lower than the Tour but with the same feel. That shaft is not loaded into the optimizer so it'll be a guess to what might fit you. I'm super curious about it as well since I like the feel of the Tours but I didn't like the ball flight characteristics off of it (launch and spin were too high). I would love to hear what you think if you researched that route.

Thanks Spank! I don't think the C-Tapers are an option in this case, but I may look into them for later.

I imagine my options are down to project X 6.5 or the x100 soft stepped. I may venture out tonight to see if I can swing them in a sim.

 

[ddxu]

I was bored after work today so I went and checked this out at a Golfsmith while on a work trip in Northville, MI. It was very easy and the guys were cool about letting me use it. The machine matched me to the Dynamic Gold Dynalite XP S300 or the Rifle Project X 5.0. I also tested the Razr and JPX 800 out on a local range. Both hit great shots and felt nice, definetly gives me a starting point for the new irons I want to buy later this summer. I hope to demo these 2 along side the Burner 2 and CG 15 demo irons I have at home. My CG Golds need to be replaced; just trying to find a set that help minimize my hook miss.

 

[Canadan]

I was bored after work today so I went and checked this out at a Golfsmith while on a work trip in Northville, MI. It was very easy and the guys were cool about letting me use it. The machine matched me to the Dynamic Gold Dynalite XP S300 or the Rifle Project X 5.0. I also tested the Razr and JPX 800 out on a local range. Both hit great shots and felt nice, definetly gives me a starting point for the new irons I want to buy later this summer. I hope to demo these 2 along side the Burner 2 and CG 15 demo irons I have at home. My CG Golds need to be replaced; just trying to find a set that help minimize my hook miss.

What were your numbers, do you remember? Glad you enjoyed the experience.

 

[ddxu]

What were your numbers, do you remember? Glad you enjoyed the experience.

1 - 84 3.3.5.4
2 - 84 3.2.4.4
3 - 84 4.5.6.4

avg 84 3.3.5.4

Since I was just hitting into a net, its hard to say which of the 3 was the best overall shot.

 

[Canadan]

1 - 84 3.3.5.4
2 - 84 3.2.4.4
3 - 84 4.5.6.4

avg 84 3.3.5.4

Since I was just hitting into a net, its hard to say which of the 3 was the best overall shot.

Nice to see that your speed remained consistent, although I think it's interesting that your other numbers were so diverse...

 

[cheffor]

Called the closest Mizuno fitter around and scheduled some time for the shaft optimizer and a fitting. Was fit 2 degrees upright with a standard length or add an inch of length onto the club which would make the club upright. He offered to add an inch to one club to see how I liked it so I left my 7 iron with him to add the inch, if it works well I'll have the rest of the clubs done as well.

We talked about shafts and decided the change from the DG XP S300's I currently have are close enough to the GS 95 S300's that it wouldn't be cost effective to change. Overall a very good experience, he was a delight to talk to and was very knowledgeable.

 

[Damaikis]

I don't know much about the shaft optimizer, but I thought I heard somebody say something about this being a LH/RH thing. Can both use this? Thanks guys.

 

[arydolphin]

I don't know much about the shaft optimizer, but I thought I heard somebody say something about this being a LH/RH thing. Can both use this? Thanks guys.

There is a LH-specific unit, so you can't just take the unit that is used for right-handers and put it on a left-handed club. Just my opinion, but your best bet on finding one of those would be through a Mizuno demo day or a place that has a Mizuno fitting cart. The club that I was handed today was set up for right-handers, and looked to be a club specifically made for Mizuno to utilize the shaft optimizer.

EDIT: I also found this image on the Mizuno forum, it helps explain what the 4 numbers are in the fitting process. For tempo, higher numbers mean quicker tempo. For release, higher numbers mean earlier release.

 

[Damaikis]

There is a LH-specific unit, so you can't just take the unit that is used for right-handers and put it on a left-handed club. Just my opinion, but your best bet on finding one of those would be through a Mizuno demo day or a place that has a Mizuno fitting cart. The club that I was handed today was set up for right-handers, and looked to be a club specifically made for Mizuno to utilize the shaft optimizer.

Thanks. I'd like a good shaft fitting, so I'll keep an eye out for a Mizzy demo day around here.

 

[coolbreeze]

Thanks. I'd like a good shaft fitting, so I'll keep an eye out for a Mizzy demo day around here.

As you know, I'm a lefty and have done the Mizuno shaft optimizer a few times. Its a good starting point for a good shaft fitting.

 

[Damaikis]

As you know, I'm a lefty and have done the Mizuno shaft optimizer a few times. Its a good starting point for a good shaft fitting.

Good to hear. I've never had any sort of fitting. I figure a shaft fitting would be a good start.

 

[IceyShanks]

The shaft optimizer is awesome, but it took me trying three different shafts before I got to the one that game the best results for me, FWIW, it was a project x, I was surprised it wasn't the first the results were that good.

 

[BIGBALL]

Will the Optimizer also give graphite shaft recommendations for irons and also for woods ?

It did for me, at least when I was looking at irons...

 

[GS]

Went to the Mizuno demo day at my local range and went through the process. Having never been fitted, going through the shaft optimizer was a good start. The rep was very nice and I was very pleased. Got fitted for the MP-59's with Dynamic Gold XP S300. I learned a lot and now want new irons more than ever!

 

[Canadan]

There is a LH-specific unit, so you can't just take the unit that is used for right-handers and put it on a left-handed club. Just my opinion, but your best bet on finding one of those would be through a Mizuno demo day or a place that has a Mizuno fitting cart. The club that I was handed today was set up for right-handers, and looked to be a club specifically made for Mizuno to utilize the shaft optimizer.

EDIT: I also found this image on the Mizuno forum, it helps explain what the 4 numbers are in the fitting process. For tempo, higher numbers mean quicker tempo. For release, higher numbers mean earlier release.

Bump for DK