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This is the third time the adapter has separated from the shaft on my driver.

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Luchnia

Luchnia

You will never conquer golf.
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I have a UST Helium 49G shaft with a Cobra F9 adapter that I use in my driver. This will be the third time it has come off. I do use it a lot hitting balls into my net. Each time it has come loose I am meticulous cleaning and prepping, so nothing is the problem there. I have fixed adapters before without issue. I used the Golfworks quality grade epoxy with the black dye in it. I am thinking something with the epoxy is the problem.

I did order a new adapter and don't see any reason I would need it, but this time I used the new adapter and different (Brampton) epoxy and see what happens. There must be something that is working this adapter loose, but I see no reason for it. I only had one other adapter come loose on a shaft once that I purchased from a golf store, but fixed it and had no more issues.

Anybody else had an issue with a driver adapter that keeps coming loose? If so, were you able to resolve the issue and what did you do?
 
All of my clubs are direct epoxy shaft installations. Without an adapter the impact sound-feel is better. There are some companies offering "no adapter" hybrids-fairways- and drivers, so that's one solution you might want to consider.
 
Luchnia said:
I have a UST Helium 49G shaft with a Cobra F9 adapter that I use in my driver. This will be the third time it has come off. I do use it a lot hitting balls into my net. Each time it has come loose I am meticulous cleaning and prepping, so nothing is the problem there. I have fixed adapters before without issue. I used the Golfworks quality grade epoxy with the black dye in it. I am thinking something with the epoxy is the problem.

I did order a new adapter and don't see any reason I would need it, but this time I used the new adapter and different (Brampton) epoxy and see what happens. There must be something that is working this adapter loose, but I see no reason for it. I only had one other adapter come loose on a shaft once that I purchased from a golf store, but fixed it and had no more issues.

Anybody else had an issue with a driver adapter that keeps coming loose? If so, were you able to resolve the issue and what did you do?
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If your adapter is coming loose, it is almost always a prep issue.
Couple of questions.
1. Im assuming you are prepping the shaft. Sanding off, etc.
2. Are you prepping the inside of the adapter? Sometimes people forget this and not roughing it up even a little bit, can cause this to happen.

Once those two things are done, if something is still coming off, it has to be bad epoxy.
 
How tight is the fit between the adapter and the shaft? Too loose can be a problem, but so can too tight. I had a buddy bring me one that he was having problem with, the fit was so tight there was no room for epoxy between the shaft and adapter.
 
The common thread is the shaft. As said above is the shaft tip in good order ? Is it fitting snuggly into the adapter? Is the insidesdie of the adapter being prepped?
 
JB said:
If your adapter is coming loose, it is almost always a prep issue.
Couple of questions.
1. Im assuming you are prepping the shaft. Sanding off, etc.
2. Are you prepping the inside of the adapter? Sometimes people forget this and not roughing it up even a little bit, can cause this to happen.

Once those two things are done, if something is still coming off, it has to be bad epoxy.
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Yes to both and also shaft fit seems good and not too tight allowing for a decent amount of epoxy.

I am agreeing with it being bad epoxy, but I should know more after I used it. The new Brampton epoxy might do the trick. The old epoxy seems to failing after use and lacking proper adhesion. Each time it has come loose, it is as if the jarring effect of ball striking the epoxy is pushed up slowly while it loosens.

I never saw one do like that. Now for the testing period. It only takes about a week for it to come loose depending on how many balls I hit. With the new adapter and the Brampton epoxy we will see what happens.

I plan to hit it some today. I have a game tomorrow that I don't want to chance it coming loose on the course and will change shafts back just for that game. Glad I got a backup shaft - just 10g heavier which will be ok.
 
Luchnia said:
Yes to both and also shaft fit seems good and not too tight allowing for a decent amount of epoxy.

I am agreeing with it being bad epoxy, but I should know more after I used it. The new Brampton epoxy might do the trick. The old epoxy seems to failing after use and lacking proper adhesion. Each time it has come loose, it is as if the jarring effect of ball striking the epoxy is pushed up slowly while it loosens.

I never saw one do like that. Now for the testing period. It only takes about a week for it to come loose depending on how many balls I hit. With the new adapter and the Brampton epoxy we will see what happens.

I plan to hit it some today. I have a game tomorrow that I don't want to chance it coming loose on the course and will change shafts back just for that game. Glad I got a backup shaft - just 10g heavier which will be ok.
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How old is the epoxy? I have had issues with using older epoxy where the bond fails. I try not to use any epoxy older than 18 months (it's recommended to only be 12).
I would agree w/ @JB, make sure the tip prep on the shaft and prep on the inside of the adapter is sufficient. It should not fail with just normal use.
 
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jbuck31 said:
How old is the epoxy? I have had issues with using older epoxy where the bond fails. I try not to use any epoxy older than 18 months (it's recommended to only be 12).
I would agree w/ @JB, make sure the tip prep on the shaft and prep on the inside of the adapter is sufficient. It should not fail with just normal use.
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I bought it from Golfworks fall/winter 2019. They may have sent me some old crap though - who knows. If this doesn't hold, I have some high-end 3m for special projects that will hold 1000s of lbs I will use. Of course if I use that might never get the adapter off :ROFLMAO:
 
Luchnia said:
If this doesn't hold, I have some high-end 3m for special projects that will hold 1000s of lbs I will use. Of course if I use that might never get the adapter off :ROFLMAO:
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A little heat, patience and gentle persuasion ……..;)

Odd about the epoxy, I have never had an issue with the stuff from Golfworks when it's been within a year old.
Good luck
 
How long are you waiting before using the club and are you letting it dry in colder temps? Epoxy takes much longer to dry when cold or wet out so if the club is left in a non climate controlled environment to set in cold months, it can often take far longer than the recommended set times.
 
GolfMT36 said:
How long are you waiting before using the club and are you letting it dry in colder temps? Epoxy takes much longer to dry when cold or wet out so if the club is left in a non climate controlled environment to set in cold months, it can often take far longer than the recommended set times.
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This is a good point about curing in the cold. I have found that anything under 60 and the curing doesn’t occur as effectively (with the Brampton epoxy I use).
 
a few other things to think about, and this is not to insult your abilities, is to make sure if it is the two part epoxy, you are mixing at the correct ratio. Also, besides prepping the tip and inside of the adapter, you mentioned about fit, there is such thing as too much epoxy when building. Also, is curing time sufficient before handling.

I would assume it is just bad epoxy if all the above check out fine.
 
Last tip I have that hasn’t been mentioned is to law sure that the inside of the shaft is clear so no air bubbles are created and epoxy can works it’s way up the inside of the shaft.
 
So far I am good on all points noted from you fellow posters and thanks for posting too. It is much appreciated, because you never know what you might forget at my age ;).

Thoroughly mix up proper parts of epoxy as per directions. Coat both inside adapter and outside shaft. Shaft cures overnight in a warm environment away from moisture, dust, etc. Also, no air pockets, and proper prepping and verifying there is no oil, residue, or anything left on shaft and adapter.

I took it down to my hitting net a while ago and hit about 25 balls with it. As the week progresses and I practice more I will know by the end of next week because that is about how long it took the old adapter to come off.

I am still thinking this is bad epoxy from Golfworks. I will update once I know more just so everyone will know the outcome.
 
Sounds like an epoxy issue to me. Did you notice anything about how the tip looked after failure? By that, I mean did the surface look relatively smooth, meaning it failed at the epoxy head (or shaft) interface, or somewhat rough and torn, meaning it failed within the epoxy itself? The former is called adhesive failure, and latter is called cohesive failure. The cohesive mode is preferred among adhesive techies, and many adhesives contain an adhesion promoter to improve the bonding between the adhesive and the surface. Sometimes they may have misformulated or the promoter itself was defective, or the adhesive was old or overexposed to higher temperatures in storage.
 
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I have used a lot of epoxy adhesives in my work career in aerospace over the years and if the prep is done correctly on both parts and the bond fails, it's always the epoxy fault.
Could be expired, bad formulation, improper mixing, improper ratios(you say they are correct though).
So I am piling on with the bad epoxy group.
 
I took this club out and smoked it good yesterday having some not so good hits and I noticed the sound changed slightly which immediately caught my attention. I inspected the shaft at the adapter and noticed it has started coming up ever so slightly. So this is NOT epoxy or adapter issue. This is a new adapter and different epoxy.

This has to be a problem in the shaft tip area that my old eyes cannot see. I am going to pull it when I get a chance and inspect it closer. When I had the adapter off I did notice one area of the tip of the shaft also had what looked like a chalking and different coloration to it. I am definitely narrowing this down.

I will probably cut the tip and rework it, yet it is already shortened for my driver, but could use it in a woods or some other club. If I cut a half the three quarter inch I could make a "super short" driver. :cool:

I purchased this shaft from one of the golf retailers about a month ago (don't recall which one right now) and it really has not done much at all. Probably hit a couple hundred balls since I purchased it. The thing that goes back in my mind is why the original adapter worked loose in the first place? That would indicate something was wrong. I would contact the seller, but figure that ain't worth the effort or time due to the cost.

I will keep you updated.
 
Luchnia said:
I took this club out and smoked it good yesterday having some not so good hits and I noticed the sound changed slightly which immediately caught my attention. I inspected the shaft at the adapter and noticed it has started coming up ever so slightly. So this is NOT epoxy or adapter issue. This is a new adapter and different epoxy.

This has to be a problem in the shaft tip area that my old eyes cannot see. I am going to pull it when I get a chance and inspect it closer. When I had the adapter off I did notice one area of the tip of the shaft also had what looked like a chalking and different coloration to it. I am definitely narrowing this down.

I will probably cut the tip and rework it, yet it is already shortened for my driver, but could use it in a woods or some other club. If I cut a half the three quarter inch I could make a "super short" driver. :cool:

I purchased this shaft from one of the golf retailers about a month ago (don't recall which one right now) and it really has not done much at all. Probably hit a couple hundred balls since I purchased it. The thing that goes back in my mind is why the original adapter worked loose in the first place? That would indicate something was wrong. I would contact the seller, but figure that ain't worth the effort or time due to the cost.

I will keep you updated.
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What shaft are you having issues with? One thing I will say, one time I reshafted a shaft so many times that eventually, I prepped it so much it was too small for the adapter. That's probably not gonna happen in 3 reshafts unless you're just careless though.

This is why I say I'd be 100% fine with going away from the adapters and just going straight shaft to head bonded clubs again. I never had the issues with the direct bonded clubs like I have with the adapters. They're great for swapping shafts out easily, but sometimes I think it's not worth the headache.

Good luck.
 
OGputtnfool said:
What shaft are you having issues with? One thing I will say, one time I reshafted a shaft so many times that eventually, I prepped it so much it was too small for the adapter. That's probably not gonna happen in 3 reshafts unless you're just careless though.

This is why I say I'd be 100% fine with going away from the adapters and just going straight shaft to head bonded clubs again. I never had the issues with the direct bonded clubs like I have with the adapters. They're great for swapping shafts out easily, but sometimes I think it's not worth the headache.

Good luck.
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UST Helium 49G lite flex. I am sure I could put some small grooves inside the adapter and on the shaft and it would probably hold, but not sure it is worth the effort to do all that. I figure if that shaft came loose after I purchased it from the retailer, and also three more times, there is something wrong here that the naked eye is not seeing. I have used epoxy in other work I do (outside of golf), so I am very familiar with prep and what to do with epoxies.

I may take one last stab with the high-end, high-dollar 3m epoxy I have for special bonds just to see if having additional adhesion would hold. Just not sure I even want to entertain that at this point. Even if it did hold, not sure I would be confident using it now and the last thing I want to do is be bugged by the thought that a shaft adapter might be working loose while I am trying to hit decent drives.

If I had of re-shafted it and simply hit it at the course while playing it would probably have lasted a month, but I have been using this shaft daily for practice so it is getting hundreds of balls hit at a fairly constant pace. That is quite a shock level on that shaft, but I still think it should hold up better.
 
There's no way you're hiring more balls than the pros hit. It should hold up no matter what.
 
I cut 1/4 inch off the tip yesterday. Re-worked the end of the shaft. Re-worked the adapter. Cleaned and verified that the inside of the adapter and outside of the shaft are rough enough to hold. I epoxied and assembled and set in mild temps overnight.

This week I will see how she holds up hitting balls in my shop. This is becoming a "shorty" driver shaft probably playing at 44.25 (have to measure and see today) and should be fun to experiment with :cool:
 
Hope this time it works for you properly! You've got a shawty driver now:cool:
 
Status update - since I cut the 1/4 inch off, I have used the club for practice now about 4 days straight and so far, it has not budged at all. After I used it a few more days, if it stays then it is good and that would mean something about the tip end of the shaft was causing this issue.

If there was anything wrong with the tip, I could not see it. I did not take a magnifier and look though. Maybe it had a tiny crack that was flexing the epoxy? Who knows. I will update later as I hit it more.
 
Sounds like you fixed the issue. Hit em well(y)
 
Sounds like that was the issue. Odd how it was the tip but then, sometimes stuff just happens.
 
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