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Real Deal Tour Shafts Vs OEM Made For...Can you tell the difference...How?

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ProZoneGolf

ProZoneGolf

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REAL DEAL SHAFTS Vs OEM MADE FOR...CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE...HOW?

This thread is to give readers the knowledge between oem made for shafts Vs the REAL DEAL versions, or Tour versions that never make it to market

Please post what to look for on the shafts to determine the difference...e.g laser etching serial numbers, Stamp markings, butt stickers, graphics, lettering, made in China/Taiwan Vs Japan etc

Together we can post info on REAL, OEM and possible fake shafts
 
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I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to accomplish? Fake vs Real I understand but the Made for versus aftermarket thing is a completely separate discussion.
 
I'm so confused, but it's not uncommon. Are we talking about real vs fake or tour Vs made for?
 
tpluff said:
I'm so confused, but it's not uncommon. Are we talking about real vs fake or tour Vs made for?
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Im right there with you. When looking for High end shafts vs OEM made for, I go in to the fitter hit what he wants me to hit, until we are both happy. Then I either buy from the fitter or a reputable dealer.


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If it works, it doesn't matter
 
I think this stuff gets way over thought lol
 
This thread shall be fun. Having sat down with multiple high end shaft companies the difference nowadays is much less than people believe. If changes need to be made they are done to get a closer spec to fit the desired club head. Does not mean that they are of lesser quality.
 
I ran into a little confusion when I first tried the Callaway X2 hot driver. It has an Aldila "Tour Blue" atx 55-S shaft but that weight is not listed on Aldila website. Took me a while to find out it was a shaft Callaway requested with specific characteristics for this driver. I had heard so many good things about the tour blue and at the time it's usage was gaining popularity on tour so I was surprised by my negative results with it.


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Real to me is all that matters. Don't care where it was or from whom it's made. Swing away 'till you find it.
 
J4U said:
Real to me is all that matters. Don't care where it was or from whom it's made. Swing away 'till you find it.
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I'm with you on this Doug, I have played all types of shafts over the years, I have never been hung up on anything except which one works for me.
 
ddec said:
This thread shall be fun. Having sat down with multiple high end shaft companies the difference nowadays is much less than people believe. If changes need to be made they are done to get a closer spec to fit the desired club head. Does not mean that they are of lesser quality.
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I got you earlier, but this time YOU said exactly what I was going to.
 
I get fit. Whatever produces the best numbers, I buy.

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An example of this is Mitsubushi blue boards, red boards, white boards with flower band ions, Vs made for like titleists. There was a HUGE difference, yet OEM's marketed them like the REAL Deal

Now Taylormade sell Fujikura Speeders that are not laser etched like the aftermarket ones...are they the same?

Aldila Rogues are made in two different continents, some better than others? while Tour players play 125msi, not 110

We all adjust to make it work...could it be better?

Why do OEM's label/silk shafts exactly the same as tour aftermarket shafts, yet they are not the same?
 
SO WRITING IN ALL CAPS IS COOL NOW?

Seriously, made for shafts are just as good. Do they fit everyone's swing? Maybe not, but they are just as good

#placebo
 
ProZoneGolf said:
An example of this is Mitsubushi blue boards, red boards, white boards with flower band ions, Vs made for like titleists. There was a HUGE difference, yet OEM's marketed them like the REAL Deal

Now Taylormade sell Fujikura Speeders that are not laser etched like the aftermarket ones...are they the same?

Aldila Rogues are made in two different continents, some better than others? while Tour players play 125msi, not 110

We all adjust to make it work...could it be better?

Why do OEM's label/silk shafts exactly the same as tour aftermarket shafts, yet they are not the same?
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Cost being one. Callaway would have a hard time selling 900.00 Big Berthas with 125msi Rogues. Also, the shafts that are installed by an OEM are typically matched to that head making it a better fit. Just because something is "real deal" doesn't make it better performing.
 
Im not nearly good enough to tell the difference nor do i earn enough money playing golf to really even bother with finding out. the made for is just fine for me and i play nearly at scratch with made for shafts. IMO not that big of a deal
 
To answer the question, no I have not been able to tell a major difference with the ones I have hit. Sometimes the made for are better for me and sometimes they aren't.
 
Step 1: Get shafts roughly right for your swing speed (R vs. S stuff).
Step 2: Get a consistent, center contact swing. [Now you can tell the difference.]
Step 3: Get fit for shafts (actually get fit for everything)
 
This is a topic that has long interested me not because I consider myself too good for "made for shafts" but because the manufacturers insist on calling these stock offerings the real deal when it's pretty much a given they are not the aftermarket shaft. I'm surprised some type of legal action hasn't been pursued as in the case of Tiger Wood's ball back in the day. This is a pretty hot topic in tennis as well as it's well known to the internet crowd that most pro players don't play the racquets they endorse. I believe there is a lawsuit against Wilson because of the belief his signature model isn't the same as retail.

As for my own experience with "made for" vs. aftermarket I had a Callaway Big Bertha driver with the stock Fubuki ZT in an extra stiff which felt great. I got into a conversation with my local clubfitter/builder who is well known in the Los Angeles golf community and he told me that the stock Fubuki ZT was made in a China plant to less stringent tolerances than the aftermarket which he said was made in the Japan factory to much tighter tolerances. He showed me the cosmetic differences under the grip and the wall difference as well. The stock shaft was also missing the Mitsubishi hologram decal. Curious and having some extra spending money I bought the aftermarket Fubuki and had it installed and sure enough the shaft was much tighter in terms of torque and it definitely felt more boardy. It was more stout for sure and my numbers were better. It lowered my spin and tightened up my dispersion. Only problem is I enjoyed the feel of the stock shaft more and the differences in numbers weren't that much better.

That said, now that I have my "Made for Paul" Project X shaft I don't have to concern myself with such nonsense! Thanks Don! ;-)

PS - I hope nobody takes this as "made for" bashing. My Optiforce 3 wood, 913h and XR hybrids all have "made for" shafts and all have my full confidence.
 
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I don't think OEM's should be allowed to sell shafts in clubs, that are not the same as the real deal, yet look the same. I think its very miss-leading verging on illegal. Its not the point that the made for shaft fits the head for the average player, its a different shaft all together. I call it a knock off from the shaft company sold to the OEM. In most cases the average player never buys the real deal and does not know the difference to comment. If you have played both please comment. In most cases the real deal has tighter spec's, sorted and tested for tighter quality control, made in Japan, not China, or in a different factory, has higher quality materials, all resulting in said trajectories, tighter dispersion, and longer drives as they fit the said cpm to a tighter 1-3 cpm range.

Do you think retail buyers should have the option to buy a new driver head without a made for shaft, at a cheaper price?
Can you comment on any club manufacturers that have real deal shafts, or say they do?...or any that don't but sell the shaft like it is real deal? Are the reps telling the truth?

Many websites / forums / forum leaders and moderators that help market for OEM's, take OEM $$$ in advertising, Take OEM freebies to test and review are also to blame as they bias report on the made for shafts to be real or just as good, yet they have not tested either. I think they are drinking the Kool-Aide...

I would like to see head to head tests of OEM made for clubs/shafts tested against the real deal shafts, by golf advocates, site leaders, equipment reviewers and players.

Perhaps the THP can add a section to their club clash, were they range test made for Vs real deal in the same head, and let the members feel any preformance difference for the additional upcharge costs. This could help players special order a aftermarket shaft and save some money on the purchase. I suggest GBB/665 Vs GBB 661 real deal shaft, chime in if you would like to test the difference,
 
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Made for shafts are no better or worse than after market shafts.

Every Rogue I have seen has the MSI stamped right on it.

What's even more interesting, how many people really care if the shaft in their driver is a proprietary offering or an aftermarket shaft?
 
Aside from the Matrix Reign Black shaft I won in a THP contest, I honestly couldn't tell you if the other shafts I have played are made for or aftermarket. Never really put much thought into it. If they worked for me, I was of little concern if they were real deal or not.
 
The only issue I've ever run into is demoing a club at demo day, getting fit, then buying the club head and stock shaft, then getting the shaft to which I was fit as an aftermarket- both times there was a significant difference in spin/launch/distance, and the "stiffness" were measured via cpm, butt and tip, and they were different from OEM version. I was confused and chalked it up to the allowed tolerances, but the more I've read, and was stated by a mod in the first page, slight differences have been made to fit a head. Probably to get a wider range of golfers. It's no big deal to me, just now I know when I try to get fit I go to places like Cool Clubs or Miles of Golf that fit with aftermarket versions as well.
 
Pkielwa said:
The only issue I've ever run into is demoing a club at demo day, getting fit, then buying the club head and stock shaft, then getting the shaft to which I was fit as an aftermarket- both times there was a significant difference in spin/launch/distance, and the "stiffness" were measured via cpm, butt and tip, and they were different from OEM version. I was confused and chalked it up to the allowed tolerances, but the more I've read, and was stated by a mod in the first page, slight differences have been made to fit a head. Probably to get a wider range of golfers. It's no big deal to me, just now I know when I try to get fit I go to places like Cool Clubs or Miles of Golf that fit with aftermarket versions as well.
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But that's not an OEM pulling a fast one on you. That's a salesman not doing his job. Completely different.
 
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