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Your View on Stock Shafts

Nippon Shafts
ddec

ddec

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The Driver
Earlier in a thread today we had a discussion about stock shafts when it comes to drivers. There is the notion out there that they are cheap and poorly made and therefor upgrading to an aftermarket shaft is always a better option. While that is not always the case, I'd like to ask you all, what are your views on stock driver shafts? Do you give them a fair chance? Do you discount them immediately? Do you really even notice or care?
 
I have found a number of stock shafts work great for me, so I always will give the stock shaft a shot. The only time I have every gamed an aftermarket shaft in a driver is after trying the stock shaft and not liking the feel of it (BB Alpha '14)
 
Give them a fair chance and had great experiences.

Matrix White Tie in the Bio Cell + was a fantastic shaft for that head IMO. Phenom in R1 was fantastic.....many more.
 
I'll give them a fair chance as the quality I think is light years ahead of what was available several years ago. That being said, I have some really good aftermarket shafts that I'm going to gravitate towards first because I've seen really good performance out of them.
 
I have found most stock setups work well for me. I have tried a bunch of different shafts but it always seems like the stock one fits me just fine
 
I used to not care about the shafts in drivers and thought that it was always the driver head...till I found THP....

I have tried a variety of shafts in drivers - as for discounting "stock" driver shafts - maybe a few years ago when there was only one option till they upgraded into a better shaft at an upcharge....

Lastly, with todays technology (Launch Monitors, fittings, etc.) you should leave the store with a driver head modified to their swing and a shaft which matches the characteristics of their swing as well.

Heck, look at Callaway - their "no upcharge" shaft options are close to 10 now....
 
Most of the time stock shafts work great for me. I imagine a lot of thought goes into the paring of a head and shaft. From the info on the handcrafted thread it sounds like a lot of effort is spent to reach the specs that oem's ask for.
 
At the Adams event last year they said they pick a stock shaft to fit the largest segment of golfers, and based on that I generally give it a chance.
 
ShanksaloT said:
I used to not care about the shafts in drivers and thought that it was always the driver head...till I found THP....

I have tried a variety of shafts in drivers - as for discounting "stock" driver shafts - maybe a few years ago when there was only one option till they upgraded into a better shaft at an upcharge....

Lastly, with todays technology (Launch Monitors, fittings, etc.) you should leave the store with a driver head modified to their swing and a shaft which matches the characteristics of their swing as well.

Heck, look at Callaway - their "no upcharge" shaft options are close to 19 now....
Click to expand...

Fixed it for you.
 
Stock options are always part of the testing package for me. Stock quality has risen significantly in the last 5 years.
 
I generally assume the OEM's know more than me about the best general pairing to their heads, so i'll stick with the stock more often than not. In my G30, I ended up going with the Tour version of their shaft after months of using the standard, so not sure if that counts as stock. About the only shaft I've generally hated is the Fubuki ZT's, which is why with my Bridgestone i went with something i fitted online. First time I've ever gone with a non stock shaft.
 
I used to immediately discount stock shafts, and would immediately look to replace them. But I have stuck with stock pairings on my last two drivers, and have seen positive results.
 
I always give stock shafts more than a fair chance. I don't want to buy an aftermarket option unless I think it is really necessary.
 
I don't have a lot of luck with stock shafts. Fortunately, a lot of OEMs are open to free upgrades on shafts. It's like having several stock options.

This has been especially true with the driver.
 
Give them a shot. If it works, then that will probably save me some money. I'm a big believer in being fit, especially for someone who has some spin and launch issues.
 
Will give the stock offering a shot as they have come a long way. Still a lot of variance even within same flex codes so I'll always swing a few different shafts in same flex code to find one I like. If the stock shaft is what I will play
 
I wouldnt say they're cheap but i dont think I will ever buy another driver without it being fitted for my swing. A few weeks ago I tried hitting a callaway xr with the stock x stiff project x and it didnt work for me at all, i was launching it way to high and getting no roll.

My dad went and got fitted for the xr and stock stiff shaft was what worked best for him. He has been hitting it very well
 
With stock shafts you have a good chance to start finding what works best for you. For the majority of players, the shaft is not the difference maker, but it certainly can be for those looking to squeeze out a little more out of their swing. Most the time the issues are people playing the wrong flex rather than the wrong shaft, stock or not.
 
Still playing the stock Motore F3 in my Cobra ZL Encore. I don't believe that the OEMs are just throwing any ol shafts in em.
 
I have absolutely no problem with stock shafts if they work. Especially after talking to Don at PX about it last week. He said that generally if you take a "made-for" shaft vs a "real deal" shaft of the same model, the biggest difference will be in torque, and it will be higher, since they will use lower modulus (read: cheaper) carbon fiber in the 45* flags.
 
Honestly my eyes are open to the shaft world so much differently now. I dont think stock shafts are necessarily good or bad, and from what I understand they are made to really fit the avg golfer. Getting on a monitor and finding out what shaft fits you best will never have a better alternative. I think they have come a long way recently though, or thats my perception.
 
I usually test/try most everything in it's stock format first, but I do have to say there are some stock shafts that you just kind of ho hum about and others that seem to pop out at you more, it usually has to do with name recognition and reputation.
 
Personal view is that if it works I will use it! dont really care if the shaft is a high end shaft or made by a 3 year old, if it works for my swing and does what is needed thats all I care.
 
They are getting better but don't always work with my swing
 
Stock shafts have worked well for me in the past. Have used them 95% of the time in drivers I've purchased. Though I've got a pretty special aftermarket shaft I'll be playing for a very long time now!
 
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