wall of text, but i wanted to share with some people who might actually care since i don't have any friends who are as big of a golf nerd as i am.
2015 has turned into the great shaft experiment. in 2014, i played 3 shafts: made-for aldila rip phenom 55g r flex in my r1, accra cs1 60 m3 (short-lived when tragedy struck and it broke), and ys six nano reloaded s flex. i've really enjoyed the nano reloaded, but when i found out that the r1 adapter also works on the rbz stage 2, sldr, r15, and adams xtd, the wheels started turning and i began to identify shafts with different manufacturers that i wanted to try. over the last month or so i've purchased the following:
- accra cs1 60 m4 (59g, 3.9 torque): i was fitted for the 60 m3 last year. after 5 rounds with it, my bag fell over and the shaft snapped. to accra's credit they gave the retailer a refund, but i took the opportunity to get fitted again and was put in a graphite design tour ad mj 6sr, but opted for the nano reloaded because $. i had mixed success with this in its short life, with my miss being a push slice, but when i was on i was hitting piercing drives and i could swing confidently. my ss has increased since i was fitted, so i bumped up a flex.
- miyazaki kusala white 56 s tour issue (54g, 4.0 torque): i've always loved the look of miyazaki, and i feel like this shaft has a good presence on the lpga. though i don't have the right plumbing to play on the lpga, i feel that my swing and numbers are more like theirs than the pga players. i read up on their different offerings, and mined thp for some info. i saw a lot of people rave about this shaft, and its high launch profile closed the deal. also got a great price on the bay.
- matrix red tie 6q3 s (67.5g, 3.1 torque): identified matrix as a solid producer i wanted to test, and mined thp to see a lot of people loved this shaft. i've been interested in the adams xtd driver for awhile, and when i found out a) the tip adapter is compatible with my r1 and the r15 if i want it someday, AND its stock shaft is a real deal (not made-for) matrix red tie 6q3, i bought the driver brand new for pretty much the same price i could buy just the head on the bay, and a lot less than i would pay to buy just the shaft.
- aldila tour blue 65 s (69g, 3.7 torque): i was fitted for this shaft in a driver last year, but passed because $. but i put it in r flex in my 3w, and love the launch profile.
the wife took the kids to wdw last night, so i left work around 7pm and went to the range for the 10-combo test: r1 head with each shaft and xtd head with each shaft. my plan was to hit 5 balls with each combo then switch. for some context, my ss is now in the 100-102mph range, spin is anywhere from 1,500-2,500, la usually around 12-14*. all tips were installed at 10.5* (the neutral setting for each driver head). the confounding variable is that not all the grips were the same, and because these were purchases on the bay, there's no telling how whether and how many wraps there were under each grip (some did feel "thicker" than others). here are my rankings after this first test:
5) graphite design ys six nano reloaded. i probably didn't give enough to this combo since i already own it and it wasn't new and shiny and fun, but dispersion wasn't great and well-struck shots weren't going as far as i wanted. on the course results tend to be better than range results with this shaft. well struck shots start at the target and fall away with a cut. ball flight is more of a rainbow shape. tighter dispersion in r1.
4) accra cs1 60 m4. lower initial launch angle, piercing flight when hit well, but lacked tightness in dispersion. the boardiest of the shafts. just feels like you really have to work to load it. interestingly and i can't really explain it well, but of all shafts this produced the best center-face contact the most consistently. but swings without perfect launch conditions and aoa suffered. ball flight was flat with some planing. tough to nail down a preference in heads, but would probably go with xtd since it spun a bit more and was a little hotter.
3) miyazaki kusala white 56 s. it is really tough to call this the 3rd best in my lineup because i loved it so much. there were some shots that i could see off the face out of the corner of my, and they EXPLODED. high, towering bombs. left bias, but not in a bad way. my miss with a driver is when i lay the club off too much in the downswing and flip through impact for a low ducking hook. the lightness of this shaft made me very aware that this miss was a possibly, so i had to try hard to not make that swing. ball flight was high initial and rising but still penetrating, and good descent angle. this shaft produced very well on mishits. tough to say which combo i liked better, they both performed brilliantly.
2) matrix red tie 6q3 s. almost a coin flip between this and the kusala as #2 vs #3. shockingly tight dispersion with this shaft, and very consistent ball flight even on horizontal and vertical mishits. a couple times i expected a shot to be a bomb and it came up a little shorter than expected, but in all great results. flight was lower initial than the kusala, but climbed and planed with a shallower descent angle. could easily see this one carrying well but still bounding forward. my biggest complaint is that it feels like you really need to work to get this shaft to load. i'm not sure that's the case, but it felt like it, although the ball really exploded off the face. preferred in xtd.
1) aldila tour blue 65 s. this feels like a steel pole. so heavy. my first swing with this shaft was in the r1, and when i hit the ball and watched the flight i laughed out loud at the amazing results, then started looking around hoping someone saw what was quite possibly the best drive i've ever hit in my life. mid/high initial trajectory then fights to climb even higher with a good descent angle. shot after shot with this was straight bombs. as heavy as the shaft is, it feels like the tip is really responsive and whips through impact to give great launch conditions. great results in both heads, but would probably lean toward xtd because of the hotter face and slight increase in spin.
as someone who is NOT strong, and doesn't have that fast of a swing speed, it's interesting that i work so much better with heavier shafts in my driver. i think for me the trick is a heavier shaft but with a soft, responsive tip to help initial launch conditions. i had so much fun last night and didn't want to leave. if you made it through the wall of text, thanks for reading!
2015 has turned into the great shaft experiment. in 2014, i played 3 shafts: made-for aldila rip phenom 55g r flex in my r1, accra cs1 60 m3 (short-lived when tragedy struck and it broke), and ys six nano reloaded s flex. i've really enjoyed the nano reloaded, but when i found out that the r1 adapter also works on the rbz stage 2, sldr, r15, and adams xtd, the wheels started turning and i began to identify shafts with different manufacturers that i wanted to try. over the last month or so i've purchased the following:
- accra cs1 60 m4 (59g, 3.9 torque): i was fitted for the 60 m3 last year. after 5 rounds with it, my bag fell over and the shaft snapped. to accra's credit they gave the retailer a refund, but i took the opportunity to get fitted again and was put in a graphite design tour ad mj 6sr, but opted for the nano reloaded because $. i had mixed success with this in its short life, with my miss being a push slice, but when i was on i was hitting piercing drives and i could swing confidently. my ss has increased since i was fitted, so i bumped up a flex.
- miyazaki kusala white 56 s tour issue (54g, 4.0 torque): i've always loved the look of miyazaki, and i feel like this shaft has a good presence on the lpga. though i don't have the right plumbing to play on the lpga, i feel that my swing and numbers are more like theirs than the pga players. i read up on their different offerings, and mined thp for some info. i saw a lot of people rave about this shaft, and its high launch profile closed the deal. also got a great price on the bay.
- matrix red tie 6q3 s (67.5g, 3.1 torque): identified matrix as a solid producer i wanted to test, and mined thp to see a lot of people loved this shaft. i've been interested in the adams xtd driver for awhile, and when i found out a) the tip adapter is compatible with my r1 and the r15 if i want it someday, AND its stock shaft is a real deal (not made-for) matrix red tie 6q3, i bought the driver brand new for pretty much the same price i could buy just the head on the bay, and a lot less than i would pay to buy just the shaft.
- aldila tour blue 65 s (69g, 3.7 torque): i was fitted for this shaft in a driver last year, but passed because $. but i put it in r flex in my 3w, and love the launch profile.
the wife took the kids to wdw last night, so i left work around 7pm and went to the range for the 10-combo test: r1 head with each shaft and xtd head with each shaft. my plan was to hit 5 balls with each combo then switch. for some context, my ss is now in the 100-102mph range, spin is anywhere from 1,500-2,500, la usually around 12-14*. all tips were installed at 10.5* (the neutral setting for each driver head). the confounding variable is that not all the grips were the same, and because these were purchases on the bay, there's no telling how whether and how many wraps there were under each grip (some did feel "thicker" than others). here are my rankings after this first test:
5) graphite design ys six nano reloaded. i probably didn't give enough to this combo since i already own it and it wasn't new and shiny and fun, but dispersion wasn't great and well-struck shots weren't going as far as i wanted. on the course results tend to be better than range results with this shaft. well struck shots start at the target and fall away with a cut. ball flight is more of a rainbow shape. tighter dispersion in r1.
4) accra cs1 60 m4. lower initial launch angle, piercing flight when hit well, but lacked tightness in dispersion. the boardiest of the shafts. just feels like you really have to work to load it. interestingly and i can't really explain it well, but of all shafts this produced the best center-face contact the most consistently. but swings without perfect launch conditions and aoa suffered. ball flight was flat with some planing. tough to nail down a preference in heads, but would probably go with xtd since it spun a bit more and was a little hotter.
3) miyazaki kusala white 56 s. it is really tough to call this the 3rd best in my lineup because i loved it so much. there were some shots that i could see off the face out of the corner of my, and they EXPLODED. high, towering bombs. left bias, but not in a bad way. my miss with a driver is when i lay the club off too much in the downswing and flip through impact for a low ducking hook. the lightness of this shaft made me very aware that this miss was a possibly, so i had to try hard to not make that swing. ball flight was high initial and rising but still penetrating, and good descent angle. this shaft produced very well on mishits. tough to say which combo i liked better, they both performed brilliantly.
2) matrix red tie 6q3 s. almost a coin flip between this and the kusala as #2 vs #3. shockingly tight dispersion with this shaft, and very consistent ball flight even on horizontal and vertical mishits. a couple times i expected a shot to be a bomb and it came up a little shorter than expected, but in all great results. flight was lower initial than the kusala, but climbed and planed with a shallower descent angle. could easily see this one carrying well but still bounding forward. my biggest complaint is that it feels like you really need to work to get this shaft to load. i'm not sure that's the case, but it felt like it, although the ball really exploded off the face. preferred in xtd.
1) aldila tour blue 65 s. this feels like a steel pole. so heavy. my first swing with this shaft was in the r1, and when i hit the ball and watched the flight i laughed out loud at the amazing results, then started looking around hoping someone saw what was quite possibly the best drive i've ever hit in my life. mid/high initial trajectory then fights to climb even higher with a good descent angle. shot after shot with this was straight bombs. as heavy as the shaft is, it feels like the tip is really responsive and whips through impact to give great launch conditions. great results in both heads, but would probably lean toward xtd because of the hotter face and slight increase in spin.
as someone who is NOT strong, and doesn't have that fast of a swing speed, it's interesting that i work so much better with heavier shafts in my driver. i think for me the trick is a heavier shaft but with a soft, responsive tip to help initial launch conditions. i had so much fun last night and didn't want to leave. if you made it through the wall of text, thanks for reading!
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