PICKING THE RIGHT GOLF SHAFTS / Understanding Shaft Specs

[@carmelosicari1634]

Hey Ajax, your advice and professionalism is a quality that allows me to learn about the game of golf, and the equipment used in golf, and avoid being talked into buying highly priced equipment that is not suited for my game of golf, but instead suited for my wallet. Thanks Ajay

[@C-mac_in_the_6ix]

I don't think there's anyone out there that cuts through all the crap and explains golf technology as basic as you do. It's so refreshing.

[@newmanfertig886]

This guy is very clear spoken and makes it very understandable. Also, I'm not seeing a lot of 'ego on parade' which is so refreshing. Keep up the good work.

[@EFGMC]

Appreciate the kind words. Thanks for the support!

[@srnordli]

Nice information. I am a 3 handicap golfer and have worked in the golf business many years ago. We used to have our special order department build clubs for us with all kinds of different specs. While every golfer is different I learned that for my own game a lighter shaft gave me greater distance, it was measurably less consistent in terms of shot dispersion. For consistency I had to go with a heavier shaft. For me a 130g shaft worked best, torque was impossible for me to have any measurable difference at my skill level.

[@rogerredford6242]

Best review I have watched on this subject. The part that most golfers should heed is that price doesn't make a shaft better for your swing. We have all been swayed by this assumption, much to the chagrin of our budgets.

[@davechampion3495]

Thx very helpful. The shaft adapter video was excellent too. I couldn’t hit a driver for 20 years. Then I rented clubs and it had a Diamana S+ 62 on the driver. Bought the same club and life is good. Shafts do matter ! Find one you like and it’ll change your game.

[@michaelslattery513]

Well done sir! You have a new subscriber. Love the prioritized shaft feature list and the simple straight forward explanation is refreshing!!!

[@markshepherd7367]

I really do like the way your mind works concerning golf shafts, back weighting or counter balance shafts is massive in my way of thinking. And at the end of the day the proof of the cake is in the eating. I have been experiencing for years as a hobby of mine. By the way I think outside of the box so to say.

[@chrisjuhl801]

Great video. For me, bend profile is very high on the list. I struggled with fitting for years. Once I was told that my style and the feel matches a mid kick point shaft, that is where I start..

[@iguertin]

Interesting comment about colour/graphics. I would never buy a shaft because of the style, but if I had to choose between two, then yes bold and bright would work for me. Maybe that is the show off in me! Good video!

[@jerrysmiley1084]

Thanks for the reply to my question....I am working on my swing speed, but I am 75 years old so I probably won't get much more our of this old body. I will look for a lighter shaft but I am not sure that 10 grams less will make that much difference. Keep putting out those great videos!

[@kevinwood1722]

I’m 63 years young and I bought a 64 gram shaft for my F9 online doing my own research and I tested it against a 55 gram shaft to reinforce my purchase decision and concluded that anything under 60 grams wouldn’t work for me but maybe in 10 years that will change.

[@dtimsey9711]

Really nice summary of shaft characteristics, AJ. I wish KZbin was a thing when I started building clubs 25 years ago. I found your comments on torque interesting. Perhaps torque is less advertised and is less important due to improvements in shaft construction and the dramatic reductions we have seen in shaft weights. In heavier (+65 gm. shafts) I always found torque was the key determinant in a player perception of stiffness. My son who is a former pro football player prefers an XS shaft stiffness with a slightly higher torque rating to allow him to perceive the ability to "turn over" the shaft and help with his draw. In lower torque shafts like the BiMatrix he plays now he is actually in just a Stiff flex as the XS felt too "boardy" despite his swing speed being 110+. Shows how important it is to work with a good fitter to give you the ability to test different weights, flexes and torques. Love the channel! Dave

[@EFGMC]

Thanks Dave. Definitely seems that torque these days is more about a "feel" then it used to be. Better high end composite materials seem to cover today what torque did then. Thanks for the support!

[@toddwmac]

Thanks AJ. I started regripping because of you years ago. Thanks to you, now in 2024, I'm just about to build my 1st full set of clubs. Where I'm struggling, is the practical process of identifying candidates for my shafts. I've never been fitted and always played off the shelf clubs. I've not reached out to local shops yet as I wanted to get a lay of the land on this testy topic 1st. Is there such a thing in the industry as a "shaft fitting" where people can swing a range shafts, or do I just need to demo some clubs that have a range of shafts? Or are there other options? I want to respect the brick-and-mortar shops and pay a fair price for their assistance and inventory access, and at the same time I want to build my own. Would love your thoughts. Thanks!

[@yuanyu4429]

MC your channel post very informative golf equipments. I guess most golfers into their clubs will like to thanks you. Will be interesting if you can do vids how to disassemble/reassemble a putter and what's kinda shaft work best for a putter and what's the difference etc weight, graphic.. Thanks

[@EFGMC]

Thank you. I have some putter videos planned like what you described so stay tuned.

[@ra1der5]

Soon getting a fitting, so very much appreciating your videos. Great info on what to expect in a fitting, things to look out for, shafts, grips, etc. It’s all great info and timeless. A big THANK YOU for taking the time to do this. 6:47 Regarding flex; somewhere I picked up the idea that shaft flex is not just about feel, but also swing speed. Is this incorrect? My 7i swing speed is ~70 mph which people say is relatively slow. I’ve been told I should think about a senior or lady’s flex when getting fit.

[@gisellesbikeseat]

Maybe try the shemale shaft. Best of both worlds.

[@ra1der5]

@@gisellesbikeseat ahhh ha ha ha… may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits!

[@ABCarmand]

Hi AJ, Great video. I am currently looking for some more answers about golf club design. Let me explain. First of all when comparing club heads, I have heard that irons are more accurate than woods (fairway and driver). I have also heard that decreasing shaft length increases accuracy. So my question is, which has a bigger impact on accuracy? The club head or the shaft length? Which would be more accurate: a 1 iron head on a long shaft like for a driver, or a driver head on a shorter shaft like one for an iron? Thanks

[@ryanbarajas1449]

Really good video! Straight to the point and very informative

[@jazzatmovidmusic]

I am 63 with index of 16 and I currently use a speeder 378 55gram firm shaft in my driver. It feels heavy at times… A friend recommended I switch to 30 gram regular flex Attas speed series at 46” but tipped 1”. What ya think?

[@npsagges]

Question regarding balance and swing weighting a club- say a driver is at C6, but you want to bring it to D1. Does it make a difference if you add an ultra light grip (altering butt end) vs adding tip weight/tungsten powder/lead tape (altering tip end) to achieve the desired swing weight?

[@EFGMC]

You can get to the same SW in either case, however the static weight of the club will be different. Each golfer will be a little different in how they react to that weight change.

[@retired8123]

Great stuff! I would like to make a topic suggestion...offset vs face angle ...what is the difference if any and do the adaptors on clubs change either of them or both Thanks Rich

[@landonvanhorn592]

Spot on, great video. Back in the mid 00’s cleveland used .370 for their woods. I had the original blueboard in the .370 spec, and loved it. When i moved on to a new head i wanted to keep the shaft and was disappointed because they would not fit. However i was able to purchase an aftermarket .350 titleist adapter and then just sanded down the tip a little extra. Probably not recommend but i gamed this for 2 years with no problems, so it can be done.

[@EFGMC]

Good to know. I had some more on the topic included in this video but ended up on the cutting room floor because of time. I never saw any of the .370 wood shafts in person but there are some unique ones out there. Thinking Wilson Fat Shafts!

[@landonvanhorn592]

You covered the topic perfectly. And so odd that when i found out it was .370, i thought maybe it was a fake diamana, but apparently they made some exclusively for cleveland in the .370 spec and were indeed real. I would like you to do a video talking about differences in stock shafts vs aftermarket, china vs made in japan or usa, and what is your opinion, and are they worth it for some golfers and maybe not others? Would be a good topic

[@EFGMC]

@@landonvanhorn592 Planning on doing more shaft videos going forward. Hoping to have a good one ready for next week!

[@Be_Good_Do_Good]

Thank you for the video. You have a great channel and can communicate and educate with expertise. Now for my rant…I grew up in the 70s and 80s and none of these attributes of our equipment were a thing that we had access to. Due to injuries. I stepped away from golf 15 years ago when all this analytical data was nonexistent for the common folk like it is now on KZbin. Now, I’m coming back to golf and I find myself paralyzed with the amount of data that the golf market says is critical to my performance. This is crazy to me! Jack Nicholas and Arnold Palmer never had this kind of data and I think we can all agree that they did pretty good. I understand that technically all these things can make our swing feel better but if your swing is not a good one you will not score better. If it consistently takes you two chips and three putts no cool shaft, expensive grip or counterweight is going to make a difference. Yet I find myself unable to stop feeling like this crap is important. I’m off to get a club fitting later on today.😢

[@marcgattuso6129]

Enjoying your videos! Keep them coming. I must say I do find the torque and bend point are important factors for me. I don’t know if it’s a mind think or not but when I have a shaft with a higher torque rating, I never hit it as well as something in athe lower torque ranges.

[@EFGMC]

Torque is hard to isolate since it's almost always tied into weight, flex, and profile. Only shaft I know of that ever did a pure torque variation was the old UST VTS. I've had one person tell me they really worked but never tried it myself. Thanks for the support!

[@shotsavior1236]

Solid, sober, measured presentation.

[@EFGMC]

Thanks for the support!

[@dddmmm21]

Question please: I dont think you touched on this, but when buying shafts (for irons/wedges for example), do they do they all come with the same size and you need to cut each to final length or are they sold specifically for each iron (6, 7, 8, PW, etc)?? Great video!

[@EFGMC]

Depends on the type of clubs. Irons have 2 different hosel sizes (.355 and .370 inch). The .355 tip shafts come in distinct lengths for each iron so you just cut from the butt end for final length. .370 tip shaft usually come in a universal length and require you to cut once from the tip end for the specific iron being used and then cut again from the butt end for the final length.

[@ianhatton2704]

Definitely worth a watch, learned a few things I didn't know :)

[@michaelhotten752]

I used to play Hogan irons and my favorites were a set of 1994 channel back forged irons with Apex 4 FM shafts. Any idea what current shaft might match those?

[@EFGMC]

I think those were similar to a Dynamic Gold S300

[@kmaloy2278]

Questions, could shaft really help with spin? My 7i is 35 degrees and on skytrak with a draw it spins 7200 and a fade its around 8000. Is the a shaft issue or spin loft issue? Thanks for videos very informative

[@markrobinson3060]

I wish I saw this a while back as bought a shaft the Aldila ascent red which was a Mizuno adapter I’ve got the Sirixon 785 so changed the adaptor it’s quite a bit more whipped than my old one can I make it play bit stiffer by trimming it and if so how much to cut off would be great if you could do a video on this

[@EFGMC]

1 inch tipped off a wood shaft increases the flex by about 1/2 so a stiff shaft with 1 inch tipping would play right between stiff and X stiff.

[@markrobinson3060]

@@EFGMC thanks for the answer with that in mind I’m going with half inch to start play few rounds and see how it plays can always trim the full inch if required once again thank you very much for your quick response

[@markberndsen2646]

So I am 60 years old and I am looking for a new driver and looking for a suggestion on shaft. I currently have a 57 gram stiff shaft about 8 years old. My swing speed has dropped I normally swing 90 - 95 MPH. Not sure what driver I will go with but I am looking to help me with increasing my swing speed or at least slow down the decline. Do you have a suggestion on a shaft?

[@EFGMC]

I think you might look at something in the sub 50g category. Obviously you could go longer on shaft length to get some more speed, or lighter in head weight as well.

[@bodynfocus]

Would love to see a 2024 refresh on this topic regarding all this “Spin’ conversation in specific regards to drivers,

[@bpontes8213]

Great video!! I have a smooth tempo and currently have a blue ventus non velcore 50R. I use a 10.5 sim 2 max head lofted all the way down to get more of a fade bias. A club pro has been talking about Evenflow shafts due to my tempo??? Any thoughts ???? Also my irons are all stiff flex and I was customs fit for those modus105 stiff thank you

[@EFGMC]

The Evenflow blue would on paper fit what you describe. They are also cheap at this point so it would be good to experiment with.

[@TheJerry1946]

I am curious about a shaft with a 20 marked on it as far as weight is there such a thing well I’ve seen it, what can you tell me about

[@redsocksphan]

I love your vids! Thank you for all the info! I’m hooked

[@danwhitehurst9592]

One great option for putting in a .370 steel shaft into a .355 head without reaming out the head is tip splitting the shaft. It’s an old trick. So you use your cutting wheel and cut, lengthwise, up the shaft, about 1/2” or so, sometimes a bit more.When you try to put the shaft in the cut collapses in on itself a bit. and it fits. I’ve used this hundreds of times and there’s no negative after effects like the shaft bending or breaking. Just make sure the cut is as straight as possible.

[@EFGMC]

I've never tried it on a standard bore club. Did it all the time when reshafting old Callaway bore thru irons. Man, were those a pain!

[@danwhitehurst9592]

@@EFGMC oh yeah. That sucked, because it was every iron they made and everyone wanted to play them. It totally works on a standard bore head. And it’s easier than reaming out a whole iron set. Plus it’s easy to ream out a head off center.

[@thomasveal3351]

Does a half inch in length added to a counterbalanced shaft impact swing weight the same as a standard shaft? My understanding is a half inch traditionally adds 3 swing weights.

[@kidze73]

What do you recommend for the Srixon ZX Utility 2 iron?

[@ubb4me]

This is a bit off subject but i didn't see a putter video in your playlists. What's the correct way to shorten a putter shaft? It seems like just cutting the butt end would effect the way the putter feels. Are there putter shafts made shorter than the standard 35 inches that would retain the proper characteristics of the standard putter shaft? I'm 5'6" and find the 35" putter way too long for me. I have to choke up on the grip and really don't like the way it feels. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.

[@EFGMC]

Putter shafts will always be cut from the butt end. Once you do that, the head feel will be much lighter. Usually are going to need to add at least 10g to the head for each inch you take off. Best way to do it is cut the shaft and then go to the putting green with some lead tape. Start adding a couple 2 inch strips at a time until you get the desired feel and result. Then you can decide if you want to keep the tape on there or switch to a different weighting method (screw in weights, tungsten powder, shaft tip weight, etc).

[@Dhobby517]

Just found your channel and it’s one of the best on these topics. You inspired me to buy some irons (heads no shafts) off ebay. Where are you located? I’d gladly take the clubs to you for shafting.

[@EFGMC]

Welcome to the channel. I'm in Atlanta.

[@Dhobby517]

@@EFGMC ah too far from the west coast unfortunately. Would you recommend going to a pro shop or golf store for getting a shaft put on? Thanks for what you do!

[@EFGMC]

@@Dhobby517 It's always going to be a gamble taking clubs somewhere like a big golf retailer or pro shop. I would ask some golf buddies if they have any recommendations. If it's just basic assembly, most places should be able to handle it. You might just need to be very specific about what you want.

[@Dhobby517]

@@EFGMC perfect, thank you

[@roncarlton1882]

AJ, I enjoy your channel and have done some personal club building due to information you’ve shared. I have a Accra T50 M4 shaft in a Taylor made driver. My current driver is a Calloway Rogue 2018 model with the Aldila 50 S Synergy Blue shaft. I do not have much confidence with the driver as it is inconsistent. My fairway 13.5 degree is the go to when the driver is not working. I was considering pulling the Acura shaft and putting a Calloway adapter to use with the driver. Your thoughts? Thanks.

[@EFGMC]

Maybe. Won't know unless you try it. That being said I've never really seen major changes coming from just swapping shafts unless you are making significant weight or length changes from it.

[@roncarlton1882]

@@EFGMC The Taylor Made was a good one that I had built custom and pured a number of years ago. Just thought I might try. If not I’m going to buy a PXG 0811X after I get fitted for it. Need more confidence in putting the ball in play. My 3 woos=d is a PXG 0341X with Diamana 60 S reg shaft and it is awesome even after setting it to 13.5 loft..

[@EFGMC]

@@roncarlton1882 It's a cheap experiment with no down side so I say try it and see.

[@JJ-lm4pg]

I remember from a leader in golf club head design said that the vast majority of aftermarket shaft weight, stiffness, balance, and profiles could be replicated and sold for far less than what they are sold for. Kind of crazy the markup that the shaft companies charge!

[@EFGMC]

Shafts are the hot commodity now. Just look how many different shafts those companies release each year. Used to get maybe one shaft every few years, now it's multiple each year. High end fitting companies and internet are driving it. I have serious doubts, the new shafts are that much better.

[@JJ-lm4pg]

@@EFGMC Yep, their marketing has definitely got more aggressive over time for sure

[@ChuckHoot]

I have a 75 gram shaft in my 3 wood but only a 60 on the driver. I drive the 3 wood so much farther, should I increase the grams on the driver to match the 3 wood ? thanks

[@EFGMC]

There are many reasons you may hit your 3 wood further. A heavier shaft might help, it might not.

[@2Eaglez]

AJ, I recently made a new shaft for my old PXG 0811X driver. The new shaft is filament wound as opposed to most shafts today that are table rolled. This shaft is just slightly stiffer based on the same flex but I really like the feel and consistency of this shaft. What’s you opinion on the filament wound shafts?

[@EFGMC]

Makes no difference in my book. Weight, launch profile and flex are what matters most.

[@johnhoward8668]

Hi AJ, you mentioned that you cannot put a graphite .350 shaft into a .335 hosel. Would you be able sand the shaft down to fit? Thanks and I love the channel.

[@EFGMC]

You could and some .335 hosels are actually bigger than what they say so it might not take much sanding. You will be weakening the shaft tip though and especially if you are using a lighter weight shaft, it could lead to a break.

[@johnhoward8668]

@@EFGMC Thank you AJ. I’m experimenting. I have an old Proforce graphite shaft. I’ve ordered a Taylor made M5 tip which is .335. ID.I’m trying to lengthen my M5 - 5 wood without extending the original shaft. Callaway has come out with a Heaven Wood which is actually that. A 20degree or 21 degree head on a three wood length shaft. I could not be cheap and I could get a new Proforce shaft from Golf Town for $90 CAN$. Thanks again. Big fan, John.

[@johnhoward8668]

@@EFGMC Hi AJ, I had used calibres to measure the diameter of the pre-finished shaft I wanted to use. I gently removed the paint, sanding just down to the bare shaft. After removing the gold paint, the shaft fit without having to diminish the integrity of the shaft. Thank you for your guidance. A) you are a great help and , B) extremely knowledgeable. Thanks again. Big Fan.

[@shawndgee]

Can you recommend a fairway shaft. 99mph driver swing speed medium tempo. I have the ping g430 fairways with the Alta 55 R and want to go to stiff. My driver has the Oban Kiyoshi HB and I like that ( just really $ ) The shaft in the Fairways launch the ball very high. I dont like that. Ball does go far , I do like that.

[@EFGMC]

I would look for something else with a high balance point. Also I prefer my fairway woods to be slightly heavier than my driver shaft. The Evenflow Riptide CB is a shaft I have worked with a good bit. It's discontinued now but you can find them on eBay if you want a cheap experiment.

[@rossfacey33]

Hi AJ. Been using a speeder 765 X but recently fitted for a HZDS smoke black 60g S in my Callaway driver. I like the Speeder shaft, which of the Speeder 665 Motore or the 665 evo ii ts woukd you say is closest to the smoke black? If anything would like to lower launch and spin a little. thanks in advance!

[@EFGMC]

This is where we get into the shaft tricks that some manufacturers use as that Speeder 665 was a "made for" Callaway shaft, and had little to no real resemblance to the actual 661 Speeders that cost $400. The Motore F1 in a similar weight will be closer to the Smoke, however if you like the Smoke Black 60 I would go with that as it's an excellent shaft in my opinion.

[@rossfacey33]

@@EFGMC thanks a million, will do that.

[@GhostWarrior2366]

I have a slow swing speed for my driver 75-80 MPH. Would adding weight either to the butt end or the head end increase swing speed?

[@EFGMC]

No way to give a blanket answer. Some golfers will see improvement from heavier head, some will see a benefit from counter balancing. Some golfers will only see it go down. Other option is to just make the head lighter. That can boost speed but accuracy can suffer.

[@GhostWarrior2366]

how would you make the club head lighter?@@EFGMC

[@EFGMC]

@@GhostWarrior2366 If the driver has moveable weights, you can remove or replace with lighter ones.

[@faisalrkhawaja]

How do you choose stiffness? Exclusively by swing speed?

[@EFGMC]

IF you are in-between 2 flexes the stiffer shaft will keep the ball from hooking while the softer shaft will help keep the ball from slicing.

[@alvinf7739]

Great video! can you help me with a recommendation? i love the Motore Speeder VC 6.3 Tour Spec senior. Anything similiar to this shaft you recommend? I want to add it to my backup driver (m4 9.5). thank you!!

[@EFGMC]

Staying in the Fuji line, you could go with the Motore F3 5 in the R2 flex. That would be pretty close, a touch lighter. Ventus Blue 5 R2 would be another option.

[@alvinf7739]

@@EFGMC thank you

[@michaelwood6596]

Where can we order clubs from AJ?

[@jzm5014]

Thank you for sharing this information. I'm a female golfer with a driver swing speed of 75-80 mph....however my ball speed only averages abt 100 mph and I slice a ton. Do you find that the stock shafts work just fine or do we also need to look at more premium shaft options? Would a lighter shaft help me get more ball speed which in turn will help with my distance struggles? Thanks for your help.

[@EFGMC]

I wouldn't worry about premium shafts. Lighter could help with club head speed but not every golfer responds the same to weight changes. The other piece is making sure the lighter club improves your strike pattern and doesn't make it worse. Ideally your ball speed would be around 120 for an 80mph swing. If you are at 100, solid contact is an issue. I would say try something lighter and see if you notice an improvement. Might also suggest trying a shorter length driver as that can help with both solid contact and slice issues.

[@jzm5014]

@@EFGMC Thank you for your response. You are correct I do not make solid contact. Do you offer consultation services outside of KZbin?

[@EFGMC]

@@jzm5014 You can email me if you have more questions. [e-mail] Might want to also check out this video I did discussing getting the most from your current driver. People seem to find it helpful. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mInKkoh5lNl-edk

[@kevinwood1722]

I have a 64 gram regular shaft on an F9 driver and F9 three wood. The 3 wood feels pretty good and the driver good but sometimes feels like it could be a little lighter but I tested a 55 gram regular flex C6 it felt a little light (different head tested). Does 9 grams make that much difference? I wonder if somewhere between 58 and 60 might be right for me.

[@EFGMC]

It's a hard question for me to answer. Some people can feel small weight changes and some can't. I would say 9-10 grams is enough weight that you could feel a difference. I wouldn't put too much stock in the 55g you tested if the head was different unless you know the head weight was the same. Also just be aware of the shaft balance point as this can make as big a difference as a static weight change when moving from a tip heavy shaft to a more counterbalanced one.

[@kevinwood1722]

@@EFGMC thanks, unfortunately the retailer didn’t have the head tip I needed to test accurately so I had to wing it. Personally I’d like to head over to a larger fitting center to find the perfect shaft for my F9 but we’re in the middle of a remodel and I’d never hear the end of it, so I try to take an accurate shot in the dark.

[@EFGMC]

@@kevinwood1722 Might want to try the a 55 to 60 with a bit of lead tape available to move the SW higher by a bit.

[@dougseip5853]

AJ I'm curious. What percentage of fitters do you think knows the importance of all of these things? Does the importance of each variable change with the golfer's handicap?

[@Concern_Citizen]

All trained fitters no these things and more.

[@danwhitehurst9592]

I’ve been fitting since 95’ when I was 21 before launch monitors . I don’t consider anyone a competent fitter unless they know this or knows just enough to make proper recommendations. If they don’t they won’t be around long. And yes it does change with a players handicap. It just gets more detail oriented and the subtle changes in shafts become obvious due to the increase in consistency of the player. You can see 1-2 deg launch changes and 200-300 rpm’s of spin and half club distance and dispersion changes. Just remember, the progressively worse the player the less nitpicky you have to be because some players can’t make two of the same swings if their life depended on it. My order of operations with shafts with all players is weight then bend point then flex. Trust me. I have 25+ years experience and have heard fitters from the tour departments of Callaway, Titleist and TM, who are all here in Carlsbad,Ca tell me the same. All specs have their own level of importance and none are unimportant.If you get those right in that order, fitting is easy.

[@EFGMC]

There are good fitters, and there are not good fitters. Some don't actually know this stuff, some maybe do but are motivated to put you into certain equipment that helps them. Trick is finding ones who both know it and apply it. As far as handicap being the determining factor, hard to say. Some golfers will be able to notice different spec changes more than others. The big difference is a lower handicap golfer will have more consistent results so it should be easier to identify changes in the results based on spec changes.

[@Concern_Citizen]

​@@EFGMC - The fitters that go through a certification program is taught this stuff. But, you kind of touched on it when you talked about doing things that help them. Remember, fitters that do it for a living are in business to make money. They will share information and recommendations, but at the end of the day, they will mostly sell the customer what they requested. I remember after Tiger won at Torrey Pines, a young man walked into our shop with a piece of paper in his hand. On the paper was everything Tiger had in his bag. He paid us to order/build every one of those clubs... down to the 7.5 degree driver. Could he hit them? Probably not. But satisfaction for him was his buddies, on the first Tee, looking into his bag and complimenting him of his clubs. And he, with exuberance, announcing that it's the setup Tiger won with at Torrey Pines. He probably didn't care if he when on to shoot a 98, it was all the satisfaction he wanted. The guy wrote us a check... we wasn't about to turn him away.

[@briankinread2293]

Do u recommend same shafts in driver, and fairway woods. Really like shafts in my fairway woods.

[@EFGMC]

Often people will use a lighter weight shaft in the driver vs the fairways but some will use the exact same shaft in both. Just depends what works for you and what you are looking for.

[@kevinwood1722]

I have 64 gram Tensei Blue CK shafts (regular flex) in both my driver and fairway wood and it seems to work for me. Tested a 55 gram shaft recently against my 64 and it seems like I had better control, more consistency with my 64. Had to make sure I made the right choice since I bought it online and it is hard to decide what exactly you need since there’s so much out there.

[@mitchy7051]

i would also add in "Length" at the top of the cone

[@xavierperez9725]

How do you compensate for feel. I have found that if my torque rating is not between 4.9 and 5.7 I lose the head. My timing gets all off. Again just observational based on what I have tried. Really limits me wish I didn’t have to worry about torque.

[@EFGMC]

What shafts are you using that fall into that range?

[@xavierperez9725]

@@EFGMC Tensei Orange AV 55 Stiff. Aldila Ascent Red 60 S. Tensei Blue AV 65 FW in R.

[@EFGMC]

@@xavierperez9725 Have you tried lower torque in the lighter mid high launch shafts? Not arguing with your observations, just trying to understand the difference.

[@xavierperez9725]

@@EFGMC During the fitting that landed me in the Ascent Red they put me in a Ventus Red 5 S. Was ok for two shots then distribution was all over the place and my comment to the fitter was I can’t tell where the head is. I am open to suggestions it’s totally a feel thing for me? Driver swing speed at 108. In my three wood I went with the regular flex on the Tensi Blue because the feel was better?

[@EFGMC]

@@xavierperez9725 I think the Ascent is a softer flex shaft also so I don't know if that played a part. The shafts you mentioned have a design that you will feel the shaft loading as you start the down swing. Ventus Red has a more active tip section, but stiffer mid and butt so you don't get that same feel.

[@terrorfactoryfilms]

Great video! Thank you as always for the great information and insight! I'm curious if you've done a video or have an opinion on stock vs. aftermarket shafts?

[@EFGMC]

Have not done a video yet. I honestly think most golfers won't see any difference. Only for the golfers who are swinging very hard and fast and need added stability from more exotic materials, or golfers looking for extremely light weight composites (ie under 50g) with stability and consistency.

[@dzaino1986]

Jim, do yourself a favor, visit TXG on youtube if you want some accurate advice of stock vs. aftermarket shafts. (Or anything else under the sun) There's a reason why specialized club fitters have 150 + shafts on the wall. The shaft is the "engine" of the component... crap shaft, crap results.

[@EFGMC]

@@dzaino1986 Going to disagree with a good bit of this. TXG is entertaining and informative, however they are at the end of the day a business based on fitting and selling golf equipment. Because of that, everything they do needs to be viewed through that lens. Also the shaft is not, can't stress this enough, the engine of the golf club. The shaft does not provide any power, energy, whatever to the ball. The golfer is the engine. The most the shaft can do is help the player return the club head to the ball in the correct position consistently.

[@terrorfactoryfilms]

Appreciate the replies as well as the back-and-forth on this question guys! Mark Crossfield provides a number of great shaft videos where he consistently demonstrates that shafts don't make a huge difference regardless of flex, stock, aftermarket, etc. He posits that it all comes down to what you prefer in terms of feel and what gives you confidence over the ball. Unless you're an elite player whose game might benefit from the marginal gains a fancy shaft might offer, there's not much reason to shell out big money on a shaft. Here's a good example of one of his videos: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXzNiHmVacx0q7M Thanks again for the conversation. AJ, thanks too for the great content!!

[@dm4789]

@@EFGMC I’ve heard some fitters, TXG being one of them, say that a properly fitted club will result in more distance for most people that have never been fitted. They quantify this by saying a player’s total distance (carry and roll) normalized on a GC Quad should be 2.7 times club head speed. I’m curious what you think about this? I’ve seen a lot of videos where players certainly meet this threshold, even while I’m 20 to 30 yards short. 2.7 x club head speed is a bold claim to make. Are you able to provide this for your clients?

[@paulbarrett2756]

What should a SS of 82 mph player use in a driver shaft ? Thanks

[@EFGMC]

In most cases it will be Regular or Light flex. Will depend on how quick they swing and how they respond to the loading feel. Some golfers try and over swing at the top when the shaft feels too stiff. This results in a loss of speed at impact and often a loss of control. General rule I have always used, is when in doubt, go with the softer flex.

[@grahamwiggett9641]

Can you explain why there is such a huge price difference in some shafts. I am assuming they all contain graphite or some similar material and a bonding agent - resin. Shafts of similar weight should contain similar quantities of these components, so where does the big price difference come from?

[@EFGMC]

Different shafts use a combination of different carbon fiber materials. Some have particular attributes that make them desirable for a shaft designer but are also more expensive. More expensive shafts in theory have more expensive fibers used in them. That said, marketing is also a big part of where these shafts end up on the price scale.

[@grahamwiggett9641]

@@EFGMC Thanks for the reply and info. From what you have said here, I presume these expensive shafts would apply more to drivers, where a designer is trying to achieve a particular response from the shaft, than say a set of graphite shafts for a set of Irons.

[@EFGMC]

@@grahamwiggett9641 Always comes down to weight. You can make a shaft with certain specs and cheaper materials but it gets heavy. More expensive materials are stronger and lighter. Iron shafts are heavier to start with so it's less of an issue.

[@jeffreyprice2982]

Great video!

[@termides]

I have questions that I can't seem to get answered. I have some old paying g5s and I am an old man. I watched your session about bending cast and forged irons. I would love to have mine bent stronger and I think because of the box or square grooves I think they would still stop pretty well. What do you think? I want you everyday bro

[@EFGMC]

Assuming you can bend them, as Pings are often very difficult to bend, I don't see any issues with the stopping. No different from looking at the stopping from a 8 to a 7 iron for example. You will loose some bounce and increase the offset a bit though.

[@tellwilliams2551]

I made a butt stiff shaft by adding a Wooden dowel rod 11 1/2 inches long inside the butt of the shaft. ALT470 ladies flex 174 CPM. It booms the ball the problem is the shaft only last 2-3 weeks then brakes in the butt section. Question is there any other shaft out there that is flexible or very flexible that has a stiff but section

[@danwhitehurst9592]

Why would you add a foot long wood dowel to a ladies shaft and add all that weight when light weight is the most important thing for slow speed players. Try installing an old shaft a foot down the butt as you would an extension. The shaft tapers out and doesn’t leave an edge for the shaft to break from the inside . Or sand down the dowel so it tapers to remove the edge. The dowel or shaft gradually separates from the inside of the original shaft. It will never break with a shaft down there. Extended a few clubs for a 7’ tall dude and the pre made extensions, at 3”, aren’t long enough and they break off flush at the butt of the shaft because they’re plastic. Using an old shaft as the extension is an old method but I can let the shaft go 4-5 inches inside to stabilize a 3+” extension and they never break. Plus with the old shaft inside it will unavoidably firm up the butt, especially if that old shaft was butt stiff originally. Or just cut 5” off the original shaft and extend it out 5” with that method.

[@EFGMC]

Most of the mid bend, blue board type shafts have a stiffer handle section compared to other shafts. I've had this question before with the dowel and I suggested tapering the dowel tip and covering in foam to reduce and spread out the stress point. Never heard back though if that actually worked.

[@briangraham1725]

What about taper shafts vs. straight shafts?

[@EFGMC]

Got that video coming up!

[@macking9295]

Best bang for your buck is still the pro force V2. $59.99. Not crazy about the new color schemes. Still prefer the black/gold combo. And I’ve been doing this for a long time.

[@chriswood5510]

I had that shaft on my old xhot pro driver. I now have a new driver and am debating between that shaft and adila tour green shaft. Both in stiff. Reason for choice is my 3 wood had adila tour green in 75g and i love it. Any thoughts???

[@jerrysmiley1084]

Hi....question is "am I using the right shaft"....I have a Callaway Epic Flash with a Even Flo Riptide 5.0 A 50 gram. I originally had a regular shaft but replaced it with the Riptide because my swing speed is 65 mph and I wasn't getting any distance out of the regular shaft. I did get some improvement in distance but not all that much, (180 to 190 yards). Any suggestions or do I have a good shaft for me?

[@danwhitehurst9592]

65 mph of club head speed really limits how much distance can be gained with equipment unfortunately. To max out distance you try to play the lightest shaft you can control. The Callaway Epic Max line offers a forty gram and some shaft companies make sub 40 stuff. After that it’s all about launch and spin. Best bet for distance is lighter, reduce loft, and don’t fade the ball. Draws have less spin and always go farther than higher spin fades.Max draw the Flash with the weight and a D setting on the adjustable sleeve. If you draw it already, it’s lighter weight or take some steroids. Sorry, bad joke there. Good luck.

[@EFGMC]

So you would need to see what your ball speed is to really make that call. If your ball speed is 1.5x your club speed then that's about all you can ask for. After that your options will come down to club head speed and launch angle. There are lighter shafts out there but not sure how much you would get from that. Other option would be a counterbalanced shaft as you can either make the club length longer (which might give more speed), or just makes the head feel lighter (which might or might not add a little speed depending on your timing and swing sequencing). Only other thing would be to make sure you have enough driver loft to give maximum distance for your speed.

[@seancook2264]

Great vid. 👍🏼

[@EFGMC]

Thanks Sean!

[@RandomRandy.]

Just wanted to drop by and say thanks for the email discourse

[@ammartinezguzman]

thanks god someone still thinking like me, you dont know how many wa...rs around still thinking you can fit .355 shafts in .370 hosels and viceversa...

[@abel2cycle989]

👍

[@adamdavis5243]

0:00 that's what SHE said.

[@kingshark5938]

Not bad... but I'd definitely put torque up higher. Torque is a shaft twist effect. Reason, all the stuff above torque can be dialed in, yet a golfer struggles with dispersion. Sooo, he's hitting offline left... low torque allows for minimal twist, so he basically square, to close, and no twist to hold center line. A golfer like what he has , feels good, but losing dispersion right of center line. Now his gear may have too much torque, creating twist that takes him from square, impact... n twist open. So I'd lower his torque, reduce the twist and have him get back to the center line.

[@danwhitehurst9592]

Torque is measured in degrees as a description of twist but that’s not how you use it. There’s a reason x flex shafts are low torque and senior and mor flexible shafts are high torque. Torque is the potential activity or ability to load and unload energy. The twist is a side effect of this. The lower the torque the stiffer the shaft is in the range of the shafts flex. Higher, more flexible in the range. Never use torque to fix dispersion based on twisting. You give a low torque shaft to all mid and slow swingers who hit it crooked they will all need an s or x flex. Go ahead and try to find a sub 3 deg torque shaft in r flex. It doesn’t exist for a reason. The shaft manufacturers already make the flex and bend profile the appropriate torque.

[@kingshark5938]

@@danwhitehurst9592 ... you missed the key factor if all the other items are dialed in. Torque can be a very good tweak to dail in a club. Gotta get beyond what's going on traditional wise and old mantra, that's why no one is improving and oems are just rakingn in the cash. Yes, low torque is associated with stiffness... but that can be tweak as well. The most important thing is ei profile fitting to a golfers swing character beyond just speed. Pay close attention, and you will see why this new auto flex shaft is taking off, you will see why there are more Japanese products in players on tour hands. Some are even playing high launching shafts, that can get up in torque, but they are tipping shafts to the parallel points. Trust, torsional impact twist is keen to fix a dispersion attribute. The face will always twist at impact , how much is based on torque. How much itll droop and deflect is flex and bend point.

[@EFGMC]

If you look at modern golf shafts, you will find that the overall torque numbers have actually gone up not down. Obviously manufacturers could have made the torques lower, but they didn't. They know what they are doing. If you need a 75g x flex shaft, you probably need lower torque and guess what. The torque on that shaft will be under 3. If you need a 50g R flex, you don't need or want that low torque as the feel will be sharp and unpleasant. There the torque will be 4.5 or more. I wouldn't say you should disregard torque, but if you have the weight and flex right, the torque will be where it needs to be, at least in my experience.

[@danwhitehurst9592]

@@kingshark5938 I’m sorry. I’m just more realistic in what I see working. If you reduce torque by 2 deg( which is a lot) it’ll at most reduce 1 deg in each direction( open or closed. Most players who are inaccurate at so inconsistent the might have a 10 deg spread in dispersion. And most players are in that category. If shafts were 8-10 deg of torque then change to 2 then yes. It’s the same mindset as trying to fix a problem that’s 5 times worse than the adjustments on the head.

[@danwhitehurst9592]

@@kingshark5938 I do very much appreciate your point of view. I love talking swing, fitting and club building theory.

[@highgatehandyman6479]

First thing i go for is looks.. then price.. then specs or whatever. Lol

[@johnpaton8047]

Heh, I preferred the expensive route. Buy one shaft..swing it like a maniac..decide nah. Try another shaft. Buy it. Swing it like a maniac..you get the picture.

[@richardford3310]

lousy for someone like me just trying to understand the basics, he jumps right in to techno geek talk

[@craigwotton493]

Too simple. Stability, tip flex, butt flex, torque all come as the major factors in shaft selection.

[@lavluvlov]

"Talking head", why dont you use the images to "show"(this is a video) your saying.

[@prairiehills416]

I learned alot about golf shafts. Will make my next fitting more successful. 🏌️