The Purpose of Shaft Tipping

[@toddmfd]

Your channel makes me think nobody in my area knows how to club fit.

[@paulmoger8961]

Exactly. My experience of club fittings is basically a shop sales guy letting you try several different clubs and you end up buying the one where we have a sort of vague mutual agreement on which is best. I've never really felt there was any great, in depth swing analysis. My conclusion is that a genuine fitting is a paid service, separate from the purchase of the clubs themselves.

[@redstone5149]

You’re most likely correct. Same deal with golf instructors.

[@fornuto1288]

until you realize golf champion fits u to zero stock options in any club (driver/iron set)disregarding any of the companies offerings and tries to put you in the most egregious over the top shaft setup and gives u an estimate nearing $3,000

[@bradbop767]

​@fornuto1288 although Ian is now a part of club champion, I choose to believe he stands out in comparison

[@and16942]

@@fornuto1288I’ve gone to both TXG and club champions for my past 2 fits and I’ve left with the options that best fit me. Stock works for my irons. I had a stock option for my driver but I like the performance of the upgrade so I went with that. Who did you fit with? My experience was excellent

[@fholojr]

I'm definitely adding "not a quacker" to the long list of "Ian-isms" that have worked their way into my golf vocabulary.

[@jpbackhouse]

When Ian gets in technical explanation mode, his passion massively comes out, like he goes into flow mode.

[@nicklaus4512]

I knew nothing about equipment before finding TXG. Now I’m geeking on out on videos about shaft tipping and EI curves

[@sockjohnson]

After finding TXG I became addicting to being fit for clubs. Golf game loves it. The wife and my wallet hates it

[@edwinchan6521]

Looool same

[@blakebarrilleaux8073]

Ian: "Hey guys, welcome back". Me: Likes video

[@johnpalmer5713]

Standard drills

[@steverichardson9133]

Ian is the shaft whisperer.. he can make a golf club perform.. crazy knowledgeable..

[@scottlang7130]

Just bought a Ventus red velocore on eBay and found out it was tipped 1”. Had in back of my mind it was ruined and now a different shaft. You guys confirmed I have nothing to worry about. I wish there was a fitter in DFW that knew and approached fitting even half as good as Ian. Feel like I’m better off watching Ian and fitting myself than going to most “fitters” around

[@stevenorthbank]

Guys, just wanted to say thank you for your videos, I'm a "why does that work like that" kind of person and your videos have given me an understanding of why golf is so hard to get right...😊

[@adamm9927]

Would love Kuchar’s thoughts on tipping

[@bobbygrey5859]

That's a great one, LMAO👍

[@adl9705]

Lol

[@Chasing-Red]

Funny shit dude….

[@johnarrowsmith8862]

I'm going to start using "quacker" on the course

[@bobbyk3469]

"I feel "this" or I feel "that". You have to love the feedback you get from Matt. Something you can't get from a robot. Invaluable information.

[@johnparker4918]

This video shows just how high quality that the fitting service that TXG provides

[@timothydaniels504]

The way a properly fitted shaft helps you find the middle of the club face still makes me smile. The ball marks and wear are beginning to accumulate right in the middle. It’s impressive, if I say so myself. I can listen to you guys talk shafts all day long!

[@golf_is_a_happy_place9990]

i can watch you 2 discuss technical issues like this all day. great video and explanation of tipping

[@insanity6105]

Possibly there are more folks than you realize that enjoy all this techie stuff. Please keep it up as this is the only place I’ve found to get that sort of discussion.

[@sonicpebble]

Butt Soft.... basically describing me after this year of Covid go-nowhere couch sitting... (Aaaaaand I think I better stop there before making any sort of joke on some of the other terms used in this video. 😂 )

[@AeroMaize]

How does this channel not have at least 500k subs? Some of the best content around an quality delivery.

[@Crampyton1]

Fingers crossed we'll be seeing an SST Pureing video soon as well as that will tie in with what Ian was mentioning about the shaft drooping at impact etc. I'd love to hear what he has to say about it. Great stuff again!

[@kareemchallenger]

Pureing is real, one can definitely see the difference

[@canyonaro]

@@kareemchallenger I've had my whole set pured and I noticed the annoying label positions more than any playing benefit. Hate the TM shaft adapters for the same reason. The Callaway & Titleist ones don't spin the shaft. Paying for pure'ing, then having it rotated off that axis because I adjusted the hosel, made me nuts.

[@kareemchallenger]

@@canyonaro I know what you mean. I also have my entire set pured, I know when I changed the position to test, literally rotate the shaft 180 I spun my 3 wood by 1000 rpm more and it would go much higher. All of the that is with no loft change.

[@brewssssss_]

Here they come “MATTY!!! WHY DIDNT YOU PLAY THE SIM THIS YEAR?!?” 😂

[@wviti64]

Much appreciated guys! Great test to confirm tipping is a gentle adjustment ....

[@bl_pga]

I saw the title and go so excited that we might finally see Mikey in a video!

[@clubchampionmedia]

😆 it's coming eventually!

[@holeinoneman515]

What i have found when I've tipped my own shafts, it just makes it more consistent, just like Matt said. Loving the videos boys.

[@georgesteer4137]

I thought shaft "tipping" was what you did when someone did a great job of fitting you.

[@adrianjacome8714]

Guys in my experience tipping 1.5” reduces spin while maintaining launch angle pretty close. Over a lot data that will become apparent, in my experience. Typically you wouldnt do that if you have low spin shaft or low spin head. Its usually when you need to reduce spin on a forgiving head again in my experience across 50 players i have tried it wirh.

[@markk5885]

So good seeing Ian’s passion on videos like this, feel like I’m learning every video.

[@robbusheay4258]

Thanks so much guys ! I have been kinda the local club builder in my neighborhood....and only because I always played around with my own equipment !!! You both have taught me so much on the tech side, and I totally appreciate it !!! What started as me, just changing my own grips and shafts.....to all kinds of tweeks.on others gear......lol !! I pretty much do it for fun, as the guys pay for any parts !! I love this stuff and only wish I wasn't so damn old, I'd start a shop.....I'm 68 and having fun !!!

[@camsimkins4765]

Man this is great content. Have gone down the rabbit hole trying to understand my equipment, so good to have an understanding before looking at fitting upgrades

[@ZefrossMoss77]

Extremely informative guys. Would love to see a video with checking the tipping of Ventus Black/Blue vs no tipping. Great video!

[@christickle7026]

Its the same. I tipped my blue. Les whip im the head

[@simonreed89]

Brilliant vid!! I tipped a fujikura speeder 84g reg, 1.5 inch for my cobra f7 5 wood, best thing i ever did, exactly as said makes the head feel firmer and more in control

[@jaychu3850]

Always the best explanation of technical golf speak

[@andrewnicholls7720]

I have no idea what any of that meant but I loved it! Might need to watch it a couple more times, keep the techy videos coming!

[@ccmorgan53]

Love this . Would be nice to see the affect of soft or hard stepping as well

[@whogg0521]

So interesting. I built my 2016 M2 Kurakage x-stiff tipped 1/2 an inch, simply because I loved the feel of my friend's driver set-up. I assumed what it did, but nice to really see the technical details around it

[@scottdarrow1551]

Hi guys. Just wanted to say I've learned so much from you and how much I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experiences. I understand the value of getting fitted. Only problem is there really aren't any fitters I trust in my area. I've been to 2 recently and because of you I know more than both of them combined. Needless to say I waisted both my time and money and went away empty handed. I purposely left there names out as I'm not looking to bash anyone So!!! I'm left with trying to fit myself. With a current driver, Callaway XR with 5.5 flex my swing speed is rather low @ 80 mph. I hit the heel low quite a bit (probably my swing path) using Regular flex. I'm sure this isn't helping my swing speed. I'm 65 years YOUNG and in pretty good shape. Shafts I'm looking at are Bassara Series E 42 and Tensei AV Blue 55. The heads I'm considering are Cobra Speed Zone and Speed Zone Extreme. I'm reluctant to go to Senior shaft but won't completely disregard. I do have a rather smooth tempo. I try to emulate Freddy Couples. I know thats a lofty goal. I understand there are no absolutes but I am interested in your thoughts. Thank you in advance, ScottyD

[@tyerambo7963]

Having a pro launch red I have been waiting for this for a long time. Thank you guys great video guys.

[@DanielRodrigues-hn8cx]

Love this video, can't wait to see what the rest of the builders series will be like. Keep the great videos coming

[@curtvass6236]

I've been wondering about this for years and now I get it! Also learned a new term - Quacker :) Thanks guys you're the best.

[@swingking83]

Interested to see these other test you mentioned. That sounds super exciting! I’m game. Complete nerd with this type of stuff

[@jeffpigott2440]

Always learning something new from the lads. Keep it coming!

[@terryschade1347]

Great stuff guys! I'd be interested in learning more about whether tipping moves a shaft from an S to X flex in the same product. For example, a tipped Ventus Blue 6-S becomes more like a Ventus Blue 6-X.

[@Netflickk]

Me too can u give me some advice

[@awp7662]

I did it a few years ago purely out of wanting to save a shaft that had shattered at the tip. Had an inch cut off the tip and an inch extension put on and it really stabilised the shaft. Probably played better for me so from then on I decided to go x flex rather than stiff. Can see some interesting stuff coming from this video, looking forward to it!⛳🏌️👍🏼

[@yoder9339]

Great video. I would have thought the tipping would have had greater effect. Thanks gents.

[@davidbrown577]

I could listen to these all day. Wait a minute, I usually do lol

[@waynemayo8399]

My driver strikes tend to always be low in the face and towards the toe. Found 5his very interesting to watch, especially talking about deflection. Looking forward to seeing the video about head weight and how it influences shaft deflection.

[@MM-zb9kc]

Very interesting. If you ask Fujikura they say not to tip the Ventus at all but if needed 1/2 to 1 inch at most.

[@gregoryh4601]

Just love to see iron Mattie hit away! Thank TXG. Keep up the great work.

[@claytonpetree527]

Shaft tipping is a great way to manipulate the ball flight - it seems like the OEMs don't really tip their fairway woods properly and just install as if a driver shaft. Maybe it's not true for every company, but the OEM ones almost never play 'right' compared to when I buy one, tip it per the shaft manufacturer's instructions, and build the club myself. For the longest time, TM had that shallow hosel bore as well, so it was good to pull their install and tip a little bit as well, if you wanted it to play like the same shaft in other clubs. More difficult now with the changeable tips.

[@thekid5345]

Are you saying to tip more than the manufacturers instructions?

[@claytonpetree527]

@@thekid5345 No, I am saying to follow their instructions. But I don't think all the OEM assembly does follow the full tipping instructions. I have played a lot of the Aerotech SS85X shaft over the years (they are from my hometown) and I can tell you tipping makes a HUGE difference when putting them in different woods. Also making sure your iron shafts are FULLY seated in the hosel, especially PING where they taper the hosel - I can post pictures of my OEM iron pulls where the shafts have been inserted by Ping to random depths, even with their hydraulic seating device. Would be nice to know if the boys at TXG have a similar experience.

[@thekid5345]

@@claytonpetree527 interesting. I was thinking about sending my next iron set to KBS directly and having them install the shafts I want. As for drivers and fairways all of this stuff is pretty overwhelming. Any problems with TItleist and driver shaft installs?

[@claytonpetree527]

@@thekid5345 Although I loved their product, I have not played a Titleist metalwood since the 983E and K drivers were out. Those had the through bore. Honestly, you would be best served going through a place like TXG to ensure you get EXACTLY what you want. I hope to some day, even though I often build my own stuff. These guys are amazing.

[@ericmaher2316]

Nearly like Ian’s father or grandfather was a fly fishing rod fitter cuz this type of flex in the shafts is very much like a fly fishing rod. Great video lads

[@Jayhawk123]

Love this video! Was very interesting to see that Adam Scott put the ventus red into his driver and led the field in Houston. Do you know if his ventus was tipped? Cheers!

[@timmygolfs]

Cheers guys great video. Semi-related, could you guys do a video on frequency matching? And fitting customers to a specific frequency vs. fitting customer to a more general flex. I got fit 8 years ago and was told I was a 6.9. Is this still a good practice for fittings, especially irons?

[@JohnFishburne1]

I played Ventus black 6x tipped an inch and it was hard to hit straight. Very easy to work draws and cuts but when I need a straight ball it was never there. Went back to normal black 6x. Great video.

[@paulduarte2261]

I've never heard "Butt stiffness" or "Butt stiff shaft" ever lol. Keep up the great work!!

[@cope9692]

These are the videos that separates you from the rest.... please more tech... txg so cal🤟🤙

[@jbcrowe7]

Love, love, love this video! I’m getting a Tour AD IZ 7X. I want to play it at 45 inches. How would I know if I should be trimming from the butt or tip section?

[@ShaneDempsey]

You may have done this already but would love to see a video where you compare a low lofted driver with high launch shaft vs high lofted driver and low launch shaft. How close would the flights get, what are the benefits of one over the other? Seems DJ is using high loft and low launch shaft

[@chrisbye8203]

Really interesting as always, great stuff guys.

[@talltimball]

Great video. You mentioned the standard shaft was tipped 1/2", Is that to compensate for your universal (club conex)adaptor?

[@TheOgieone]

Excellent info, i was always curious about shaft tipping.

[@zanesmith9258]

Such a great video. awesome stuff guys

[@maxcaysey2844]

This is super interesting... I hope you one day will have Mark Crossfield over and giev him a fitting session... It would make for great content on both your channels!

[@papashuk26]

So does Matt run on batteries or do you plug Him in every night?

[@andyk9257]

A blind test to see if you can tell which one is tipped would be a fun test too to see if your preconceptions are making you feel something that's not there or maybe you're reacting to those preconceptions

[@ciaranbl]

Love the technical video guys.

[@nickpritchard7130]

Another very interesting vid. Great stuff. thanks

[@flymusial]

Had my ventus blue tipped just a little extra for a little lower spin. This was also thought to allow me to grow into it some as i work on increasing my swing speed. Or at least thats my fitters thoughts.

[@lalambdas]

Keeping the shaft the same length by tipping it would probably not change the flex profile as much since it only shifts the “soft” point a “negligible” amount. However tipping it and playing it 1” or more shorter (cut from the butt), I hypothesize, would make a more significant difference than stock .

[@benross422]

Please do the one about headweight

[@skywalkerindy8784]

Out of curiosity what editing software do you use? You are really good at it!

[@bobbymosidi5685]

Great content guys. Would you recommend Butt tipping a tensei white shaft for mini driver

[@brettanderson9674]

Hey Guys love the video! Any chance you would be able to do a video explaining weather or not shaft extenders in irons are worth it or not? I bought a set i love but they are half inch short and i need standard or quarter inch long to make them work better for me

[@gd-vh7ow]

Hi ian good video. sent you a quick note around shaft options (stock or aftermarket) to the members email. Just to finalize your recommendations. Thanks.

[@drew20238]

Great video guys! I love the tech content

[@xavierdumas2628]

Very interesting video. Have you measured the torque after tipping it? i am quite interessed to know by how much it has lowered.

[@HWWlInsuranceLawAcademy]

After reviewing this again, it looks to me like the max height is the same for both shafts. Also, I think Ventus red tipped 2 inches versus black would be an interesting comparison (not that you don't already have 500 things on your plates - lol), but actually I would bet that you might not see that much difference in an in-house test - that might be more obvious after a summer of playing I think.

[@tylermiller7632]

/Hey Ian & Matt, Have you ever done a test of Padersen Kinetix and Ballistic shafts? I watch all your vids and don't recall it. They are fantastic. Love to also see Kyle Birkshire in a TXG vid for how he fits his clubs at 140+mph club speed.

[@lordmarc7845]

Hi guys, great video. Quick question when you tip do you change the kick point? I would assume yes, therefore a low kick point would be higher...for a high kick point would it be lower and add more loft? Curious to see with a High/Mid kick point if it makes a bigger difference. Thanks Marc.

[@jnzk712]

Great video! So informative.

[@jaredvotaw8610]

Can we actually get a ventus purple though? I don’t care what it is it would just look sick 😍

[@chadz6728]

Thoughts on tipping a graphite design shaft? The manufacturer says you don’t need to. Most other premium shafts I’ve looked at require at least a little bit of tipping on the instructions

[@steveywonder44]

Great videos guys! Do you advise to tip a Graphite Design AD DI fairwaywood shaft ?

[@mattdonovan4860]

I have an M4 3w that was tipped standard by taylor made and it completely changed the feel of the shaft and the head to me. I wasn’t a fan bc it made the tip too stiff for me. Live and learn

[@santiagodeponce9390]

You guys have grown on me!

[@M_Go_Blue]

What would you say is standard tipping for an adjustable driver? When I read the shaft manufacturer tipping charts, they all say that tipping is not necessary for drivers; however, it’s my impression that the club manufacturers all tip their shafts a certain amount. I play a TSR2 and would like to try some aftermarket shafts, but don’t know what Titleist uses for their standard tipping spec.

[@michaelmarcase7561]

I game the Ventus Black 7x tipped 1”, Mavrik head 10 degrees. I love it. I bought it second hand so I’ve never compared it to anything else. So my thought is, should I tip everything?

[@robsumpter6661]

The gear geek in me is purring

[@MikesaBhoy]

Is there a bigger difference for players that aren’t as consistent? Like, does tipping it help more?

[@wallstreetoneil]

So tipped as much as you ever would, 2 inches, it knocked off 200rpms of spin & and gave you about 1/2 a degree of additional dynamic toe-up - which for Matt, even though he liked the 'stiffer' feel, it puts him closer to the edge of the dipping draw ball - which is what we saw. It's maybe a good rule-of-thumb to start with filling out the information of, and that is, is each 1 inch of tipping worth 'approx' 100rpms of reduced spin and 1/4 degree of dynamic toe-up

[@clubchampionmedia]

won't be the same for everyone, so we wouldn't come to those conclusions as a blanket statement for all players (will vary based on swing delivery characteristics)

[@wallstreetoneil]

@@clubchampionmedia as i said, worth building a rule-of-thumb database (series of videoes with 10 popular shafts) - which of course will possibly work in the opposite fashion for half of golfers who deliver the shaft differently - but would still be interesting information for everyone to misapply

[@kingshark5938]

Cool video, ... my gripe is with manufacturers raw length of 46" and for some that have to play shorter lengths, the gruesome amount of material that has to be taken off. Me personally, if i went with oems, .5 to 1" tip, I have to take loads off the back end, and that reduces the stiffness. I've now taken 3" from the tip sand it to fit, and take far less from the butt. Would love to see oems, make 44" and maybe even 42 raw for 3w builds. Just so it's not just flex dialing in, but we dont lose much shaft weight as well in the process.

[@marinmb44]

That’s why the tendency is to use 5-15 grams heavier in the 3 wood shaft when compared to the driver.. because more material is to be cut off

[@thekid5345]

Interesting video guys as always. Curious what happens when you take length off of the butt end. I want to put a Diamana BF or ZF in my 3 and 5 wood, but I’m scared the profile would get ruined. Thoughts?

[@ianfrasergolf]

Nothing drastic, shaft just plays softer as it leaves more of the soft part (the tip section) exposed.

[@crubie74]

7:07 "This drive has been redacted to protect the innocent".

[@CoreyMU33]

Do you guys Pure your shafts at all? And if so can we get a video about that

[@L1GHTHECANDLE]

Hi guys love the video, not a fitter but I eat this stuff up. I’d like to see how tipping something like a GD tour ad iZ, where it’s got a firm butt, medium mid and firm tip. ? Cheers! Oh also I’ve heard TM always tips their shafts. Is this true and do other OEM’s do this?and why?👍🏼🇨🇦⛳️

[@banditbaker1675]

Thanks Guys, that was fascinating, would tipping the shaft move my strike up and to the centre? Asking for a friend

[@clubchampionmedia]

possibly, but not guaranteed as each players' reaction to the shaft profile can be different based on their swing

[@shortgameanalysis1399]

useful video, thank you guys

[@colbyvaughn9460]

I’m glad this video came out because I am considering tipping my graphite design tour AD IZ 2 inches. Any idea how that will play?

[@marinmb44]

Is this for a driver?

[@colbyvaughn9460]

@@marinmb44 yes sir

[@marinmb44]

@@colbyvaughn9460 That sounds high in my opinion, 0-1” is a reasonable range for tipping a driver shaft. 0.5” is standard to accommodate the fact that newer drivers don’t have bore-through hosels. And 1” if you want the head to arguably deflect less at impact, likely leading to slightly less spin and launch compared to the 0.5” tip as observed in this video.

[@heithcomer6895]

Thank you for this video!!!

[@shaneducholke364]

I was told that you needed to have a fast swing speed to even consider tipping, can tipping be beneficial for a slower swing speed? Asking for a friend cause I obviously have a 120 mph swing speed and hit the ball 350 yds 😉😉

[@canyonaro]

It's a good solution if you like the feel of a shaft but want a little more stability at impact. It can also be useful to get the tip just a little more stout if you're using a heavier-headed driver to get your preferred swingweight. Similar to hard-stepping iron shafts, it's a subtle difference. Ventus is a very stout shaft. Evenflow Riptide S was way too soft for me & Ventus S is borderline too stiff. For a player with say mid-90s speed that feels the S is just a bit too much, tipping an R flex would effectively give you an "R+". Oddly enough, Fujikura doesn't recommend tipping these much. The Velocore is in the tip & is the signature feature so if you're just going to cut it off, you aren't buying the right shaft.

[@shaneducholke364]

@@canyonaro thx for the info.

[@robe21]

So are you guys tipping a longer shaft or tipping a standard length shorter? I'm curious because his distances were the same so it leads me to believe you tipped a longer shaft to standard.

[@Iron_headify]

Matt's tempo looking smooth with this shaft

[@Rudgie99]

Hi guys, have you tested the Ben hogan UiHi irons yet? Looking to get the 3 iron version as it seems very well priced