A Magic Shaft?

Hi Frank: 

Perhaps you can help me. Just recently I've played Tournament golf with two senior players that are my age and carry the same handicap that I do. (3.0 index) They both had a new  XYZ  stiff shaft in their Driver heads and were constantly hitting their drives 30 to 40 yards farther than me. Last year we all hit our drives within 10 yards of each other.

Do the XYZ  shafts really make that much difference? Are there any other shafts on today's market that have the same driving performance as XYZ, but don't cost the $300 to $350.00 that the these shafts do? 

Thanks for your help.     

--Bob

Bob,
If you believe in magic, and that a new shaft is going to help, it probably will. The question is how long will the magic last? The pros have access to the XYZ shafts – and don’t even have to pay for these very expensive but good quality shafts – but we have not seen any significant difference in driving distance because of differences in shaft properties.

An expensive shaft may be more consistent in its bending and twisting properties but selecting one which is made to these rigid specifications is like tuning your car’s suspension and balancing your tires for a 300 mph ride when the engine can only push it to 90 mph with the pedal to the metal. Even the pros find it difficult to tell any difference in performance of these high quality shafts. Surely there must be a difference if the shaft is so expensive?

There is nothing inherent in basic properties of a shaft – the characteristics of which have taken us nearly 400 years to perfect and are now made of advanced materials -- which will make any significant difference in performance. The wrong shaft flex or other properties in combination with the wrong head for a specific golfer -- i.e. incorrectly fitted -- will be a problem but the right shaft does not have to cost very much and in most cases is included in a standard or even ‘customized/standard’ set.

Bob, I believe that your friends – if the increase in their distance you claim is real and lasting – may be launching the ball more efficiently than you are, assuming you all have the same swing speed. These differences in launch conditions may have nothing to do with the XYZ shaft itself but purely a more efficient fit, which has nothing to do with any magic properties of a very expensive shaft.

I suggest that you find a reliable launch monitor to check your swing speed and launch conditions and use standard shafts – there are many brands which in almost all cases have a wide range of specific bending and twisting properties -- to optimize your launch angle and spin rate.

The only way your friends are driving the ball 30 to 40 yards farther than you are is because they are launching the ball more efficiently or have a faster swing speed than yours. Do you think they have been exercising and stretching over the winter to increase their range of motion? It has nothing to do with the price or properties of the XYZ shaft.

Sorry to be so “frank” but it is in my nature and I have little choice.

Frank