Welcome back! You been missed. Had a PXG fit which suggested going from current XP95 R to MMT80 which cured the slice completely. Changing the centre weight made another difference. Gained 2mph club head.
Thanks for the info. I’m a ‘fitter’ in training, who is also realizing my days of playing a 130g S or X flex shaft are nearing the end. Research and experimenting is leading me towards weight over flex in fitting. But, your insight into mixing weight and flex is a revelation for me. With the new releases this week I know I’ll be heating up the GC Quad for a while. Now that I have this nugget of information, both me and my customers will be better off.
Thanks for sharing. Flex IMHO is over-rated. Don't get me wrong it's important, I mean we have to decide on a flex but in the end for me it's just a letter not a label. Slow swings some time needs Stiffer shafts and sometimes faster swings need softer. So here would be my nugget for you, if you ever find yourself really close in a fit, but the stamp pattern isn't as tight as you want it, don't change to another shaft but rather try going down in flex or up in flex first, and if that didn't work try the weight and flex trick I shared in the video. But just remember I'm only doing this at the very end of the session, to see if somehow, I can make the final combination even better. Hope this helps.
So if you are a senior in your 70s and you have a normal swing speed for your age how do you determine what weight is best? I will assume a soft senior flex is best to get ultimate height on your shots?
The only way to know for sure is to find a place where you can try different shafts as the real answer is it depends, how fast, how you swing it fast, your release, and so on could steer you in a softer flex but it could also steer you the other way and believe me I’ve seen it all.
Good video, very informative. It did touch on my pet peeve though. Everyone focuses on the driver and everyone forgets about the irons. In a round of golf you may use your driver what, maybe 10-15 times? You use irons a heck of a lot more in one round but not too many people focus on that. I understand this video has a chart, but I would love to see a video dedicated to iron shaft weight, swingweight, and flex...
Now a days they will perform very similar, the only caveat to that would be if the graphite shaft had the extra mass distributed to different parts of the shaft, meaning is there more mass in the tip versus the handle to make it tip soft or tip stiff. This is just another way for the MfG to enhance the feel for different speeds and different tempos.
Another great vid , thanks ! i'm right there in the struggle of what you were explaining. I'm swinging mid to high 90's ususally but i feel like going heavier shaft i lose speed even more. When i try shafts in the 60's it feels way too heavy for me for some reason. Great video and explanation, keep up the great work !
Thanks for the comment. One of the things I didn’t touch on in The video is balance point and how a heavier counter balance shaft could sometimes help for those feeling the heft of the same weighted shaft as the mass would be located more towards the handle. If that didn’t work I would for sure like a 50-55 gram weighted shaft for you and tinker with the flex.
I am averaging 111 swing speed with driver and play Ventus blue 6s tipped half an inch. I struggle with a slice only with driver. I am playing around with an older GD Tour XC 70x shaft and my slice is much closer to a fade but my ball flight seems low. Should I go back to a 60 gram shaft in xflex or go to a 70 gram stiff flex? Or maybe the bend profile is better for me? I’m on information overload…
At your speed I believe you are causing the shaft to deflect to much, the TR blue version at 60x would be the one I would like to move you in right out the gate, if it was still deflecting then I would go original Ventus black 6x. Second.
Do you think its best to get fit for driver at cruising speed rather than full speed ? I got fitted recently and they wanted to fit to my full speed swings. I get the feeling they wanted to sell me extra distance. I swing at 115mph on my GC3 but on course im no higher than 110 especially now its freezing in the UK. In the fitting if i hit at my cruising speed the spin dropped to low for what i like. Maybe just a bad fitting experience?
So when I fit I like to see if the Driver has multiple gears and a properly fit driver should be able to work and 3 different speeds, if it only works at full tilt then it is way to stout. So to wrap it up I would want the driver to work 105-115.
Taper tip vs parallel tip, I understand the difference physically but I would love a video in depth about this topic. When to use each and why you chose one over the other. Also what the heck is frequency matching and why should I care! Great videos by the way!
Ok, explain to me why a heavier shaft 80g S gives me the best results? Swing Speed is 98-101 Ball speed 142-147mph Carry varies on conditions generally 224-239 Age 65 Hdcp 2
If I were to guess it likely has everything to do with your timing. Even at your age you likely have a fast take away and quick transition and the weight is what is helping you keep everything in sync. I will say at your speed you’re probably leaving about 20-25 yards on the table and there’s still some optimization left to be performed. Thanks for sharing
This is one that I heavily debated in the past and we’ve even tried a couple of times but the challenge is the very minute I turn the cameras on and mic someone up, the wheels come off. With that said I am planning on doing a video where I break down our process to help everyone understand why and how we are different. Thanks again for the suggestion.
All readers, I would appreciate some feedback on this statement. The corect shaft is one that has the right combination of shaft weight, flex (torque), kick point and shaft length. All of these factors are important individually but more importantly need to combine and work together well for your unique swing and tempo.
This is a correct statement, and is the very reason why the golf shaft is one of the most complex to fit for as it never comes down to just one of the items you referenced, it will always be a combination of them. Not to mention there’s a couple of other key variables we’ll also consider such as weight distribution, aka Counter balance designs, as well as material, graphite versus steel. So as you see there’s a lot of layers to peel back and should I decide to go up in flex or down in weight, I can ensure you these other areas we talked about will also be impacted. The key will always come down to how little or how much will be impacted. Really good question.
If it's that complex as many would have you believe then how is it not so complex for a fitter to fit you right the 1st time? My point is and I've heard and can attest that shaft weight is where you should start for proper shaft fit. It's not hard but many ppl get "shafted" by a fitter that doesn't know wtf they are doing. But if you understand your swing and feel you can do it yourself. Because some ppl may swing a heavier shaft faster and more accurately than a lighter shaft and some ppl may swing a lighter shaft more accurately than a heavier one. It all comes down to personal performance. I went up in weight and down in flex with driver and prob solved.
I’m 71, 9.4 hc, still hitting 8 iron 145+. However, ever since I started playing graphit some years ago my baby draw has turned into a flip hook, now using esx 460 f3. I’ve recently been fit into new zx7 with 95 gram steel ns pro 950gh. They’re a little heavy and I’ve lost some distance but also lost the getaway hook. Maybe 75 gram graphite would get some distance back? Your thoughts appreciated. Thx!
Great video John. What would be a good way to test at home the effects of different shaft weight? Could I add some lead tape to a 50ish gram shaft to test if a heavier weight would be better for me? Where on the shaft would the lead tape be added to? How would I test a lower total weight? Would a lighter removable weight in the head simulate it or would that be a different effect than a lighter shaft weight? I know, get fit. But if we were to try at home....
That is a really good question. Unfortunately there’s no really easy way to test this at home unless you happen to have access to a couple of different shafts. The reason why it is difficult is when a shaft company goes from a 55 gram to a 65 gram shaft it would like be the equivalent of adding two extra layers of material to the overall length of the shaft. The reason they do this is they don’t want to alter the shaft’s original profile it just becomes a little heavier as a result. Not only can this help stiffen up the shaft a bit but it can also make it more stable as it will be just a touch more rigid. Sorry I wish I had better news, but I would say next time shaft weight swing weight would be the next big thing that could help and for that one you can easily play around with that one. Thanks for the support.
Great video. I recently was fitted into Mitsubishi Vanquish PL 45 gram R shaft with Callaway rep. Ball speed and carry were my best ever. But Im getting cold feet about the weight of this shaft because i did not see dispersion. 87mph driver swing speed. Should i be concerned its too light? Not a big slicer. Pulls are biggest dispersion miss. Thx.
In this situation I don’t think shaft weight is the factor, I think it’s likely more of the profile and how it affecting your wrist actions. The wrist action slicers need is more pronation through impact, turning a door knob or imagine playing ping pong, simply stated you need to feel like the trail hand is crossing over the other similar to that if putting top spin on the ball in tennis or ping pong, the key is that post impact the trail hand should be completely on top of the other with the face of the driver pointing down to the ground. Try this thought process with current shaft and if it doesn’t work then I would find a Ventus blue shaft and try it again.
What if and I assume this also is what you're talking about. I'm a pretty big guy well interms of weight and fairly strong BUT I have smaller hands and wrist. So I assume less weight could compliment my smaller wrist but higher flex would balance my stronger speed? I found extra stiff feels way more staple through impact but the weight might be too heavy for my smaller wrist. Are they're ppl that have extra stiff with a 60 or 55 gram shaft?
Good question. In fact there are shafts out there that can go as light as 40-45 grams but still be stiff and stable, so yes it’s very possible to go lighter.
Just found your channel John. Very informative! I wish I found you a couple years ago when I bought a Cobra F9 with an Atmos ATMOS Tour Spec Black 7 shaft in a stiff flex. Unfortunately, As I approach 70 yrs old, my swing speed is between 85-90. My average drives are 210-220, But my contact has been migrating toward the heel which drops me another 10 yds or so. On the rare occasion I hit it on the button, I can go 230-240+ depending on conditions. So, I'm pretty sure I have a shaft (timing device) that is most likely not working for me. Could I ask you for a shaft suggestion? I live over an hour away from getting fitted and it's going to be one of those situations where they're going to try and put me in a $1000 club. My swing has good tempo with a smooth to average transition, applying the power as late as possible. My natural ball flight is a slight draw and my misses are a push or push fade. I can also hit a straight ball that draws too much if I'm not paying attention. My clubhead is a 9* but it's set at neutral 10.5* Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
With your speed and type of release I’m going to say the shaft will feel very stiff, kind of like no bend in the downswing and now release or feel at impact. The Fujikura speeder blue series would be a good suggestion, and what’s cools is they have tons of weight options so you could go lighter weight and may even want to try a little lighter flex to help you get the shaft to load and unload a bit more. But at your speed I would say 240-250 total would be really good if you can achieve it more often. Hope it helps.
Awesome assessment. I have found that I am a bit of a unicorn when it comes to this conversation. I average between 102-110 depending on how my old a$$ 57 year old body responds. Profile for me means more than either weight or stiffness. I currently use a Graphite Design IZ 60x. I have tried numerous shafts Ventus, Tensei, Kalei all in similar weights (varying of course to see) Graphite Design seems to work best for me in that I can time the shaft better. A note to be made is that the same shaft works with various heads. Stiff is good but dispersion is just a tad greater.
I recently got fitted for new T200 irons with project x lz5.5 shafts my previous set was ap1 with dg s300. I’m really having trouble with the new irons trajectory as it is about 20’ higher than I’m used to seeing, and I play in wind a lot so I’m used to a more boring trajectory. Also thinning a fair amount. BTW 57 y/o 6.6 handicap with 82 mph 8 iron swing speed never had a problem stopping irons on a green with s300. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance
Shafts could be a small factor but the launch conditions with the t200 and CG location is likely more the culprit though. So I would go back and share feedback about height and see if you can revisit the head with the newer DG Mid 115 shaft.
Just wanted to be clear on the question. If you were referring to how the shafts get heavier as they get shorter and whether or not if some people may struggle with either them being too heavy or to light on either side of the iron set, then yes not everyone will be a good fit for AMT, as the total weight of the club can sometimes have a negative impact on someone’s ability to square the club up and time it out. If I misunderstood, just please rephrase and I can try again😀
Well that really depends on the shaft, if I go lighter weight sometimes I will go stiffer if I go heavier sometimes I will go softer. In the end I will choose weight first then flex second and the rule of thumb is play the stiffest shaft you can swing without it feeling like you have to over swing or step on it just to get to bend.
Swing driver 108 mph and have 65g regular shaft and swing 7 iron at 92 mph and playing 88g regular shaft. Have a decent looking swing and have worked hard at it but have really struggled with consistency. Time to get fitted I think.
The number one question I ask anyone is how does your stamp pattern look. If it’s not tight then I will say without question the shaft isn’t the correct dance partner. And your speed alone would be one where I would immediately bump you to a stiff if not XS shaft.
@SwingFit Thanks for the reply. Yes, I definitely hit the ball all over the face, especially with driver. Irons are at least playable, though inconsistent with finding dead centre. I think I could definitely benefit from a fitting for both and will look into it. Thanks 👍
Geez ya just for reference I swing my 7 iron at around 90-93 and I have a quick tempo. Got fitted into project x 6.0 which is 120grams I believe definately finding less of the toe and more middle of the face now
I was fitted by PXG for 95 gram shafts but I found that I could easily lose the club feel. I am 63 but I am 6'5" and 270, does physical strength come into play for the right shaft weight? I was fitted for 105 grams shafts recently but may try some 120 or 125 gram shafts to see if I stay on plane better.
At your height I’m going to assume that they went a little longer, and here we need to remember that when we add length to the clubs we need to be sure the shafts don’t get to soft and in this situation that what I’m going to suspect that happened. If you add 1/2” a stiff now plays like a R+ loose an 1” and now that Stiff flex is playing a full flex lighter. Let me know if your clubs are standard length or longer.
@@vicgeier3482 wow 2inches is a lot, not sure I would have gone that much, but none the less you lost two flexes as a result so those shafts are playing more like a Sr. Flex. ☹️
I got a question, So I play with a 65 gram shaft, but my driver length is 44 inches do I need to get a heavier shaft or stay playing with a 65 gram shaft?
When we go shorter we will make the shaft play stiffer, so I always say play as heavy and as stiff as possible and you will know when it crosses the line, as you will have to step on it to get it to feel or bend the way you need. With that said if you did go down in weight you may find that you wouldn’t have to jump flex as a result of it being shorter, but it could be worth a test if you had access to some other shafts. If you decided to go up in weight I definitely would consider dropping flex though as it would get to stiff.
I probably wouldn’t go 70 gram in that shaft. If you did you would likely loose the ability to get the shaft to load. Let me explain, the headweight in the driver just may not be heavy enough especially when you cut in down to help it load and unload. Unless if you tell me you tug on the handle and have really fast transition, then you may be ok with trying it. But with that said here is what I would suggest. Verify how tight your stamp pattern is out of series of 5 shots. If it’s tight and in the right spot don’t change.
Iron question. I carry 7 iron 145 and have 60 gram shafts. Ball strikes are mostly centered but consistently thin. Do I need lessons or a better fitting? Love your content. One of my favorite youtubers.
Next weeks video just may be for you my friend as it could be as simple as the length of your golf club. But the other thing it could be and a lot of my customers will overlook this but ball position also can affect strike location a lot as well. So if you tell me that you favor more of a left of cent ball forward ball position with your iron I would try cheating it back a touch as well. But if it’s already back don’t move it back further. Thanks for asking such a great question.
To me a proper fitting would take hours not the usual one hour fitting window: Grip size, Profile, Weight, Tipping, Torque, Lie, Flex, Head, Swing Weight, Kick Point, Shaft Length…not to mention Standard Deviation, Bell Shaped Curve, How I’m hitting that day….GOOD LUCK. And then the manufacturer doesn’t meet the total specs anyway, and the new clubs don’t hit like the fitting clubs. Please comment!
So you keyed in on one important aspect of the fitting process and that is the final build, a ClubFitter shouldn’t just be an order taker. Any ClubFitter worth their weight in gold will take ownership of the build and just because a grip and head is installed on a shaft doesn’t necessarily mean that it it was built properly. 😀 with all that said I believe the smaller independent clubfitters can offer a better product start to finish. Don’t get me wrong there are some nationally ranked fitting chains who can do a good job, but generally it’s not the company, their process, or philosophy that will stand them apart it’s the people inside the store and with anything just because there may be 100 or more plus locations scattered throughout the country it doesn’t mean all will be good, this is why I believe ClubFitting gets a bad rap. So you might now ask how do you find a ClubFitter. The first place would be the OEMs websites, every one will have a locate a club fitter section. Create a short list of fitters who isn’t a big chain, and then compare that list to some of the other OEMs, see if those names start to pop up on any other sites. The more the better. I hope this helped.
To be honest I’m not sure I have ever come across that situation, if I’m going lighter heads it’s likely because I need to help square up the face and going heavier shafts I believe would only counteract what I was trying to achieve. But I would say it could be a solution say if someone swings really hard no turn and all arms, but that’s really the only scenario I can think of right now.
I love the mention of that it’s not universal advice. Was in my courses fitting room on my lunch break and found I love how the 5-S Tour AD HD feels vs My hazrdus green 6.5 70 gram. Even at 118 swing speed the best way I can explain why I liked it more was the HD let me know how I needed to swing it and when to release. Where the green needed me to force it to work for me
The best way to get improvement is getting consistent golf lesson and get more exercise done 👍🏻 then getting a proper full golf fitting to getting actual data on which type to choose from.
Perhaps this is the case for some, but one could make the argument that if your hitting it in the water or out of bounds, you’re not going to have much fun. 😀Thanks for sharing.
It's all kinda bs, an athletic person will adjust his swing to fit the club after a couple hits. With the giant sized driver heads , a lighter shaft actually gives you more feel of the club head. Also most very athletic people will be fitted into stiff shafts, just because they aren't a "pro level" player, when they really could use an xstiff. You adjust to the stiff when you hit it, and you adjust to the xstiff. It all boils down to a consistent swing that you want to use, and fitting that one particular swing. A player could use a regular shaft if he doesn't want to swing that hard.
Sounds like you missed your calling and you should be a club fitter with all of that knowledge and experience. just let me know if you ever relocate to WV.
This is wildly incorrect and based on assumption. Just because I can adjust and swing regular flex shafts doesn’t mean it’s what fits me or will consistently swing the same. i’m 5’10’’ and 155lbs fitted into x stiff driver/woods and stiff flex irons. i played ‘21 Apex MB’s and AP2 718’s which are not heavy in head weight when fitted to my preferred swing weight. I don’t use irons with heavy heads that flex the shaft on their own. i’m ‘handsy’ and prefer that control so i like 100g X stiff or 120g stiff at D0-D2 stepped into my DG X100 wedges at D3. that matches my snappy tempo but you may struggle to use them effectively like i do. My TSR4 isn’t heavy weighted and i swing X stiff shaft 65g at 108mph-112mph. I also like ventes black velocore in stiff because the profile allows me to feel proper load but my dispersion is 5-10 yards wider and longer still in the fairway. it’s not BS if you want to dial in and drop strokes.
Sometimes it feels like we try to get exactly the right club as though that is the problem, but really they might just need to learn how to golf…. I can see for people who are below average in strength would get more distance with a lighter club, and a stronger but slower person might benefit from a heavier club…
Definitely all good points and possibilities, the best way I like to look at it is sometimes having the right tool or instrument for the job can make executing the technique much easier. Thanks for sharing
At 1.29 on your video, you said; "I can INSURE YOU" rather than "I can ASSURE YOU". Just saying! Other than that the info on your video is really good.
Won’t dispute that sound advice but I will say this, I have really good golfers who can’t find the middle of the face and the shaft they’re using is the culprit. Thanks for sharing.
@@casinogeno1 have you ever tried cutting a 2x4 with a handsaw? It can be done but is it the most effective way to do so, the golf shaft without question is important and will vary from shaft to shaft, if they all performed the same then my job would be so much easier.
Welcome back! You been missed. Had a PXG fit which suggested going from current XP95 R to MMT80 which cured the slice completely. Changing the centre weight made another difference. Gained 2mph club head.
Thanks for sharing, I’m glad it worked out for you. And thank you for the kind words.
This is a great help!!!!!!
I’m glad you found it helpful.
Thanks for the info. I’m a ‘fitter’ in training, who is also realizing my days of playing a 130g S or X flex shaft are nearing the end.
Research and experimenting is leading me towards weight over flex in fitting. But, your insight into mixing weight and flex is a revelation for me.
With the new releases this week I know I’ll be heating up the GC Quad for a while. Now that I have this nugget of information, both me and my customers will be better off.
Thanks for sharing. Flex IMHO is over-rated. Don't get me wrong it's important, I mean we have to decide on a flex but in the end for me it's just a letter not a label. Slow swings some time needs Stiffer shafts and sometimes faster swings need softer. So here would be my nugget for you, if you ever find yourself really close in a fit, but the stamp pattern isn't as tight as you want it, don't change to another shaft but rather try going down in flex or up in flex first, and if that didn't work try the weight and flex trick I shared in the video. But just remember I'm only doing this at the very end of the session, to see if somehow, I can make the final combination even better. Hope this helps.
Excellent video. Thank you for sharing this!
Glad you enjoyed it!
So if you are a senior in your 70s and you have a normal swing speed for your age how do you determine what weight is best? I will assume a soft senior flex is best to get ultimate height on your shots?
The only way to know for sure is to find a place where you can try different shafts as the real answer is it depends, how fast, how you swing it fast, your release, and so on could steer you in a softer flex but it could also steer you the other way and believe me I’ve seen it all.
Would love to see a follow up to this video with how, the bend profile; whether tip, mid or counter balanced and the effect on impact location
That video is for sure in the works as we have received multiple requests. Thanks for the suggestion and the support.
Good video, very informative. It did touch on my pet peeve though. Everyone focuses on the driver and everyone forgets about the irons. In a round of golf you may use your driver what, maybe 10-15 times? You use irons a heck of a lot more in one round but not too many people focus on that. I understand this video has a chart, but I would love to see a video dedicated to iron shaft weight, swingweight, and flex...
I have a good iron video teed up, so don’t worry it’s coming. 😀
Thanks for the info.
How do graphite shafts line up on your 7i chart compared to steel?
Now a days they will perform very similar, the only caveat to that would be if the graphite shaft had the extra mass distributed to different parts of the shaft, meaning is there more mass in the tip versus the handle to make it tip soft or tip stiff. This is just another way for the MfG to enhance the feel for different speeds and different tempos.
Another great vid , thanks ! i'm right there in the struggle of what you were explaining. I'm swinging mid to high 90's ususally but i feel like going heavier shaft i lose speed even more. When i try shafts in the 60's it feels way too heavy for me for some reason. Great video and explanation, keep up the great work !
Thanks for the comment. One of the things I didn’t touch on in The video is balance point and how a heavier counter balance shaft could sometimes help for those feeling the heft of the same weighted shaft as the mass would be located more towards the handle. If that didn’t work I would for sure like a 50-55 gram weighted shaft for you and tinker with the flex.
@@SwingFit Thanks for the reply! I will definitely check into that for this season. Much appreciated =)
I am averaging 111 swing speed with driver and play Ventus blue 6s tipped half an inch. I struggle with a slice only with driver. I am playing around with an older GD Tour XC 70x shaft and my slice is much closer to a fade but my ball flight seems low. Should I go back to a 60 gram shaft in xflex or go to a 70 gram stiff flex? Or maybe the bend profile is better for me? I’m on information overload…
At your speed I believe you are causing the shaft to deflect to much, the TR blue version at 60x would be the one I would like to move you in right out the gate, if it was still deflecting then I would go original Ventus black 6x. Second.
Do you think its best to get fit for driver at cruising speed rather than full speed ? I got fitted recently and they wanted to fit to my full speed swings. I get the feeling they wanted to sell me extra distance. I swing at 115mph on my GC3 but on course im no higher than 110 especially now its freezing in the UK. In the fitting if i hit at my cruising speed the spin dropped to low for what i like. Maybe just a bad fitting experience?
So when I fit I like to see if the Driver has multiple gears and a properly fit driver should be able to work and 3 different speeds, if it only works at full tilt then it is way to stout. So to wrap it up I would want the driver to work 105-115.
Taper tip vs parallel tip, I understand the difference physically but I would love a video in depth about this topic. When to use each and why you chose one over the other. Also what the heck is frequency matching and why should I care!
Great videos by the way!
All really good questions, and these without question would make a great video.
Ok, explain to me why a heavier shaft 80g S gives me the best results?
Swing Speed is 98-101
Ball speed 142-147mph
Carry varies on conditions generally 224-239
Age 65
Hdcp 2
If I were to guess it likely has everything to do with your timing. Even at your age you likely have a fast take away and quick transition and the weight is what is helping you keep everything in sync. I will say at your speed you’re probably leaving about 20-25 yards on the table and there’s still some optimization left to be performed. Thanks for sharing
Which chart do you use for hybrids and fairway woods to determine flex and weight for same?
Enjoy the video, would really like to see some actual iron fitting sessions. Thanks
This is one that I heavily debated in the past and we’ve even tried a couple of times but the challenge is the very minute I turn the cameras on and mic someone up, the wheels come off. With that said I am planning on doing a video where I break down our process to help everyone understand why and how we are different. Thanks again for the suggestion.
All readers, I would appreciate some feedback on this statement. The corect shaft is one that has the right combination of shaft weight, flex (torque), kick point and shaft length. All of these factors are important individually but more importantly need to combine and work together well for your unique swing and tempo.
This is a correct statement, and is the very reason why the golf shaft is one of the most complex to fit for as it never comes down to just one of the items you referenced, it will always be a combination of them. Not to mention there’s a couple of other key variables we’ll also consider such as weight distribution, aka Counter balance designs, as well as material, graphite versus steel. So as you see there’s a lot of layers to peel back and should I decide to go up in flex or down in weight, I can ensure you these other areas we talked about will also be impacted. The key will always come down to how little or how much will be impacted. Really good question.
If it's that complex as many would have you believe then how is it not so complex for a fitter to fit you right the 1st time? My point is and I've heard and can attest that shaft weight is where you should start for proper shaft fit. It's not hard but many ppl get "shafted" by a fitter that doesn't know wtf they are doing. But if you understand your swing and feel you can do it yourself.
Because some ppl may swing a heavier shaft faster and more accurately than a lighter shaft and some ppl may swing a lighter shaft more accurately than a heavier one. It all comes down to personal performance.
I went up in weight and down in flex with driver and prob solved.
I’m 71, 9.4 hc, still hitting 8 iron 145+. However, ever since I started playing graphit some years ago my baby draw has turned into a flip hook, now using esx 460 f3. I’ve recently been fit into new zx7 with 95 gram steel ns pro 950gh. They’re a little heavy and I’ve lost some distance but also lost the getaway hook. Maybe 75 gram graphite would get some distance back? Your thoughts appreciated. Thx!
I think you may be on to something as weight could be a factor here.
@@SwingFit thx
Great video John. What would be a good way to test at home the effects of different shaft weight? Could I add some lead tape to a 50ish gram shaft to test if a heavier weight would be better for me? Where on the shaft would the lead tape be added to? How would I test a lower total weight? Would a lighter removable weight in the head simulate it or would that be a different effect than a lighter shaft weight? I know, get fit. But if we were to try at home....
That is a really good question. Unfortunately there’s no really easy way to test this at home unless you happen to have access to a couple of different shafts. The reason why it is difficult is when a shaft company goes from a 55 gram to a 65 gram shaft it would like be the equivalent of adding two extra layers of material to the overall length of the shaft. The reason they do this is they don’t want to alter the shaft’s original profile it just becomes a little heavier as a result. Not only can this help stiffen up the shaft a bit but it can also make it more stable as it will be just a touch more rigid. Sorry I wish I had better news, but I would say next time shaft weight swing weight would be the next big thing that could help and for that one you can easily play around with that one. Thanks for the support.
Great video. I recently was fitted into Mitsubishi Vanquish PL 45 gram R shaft with Callaway rep. Ball speed and carry were my best ever. But Im getting cold feet about the weight of this shaft because i did not see dispersion. 87mph driver swing speed. Should i be concerned its too light? Not a big slicer. Pulls are biggest dispersion miss. Thx.
Light weight shafts are definitely more stable than they ever use to be so I wouldn’t be as concerned.
Im playing 9 ° driver qi10, with ventus black 6x ss 105+ mph. Still slice it, down or up in shaft weight ?
In this situation I don’t think shaft weight is the factor, I think it’s likely more of the profile and how it affecting your wrist actions. The wrist action slicers need is more pronation through impact, turning a door knob or imagine playing ping pong, simply stated you need to feel like the trail hand is crossing over the other similar to that if putting top spin on the ball in tennis or ping pong, the key is that post impact the trail hand should be completely on top of the other with the face of the driver pointing down to the ground. Try this thought process with current shaft and if it doesn’t work then I would find a Ventus blue shaft and try it again.
What if and I assume this also is what you're talking about. I'm a pretty big guy well interms of weight and fairly strong BUT I have smaller hands and wrist. So I assume less weight could compliment my smaller wrist but higher flex would balance my stronger speed? I found extra stiff feels way more staple through impact but the weight might be too heavy for my smaller wrist. Are they're ppl that have extra stiff with a 60 or 55 gram shaft?
Good question. In fact there are shafts out there that can go as light as 40-45 grams but still be stiff and stable, so yes it’s very possible to go lighter.
Just found your channel John. Very informative! I wish I found you a couple years ago when I bought a Cobra F9 with an Atmos ATMOS Tour Spec Black 7 shaft in a stiff flex. Unfortunately, As I approach 70 yrs old, my swing speed is between 85-90. My average drives are 210-220, But my contact has been migrating toward the heel which drops me another 10 yds or so. On the rare occasion I hit it on the button, I can go 230-240+ depending on conditions. So, I'm pretty sure I have a shaft (timing device) that is most likely not working for me.
Could I ask you for a shaft suggestion? I live over an hour away from getting fitted and it's going to be one of those situations where they're going to try and put me in a $1000 club. My swing has good tempo with a smooth to average transition, applying the power as late as possible. My natural ball flight is a slight draw and my misses are a push or push fade. I can also hit a straight ball that draws too much if I'm not paying attention. My clubhead is a 9* but it's set at neutral 10.5*
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
With your speed and type of release I’m going to say the shaft will feel very stiff, kind of like no bend in the downswing and now release or feel at impact. The Fujikura speeder blue series would be a good suggestion, and what’s cools is they have tons of weight options so you could go lighter weight and may even want to try a little lighter flex to help you get the shaft to load and unload a bit more. But at your speed I would say 240-250 total would be really good if you can achieve it more often. Hope it helps.
Awesome assessment. I have found that I am a bit of a unicorn when it comes to this conversation. I average between 102-110 depending on how my old a$$ 57 year old body responds. Profile for me means more than either weight or stiffness. I currently use a Graphite Design IZ 60x. I have tried numerous shafts Ventus, Tensei, Kalei all in similar weights (varying of course to see) Graphite Design seems to work best for me in that I can time the shaft better. A note to be made is that the same shaft works with various heads. Stiff is good but dispersion is just a tad greater.
Thanks for sharing, you will likely be a tour ad guy for life. Even if you move to a different profile it will still probably be a tour ad shaft.
Very informative, as always. Where do we send our questions?
There’s a link in the description that you can click on. And thanks for the kind words.
I recently got fitted for new T200 irons with project x lz5.5 shafts my previous set was ap1 with dg s300. I’m really having trouble with the new irons trajectory as it is about 20’ higher than I’m used to seeing, and I play in wind a lot so I’m used to a more boring trajectory. Also thinning a fair amount. BTW 57 y/o 6.6 handicap with 82 mph 8 iron swing speed never had a problem stopping irons on a green with s300. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance
Shafts could be a small factor but the launch conditions with the t200 and CG location is likely more the culprit though. So I would go back and share feedback about height and see if you can revisit the head with the newer DG Mid 115 shaft.
@@SwingFit Thanks for the quick reply any possible recommendations for a graphite shaft that could be similar?
I play the Tensei blue stiff with the AMT on my irons. Do you find that some of the irons don’t work for a player?
Just wanted to be clear on the question. If you were referring to how the shafts get heavier as they get shorter and whether or not if some people may struggle with either them being too heavy or to light on either side of the iron set, then yes not everyone will be a good fit for AMT, as the total weight of the club can sometimes have a negative impact on someone’s ability to square the club up and time it out. If I misunderstood, just please rephrase and I can try again😀
You got it right - thank-you
Hi very useful videos! Could you please do videos for ladies and driver club head speed of say 70?
Sure this is a great suggestion.
Great video - IMO the number one issue is the shaft - the 'engine' of the swing.
The shaft without question is extremely important
Since your chart goes by weight if someone fits to a 60 gram driver shaft how do you determine what flex you give them?
Well that really depends on the shaft, if I go lighter weight sometimes I will go stiffer if I go heavier sometimes I will go softer. In the end I will choose weight first then flex second and the rule of thumb is play the stiffest shaft you can swing without it feeling like you have to over swing or step on it just to get to bend.
@@SwingFit Thanks
Swing driver 108 mph and have 65g regular shaft and swing 7 iron at 92 mph and playing 88g regular shaft. Have a decent looking swing and have worked hard at it but have really struggled with consistency. Time to get fitted I think.
The number one question I ask anyone is how does your stamp pattern look. If it’s not tight then I will say without question the shaft isn’t the correct dance partner. And your speed alone would be one where I would immediately bump you to a stiff if not XS shaft.
@SwingFit Thanks for the reply. Yes, I definitely hit the ball all over the face, especially with driver. Irons are at least playable, though inconsistent with finding dead centre. I think I could definitely benefit from a fitting for both and will look into it. Thanks 👍
Geez ya just for reference I swing my 7 iron at around 90-93 and I have a quick tempo. Got fitted into project x 6.0 which is 120grams I believe definately finding less of the toe and more middle of the face now
Thanks for sharing that’s a great shaft
@@Fitter4life thanks mate. I definitely think it will help my consistency of strike. I hope so anyway 😂
I was fitted by PXG for 95 gram shafts but I found that I could easily lose the club feel. I am 63 but I am 6'5" and 270, does physical strength come into play for the right shaft weight? I was fitted for 105 grams shafts recently but may try some 120 or 125 gram shafts to see if I stay on plane better.
At your height I’m going to assume that they went a little longer, and here we need to remember that when we add length to the clubs we need to be sure the shafts don’t get to soft and in this situation that what I’m going to suspect that happened. If you add 1/2” a stiff now plays like a R+ loose an 1” and now that Stiff flex is playing a full flex lighter. Let me know if your clubs are standard length or longer.
+2 inches in length, S flex Modus 3 105.
@@vicgeier3482 wow 2inches is a lot, not sure I would have gone that much, but none the less you lost two flexes as a result so those shafts are playing more like a Sr. Flex. ☹️
+2 made a big difference in posture and ball contact.
They are stiffer than my previous +1 1/2 Elevate 95 R flex shafts, curious to see the frequency difference
I got a question, So I play with a 65 gram shaft, but my driver length is 44 inches do I need to get a heavier shaft or stay playing with a 65 gram shaft?
When we go shorter we will make the shaft play stiffer, so I always say play as heavy and as stiff as possible and you will know when it crosses the line, as you will have to step on it to get it to feel or bend the way you need. With that said if you did go down in weight you may find that you wouldn’t have to jump flex as a result of it being shorter, but it could be worth a test if you had access to some other shafts. If you decided to go up in weight I definitely would consider dropping flex though as it would get to stiff.
@@SwingFit I play a ventus black X flex.
I probably wouldn’t go 70 gram in that shaft. If you did you would likely loose the ability to get the shaft to load. Let me explain, the headweight in the driver just may not be heavy enough especially when you cut in down to help it load and unload. Unless if you tell me you tug on the handle and have really fast transition, then you may be ok with trying it. But with that said here is what I would suggest. Verify how tight your stamp pattern is out of series of 5 shots. If it’s tight and in the right spot don’t change.
Iron question. I carry 7 iron 145 and have 60 gram shafts. Ball strikes are mostly centered but consistently thin. Do I need lessons or a better fitting?
Love your content. One of my favorite youtubers.
Next weeks video just may be for you my friend as it could be as simple as the length of your golf club. But the other thing it could be and a lot of my customers will overlook this but ball position also can affect strike location a lot as well. So if you tell me that you favor more of a left of cent ball forward ball position with your iron I would try cheating it back a touch as well. But if it’s already back don’t move it back further. Thanks for asking such a great question.
Are you in Texas?
Unfortunately not we are currently only located in WV
To me a proper fitting would take hours not the usual one hour fitting window: Grip size, Profile, Weight, Tipping, Torque, Lie, Flex, Head, Swing Weight, Kick Point, Shaft Length…not to mention Standard Deviation, Bell Shaped Curve, How I’m hitting that day….GOOD LUCK. And then the manufacturer doesn’t meet the total specs anyway, and the new clubs don’t hit like the fitting clubs. Please comment!
So you keyed in on one important aspect of the fitting process and that is the final build, a ClubFitter shouldn’t just be an order taker. Any ClubFitter worth their weight in gold will take ownership of the build and just because a grip and head is installed on a shaft doesn’t necessarily mean that it it was built properly. 😀 with all that said I believe the smaller independent clubfitters can offer a better product start to finish. Don’t get me wrong there are some nationally ranked fitting chains who can do a good job, but generally it’s not the company, their process, or philosophy that will stand them apart it’s the people inside the store and with anything just because there may be 100 or more plus locations scattered throughout the country it doesn’t mean all will be good, this is why I believe ClubFitting gets a bad rap. So you might now ask how do you find a ClubFitter. The first place would be the OEMs websites, every one will have a locate a club fitter section. Create a short list of fitters who isn’t a big chain, and then compare that list to some of the other OEMs, see if those names start to pop up on any other sites. The more the better. I hope this helped.
What about a heavier shaft and a lighter club head ? What’s that result
To be honest I’m not sure I have ever come across that situation, if I’m going lighter heads it’s likely because I need to help square up the face and going heavier shafts I believe would only counteract what I was trying to achieve. But I would say it could be a solution say if someone swings really hard no turn and all arms, but that’s really the only scenario I can think of right now.
@@SwingFit thank you
Anytime that’s what we are here for.
I love the mention of that it’s not universal advice. Was in my courses fitting room on my lunch break and found I love how the 5-S Tour AD HD feels vs My hazrdus green 6.5 70 gram.
Even at 118 swing speed the best way I can explain why I liked it more was the HD let me know how I needed to swing it and when to release. Where the green needed me to force it to work for me
That’s so true
Don't forget shaft profile to go along with this
You are very correct and that will for sure be a video topic all on its own.
Need you to fit me! Then I google search and gotta fly to WV😂
If travel ever brings you to the DC region then please be sure to look us up.
The best way to get improvement is getting consistent golf lesson and get more exercise done 👍🏻 then getting a proper full golf fitting to getting actual data on which type to choose from.
I Won’t argue any of those points, as everything you said is very important.
If you are a bad driver it doesn't matter what car you drive.😀save your $$$ just go out and have fun..
Perhaps this is the case for some, but one could make the argument that if your hitting it in the water or out of bounds, you’re not going to have much fun. 😀Thanks for sharing.
It's all kinda bs, an athletic person will adjust his swing to fit the club after a couple hits. With the giant sized driver heads , a lighter shaft actually gives you more feel of the club head. Also most very athletic people will be fitted into stiff shafts, just because they aren't a "pro level" player, when they really could use an xstiff. You adjust to the stiff when you hit it, and you adjust to the xstiff. It all boils down to a consistent swing that you want to use, and fitting that one particular swing. A player could use a regular shaft if he doesn't want to swing that hard.
Sounds like you missed your calling and you should be a club fitter with all of that knowledge and experience. just let me know if you ever relocate to WV.
This is wildly incorrect and based on assumption. Just because I can adjust and swing regular flex shafts doesn’t mean it’s what fits me or will consistently swing the same. i’m 5’10’’ and 155lbs fitted into x stiff driver/woods and stiff flex irons. i played ‘21 Apex MB’s and AP2 718’s which are not heavy in head weight when fitted to my preferred swing weight. I don’t use irons with heavy heads that flex the shaft on their own. i’m ‘handsy’ and prefer that control so i like 100g X stiff or 120g stiff at D0-D2 stepped into my DG X100 wedges at D3. that matches my snappy tempo but you may struggle to use them effectively like i do. My TSR4 isn’t heavy weighted and i swing X stiff shaft 65g at 108mph-112mph. I also like ventes black velocore in stiff because the profile allows me to feel proper load but my dispersion is 5-10 yards wider and longer still in the fairway. it’s not BS if you want to dial in and drop strokes.
Sometimes it feels like we try to get exactly the right club as though that is the problem, but really they might just need to learn how to golf…. I can see for people who are below average in strength would get more distance with a lighter club, and a stronger but slower person might benefit from a heavier club…
Definitely all good points and possibilities, the best way I like to look at it is sometimes having the right tool or instrument for the job can make executing the technique much easier. Thanks for sharing
At 1.29 on your video, you said; "I can INSURE YOU" rather than "I can ASSURE YOU". Just saying! Other than that the info on your video is really good.
Thanks for the support, and feedback. on another note my video editor has a really hard job I can assure you of that. 😀
Good lord have you never mispronounced a single word, especially on camera? Let me guess , you’re a Democrat voting public school teacher.
@@SwingFit William must have been a grade school English teacher in his younger days, haha.
Alternatively, if you are hitting it all over the place consider practicing and taking a lesson.
Won’t dispute that sound advice but I will say this, I have really good golfers who can’t find the middle of the face and the shaft they’re using is the culprit. Thanks for sharing.
@@SwingFit really good golfers and not hitting the middle sounds counterintuitive, but ok😂
@@casinogeno1 have you ever tried cutting a 2x4 with a handsaw? It can be done but is it the most effective way to do so, the golf shaft without question is important and will vary from shaft to shaft, if they all performed the same then my job would be so much easier.
Never trust anyone who buttons his top button without a tie…….
You probably shouldn’t unless you’ve tried everything else then why not.
Never trust a man with no sideburns.