. Although the club feels great I just can't reproduce the
shots. I flush a bomb and think I can learn to repeat this but
the next shot goes off the planet and I'm left standing there
going "what the!!! That felt nearly the same, where did that
come from???"
I
also found straight away that a lot of the BIG slices and hooks
have redeced into more of a fade etc.. when you dont get it
completly right...
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Fixing my driver woes
Forums → Golf Equipment | 54 posts
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I currently have a left handed Callaway Big Bertha 454 9°
with an Aldila NV 65-S (45in) that I've been trying to use
for 1 year now. I've finally realized I can't control the
thing. Slow in the brains I know I realize a lot of the poor ball flight control is due to inconsistent rhythm in my swing. However, I believe the poorly fitted club will only exagerate these inconsistencies. The truth is the shaft I have is too soft. I like the feel of the softness but I clearly can't control it. I have a very fast swing speed so I ordered the same club with the 65-X shaft in it to see what the difference might be. When I hit this driver I can feel the stiffer shaft, good, but the ball comes off the face like poo. I can't get the ball in the air so it can fly. The head is exactly the same but makes a different sound, more of a thud than a ping, to the original one I've got. So the new Big Bertha 454 is going back to Callaway to see if its a defect. So a question, can the same type of head produce different sounds from inconsistencies in manufacturing? OR does the shaft flex play a part in altering the sound of impact? (maybe because different swing speeds are achieved) <u>MY OPTIONS</u> If it's a defect I may be able to get a different shaft from the ones Callaway have as options on the new head so I am open to suggestions here. Of course my other option (paying more but clearly the more professional solution) is to get a new shaft fitted by an expert club fitter into my original Big Bertha 454 head that I like or buy a whole new driver. I could see Gary Calder (Golf Club Innovations) in Brisbane or maybe hang out till I travel interstate and see someone else like Ben, Guru etc. to get a top job done on a fitted driver. What sort of shaft might I be looking for here? Recommendations please.
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Buy a tour driver. There's enough sold around here to suggest it's the next obvious step.
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I have a UST Pro Force2 in my driver currently. Best shaft I have ever used by far. Back in the day I had a few Aldila shafts in and out constatly but never found one that felt right of was controlable. Always used have no feel for where the head is at the top of the backswing, so went back to steel... The PF2 is even better than the original PF and I can feel the clubhead at the top, so might be worth looking at. Harmon shafts are very strong also... Im sure you already know about tourque in shafts, and with your kind of swing speed a low torgue shaft is a must.
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Yep, low torque is a must. I assume large amounts of torque at high speed greatly affects control. I must say I have never really liked the wooden feel of a really stiff shaft. I have always prefered the kick of the clubhead into impact. Being left handed I have never hit that many different drivers over my time. I just get one club and use it until I get another one. Maybe I might have a waggle of one that a lefty owns who I'm playing with but I've never whacked a whole bunch of drivers around to experience all the different feels and results. My best ever driver I liked was a Cobra 370SS Unlimited with a Grafaloy Blue S-flex. Even though the face was hot the clubface and shaft felt great.
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Blade, at your level you simply can't afford to be playing with anything other than the optimum shaft and clubhead for your game. Go to a clubfitter.
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UST V2 I am not a fan of the NV65 especially for someone with your swing speed.
Cheers
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Blade...didn't you go to the cally fitting centre a while back?
down and out…did ya get that? |
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Don't get caught up in the Torque debate, torque has minimal effect on ball flight these days, not to mention there is no standard way to measure it. I'd through the Accra SC or Accra Tour into the mix aswell, some of the most consistent shafts I've used. Personally seeing me would be useless as I'm not geared up for lefties. I don't know how well Garry is, but he'd be my first stop.
Sorry blade, one other thing, cut it down to 44" first.
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Yep. But I must admit these guys aren't professional club fitters. They work on a trial and error principle. Grab a club, try it on the launchy, grab another one based on the results and try it. Because I'm a lefty they had very few clubs I could try, especially around my specs, so the fitters effectively had a stab at a recommendation. For a standard right hand player this trial and error method or bashing away with every possible club under the sun will work. It would be alright if they could make the club up instantly and then I could have a hit on the launch monitor but that's not the case.
Thanks for the shaft suggestions.
As for not being set up for lefties... Are you stressing that I should use a 44" shaft?
You're right. I have to be more professional about what I do. Getting off the tee is an important part of the game and the confidence from that flows right through.
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QUOTE(Ben @ May 16 2006, 03:07 PM)
Don't get caught up in the Torque debate, torque has minimal
effect on ball flight these days, not to mention there is no
standard way to measure it. -- How can world leaders in the manufacture of graphite shafts state their torque specifications if there is no accurate way to measure torque. What/where is the evidence that there is no way of accurately measuring torque? Look forward to reading the evidence.
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I didn't say accurately, I said standard. Toqrue is measured by clamping a beam and weight to the tip of the shaft once its secured in a vise. The weight will cause torsional twist which is then the shafts given torque rating. The problem is that neither the beam or the weight are standard, so the beam could be short and the weight light and you'll have a lower toqrue shaft... extend the beam and and some more weight and you'll have more torsional twist.
Thats how its done.
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Possibly another thing to try is a one-step heavier shaft? 75g as opposed to your current 65g.
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QUOTE(Ben @ May 16 2006) - "I didn't say accurately, I said standard". - Whether it is accurate or standard is in a way a play with words and a matter of definition or interpretation. When I read a manufacturer's website showing the specifications of a golf shaft it often shows me the technical specifications and these may include the club torque. To explain what I read I include examples of some links which show the torque. http://www.harrison.com/45_... http://www.aldila.com/produ... Based on the comment that it may not be measured, "standard, accurate or whatever" one may wish to call it, can it really be so that a brand name club will not match the actual stated shaft specifications. Seems most unlikely to me, but I'm willing to listen and learn. It is important to establish myth or fact. Look forward to reading more to gain an understanding of the evidence on the torque matter.
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Growler, I understand they quote their technical specifications, but they do not quote HOW they measured those specifications. The same is with frequency readings, you can use a 4" clamp or a 5" clamp and you'll get two different readings. I would suggest you read Search for the Perfect Golf Club by Tom Wishon, it clears up a lot of myths regarding equipment. There are NO standards in measuring golf equipment, its a massive problem in the industry.
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Blade,
I just grabbed a LH Cally 454 in 11 deg loft - helps me get it in
the air much better
Got it fitted with a Grafalloy ProLaunch 75g in reg flex cut to
44".. If you eva want to have a hit just PM as i am in the
brisbane area as well - might not be your desiered flex but hey
LH demo callaway drivers are hard to find
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Blade i'm a lefty like yourself and also have a high swing
speed (120+mph) and Guru fitted me with an Aerotech SS75 X-Flex
shaft and it works great for me.
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Cotto...was that the 46" beast that you snapped?
down and out…did ya get that? |
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I swing the club reasonably fast and love my Grafalloy Blue in X flex. Getting fitted is a must, I sort of found out what works through trial and error but as soon as I get back to Perth I'm going to go through the process of getting properly fitted. Grafalloy BiMatrix Prototype looks the goods too, hey if it is good enough for Tiger and Bubba... Accuflex Evo is pretty highly regarded too. Just a few to considder. I changed from an S flex to X flex and picked up distance, my ballflight was so much better and this proved the difference in distance, dispersion also improved dramatically.
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Blade, I don't often agree with the Fishboy but in this case he is correct. Get yourself a Tour driver that has a square face and isn't hook weighted as most of the large retail heads are today. Then worry about the shaft. JJ
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yep, head to GCI. they sorted me out and I've never been happier with my contact. i can't stand the Aldila shafts. never played as stated and never felt comfortable with them. there's so much inconsistency out there. i'd reshaft a head i was happy with over replacing.
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I am really surprised to hear that "there are NO standards in measuring golf equipment, its a massive problem in the industry". To the best of my knowledge, golf is a multi-billion dollar industry. Surely, research and development departments of major golf equipment manufacturers would utilise mathematical and scientific analysis and methodology to confirm the specifications of their products. Worldwide, false and misleading advertising is not an approved business practise. Reading some of the articles on this website is appears that there are some clubmakers/golf professionals participating in discussions. What are the professional qualifications required to be a clubmaker in comparision to a golf professional? Can someone please indicate where I can call and see the methodology engaged by the clubmakers/golf professionals. I would prefer to see a clubmaker/golf professional who can demonstrate to me what they do that is different and better to improve the equipment manufactured by the major golfing brands. I just cannot see me taking my BMW to a local non BMW specialist mechanic to be told by the mechanic that the mechanic can build a better car than BMW. I'm looking for a clubmaker/golf professional in Sydney. If there isn't one, Melbourne or Brisbane may be of interest.
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Growler, Go and see Gary at Custom Golf Sales on Sydney Rd near Manly. Trust me, there are no standards, it is the BIGGEST problem in the industry.
http://www.pgatour.com/prac... "torque: the amount of twist in a shaft, as measured in degrees (generally between 1.5 and 5.0); once again, the golf industry has failed to agree on a method for determining torque, so measurements are not necessarily comparable between different manufacturers. The term is really a misnomer since what is actually being measured is torsional stiffness." "flex: a broad term to describe the rigidity of a golf shaft; commonly accepted flexes are L (ladies), A (seniors), R (regular), X (stiff) and S (extra stiff); unfortunately the golf industry has been unable to agree on any measurement method or standard for flex, so there is no uniformity from one company to the next; actually a golf shaft flexes at several different points, but flex point is used as a general description of where the bend seems to be most prominent."
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You've got to be kidding. Manufacturers can't even come close to getting standardised flex ratings let alone torque. Yes, golf is a multi-billion dollar industry, but every company is busy making their money by doing their own thing. There is nothing stopping one shaft manufacturer 'cheating' with torque measurents by using different methods to measure it.
A 'good' clubmaker will make far superior clubs to those mass produced by the OEM's. Some of the things a clubmaker will do that OEM companies do not include:
Custom Fit (I mean really custom fit); We are not talking about assembling BMW's here. The OEM companies have neither the time or the inclination to go the extra steps above and consequently their clubs are of lesser quality. Mick
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I was all set to bash out a reply and was completely headed off
at the pass by vman who said it better than I could have anyway
I was just going to work the word "naive" in there a bit as well.
I would also suggest that qualifications don't necessarily equate to ability and a "AAA" rating on a PGA professional doesn't necessarily mean that they can teach. It just means that they have fulfilled the qualification requirements.
Beware of cheap imitations - Especially from the US |
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I think a common mistake is going for a shaft too stiff and too low a degree Many pros now are going up to a 9.5-10 dgrees..while Amatures still think 8.5 is a good idea...go figure...you might lose 10 yards going up to a 10 degrees..but your accuracy will skyrocket I went from 9 degree to a 10 degree...mighten sound much but it is significant Nano tech shaht by Graffolly is good...Regular...and yes I still can swing a regular fast...too many egos get in the way of common sense..stiff lfex shafts should be avoided unless your a low handicapper... I bought a new driver recently abd did all this research and speaking to low handicappers and high handicappers...they all siad the same...put the 7.5 degree extra stiff flex ego aside and you'l be fine... look at Ebay...many of thel the second hand rivers are low degrees with stiffer shafts in them...with "been hit a few times" "Like New" added as the quote...in other words they chose wrong!! and cant use it and bought another driver...
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