Do golf shafts really matter?

rollotomasi

Mark Crossfield has done a recent shaft video from a Taylormade fitting center with Trackman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCT9RWhSTEM&list=UUZelGnfKLXic4gDP63dIRxw

His conclusion: the shaft makes little difference to the resulting shot. It is the characteristics of the clubhead that determines ball flight etc.

So are exotic shafts a waste of money?

SaveOurLyric

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057258030



(FWIW, I have tried to play without a shaft and found it very difficult. So for may anyway, shafts matter and its necessary to use one)

rollotomasi

SaveOurLyric wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057258030



(FWIW, I have tried to play without a shaft and found it very difficult. So for may anyway, shafts matter and its necessary to use one)

Thanks - i didn't see that tread!

newport2

rollotomasi wrote: »

Thanks - i didn't see that tread!

In the spirit of Christmas, please don't resurrect it!

Montgolfier

Saw the video looks like the test was set up to favour the driver head. MAX loft 12.5 degree's on all shafts tested.
I used to have a RBZ with a stock shaft playing 9.5 degree loft and I changed to a mitsubishi klusa indigo tour stiff.
Some difference the klusa shaft carried only 3/4 the distance and felt like a board. I cracked the loft up to the max but I was still struggling to achieve the same distance.

So if the test was done at minimum loft you might see a different picture emerge.
All test data and stats can be skewed to achieve what you want. Taylor made sell heads not shafts.

BigChap1759

There is no mention of the dispersion, just spin, launch angle, carry and total - and he only tried 3 different shafts.

My question would be do you think this represents a scientifically significant sample size................no it doesn't.

Crossfield doesn't have much credibility in my eyes now he's tied in to manufacturers - it's basically just a TM advert....

John Divney

BigChap1759 wrote: »

There is no mention of the dispersion, just spin, launch angle, carry and total - and he only tried 3 different shafts.

My question would be do you think this represents a scientifically significant sample size................no it doesn't.

Crossfield doesn't have much credibility in my eyes now he's tied in to manufacturers - it's basically just a TM advert....

He's no scientist, but you can't say he is shilling for your money when he's telling you constantly you don 'to need new clubs, tech is maxed out, and shafts in irons are not that important.

I think the shaft is totally overblown in irons and club weight is far more important for tempo.

Everyone can play good golf with S300 IMO , slow or fast swing speed.

Those who can 'to hit the ball out of the centre 2 out of 5 times don't need new shafts in an 8 iron.

Driver is different because of length if shaft and how noticeable it is when hitting one with wrong weight and flex to what you like

BigChap1759

John Divney wrote: »

He's no scientist, but you can't say he is shilling for your money when he's telling you constantly you don 'to need new clubs, tech is maxed out, and shafts in irons are not that important.

I think the shaft is totally overblown in irons and club weight is far more important for tempo.

Everyone can play good golf with S300 IMO , slow or fast swing speed.

Those who can 'to hit the ball out of the centre 2 our if 5 tines don't need new shafts on a 8 iron.

No, he's not shilling for our money directly, he's shilling for hits on YouTube so he can increase his app sales and advertising revenue from Google.

All his reviews are the same now IMO, boring and no insight - latterly more and more in association with the manufacturer which compromises his impartiality.

John Divney

BigChap1759 wrote: »

No, he's not shilling for our money directly, he's shilling for hits on YouTube so he can increase his app sales and advertising revenue from Google.

All his reviews are the same now IMO, boring and no insight - latterly more and more in association with the manufacturer which compromises his impartiality.

Agreed he wants hits and gets money but he is there for entertainment, what do we care he gets of google if we get good course vlogs.

He likes Mizuno and always says it could be his bias, he gives the same review because the clubs are all the same now. He's basically telling the buyer the marketing is all garbage and go with what your eyes, ears and hands like.

He mocks TM every review to be fair to him

PARlance

BigChap1759 wrote: »

There is no mention of the dispersion, just spin, launch angle, carry and total - and he only tried 3 different shafts.

My question would be do you think this represents a scientifically significant sample size................no it doesn't.

Crossfield doesn't have much credibility in my eyes now he's tied in to manufacturers - it's basically just a TM advert....

There was a phase a few months back when everything seemed to be TM. And I got the same feeling as that.
But I was glad to see that he seems to have ditched the SLDR now and I think the reviews are back to where they used to be with him.

He's sponsored by Bunker Mentality for all his clothes, apart from that sponsorship I think he's pretty impartial on the whole. That little TM love in (when he switched to SLDR) aside.

Texx

I think different shafts (kick point,torque and weight combined) can make a difference in the driver. The same weight shaft with a little bit more torque won't make very much difference in flight. Guaranteed if you give someone a really heavy shaft thats used to swinging a light one the ball flight will change.

As for irons, I play s300 and found they work well for me. I tried some others (px 5.5,6.0,kbs tour s, c taper,r300 etc) and found they did change the flight. The KBS tour was noticeably higher launch while I struggled to control the 6.0 PXi. Distances were very similar with the s300 nudging it a bit but the KBS tours were very close.

Russman

IMHO the weight and the length of shafts make more of a difference than flex.
I reckon that as long as a shaft isn't totally and completely wrong for you, you can play well with it.
What I really don't buy is guys saying "all I could hit with that shaft was a snap hook" - I'm sorry, but if your clubface is rotating that much, its got f--k all to do with the shaft.

I do like watching Crossfield, but you have to bear in mind its just one guy giving his opinion, and take the reviews for what they are - IMHO good natured and fairly independent/impartial. I certainly wouldn't buy a club, or rule out a club, based on a 6 minute online video by a random stranger. If a club works for me I don't care what Mark Crossfield or Rick Shiels (or Taylor Made, Ping etc) say about it. Most manufacturers make good quality stuff now, that's why most reviews from everyone are much the same, its really comes down to looks & feel most of the time nowadays.

Keano

To a degree they do matter but if you a major swing fault are the proper shafts going to help, I would doubt it. Take levitronix who went to foregolf and they told him no point in changing a shaft until he sorted his swing out. They could have very easily taken his cash but the done the honest thing and sent him away.