Source
r/golf•
listur65

Driver/Shaft upgrade questions

EQUIPMENT

There is a decent chance this can't be answered online, but at least would like to gather some peoples thoughts. I know a fitting/launch monitor is the only real way to get these answers, but I am a decent distance from the nearest place that does fittings and it's another $50 on top of the travel. On somewhat of a budget so spitballing some ideas here first before going that route :P If nothing else I may get a little more education out of this.

Background: I am hitting an old Nike VR Pro 10.5 driver with a Project X 6.0 shaft right now and am looking for decently priced upgrade. I bought PXG 0211 irons when they were on sale last year and absolutely love them so I am looking at the 0211 driver also for $225 or possibly 0811-X at $395 if I splurge.

Swing Info: I would say I have an even tempo swing with no jerky movements in the back/forward swing transition if that is relevant. I hit the ball extremely high, and almost always with a decent size fade to borderline slice. Even with those two things I would say I am consistently 275+.

Thoughts: I am thinking I need to have an X-stiff shaft on the new driver. I am also debating on going with a 9 degree instead of a 10.5. Looking at the X-stiff shaft offerings from PXG, I am thinking the Aldila NXT or Diamana S+. The Diamana is listed as a Mid kickpoint, and the Aldila is listed as a mid/high kick point.

Question: My understanding is that the mid/high kickpoint of the Aldila will have a lower launch angle than the mid Diamana, is that correct? And that the X-stiff may also help reduce launch angle and fade? Is it too drastic of a change to go from 10.5/Stiff/unknown kickpoint to a 9/X-stiff/mid-high?

Like I said, I know this isn't really an answerable question here, but looking for a sanity check and maybe if someone has been in a similar position I would like to hear your experience also. Thank you

Posted Jun 30, 2021, 7:36 PM UTC · edited

511
eltonsi•

I'd say $50 is worth it, just to hear the fitter tell you that you are not averaging 275+.

7
Fi0r3•

Wut

2
Arkslippy•

The diamana will be softer feeling and mid launch. If you are throwing money untested into a club you've never hit, go with the diamana in the 10.5 degree head.

But I'd be inclined to just go and get fitted myself. It's $50 and some fuel and some time. If you have a smooth swing that slices the ball and goes 275 you should get fitted because you are likely losing another 30 yards to the slice.

2
listur65OP•

I will probably end up going in sometime to do a fitting, hopefully sooner than later. Your first paragraph is helpful, kinda some of the info I was looking for thank you!

1
Ubi_Muff•

Sanity check: did not pass. Spend the $50 and an afternoon of your time to hit a few different options. I know this sub has mixed feelings about fittings, but the truth of the matter is even a terrible fitter will at least give you the opportunity to hit a variety of flex/weight/head combinations. Use this information to make your own decision if you don’t trust or value your fitter’s input

2
listur65OP•

Yeah, I am pretty positive I will go get one done. Just wanted to understand some of the theory/shaft info first I guess and make sure I was on the right track. Kinda bummed I don't get to try a PXG driver at a fitting there, but I am probably irrationally fixed on that brand just based on how much better my iron play since I got them lol. I'll have to check again to see if they have a fitting location in my state yet.

2
Ubi_Muff•

PXG are quite overpriced, they don’t offer anything more than the other manufacturers, but charge an insane price for it. Their entire business model is based around branding and exclusivity. Spend the extra money on more golf, or lessons, or beer and tacos

1
hdgrow•

Swing speed? 275 carry? Just about any newer driver will boost ball speed, and increase distance. Shaft kick points is fine tuning ball flight also depends on attack angles. Just swing some clubs with a monitor.

1
listur65OP•

It's been 5ish years since I have hit on a good monitor but I seem to remember mid 100's I think. The 275+ is total and not just carry, my bad. I am not sure how much roll out I get with my high launch angle. It's crazy dry this year so maybe I'm getting more roll and that number is inflated.

1
GreenWaveGolferRDU•

There's a 100% chance you're not going to get a definitive answer to this online. It's not what you want to hear but if you want this figured out then a fitting is legitimately the only way. I know it's probably not ideal with the travel and additional cost, but for a club that you may have for a long time it's worth making sure you do it right. You've given maybe 10% of the relevant details to make an informed recommendation from this post alone. There's a few generalizations you can maybe infer from this post, but beyond that you're not going to get a good recommendation.

1
Present_Sale_5968•

It's really impossible to tell without hitting it which is a bummer since it is expensive to test shafts on your own. But fitting is more of an art than a science because no matter what kind of torque or kickpoint a shaft has, your strike will have the largest impact on the golf ball. So you may get the shaft the theoretically fits you the best but if you tend to hit the ball low in the face with that shaft, then the ball is going to spin more than you need it and will have lower ball speed.

So my advice is go get fit and as someone who has really played around with shafts, aftermarket does not necessarily mean better. I hit my stock tensei orange as good, if not better,, as I hit my $500 Oban shaft.

1