Need advice for shaft!!!

Hi all,

Im relatively new in golf, hence knowledge in equipment is rather shallow. Sincerely looking for some advice from fellow members on some of my mind boggling issues.

I started out using a old set of clubs with graphite shaft(Bermuda).
After using it for a few months, decided to get a new set for myself. Bought a set of AP@ 710, NSpro 950GH stiff Irons set with the advice of the sales staff.
After countless sessions at range and few games at course, I found that the AP2 is rather energy zapping and was wondering is it due to the nature of the stiff shaft.
Tried back the old clubs again at range to figure out for the diff and I realised that im actually hitting further than the AP2.

Hence I have the following and hope to have some advice from fellow GRians:

1. How do we determine what kind of flex to use for shaft.

2. Other than graphite, what other kind of materials is there available and how do we choose in order to optimise the performance.

3. Is it a must to visit a club fitters for any new clubs in order to adjust the necessary to suit one's playing pattern.

Thanks in advance n cheers:D

penguin wrote:

1. How do we determine what kind of flex to use for shaft.

This is best assessed by a club fitter who can tell your swing speed etc. It's not just about flex, however. There are other (perhaps more finer) points to take note of such as swing weight, torque etc. All of these can and should be factored into account when determining what shafts work best for the golfer. This is why visiting a club fitter has its advantages.

That said, if you choose not to visit a club fitter, that's fine. I'd then go with instinct. If you feel that the steel shafts are too heavy then perhaps a lighter steel shaft or graphite shafts may work better? Sometimes, it's not just that the shafts are made of steel but could also be the flex. It is possible that a stiff flex graphite shaft may play firmer than a regular flex steel shaft.

penguin wrote:

2. Other than graphite, what other kind of materials is there available and how do we choose in order to optimise the performance.

I think someone contemplated aluminium but needless to say, these never really took off

It's mostly steel and graphite. But even then, there are various grades of each and differing flexes, builds etc. so we cannot look at the material alone as the determinant of what works best for you.

penguin wrote:

3. Is it a must to visit a club fitters for any new clubs in order to adjust the necessary to suit one's playing pattern.

It is beneficial to visit a club fitter but certainly not necessary. However, I would strongly recommend doing so if you have a keen interest in the sport (which seems like you do since you invested in a set of 710s ) Most of the fitters I know are very friendly and good at what they do. Visiting them doesn't mean that you have to buy anything. It gives you an introduction to what golfing gear has to offer and perhaps gives you a better idea of what you should be looking for.

Think of it this way, the fitter is like a chef. They can recommend a recipe based on your diet or they can whip up a sterling meal for you - it just depends on what you want. But whichever the case, you should walk away with a better appreciation of food

Yumz!!

Visit a fitter.

In fact the flex is more accurate to the cpm of rather than some letters like R, SR, S and etc.

I'm sure many here encounter they played shaft S on certain brand on clubs after they switch to an after mkt shaft S they don't seem to be able to play as well as before?

Hi Technospaz,

Thanks for the helpful reply, these advices is certainly of great help and appreciated!!!

Hi enwee,

Thanks for the info too but may I know what does cpm stands for??

cheers

penguin wrote:

Hi Technospaz,

Thanks for the helpful reply, these advices is certainly of great help and appreciated!!!

Hi enwee,

Thanks for the info too but may I know what does cpm stands for??

cheers

cycles per min.

Hi enwee,

Thanks for above.

Cpm is an objective measure of the stiffness of a shaft. There is no industry standard for what is a R flex or S flex. An aftermarket R flex driver shaft can be measured stiffer, i.e. higher CPM, than a stock S flex shaft. 

From what you describe, you are finding your old graphite shafts easier to swing. However I would focus on contact, not distance, as there is a high chance your graphite set has stronger lofts than the AP2.  You can check specs online. 

The key question is which set are you able to get good contact more often?  Which set gives you better dispersion both in terms of distance and direction?

Unless you were actually swinging a club at the shop, the only way a sales staff can "advise" you on anything is based on what you describe to him. Chances are that, with you being a new golfer, and the assessment ability of the sales staff being unknown, the shaft proposed to you was based on your age and physique, as well as how far you told him you hit your driver and 7 iron. Not the best way to do things ...

If you don't feel comfortable visiting a fitter just yet, find a friend who has a NSP 950 or 900 in R flex and try it out. However, if you intend to change anything, you should make the time to see a fitter. You might not be ready to be fitted, but you will walk away with a better appreciation of what is available and what is suitable. 

An equally viable alternative is to see your coach, or get lessons and ask your coach his opinion. If he has gone through a proper coaching program to get qualified, he will also have the knowledge to see if your clubs are affecting you ability to make an efficient and consistent swing. 

And don't worry, we all started out lost and clueless about this.

Derek... I started out knowing a bit but after reading your post, I'm now lost and clueless

let me give you a simple scenario....

with the golf swing, its about making a movement that involves swinging back a club, swinging it through the target line and finishing in a smooth and even manner. 

where the golf coach comes in is refining that movement and ensuring that shaft lean, wrist hinges, core position, shoulder turn, head position, etc are all in the right places. of course the student needs to be diligent to practise and hone in those movements.

where the fitter comes in, is to find the right combination of weights, flex and kick point characteristics to ensure that the golfer can complete the above tasks, confidently and efficently. A more experienced, proficient and eloquent fitter may be able to coax the golfer into understanding what's right and what's not.

in penguin' case, it could be anything from not being ready to not been fitted right. 

of course the salesman in this case plays the role of coach and fitter at the same time, hence the breakdown or letdown (whichever way you prefer to think of it). from experience, its always good to ask for a opinion from a qualified source before making a selection.

without prejudice, i think it might be a case of penguin being shown and sold a tennis racket for a badminton game.

hope it helps.....DGman

My personal opinion is that golf is a journey and not a destination. We change our golf set and shaft as we progress therefore not one ultimate set/configuration exists. Depends what is penguin's objective, whether to play as social golfer or towards game improvement. Then some 'investment' in both time and money would be needed. I agree an experienced golf fitter certainly helps and it is also important they educate the golfer as well. There are just too many types of shafts and heads available and which one suits best, only the golfer will  know the answer. The club fitter can provide guidance but ultimately, the golfer need to experience it themselves to eventually make the decision and this can only come from trial and error. The club fitter hopefully minimizes this 'trial and error' phase.

there are basically 2 types of golfers out there....

one who takes golf as a sports and one who take golf as a social outing. i am sure you can work out which route you are taking.

if you take sports as a sports, there is no messing around but the search for the perfect club will always prevail. just like the search for the perfect swing. 

some spent more time on improving that movement and some will spend more on their credit cards.

the humble fitter must know who is who. 

we are part of a team that helped produce a National Champion at the age of 16. during the 3 years that i have spent with the golfer, we have change the length of the club twice, the shaft on the irons twice, the shaft on the driver twice, the driver head twice, wedges twice, grip probably twice a year. the moral of the story is that golfer will not change unless he is asked to change because his job is to deliver the ball to its destination.

where golf was invented, the game of golf is man versus the element and the objective is to lower or play closest to the par stroke of that course. that is golf.

its like a car, do you buy a car to bring you from Point A to Point B or do you use it to flaunt your wealth. its funny sometimes when a owner of a LFA drives his supercar so slowly so that everyone can see him in the million $ car, where the intention of its existence in the first place, is quite the opposite.

hope it helps......DGman

penguin wrote:

Hi all,

Im relatively new in golf, hence knowledge in equipment is rather shallow. Sincerely looking for some advice from fellow members on some of my mind boggling issues.

I started out using a old set of clubs with graphite shaft(Bermuda).
After using it for a few months, decided to get a new set for myself. Bought a set of AP@ 710, NSpro 950GH stiff Irons set with the advice of the sales staff.
After countless sessions at range and few games at course, I found that the AP2 is rather energy zapping and was wondering is it due to the nature of the stiff shaft.
Tried back the old clubs again at range to figure out for the diff and I realised that im actually hitting further than the AP2.

Hence I have the following and hope to have some advice from fellow GRians:

1. How do we determine what kind of flex to use for shaft.

2. Other than graphite, what other kind of materials is there available and how do we choose in order to optimise the performance.

3. Is it a must to visit a club fitters for any new clubs in order to adjust the necessary to suit one's playing pattern.

Thanks in advance n cheers:D

Hey Penguin..

Here's my honest suggest...

1. Go to a good coach.. Let him give you some suggestions on your swings, clubs n shafts to use etc.. 
2. Go to a good fitter.. Better still, let your coach bring you to his fitter.. 

Along the windy road of golf, I discovered 2 things many failed to do and wasted a lot of time trying to improve their golf.. 1. practising the wrong swings over and over again, and 2. using the wrong equipment cos the only people they follow are their equally inept friends..

Story:
Have a friend whom started using X flex cos all his friends told him since he's so big size..
After visiting one fitter, he's using american R and his drives are a mile longer and more consistent...

So, don't waste time at the range doing the wrong things repeatedly.. 

chien wrote:

penguin wrote:

Hi all,

Im relatively new in golf, hence knowledge in equipment is rather shallow. Sincerely looking for some advice from fellow members on some of my mind boggling issues.

I started out using a old set of clubs with graphite shaft(Bermuda).
After using it for a few months, decided to get a new set for myself. Bought a set of AP@ 710, NSpro 950GH stiff Irons set with the advice of the sales staff.
After countless sessions at range and few games at course, I found that the AP2 is rather energy zapping and was wondering is it due to the nature of the stiff shaft.
Tried back the old clubs again at range to figure out for the diff and I realised that im actually hitting further than the AP2.

Hence I have the following and hope to have some advice from fellow GRians:

1. How do we determine what kind of flex to use for shaft.

2. Other than graphite, what other kind of materials is there available and how do we choose in order to optimise the performance.

3. Is it a must to visit a club fitters for any new clubs in order to adjust the necessary to suit one's playing pattern.

Thanks in advance n cheers:D

Hey Penguin..

Here's my honest suggest...

1. Go to a good coach.. Let him give you some suggestions on your swings, clubs n shafts to use etc.. 
2. Go to a good fitter.. Better still, let your coach bring you to his fitter.. 

Along the windy road of golf, I discovered 2 things many failed to do and wasted a lot of time trying to improve their golf.. 1. practising the wrong swings over and over again, and 2. using the wrong equipment cos the only people they follow are their equally inept friends..

Story:
Have a friend whom started using X flex cos all his friends told him since he's so big size..
After visiting one fitter, he's using american R and his drives are a mile longer and more consistent...

So, don't waste time at the range doing the wrong things repeatedly.. 

well said and spot on.....

DGman wrote:

there are basically 2 types of golfers out there....

one who takes golf as a sports and one who take golf as a social outing. i am sure you can work out which route you are taking.

if you take sports as a sports, there is no messing around but the search for the perfect club will always prevail. just like the search for the perfect swing. 

some spent more time on improving that movement and some will spend more on their credit cards.

the humble fitter must know who is who. 

we are part of a team that helped produce a National Champion at the age of 16. during the 3 years that i have spent with the golfer, we have change the length of the club twice, the shaft on the irons twice, the shaft on the driver twice, the driver head twice, wedges twice, grip probably twice a year. the moral of the story is that golfer will not change unless he is asked to change because his job is to deliver the ball to its destination.

where golf was invented, the game of golf is man versus the element and the objective is to lower or play closest to the par stroke of that course. that is golf.

its like a car, do you buy a car to bring you from Point A to Point B or do you use it to flaunt your wealth. its funny sometimes when a owner of a LFA drives his supercar so slowly so that everyone can see him in the million $ car, where the intention of its existence in the first place, is quite the opposite.

hope it helps......DGman

Well said n straight to the heart.

Humans will always be humans; when we can't perform up to par, it's usually the machine n never the man behind the machine as gears are constantly upgrading to aid us in this sport.

Hi Penguin,

I also invested in a set of AP2 nspro950 R flex. I visited Eric and with only 1 swing of my club, he advised that my clubs are too heavy for me.

That is after hearing countless of 'young man must use steel shaft!'
Which is true, as I am facing same problem as you... energy sapping, 2nd 9 at course was tiring!!!

So suggest you visit a fitter, as it may be the overall weight of the club and not the flex of the shaft.

Eric, I'm trying to find time to visit you! Soon!

toonified wrote:

Hi Penguin,

I also invested in a set of AP2 nspro950 R flex. I visited Eric and with only 1 swing of my club, he advised that my clubs are too heavy for me.

That is after hearing countless of 'young man must use steel shaft!'
Which is true, as I am facing same problem as you... energy sapping, 2nd 9 at course was tiring!!!

So suggest you visit a fitter, as it may be the overall weight of the club and not the flex of the shaft.

Eric, I'm trying to find time to visit you! Soon!

Toon. But ytd u play well ley...

To enjoy yr game more....best to get this basic thing sorted out.
After which, the lessons is next most important.

Thanks all for the valuable advices and information from the basic to the minute details. Its is deeply appreciated.