Happy new year all!! Hope you all have an amazing 2024 and thanks for all of your support this year 🙌 - a quick note about the summary, shafts are important, my main point was most people believe going from regular to stiff in the same shaft will be a huge difference, when in reality it's quite minor. Getting a shaft that feels right to you and that you can strike well is always the main thing, it does not matter at all what flex or weight it is. Always go with the feel and outcome rather than the theory 🙌🙌
I'm have a 95mph ss and hit my friends new Paradym AI Smoke Triple Diamond with a 6X shaft and probably hit the longest drive by 15 to 20 yards in a season or two. Not only that but it also just felt so solid and controllable. My gamer is a Titleist TSR2 w/Tensei SFW AV 55-R.
Thoroughly enjoyed this entire process. Got my eyes opened to what the facts actually are concerning fittings. I have a driver fitting scheduled mid February at a local learning center. I will definitely be taking the information that I got from watching the last couple videos you put out with me 👍. Looking forward to your content in 2024. 😊
Happy New Year! That was a super interesting video. Fascinating to see that shaft flex made very little difference. Great to have a golfer on who has a swing speed that the majority of us can relate to. Hopefully you'll continue to make more videos with average golfers, especially when the new club releases start to come out.
Strike location is key. Ross's friend was spinning all but the Ventus and his own Tensei way too much due to poor strike location. Getting the strike in the upper half of the head dropped the spin to more optimal levels and the distance jumped. Thanks to the gentleman who was the tester for this video.
Another great video. I can attest first hand that you need to have an open mind and go to somewhere like this for a professional assessment and fitting. Went before Xmas and never in a million years thought I'd end up in a light senior shaft and lower loft combo. In 2 rounds, I've gone from hitting 31% of fairways to 82% with improved distance and completely taken the destructive left miss out my game. Well done, Ross, 5☆☆☆☆☆
Hey Mark, that's amazing mate!!! So glad to hear it's really helping you out on the golf course 🙌🙌 keep smashing it and the handicap will tumble in 2024 👊
I love that you, who are someone that is selling shafts/clubs is putting information out there like this. Continues to change people’s expectations of what a shaft can/can not do. Fantastic video!
They must however when used on a robot with identical swings show the attributes they are sold on. if a company sell a low mid and high launch shaft they must do that in some way or it would be pointless spending r&d time and money on designing them. I like to see one of the shaft companys put out a video showing this.
Me too!! Would love to see that! As any shaft experiment I have ever done either myself or with very consistent players leads to extremely little difference in lunch and spin. Both in iron shafts and wood shafts
Not much difference in ball speed with different shafts (2mph) but aren't slower swing speed golfers often encouraged to use 40-50g shafts to encourage more swing speed with drivers?
Interesting video,, I have just swapped out my Tensei blue R for a Tensei orange R . Same weight ,grip etc. But I was tending to 'balloon' drives, and ended up dropping loft to 7.5° ! Since changing to orange the ballooning has stopped and I'm back up to 9° and distance has increased + dispersion has decreased .
The champ is back! Great to see Geraint again. Fantastic upward Angle of Attack don't let it go to waste! Would love to see him work on getting a nett In to out path to hit further & straighter (even draws), such a high (good) AoA means his path is to the left more so than his clubface (causing left to right curve on the ball). When I realised this for my own swing ( I only have 2-3 deg up AoA), it made a huge improvement to my drives. Before that I was constantly chasing to close my face more but that really only lessens left to right curve & at best get pulls & pull draws, but I could never get a proper draw (push draw) unless I fixed my path. Plus it's harder to close the face with an out to in path.
No standards in flex so each manu goes their own way. I do find weight makes a difference, 70g low, 60g std and 50 higher. Length also for control and consistent face strikes. I also find a std grip is easier to turn for straight/draw.
His transition is why he doesn't respond to flex in most of those shafts. When he had something he felt comfortable with his transition got more aggressive. For example, I'm slow in my takeaway & pull hard on the handle. I'd get MUCH different results.
Hey I recently found your content and have really liked your comparisons. My only suggestion would be to switch out that target hole to more of a typical range view or at least a wide straight fairway without the bunkers.
Found your channel and I must say it's the best youtube content any golfer can find. I will rather watch this for hours before I watch good-good smacking a ball around. Keep it up mate, all the way from South Africa
Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in awhile. This is why fitting is overrated. You get fitted for the swing you have THAT day! What he needs is someone to be real honest with him and tell him that until he loses that lazy ass swing that doesn't square up the club face he will not improve!
Really awesome video. It would be interesting to see how different golfers respond to that "homemade" auto flex shaft that was 40g A flex. My guess is most testers will swing it faster but strike consistency my suffer. But a decent amount may love it. Thanks again. I learn a lot from your videos!
Great videos you have been making lately. Love how you are very scientific and controlling and explaining all variables. I think one of the bigger overall points in this video is that strike plays a huge part and can override any technology or design but that same design and technology can also help strike a bit when paired with a persons particular swing
Have you ever fit someone with ~102 mph driver swing speed into a regular flex shaft that is heavy. Could be in driver 65+g or 3 wood 75+g. Reason I ask is because I'm looking at trackman optimizer for my 3 wood off the deck and it's saying all the parameters are within the ideal range but ball speed is 136.2 and its saying ideal is 141+. Club head speed is 96.7, attack angle -1.8, spin loft 16.6, launch angle 11.9, spin rate 3680, height 83.5. Would changing to a regular flex shaft from stiff help get the ball speed where it should be? current 3W shaft is Mitsubishi tensei raw blue 65S. Thanks for any input you can provide!
Direction is about torque (swing faults left aside). Launch angle about kickpoint and loft. Backspin mostly clubhead. In my view. Out of zillion options a good experienced and equipped fitter should be able to find a very good fit for any swing. Question: i always thought, minimum loft with lowest possible kickpoint should be a very good match in a driver. Reasonable?
Would be nice to see total weight and SW. I have 3x S shafts at the same weight, length, grip n sleeve but they vary C7 D0 D3. So when he said the light shaft was heavy?… the SW was probably high CPM tests done with the same grip? Mobile Club Fitter showed soft grips reduce cpm by 10
BTW Geraint is a fascinating and historic name, a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend. A warrior in the battles of Catraeth and battle of Llongborth. Is his wife named Enid by any chance? There is also a Saint Geraint.
Really cool test. Not what I thought would happen.I am currently looking into different shafts and keeping the same driver head, so this is/was very interesting to me. Figured he would have been all over the place especially going from XXstiff to something just a little stiffer than a rubber-band. Awesome to see his original shaft was the best of the bunch. I hope my fitter is as good as you. Thank you, keep up the fun video's.
Simply amazing, and quite against the grain for what many big characters out there on forums and other may proclaim to be their gospel. I'd be interested to see almost the the other end of this same spectrum.......a higher swing speed player, who by traditional standards would have been put in a 8.5 to 10 deg driver.....but instead actually benefits more from a higher loft 11, 12 or 13 deg and somehow manages to keep the backspin down because of their swing dynamics??
Very interesting test. I agree with you...I would have thought it made a lot more difference. You didn't seem to focus on kick point as much as stiffness. I personally have found the kick point to be a key for me...or at least I thought since I wasn't near as scientific and thorough (or knowledgeable as you. Thoughts on Kick Point?
Excellent video, can relate to G's swing... Amazing for his SS that the low spin shots carry the furthest 17:52. Would like to see him hit a low spin head, Cobra LTD LS?
Happy New Year folks. Gotta love an Accra shaft. I got the 2019 Accra Tour RPG Z black in my 3 wood @ 13.5* and it’s light but it’s literally a board with how stiff it is. This club doesn’t go left at all. Either straight or small fade and its controllable flight. High or low is your decision but the shaft is stable as hell.
Fascinating. Your conclusion is also expressed by other fitters like Simon Cooper of Precision Golf in Surrey who has emphasized that shaft weight is more important than shaft flex. Too heavy a shaft means the club lags behind on the downswing making the player exert extra effort to bring it through. The right weight for that player’s swing speed and tempo gets the club moving along the swing path in sync with the arms and body without any superfluous pulling the shaft down or exaggerated release of the hands. So thanks again for a eye opening session.
I prefer more of the Mitsubishi blue 65 x shafts ,used them for years ,very middle of the road shafts .weight kick point , length are what’s most important I think
I had a fitting last month for a 3W. For me the difference in shafts was bigger than expected, not purely on numbers but on feel, trust and number of misses. I’m averaging 103-105mph on a 3W. Ventus Black 7X was picked as the best package for a shaft to me.
I love/hate the waggle test because a lot of stiffer shafts are softer in the handle so they feel softer when waggling them. All tricks of the mind! But spfter tip shafts are generally stiffer near the handle, hence the "feel" difference.
Great video which I can relate to having recently had a fitting where weight clearly made a difference over flex. From what I have been told there is no industry standard for shaft flex so one company’s regular could be classed as stiff with another. I think for some amateurs shaft flex is more about machismo than what’s right for them.
Your videos are excellent. You say the shafts don't make a massive difference but when he got back to the shaft you fitted him for 2 weeks ago he was more consistent and hit it further, which is what we all want . Do you do junior fittings? I'd be very interested in getting my son fitted. Well done very educational and entertaining.👍
Happy New Year. I've seen a number of such videos, but this one, with a slower swing speed, was very interesting. Geraint knows his own feels very well, so his feedback was insightful. Here's to a year of good golf and lower handicaps 🥂
Thanks for making a video with a realistic swing the masses can relate to. I'm also a believer the right fit may not correspond to the standard swing speed recommendation table, and am glad to see your video giving evidence to this. Just a suggestion - Will be great if you can put up the chart with the shaft names next to the test results to make it more viewer friendly.
Would be great to see this done again but tweaking the other variables. Would also be interesting to see the "robot" try out a 460cc head against a lower spin small head.
Interesting he though one of the softest shafts was one of the most hard work to swing, i would say that want from him feeling the flex and load at the top of the back swing and not timming t right to unload that load at the ball, if you arnt letting that loaded shaft release then you are holding on to that load and it will feel like hard work.
I went through a shaft testing process last year and found the same, almost no difference in results irrespective of weight and flex. Loved the video thanks and glad to know it’s not just me!
So have been watching some more videos on shafts and weight and flex...love to see the info out there ...but where do I go to find out if the shafts in my current irons are too stiff now...as aging and injured now 😂
@epgolfstudios love my current iron heads (hot metal pros) but feel the shafts are too heavy might have to drop you a message as you aren't a million miles away from me amd it would be worth the journey
A really interesting video and although I am not surprised at the similar performance from shafts with radically different stiffness profiles I am surprised that the significant difference in shaft weights didn't produce more contrasting performance, the Accra RPG Gold 462 M5+ is super stout and pretty similar to the Tensei 1K Black 65 TX (tipped 1") which I currently play and when slow swingers (like Geraint) have hit my driver most of them commented on how heavy and stiff it felt and they got terrible performance out of it because they lacked the speed and power to properly load the shaft, some players are obviously much more sensitive to shaft weight and stiffness than others but this video just proves that some beginner golfers are totally clueless in this regard and could probably not feel much difference between a KBS Max 65 R and a KBS C-Taper 130 X in their irons which is beyond belief, that would be another very interesting video.
It’s not really beyond belief, some golf shops do not have the staff who could explain the differences (or care!)they are in it for the sales, not professional fitters like Ross. I know so many people who have been incorrectly fitted by ‘amateur fitters’ it’s scandalous 😬. Equipment reviews should have caveats, including, that ‘there are so many variables dependent on individual swing so go and get fitted for YOU’
Really interesting results. Couldn’t help smiling when he was waggling the seniors and it was like a piece of rope, saying it felt quite stiff. Watched a view of your fits now, great content, love your interaction with the clients. I had a fitting at American Golf a couple of years back and I am GUTTED, I didn’t come to you. The process was about as far away as possible as what you are offering. Please keep showing the fittings so other golfers make the effort to get themselves the best tools for the job. Great stuff.
Would be nice to see someone who is around a 6 handicap with ~100mph swing speed that is making solid strikes. I feel like the strikes messed with the results a little bit which isn't that surprising with someone who is over a 10 handicap.
my take away is that the head is far more important than the shaft although it doesn't hurt to have the shaft optimized too. I wonder how much it matters with irons? Hopefully coming to you in Feb for a driver optimization session if my back improves by then.
Yeah head is certainly the biggest factor when it comes to launch and spin by a long way. I wouldn't say that shafts aren't important, but generally they alter launch and spin way less than people think but they can certainly help to get the strike a little more consistent. And yes it's exactly the same for irons, I've got a few olders vids where I test iron shafts too
Well you saw we tested a massive range of weights and flexs and the pattern was similar throughout. Until the end with the Ventus was better but that would have certainly been a combo of him and the shaft not just shaft alone. But it helped him to do what we wanted him to do. So that's a decent fit
Thank you for the in-depth test! Goes to show that people get to fixated on flex when there are many more factors that make a more impactful difference. To me weight is definitely more important.
Loving your new stuff with lower speed players! Question for you , i been playing with a ping g425 sft for a while i always thought i was a short hitter with 95-100mph club speed realised the spin in my recent lesson was 4500 . Ive bought an older sim max draw driver and spin is no around 3000 miss is a hook , and normally hit the left side of the fairway. Any recommendations on low spin drivers? Tsi3/2?
Yes either would be a great great shout Garry, what loft is the SIM Max? Likely a 9* TSi3 wouldn't be a bad shout but again always getting fitted is the best idea 👌
Can i ask how you get the data for the club heads to view, my club had the simulator and im trying to imrpove my efficiency and find out how i deliver the club to the ball, im a shallow player and going randoming from 210 carry to 255 carry and im trying to learn to get this consistent... does the club need reflectors each time its used
Yeah so assuming you are using a Foresight Sports GC Quad then yes you need 4 reflective dots on the face (3 on the toe side 1 on the heel side) in order to get all of the club delivery data. If they have a GC2 then that only provides ball flight data unless they have the HMT. And the GC3 only provides a certain amount of club data (path, aoa, speed, efficiency) but it isn't as comprehensive as the GC Quad. But with any if these systems you need reflective dots on the club to get data
Not sure I buy it shaft flex means little difference. Ultimately he was swinging better with the flex that suited him. And it was easy to see he wasn't consistent from shaft to shaft. His perception was affecting how aggressive he was swinging. There was a tendency for shots to go higher and left with the softer shafts. He didnt have the ability to differenciate a very stiff shaft from an A flex. In my opinion the video didn't do what you say.
One of the A flexes was slightly better than the other but the ultimately still followed the same pattern, the C6 Blue 60 X wasn't bad to be fair, but the Ventus Blue TR 6 S was clearly the best in the test from a strike perspective, I think getting the face more square was more down to him than the shaft in my honest opinion. But then his AV Blue 55 R still seemed to be better than the Ventus Blue TR 6 S.....but the TR Blue was playing pretty much the same flex as the C6 Blue 60 X, whereas his AV Blue 55 R would have been playing at least a flex and a half to 2 flexes softer than the Ventus TR Blue....so which flex would you fit him into?
I think you have him with the right shaft. I just feel the flaw in is swing didn't help separate the shafts well. He pushes a lot of shots to the right. And I think that would be the tendency with the stiffer flexes. He did seem more comfortable with his own shaft. I'm just saying the difference is bigger than the numbers might suggest
I would generally just test different flexes, as you see here, flex really isn't that important. More about finding the right feel and weight for the player.
My point wasn't that shafts don't make a difference, it's more understanding that shaft flex isn't as important as most think, the same way that having a "low launch shaft" doesn't work that way. Finding the shaft that gels the best with you, regardless of what it is of course can have a largely positive impact 👌
This was an awesome video! It seems like a “myth busters” episode. I remember reading books that said a more flexible shaft would tend to activate and promote a draw as the toe would be ahead of the heel, where stiffer shafts would be harder to activate and more likely to get to the ball with the heel leading the toe. Your video certainly disproves this theory. I’m learning from your videos that the impact position on the face is a lot more important. I have my can of foot spray to work on centering my strikes. Thanks so much for these amazing videos.
@@vicgeier3482 that is fairly interesting to be fair. I must admit I'm not a big fan of things like that, or even like the Mizuno DNA swing analyser. Biggest thing around shafts is how it feels to you and how you react to it. So for me there's only 1 way of fitting shafts and that's testing 🙌
@@epgolfstudios I agree shafts alone have little effect on spin and launch in this test. It's one part of the bigger picture. I've hit many shafts. Ss about 108-110. Shafts do have a huge part to play in delivering the club head to the ball... In answer to the question the video title asks.. Yes. otherwise you wouldnt have a job. 😂
@@willfieldiii7150 again it really depends on the player tbh. Sometimes a shaft can make a big difference to someone, and others it doesn't matter what I put in it, it makes no difference.
@@epgolfstudios I have a question for you, I swing my driver steady though recently overcome some lefts, play off 5 and swing about 108-110 ss, X stiff 7 tour ad di, my only issue is my flight is a little flat, launching about 10° spinning at 2200rpm.... What would you suggest I try to get the launch/apex up but keep spin the same?
I have to say, I've watched a few fitting videos of yours, fantastic information and insight its making me want to come and see you for a fitting, and I'm a fitter! Great videos
@@epgolfstudios I think your expertise and experience surpasses mine but I may well come and do a fitting, we only do Cobra which is great stuff (I have the aerojet) but the new Darkspeed doesn't seem to sit right with me strike wise. Thank you for replying nice to feel valued
@@stevie-jayjohnson2101 absolutely mate we appreciate all viewers to the channel 🙌 and that's odd, I have found the darkspeed very good in fits so far. Maybe just need the right set up 😉
I've only done a quick review of them needs some testing to be done, I am however a husband, Dad of two, PGA trainee at over 40, coaching and trying to develop new golf businesses....I don't get much time 😂
@@stevie-jayjohnson2101 that's amazing though! Gott be ambitious to achieve and nothing comes without a lot of sacrifice does it. But all the best with it! What's the business? In coaching/fitting?
Very interesting, I had bought S flex a few years ago but think I have increased my speed and was worried it was affecting my game, but nice to know it likely has very little effect. So shaft and club weight would have more effect? Due to his low hits it would be interesting to only compare his center hits across shafts instead of std dev. Thank you for great video
Yes just club as an overall will always have far more of an impact. Head design matters a lot, shaft length matters a lot, swingweight matters a lot. All more important than shaft flex itself. If compared just centre strikes (with the same face angle) pretty much all shafts perform the same. Or extremely similarly.
So would you say a 17-22 handicap golfer would benefit from being fitted? Or not really only asking because I want to get fitted and don't know if it's worth it or not
@flopshotking a fitting to me is always worth it. Get to see where your numbers are at and what you could improve on. Hard to know those without seeing it on a monitor of course! Think about it, a fitting cost $125(US). Would you rather spend that money and get fit or would you rather spend 1k on a set of clubs that might just be a one trick affect? Just my 2 thoughts on it!
@@flopshotking honestly it depends where you go! (I know that might not help, sorry) like if someone comes to me they learn a lot about what's going on in their swing and why it's happening and therefore why a new club would or wouldn't be the right move for you. If you just go to like American golf obviously they will just try and sell you a club. So if you are going to go and get fitted properly at a good place then you should always get value from the session, regardless of if you end up with a new club or not. So it's hard to say, but if you go somewhere good then yeah you should.
@@leftylearnsgolf5723 100%! And if it's a good fitting place and they are not recommending that you buy new clubs right now because of swing issues then it should be a mini lesson anyway, so value for money either way.
I'm curious are these golf shafts spined or he's just hitting them wherever they line up because it definitely makes a difference of a golf shaft is spined
They are not spined, no. If you ask me personally, I absolutely do not believe spinning or pureing a shaft makes any difference, especially with good quality aftermarket shafts, but just in general too.
@@epgolfstudios I was in golf Galaxy and they stop me from hitting the ball because I kept hitting the same spot time after time average about 308 if the shaft wasn't spined that wouldn't have happened
Good to see the myths debunked. Amazing that so many people think you need to go stiffer to get longer and straighter. Feel and results are so much better than what it says on the shaft. ⛳️🏌🏻
Happy new year all!! Hope you all have an amazing 2024 and thanks for all of your support this year 🙌 - a quick note about the summary, shafts are important, my main point was most people believe going from regular to stiff in the same shaft will be a huge difference, when in reality it's quite minor. Getting a shaft that feels right to you and that you can strike well is always the main thing, it does not matter at all what flex or weight it is. Always go with the feel and outcome rather than the theory 🙌🙌
I'm have a 95mph ss and hit my friends new Paradym AI Smoke Triple Diamond with a 6X shaft and probably hit the longest drive by 15 to 20 yards in a season or two. Not only that but it also just felt so solid and controllable. My gamer is a Titleist TSR2 w/Tensei SFW AV 55-R.
Thoroughly enjoyed this entire process. Got my eyes opened to what the facts actually are concerning fittings.
I have a driver fitting scheduled mid February at a local learning center. I will definitely be taking the information that I got from watching the last couple videos you put out with me 👍.
Looking forward to your content in 2024. 😊
Love the cpm #’s
Does kick point matter more?
This guy is a 12? Must be celsius or something……
Ooooo what a burn 🤦🤦😂😂😂😂
Happy New Year! That was a super interesting video. Fascinating to see that shaft flex made very little difference. Great to have a golfer on who has a swing speed that the majority of us can relate to. Hopefully you'll continue to make more videos with average golfers, especially when the new club releases start to come out.
I agree with that! Very important to use normal golfers.
A fitter willing to admit that for us mere mortals shafts aren’t massively different.. what a guy
Great to see an average Golfers distance that many of us can relate with 👍
This will definitely increase viewer’s interest
Strike location is key. Ross's friend was spinning all but the Ventus and his own Tensei way too much due to poor strike location. Getting the strike in the upper half of the head dropped the spin to more optimal levels and the distance jumped. Thanks to the gentleman who was the tester for this video.
Another great video. I can attest first hand that you need to have an open mind and go to somewhere like this for a professional assessment and fitting. Went before Xmas and never in a million years thought I'd end up in a light senior shaft and lower loft combo. In 2 rounds, I've gone from hitting 31% of fairways to 82% with improved distance and completely taken the destructive left miss out my game. Well done, Ross, 5☆☆☆☆☆
Hey Mark, that's amazing mate!!! So glad to hear it's really helping you out on the golf course 🙌🙌 keep smashing it and the handicap will tumble in 2024 👊
I love that you, who are someone that is selling shafts/clubs is putting information out there like this. Continues to change people’s expectations of what a shaft can/can not do. Fantastic video!
They must however when used on a robot with identical swings show the attributes they are sold on. if a company sell a low mid and high launch shaft they must do that in some way or it would be pointless spending r&d time and money on designing them. I like to see one of the shaft companys put out a video showing this.
Me too!! Would love to see that! As any shaft experiment I have ever done either myself or with very consistent players leads to extremely little difference in lunch and spin. Both in iron shafts and wood shafts
Great vid and refreshing not to have some young lad knocking it 320 every time 👏👏
Not much difference in ball speed with different shafts (2mph) but aren't slower swing speed golfers often encouraged to use 40-50g shafts to encourage more swing speed with drivers?
Interesting video,, I have just swapped out my Tensei blue R for a Tensei orange R . Same weight ,grip etc. But I was tending to 'balloon' drives, and ended up dropping loft to 7.5° ! Since changing to orange the ballooning has stopped and I'm back up to 9° and distance has increased + dispersion has decreased .
The ventus tr is a great feeling shaft.
The champ is back! Great to see Geraint again. Fantastic upward Angle of Attack don't let it go to waste! Would love to see him work on getting a nett In to out path to hit further & straighter (even draws), such a high (good) AoA means his path is to the left more so than his clubface (causing left to right curve on the ball).
When I realised this for my own swing ( I only have 2-3 deg up AoA), it made a huge improvement to my drives. Before that I was constantly chasing to close my face more but that really only lessens left to right curve & at best get pulls & pull draws, but I could never get a proper draw (push draw) unless I fixed my path. Plus it's harder to close the face with an out to in path.
No standards in flex so each manu goes their own way. I do find weight makes a difference, 70g low, 60g std and 50 higher. Length also for control and consistent face strikes.
I also find a std grip is easier to turn for straight/draw.
His transition is why he doesn't respond to flex in most of those shafts. When he had something he felt comfortable with his transition got more aggressive. For example, I'm slow in my takeaway & pull hard on the handle. I'd get MUCH different results.
Hey I recently found your content and have really liked your comparisons. My only suggestion would be to switch out that target hole to more of a typical range view or at least a wide straight fairway without the bunkers.
Just found your channel , superb test , really opened alot of people's eyes on shaft flex I reckon , great vlog ⛳👍
Found your channel and I must say it's the best youtube content any golfer can find. I will rather watch this for hours before I watch good-good smacking a ball around. Keep it up mate, all the way from South Africa
Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in awhile. This is why fitting is overrated. You get fitted for the swing you have THAT day! What he needs is someone to be real honest with him and tell him that until he loses that lazy ass swing that doesn't square up the club face he will not improve!
Cpm really only measures butt frequency. Kind of useless. A certain cpm in one model doesn’t necessarily correlate to different model
Interesting. I assumed that was my swing speed drops with age I would need to change shaft flex. @gerraint I should join you on one of these tests!😊
You don't NEED to. It's just a case of what feels and works best. Doesn't necessarily matter what that is 👌👍
Really awesome video.
It would be interesting to see how different golfers respond to that "homemade" auto flex shaft that was 40g A flex.
My guess is most testers will swing it faster but strike consistency my suffer.
But a decent amount may love it.
Thanks again.
I learn a lot from your videos!
Great videos you have been making lately. Love how you are very scientific and controlling and explaining all variables. I think one of the bigger overall points in this video is that strike plays a huge part and can override any technology or design but that same design and technology can also help strike a bit when paired with a persons particular swing
Even after videos like this, people will still think shafts are low spin and the most important part of the club. Great video!
21 yards total difference. So much spin on that shortest one though!
Any reason you guys don't fit players into Ping equipment?
Well don't sell your self short because the shaft that was best was one you fit him for, no?
Great video, nice to see someone swinging we can relate to.
Love the video. So, I know the best shaft for him was his own. What was the shaft brand model and flex for him?
It was just one of Titleist stock shafts, Tensei AV Blue 55 Reg 👍
Have you ever fit someone with ~102 mph driver swing speed into a regular flex shaft that is heavy. Could be in driver 65+g or 3 wood 75+g. Reason I ask is because I'm looking at trackman optimizer for my 3 wood off the deck and it's saying all the parameters are within the ideal range but ball speed is 136.2 and its saying ideal is 141+. Club head speed is 96.7, attack angle -1.8, spin loft 16.6, launch angle 11.9, spin rate 3680, height 83.5. Would changing to a regular flex shaft from stiff help get the ball speed where it should be? current 3W shaft is Mitsubishi tensei raw blue 65S. Thanks for any input you can provide!
Direction is about torque (swing faults left aside). Launch angle about kickpoint and loft. Backspin mostly clubhead. In my view. Out of zillion options a good experienced and equipped fitter should be able to find a very good fit for any swing.
Question: i always thought, minimum loft with lowest possible kickpoint should be a very good match in a driver. Reasonable?
Tee your fookin ball up!
Really really interesting.
Have you done the same blind test on mid handicap IRON shafts. Ladies thru to XXS?
Love your content 👍🏻
Would be nice to see total weight and SW.
I have 3x S shafts at the same weight, length, grip n sleeve but they vary C7 D0 D3.
So when he said the light shaft was heavy?… the SW was probably high
CPM tests done with the same grip? Mobile Club Fitter showed soft grips reduce cpm by 10
BTW Geraint is a fascinating and historic name, a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend. A warrior in the battles of Catraeth and battle of Llongborth. Is his wife named Enid by any chance? There is also a Saint Geraint.
Really cool test. Not what I thought would happen.I am currently looking into different shafts and keeping the same driver head, so this is/was very interesting to me. Figured he would have been all over the place especially going from XXstiff to something just a little stiffer than a rubber-band. Awesome to see his original shaft was the best of the bunch. I hope my fitter is as good as you. Thank you, keep up the fun video's.
Maybe his alignment off. Every ball went in the same place.
You can see that quad data, his face was just consistently open
Simply amazing, and quite against the grain for what many big characters out there on forums and other may proclaim to be their gospel. I'd be interested to see almost the the other end of this same spectrum.......a higher swing speed player, who by traditional standards would have been put in a 8.5 to 10 deg driver.....but instead actually benefits more from a higher loft 11, 12 or 13 deg and somehow manages to keep the backspin down because of their swing dynamics??
Very interesting test. I agree with you...I would have thought it made a lot more difference. You didn't seem to focus on kick point as much as stiffness. I personally have found the kick point to be a key for me...or at least I thought since I wasn't near as scientific and thorough (or knowledgeable as you. Thoughts on Kick Point?
Excellent video, can relate to G's swing... Amazing for his SS that the low spin shots carry the furthest 17:52. Would like to see him hit a low spin head, Cobra LTD LS?
Happy New Year folks.
Gotta love an Accra shaft. I got the 2019 Accra Tour RPG Z black in my 3 wood @ 13.5* and it’s light but it’s literally a board with how stiff it is. This club doesn’t go left at all. Either straight or small fade and its controllable flight. High or low is your decision but the shaft is stable as hell.
Fascinating. Your conclusion is also expressed by other fitters like Simon Cooper of Precision Golf in Surrey who has emphasized that shaft weight is more important than shaft flex. Too heavy a shaft means the club lags behind on the downswing making the player exert extra effort to bring it through. The right weight for that player’s swing speed and tempo gets the club moving along the swing path in sync with the arms and body without any superfluous pulling the shaft down or exaggerated release of the hands. So thanks again for a eye opening session.
I prefer more of the Mitsubishi blue 65 x shafts ,used them for years ,very middle of the road shafts .weight kick point , length are what’s most important I think
Very surprised!
I had a fitting last month for a 3W. For me the difference in shafts was bigger than expected, not purely on numbers but on feel, trust and number of misses. I’m averaging 103-105mph on a 3W. Ventus Black 7X was picked as the best package for a shaft to me.
People put far to much emphasis on shafts. It will always be technique before technology.
I love/hate the waggle test because a lot of stiffer shafts are softer in the handle so they feel softer when waggling them. All tricks of the mind! But spfter tip shafts are generally stiffer near the handle, hence the "feel" difference.
Great video which I can relate to having recently had a fitting where weight clearly made a difference over flex. From what I have been told there is no industry standard for shaft flex so one company’s regular could be classed as stiff with another. I think for some amateurs shaft flex is more about machismo than what’s right for them.
Your videos are excellent. You say the shafts don't make a massive difference but when he got back to the shaft you fitted him for 2 weeks ago he was more consistent and hit it further, which is what we all want . Do you do junior fittings? I'd be very interested in getting my son fitted. Well done very educational and entertaining.👍
Happy New Year. I've seen a number of such videos, but this one, with a slower swing speed, was very interesting. Geraint knows his own feels very well, so his feedback was insightful. Here's to a year of good golf and lower handicaps 🥂
Thanks for making a video with a realistic swing the masses can relate to. I'm also a believer the right fit may not correspond to the standard swing speed recommendation table, and am glad to see your video giving evidence to this.
Just a suggestion - Will be great if you can put up the chart with the shaft names next to the test results to make it more viewer friendly.
Do you recommend that mid handicappers use 10 and half or 12 degree loft on driver
Would be great to see this done again but tweaking the other variables. Would also be interesting to see the "robot" try out a 460cc head against a lower spin small head.
Interesting he though one of the softest shafts was one of the most hard work to swing, i would say that want from him feeling the flex and load at the top of the back swing and not timming t right to unload that load at the ball, if you arnt letting that loaded shaft release then you are holding on to that load and it will feel like hard work.
I went through a shaft testing process last year and found the same, almost no difference in results irrespective of weight and flex. Loved the video thanks and glad to know it’s not just me!
great video Just a question, what would be the cpm of a Adi-5 graphite designer reg in comparaison ?
Excellent, love it having similar swing speed (93-95). Thanks!
Thanks for the info, very interesting to see how much shafts matter compared to other adjustments.
So have been watching some more videos on shafts and weight and flex...love to see the info out there ...but where do I go to find out if the shafts in my current irons are too stiff now...as aging and injured now 😂
😂 yeah it's a minefield! Really you have to go to a fitter and just test stuff out mate.
@epgolfstudios love my current iron heads (hot metal pros) but feel the shafts are too heavy might have to drop you a message as you aren't a million miles away from me amd it would be worth the journey
@@Angrypanda68 absolutely we can test out some lighter shafts for sure
My friend will often say it’s not the arrows, it’s the Indian.
A really interesting video and although I am not surprised at the similar performance from shafts with radically different stiffness profiles I am surprised that the significant difference in shaft weights didn't produce more contrasting performance, the Accra RPG Gold 462 M5+ is super stout and pretty similar to the Tensei 1K Black 65 TX (tipped 1") which I currently play and when slow swingers (like Geraint) have hit my driver most of them commented on how heavy and stiff it felt and they got terrible performance out of it because they lacked the speed and power to properly load the shaft, some players are obviously much more sensitive to shaft weight and stiffness than others but this video just proves that some beginner golfers are totally clueless in this regard and could probably not feel much difference between a KBS Max 65 R and a KBS C-Taper 130 X in their irons which is beyond belief, that would be another very interesting video.
It’s not really beyond belief, some golf shops do not have the staff who could explain the differences (or care!)they are in it for the sales, not professional fitters like Ross. I know so many people who have been incorrectly fitted by ‘amateur fitters’ it’s scandalous 😬. Equipment reviews should have caveats, including, that ‘there are so many variables dependent on individual swing so go and get fitted for YOU’
Really interesting results. Couldn’t help smiling when he was waggling the seniors and it was like a piece of rope, saying it felt quite stiff. Watched a view of your fits now, great content, love your interaction with the clients. I had a fitting at American Golf a couple of years back and I am GUTTED, I didn’t come to you. The process was about as far away as possible as what you are offering. Please keep showing the fittings so other golfers make the effort to get themselves the best tools for the job. Great stuff.
Thanks James 🙏🙏
Would be nice to see someone who is around a 6 handicap with ~100mph swing speed that is making solid strikes. I feel like the strikes messed with the results a little bit which isn't that surprising with someone who is over a 10 handicap.
Or just take the worst strikes out, this bloke hit it pretty decent/consistent.
Interesting info, great video. Thanks
my take away is that the head is far more important than the shaft although it doesn't hurt to have the shaft optimized too. I wonder how much it matters with irons? Hopefully coming to you in Feb for a driver optimization session if my back improves by then.
Yeah head is certainly the biggest factor when it comes to launch and spin by a long way. I wouldn't say that shafts aren't important, but generally they alter launch and spin way less than people think but they can certainly help to get the strike a little more consistent. And yes it's exactly the same for irons, I've got a few olders vids where I test iron shafts too
This guy would be deadly from 6000y
Surely the weight/flex affects his strike location and ability to square the face? And hence leading to all the inconsistency?
Well you saw we tested a massive range of weights and flexs and the pattern was similar throughout. Until the end with the Ventus was better but that would have certainly been a combo of him and the shaft not just shaft alone. But it helped him to do what we wanted him to do. So that's a decent fit
Would be nice to see some of the swings DTL.
Another excellent video, keep it up! If I book a fitting will it be with yourself? Would like to get the whole bag checked out!
Thanks Elliot! And yes it certainly would. I'm still the only fitter! Well ....the only employee 😂😂
How do the swingweights differ with each shaft?
Em aim a bit further left of the bunker maybe
Thank you for the in-depth test! Goes to show that people get to fixated on flex when there are many more factors that make a more impactful difference. To me weight is definitely more important.
Definitely agree 🙌
Absolutely great video!
Loving your new stuff with lower speed players!
Question for you , i been playing with a ping g425 sft for a while i always thought i was a short hitter with 95-100mph club speed realised the spin in my recent lesson was 4500 .
Ive bought an older sim max draw driver and spin is no around 3000 miss is a hook , and normally hit the left side of the fairway.
Any recommendations on low spin drivers? Tsi3/2?
Yes either would be a great great shout Garry, what loft is the SIM Max? Likely a 9* TSi3 wouldn't be a bad shout but again always getting fitted is the best idea 👌
@@epgolfstudios 9 but I loft down to 8 to try lower my spin!
Thanks for the quick reply!
Be interesting to see you do a video showing how varying shafts affect land angle.
that info was all there for his video he just didnt show it on screen.
Can i ask how you get the data for the club heads to view, my club had the simulator and im trying to imrpove my efficiency and find out how i deliver the club to the ball, im a shallow player and going randoming from 210 carry to 255 carry and im trying to learn to get this consistent... does the club need reflectors each time its used
Yeah so assuming you are using a Foresight Sports GC Quad then yes you need 4 reflective dots on the face (3 on the toe side 1 on the heel side) in order to get all of the club delivery data.
If they have a GC2 then that only provides ball flight data unless they have the HMT.
And the GC3 only provides a certain amount of club data (path, aoa, speed, efficiency) but it isn't as comprehensive as the GC Quad.
But with any if these systems you need reflective dots on the club to get data
@epgolfstudios it is a Foresight but not sure on the model but thank you for taking the time to reply, videos are excellent
Great video, really interesting, I need to get down to Newbury…
Come on down 🙌🙌
Honest review,thanks
Not sure I buy it shaft flex means little difference. Ultimately he was swinging better with the flex that suited him. And it was easy to see he wasn't consistent from shaft to shaft. His perception was affecting how aggressive he was swinging. There was a tendency for shots to go higher and left with the softer shafts. He didnt have the ability to differenciate a very stiff shaft from an A flex. In my opinion the video didn't do what you say.
One of the A flexes was slightly better than the other but the ultimately still followed the same pattern, the C6 Blue 60 X wasn't bad to be fair, but the Ventus Blue TR 6 S was clearly the best in the test from a strike perspective, I think getting the face more square was more down to him than the shaft in my honest opinion. But then his AV Blue 55 R still seemed to be better than the Ventus Blue TR 6 S.....but the TR Blue was playing pretty much the same flex as the C6 Blue 60 X, whereas his AV Blue 55 R would have been playing at least a flex and a half to 2 flexes softer than the Ventus TR Blue....so which flex would you fit him into?
I think you have him with the right shaft. I just feel the flaw in is swing didn't help separate the shafts well. He pushes a lot of shots to the right. And I think that would be the tendency with the stiffer flexes. He did seem more comfortable with his own shaft. I'm just saying the difference is bigger than the numbers might suggest
What swing speed wld you move to senior flex?
I would generally just test different flexes, as you see here, flex really isn't that important. More about finding the right feel and weight for the player.
Super interesting!
The human robot!
All in swing.
Great video!
Very interesting test. Does this hold true for irons too?
Yeah. Theres an old video I did called extreme iron shaft test, go and have a watch of that, I've done a few iron tests I think tbf
You say shaft doesn't make much difference but there is a 21 yards difference between the best and worst. That's pretty significant almost 2 clubs
My point wasn't that shafts don't make a difference, it's more understanding that shaft flex isn't as important as most think, the same way that having a "low launch shaft" doesn't work that way. Finding the shaft that gels the best with you, regardless of what it is of course can have a largely positive impact 👌
This was an awesome video! It seems like a “myth busters” episode. I remember reading books that said a more flexible shaft would tend to activate and promote a draw as the toe would be ahead of the heel, where stiffer shafts would be harder to activate and more likely to get to the ball with the heel leading the toe. Your video certainly disproves this theory. I’m learning from your videos that the impact position on the face is a lot more important. I have my can of foot spray to work on centering my strikes. Thanks so much for these amazing videos.
@epgolfstudios that makes sense 👌
great video
Great video.
You need to try this using the fitting tool that the shaft companies have online, see who is in the ballpark with the recommendations
I certainly don't think that would put him in a Ventus TR Blue 6 S 👀😂😂
It put me in a TR 6 R, 105 ss, I have an S and a Diamana GT S I am going to try
@@vicgeier3482 that is fairly interesting to be fair. I must admit I'm not a big fan of things like that, or even like the Mizuno DNA swing analyser. Biggest thing around shafts is how it feels to you and how you react to it. So for me there's only 1 way of fitting shafts and that's testing 🙌
I missed it! what was the last shaft(his own)? that seemed to be the best for him.
Yup! I did fit it for him about 3 weeks earlier though so I was very happy with that 👌🙌🙌
@@epgolfstudios What was it by the way? Is he better with a R S or XS for his swing speed?
Shafts make no difference, yet striping the one he was fit into at the end better than any of the others 🤷♂️😂
Makes no difference to launch and spin, or very little, definitely can affect strike
@@epgolfstudios I agree shafts alone have little effect on spin and launch in this test. It's one part of the bigger picture.
I've hit many shafts. Ss about 108-110. Shafts do have a huge part to play in delivering the club head to the ball... In answer to the question the video title asks.. Yes. otherwise you wouldnt have a job. 😂
@@willfieldiii7150 again it really depends on the player tbh. Sometimes a shaft can make a big difference to someone, and others it doesn't matter what I put in it, it makes no difference.
Why do you think that is?
@@epgolfstudios I have a question for you, I swing my driver steady though recently overcome some lefts, play off 5 and swing about 108-110 ss, X stiff 7 tour ad di, my only issue is my flight is a little flat, launching about 10° spinning at 2200rpm.... What would you suggest I try to get the launch/apex up but keep spin the same?
I have to say, I've watched a few fitting videos of yours, fantastic information and insight its making me want to come and see you for a fitting, and I'm a fitter! Great videos
😂😂 sounds good to me Stevie! Would be interesting fitting a fitter! Or maybe you should come on and fit me 😉
@@epgolfstudios I think your expertise and experience surpasses mine but I may well come and do a fitting, we only do Cobra which is great stuff (I have the aerojet) but the new Darkspeed doesn't seem to sit right with me strike wise.
Thank you for replying nice to feel valued
@@stevie-jayjohnson2101 absolutely mate we appreciate all viewers to the channel 🙌 and that's odd, I have found the darkspeed very good in fits so far. Maybe just need the right set up 😉
I've only done a quick review of them needs some testing to be done, I am however a husband, Dad of two, PGA trainee at over 40, coaching and trying to develop new golf businesses....I don't get much time 😂
@@stevie-jayjohnson2101 that's amazing though! Gott be ambitious to achieve and nothing comes without a lot of sacrifice does it. But all the best with it! What's the business? In coaching/fitting?
Very interesting, I had bought S flex a few years ago but think I have increased my speed and was worried it was affecting my game, but nice to know it likely has very little effect. So shaft and club weight would have more effect?
Due to his low hits it would be interesting to only compare his center hits across shafts instead of std dev. Thank you for great video
Yes just club as an overall will always have far more of an impact. Head design matters a lot, shaft length matters a lot, swingweight matters a lot. All more important than shaft flex itself. If compared just centre strikes (with the same face angle) pretty much all shafts perform the same. Or extremely similarly.
So would you say a 17-22 handicap golfer would benefit from being fitted? Or not really only asking because I want to get fitted and don't know if it's worth it or not
@flopshotking a fitting to me is always worth it. Get to see where your numbers are at and what you could improve on. Hard to know those without seeing it on a monitor of course! Think about it, a fitting cost $125(US). Would you rather spend that money and get fit or would you rather spend 1k on a set of clubs that might just be a one trick affect? Just my 2 thoughts on it!
@@flopshotking honestly it depends where you go! (I know that might not help, sorry) like if someone comes to me they learn a lot about what's going on in their swing and why it's happening and therefore why a new club would or wouldn't be the right move for you. If you just go to like American golf obviously they will just try and sell you a club. So if you are going to go and get fitted properly at a good place then you should always get value from the session, regardless of if you end up with a new club or not. So it's hard to say, but if you go somewhere good then yeah you should.
@@leftylearnsgolf5723 100%! And if it's a good fitting place and they are not recommending that you buy new clubs right now because of swing issues then it should be a mini lesson anyway, so value for money either way.
For me, i need a stiff flex(94mph). I tend to over draw a regular flex .
I'm curious are these golf shafts spined or he's just hitting them wherever they line up because it definitely makes a difference of a golf shaft is spined
They are not spined, no. If you ask me personally, I absolutely do not believe spinning or pureing a shaft makes any difference, especially with good quality aftermarket shafts, but just in general too.
@@epgolfstudios I disagree I used to have a pro shop all my shafts are spined I'm 66 and I can still hit the ball over 300
@@epgolfstudios I was in golf Galaxy and they stop me from hitting the ball because I kept hitting the same spot time after time average about 308 if the shaft wasn't spined that wouldn't have happened
@@earlfultz8603 that's absolutely fine Earl everyone is entitled to their own opinion 👍 and thats great yardage for 66 💪
@@epgolfstudios my first hole in one was 345 with persimmon I still have the card
Good to see the myths debunked. Amazing that so many people think you need to go stiffer to get longer and straighter. Feel and results are so much better than what it says on the shaft. ⛳️🏌🏻