More stiff shafts

I have been looking to buy a new driver from various sites including Ebay. I have noticed that a lot of the new drivers, that is the R7 and Adams Redline etc seem to have mostly stiff shafts. Is there any reason for this? I usually use regular shafts but these seem hard to find.

There are 2 reasons for this,

The first is machismo, people buying clubs with the stiff shaft cos they think they are strong enough for them, find out they arent then try to sell the club on cos they cant use them.

The second is that most manufacturers sell their premium product with a stiff OEM shaft because their regular shafts are like putty and no decent player who uses a manufacturers top product would use the regular spec.

Standard fit shafts on most clubs are pretty soft, if you are using an OEM regular shaft then you probably would go to a regular in an aftermarket shaft (Graf Blue, Aldila Green etc). Stiff OEM shafts are closer to firm and would probably suit the vast majority of players.

The Fujikura REAX shafts on the new R7 are pretty good, more like stiff than firm. I dont know the Adams Redline range at all but I do know the shafts they were using on the tight lies range were pretty average.

D.

__________________
Longniddry Golf Club Champ 2005.

In the Taylor Made Bag:

Callaway FT-3 Tour 9.5 Aldila NV 65S

Callaway Steelhead 3 Wood

Callaway Steelhead 5 Wood

Callaway X-16 3-PW

MacGregor Tourney 52 Degree

Cobra Phil Rodgers 59 Degree Rusty

Odyssey DFX 2-Ball

Callaway Tour iX

That is really interesting. I am 64 about 5ft 10ins and not very phsycal. I took an Adams Redline out of our pro shop to try. I always have regular shafts. This shaft was a Aldila NVS 65.s. I straight away, creamed it down the middle and longer than my usual driver. Can you give me any info on this shaft please? Also it seems to suit me which I can't understand. When I got a bit tired toward the end of the round though. I did push a few.
Thanks
Brian

The Aldila NVS (orange) is a higher launch version of the Aldila NV (green). It has a slightly softer tip which helps get the ball in the air easier. The 65 stands for the shaft weight in grams. They are premium shafts, the best sellers in Aldilas range most likely. You would have started hitting them right towards the end as you got a bit tired because these shafts are harder than standard fitment shafts to load and release since they are probably a good bit stiffer and probably a few grams heavier. A lot of players find that with heavier, stiffer shafts.

Its a good shaft but maybe try the regular and see if you have the same problem, you might find it less hard work than the stiff.

D

__________________
Longniddry Golf Club Champ 2005.

In the Taylor Made Bag:

Callaway FT-3 Tour 9.5 Aldila NV 65S

Callaway Steelhead 3 Wood

Callaway Steelhead 5 Wood

Callaway X-16 3-PW

MacGregor Tourney 52 Degree

Cobra Phil Rodgers 59 Degree Rusty

Odyssey DFX 2-Ball

Callaway Tour iX

The NVS is a very good shaft which has a tendency to play just a little softer than the stated flex. It also gives a higher launch with less spin than most shafts so it is superb as a driver shaft in people who would normally use R to S shafts. Pushing is not uncommon when you tire and your arms come through a little slower. Because the shaft is a stiff one for you, you will tend to push the ball out to the right when this happens.

I agree with Mizunoman that many people get caught out by their egos when they buy a driver, buying driver with too low a loft and too stiff a shaft. You can often hit the ball well when you have either the correct loft or shaft flex but the combination of the two being wrong can make the club more or less unhitable. Stiff shafts are also the most common shafts to play in drivers, especially for people who look to their equipment to make them a better player.

Another issue is that OEM shafts are often not the flex that they state. I have seen a stiff REAX shaft that came out at ladies flex when assesed so you really do need to test the clubs before you buy them.

__________________
Cleveland Launcher 460 - Aldila NV 65 x-stiff
Callaway Big Bertha 3W - Aldila NV 75 x-stiff
TaylorMade Rescue Dual TP (16°, 19°) stiff
Mizuno MP-32 2-PW Rifle Flighted 6.0
Titleist Vokey Wedges 52°, 56°, 60°
Scotty Cameron Circa 62 #3 35/330

Many thanks for the help. I really knew very little about shafts but now i have a good inkling.

Brian