Ding-dong

IndyBonzo · March 24, 2023

I have swapped back and forth, but you need to reprogram your timing or at least adjust.
I think staying in a light flexible set up is good, this game is about rhythm and timing. Heavy and stiff shafts compensate in reality for these. For me this migrates through my whole bag and I am seeing improvements in my irons etc ( putting is unaffected )

Bang60 · March 22, 2023

I was wondering whether this was the couch potatoes speed stick training … I mean that seems so much hard work so why not remove the weight from your playing clubs and skip the training.

cksurfdude · March 22, 2023

For me swing weight is feel, the actual weight can be disguised… but I am a gorilla.

But I will caveat that statement, gorillas do get tired over the round, so you may not feel it but the energy consumption is up.

I have been planning some objective testing and the conversation took an interesting turn. I mentioned the shaft weight and that’s when a bit of negativity slipped in, 60g is normal this is away from normal etc…

But normal based on recent history. Steel shafts were pretty mono dimensional they lacked bespoke bend profiles, they are just rolled sheets of metal . There is maybe some finessing in the tapering etc … but graphite shafts are a world apart regarding manipulation of profile. I also said I suspect the hickory club makers were probably artisans and manipulated the bend profiles as well … steel just took the fidelity of it all off the table.

anyway that’s just engineering stuff and might be a bit too much .. sorry, I go in this direction

cksurfdude · March 20, 2023

1 hour ago, IndyBonzo said:

Curious for those of you who have had this work - what swing adjustments have you made, if any?

If you’re asking about the PBL ? Then nothing but I believe it’s more stable or shall we say less disconcerting than AF.

Lots of problems happen when you force speed in from the top. I was prone to doing this but I started to just relax and swing, less is more was the swing thought. Now I am reigning the over the top in and it’s more in to out but this is all related to my take away, my tempo hasn’t changed as in its fluid … so it’s like previous comments about lag training , I suppose . Just build your swing up from half to full and relax, don’t hit a ball just swing the club and let it find its drop. Then hit a few balls … your body should adjust, don’t think about the distance .. it will happen.
I dunno if this is the same for anyone else but thinking you’re going to really hit it really means total failure. I think subconsciously I force it and that is why it’s a disaster.. it’s hard to explain

cksurfdude · March 20, 2023

10 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

Hey if you end up liking the PLB better, you just made $500+ when you sell that whip stick

Well maybe nearly broke even … I was thinking should I get it prepped for the 3 wood but to be honest 45.5 “ and a Callaway adapter may make it easier to move on if need be. But it won’t hit 500 dollars .. in the U.K. they are even more sceptical !

I was 20+ yards beyond both the guys at the weekend on the 18th hole, this was the only time I really went after it. I told them it was a lady shaft and they were a bit non plussed.. both were happy with their 70g stiff flex drivers , so that’s okay because they are the ones losing out.

cksurfdude · March 20, 2023

Weigh the head , if you’re over 200g you may struggle.. all I have read has suggested it’s a problem. Some went up a flex, which seems counter intuitive.

It has been confirmed they will replace my AF, I have requested a tour adapter so will see, otherwise I will back to back and see if I can make it objective

DukeStKing · March 19, 2023

Can’t you add weight grip side? I was using the Callaway adapter and rogue head around 194-196 grams and autoflex was 45,5” long . Club builder balanced it out using a layer of grip tape, mcc +4 mid size grip .

Bang60 · March 18, 2023

10 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

Would you say that the PLB is maybe a little more reliable? My observation over months of using it is that it's suitable for a variety of my imperfect swing traits and when my swing is on point, it's a beast.. AND can really handle some extra juice when applied.

As for the 3 wood idea, a group of us have really found the Garafalloy GWX sold through Golf works to be a great wood option. Same price as the PLB but a few grams heavier and feels great in a 3 wood.

I think the PLB is quite inert to head weight and lets you step on it when you want. I am still sorting myself out, I really have been dreadful these last few years.
I was always a smooth swinger with fluid transition… this allows me to drop flexes and play pretty much anything, it’s just I have not taken advantage of this.
I think this helped with Autoflex, it doesn’t like aggressive transitions and head weight was a real problem. PLB isn’t that fussy, and it’s pretty stout even in L flex.
But the more I used the more I like it, I have a bail out shot that goes right to left, and I can dial down my power .. it gives options and my scoring will benefit.

IndyBonzo · March 18, 2023

18 hole club stableford today. Driver was good all the way round, dialled down to 9,5 still got a really high flight. I will leave until the ground firms up, but I don’t feel like I am losing anything. Irons were centred, just the 3 wood cost me 3 blobs . But 34 pts and a share of the roll up pot, plus 2 birdies in the 2s pot should pay for my entry and then some.
I was targeting 32 pts as reasonable, the greens are ropey and we are just off fairway mats.
This shaft is doing the business, I am wondering about the 3 wood but I need to look at it. I have a Ping g425 max head weight is 213g, so I was thinking the 45 g pro launch in L ( otherwise known as long spec) … I do like my 3 wood to honest and I do hit it well. But I supposed a quick in out budget shaft wouldn’t hurt.

03trdblack · March 17, 2023

1 hour ago, 03trdblack said:

They meant by that statement that it was around $150 difference in price compared to AF. They just didn't say it well.

Yup caught me out … was interesting he used a 405 for his swing speed and it held up.

Bang60 · March 17, 2023

Watched TXG video on Autoflex and freeflex.. thought they said it was 150 dollars but on further investigation it’s 650 dollars plus 100 for tip and shipping… hardly an alternative really.

There was an article that compared both, initially stated ottophlex was a bit temperamental and worked for few … then later he mentioned all the drawbacks of autoflex.

Autoflex doesn’t work for everyone and that’s just a fact of life, it’s no better or worse than Ottophlex … so don’t stop looking and don’t stop searching. Shafts today come in so many flavours and variations. Mix and match torque and head weights and you will get there, the weight of shaft is the key to speed… going up weight boundaries will only minimise your gain .

peakation · March 15, 2023

Got out for 18 this afternoon , bit of a mixed bag but all good. I have re gripped the club, the supplier did not put any tape underneath so the grip had rotated. Now I have some lamkin thing on and 2 layers plus 1 at the lower half to reduce the taper.
last 5 holes were good golf, not huge drives due to no roll out and a 2 club breeze but I think I will drop to 9.5 degrees and persist. 18th is 422 yards dog leg left at 150 yards in, I had 167 yards to the middle where the pin was and drew in a 7 iron to 170 yards and sunk the putt to end on a high.

No news from Autoflex about a replacement , but I am okay.

Tonight I thought I could see light at the end of the tunnel as the last 9 years I have totally dogged it round , hence the 10 handicap.

But a couple of birdies and being within 10ft on 6 holes for birdie and those where I wasn’t was just distance misjudgements- line was fine.
So whatever was going on tonight I hope stays , I need to start to just swing freely with the driver and the weather is improving and may be I will start to see my scores improve. Here is hoping !

Bang60 · March 14, 2023

Right had time to just assess the data points I have.

std reg IM10 shaft set at 9.5 degrees gave me a SS of 98mph BSpeed 143

Autoflex SF505 set 9.5 degrees gave me a SS of 98mph BSpeed 143

so to caveat this Autoflex lower dispersion and soft feel, more workable on elevation- better overall … so installed.

GPLB 45g L 9.5/10.5 degrees SS of 98-101 mph ball speed 141-145

So you can see potential here and I don’t have the dispersion yet, but to be honest if you know the ball will go right to left by 10-15 yards maximum is that really a problem?

Also just to state I am desk bound 40hrs a week, don’t do the gym and I am 50, with family obligations.. so guys the speed is what the speed is and I only need 230yards of carry which I have theoretically… or until I actually measure it

LICC · March 14, 2023

5 hours ago, cnosil said:

https://golf.com/gear/golf-balls/usga-rollback-bifurcation-announcement/

Last line is interesting, fans don’t want this … I don’t want to see second shots that are wedges, nor do I want to see par 5s hit in 2 with a 6 iron or less.
The current game is about strength, and somewhere down the line we have lost the art of plotting your way around the course.
Any ball changes will be a good thing, any ball that gives you nothing after x impact force would be great … no bifurcation would be required. We would see a change in pro player and a game more connected to its roots.

IndyBonzo · March 13, 2023

16 minutes ago, IndyBonzo said:

I'm curious Ding Dong what swing weight you are using? I am experimenting with the OP as well, and cannot control it yet nearly as well as I can with my gamer (stiff) driver at a D4 swing weight. It may just not work for me, but I am curious if further tinkering with the SW will get it there. Thank you in advance for your input, and thank you for the AF comparison!

I am not sure to be honest, I am pretty oblivious to swing weight, just a gorilla in disguise . I suspect it’s quite light as the head is not easy to feel, which is why I could add more weight. I may have to if I increase the grip weight. I am a feel guy, if it feels okay I will live with it if not I will tune it till I am happy.

16 minutes ago, IndyBonzo said:

cksurfdude · March 13, 2023

Shaft arrived today… it’s light! Not whippy like Autoflex. Let’s just get that out there. I would also say it’s stiffer in the tip.

So that said, who cares, I think this works and I saw some nice numbers. My swing speed increased and ball speed had jumped as well. The R10 was suffering due to the raised mat. I could see the flight, the wind was gusting between 20-40mph right to left and toward me .. that’s the direction you get if you hit from the shed ( given the conditions the shed was a pleasant place to be).

I never felt I over loaded the shaft. I am still not decided on the loft 9.5 and 10.5 work for me. Flight is very high.. but I can pull it down or sling it up there ( this was like my 3 wood .. my driver was just was get what you get)

flight was right to left, but not uncontrolled, toe strikes, which is where I started and pulled back to middle via set up and lie, created a big sling hook. But once I was coming out the middle the flight was high with a movement right to left. No fades but today a fade might have been a little difficult.

I have some more tuning to do, the grip is not what I want, it’s narrow. I will put a mid size on and possibly tape to parallel.

I need to decide on 9.5 or 10.5 loft , 9.5 will yield more speed and I think opens the face which will pull me back to neutral.

I think this is a very good effort on your part guys, so well done.
If you want the Autoflex sensation the shaft needs to be more flexible and almost feel like a heavy ball on a cane .. but guys this set up delivers results and I think is not overly sensitive to head weight. So possibly for some like myself a 3 wood option as well. In fact I think I could put more in .. I will of cause investigate.

I may get a chance to do a proper back to back comparison but that won’t be confirmed for a few days yet.

However, once again, well done good hack !

cksurfdude · March 13, 2023

Oh well missed a trick here, but if the shaft works, it arrives today, and I can get a positive result another with this adapter would be cheaper than another head.

To be honest I am hoping it does work, I was always a little embarrassed about the autoflex. It’s not so well known where I play but it had been rumbled. The GPLB will just fade into the background … like a secret weapon

cksurfdude · March 12, 2023

I caught a snippet on TXG and they implied that if you fitted a left sleeve on a right sleeve club .. the +2 degrees could become -2 degrees.

Is this the case ?
If so I would /should have had that installed on my 10.5 degree head which can only get to 9.5 with a std right hand sleeve .

cksurfdude · March 10, 2023

Just out of interest, are women’s club heads lighter ? The 3 wood, is an issue because it is 215g or there about .. I wonder if you could get lighter and get the GPLB working

GolfSpy_APH · March 10, 2023

On 2/11/2019 at 11:39 PM, GolfSpy MPR said:

How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score?

What do you love about golf?

What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies?

Where are you from? What is your home course?

What are the best and worst things about golf in your region?

What do you do for a living?

How’d you pick your user name?

1. My interest was captured 43 years ago, I wasn’t allowed to play until 33years ago. Then it was restricted access until I completed my education. I played for 2 years everyday until I could not find any post graduate courses I could pretend to be interested in. My parents then told me to get a job. It’s only the last 15 years where I have managed to have a membership somewhere.. but I still have to ask for permission to get out . I have not managed my addiction very well.

2. everything.. I like playing on my own or with nice people

3. Equipment reviews, new equipment, ball tests ( massively important!) and the Otto Phlex thread .. that is really interesting.

4. U.K. played in Kent, then moved to Buckinghamshire and was a member at 2 clubs, now currently reside in Oxfordshire on the edge of the Cotswolds - not decided about my current club though.

5. lack of courses of quality

6. Contract mechanical engineering specialist, I used to travel frequently and try to play on every continent… I think I need South America to complete.

7. No one has it.

azstu324 · March 9, 2023

5 hours ago, azstu324 said:

Your points/possible concerns are definitely valid and thank you for sharing. I think that the question on everyone's minds here is "how similar is the PLB 45g to the Autoflex?". I'll openly admit that I've never even seen an Autoflex in person let alone swung one. All of my formulation is strictly based off of reading and watching reviews of the shaft. I know for me that the PLB is a great shaft with some beneficial qualities that I've really come to enjoy.. but I'd still like to hear more accounts from individuals who could actually provide a real comparison story.

Can't wait to hear about your comparisons and whether or not these 2 could be siblings, cousins, or complete strangers to each other.

It will be interesting, I also think there is a lightweight shaft for everyone. There are people fitted into shafts for their transition, not their speed. I think you have proven here that speed is not a major determinant.

so looking into it should be on everyone’s mind, GPLB 45 is a good place to start, it’s a shaft that ticks a lot of people’s boxes. I think I was looking at the std reg one and when I was younger the stiffer one ( younger or still travelling down the wrong route)

The irony of autoflex was people going up through the stiffnesses, and then saying distances were not that great. They were not aware of the weight of the shaft, it’s actually not super light weight , when you look at what is out there.

I was going to suggest looking at the UST MP5 or MPS in its softer flexes and I suspect it would be a good alternative to GPLB …

Autoflex feels wobbly initially and you waggle it and it moves around a lot. But that’s because you’re putting sharp inputs so you see it lagging. When you swing it, if you have the head weight right, it feels in place and promotes a finishing swing, so losing momentum beyond the ball .. if you hit at it, your hands will inadvertently destabilise it and you get a shuffle and that’s when you don’t get distance. After a while your confidence builds and you swing hard and smooth and then it flies .. the point is not to hit at the ball and quite possibly you can drop another level … so get lighter

in the end it’s not magic, it’s just away from where we have been going, and thinking about it the golf swing has changed so has that made it more the right way to go ?

Bang60 · March 8, 2023

I have seen some head weighing going on, my conclusions on Autoflex was it worked sub 200g and best around 194g … I know people talk about swing weight but this is in my opinion about you feeling the head in your swing. With autoflex I experimented with head weight, and I had done some other stuff as well when Titleist released the 910 drivers. For me I was sensitive to the tip, and I found I could influence it with head weight.. so in the end you could play any shaft you just had to find the weight. But this is feel, not launch or spin conditions, so I could find my ideal and then tune in feel.

I also have worked on my delivery, my angle of attack was 0-1 degrees up, this lead to knuckle balls ( spin was 1300-1500 and best was 1800rpm ) or just no carry. I have managed to get to 3 up as standard and 6 up ( spin is around 3000-3400.. bit high maybe). Whilst doing this I have been working on my face impact high and low, and a few have posted on here impact points.. I suggest you seek to manipulate that using tee height or delivery and see what happens, as there is some more to be taken from this set up.

I am worried the GPLB might feel a bit stiff at the tip, so I may have to look at the head weight. I don’t mind dropping to 44” s either so it’s going to be interesting… I may be searching out an epic speed 9 degree head as well. Just as a note the 59g IM10 reg shaft feels a little firm now after autoflex and I can tolerate it but I now know what I really like.

cnosil · March 8, 2023

Just joined, have read all 59 pages and order GPLB L 40g.
I recently broke the autoflex 505 I have had since early 2021. These are seriously expensive and replacing it was and is not possible. I was directed here by the Facebook autoflex group. So I have been reading through all of your posts and experimenting… it’s been awesome, well done and thank you all for your efforts!

I will say I have been tweaking my driver for forever. I have used light shafts like the UST mp5 but never in soft flexes. Autoflex never gave me these huge distances you read about.. I got 3-4 mph ball speed and 5-10 yards carry, but what I did get was low dispersion and the ability to really hit high or play low. Prior to that I struggled with launch and the IM 10 was at 10.5-11.5 degrees to get that height. I play Autoflex at 9.5 and I would say I could get to 8 if the adjustments allowed me ( I was going to experiment with that this year before it broke) .

I did pick up more distance as I delofted as you would expect, I think this is the primary strength. Autoflex is relatively stable but if you over try it does shuffle on you.

anyway I hopefully will be trying the GPLB 45 L spec .. it’ll be in the window of swing weight as my head has been set.

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Posts posted by Ding-dong