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For those that have them, are aftermarket shafts really worth all that extra money? Are they really that much better than stock shafts? Thoughts?

Bryan Pool

Ping G20 Driver

Bombtech hybrids

Ping G20 green dot irons/wedges

Cleveland Huntington beach 6 putter 

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For those that have them, are aftermarket shafts really worth all that extra money? Are they really that much better than stock shafts? Thoughts?

It's not about aftermarket vs stock shafts.  It's about what shaft fits your swing the best.

 

What's best for me is probably not going to be best for you.  Just because you buy an aftermarket shaft doesn't mean it's going to give you more performance.  That's why getting fit is such a big part of finding clubs that work for you.  

Driver: :taylormade-small: SLDR w/ Fujikura Ventus Black

3w: :taylormade-small:'16 M2 hl w/ Diamana D+ 82

5w: :cleveland-small: Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Yellow

Hybrid: :cleveland-small: 22 deg. Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Black

Irons: :cleveland-small: 5i - gap Launcher CBX w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Wedges: :cleveland-small: 54 CBX & 58 Zipcore w/ Nippon Modus 3 125

Putter: :odyssey-small: Red 7s

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For those that have them, are aftermarket shafts really worth all that extra money? Are they really that much better than stock shafts? Thoughts?

 

There is no one shaft that 'fits everyone', and finding the optimal shaft for your swing can make a huge difference in performance.  This is particularly true for graphite shafts which tend to vary far more than their steel counterparts. Many OEM stock shafts are selected because they will work OK for a wide variety of swing types, but it is unlikely that a stock graphite driver or fairway wood shaft will be the 'optimal fit' for any one particular player!  

 

Best to be properly fit!

 

kusala.jpg

 

 

 

 

What's in Bobcat's Bag?  (Showing more than 14 clubs due to options)

 

Driver: :taylormade-small: 9.5* SLDR-C - 45.5" Miyazaki Kusala Black 61s, (1/2" tip)

Fairway: :taylormade-small: Tour issue 15* V-Steel 3W - Fujikura 757 Speeder Stiff

Fairway/Hybrid: :taylormade-small: 15* Rescue Fairway "3-Strong" - VP-90 Stiff 

Hybrids: :taylormade-small: #3 (19*) & #4 (22*) Rescue-Mid TP's - Vista Pro 90 Stiff 

Driving Irons: :taylormade-small: UDI #1 (16*) & #3 (20*) - KBS C-Taper Lite 110 Stiff

Iron Set: :taylormade-small: SLDR Irons (5-8i only) - KBS C-Taper Lite 110 Stiff

Hybrid Wedges: :cleveland-small: 2011 Niblicks 42*PW, 49*DW, 56*SW - Stock

SW/LW: :cleveland-small: CG-16 Black Pearl 58* Low Bounce 8* - Stock Steel Shaft

Putter: :bettinardi-small: BBX-81 Blade - Stock Bettinardi Steel Shaft 

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I'd like to think so. Part of the equation is there is no industry standard when it comes to flex, as each manufacturer has their own “R” flex for example. Where this fits in is buying an “R” flex driver from a big box store the shaft could be “anything” as the quality standards are not remotely close to the aftermarket shaft. If you have an aftermarket shaft and a pull from a stock shaft, lay them down on a flat surface and roll them. One will wobble and one will not. Materials used are much more expensive, the R and D is expensive etc.

One could easily… question the need for the causal player to spend the money as some of these shafts are price wise, almost endless to what you can spend.

 

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For those that have them, are aftermarket shafts really worth all that extra money? Are they really that much better than stock shafts? Thoughts?

One of the best fairway wood players in the world plays an ancient shaft that was cheap even when it was new. 

 

It matters not about the price or label on the shaft. Only if it fits your game or not. 

Driver- Tmag 2017 M2 tour issue 8.5* actual loft 7.8* w/ HZRDS Green PVD 70TX"
Fairway Metal- Taylormade SLDR Mini Driver 12* w/ Fujikura Rombax TP95-X"

Utility- Mizuno MPH5 1 iron w/ Aldila RIP 85X (depending on course/ conditions)

Irons- Mizuno MP- FLI HI 2i w/ Aldila Proto ByYou 100X
          Mizuno MP59 4i-6I w/ PX 6.5

          Mizuno MP69 7i-PW w/ PX 6.5

Wedges- Scratch 8620 Driver/Slider set.  50*, 54* bent to 55* and 60*

Putter- Taylormade Spider Tour w/ flow neck
Ball- Bridgestone Tour B X

Bag- Sun Mountain C130 Supercharged

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I have "aftermarket" shafts, I got fitted to them, as we all know no 2 shafts from the same company with the same marking (R, S, X) will not react the same, I found out through fitting that I need a heavier and stiffer golf shaft due to my aggressive loading and release of the club...if you see my signature, everything is X Flex with a heavier weight, all my irons and wedges are D6 and the Driver, 4W and 3 Utility are D4...you could get lucky and get a shaft from the rack that will agree with your swing, but more often than not we end up changing it...again, it doesn't mean that the stock shaft is worse than the aftermarket, like mentioned above, different shafts will work for different swing tendencies.

Driver              SLDR TP 10.5* with Aldila Rogue Silver 125 MSI 60 Tour X, 44.25"

3W                  Ping G25 with Diamana White Board D+ 82X, 42.5", tipped .5"

Driving Iron     Callaway X Prototype Utility with Tour AD DI 105X

Irons               4-P Callaway Tour Authentic Prototype with KBS C-Taper 130X

Wedges          Cleveland RTX-588 46, 50, 54, 58 with True Temper DG Tour X100

Putter              Odyssey White Hot Pro Tour V-Line with Super Stroke 1.0 Pistol GT Tour, 33.25"

Golf Ball          Kirkland Signatures and Chrome Soft 2016

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For those that have them, are aftermarket shafts really worth all that extra money? Are they really that much better than stock shafts? Thoughts?

 

Long story short - yes and no. I shall attempt to elaborate why....

 

A a general rule, "aftermarket" shafts are a universal fitting option to just about any club with a basic set of specs for tip size, length, weight and flex. The benefit of this option is that a particular shaft and it's inherent qualities can be selected and used to compliment the equipment and it's player for a truly accurate fit. "High-end" aftermarket shafts will tend to be expensive for the research technology and component quality that go into them and the cost to develop, manufacture them and market them.

The ratio of tech to component structure may vary, but generally if the product has a lot of exotic fibres with light weight properties in it's construction, then it will be a pretty expensive shaft.

So in general, an aftermarket shaft can be used to good effect to identify a particular profile, flex, weight and performance to match a player characteristic for a very accurate fitting. Each aftermarket shaft will have it's own unique characteristic that makes it ideal for a certain type of player.

That's the good part.

The downside (apart from actual cost) is that there are so many aftermarket shafts, that accurate fitting is paramount. Then accurate building and assembly. Naturally, this racks up the unit cost even more. Then, because of the precise nature of of each aftermarket shaft, the fitting tolerances that can be attained only really apply to the small target audience of those who can reap their benefits. What do I mean by this?

Well, if we take a classic aftermarket shaft such as the Diamana Whiteboard (or similar) then it only really "fits" a small spectrum of golfers - let's say about 10% of the golfing population.

 

This is where stock or "made-for" shafts have the upper hand. They posses the same general characteristics of their more expensive cousins, but instead of fitting a potential target audience of 10%, they now fit a wider spectrum of golfers - lets say 25%. This is because the overall characteristics are usually "normalised" (often referred to as "watered-down"). This enables the shaft to be slightly softer in profile, slightly higher in launch and slightly different in weight to get the more "average" golfer into a better fit with more complimentary features.

This is great news for OEMs for two reasons: firstly their costs will be lower, meaning the product can be made and marketed at a reasonable price for consumers. Secondly, because the performance profile is somewhat more "flattering" to the consumer with is softer overall profile, it makes for an easier to hit, longer driving club which makes the product look better on paper. 

It's no surprise that OEM's of clubs and shafts are in constant talks with each other to negotiate costs for their products and what will compliment each other in sales. For instance, the shaft OEM will want the best opportunity to "showcase" their shaft tech with the latest driver that will compliment it. Likewise, the club OEM will want to pick the best shaft OEM to enhance it's sales and performance of it's latest gear. It's a two-way battle which helps to drive down costs for the consumer, but can also give a healthy margin in sales too if the right shaft to head ratio is chosen. Nothing is left to chance in marketing and you can bet that the head and shaft have been carefully selected in advance of product launch to give the best possible sales...it's almost like a fashion show.

By modern standards, most stock shafts today are carefully selected to get the best possible universal fit to each club and to give it the biggest marketing appeal. This is why they tend to emulate their more expensive aftermarket paint schemes and graphics, together with their inherent performance characteristics. So, if you are like the vast majority of consumers and simply buy your clubs off the rack, then you stand a better chance of getting a decent match with a stock shaft. When you don't quite fit into the fitting parameters (stronger players and better ball strikers especially) then this is where the stock shaft may let you down and a fitting session may be in order - go back to paragraph one.

 

To summarise, each has their own benefits based on your perspective, your needs and your ability.

If your are a good all round average player, then there is nothing wrong with a stock shaft if it gives you good numbers. Buying into an expensive shaft upgrade may not be worth the expense compared to the cost. On the other hand, if you have a good fitting and identify a shaft that can transform your game into something much better, then it would be worth every penny.

 

One piece of advice in closing - some OEM's actually use shafts that are aftermarket for their stock offering on some models. This further confuses some, but at the same time attracts others, as a "stock" aftermarket shaft can be excellent value when it's value is considered the club is comes with, but never use this as your #1 factor in choosing a club. Get fit whenever you can for sure, but don't ever let ego, machismo, or the fashionistas ever get in the way of being a deciding factor in which shaft you play.

That goes for stock or aftermarket shafts, most of which are excellent quality these days. The stock shafts of the early days of graphite technology probably rightly deserved their reputation of "junk"but todays shafts are made to better tolerances with better component quality. 

Indeed, it's even possible to buy a quality aftermarket for less money than it's stock counterpart. Bizarre.

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Boy did pool step in it. LOL

You want to know about shafts? You came to the right place. However, you won't hear much from me. I just want a shaft that works and don't care about the technology. However, everything I've read above seems like good advice.

One little story....

I was in Club champion Austin, Texas this past summer and we were discussing driver fitting. Just talking. I finally asked the guy "how much"? I grabbed a head and he grabbed a shaft and said this combination would be about $650!! out the door. I asked how much the shaft was and he relied, $400!! I then said "isn't there a shaft around here for about +- $200 that would be a best fit for me?" Of course there is he said.

My Sun Mountain bag currently includes:   TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 771CSI 5i - PW and TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges

                                                                               :755178188_TourEdge: EXS 10.5*, TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 929-HS FW4 16.5* 

                                                                                :edel-golf-1: Willimette w/GolfPride Contour

 

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It's not about aftermarket vs stock shafts. It's about what shaft fits your swing the best.

 

What's best for me is probably not going to be best for you. Just because you buy an aftermarket shaft doesn't mean it's going to give you more performance. That's why getting fit is such a big part of finding clubs that work for you.

Totally agree.

My shaft from Golfworks cost me $75 that included shaft, OEM tip and grip. Ready to play right out of the box.

 

Tazz

 

Sent using the MGS app!

@bigtazzGOLF on Twitter

         Grip n Rip it

Chicks dig the LONG ball

In my :callaway-small: staff bag

:cobra-small: King F7+ Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 60 - Graphite Tour X-Stiff

:755178188_TourEdge:  CBX 13.5 3 Wood

:1332069271_TommyArmour:  Atomic Irons 4-AW (reviewing)

:cleveland-small: CG16 Satin 52*

:cleveland-small: 588 RTX 2.0 56* and 60*

Sentio Sierra 101-M Putter

 

Proud tester of the Tommy Armour ATOMIC Irons 

 

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Golf works is an awesome place to learn about shafts and purchase components to put together.

 

Look at Arthur Extreme shafts aka AXE. Robin Arthur is a legend in the shaft world and has designed for many of the major shaft companies. He has countless $$$$ shafts that he's developed over the years. He's started his own company now and like Dean Snell is disrupting the industry. His AXE shafts are every bit as good as the higher end stuff although he does it at minimal cost to the consumer. I put a new driver shaft in play that is extremely low torque - sub 3 and the entire set up was under $75 to get the shaft, own component and pured the shaft.

 

Driver is much more stable now and I can swing at the ball without worry of the shaft reacting too much and duck hooking the hell out of the ball.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Driver: Callaway 815 DBD Irons: New Ben Hogan Ft. Worth 15's with KBS C-Taper Stiff Flex Shafts 21,25,29,33,37,41,45 Wedges: Ben Hogan TK with KBS Tour V Stiff Flex Shafts 52,56,60 Putter: Scotty Cameron Golo 5

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For me, in the last three years, it didn't seem like many OEMs offered much variety until Callaway and TM and Titleist started allowing 10+ shafts. TM seemed like the first to have around 30 when they launched the M1. It had been difficult for me to find a shaft in what Callaway offered with the GBB, in fact, I never found a shaft that worked out of their "stock" options. This past Spring, while at a demo day with all of the major OEMs, the majority of the time I was fit to something that would require an upcharge, save for Callaway and TaylorMade. So, I've been fitted numerous times where stock didn't cut it. It's not that they weren't quality, it's just that "low launch/low spin" options aren't a category many amateurs get fitted to. 5 years ago I didn't buy a Titleist driver because the shaft I was fitted to was $300 added on to the price of the club.

Anyway, I don't use after market because of the thought that they're better, it's just that I'm fitted to them more commonly.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Driver: Ping G430 Max 9*, Ping Tour 70X

Fairway: Ping G425 15*, Ping Tour 70X

Hybrid: Ping G425 22*, Ping Tour 80X

Irons:  Ping i230 4-GW, TT DG X100

Wedges: :edel-golf-1: SMS 50D/54V/58D:Nippon:Modus 130 stiff, +1”

Putter:  :edel-golf-1: EAS 1.0

Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX

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I personally am an aftermarket shaft person.  I love the Aldila offerings and I will be going back to an old favorite next spring, The VS Proto by you.  I have loved this shaft since it came out and I am looking forward to see how it works in my 915 D2 head. 

 

And I use Hireko golf to get shafts.  They have more adaptors than golfworks it seems like.  I think ill be out $75 for a shaft and an adaptor, that's not bad.

Driver: Callaway Rogue 9*

FW: Sub 70 Pro 4 wood

Hybrid: Sub 70 949 Hybrid 19*

Irons:  Sub 70 

659 CB 4 - 6 Black

639 MB 7 - PW

Wedges: Sub 70

JB - 50* 54* & 60*

Putter: Odyssey White Hot #2
Ball: Titleist Pro-V1x
Handicap index:  +3.9

Instagram: joshandersongolf

Twitter: @jacustomgolf

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While I do think aftermarket shafts are great, I do feel like I can get very similar results from slightly older shafts, at least in the driver and fairway woods, at significantly discounted prices from online sources. For instance, I just picked up a Tour Issue Matrix 70m4 Black Tie, a great aftermarket shaft for any time, for less than half of what club makers charge at retail and it's giving me amazing results that I doubt I could improve on with the newer shafts that just came out.

 

That being said, I think there have been some great advancements in iron shafts the last few years. The Aerotech SteelFibers have been amazing in everything I've tried them with and I just upgraded my irons to the new Project X LZ iron shafts a few months ago and have been hitting them great. Well worth the investment.

Titleist TS3 9.5* w/Accra TZ5 65 X-Stiff
Titleist TS3 15* w/Fujikura Ventus 7X
Callaway Apex19 Hybrid 20* w/Accra TZ5 95X
Callaway Apex19 Hybrid 23* w/Accra TZ5 95X
Titleist 718 CB 5 iron w/KBS $Taper X-Stiff
Titleist 718 MB 6-PW w/KBS $Taper X-Stiff
Titleist SM7 Wedges 50*, 54*, 58* w/KBS $Taper X-Stiff
Bettinardi Queen B 10 34.5"
Titleist Pro V1 or Snell MTB-X

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Try the aftermarket shafts that Revolution golf are offering.....Mitsubishi Fubuki J series....as supported by My Golf Spy.  

 

http://access.revolutiongolf.com/mitsubishi-fubuki-driver-shaft-and-uni-fit-system?email=fozcycle@icloud.com&utm_source=SpecialOffers&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=B&utm_campaign=MitsubishiFubuki

Driver: image.png.6ba1c8a254ad57aa05e527b74c2e04ba.png0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft

Fairways:  image.png.80321f01fc46450b6f428c7daf7b3471.png0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB  regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft

Hybrid: None in bag at the moment

IronsTitleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour

Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm).

Putter: 33” Evnroll ER6R or  ER2 or Bellum Winmore Model 707,   or Nike Method Core Drone  w/Evnroll Gravity Grip

Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). 

Ball: Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel

Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder

 

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Try the aftermarket shafts that Revolution golf are offering.....Mitsubishi Fubuki J series....as supported by My Golf Spy.  

 

http://access.revolutiongolf.com/mitsubishi-fubuki-driver-shaft-and-uni-fit-system?email=fozcycle@icloud.com&utm_source=SpecialOffers&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=B&utm_campaign=MitsubishiFubuki

 

Nice link foz, but I'm afraid there is one glaring flaw in the spiel.

The shaft is NOT the engine of any club. YOU the golfer swinging the club are the engine - you do the work that creates the energy. The shaft is more like the "transmission" of the engine - is simply transmits the energy you have provided to the clubhead and then to the ball. Without an engine, the shaft is just an inert carbon based rod. And a pretty expensive one at that sometimes.

I hope I cleared that up for the readers.

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Try the aftermarket shafts that Revolution golf are offering.....Mitsubishi Fubuki J series....as supported by My Golf Spy.

 

http://access.revolutiongolf.com/mitsubishi-fubuki-driver-shaft-and-uni-fit-system?email=fozcycle@icloud.com&utm_source=SpecialOffers&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=B&utm_campaign=MitsubishiFubuki

Well, now that I've read that it's the "perfect shaft" and I'll gain 20-30 yards off the tee how could I not be all in? Sign me up!! :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Titleist TS3 9.5* w/Accra TZ5 65 X-Stiff
Titleist TS3 15* w/Fujikura Ventus 7X
Callaway Apex19 Hybrid 20* w/Accra TZ5 95X
Callaway Apex19 Hybrid 23* w/Accra TZ5 95X
Titleist 718 CB 5 iron w/KBS $Taper X-Stiff
Titleist 718 MB 6-PW w/KBS $Taper X-Stiff
Titleist SM7 Wedges 50*, 54*, 58* w/KBS $Taper X-Stiff
Bettinardi Queen B 10 34.5"
Titleist Pro V1 or Snell MTB-X

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Well, now that I've read that it's the "perfect shaft" and I'll gain 20-30 yards off the tee how could I not be all in? Sign me up!! :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

 

Only $279!

Driver: image.png.6ba1c8a254ad57aa05e527b74c2e04ba.png0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft

Fairways:  image.png.80321f01fc46450b6f428c7daf7b3471.png0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB  regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft

Hybrid: None in bag at the moment

IronsTitleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour

Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm).

Putter: 33” Evnroll ER6R or  ER2 or Bellum Winmore Model 707,   or Nike Method Core Drone  w/Evnroll Gravity Grip

Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). 

Ball: Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel

Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

It's all personal preference. Sometimes the shaft that produces the 'best numbers' doesn't carry over to the course. Depends which shaft you can comfortably swing under the gun and load when you're really tired. 

Sometimes that's a stock shaft and sometimes it's a shaft that's an aftermarket shaft that's 4 years old.

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I've tinkered enough to know what generally fits me and what I like from a feel perspective.  Where I really dialed in, though, was with a professional fitting and I'd echo what others have said in support of getting properly fit for all your clubs.

 

I once thought that the expensive Graphite Design shaft would help me be more accurate but in the end I found that was not the case at all.  In fact I don't much care for GD shafts.  In my woods I'm a fan of Fujikura, HZRDUS and Kuro Kage shafts and that's pretty much it for me.  Yeah, I can hit other shafts fine but they are sub-optimal for me.  So it doesn't matter if it's a $500 upgrade shaft or a stock shaft...if it's optimal for me then I'll play it.

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Long story short - yes and no. I shall attempt to elaborate why....

 

A a general rule, "aftermarket" shafts are a universal fitting option to just about any club with a basic set of specs for tip size, length, weight and flex. The benefit of this option is that a particular shaft and it's inherent qualities can be selected and used to compliment the equipment and it's player for a truly accurate fit. "High-end" aftermarket shafts will tend to be expensive for the research technology and component quality that go into them and the cost to develop, manufacture them and market them.

The ratio of tech to component structure may vary, but generally if the product has a lot of exotic fibres with light weight properties in it's construction, then it will be a pretty expensive shaft.

So in general, an aftermarket shaft can be used to good effect to identify a particular profile, flex, weight and performance to match a player characteristic for a very accurate fitting. Each aftermarket shaft will have it's own unique characteristic that makes it ideal for a certain type of player.

That's the good part.

The downside (apart from actual cost) is that there are so many aftermarket shafts, that accurate fitting is paramount. Then accurate building and assembly. Naturally, this racks up the unit cost even more. Then, because of the precise nature of of each aftermarket shaft, the fitting tolerances that can be attained only really apply to the small target audience of those who can reap their benefits. What do I mean by this?

Well, if we take a classic aftermarket shaft such as the Diamana Whiteboard (or similar) then it only really "fits" a small spectrum of golfers - let's say about 10% of the golfing population.

 

This is where stock or "made-for" shafts have the upper hand. They posses the same general characteristics of their more expensive cousins, but instead of fitting a potential target audience of 10%, they now fit a wider spectrum of golfers - lets say 25%. This is because the overall characteristics are usually "normalised" (often referred to as "watered-down"). This enables the shaft to be slightly softer in profile, slightly higher in launch and slightly different in weight to get the more "average" golfer into a better fit with more complimentary features.

This is great news for OEMs for two reasons: firstly their costs will be lower, meaning the product can be made and marketed at a reasonable price for consumers. Secondly, because the performance profile is somewhat more "flattering" to the consumer with is softer overall profile, it makes for an easier to hit, longer driving club which makes the product look better on paper.

It's no surprise that OEM's of clubs and shafts are in constant talks with each other to negotiate costs for their products and what will compliment each other in sales. For instance, the shaft OEM will want the best opportunity to "showcase" their shaft tech with the latest driver that will compliment it. Likewise, the club OEM will want to pick the best shaft OEM to enhance it's sales and performance of it's latest gear. It's a two-way battle which helps to drive down costs for the consumer, but can also give a healthy margin in sales too if the right shaft to head ratio is chosen. Nothing is left to chance in marketing and you can bet that the head and shaft have been carefully selected in advance of product launch to give the best possible sales...it's almost like a fashion show.

By modern standards, most stock shafts today are carefully selected to get the best possible universal fit to each club and to give it the biggest marketing appeal. This is why they tend to emulate their more expensive aftermarket paint schemes and graphics, together with their inherent performance characteristics. So, if you are like the vast majority of consumers and simply buy your clubs off the rack, then you stand a better chance of getting a decent match with a stock shaft. When you don't quite fit into the fitting parameters (stronger players and better ball strikers especially) then this is where the stock shaft may let you down and a fitting session may be in order - go back to paragraph one.

 

To summarise, each has their own benefits based on your perspective, your needs and your ability.

If your are a good all round average player, then there is nothing wrong with a stock shaft if it gives you good numbers. Buying into an expensive shaft upgrade may not be worth the expense compared to the cost. On the other hand, if you have a good fitting and identify a shaft that can transform your game into something much better, then it would be worth every penny.

 

One piece of advice in closing - some OEM's actually use shafts that are aftermarket for their stock offering on some models. This further confuses some, but at the same time attracts others, as a "stock" aftermarket shaft can be excellent value when it's value is considered the club is comes with, but never use this as your #1 factor in choosing a club. Get fit whenever you can for sure, but don't ever let ego, machismo, or the fashionistas ever get in the way of being a deciding factor in which shaft you play.

That goes for stock or aftermarket shafts, most of which are excellent quality these days. The stock shafts of the early days of graphite technology probably rightly deserved their reputation of "junk"but todays shafts are made to better tolerances with better component quality.

Indeed, it's even possible to buy a quality aftermarket for less money than it's stock counterpart. Bizarre.

Great post....thanks.....helped answer a few questions rolling thru my head on the subject.

 

Sent from my 6045O using MyGolfSpy mobile app

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