Spine-Align Driver Shaft?

[PlaidJacket]

I need some schooling from you experts out here.

 

I'm not a club builder and not much of a club tinker'er either. About the only work I do is regripping. However, I have been messing around some lately experimenting with a few different shafts for my new Cobra FZ+. So here's my question. And this applies to any adjustable head club.

 

What's the point in Spine-Aligning a driver shaft when it might later be placed in the head at a different position from where the spine was aligned? Doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of aligning the shaft in the first place? 

 

I'm not sure how when spine-aligning a shaft without the head initially attached and in your prefered position/setting (just a bare shaft less adapter - perhaps with a grip) and then attaching the head in some position like we all do that the spine alignment is still aligned. It's not. Seems like you can't have it both ways. The spine doesn't change but by inserting the shaft in the head at your prefered setting it's now not aligned.

 

I'm sure one or more of you guys can set me straight.

[null]

You're correct. Spine aligning only makes sense if you're never going to change the head setting without re-installing the adapter tip.

[hckymeyer]

Yup, if you constantly tinker and adjust settings it doesn't make sense.

 

If you fit the settings and driver and find the perfect combo (I.e. you are done adjusting) then you could spine align to that position once you've found it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[PMookie]

My KZG isn't adjustable, so I'm glad I had it aligned!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[PlaidJacket]

I think you two guys, Lukes, Meyer you've already confirmed my thoughts. I'm not planning to SA anything I'm working on. I don't even have the tool to do this type of work.

My SLDR set in the same position it's been in for years. Perfect as far as I can see. Therefore no need to SA it.

However, all my irons are SA. Aerotech SF shafts. 

Thanks you guys making me feel sane this morning., 

[null]

I think you two guys, Lukes, Meyer you've already confirmed my thoughts. I'm not planning to SA anything I'm working on. I don't even have the tool to do this type of work.

My SLDR set in the same position it's been in for years. Perfect as far as I can see. Therefore no need to SA it.

However, all my irons are SA. Aerotech SF shafts.

Thanks you guys making me feel sane this morning.,

And then there's this:

 

https://www.titleist.com/teamtitleist/team-titleist/f/302/t/14243

 

The Titleist Golf Club R&D group has conducted testing with tour and better players to compare performance between shafts that have been PURE'D and shafts that have not.  We have never been able to see or measure any performance difference whatsoever.  Therefore, we do not feel PURING adds any performance improvement or benefit.

 

We have no plans to offer PURE'D shafts and do not endorse or recommend the process for Titleist clubs.

 

Tour players can indeed have their shafts pure'd. However, we feel that this process can only make a psychological difference vs a measurable performance difference based on our extensive testing as stated above.  It is also important to note that not 'all' tour players play with pure'd shafts.  In fact, most of our Titleist Tour players do not have their shafts pure'd.

 

Titleist stands behind the performance of our product 100% with the shafts and processes we have tested ourselves within our own facilities using our own equipment.

[null]

In the old days spining and puring might have made sense.

 

But with better manufacturing, better QA and tighter tolerances, the only people that still really argue for this type service are club builders who offer it as an upcharge.

 

OEM club and shaft companies have repeatedly said that it is completely unnecessary.

[PlaidJacket]

The guy that built my clubs spine-aligned my shafts (irons) as a normal course of business/service. No upcharge. Although it's probably factored into his overall pricing. That's fine. I can't say if there's any difference because I didn't have anything to compare against. Can't hurt I suppose and adds to the custom service/build quality I guess.

My fitter didn't buy into the PURE method he said because it's too expensive to get into. He's a small custom shop. He uses the old roller bearing method. If I were building irons I'd do the same thing too. What's it going to hurt?

I also go with the Titleist info lukes posted. Sounds pretty solid if you axe me.

[PMookie]

I see the “puring” of iron shafts like the extra sticker on a new car... “Dealer add-on” and all it does is provide more “pad”, profit.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[03trdblack]

If anyone has actually felt the spine of a steel shaft then I'm thinking more would get their iron shafts spine aligned. When a steel shaft is made they take a piece of metal, roll it over and weld down one side which creates a very stiff spine. The spines on graphite shafts are usually a lot softer and less likely to affect any kind of shaft performance.

 

I look at it in the fact that it's one less variable that I have to consider so I always build any clubs I make with a spine alignment unless it's a driver shaft that's in a adjustable tip and then I usually put the logo down based on the position I plan on playing the tip.

[Kor.A.Door]

Meyer nailed it. You would have to find you setting that works best, then remove the adjustable tip, then spine align the shaft, then attach the tip to the setting and the aligned part of the shaft. Also, personally, the shafts that are made nowadays are so good, I don't think that spine aligning is even that necessary.

[RookieBlue7]

The point of an adjustable tip driver isn't tinkering, its a fitting tool to allow fine tuning and then be left alone. It's purpose isn't to fix swing flaws honestly. So you'd find your setting and then install the shaft in the spined position (though spinning is virtually useless on graphite these days as there's not really a defined seam/hard side). FLO, at a minimum, is what I'd do.

[Kegger]

It's a small sample size, but I thought this was an interesting test of shaft Pure'ing. I know it has been linked to on MGS before, because that's how I initially came across it, I just don't recall where:

https://pluggedingolf.com/does-pureing-a-shaft-improve-performance-golf-myths-unplugged/

 

Me personally, I was just fitted for a driver and it's being built right now. I opted to let the fitter build the shaft which includes Pure'ing. Will it make a huge difference? Only time will tell since this will be my first Pure'd club. 

 

As for manufacturing getting better, I would like to refute this.. Sure the processes are getting better, but with the mass production of some of these shafts, it can be a toss up for what you actually get. My Fujikura Pro 50 shaft for instance is an R flex, but actually measured between S and X when tested by my fitter. The fact that some tolerances can be this wide, makes me question other tolerances as well..

[cnosil]

. My Fujikura Pro 50 shaft for instance is an R flex, but actually measured between S and X when tested by my fitter. The fact that some tolerances can be this wide, makes me question other tolerances as well..

That may not be a tolerance issue. It may just be how that shafts R flex specs out. There is no standard R flex between manufacturers. And sometimes within the same manufacturer. You would have to measure multiple shafts to see if it is truly a tolerance problem.

[jaskanski]

It's a small sample size, but I thought this was an interesting test of shaft Pure'ing. I know it has been linked to on MGS before, because that's how I initially came across it, I just don't recall where:

https://pluggedingolf.com/does-pureing-a-shaft-improve-performance-golf-myths-unplugged/

 

Me personally, I was just fitted for a driver and it's being built right now. I opted to let the fitter build the shaft which includes Pure'ing. Will it make a huge difference? Only time will tell since this will be my first Pure'd club. 

 

As for manufacturing getting better, I would like to refute this.. Sure the processes are getting better, but with the mass production of some of these shafts, it can be a toss up for what you actually get. My Fujikura Pro 50 shaft for instance is an R flex, but actually measured between S and X when tested by my fitter. The fact that some tolerances can be this wide, makes me question other tolerances as well..

 

 

The manufacturing process has nothing to do with how the shaft flex category is designated. That part is up to the OEM - after all, what exactly is regular or stiff? It's not a defined absolute. You may as well call it by another name or even colour, purely and simply to differentiate one from another. Once you can compare apples to apples, then you have a basis for questioning the flex. But since you can't, because flex is a completely open interpretation from one OEM to another, it's not a clear cut indictment to the manufacturing prowess of any OEM - who incidentally are pretty tight on tolerances these days to make any form of alignment for a single club to be pretty pointless.

As for Puring, don't even get me started on that either. 

[Kegger]

That may not be a tolerance issue. It may just be how that shafts R flex specs out. There is no standard R flex between manufacturers. And sometimes within the same manufacturer. You would have to measure multiple shafts to see if it is truly a tolerance problem.

 

 

The manufacturing process has nothing to do with how the shaft flex category is designated. That part is up to the OEM - after all, what exactly is regular or stiff? It's not a defined absolute. You may as well call it by another name or even colour, purely and simply to differentiate one from another. Once you can compare apples to apples, then you have a basis for questioning the flex. But since you can't, because flex is a completely open interpretation from one OEM to another, it's not a clear cut indictment to the manufacturing prowess of any OEM - who incidentally are pretty tight on tolerances these days to make any form of alignment for a single club to be pretty pointless.

As for Puring, don't even get me started on that either. 

 

Yes, there is the issue with standard flex designations and it not being a "true" apple to apples comparison. My comparison of the flex was based off of the tested shaft frequency and the stiffness designations given by the fitter's database. Now, the shaft I mentioned was also the OEM made-for shaft, not a Fujikura direct shaft. So was that the correct frequency for a made-for R flex Fujikura Pro 50 shaft? Possibly? But it was also a long ways off from the other Fujikura shafts I tested and is why I called into question the tolerances of OEMs.

 

Now I could also be way off base here, I will admit that I am no expert. I'm just sharing what I saw during my driver fitting.

[jaskanski]

But what is the correct frequency for a R flex shaft? Since the OEM has no idea what length it is intended to be fitted at or what head weight is attached to it - the frequency range could be broad enough to be "categorised" as anything. And how is the frequency being measured? What is the bend profile or EI curve? The list of anomalies is endless - but the one aspect that is overlooked is the part the matters the most. That being - If it fits, what does it matter what it is?

[txgolfjunkie]

It's a placebo for some golfers. I remember finding the spine on my irons shaft and swore I saw better dispersion...when in reality it was all between the ears. Shafts these days don't need PURE'ing unless you think you'll play better with it. 

[JAGolfore]

When I got fit at club champion last month they asked me if I wanted my driver shaft pured.  I asked if the shaft I was hitting was pured and they said no.  My question is then why would I want to change what I got fit into.  They didn't have an answer.  I feel its not worth the extra $.

[DPattGolf]

txgolfjunkie is correct. Shaft no longer need PUREing. Just a service upcharge that doesn't provide a measurable performance benefit now that manufacturing has improved.