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Is an aftermarket shaft worth it?


Golf84

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I have never done a real club fitting, only have done the ones at Dick's or Edwin Watts.  I'm in the market to buy the new SIM driver, if I'm not willing to pay $300-$500 for an aftermarket shaft, is it even worth paying $150 to get fitted for a driver? 

SIM $550, fitting $150, shaft $300-500...not really looking to spend over $1K on a driver...so with that in mind, is it even worth getting fitted for an aftermarket shaft?

 

Edited by Golf84
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I'm certainly not any sort of expert on shafts. Not by a long shot. Here's an experience and discussion I once had while visiting Club Champion in Austin, Texas...

I was talking to a fitter in their store one day about their clubs and fitting process. Toward the end of our discussion I picked up a random head that were lining the walls of the fitting area and also grabbed a shaft and asked, "what would this driver/shaft combination cost me should I decide to buy?" He looked at my selection and said probably around ~$600+  not including fitting fee. Ouch! I asked the price of the head and shaft and he replied that the shaft alone was about ~$400+. I then asked wouldn't it be possible for him to fit me into a great playing driver if I purchased a shaft that only cost $150-$200. Absolutely 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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2 hours ago, Golf84 said:

I have never done a real club fitting, only have done the ones at Dick's or Edwin Watts.  I'm in the market to buy the new SIM driver, if I'm not willing to pay $300-$500 for an aftermarket shaft, is it even worth paying $150 to get fitted for a driver? 

SIM $550, fitting $150, shaft $300-500...not really looking to spend over $1K on a driver...so with that in mind, is it even worth getting fitted for an aftermarket shaft?

 

if you don't want aftermarket, you should at least get fit for the stock shafts.   You should be able to find something withing their offering that works the best for your swing.   Most manufacturers have a good selection of shaft profiles.    

Not all aftermarket shafts are in the $300-$500 range.  You can get aftermarket from $75 and up.   

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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Let's re-arrange these questions in the order you should be asking them.
Should I get fit for a driver? Is the $100-$150 worth it?  In my opinion, absolutely yes.  From the sound of things you've never been through a quality driver fitting.  Unless you randomly found a great fit with your current driver it's pretty good odds that you are leaving yards on the table.  Start with the driver fitting and that will help answer the remaining questions.
I'm in the market for a SIM driver.  Ok so this one isn't really a question, but how sure are you that you want a SIM?  What if that's not the best driver for you?  Go in to the driver fitting with an open mind and you may end up with the SIM, but it's also possible you end up in something else.  Only you can decide if you just want a SIM or if you want the best driver for your game
Is an aftermarket shaft worth it?  This isn't really a fair question.  There is such a range of shafts out there that any random aftermarket shaft, regardless of cost, is really a crap shoot if it will fit you without going through a driver fitting.  For me personally I found the cost completely worth it.  But I also sourced the shaft myself and built it, so with a used head, used shaft and doing the work myself it ended up costing less than buying a stock new setup. The question isn't "Is an aftermarket shaft worth the cost"  the question should be "Is the best shaft for my game worth the cost?"  Only you can answer that question, and it's entirely possible the best shaft for you is a stock or no up-charge option 
At the end of the day it's your time and money so only you can decide if the costs are worth the performance gains.  But I would absolutely go in for a true quality driver fitting before anything else.  You're going to drop $550 on a new driver, it seems almost fiscally irresponsible to not do a fitting first to make sure you are getting the proper specs and shaft for your game.
Last advice, if an aftermarket shaft is out of your budget I would recommend letting the fitter know that going in.  Almost every OEM has a list of no-upcharge shafts that is larger than the 2 or 3 stock offerings they have in the store.  Just let the fitter know that you are limited in shaft selection to any no up-charge shaft before you start the fitting, a good fitter will be able to work with that.
This is very sound advice.
OP are you are willing to drop $550 on a new SIM driver and also willing to get fit for $150 but not looking at paying the premium for an upcharge shaft correct? If this is the case my advice would be to get fit for whatever driver works best for you and then possibly piece it together on the used market. You may get that same perfect $1000 setup for closer to the original cost + fitting fee.

Sent from my Moto Z3 Play using MyGolfSpy mobile app

 

 

 

What is in my Sun Mountain C-130 bag or Jones MyGolfSpy bag

Driver:    :cobra-small: Dark speed LS 8* set to -1.5* with an Attas Daaas 4x shaft @ 45”

Fairway: :srixon-small: F85 3 wood with a XPhplexx Agera X @ 42.5”

 :srixon-small: F85 5 wood with a UST Elements Chrome 7F5 @ 41.5"

Driving Iron: :ping-small: Rapture 2-Iron 

Irons: :edel-golf-1: SMS Pros 4-PW with Steelfiber I95s 

Wedges: :edel-golf-1: SMS 50* T grind with Steelfiber i110s

               :ping-small: Glide 4.0 46* zz wedge shaft

               :ping-small: Glide 4.0 E grind 54* zz wedge shaft

Putters: :L.A.B.: Mezz.1 34” 69* lie

              :EVNROLL: EV5.1 black 33.5” 69* lie

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Personally did the club champion fitting last year. Bought the upgraded shaft and everything. It didn’t work out for me. I ended up putting my old shaft in less than a month later. The fit is what matters not which shaft for sure.
Now let me say a good shaft can make a huge difference but if the shaft doesn’t fit your swing it doesn’t matter how much of a premium shaft it is. My favorite shaft is a Tour AD DI 6x always end up going back to it. Five different drivers and everytime I end up putting this shaft in. That being said it took a lot of fittings and miss fittings for me to come up with this. Sadly only had a couple of good driver fittings over the years. Rest have been garbage. You can blame my swing indoors or fitters that don’t know my tendencies or just not swinging well on those days, not sure. I’m kind of rambling but let me finish with fittings in my opinion are shots in the dark. You May get a good one or a bad one but finding the right shaft to fit you will make a unbelievable difference.


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A fitting with a good fitter is worth the cost. There’s no guarantee an aftermarket shaft will work better for you over a stock. Several brands including TaylorMade are offering some aftermarket shafts as stock like the smoke green, yellow or black. Callaway offering the new Aldila rogue.

Getting fit is better than buying off the rack. The value of an aftermarket shaft vs a stock and whether it’s worth it can only be determined by the individual person purchasing it.

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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I have never done a real club fitting, only have done the ones at Dick's or Edwin Watts.  I'm in the market to buy the new SIM driver, if I'm not willing to pay $300-$500 for an aftermarket shaft, is it even worth paying $150 to get fitted for a driver? 
SIM $550, fitting $150, shaft $300-500...not really looking to spend over $1K on a driver...so with that in mind, is it even worth getting fitted for an aftermarket shaft?
 

I will say the fitting I did with our Titleist rep at a demo-day last year was phenomenal, and every shaft he had was no up charge. They have a TON of shafts to choose from, where some others don’t offer as many. TM and Callaway had a good number, but nowhere near the options Titleist did, so, yes, you can find a shaft without an up charge that will work.
I have done fittings and bought after market most times as the numbers were noticeably different. I’m willing to pay, within reason, to max my numbers.


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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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IMO you should pay the most attention to the head. Launch Angle, Spin Rate, Forgiveness... all basically influenced by the clubhead - not to forget Sound and Looks. Don´t get me wrong: I am not saying that shafts don´t matter. They`re very important when it comes to timing, feel, drip,...so to say can move / tighten the hitting zone on the clubface. But for me this is more "fine-tuning" and needs a pretty reliable swing (for sure flex and profile must not be completely wrong for one´s swing).

I am sure, SIM is a great driver (haven´t hit it yet)... but so are many others. My reco is to not exclude them from the beginning. Go with whatever makes your bad hits less punishing, not your good shots better.

PS: A Fitting is always a good idea in my opinion 😃

Edited by Myaghi
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FWIW, Project X shafts that come stock in drivers and woods are actually the real shafts.  Some companies make a lesser shaft with the same name for stock options.  For example, I remember the Fujikura Speeder in the Titleist 975 series was just a fancy paint job on a bargain shaft.  If you get a Project X, its the same as if you bought it aftermarket.  

 

I'm not sure who else falls into those categories.  

:titelist-small:   :projectx:

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FWIW, Project X shafts that come stock in drivers and woods are actually the real shafts.  Some companies make a lesser shaft with the same name for stock options.  For example, I remember the Fujikura Speeder in the Titleist 975 series was just a fancy paint job on a bargain shaft.  If you get a Project X, its the same as if you bought it aftermarket.  
 
I'm not sure who else falls into those categories.  

There is still a distinction between Project X Hzrdus and Project X Hzrdus hand-crafted. They don’t have the same torque, weight, etc.


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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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That's alarming - since I have a driver fitting schedule at CC in late Feb...


I think it’s a lot like getting a lesson at golftec the fitter makes all the difference. You can have good and bad lessons and good and bad fitters. Check around and make sure the fitter you are scheduled with is good. They will have several different fitters.
Also think they may push there staff to certain shafts that they get special deals on. I have seen patterns in their fittings for a while everyone one was pushed to a tpt shaft. Over half the shafts they tried me in I had never heard off but never mentioned tpt even though I wanted to try it.


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25 minutes ago, PMookie said:


There is still a distinction between Project X Hzrdus and Project X Hzrdus hand-crafted. They don’t have the same torque, weight, etc.


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Do you have the literature on that?

:titelist-small:   :projectx:

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Except I just moved to this area, and don't know anyone who's been to this Club Champion. Maybe it's just me, but I think asking around is much easier said than done for many players - and that's why fittings can be a coin toss. I agree WRT a free fitting, but I don't think I should have to "ask around" for a paid fitting, but probably naive.

I agree completely, but that’s the way it is. I found out after the fact that I went to the wrong guy. May not have made a difference but I won’t risk it again.
Other thing I didn’t like with club champion is that I paid full price for the club and aftermarket shaft but didn’t get the stock shaft. So, last week when I traded the club in with TM I had to get a stock shaft for trade in. Didn’t want to trade in the aftermarket shaft.


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1 hour ago, PMookie said:


There is still a distinction between Project X Hzrdus and Project X Hzrdus hand-crafted. They don’t have the same torque, weight, etc.


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That is false. The difference between them is where they were/are made. They are designed to the same specs with the non hc being made in Asia, while up until a couple years ago the hc being made in San Diego. Now they are all made in Asia. I spent time with the PX team a few years ago, this question came up then and has come up on multiple forums and PX has confirmed they are designed to the same specs. 
 

I’ve seen others ask about titleist having different specs listed compared to what px has listed and px confirmed the shaft titleist has was the same as the rest and the difference was in how titleist measures certain specs compared to how px does. The TM site has a pic of a hzrdus green that the specs on the shaft don’t match the px specs and px has confirmed the shaft available in SIM is the same as listed on px website 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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20 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

That is false. The difference between them is where they were/are made. They are designed to the same specs with the non hc being made in Asia, while up until a couple years ago the hc being made in San Diego. Now they are all made in Asia. I spent time with the PX team a few years ago, this question came up then and has come up on multiple forums and PX has confirmed they are designed to the same specs. 
 

I’ve seen others ask about titleist having different specs listed compared to what px has listed and px confirmed the shaft titleist has was the same as the rest and the difference was in how titleist measures certain specs compared to how px does. The TM site has a pic of a hzrdus green that the specs on the shaft don’t match the px specs and px has confirmed the shaft available in SIM is the same as listed on px website 

I spent some time there too!  The designer himself stated they are the same shaft.  

:titelist-small:   :projectx:

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 1/30/2020 at 9:58 AM, ACslater said:

FWIW, Project X shafts that come stock in drivers and woods are actually the real shafts.  Some companies make a lesser shaft with the same name for stock options.  For example, I remember the Fujikura Speeder in the Titleist 975 series was just a fancy paint job on a bargain shaft.  If you get a Project X, its the same as if you bought it aftermarket.  

 

I'm not sure who else falls into those categories.  

I've wondered about this issue. It seems like a lot of the "stock" shafts are also "made for" shafts. The Taylor made M6 which is now selling for $350 has a Fuji Atmos Orange shaft. However, the Fuji web site doesn't offer an Atmos Orange and the Atmos Red (or Blue) after market shafts cost about $250. I know a lot of OEMs do offer a variety of name brand shafts, but are they the same quality as the after market version?

Drive for Show; Putt for Dough

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Short answer is no. Made for shafts are cheaper version just using the brand name. Great example is the new ventus shaft Taylor made is using in the SIM woods. These don’t have velocore which is what makes a ventus shaft so popular. Without velocore the ventus is just like any other shaft.
Ventus with velocore shafts run $300 on eBay
TM ventus lucky to get $100 on eBay


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21 minutes ago, Hoganman1 said:

I've wondered about this issue. It seems like a lot of the "stock" shafts are also "made for" shafts. The Taylor made M6 which is now selling for $350 has a Fuji Atmos Orange shaft. However, the Fuji web site doesn't offer an Atmos Orange and the Atmos Red (or Blue) after market shafts cost about $250. I know a lot of OEMs do offer a variety of name brand shafts, but are they the same quality as the after market version?

Depends on the shaft and brand. Shaft companies need to sell product and the club companies need shafts to put in clubs.

The made for titileist amt white, black and red were same quality as the original amt shafts from true temper.

When it comes to graphite there’s a lot that shaft companies can do. The majority of the made for use lower cost materials but still quality. They are mass produced but they have a design that is setup to work for the club they are going in with the goal to fit the masses. So they tend to play softer in torque and higher launching and higher spin. 
 

There are some made for that aren’t different from the aftermarket other than how/where they are made. PX used the non handcrafted hzrdus shafts for many of the brands so while not the same price as the aftermarket handcrafted one its the same specs.  The even flow blue, black and white have been the same but that’s because the don’t have a handcrafted version.

Ping works with UST in the design of the tour shaft they offer. It’s based off the ust elements shaft but tweaked to meet the design requirement that ping cane up with. You get the same quality as the ust elements shaft.

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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See my post in “2020 Drivers” about my Honma fitting yesterday. They sure CAN make a big difference!


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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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... As a life long shaft-a-holic there really is no standard answer to this question. For myself, once I found the type off shaft that gives me the best numbers, there is not much difference between similar style shafts. Here is a perfect example. I played the Rogue Black 95 and Aldila sent me the Rogue Black 110 Tour shaft to review. I liked it better in every way. It was so much smoother and felt just a hair tighter. It was a no brainer to install and play the Tour 110 version. But the truth is was there a quantifiable difference in performance? Again , the easy answer is yes, confidence alone was enough to have a performance difference. But the big question is how much of a difference? 3-5%? How does a 3-5% perceived performance difference effect my scores? Considering the RB 95 sold for $199 and the RB 110 sold for $799 I think I can safely say 3-5% is definitely not worth 4 times the price. 

... This is an example for me a 100mph and some days maybe a little less with a repeatable swing. Take someone without a repeatable swing at a more average golfer swing speed of 85-95 and they would most likely find zero difference between the 95 and 110. However someone like a Tour Pro or Pmookie that carries the ball 290+ and the dispersion and distance may certainly be enough to justify the difference. So given 2 shafts of very similar characteristics but higher quality materials and manufacturing and the results can be very different for each player. This isn't even considering those that do not know exactly what kind of weight, kick point, torque, tip stiffness and feel work best for their swing. When the original Ping Eye 2's were released Karsten Solheim, an engineer more than a golfer, believed most golfers cast the club from the top and did not have a late release so any stored energy in the shaft was already released long before impact. Basically a pre cursor to the Nunchuk shaft, Karsten offered only one shaft, and that was X Flex shafts in his Eye 2's, even women's Eye 2's because it took the shaft release out of the equation. It can be very confusing. 

... So you may find a "Made For" shaft performs better than the aftermarket version. Or the aftermarket shaft performs better. Or there is very little if any difference at all between them. I think you can see why getting fit is an absolute must if you are serious about maximizing your shaft performance and finding what works best for your individual swing. 

Driver:     :taylormade-small:  Qi10 10.5* ... Ventus Red Velocore 5R
Fairway:  :cobra-small: Aerojet 3/5 ... Kai'li Blue 60R
Hybrids:  :ping-small:      430 Hybrid 22*... Steelfiber 780Hy 
                  :taylormade-small:  DHy #4 ... Diamana LTD 65r 
Irons:       :titleist-small:         '23 T200 5-Pw ... Steelfiber i95r
Wedges:  :taylormade-small: Vokey 50*/54*/58* ... Steelfiber i95r
Putter:     :cobra-small:  Sport-60 33" 
Ball:           Maxfli     Maxfli Tour

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Quantifying better is a hard thing to do especially since each person has their own criteria for better and as we have established how much they are willing to pay for the “better”

I like to learn and I have tried to learn about shafts and profiles. There are multiple shafts with similar profiles; some stock, some inexpensive aftermarket and some exotic aftermarket. For me I started with my stock g400 max Alta shaft and was curious if I could find something better. I want to a variety of manufacturer and shaft company sites and went through their fitting tools. I like to be knowledgeable, as it puts me in the best position to make decisions. Identified Shafts ranged from $50 to $500 so To continue and experiment I selected on of the less expensive shafts, found a used one and gave it a go. Felt different and while it may not have been longer it appeared to be more consistent. Test it it on the MGS launch monitor and compared against some other shaft they had laying around. One of the things we noticed was inconsistent face contact so the recommendation we came up with was a shorter shaft. Tried a couple one and contact was
I then cut my shaft down 1.5” and found more consistent distance and better dispersion. Could I have gotten this same improvement with the stock shaft by cutting it down? Quite possibly.

Do I feel like I am maxed out? No. I think I still have distance on the table. Would that mean I need a different head? Maybe, I see the varying results from my testing the 39 drivers; some are better some are worse.
Or would a different shaft profile work better? Testing those drivers also shows me that some shafts work better than others. Stock shaft are selected to appeal to the masses and get a good workable fit, by putting a different shaft in a club you can do even more fine tuning.

In summary I think aftermarket shafts can be worth it. But just like anything else in the golf work you need to find the one that works for you. Shaft X may be a popular, well reviewed, expensive shaft but that doesn’t mean it is the right shaft for you.

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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On 1/30/2020 at 11:03 AM, Middler said:

Except I just moved to this area, and don't know anyone who's been to this Club Champion. Maybe it's just me, but I think asking around is much easier said than done for many players - and that's why fittings can be a coin toss. I agree WRT a free fitting, but I don't think I should have to "ask around" for a paid fitting, but probably naive.

It's tough when you have just moved to a new place, no doubt.  I like to think about it like finding a contractor.  Ideally, I want references.  I've written about it several times here, but when I was basically forced to go to Golf Galaxy for a fitting for my Cobra F8s in the Cobra Connect Challenge II, my initial experience was so bad that I went back the next day and demanded a new fitting from another fitter.

NC is a big state, but if you're near one of the major metro areas, I'm sure there's someone here that can make a recommendation.  We could probably all do each other a favor and start reviewing our local fitters.

And to take this back (somewhat to the OP's question), I was fit into the best of the no-cost options for the F8 driver, and the differences between the shafts were noticeable.  Would I have done better with a more exotic shaft?  Who knows - they were not an option for us.  But it was worth paying for a fitting to get the best no-cost shaft for me.

 

What's in the bag:
Driver - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Wood (13.5*) - :titleist-small: 980F 
4 Wood (18*) - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Hybrid (19*) - :taylormade-small: RBZ
4i - PW - :wilson_staff_small: D7 Forged - Recoil 760 ( S )
52* - :cleveland-small: CBX
58* - :cleveland-small: CBX Full Face 2
Putter - :ping-small: Craz-e
Bag - :1590477705_SunMountain: 2.5 (Blue)
Ball -  :titleist-small: AVX
Instagram - @hardcorelooper
Twitter - @meovino
Facebook - mike.eovino

 

 

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I’m down for paying more for a shaft if it truly performs better for me. I already waste a lot of money on clubs, like putters, that just sit in a bag for looking at.

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Tester for the Titleist TSi Driver

Spring 2020 MGS Tester for the Fujikura Motore X Shaft

Updated 07/15/2022
Driver:callaway-small: Rogue St Max LS - Autoflex
Fairway Woods:callaway-small: Rogue Max St 3HL and 7 Wood
Irons:mizuno-small: JPX 921 Hot Metal 5 to AW - Aerotech Steelfiber i95 Stiff parallel tip
Wedges:ping-small: Glide 4.0 54 and 58
Putter:  :ping-small: PLD Custom Kushin 4

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Others have touched on mostly everything I would say.  What I will agree with is that a good club fitting is worth every penny, especially in a driver.  A couple of the ones in the Minneapolis area will comp the fitting cost if you buy a driver on the spot.  For the most part, most companies have a wide enough range of standard no upcharge shafts that you can find something that fits your swing.  Will it be 100% maxing out your distance, maybe, maybe not.  Trying a range of aftermarket shafts can help to get you closer to that max, but not necessarily worth the upgrade price.  Some of the aftermarket shafts feel like a cannon when you hit them, some feel like a 2x4, some feel like a fishing rod.  The Oban Black shaft for me felt like that cannon...

Just my 2 cents.  

Driver: Taylormade '16 M2, Aldila NV 2KXV X

3W:  Taylormade '16 M2, Speeder 661 X

3:  Callaway X-forged UT 21*

4-P:  Callaway X-Forged, Modus 3 120 - S

Wedges:  50* - Callaway Apex Pro 19, 54* - Taylormade Milled Grind 2 black, 58* - Taylormade Milled Grind 2 black

Putter:  currently Odyssey Works V-Line Versa CB - 36"

Ball - Bridgestone Tour B X

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After finding and going through a quality Driver fitting (The Performance Center at Sawgrass - Josh Gumlia), I would argue you can't afford NOT to do a driver fitting. Here's what I mean......I can't tell you how many off the rack clubs I've purchased over the years (LOTS of $$) that absolutely wasn't right for me (wasted $). This is what the manufacturers count on!

Today, I'm playing my best golf ever with fitted clubs and vowed NEVER to buy another club off the rack that I know I'll abandon shortly after buying.....BECAUSE it's not right for me!

I'd recommend doing a proper fitting. Once you know what you want, search the golf forums and Market place for what you need and buy used. There's a lot of great used stuff out there! I'd even tell the fitter that you want to try several 18-19' model shafts. You can usually find 1-3 year old shafts online cheap. I've got one for sale in the classifieds here now for less than 1/2 what it cost new.

Here's another option.....find a used head you like: TM M2 (Still one of the greatest heads ever made), M5 or M6. Take that head to the fitting and find a shaft that works for you. I would think you could be all in around $500 or less. I've seen 2 M2's on local FB Market place in the last week for $100.

Just my opinion. Good luck in your search.

 :titleist-small: TSR2 - Ventus Red, 6X

 :titleist-small: TSR2 3W - Ventus Red, 7X

 :titleist-small: TSR2 5W - Ventus Red TR, 8X

 :mizuno-small: JPX 223 Tour PW-7i/JPX 223 Forged 6i-4i - Nippon Modus 130X

 :taylormade-small: MG3 - 50, 54, 58* -  Nippon Modus 130X

 :scotty-small: Scotty Cameron Circle T Futura X5 

 :titleist-small: Titleist Prov1

 

 

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23 minutes ago, dalejbrass said:

After finding and going through a quality Driver fitting (The Performance Center at Sawgrass - Josh Gumlia), I would argue you can't afford NOT to do a driver fitting. Here's what I mean......I can't tell you how many off the rack clubs I've purchased over the years (LOTS of $$) that absolutely wasn't right for me (wasted $). This is what the manufacturers count on!

Today, I'm playing my best golf ever with fitted clubs and vowed NEVER to buy another club off the rack that I know I'll abandon shortly after buying.....BECAUSE it's not right for me!

I'd recommend doing a proper fitting. Once you know what you want, search the golf forums and Market place for what you need and buy used. There's a lot of great used stuff out there! I'd even tell the fitter that you want to try several 18-19' model shafts. You can usually find 1-3 year old shafts online cheap. I've got one for sale in the classifieds here now for less than 1/2 what it cost new.

Here's another option.....find a used head you like: TM M2 (Still one of the greatest heads ever made), M5 or M6. Take that head to the fitting and find a shaft that works for you. I would think you could be all in around $500 or less. I've seen 2 M2's on local FB Market place in the last week for $100.

Just my opinion. Good luck in your search.

Josh is a great fitter. He’s been ping fitter of the year a few times. He did all my fittings here in Maryland for years. Fortunately his replacement is pretty good too. Glad you had a good experience with him. 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 1/26/2020 at 6:44 AM, Golf84 said:

I have never done a real club fitting, only have done the ones at Dick's or Edwin Watts.  I'm in the market to buy the new SIM driver, if I'm not willing to pay $300-$500 for an aftermarket shaft, is it even worth paying $150 to get fitted for a driver? 

SIM $550, fitting $150, shaft $300-500...not really looking to spend over $1K on a driver...so with that in mind, is it even worth getting fitted for an aftermarket shaft?

 

 

On 1/26/2020 at 9:08 AM, hckymeyer said:

Let's re-arrange these questions in the order you should be asking them.

Should I get fit for a driver? Is the $100-$150 worth it?  In my opinion, absolutely yes.  From the sound of things you've never been through a quality driver fitting.  Unless you randomly found a great fit with your current driver it's pretty good odds that you are leaving yards on the table.  Start with the driver fitting and that will help answer the remaining questions.

I'm in the market for a SIM driver.  Ok so this one isn't really a question, but how sure are you that you want a SIM?  What if that's not the best driver for you?  Go in to the driver fitting with an open mind and you may end up with the SIM, but it's also possible you end up in something else.  Only you can decide if you just want a SIM or if you want the best driver for your game

Is an aftermarket shaft worth it?  This isn't really a fair question.  There is such a range of shafts out there that any random aftermarket shaft, regardless of cost, is really a crap shoot if it will fit you without going through a driver fitting.  For me personally I found the cost completely worth it.  But I also sourced the shaft myself and built it, so with a used head, used shaft and doing the work myself it ended up costing less than buying a stock new setup. The question isn't "Is an aftermarket shaft worth the cost"  the question should be "Is the best shaft for my game worth the cost?"  Only you can answer that question, and it's entirely possible the best shaft for you is a stock or no up-charge option 

At the end of the day it's your time and money so only you can decide if the costs are worth the performance gains.  But I would absolutely go in for a true quality driver fitting before anything else.  You're going to drop $550 on a new driver, it seems almost fiscally irresponsible to not do a fitting first to make sure you are getting the proper specs and shaft for your game.

Last advice, if an aftermarket shaft is out of your budget I would recommend letting the fitter know that going in.  Almost every OEM has a list of no-upcharge shafts that is larger than the 2 or 3 stock offerings they have in the store.  Just let the fitter know that you are limited in shaft selection to any no up-charge shaft before you start the fitting, a good fitter will be able to work with that.

Late to the party on this thread, but if you have already purchased hopefully you got a fitting. I will add my $0.02 cents into the mix...

Should I get fit for a driver? Is the $100-$150 worth it?  Depends on where you live at, and that is because some are better than others. Club champion charges that because they have a huge amount of overhead to cover their high quality fitters, but they do have specials from time to time. However my shop charges $100 but if you buy clubs after it is only $50. Make sure they test how you load the shaft so you can get a few options you like.

I'm in the market for a SIM driver... Well be open to other options that might perform better...

Is an aftermarket shaft worth it? Worth is all in your opinion. In mine it is not even a question. Be smart though there are forums on here to do trades and ebay you can always snag deals. I bought my Tensei CK Pro white for $110 on ebay after the seller had it sit for weeks the shaft goes for $325+ new. Shafts last a long time just make sure to ask to take the grip off and get a serial number to make sure it is real.Same goes for the driver as well. You can find an answer man's club on ebay for way cheaper. I bought my Sim for $325, but look for senior regular and ladies flexes since they bid less when you're going to change the shaft anyway. Total spent on my sim $435 + $100 for my fitting and I am out the door cheaper than a brand new one.

These are just my $0.02 but the fitting is key since it is very difficult for an ameatour to figure things out on there own. Once you have the knowledge then use tools and resources to help make your budget go further. 

Driver:taylormade-small: SIM 10.5, Graphite Design Tour AD-XC 6X 

Woods:titelist-small: TSi2 16.5, Fujikura Ventus Blue 7X

Hybrid: :ping-small: G410 3&4H, Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 95X 

Irons:titelist-small: T-100 3-PW, Nippon Modus 120 X 

Wedges: :mizuno-small: T20, DG TI S400, 50/56/60

Putter:  :EVNROLL: ER1.2 W/BGT Stability Shaft

Ball:  :titelist-small: ProV1X-Optic Yellow

Bag: :ping-small: Pioneer

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