Graphite Tour AD XC Driver Shaftu

[RollingGreens]

I did some research and purchased a stiff Graphite Tour AD XC 6S driver shaft. On paper it looked like what I was looking for. I previously played a Projext X Hzrdus Smoke Black- which had a tendency to feel boards. I was looking for a little bit higher kick point, stiffer tip section, and lower spinning. 
taking dry swing with the Graphite Tour feels great, but once I start to take some action swinsg I feel like at impact the handle is a “noodle” , which is the shaft profile to a point. Where their is more give in the handle section. I don’t have any numbers right now but I can tell you my dispersion and distance were all better compared to the Project X. Basically my question is, is this normal to feel this sort of bending at impact vs the downswing? It worries me that I may need a stiffer or heavier profile, but results say it doing what I want it to. I have a moderate tempo, but am more of a swinger. 

[null]

It could be just how you’re translating the feel vs what is actually happening 

To some people a softer handle will result in feeling more and a stiffer handle will give an illusion of a more stable shaft 

I personally love a shaft that is softer in the handle   
 

If the performance is there and the feeling isn’t causing poor results then you should stick with it to see if you eventually adapt to the feel. playing the PX Black definitely conditioned you to liking a stiffer overall feel , but as you said, feel isn’t exactly an indication of performance 
 

 

[RollingGreens]

1 minute ago, jlukes said:

It could be just how you’re translating the feel vs what is actually happening 

To some people a softer handle will result in feeling more and a stiffer handle will give an illusion of a more stable shaft 

I personally love a shaft that is softer in the handle   
 

If the performance is there and the feeling isn’t causing poor results then you should stick with it to see if you eventually adapt to the feel. playing the PX Black definitely conditioned you to liking a stiffer overall feel , but as you said, feel isn’t exactly an indication of performance 
 

 

That’s exactly what I’m thinking. It’s just very different to feel like the handle bending at impact but the club face staying stable vs closing or opening. Which I assume is due to the stiff tip profile?

[null]

3 minutes ago, RollingGreens said:

That’s exactly what I’m thinking. It’s just very different to feel like the handle bending at impact but the club face staying stable vs closing or opening. Which I assume is due to the stiff tip profile?

It could be due to a variety of things - overall shaft profile (progressively stiffer from butt to tip, torque, swing weight, materials, etc.  And the crazy thing is if you hand someone else that same club they might describe entirely different sensations.  It is why club fitting is so important - there are very few absolutes when it comes to things like this.

 

[RollingGreens]

3 minutes ago, jlukes said:

It could be due to a variety of things - overall shaft profile (progressively stiffer from butt to tip, torque, swing weight, materials, etc.  And the crazy thing is if you hand someone else that same club they might describe entirely different sensations.  It is why club fitting is so important - there are very few absolutes when it comes to things like this.

 

Thankfully I can get on a lunch monitor a few times this week to get a better understanding of my numbers with the new shaft vs the old

[RollingGreens]

Is it typical to feel the bend profile only at impact and not with practice or dry swings

Edited February 24, 2021 by RollingGreens

[null]

9 minutes ago, RollingGreens said:

Is it typical to feel the bend profile only at impact and not with practice or dry swings

Again that varies by player.  The materials used and the profile can lead to different sensations when the ball is struck.  Graphite Design shafts are notorious for being very "feely" shafts, you might just be feeling different things that other shafts (especially something in the profile of a PX Black) didn't allow you to feel.

[RickyBobby_PR]

11 minutes ago, RollingGreens said:

Is it typical to feel the bend profile only at impact and not with practice or dry swings

This is like the wiggle test which is useless for telling how something feels. Part of feel is torque which can only be felt at impact as it relates to the amount of twisting in a shaft.
 

The bend profile or EI profile will also be something people feel but more so in the transition. As jlukes mentioned that will cast from person to persons someone that pulls the handle will have a different feel than someone who doesn’t.

[RickyBobby_PR]

When I was at PX HQ in 2017 we went to the course in the afternoon of day 2. Don Brown brought a shaft out and had us guess the torque of it. Everyone pretty much waggled the shaft and it looked like a wet noodle. Most people guessed in the 3-4* range but it was actually 2.1 and stiff flex. Several of us hit a few balls with it and couldn’t keep one in play

[RollingGreens]

11 minutes ago, jlukes said:

Again that varies by player.  The materials used and the profile can lead to different sensations when the ball is struck.  Graphite Design shafts are notorious for being very "feely" shafts, you might just be feeling different things that other shafts (especially something in the profile of a PX Black) didn't allow you to feel.

 

3 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

When I was at PX HQ in 2017 we went to the course in the afternoon of day 2. Don Brown brought a shaft out and had us guess the torque of it. Everyone pretty much waggled the shaft and it looked like a wet noodle. Most people guessed in the 3-4* range but it was actually 2.1 and stiff flex. Several of us hit a few balls with it and couldn’t keep one in play

I appreciate all the feedback and education you guys are providing. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

15 minutes ago, RollingGreens said:

 

I appreciate all the feedback and education you guys are providing. 

This is the joys and pains of tinkering/self fitting. I’ve bought a few shafts stock and aftermarket blindly that didn’t work out. Happened in woods and irons. 

 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

1 hour ago, RollingGreens said:

I did some research and purchased a stiff Graphite Tour AD XC 6S driver shaft. On paper it looked like what I was looking for. I previously played a Projext X Hzrdus Smoke Black- which had a tendency to feel boards. I was looking for a little bit higher kick point, stiffer tip section, and lower spinning. 
taking dry swing with the Graphite Tour feels great, but once I start to take some action swinsg I feel like at impact the handle is a “noodle” , which is the shaft profile to a point. Where their is more give in the handle section. I don’t have any numbers right now but I can tell you my dispersion and distance were all better compared to the Project X. Basically my question is, is this normal to feel this sort of bending at impact vs the downswing? It worries me that I may need a stiffer or heavier profile, but results say it doing what I want it to. I have a moderate tempo, but am more of a swinger. 

Very interesting with your results. I always wondered this as well since those types of shafts are the once’s I’m used to and like as well. Another reason golf is part science, luck and art. Sometimes a lot of things just come down to what feels right and hope the performance backs it up. 

[dlow206]

Interesting thing with me and shaft feel is that I am one of those people that have limited sense of feel for shafts. I can sense there is either some kick or not to the shaft. But I have no sense of whether it is in the handle or the tip.

Then again, if a doctor asks me to describe a pain that I am having, my response is "it hurts". And if they ask me if it is dull feeling or sharp, i couldn't really tell you the difference, it just hurts.

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

The thing that always gets me is, how can a shaft have a whip to it yet feel stable. That would freak me out swinging, although my irons do have that slight kick to them. CPO has some of these GD shafts on sale and if the Tensei pro doesn’t work for me I may try one of these with a higher launch but stiff tip. 

[dlow206]

2 minutes ago, rbsiedsc said:

The thing that always gets me is, how can a shaft have a whip to it yet feel stable. That would freak me out swinging, although my irons do have that slight kick to them. CPO has some of these GD shafts on sale and if the Tensei pro doesn’t work for me I may try one of these with a higher launch but stiff tip. 

Any interest in a Project X Smoke IM10 mid launch? LOL

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

1 minute ago, dlow206 said:

Any interest in a Project X Smoke IM10 mid launch? LOL

Wait, you bought another driver!?!?  Lol. No, not that one. Only PX I would want to try is the rdx blue. 
 

In terms of these more feely shafts, I would think these could help people on their tempo and if they get out of control the shaft should tell them right? I wonder if having a shaft like this would cause a person to “swing” slower but retain ball speed due to the shaft kick? 

[dlow206]

17 minutes ago, rbsiedsc said:

Wait, you bought another driver!?!?  Lol. No, not that one. Only PX I would want to try is the rdx blue. 
 

In terms of these more feely shafts, I would think these could help people on their tempo and if they get out of control the shaft should tell them right? I wonder if having a shaft like this would cause a person to “swing” slower but retain ball speed due to the shaft kick? 

Long story on the new driver I ordered, but its not really for myself to use. Traded in some old items with a trade in bonus, spent a few gift cards as well, and only spending about $30 cash for a Callaway Epic Max LS. Going to sell the head and shaft separately. With the trade in bonus and the gift cards, it was a good way to get some value out of old equipment. I will eventually use the proceeds to buy a fitted driver. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

3 minutes ago, dlow206 said:

Long story on the new driver I ordered, but its not really for myself to use. Traded in some old items with a trade in bonus, spent a few gift cards as well, and only spending about $30 cash for a Callaway Epic Max LS. Going to sell the head and shaft separately. With the trade in bonus and the gift cards, it was a good way to get some value out of old equipment. I will eventually use the proceeds to buy a fitted driver. 

so you are saying the head is available hmmmm......i am looking for a more forgiving driver head if the price is suitable for me...

 

[RollingGreens]

1 hour ago, rbsiedsc said:

The thing that always gets me is, how can a shaft have a whip to it yet feel stable. That would freak me out swinging, although my irons do have that slight kick to them. CPO has some of these GD shafts on sale and if the Tensei pro doesn’t work for me I may try one of these with a higher launch but stiff tip. 

Yea that is a big thing. I have nippon modus shafts in my irons which feel great. The results of this shaft for my driver i love but the kick point is very different than what I’m used. The results are hard to argue with. It just feels like the handle is going to snap

[null]

18 minutes ago, RollingGreens said:

Yea that is a big thing. I have nippon modus shafts in my irons which feel great. The results of this shaft for my driver i love but the kick point is very different than what I’m used. The results are hard to argue with. It just feels like the handle is going to snap

Funny thing is Modus 120 is relatively softer in the butt section and then has a stiffer tip

[RollingGreens]

6 minutes ago, jlukes said:

Funny thing is Modus 120 is relatively softer in the butt section and then has a stiffer tip

Which is why I attempted to match shaft profile but the difference feels astronomical. The modus is a slight torque at impact. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

Just now, RollingGreens said:

Which is why I attempted to match shaft profile but the difference feels astronomical. The modus is a slight torque at impact. 

Thing to remember is there is a weight delta on the shaft so even if profiles match, feel may be different 

[RollingGreens]

2 minutes ago, rbsiedsc said:

Thing to remember is there is a weight delta on the shaft so even if profiles match, feel may be different 

Essentially how the weight is distributed? Or the change in weight over a longer length?

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

3 hours ago, RollingGreens said:

Essentially how the weight is distributed? Or the change in weight over a longer length?

A little of both. It is recommended in some places to get your shaft weights in the bag as close as possible if you want to keep the same feel. I am no expert though, just a chemist

[RollingGreens]

49 minutes ago, rbsiedsc said:

A little of both. It is recommended in some places to get your shaft weights in the bag as close as possible if you want to keep the same feel. I am no expert though, just a chemist

Better than an accountant  

[BKordon]

11 hours ago, RollingGreens said:

I did some research and purchased a stiff Graphite Tour AD XC 6S driver shaft. On paper it looked like what I was looking for. I previously played a Projext X Hzrdus Smoke Black- which had a tendency to feel boards. I was looking for a little bit higher kick point, stiffer tip section, and lower spinning. 
taking dry swing with the Graphite Tour feels great, but once I start to take some action swinsg I feel like at impact the handle is a “noodle” , which is the shaft profile to a point. Where their is more give in the handle section. I don’t have any numbers right now but I can tell you my dispersion and distance were all better compared to the Project X. Basically my question is, is this normal to feel this sort of bending at impact vs the downswing? It worries me that I may need a stiffer or heavier profile, but results say it doing what I want it to. I have a moderate tempo, but am more of a swinger. 

I completely agree with the Projectr X Hzrdus Black Smoke feeling board. If you are still searching and interested, The Graphite Design Tour AD-GP has a stiffer butt section, along with a stiff tip. I played it for about 18 months. That being said, at the time, my tempo was crap and for a shaft that wasn't supposed to go left, I could make it happen. The same could be said for Project X T-1100. Ultimately ended up in the Ventus with Velocore and problem solved. I will say that the Tour Ad-GP felt great and I still have one or two in my garage.

Best of luck with the hunt.