Are high-end shafts that much better?

[TG8]

Since I recently started to experiment with driver shafts I wanted to get some opinions.  

Do high end shafts make that big if a difference? Worth paying hundreds of dollars more? 

Good example: low spin/low launch-  $100 hzrdus smoke black vs $300 ventus black

Does the extra money actually make a stand out difference or is it just better by a little? 

lets say this question is for the above average player.  10 handicap or better 

Quite frankly im bored stuck in a hospital since last Wednesday with my sick kid(getting much better).

 

Edited August 2, 2021 by TG8
Added handicap

[den748]

Prefacing with not an expert by any stretch but...

I'd imagine the better player you are, the more it matters.  If you're not able to strike a ball well, who cares what shaft you have?  If you're someone who constantly makes good contact and are pretty consistent in your swing, then I feel like the shaft will start making a much bigger difference. 

Similar to if you can't hit a ball in the air, a PRO-V1 will perform the same as a top flight on a skulled chip. 

[TG8]

Good input.  I edited the description to be more suited for your average to above average player.  I agree beginners or high handicap players wouldn’t benefit too much is they are spraying it all over the place. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, TG8 said:

Good example: low spin/low launch-  $100 hzrdus smoke black vs $300 ventus b

Both of these are high end shafts and have similar profile. The difference in price is that the hzrdus line has been included in numerous brands no upcharge offering therefore have a ot more in supply and lower purchase value in the secondary market.

There are also several other high end aftermarket shafts being offered at no upcharge by several brands so basing purely on price point isn’t the way to compare.

Also there are very few shafts these days that are true made for shafts so for the most part buying a no upcharge offering one is still getting a quality higher end shaft. 

Will someone benefit from an aftermarket shaft compared to a no upcharge offering? That is player dependent, even for the better player. I know several players who are high swing speed low digit handicaps that see minimal difference in a no upcharge offering compared to an aftermarket shaft including my fitter.

Its finding the right head to get into the right launch characteristics the finding profile and weight of shaft to dial in the launch characteristics to optimize the setup.

long story short it’s a yes and no answer 

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, TG8 said:

Good input.  I edited the description to be more suited for your average to above average player.  I agree beginners or high handicap players wouldn’t benefit too much is they are spraying it all over the place. 

Not true. I’ve seen mid hdcp golfers do better with an upcharge shaft. 

[thechrisgibbs]

1 hour ago, TG8 said:

Do high end shafts make that big if a difference? Worth paying hundreds of dollars more? 

So I think the best example of the high-end shaft vs. a stock shaft in a driver is the Aldila Rogue line. Context:

Aldila Rogue is the current most winning shaft on tour. The shaft in most of the bags? The Limited Addition Aldila Rogue. 

A year after they dominated on tour, they introduced the Aldila Rogue Black (mid-launch, low spin) and the Sliver (low-launch, low spin). Both the AD Black and Silver come in different weight and tipping specs. These driver shafts can all be spec'd at no additional cost for most of the biggest OEM drivers (SIM, Epic, TSI, Ping, etc.). If you want to play the exact same driver as the pros though, the Limited Addition Alidila Rogue is gonna set you back an ADDITIONAL $800. 

To start, most amateurs don't have 115 MPH+ driver swing speeds. As well, most people actually look at increasing forgiveness which notoriously goes away wen you have a low spin driver shaft. So is the $800 worth it for you? No, probably not, and here's why. The Aldila Rogue Silver gives extremely similar launch and spin characteristics as the Limited Edition. The reason players use the Limited Edition on tour is likely because they're not paying for it. The Silver 125 MSI during testing gives ever so slightly less consistency. Are you gonna tell that your club gave you 2500 RPM vs. 2100 RPM off the driver club face? Hard to tell, but it's not likely.

Long story short, it's hard to believe that you can't find a shaft that gives you a very acceptable window when you are getting fit for a driver. If you are buying a shaft second hand or by itself to test out, I'd go with the Silver in the above scenario!

[Jmedical]

Is there a difference? Yes. Does it mean you need one to find an optimal or good enough match. Nope. 
 

I would argue the faster you swing/how you load  it matters more in how exotic you get. My gamer swing is 122/123 and until I went to a tx flex tensie white I still had timing issues.  I can still over load it. But its excellent 95% of the time. 

[bens197]

Yes.

@GolfSpy_TCG is pretty much pitch perfect.

 

[Tyler86]

On 8/2/2021 at 12:23 PM, RickyBobby_PR said:

Not true. I’ve seen mid hdcp golfers do better with an upcharge shaft. 

Couldnt that just be because the characteristics of the non “up-charge” shaft dont fit them or the head?

Edited August 8, 2021 by Tyler86

[RickyBobby_PR]

6 minutes ago, Tyler86 said:

Couldnt that just be because the characteristics of the non “up-charge” shaft dont fit them or the head?

Yes which is why I was contradicting the statement that those golfers wouldn’t benefit. And these days the no upcharge vs upcharge varies between brands. A shaft could be an upcharge in brand A but brand B charges for that shaft or both shafts could be upcharges at different prices. The amount of high quality shafts being offered by brands has increased and is good for the golfers

[Tyler86]

31 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Yes which is why I was contradicting the statement that those golfers wouldn’t benefit. And these days the no upcharge vs upcharge varies between brands. A shaft could be an upcharge in brand A but brand B charges for that shaft or both shafts could be upcharges at different prices. The amount of high quality shafts being offered by brands has increased and is good for the golfers

Yeah what i was getting at was that the “upcharge shaft” characteristics fit him better. The fact that its an “upcharge” may be irrelevant as there may be a different stock option that fit him as well. I was also assuming “up charge” was being used for higher end shaft as opposed to an actual club specific factory up charge option. My bad. Carry on…. 

[ChitownM2]

I think the point is, that generically speaking, all the major shaft manufacturers have an offering in each of the different categories and every club manufacturer now offers at least one option in each category so every golfer should be able to find a "good" fit without having to pay a shaft upcharge cost.  For example, a ventus black may be someones perfect fit but you could get a smoke rdx black for no charge that will produce similar results.