The build begins, component club.

[RickyBobby_PR]

Just now, A J Ziggy said:

I'm trending toward Aldila over Project X. The NV and VS Proto deliver a springer feel, while the Project X feels almost like steel. Going forward may need help from the shaft? Perhaps I'll pull the shaft in the 11.5 ISO-T and try the 65 NVS? The 11.5 should have had a higher launch than the 10.5, so I can only attribute the 11.5 @13.1* vice the 10.5 @14.5 to the HZRDUS Black shaft, at least in my hands.

That makes sense. The hzrdus line especially the original releases were designed for performance and not feel, the futures releases have improved but the black for many still feels dead or too stiff.

I would also look at the 2kxv from Aldila.

[Chester3488]

On 8/5/2022 at 1:59 AM, A J Ziggy said:

So now I need some help from the real experts. I've played 120 to 90 G steel shafts most of my life, perhaps that is why the 70 plus gram sub 3 torque shafts in the driver feel better to me? But if I use 70 G shaft in my Driver, are 70 G shafts going to feel heavy enough in my fairway woods?

I play with a lot of guys (some of them are very good) who play mid-to-hefty steel shafts in the irons. Yet, play a super-light-weight driver. 

Remember in some ways the driver is a little different than other clubs. I'm not going to say distance dispersion doesn't matter because it does. But, with all other clubs you are trying to hit a given distance. With the driver farther is almost always better. 

Good luck. Enjoy to the process. 

[FmrCaddie13]

I like the test it in the dirt approach you are using. It might cost more but you aren't hurting anyone.  I could still re-whip an old persimmon club if needed but tinkering is a lost art not appreciated by everyone. A fitting and numbers can tell a lot but I've seen people misfit because they swing differently in the fitting. My most regular golf partner got put in a Hzrdus Smoke Black over the winter in a Titleist T3 which shocked me since his previous shaft was the Evenflow and it fit his tempo perfectly. He struggles with the new driver unless he swings "angry" which suits the Smoke Black shaft but not his swing. Matt Saternus (PluggedInGolfl and also a forum member is a great driver shaft source of knowledge. He provides numbers but as importantly his in the dirt impressions on feel. As someone who turns 50 this year his reviews have been invaluable.  I tried the shafts that appealed to the feel and descriptions that matched my swing style and tempo. All the said I now have a Ping G425 with a Veylix Mansion 50g X flex and my 3W has a Paderson Ballistic 85g F40 (X flex) for non-Paderson people and hit it longer/straighter than in my younger, stronger days. I don't have monitor numbers and a fitter might get me even more distance but I did it my way in the dirt and had fun with it.  My previous tinkering shafts included HZRDUS Yellow HZDRDUS Smoke Yellow, Fujikura Fuel, Aldila NVS. Messed around with shafts weights as well and the lightest, most stable driver shaft and heavier 3W shaft shook out in the end....for now. As I continue to age I will continue to tinker. It's a life long game. Interested to hear how your current search progresses.  Ebay is great for trying used shafts and getting rid of ones that don't work out.

[A J Ziggy]

50, that's the start of Senior Golf Nowadays ain't it. I get to pay Senior rates even at the courses that make you wait until your 65. Had a little med problem today,Doc says I will be able to get on the Wii after some physical therapy, looks like I'm going to miss my Saturday fitting. May need to reevaluate the Swing Speed once I'm cleared. Gives me time to ponder over NVS 65 or VS Proto by you 60 to test on the M890 10* head, which is supposed to be low spin mid/high launch and extremely forgiving. Vice the ISO-T low spin low launch that I've been testing. Sorry for the delay.

[GaryF]

On 8/6/2022 at 6:14 PM, RickyBobby_PR said:

This is why you can’t base shaft flex selection on swing speed. These are gents guideline for those who just want to buy off the rack.

Aldia is only basing off their flex standard. Golfworks is doing in general.

In a true fitting swing speed is just a starting point and the fitter will use the golfers swing, the ball flight, what they hear on contact and confirm with the numbers along with the golfers fees back to start making changes. Again it starts with the head to get in the right launch window then find the shaft that gives the golfers a good feel and keeps the ball flight optimized.

Also wny blind buying, self fitting can be fun but frustrating and expensive. 
 

Unless you know what shaft fits you already it’s a guessing game and not all 9.5 heads are the same or any other lofted heads. The design of a Ping driver is going to produce different results from a Callaway, titlesrt, TaylorMade and so on

What is your opinion of the Mizuno gizmo that is used for shaft fitting? Was at pgaSS recently and after hitting 7i:  Ping 425, Titliest T300 and Mizuno 921 with stock steel AMT shafts (because I told him that’s what I wanted to hit) the sales guy said he wanted to do a shaft fitting.  I was actually hitting the aforementioned pretty well but didn’t save any data.  The fitting recommended 2 graphite and 1 steel.  I hit the same 3 clubs again with Recoil 780 ES R, Tensei Red AV AM(2) R and Recoil ESX 460 F3.  The steel recommendation was Nippon Pro Modus Tour 105 (didn’t hit).  Titliest and Ping results identical, a bit more carry and a little less spin with Mizuno.  7i SS was in the 72-74 range. 

Back to original Q, is the shaft fitting device decent? 
 

Edited September 4, 2022 by GaryF

[RickyBobby_PR]

8 minutes ago, GaryF said:

What is your opinion of the Mizuno gizmo that is used for shaft fitting? Was at pgaSS recently and after hitting 7i:  Ping 425, Titliest T300 and Mizuno 921 with stock steel AMT shafts (because I told him that’s what I wanted to hit) the sales guy said he wanted to do a shaft fitting.  I was actually hitting the aforementioned pretty well but didn’t save any data.  The fitting recommended 2 graphite and 1 steel.  I hit the same 3 clubs again with Recoil 780 ES R, Tensei Red AV AM(2) R and Recoil ESX 460 F3.  The steel recommendation was Nippon Pro Modus Tour 105 (didn’t hit).  Titliest and Ping results identical, a bit more carry and a little less spin with Mizuno.  7i SS was in the 72-74 range. 

Back to original Q, is the shaft fitting device decent? 
 

The Mizuno shaft optimizer is a good tool. It gives a list of shafts that should fit the golfer. It helps narrow down the options amongst a large list of shafts.

Because shafts will feel different to each individual golfer it then comes down to testing the recommended shafts to find what feels best and allows the swing to swing freely

[GaryF]

26 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

The Mizuno shaft optimizer is a good tool. It gives a list of shafts that should fit the golfer. It helps narrow down the options amongst a large list of shafts.

Because shafts will feel different to each individual golfer it then comes down to testing the recommended shafts to find what feels best and allows the swing to swing freely

Thank you, that’s good to know.  I never really thought about graphite shafts but but all 3 felt good.    Presently have an old Ping set of irons with their original AMT and stiff flex.  I still hit pretty well, and like the idea of ascending weight, but being older something lighter probably makes sense but I’m going to ask to hit the Pro Modus 105 next time then compare to one of the graphites. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

26 minutes ago, GaryF said:

Thank you, that’s good to know.  I never really thought about graphite shafts but but all 3 felt good.    Presently have an old Ping set of irons with their original AMT and stiff flex.  I still hit pretty well, and like the idea of ascending weight, but being older something lighter probably makes sense but I’m going to ask to hit the Pro Modus 105 next time then compare to one of the graphites. 

Age and weight could be considerations but it’s not always the right call. There’s young and fast players who use lighter weights.

Its about fighting the rights weight and stiffness profile (not necessarily talking stiffness in terms of regular, stiff, x stiff because there’s no industry standard) but more so the design profile and how stiff each section is and whether as an example the butt is as stiff as the tip or not.

Theres a lot that can be done with graphite and in many cases will perform as good or better than steel. Also think about it this way. We play graphite in driver, woods, hybrids why not in irons.

Ultimately it comes down to feel and performance. 
 

Graphite will save on the wear and tear of one’s body.