Shaft Hack - The Otto Phlex Journey

[David Leighton Reid]

On 4/26/2023 at 8:51 AM, azstu324 said:

Very interesting . Are you using a specific kind of flexible paint? Or just regular spray paint? Is there a prepping process involved? How does the paint hold up with a flexing shaft and pulling in and out of the bag? 

So many questions in my brain!!

Here's a picture of what I use and the finished product.  I taped the tip and grip; lightly sanded the shaft with 220 sandpaper; wiped clean; painted; let dry; and added clear coat.  I like the look of the black shaft with the PXG head.  I have painted other shafts in the past and had good results.  If you want the shaft logo exposed, just tape over it.  

Edited April 27, 2023 by David Leighton Reid

[Bang60]

2 hours ago, David Leighton Reid said:

Here's a picture of what I use and the finished product.  I taped the tip and grip; sanded the shaft with 220 sandpaper; wiped clean, painted, let dry, and added clear coat.  I like the look of the black shaft with the PXG head.  I have painted other shafts in the past and had good results.  If you want the shaft logo exposed, just tape over it.  

been thinking about custom painting some clubs but wasn’t sure what kind of paint to use, where I live there’s not much choice certainly no car paint specialist shop near here!!

 I need to repair some surface rust on my sprinter van so will look online and use the paint for both jobs…

[Ding-dong]

I think should give them a custom spray job and flog them at 5 x the price ( maybe like autoflex ?) 

 

back on track tonight, it’s amazing how some small thing just blows your game apart … . I think I have rectified it but I will do another range session Friday afternoon. 

[Fred Mitchell]

I have ordered a Fuji Vista pro Hybrid for my 5H in R2. The Vista Pro is also available for the driver in R2 at 45 grams and should be an option for this experiment.

[carter18]

On 4/26/2023 at 1:52 PM, David Leighton Reid said:

Here's a picture of what I use and the finished product.  I taped the tip and grip; sanded the shaft with 220 sandpaper; wiped clean, painted, let dry, and added clear coat.  I like the look of the black shaft with the PXG head.  I have painted other shafts in the past and had good results.  If you want the shaft logo exposed, just tape over it.  

Thank looks amazing. Please let us know how it holds up after a few rounds!

[Vernon]

Nine degree G430 Max, 5, 7 and 9 woods all with Distanza 40 shafts arrived last Thursday which was ten days from placing the order with Ping.  So far I have three full rounds and some range time in with each.

I really like the shape and feel of all of them but could have done without the white and yellow accents on the top of each but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

So far I also really like the Distanza shaft although I'm going to cut the driver back to 45" this morning.  Although Ping states that the Distanza is stock at 45 3/4" the spec sheet for mine indicates +1/4" and 46".  

Not sure how that happened but whatever.

However, even at that length it doesn't feel particularly unwieldy and I've hit some really good drives at that length but I've also had some high right blocks that I think are connected but we'll see.

Unfortunately the wind has been a real pain in the ass around here so it's hard to even play much less test new equipment.  Over 20 mph steady and gusting up to and at time over 40 is about to make me go buy a bowling ball.....

Downwind I've had numerous drives over 300 yards and lots in the 280 - 290 range but into the wind anything over 200 is pretty good.

I've only hit a couple dozen tee shots with the Pro Launch in the G430 Max head and honestly I think the Distanza feels very similar although it's hard to tell for sure at an inch longer overall.  

I was really surprised at how good the Distanza feels and I don't find it to be "whippy" at all - really a solid feeling shaft and again quite similar to the Pro Launch in my opinion.

As for the fairway woods it might be little light but again with the wind it's hard to say for sure at this point.

Gonna play again today and the wind is "only" supposed to be 15 - 18 gusting to 30.

Geeeesh.

[IndyBonzo]

OK friends, I am jumping back into this experiment.  I just ordered the GWX A flex to try with a Mavrik Sub Zero 9* and Rogue ST Max LS 9*, along with a left-handed adapter so I can go down 2* in loft if needed.  (That experiment absolutely worked with a Paradym X hybrid.)  I have the PLB L flex and will try that too, but it tended to be a little uncontrollable so I think the extra weight and a touch more stiffness in the GWX will be to my advantage.

I've been hitting my regular Rogue driver very well lately (for me), and I am excited to see if I can maintain the accuracy and squeeze some extra distance out of it too.

This is the thread that brought me to MGS initially.   Thanks again for that!

Nerding out on this stuff is so fun.  You are the only one (well, ones) who understand me . . .

 

[Ding-dong]

Competition season has now started here. My driving has gone a bit off, but I have started to recover it. But to be fair, despite not hitting the distances previously seen, it was still good enough to break 80, and take the win. 
When you break it all down the weaknesses was not the driving, but in the short game. Our greens are dreadful currently due to the weather and possibly some mismanagement… and stats suggest I coped with them better than most, so my putter is fine.

I dropped shots on some short par 3s due to distance management… wrong club ..

I am happy with the set up, and I think mediocrity is still good enough to score well .. this set up is giving me that leeway. I did wonder about going up from 8 degrees to 9 on loft which would close the head down .. but my issues aren’t really related to that so I will just keep working on the technique and tempo.

I have also picked up a regular flex Ping crossover g425 4 iron , which is becoming one of my favourites.. I may look to experiment with a 2 iron with a light shaft in, that could be quite an interesting experiment! 

[Ding-dong]

Got out tonight. Thought I would wonder around 9 holes and have a little practice, but ended up playing a pairs bounce match which was rather competitive. 
Driving is improving, although my 250-260 yards were looking a bit short compared to the 320 yard monsters one of the guys was hitting… thought I had a bit of a fight on .. but I ground them all down with boring, fairways in regulation or greens in regulation and we won 3 and 2 but I finished my 9 at -1. 
So Otto Phlex is still working and has the most consistency. 
I also was carrying a very reduced bag of Driver, 4 iron 7 to wedge, 50 and 60 degrees plus putter … no fairway woods or driving iron ( shows too many clubs are in the bag) 

[azstu324]

I think I've pretty clearly confessed my eternal loyalty to the PLB. 

That said, if anybody is still on the fence about trying the Otto Phlex project, and still have a hard time stomaching the whopping $59.99 + tax,  S&H.. or just need something a little heavier, or just don't jive with the color scheme/graphics of the PLB 45g.. here's another option that really looks like it could be a strong candidate. In fact, curiosity might just get the best of this old cat and I might order one just to try out. 

It's listed onder the "Deals" section. What's got me intrigued is the lower torque of 4.0. which is still up for debate as to whether or not it makes a difference.. but for $40 it sure looks tempting. 

[Ding-dong]

7 hours ago, azstu324 said:

I think I've pretty clearly confessed my eternal loyalty to the PLB. 

That said, if anybody is still on the fence about trying the Otto Phlex project, and still have a hard time stomaching the whopping $59.99 + tax,  S&H.. or just need something a little heavier, or just don't jive with the color scheme/graphics of the PLB 45g.. here's another option that really looks like it could be a strong candidate. In fact, curiosity might just get the best of this old cat and I might order one just to try out. 

It's listed onder the "Deals" section. What's got me intrigued is the lower torque of 4.0. which is still up for debate as to whether or not it makes a difference.. but for $40 it sure looks tempting. 

I have this in stiff prior to my autoflex experiment. It’s light and tip stiff in my opinion, felt boardy but light and my swing speed was up a few mph and was stable not too high either. Definitely one to try on a heavy head … I was looking at it as well if PLB wasn’t delivering… 

Would be interesting to see, I think getting in senior or lady spec wasn’t possible here though.

[MuniGolfer]

10 hours ago, azstu324 said:

I think I've pretty clearly confessed my eternal loyalty to the PLB. 

That said, if anybody is still on the fence about trying the Otto Phlex project, and still have a hard time stomaching the whopping $59.99 + tax,  S&H.. or just need something a little heavier, or just don't jive with the color scheme/graphics of the PLB 45g.. here's another option that really looks like it could be a strong candidate. In fact, curiosity might just get the best of this old cat and I might order one just to try out. 

It's listed onder the "Deals" section. What's got me intrigued is the lower torque of 4.0. which is still up for debate as to whether or not it makes a difference.. but for $40 it sure looks tempting. 

I may order this today. The mpf kind of puts it between the plb and the gwx. The price is definitely right. I will have to look into the trimming directions.

[azstu324]

4 hours ago, Ding-dong said:

I have this in stiff prior to my autoflex experiment. It’s light and tip stiff in my opinion, felt boardy but light and my swing speed was up a few mph and was stable not too high either. Definitely one to try on a heavy head … I was looking at it as well if PLB wasn’t delivering… 

Would be interesting to see, I think getting in senior or lady spec wasn’t possible here though.

Actually it looks like Senior or L are the only options. Probably why they're on clearance

 

[Ding-dong]

that’s so tempting.. I like the shaft

[azstu324]

11 hours ago, Ding-dong said:

that’s so tempting.. I like the shaft

Pretty sure I'll be ordering it along with my new TS4 irons from Maltby. Should be placing the order next week hopefully 

[MuniGolfer]

14 hours ago, azstu324 said:

Actually it looks like Senior or L are the only options. Probably why they're on clearance

 

Well, it’s on its way. It’s been awhile since I have built clubs so we will see how this all goes. I am going to put it in my old taylormade m5 to start, since it has the two removable weights to manage swing weight. I will be doing comparisons with my launch monitor. If all goes well, I will get a weight kit and swap it to my ping.

[Vernon]

Anybody ever tried any of the Acer or Apollo shafts from Value Golf?  

Some are as low as $12.95 for cryin' out loud.

I don't know about Acer but Apollo used to be a pretty decent shaft back in the day.

The description sure seems to be the same sort of profile as PLB and the others.

For what it's worth I got my Pro Launch from Value Golf and the service was great.

[TheFonzzz]

12 hours ago, azstu324 said:

Pretty sure I'll be ordering it along with my new TS4 irons from Maltby. Should be placing the order next week hopefully 

I like it a lot, It looks so clean!

[Ding-dong]

Just purchased GPLB at 44,5” lady 45 … frivolous spend I know but I wanted to try shorter with out risk.

Also purchased the senior flex UST 55 with a ping adapter for the g425 max 3 wood … looked about right, weight is reduced and the tip should cope with the heavy head.. 

Game is still on the up, need to work on the concentration and confidence levels. I can do 8-9 holes under par .. I just need to extend that to 18 … tough ask for a man who can loose the plot when he hears certain phrases like “bleed nipples, deep in the bush” etc 

[David Leighton Reid]

On 4/27/2023 at 2:01 PM, carter18 said:

Thank looks amazing. Please let us know how it holds up after a few rounds!

Multiple rounds played with the painted PLB 45 shaft and there are no visible imperfections in the finish.

[azstu324]

Anybody able to get their hands on the UST MP5? I had to hold off including it in my order but I'm still very interested. 

That said, I did manage to order a set of Maltby TS4 heads and source some pretty nice shafts. .. but that's another discussion for another thread

[IndyBonzo]

I went to the range today and hit about 20 balls with the PLB L-flex.  I was pleasantly surprised. As long as I get a pause in the transition and put in a half decent inside-out swing and full left side finish, I am able to carry 280 yards straight. I worry about taking it to the course and getting too quick.  Of course, I need the same swing with my regular stiff shaft, but a bad/quick swing with the PLB puts the ball definitely out of bounds to the right.  I really need to groove it in because it is easier to control and straighter than my current gamer if my tempo is right, and the swing is truly effortless. I did not have time to build the GWX A-flex yet but will this weekend.  I am optimistic this may work for me. 

[MuniGolfer]

On 5/11/2023 at 11:21 AM, azstu324 said:

Anybody able to get their hands on the UST MP5? I had to hold off including it in my order but I'm still very interested. 

That said, I did manage to order a set of Maltby TS4 heads and source some pretty nice shafts. .. but that's another discussion for another thread

I received mine the other day. I just haven’t had time to get out to the shop and build it up. Hoping to do that this week. 

[LT55]

On 5/11/2023 at 1:21 PM, azstu324 said:

Anybody able to get their hands on the UST MP5? I had to hold off including it in my order but I'm still very interested. 

That said, I did manage to order a set of Maltby TS4 heads and source some pretty nice shafts. .. but that's another discussion for another thread

I just got UST MP5 in A flex. Added Taylormade adapter and cut to play 45.5 inches. Installed in Stealth 2 plus with midsize cp2 wrap grip and came out to D1.5 swingweight without changing any weights. I will be testing it out in the next couple of days and will report the results.

[azstu324]

26 minutes ago, LT55 said:

I just got UST MP5 in A flex. Added Taylormade adapter and cut to play 45.5 inches. Installed in Stealth 2 plus with midsize cp2 wrap grip and came out to D1.5 swingweight without changing any weights. I will be testing it out in the next couple of days and will report the results.

You able to share a pic of the shaft? If the performance is there, this looks to be a more aesthetically pleasing option to the PLB. 

[LT55]

46 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

You able to share a pic of the shaft? If the performance is there, this looks to be a more aesthetically pleasing option to the PLB. 

[LT55]

Just swinging it in the yard, the shaft doesn’t feel loose or overly whippy just light. I’m trying this experiment coming from 70g stiff/x stiff shafts. I’m shocked that it didn’t feel like a noodle. Should get a chance to test it out tomorrow.

[azstu324]

22 minutes ago, LT55 said:

Yeah that's a great color. This would look pretty sweet with the new Paradym. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it 

[gdashoff]

So I currently play a 10.5 Maltby driver with a 70-2.8x aldila rogue.

My FIL gave me one of his old drivers with a 50hi A flex Bassara and I thought that would be an interesting to try out since I already have it. 

What loft would you pair it with first? I have a 7.5 gen4 pxg and some older 9.5/10.5 drivers.

[azstu324]

On 5/16/2023 at 9:55 AM, LT55 said:

Just swinging it in the yard, the shaft doesn’t feel loose or overly whippy just light. I’m trying this experiment coming from 70g stiff/x stiff shafts. I’m shocked that it didn’t feel like a noodle. Should get a chance to test it out tomorrow.

@LT55any word on the MP5? I was about to pull the trigger but noticed GW bumped the price back up

Even at $55 that could still be a killer deal if it's a good option