Shaft Hack - The Otto Phlex Journey

[Josh Parker]

Well, my new shaft should arrive today. Looking forward to experimenting with it. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

btw, this is somewhat getting into the LD space as well.

 

[azstu324]

3 hours ago, rx1232 said:

anyone willing to take a flier on these? https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805097779758.html.

I reckon is most likely burning money but i'm curious. 

Be VERY cautious! It's not so much the matter of basically throwing away $35, but handing out your personal info to a site that might be considered "questionable". AliExpress is a legit company but they allow for a lot of counterfeiters to do business. I wouldn't mess with those TBH. 

 

[azstu324]

48 minutes ago, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

btw, this is somewhat getting into the LD space as well.

 

If an OP is good enough for the "Borg" it's good enough for the rest of us mortals. 

[rx1232]

7 hours ago, azstu324 said:

Be VERY cautious! It's not so much the matter of basically throwing away $35, but handing out your personal info to a site that might be considered "questionable". AliExpress is a legit company but they allow for a lot of counterfeiters to do business. I wouldn't mess with those TBH. 

 

True, valid concern. However these days the same sellers are also on Amazon (maybe selling other stuff). 

[leftyrighty]

I am on my own Otto-Phlex journey now.  Driver has always been a big weakness of mine.  When it is on I can play awesome. Most of the time it is not on.

Purchased a UST Helium Black 4 - Regular Flex that I purchase from CPO for $50.

My gamer Driver is the Ventus TR Blue 6x with my swing speed around 113-115 mph. 

I am a high spin player.  I have a 9 degree Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond.  Hopefully I can keep spin in check for this experiment.  I like the idea of smoother, easier swings with comparable results to full out. 

[Josh Parker]

14 minutes ago, leftyrighty said:

I am on my own Otto-Phlex journey now.  Driver has always been a big weakness of mine.  When it is on I can play awesome. Most of the time it is not on.

Purchased a UST Helium Black 4 - Regular Flex that I purchase from CPO for $50.

My gamer Driver is the Ventus TR Blue 6x with my swing speed around 113-115 mph. 

I am a high spin player.  I have a 9 degree Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond.  Hopefully I can keep spin in check for this experiment.  I like the idea of smoother, easier swings with comparable results to full out. 

There is some great info in this thread on things that worked for some and what didn't work.  I have a 45 speeder I'm currently testing. 

Keep us updated on your results. 

[Iamsecond116]

I played 18 for the first time with PLB A flex. G400 Max at 8.5*. I could probably stand to go down another .5* as the ball flight was still much higher than I am used to playing, but I was hitting drives consistently further than I ever have. I had one OB swing from the tee that was truly a bad swing, however every other shot was pretty tight to the start line and FAR. 

I think it takes some getting used to over multiple sessions of practice/play with the shaft to get it to do what it is supposed to do, but I also found I needed to steepen a very flat swing to get RPM up high enough for the ball to do anything meaningful. This will no doubt be what I use from this point forward. Thanks to all for the help/information.

[Fred Mitchell]

On 10/13/2023 at 4:42 PM, azstu324 said:

Hey so question for anyone still following along before I post a thread in the main room.. 

This doesn't have much to do with the OP so I guess technically I'm hijacking my own thread.. but everyone here has been so incredibly awesome to work that I figured I'd start here. 

"Weight loss and the driver swing". I've recently shed about 30 lbs in a fairly short period (2 months). I intend to to keep going for another 20 lbs. I've found that my driver swing has completed gone to hell in a hand basket. It's almost like I lost all of my tempo and I'm just way ahead of myself. Snap hooks are back and I'm just having a hell of a time trying to find my tempo again. 

Has anybody else experienced anything like this? I'm kind of perplexed as to what to do. My irons seem ok but my driver that used to be my golden ticket is the worst it's been in a long while. 

I'm sure I'll figure a solution but I'm just curious if this is a real thing happening and not just me looking for excuses

Thanks y'all!

 

Stu

 

Lost 90 over a little over a year, suffer the snap hook monster also . My conclusion for me on the longer clubs/woods especially driver trying to take the same plane in relationship to my body but with a much smaller gut had me standing much closer. Scooting back and forth trying to find a sweet spot was frustrating enough I was using all the words I learned back in my Navy / Submariner days the one day out of the blue I realized I was also taking the club to far behind me on the back swing, not distance but lower so I took advantage of the smaller gut scooted back at least partially closer to the ball and brought the backswing with the shaft coming just behind my head which meant I had to keep my hands in close to hit the ball and I was generating more power I hadnt seen in years. Played with choking down to take advantage of this and in the end I cut the shaft down to 44.5, may have been 44.25 its been a while and memory sucks. Now with hands in tight I am driving through the ball really well and the shorter shaft has me on the screws scary consistent so I am swinging at the ball like it owes me money and Im not putting up with it any more.  I went from dreading the driver to walking to the Tee box looking for a place to put  the ball to gain an edge instead of praying its even findable. Mine was like an epiphany and happened on half a small bucket pre round in in a 4 man scramble. Shot gun start had us on par 3. 2nd hole we played my ball, my regulars  gave me atta boys but looked at me funny . 7 drivers on front side we used mine 4 times 1 or 2 more were coin tosses and From senior Tees I admit I drove on green pin high on 7th hole par 4, month before I could hit it far enough to clear the rough before the fairway started. The weight loss totally changed my swing without me realizing it. to justify for this thread I am using the H/L version of the Ping 430 driver which has the Fujikura 45  gram Alta Quick shaft to get the club speed up. 

Edited October 30, 2023 by Fred Mitchell
Ping H/L

[Fred Mitchell]

On 10/16/2023 at 8:27 AM, jdparker said:

Just ordered a Fujikura Air Speeder Red 45 for my attempt at this theory.  I ended up picking it up for $45 with adapter and grip so I figured the price was right to try it out.  

Dude its worth that just to have as a spare lol.

[Josh Parker]

2 minutes ago, Fred Mitchell said:

Dude its worth that just to have as a spare lol.

Absolutely!

[Fred Mitchell]

On 10/24/2023 at 4:06 PM, leftyrighty said:

I am on my own Otto-Phlex journey now.  Driver has always been a big weakness of mine.  When it is on I can play awesome. Most of the time it is not on.

Purchased a UST Helium Black 4 - Regular Flex that I purchase from CPO for $50.

My gamer Driver is the Ventus TR Blue 6x with my swing speed around 113-115 mph. 

I am a high spin player.  I have a 9 degree Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond.  Hopefully I can keep spin in check for this experiment.  I like the idea of smoother, easier swings with comparable results to full out. 

You can also try the new setup with a sleeve of very low spin balls if spin becomes a problem, got my spin down using adapter to lower loft not sure why it worked but quad usually doesnt lie.

[Ding-dong]

Been a while, I have been going through some driving issues. I lofted up to 11 degrees in an attempt to get some control. 
Today I went back to 9 degrees , not my standard 8. So I think it’s improving I was getting a bit quick and my rotation sequence was off .. hopefully that’s improving !

[leftyrighty]

If anyone is in the market to try or get another shaft I do have the following shafts:

Ozik White Tie 50 A-Flex - Taylormade Tip

Aldila Ascent 40 W-Flex - Callaway Tip

Project X Cypher Forty 4.0 - Callaway Tip

 

[azstu324]

Hey folks! I'm back.. miss me?

Obviously this thread has cooled way down. Quite frankly I'm glad. It was getting to be very exhausting to keep up with

I just wanted to check in and take a quick pole to see who is still using the Otto Phlex after a couple of years.

I can happily say that I am pretty much OP/PLB for life! (Insert some kind of gang sign) I've probably had 4 different drivers come and go since this thread started and none of them have performed their best without the PLB 45g A flex! 

Recently I've come full-circle with driver heads and have picked up a PXG Gen 6 9° but in the XF Model. I've got the PLB playing at 45" and D3 SW and this thing is a MONSTER! 

 

Definitely interested to see who has continued down the OP path since this rocket lifted off. 

 

Cheers! 

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by azstu324

[Allen]

Been here since Oct 2022. Have PLB in driver;fairway, 9, 11, & 5UW. Have converted at least a dozen other low to middle hcp players. Have an 84 yr old now getting on the par 5's in 3 again. Something he had not done in over 10 years. Still working with no intention of ever going back! HCP has gone from 6 to 3 just because of gains from PLB shafts in my opinion. Tucson, Az

[azstu324]

25 minutes ago, Allen said:

Been here since Oct 2022. Have PLB in driver;fairway, 9, 11, & 5UW. Have converted at least a dozen other low to middle hcp players. Have an 84 yr old now getting on the par 5's in 3 again. Something he had not done in over 10 years. Still working with no intention of ever going back! HCP has gone from 6 to 3 just because of gains from PLB shafts in my opinion. Tucson, Az

So awesome! 

[MuniGolfer]

Still rocking the ust mp5 op in my 9* ping g425 lst, at a D2. Straighter and at least as long as any other shaft I have played. I keep watching the deals on golfworks and am thinking about picking up one of the ventus reds in 5r2 to throw in my taylormade, since the torque is just a little above 4. Still experimenting, but completely sold on op.

[azstu324]

FWIW and if anyone's interested, I've got an order in for a Maltby MPF Pro UL 47g in R flex. Going for the XXS version by Autoflex standards

 

[O2BGOLFN]

Really glad I found this thread about 18 months ago.  I have the PLB A flex in my Ping 400 Max driver and in my Ping 425 fairway. Very happy with the results although I am wondering about going to the L flex and perhaps a 425Max head.  Hitting the ball longer and with a nice draw.  Definitely a believer.  

Have you seen the latest from the Autoflex company?  It's called Freeflex /Metaflex and brings a whole new dimension to shaft manufacturing.  I'm not an engineer but my understanding is there is torsional stiffness while retaining the flexibiltiy of a soft flex of great benefit to faster swing speeds.  Won't help my 92 mph driver swing speed but can't wait to see actual testing.  

Happy Holidays to all,  

[O2BGOLFN]

here is the site  

https://www.freeflexshaft.com/

[Ding-dong]

Still playing mine, just having some swing issues. But to counter that I popped a jumbo max grip on and liked the feel in my hands, but it upset some stuff because it’s light. Plus it was rotating… so now I am wondering how I can make it all work, but I do have a second GPLB ( I know , I am spoiled!) with a std grip on. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

For all those Otto Phlexers, how many of you found good success with it? I know this thread slowed down a bit in 2023 with I think the hype of the real thing dying down a little bit, but am still curious how many found their new go to shaft throughout this process?

[Josh Parker]

Quite a few new brands out there around the concept. 

I played a round with a guy this weekend that had a TPT shaft that was in the low 50s range and their shafts are spineless with a similar concept from what I have read. He hit the ball a mile. 

[IndyBonzo]

I am still gaming my OP.  I tried several shafts a few weeks ago, and it's still best for me.

I once again need to work on my swing, but there's no question the OP is the best result for me right now.

[azstu324]

7 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I think the hype of the real thing dying down

Maybe we helped kill the hype with the OP experiment..?

[Ding-dong]

No YouTuber picked it up, I suspect they were scared the big OEMs would walk away from them. 

[azstu324]

15 hours ago, Ding-dong said:

No YouTuber picked it up, I suspect they were scared the big OEMs would walk away from them. 

Freddie Meikle has done a few videos on them. Most recently he plugged in a PX Cypher 50 5.0 and got really great results against the Autoflex. I've actually been conversing back and forth a little with him about the possibility of getting his hands on a PLB and our "little" experiment here. He seems interested in trying it out. Time will tell

 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by azstu324

[Vernon]

Still firmly in the OttoPhlex camp here.  

Now that it's colder and the fairways are soft from melted snow and some recent rain the Pro Launch Blue and the MP5 are the only thing keeping my game relevant!

Switch back and forth occasionally and it's kind crazy how when I'm not hitting one of them quite as well as I had been simply swapping them out is almost always an instant fix.

Don't really understand it but grateful that it's an option that works pretty much every time.

Still debating about cutting down the GolfWorks/Pro Launch that I'm not using much in the driver anymore for a fairway shaft.

Have a Pro Launch in my seven wood and occasionally swap it out to the five wood and like it a lot.  

My other two fairway shafts are Ping Distanza's which work just fine but just don't feel as good to me as the Pro Launch.

Been considering springing for the Accra M0 that seems to be gaining a following as well but so far haven't been able to justify spending $225 when the Pro Launch and MP5 work so well at less than a third of that.

[IndyBonzo]

I have been doing some research on other shafts that may fit the bill.  While these are a tad heavier, they just might work.  I suspect low torque matters.  (The MP5 L-flex is at 50g and 4.6TQ, and the PLB A-flex is at 44g and 5.0 TQ btw).  Has anyone tried these?

Ventus Blue TR 50 - R2 flex, 56g, 3.7TQ, mid launch, stiff tip

ProForce V2 55 -- A flex, 56g, 3.7TQ, mid launch, medium tip

The Ventus is spendy, of course.  ProForce not so much.

Thoughts or experiences with these?