Shaft Hack - The Otto Phlex Journey

[BadgerRick]

19 minutes ago, carter18 said:

Ok, phew! Took me several days of sporadic reading, but I have finally caught up on the thread. I currently play a Mitsubishi C6 blue in 70g X flex and placed my order today for a Grafalloy PLB 45A. My swing speed is very similar to Stu's from the initial post and this has been super intriguing. It really resonated with me because in a recent trip to top golf with my wife and a friend couple of ours I had an experience that seemed to come full circle reading through this thread.  With my driver I was sitting in the 156-160 ball speed on the top golf monitors for most of the day.  I play a Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero in 10.5 turned down to 9.5. On a whim I grabbed the women's driver which was a Callaway Rouge ST Max Women's (no idea what shaft was in it). After a few swings I smoked one that registered 169 ball speed. I thought nothing of this really and figured it must have been some sort of malfunction although the flight while a bit of a pull was the straightest ball I hit the entire session and hit the middle of the net still rising. While reading through this thread, that day continues to come to mind and now I am in it to find out how to replicate those ball speed #s. I should have my shaft in sometime this weekend and will update with some testing numbers.

 

Side question for you do it yourself club builders. Anywhere you recommend going to find reasonably priced club building supplies. I have been gripping my clubs for several years, and have recently used the do it yourself swing weight using the suggestions in the post. Current driver set up came in at just over D6 btw.  I would like to figure out how to remove applicator tips to reuse without ruining old shafts and would also like to get a bit more into home setup building.  Recommendations for necessary home club building tools or supplies?

 

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to venturing down the rabbit hole with you!

Golfworks, the best by far.

[Bobbers]

1 hour ago, carter18 said:

Ok, phew! Took me several days of sporadic reading, but I have finally caught up on the thread. I currently play a Mitsubishi C6 blue in 70g X flex and placed my order today for a Grafalloy PLB 45A. My swing speed is very similar to Stu's from the initial post and this has been super intriguing. It really resonated with me because in a recent trip to top golf with my wife and a friend couple of ours I had an experience that seemed to come full circle reading through this thread.  With my driver I was sitting in the 156-160 ball speed on the top golf monitors for most of the day.  I play a Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero in 10.5 turned down to 9.5. On a whim I grabbed the women's driver which was a Callaway Rouge ST Max Women's (no idea what shaft was in it). After a few swings I smoked one that registered 169 ball speed. I thought nothing of this really and figured it must have been some sort of malfunction although the flight while a bit of a pull was the straightest ball I hit the entire session and hit the middle of the net still rising. While reading through this thread, that day continues to come to mind and now I am in it to find out how to replicate those ball speed #s. I should have my shaft in sometime this weekend and will update with some testing numbers.

 

Side question for you do it yourself club builders. Anywhere you recommend going to find reasonably priced club building supplies. I have been gripping my clubs for several years, and have recently used the do it yourself swing weight using the suggestions in the post. Current driver set up came in at just over D6 btw.  I would like to figure out how to remove applicator tips to reuse without ruining old shafts and would also like to get a bit more into home setup building.  Recommendations for necessary home club building tools or supplies?

 

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to venturing down the rabbit hole with you!

By "applicator tips" I'm assuming you mean the adapters one uses to change loft, etc?  You'll need a heat source (I use a micro torch but I've been at it for 40 years) and some sort of "shaft puller".  Mine is simply a bottle jack mounted horizontally in a welded frame.  I'm sure if you do a web search you'll find myriad videos as well as places to purchase one cheaply.

With no intent to sound snarky, if it were me I'd practice a few times on shafts/adapters that, if things go horribly wrong, wouldn't put me out of pocket too much.

I don't know if they still offer it but Golfworks used to sell a basic book on club building that was pretty well illustrated and covered most of what  you'd need to know.

The good news, for me at least, is that we no longer, outside of those working with classic clubs, need to work with pinned iron heads, having to whip the ferrules on persimmon club heads, hand wrap leather grips, etc.  To me modern clubs are much easier to work with than their predecessors.  But, as always, that's one guy on the internet expressing an opinion.

There's also a 'diy' section in this forum you'd enjoy perusing, lots of good information and I'm sure some very helpful members, give it a shot.

[Bang60]

Well I've seen it but I bloody well don't believe it, my lady shaft arrived yesterday and I went for a hit today. I'm staggered how straight I hit it, bloody nora I'm hooked on 43inch shaft length. So will play again tomorrow and see what I can do, tbh I truly thought this was a hoax yabba dabba doo thanks to all who tried this ...

The shaft info below and used Titleist 917 8.5 loft set at A1.... Used shaft BUT cheap..

Edited November 8, 2022 by Bang60
Missed info

[Bobbers]

4 hours ago, Bang60 said:

Well I've seen it but I bloody well don't believe it, my lady shaft arrived yesterday and I went for a hit today. I'm staggered how straight I hit it, bloody nora I'm hooked on 43inch shaft length. So will play again tomorrow and see what I can do, tbh I truly thought this was a hoax yabba dabba doo thanks to all who tried this ...

The shaft info below and used Titleist 917 8.5 loft set at A1.... Used shaft BUT cheap..

That's a good alternative to the ProLaunch Blue.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Won't necessarily be pure Otto Phlex, but shafts should be arriving either Friday or next Monday. True testing season has begun!

[peakation]

6 hours ago, Bang60 said:

Well I've seen it but I bloody well don't believe it, my lady shaft arrived yesterday and I went for a hit today. I'm staggered how straight I hit it, bloody nora I'm hooked on 43inch shaft length. So will play again tomorrow and see what I can do, tbh I truly thought this was a hoax yabba dabba doo thanks to all who tried this ...

The shaft info below and used Titleist 917 8.5 loft set at A1.... Used shaft BUT cheap..

43 inch shaft is 3 wood length. You are losing 5-10 mph CHS...

[MattF]

14 hours ago, carter18 said:

Anywhere you recommend going to find reasonably priced club building supplies.

Golfworks for everything.

Hireko occasionally as well.

[Bobbers]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Won't necessarily be pure Otto Phlex, but shafts should be arriving either Friday or next Monday. True testing season has begun!

Best of luck, keep us posted please.

[azstu324]

17 hours ago, carter18 said:

Ok, phew! Took me several days of sporadic reading, but I have finally caught up on the thread. I currently play a Mitsubishi C6 blue in 70g X flex and placed my order today for a Grafalloy PLB 45A. My swing speed is very similar to Stu's from the initial post and this has been super intriguing. It really resonated with me because in a recent trip to top golf with my wife and a friend couple of ours I had an experience that seemed to come full circle reading through this thread.  With my driver I was sitting in the 156-160 ball speed on the top golf monitors for most of the day.  I play a Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero in 10.5 turned down to 9.5. On a whim I grabbed the women's driver which was a Callaway Rouge ST Max Women's (no idea what shaft was in it). After a few swings I smoked one that registered 169 ball speed. I thought nothing of this really and figured it must have been some sort of malfunction although the flight while a bit of a pull was the straightest ball I hit the entire session and hit the middle of the net still rising. While reading through this thread, that day continues to come to mind and now I am in it to find out how to replicate those ball speed #s. I should have my shaft in sometime this weekend and will update with some testing numbers.

 

Side question for you do it yourself club builders. Anywhere you recommend going to find reasonably priced club building supplies. I have been gripping my clubs for several years, and have recently used the do it yourself swing weight using the suggestions in the post. Current driver set up came in at just over D6 btw.  I would like to figure out how to remove applicator tips to reuse without ruining old shafts and would also like to get a bit more into home setup building.  Recommendations for necessary home club building tools or supplies?

 

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to venturing down the rabbit hole with you!

I picked up some basic shop items from harbor freight for a great price. Like my table vise for $20, and a heat gun for about the same. I used to use a torch but a heat gun is much better for working with graphite shafts. 220 grit sand paper is what I use to prep shaft tips. 60 grit is good for finishing up a hosel clean out as well as scoring the inside of the hosel or ferrule to keep a good bond. Speaking of bond, I've recently started using Golfworks Quick set epoxy. It's been fully cured and playable in 2 hours. (Not recommended but great in a pinch). Overnight is a guaranteed set. 

You will also want some good drill bits for cleaning out hosels and shafts. You'll want acetone, and rubbing alcohol for cleaning and turning the ferrules. You'll want a bunch of decent lint free cloths. After some practice, I've come to use shop paper towels for most of my cleanup and ferrules. 

This is the best "DIY" shaft puller that I've found. It's a break calliper splitter. Picked it up for $15 on Amazon. I also have a Dremel-like tool that I used to cut out the gaps and make the inside and edges smooth. It's soft steel so you can pretty easily drill through it with some WD-40 or silicone spray. I made a modification to mine to be more friendly with tip adapters. This thing works like a charm! Apply about 45 seconds of heat from the gun and you're good to go. 

This here's mine. You do need a table vise though to hold the shaft and create the leverage. . Oh yeah, don't forget the rubber shaft holder. Those are cheap 

[Kenny B]

29 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

I picked up some basic shop items from harbor freight for a great price. Like my table vise for $20, and a heat gun for about the same. I used to use a torch but a heat gun is much better for working with graphite shafts. 220 grit sand paper is what I use to prep shaft tips. 60 grit is good for finishing up a hosel clean out as well as scoring the inside of the hosel or ferrule to keep a good bond. Speaking of bond, I've recently started using Golfworks Quick set epoxy. It's been fully cured and playable in 2 hours. (Not recommended but great in a pinch). Overnight is a guaranteed set. 

You will also want some good drill bits for cleaning out hosels and shafts. You'll want acetone, and rubbing alcohol for cleaning and turning the ferrules. You'll want a bunch of decent lint free cloths. After some practice, I've come to use shop paper towels for most of my cleanup and ferrules. 

This is the best "DIY" shaft puller that I've found. It's a break calliper splitter. Picked it up for $15 on Amazon. I also have a Dremel-like tool that I used to cut out the gaps and make the inside and edges smooth. It's soft steel so you can pretty easily drill through it with some WD-40 or silicone spray. I made a modification to mine to be more friendly with tip adapters. This thing works like a charm! Apply about 45 seconds of heat from the gun and you're good to go. 

 

 

Take good care of the HF Heat Gun.  I used to use one; lasted maybe a year and only used about a dozen times.  I have had good luck with a propane micro-torch.

[azstu324]

14 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

Take good care of the HF Heat Gun.  I used to use one; lasted maybe a year and only used about a dozen times.  I have had good luck with a propane micro-torch.

Ha ha yeah, I've never taken HF's electrical gadgets too seriously. This is more of a "do I want to spend $75 on a good heat gun" purchase. I actually think I got the member's discount and paid like $10. If/when it goes out, I won't be too let down but I'll definitely spring for a better one. I just like plugging it in being good to go. I do still use butane for steel shafts though. 

[Bang60]

3 hours ago, azstu324 said:

I picked up some basic shop items from harbor. 

This here's mine. You do need a table vise though to hold the shaft and create the leverage. . Oh yeah, don't forget the rubber shaft holder. Those are cheap 

Actually you only need a F-clamp, here's mine and I used the Dinner table lol but the boss was out...

[Bang60]

7 hours ago, peakation said:

43 inch shaft is 3 wood length. You are losing 5-10 mph CHS...

Technically your right but your assuming my contact point is as good with the 46inch shaft and it's NOT, I had one drive that was about 3metres behind my 46inch Mizuno driver but with a tail wind. I will see how this shaft pans out before I start tinkering with it, interesting I found I could use an orange plastic Tee and keep the ball flight low into the wind which is something I've never been able to do in the past...

[Chadvb]

On 11/7/2022 at 2:56 PM, carter18 said:

Ok, phew! Took me several days of sporadic reading, but I have finally caught up on the thread. I currently play a Mitsubishi C6 blue in 70g X flex and placed my order today for a Grafalloy PLB 45A. My swing speed is very similar to Stu's from the initial post and this has been super intriguing. It really resonated with me because in a recent trip to top golf with my wife and a friend couple of ours I had an experience that seemed to come full circle reading through this thread.  With my driver I was sitting in the 156-160 ball speed on the top golf monitors for most of the day.  I play a Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero in 10.5 turned down to 9.5. On a whim I grabbed the women's driver which was a Callaway Rouge ST Max Women's (no idea what shaft was in it). After a few swings I smoked one that registered 169 ball speed. I thought nothing of this really and figured it must have been some sort of malfunction although the flight while a bit of a pull was the straightest ball I hit the entire session and hit the middle of the net still rising. While reading through this thread, that day continues to come to mind and now I am in it to find out how to replicate those ball speed #s. I should have my shaft in sometime this weekend and will update with some testing numbers.

 

Side question for you do it yourself club builders. Anywhere you recommend going to find reasonably priced club building supplies. I have been gripping my clubs for several years, and have recently used the do it yourself swing weight using the suggestions in the post. Current driver set up came in at just over D6 btw.  I would like to figure out how to remove applicator tips to reuse without ruining old shafts and would also like to get a bit more into home setup building.  Recommendations for necessary home club building tools or supplies?

 

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to venturing down the rabbit hole with you!

I have just followed this to pull adapters, never had an issue (probably done 10-15 and I just go really easy on the heat, usually have to heat a couple times). Way easier then anything else I have done

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5n0xKjaTmiI

[azstu324]

11 hours ago, Chadvb said:

I have just followed this to pull adapters, never had an issue (probably done 10-15 and I just go really easy on the heat, usually have to heat a couple times). Way easier then anything else I have done

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5n0xKjaTmiI

And youve done this without compromising the integrity of the tip? Or over cooking the adapter? Some adapters will turn brown if you heat them up too long and he had that thing cooking. Also, I've read that even if you don't visually crack or split the end, overheating can cause it to become brittle. Just curious if this has never happened 

[Chadvb]

19 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

And youve done this without compromising the integrity of the tip? Or over cooking the adapter? Some adapters will turn brown if you heat them up too long and he had that thing cooking. Also, I've read that even if you don't visually crack or split the end, overheating can cause it to become brittle. Just curious if this has never happened 

Never had an issue. Pretty sure I have done most major brands too. Again, I go super light on the heat to start, attach the club head to twist and usually the first couple times, nothing happens, so remove the head, kiss with the flame again and try try again till it works.
 

I had a friend try this method though and he was too aggressive and browned the adapter (nothing a little sharpie couldn’t fix) and frayed the shaft tip (was a fujikura vista pro shaft I believe) which resulted in a tipped driver shaft turned 5 wood shaft, oops. 

[BMart519]

On 11/8/2022 at 4:14 AM, peakation said:

43 inch shaft is 3 wood length. You are losing 5-10 mph CHS...

Most people gain around 1-2 MPH per inch, sometimes less because not many can play a 46" driver. So more like 3-6 MPH maximum. To get the same swing weight at 43" and 46" playing length you would need 20+ grams of additional weight which will boost smash factor and shrink that difference. 

Also didn't clarify if that is playing length of the shaft or actual shaft length. A 43" shaft is playing 44" or more. 

[BMart519]

On 11/8/2022 at 4:14 AM, peakation said:

43 inch shaft is 3 wood length. You are losing 5-10 mph CHS...

Most people gain around 1-2 MPH per inch, sometimes less because not many can play a 46" driver. So more like 3-6 MPH maximum. To get the same swing weight at 43" and 46" playing length you would need 20+ grams of additional weight which will boost smash factor and shrink that difference. 

Also didn't clarify if that is playing length of the club or actual shaft length. A 43" shaft is playing 44" or more and close to standard. 

On 11/8/2022 at 4:14 AM, peakation said:

43 inch shaft is 3 wood length. You are losing 5-10 mph CHS...

Most people gain around 1-2 MPH per inch, sometimes less because not many can play a 46" driver. So more like 3-6 MPH maximum. To get the same swing weight at 43" and 46" playing length you would need 20+ grams of additional weight which will boost smash factor and shrink that difference. 

Also didn't clarify if that is playing length of the club or actual shaft length. A 43" shaft is playing 44" or more and close to standard. 

[BadgerRick]

2 hours ago, Chadvb said:

Never had an issue. Pretty sure I have done most major brands too. Again, I go super light on the heat to start, attach the club head to twist and usually the first couple times, nothing happens, so remove the head, kiss with the flame again and try try again till it works.
 

I had a friend try this method though and he was too aggressive and browned the adapter (nothing a little sharpie couldn’t fix) and frayed the shaft tip (was a fujikura vista pro shaft I believe) which resulted in a tipped driver shaft turned 5 wood shaft, oops. 

don't twist if it's a graphite shaft

[Chadvb]

6 minutes ago, BadgerRick said:

don't twist if it's a graphite shaft

So I have heard... however, I always have twisted with the adapter and no issues on my limited experience. My opinion is it is more of a heat thing, be careful with the heat and you will be fine. 

(I have also pulled quite a few head off graphite shafts without a shaft puller, I don't twist the heads when I do it but its always worked, I guess I am a rebel...lol) 

And apologies all, I don't think this belongs in this topic. 

On another note - my Graffaloy PLB 44g A flex arrived at my club today, excited to go pick it up... if only there wasn't 2 feet of snow on the ground. Its gonna be a long wait!

Edited November 9, 2022 by Chadvb

[azstu324]

1 hour ago, Chadvb said:

... if only there wasn't 2 feet of snow on the ground. Its gonna be a long wait!

Excuses excuses

[cksurfdude]

On 11/6/2022 at 11:04 PM, azstu324 said:

(Insert homer Simpson gif.. "doh")

[Bang60]

2 hours ago, BMart519 said:

Most people gain around 1-2 MPH per inch, sometimes less because not many can play a 46" driver. So more like 3-6 MPH maximum. To get the same swing weight at 43" and 46" playing length you would need 20+ grams of additional weight which will boost smash factor and shrink that difference. 

Also didn't clarify if that is playing length of the shaft or actual shaft length. A 43" shaft is playing 44" or more. 

Sorry I wasn't sure what the playing length was but it's 44.25, went out late arvo yesterday and played 3 holes because I'm excited to see how my lady's performance is going.

I'm still in love got it bad.

Wifey thinks I'm crazy lol but hey nothing new in that, had a slight dropkick and went left but still good distance. Thinking this is a very forgiving shaft unlike my stiffer shafts, might rest the body today...

[Bang60]

2 hours ago, Chadvb said:

. My opinion is it is more of a heat thing, be careful with the heat and you will be fine.  

100% agree, I ruined 2 nice graphite driver shafts with heat when I started. But in my defense I was using a crow bar and needed more heat to move the head an 1/8 of a inch at a time, since I started using my version of the shaft remover I use a 1/4 of that heat because I have constant pressure pushing on the head easy peasy...

[Bobbers]

Got another shaft in the 7 iron head and tomorrow morning looks like last round of the year up here, lows are going to be in the teens which severely limits tee times if it even gets above freezing in a useful way until the spring thaw.  I'll get at least a few comparison shots on the course and we shall see what we shall see...

[azstu324]

On 11/9/2022 at 12:02 PM, cksurfdude said:

That's the one!

[Bobbers]

Took the O-PH 7 iron to the course.  Higher ball flight than my A flex.  And probably an average of 4-5 yards more distance.

I'm convinced the concept, for me as a slow swing speed/older golfer, is workable throughout the bag.

As the Monkees sang, "I'm a Believer..."

[GolfSpy TCB]

25 minutes ago, Bobbers said:

Took the O-PH 7 iron to the course.  Higher ball flight than my A flex.  And probably an average of 4-5 yards more distance.

I'm convinced the concept, for me as a slow swing speed/older golfer, is workable throughout the bag.

As the Monkees sang, "I'm a Believer..."

I continue to have good results from the driver... the real question is... why haven't I pulled the trigger through the rest of my bag?  

So, how was the dispersion of the 7 iron compared to your previous shaft?

[azstu324]

So here's a slightly straying question, but still somewhat relevant. I'm trying to think of a good home for the Riptide Evenflow. My 3 wood is in a long-term relationship with the Garafalloy GWX shaft and I don't see them splitting up any time soon. I'm deciding to part with my Cobra F8 6 wood because I just don't ever use it. I am considering picking up a PXG 0211 19° hybrid and want to implement the OttoPhlex theory. I think that the heavier hybrid head might just make the riptide come more to life. Here in lies the rub.. I'm about 96% certain that the adapter size for the PXG is .370. with the tip size of the Riptide being .335, I'll need a shim. I'm not too partial to using shims if I can help it.

Q: has anyone here ever shimmed a .335 driver shaft into a .370 hybrid? I'm sure it can be done.. but I'm looking for probability of success. Not trying to be donating my new PXG hybrid head to someone's back yard. I'm leaning towards giving it a whirl but thought I'd ask the group first. 

Thanks! 

[Bobbers]

41 minutes ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

I continue to have good results from the driver... the real question is... why haven't I pulled the trigger through the rest of my bag?  

So, how was the dispersion of the 7 iron compared to your previous shaft?

For me it was better dispersion with the L flex.

I've come to the conclusion that if the swing weight is too light for the shaft the head isn't "closing" at impact.  If the swing weight is too heavy?  The opposite happens, the torsion of the head twists the head too closed at impact. 

So the D0-D1 represents the most effective compromise.  That seems to be true for driver, fairways, hybrids, and as of today the irons as well.

When I got home the Adams set of V4 Idea Tech irons had arrived.  Got the 7 iron done; it's going to play at 37.5 inches at D0.  I did add an 8 gram counterweight in the butt of the shaft as the grip I removed from it was 59 grams and the new one was only 51 grams.  Came in spot on the D0 swing weight it had been when I checked it out of the box.