Shaft Hack - The Otto Phlex Journey

[azstu324]

Ok folks.. Another VERY interesting development here.. 

As you know, I just picked up last year's Cobra LTDX LS.. A - because I get bored easily and B - I can't just leave things alone. 

I'm not fully convinced that a new driver head will give me loads of extra speed but definitely think it's worth a go, and if I can possibly squeak out an extra ounce of consistency or find a few yards of even better disbursement, I'd be super jazzed. 

I know, get to the point already!

So I happened to have a 52g UST Helium R flex at my disposal. I just took it to PGATSS to give it a whirl and compare with my gamer, the PXG 0311 with the Garafalloy PLB. 

The shaft was pretty good but just didn't quite have that "lovin" feeling that I've been used to with the PLB. It felt a little stiff. So I went over to the used drivers and found a Cobra LTDX with a UST Helium in Senior Flex. It also happened to be cut to play at 45"!! I took it back to the bay and swapped out my R flex for the A flex. Did the waggle test and it felt a little looser than the PLB. Possibly in the tip section? Well I proceeded to hit some laser straight bombs that were very similar to my gamer setup.. BUT with maybe an extra 5 yds of carry.. AND the shaft just felt outstanding! Very PLB-like but just a hair looser and completely stable. Shot after shot was on a rope. 

Soooo... I was able to convince the manager to just let me trade them their 45g A flex for my 52g R flex.

Well, I get home and look up the specs of the shaft. 6.3° torque!! Say whuhh?!??? Once again, I'm re schooled about something that I thought we be completely necessary in finding an OP option. 

The real test will come Tuesday when I take this setup to the course. 

I know a question some might ask is "what about the PLB in the Cobra head?". That is definitely something that I plan to do but for the sake of not spending any more $ or taking apart my gamer, this is a very strong option. 

More to come on this one

[Bang60]

Check swingweight today for Mizuno driver with titleist Bassara shaft 44.5 inch =C6 , Sim driver Widex shaft 46inch =D6. Mizuno head is lighter than the Sim so think I’ll extend my mizuno 1inch and or try lighter grip, I recall getting advice some time back about this but can’t remember so would appreciate if I can impose again please I’d like D1 ish that suits me with TS3 which has Bassara shaft… Sim I could use heavy grip or remove weights in the head and mizuno and weight to the head and lighter grip if possible???

[peakation]

Had a couple of hours in a trackman bay last week.

New PB in CHS with 111 mph! First time over 110. Had a few others just under 110 as well. Breaking ceilings here and it is really exciting to push speed and get the results after weeks or even months.

Had the same friend with me and his gamer is never over 100 CHS. With my one inch longer PLB A he is 6-7 mph faster, so there are definitely gains in the flex and SW of OP!

I have a PLB L too, and I haven't used it since the A worked better first time around (late last year). Felt it was too loose and whippy. Tried it again last week and it felt much better, so I think conditioning to a softer flex might make you accept even a lower flex down the road. I haven't tested them head to head to see if there are gains going to L, but I will do some more tests now that the feel isn't off putting.

Edited April 17, 2023 by peakation

[Ding-dong]

Sorry I have not weighed mine and not fed back any numbers.

I currently play epic speed head std 9 degree head 5 g back weight

GBPL - 45 L 46.5 “ 

grip is lamkin sonar tour standard , 2 layers of tape

std Callaway epic speed adapter 

 

I am set at 8 degrees N or standard.

I don’t want to take it apart, it’s magical club head speed … more than before, ball speed higher, FIR up .. happiness level = orgasmic 

I am thinking this year could see me returning to low singles when coupled with my swing path improvement. ( yes swing path has added swing speed increase as well … unknown though, I just accept it with good grace ) 

[jonbob]

On 4/14/2023 at 2:37 PM, carter18 said:

I think I remember a post from way back maybe from @Bobbers that the Callaway adapter is heavier than many of the other manufacturers.  I imagine by taking a bit off of the shaft length will get my overall weight down some. I would then need to make some adjustments of course to get back to the optimal swing weight.  Work to be done!

The callaway adapter is ridiculous, 14 grams total.   9 grams for the adapter and 5 grams for the screw.  I don't even know what is going on with the screw its like they picked a screw length that was too long and then added a thick washer.    I went as far as buying a titanium screw and washer in a shorter length to save 3 grams

As a reference the Ping adapter is 5 grams with a 2 gram screw, for 7 grams total...half the weight of the callaway.

I don't know, I am not a club designer, but surely 7 grams could be put in more useful locations of the clubhead than the hosel.   Or maybe it doesn't matter and i have put to much thought (and effort) into this.

[Bang60]

For the first time in my life I'm going for a club fitting and it's PING 430...

Now I'm so smart about Clubmaking thanks to all on MGS will I get Otto phlex shafts from this fitter? I booked it an hour ago and was not asked about my current setup or to bring any clubs, no idea how to play this fitting take my current setup or nothing.

What's the accepted norm any advice would be appreciated as I want to get the max out of this, cheers Colin...

[carter18]

21 hours ago, Bang60 said:

For the first time in my life I'm going for a club fitting and it's PING 430...

Now I'm so smart about Clubmaking thanks to all on MGS will I get Otto phlex shafts from this fitter? I booked it an hour ago and was not asked about my current setup or to bring any clubs, no idea how to play this fitting take my current setup or nothing.

What's the accepted norm any advice would be appreciated as I want to get the max out of this, cheers Colin...

You should absolutely take your own clubs. Definitely talk about your current set up and what you like and what you are looking for in a new club. Remember, you are the one paying this guy. let him know what you are looking for and he will be able to tell you what the numbers mean while you are there and what looks to be the best fit for your swing.

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by carter18

[Bang60]

2 hours ago, carter18 said:

You should absolutely take your own clubs. Definitely talk about your current set up and what you’re like and what you were looking for in a new club. Remember, you were the one paying this guy. let him know what you were looking for and he will be able to tell you what the numbers mean while you were there and what looks to be the best fit for your swing.

 

 

I’d take what I usually play with D 5/3 wood 6 9 sw or LW, I’ll take an open mind on what I like and if the numbers dictate anything different so be it. I’m playing the Monday Tuesday before the fitting so should be warmed up thanks  

[Bang60]

On 4/17/2023 at 1:21 PM, Bang60 said:

Check swingweight today for Mizuno driver with titleist Bassara shaft 44.5 inch =C6 , Sim driver Widex shaft 46inch =D6. Mizuno head is lighter than the Sim so think I’ll extend my mizuno 1inch and or try lighter grip, I recall getting advice some time back about this but can’t remember so would appreciate if I can impose again please I’d like D1 ish that suits me with TS3 which has Bassara shaft… Sim I could use heavy grip or remove weights in the head and mizuno and weight to the head and lighter grip if possible???

So extended my Mizuno 5/8th inch with swingweight C9 going to try that tomorrow before I make any other changes, could change grip or lead tape I'll see...

[Fred Mitchell]

On 4/16/2023 at 8:21 PM, Bang60 said:

Check swingweight today for Mizuno driver with titleist Bassara shaft 44.5 inch =C6 , Sim driver Widex shaft 46inch =D6. Mizuno head is lighter than the Sim so think I’ll extend my mizuno 1inch and or try lighter grip, I recall getting advice some time back about this but can’t remember so would appreciate if I can impose again please I’d like D1 ish that suits me with TS3 which has Bassara shaft… Sim I could use heavy grip or remove weights in the head and mizuno and weight to the head and lighter grip if possible???

Not familiar with the Mizunos but if has any of the screw in weights like Pings and some of the other common model have then changing the weight to a heavier one is easy peasy. Someone can correct me if I am wrong but at the club head end I believe it takes 2 grams to change 1 swingweight so simple math can get you close. All else fails lead tape or hotmelt is your friend

[David Leighton Reid]

Over the winter, I picked up a couple of the ProLaunch Blue 45 shafts in senior flex and built them into a PXG Gen 5 0311XF 9° driver and a PXG Gen 4 3 wood.  The driver is 45" and the 3 wood is 43".  The first couple of times playing with these combinations I was not impressed.  On Saturdays, I have been playing my Ping driver and switching to the Otto Phlex experiment clubs on Sunday.  With 6 holes remaining on my most recent Sunday golf outing, I decided the Otto Phlex wasn't working for me and the experimental clubs would be put up for sale.  So I am on the tee box of hole # 13 and decide to move the ball back toward the middle of my stance.  Boom....a nice high ball flight with a slight draw in the middle of the fairway.  The next driver hole was #15 and it is a slight dogleg left.  I used the same setup and BOOM BABY....another great drive down the right-hand side of the fairway with a baby draw.  The 17th hole was my final driver hole and I hit a dead straight, high flight ball down the middle of the fairway.  Distance was very good on all of my final 3 drives; every bit as far as my Ping driver.  So for me, probably due to some swing faults, the Otto Phlex experiment with the driver works much better with the ball position closer to the center of my stance.  The driver is setup at 8° and I added some lead tape to the head to get the swingweight to D1.  Now to work on the 3 wood.  

[carter18]

1 hour ago, David Leighton Reid said:

Over the winter, I picked up a couple of the ProLaunch Blue 45 shafts in senior flex and built them into a PXG Gen 5 0311XF 9° driver and a PXG Gen 4 3 wood.  The driver is 45" and the 3 wood is 43".  The first couple of times playing with these combinations I was not impressed.  On Saturdays, I have been playing my Ping driver and switching to the Otto Phlex experiment clubs on Sunday.  With 6 holes remaining on my most recent Sunday golf outing, I decided the Otto Phlex wasn't working for me and the experimental clubs would be put up for sale.  So I am on the tee box of hole # 13 and decide to move the ball back toward the middle of my stance.  Boom....a nice high ball flight with a slight draw in the middle of the fairway.  The next driver hole was #15 and it is a slight dogleg left.  I used the same setup and BOOM BABY....another great drive down the right-hand side of the fairway with a baby draw.  The 17th hole was my final driver hole and I hit a dead straight, high flight ball down the middle of the fairway.  Distance was very good on all of my final 3 drives; every bit as far as my Ping driver.  So for me, probably due to some swing faults, the Otto Phlex experiment with the driver works much better with the ball position closer to the center of my stance.  The driver is setup at 8° and I added some lead tape to the head to get the swingweight to D1.  Now to work on the 3 wood.  

Very Nice! I have noticed with the adjustable drivers it takes a bit of messing around with the stance and setup to find the ideal solution. Moving the loft down on drivers changes the lie of the clubface as well and needs to be taken into consideration when working out the ideal swing. I was just playing around at the range yesterday between 7 degrees and 9 degrees with my Calaway driver trying to come up with the most consistent results. It sure is fun when it's working well though!

[Bang60]

8 hours ago, David Leighton Reid said:

Over the winter, I picked up a couple of the ProLaunch Blue 45 shafts in senior flex and built them into a PXG Gen 5 0311XF 9° driver and a PXG Gen 4 3 wood.  The driver is 45" and the 3 wood is 43".  The first couple of times playing with these combinations I was not impressed.  On Saturdays, I have been playing my Ping driver and switching to the Otto Phlex experiment clubs on Sunday.  With 6 holes remaining on my most recent Sunday golf outing, I decided the Otto Phlex wasn't working for me and the experimental clubs would be put up for sale.  So I am on the tee box of hole # 13 and decide to move the ball back toward the middle of my stance.  Boom....a nice high ball flight with a slight draw in the middle of the fairway.  The next driver hole was #15 and it is a slight dogleg left.  I used the same setup and BOOM BABY....another great drive down the right-hand side of the fairway with a baby draw.  The 17th hole was my final driver hole and I hit a dead straight, high flight ball down the middle of the fairway.  Distance was very good on all of my final 3 drives; every bit as far as my Ping driver.  So for me, probably due to some swing faults, the Otto Phlex experiment with the driver works much better with the ball position closer to the center of my stance.  The driver is setup at 8° and I added some lead tape to the head to get the swingweight to D1.  Now to work on the 3 wood.  

So that’s what I’ve forgotten to do

[Ding-dong]

I had my worst driving experience last night, but to be honest when you know how good it can be, then you just have to admit that it’s not the club.

The last 2 drives I took some time on my swing path and position and I was back in the groove … but I won’t lie, I was worried that the poor tee shots were going to ruin my round. 
So basically it’s a case of finding something that you can and know can perform .. with a little effort. Which makes me wonder about the whole fitting process, as it’s so easy to be off the script … so you need or at least I do, some room for error.  I think I have that with this set up. 

[David Leighton Reid]

Yesterday was a full round of playing the ProLaunch 45 senior flex shaft with my new setup.  I have to say that driving the ball seemed easy.  My drives, if not in the fairway, were just off the edge and did not put myself in trouble.  Length was very good as compared to the positions I normally play from.  The PXG Gen 5 0311XF driver set at 8° seems to be a very good combination with the ProLaunch 45 shaft.  On Saturday, I played my regular gamer of Ping G425 Max at 9° with a Ventus Velocore Blue 5S at 45".  Being 6 months out from shoulder surgery, I am deliberately trying to swing easy and the Otto Phlex driver definitely feels lighter.  The only thing I do not like about the Grafalloy ProLaunch 45 shaft is the graphics, but I am fixing that by spray painting the shaft matte black.  

So far, the Gen 4 PXG 3 wood with the Prolaunch 45 shaft will not replace my Ping G410 with Ventus Velocore shaft.  The Otto Phlex combination in the 3 wood is too light for my preference.  I added some lead tape to the head of the PXG 3 wood to increase the swing weight, but I still hit the Ping 3 wood better.  

Edited April 24, 2023 by David Leighton Reid

[azstu324]

5 minutes ago, David Leighton Reid said:

Yesterday was a full round of playing the ProLaunch 45 senior flex shaft with my new setup.  I have to say that driving the ball seemed easy.  My drives, if not in the fairway, were just off the edge and did not put myself in trouble.  Length was very good as compared to the positions I normally play from.  The PXG Gen 5 0311XF driver set at 8° seems to be a very good combination with the ProLaunch 45 shaft.  On Saturday, I played my regular gamer of Ping G425 Max at 9° with a Ventus Velocore Blue 5S at 45".  Being 6 months out from shoulder surgery, I am deliberately trying to swing easy and the Otto Phlex driver definitely feels lighter.  The only thing I do not like about the Graffaloy ProLaunch 45 shaft is the graphics, but I am fixing that by spray painting the shaft matte black.  

Great to see you're getting the results that the PLB is capable of!

I know the graphics aren't Picasso but I can visually deal with them far better than the hot pink of the actual Autoflex. I'd venture to say that after adding a few grams of flexible paint, you may have been better off with the GWX black shaft in 50g. The flat black and silver is pretty nice looking. 

Will be interesting to see if the paint impacts playability at all. 

 

[David Leighton Reid]

17 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

Great to see you're getting the results that the PLB is capable of!

I know the graphics aren't Picasso but I can visually deal with them far better than the hot pink of the actual Autoflex. I'd venture to say that after adding a few grams of flexible paint, you may have been better off with the GWX black shaft in 50g. The flat black and silver is pretty nice looking. 

Will be interesting to see if the paint impacts playability at all. 

 

I will check the swingweight to see if the paint added any weight to the shaft.  After installing a +1/16 grip, I had to add some lead tape to the head to bring the swing weight up to D1.

Edited April 24, 2023 by David Leighton Reid

[mantonic24]

Question for everyone on the ProLaunch Blue 45 shaft in A flex. As anyone experienced breaking these shafts in the handle? I purchased mine at golf galaxy last week and had it trimmed to 45". My swing speed is anywhere between 98-105 with driver so not crazy fast. After about 6 hits with the new shaft it broke in the handle on transition of my swing. Anyone else have this issue? Otherwise I was sending rockets down the range. 

[David Leighton Reid]

1 hour ago, mantonic24 said:

Question for everyone on the ProLaunch Blue 45 shaft in A flex. As anyone experienced breaking these shafts in the handle? I purchased mine at golf galaxy last week and had it trimmed to 45". My swing speed is anywhere between 98-105 with driver so not crazy fast. After about 6 hits with the new shaft it broke in the handle on transition of my swing. Anyone else have this issue? Otherwise I was sending rockets down the range. 

No issues with the 2 Prolaunch Blue 45 A Flex that I purchased.  The shaft must have been cracked under the grip.  

[azstu324]

1 hour ago, mantonic24 said:

Question for everyone on the ProLaunch Blue 45 shaft in A flex. As anyone experienced breaking these shafts in the handle? I purchased mine at golf galaxy last week and had it trimmed to 45". My swing speed is anywhere between 98-105 with driver so not crazy fast. After about 6 hits with the new shaft it broke in the handle on transition of my swing. Anyone else have this issue? Otherwise I was sending rockets down the range. 

I second @David Leighton Reid. My SS lately is between 112 and 114 mph. I've been swinging the hell out of this shaft for the last 7 months and it's as stable as anything I've ever played. I'm also playing the A flex. 

sounds like you got a bad one . Hopefully GG can do you right and replace it. 

 

[mantonic24]

27 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

I second @David Leighton Reid. My SS lately is between 112 and 114 mph. I've been swinging the hell out of this shaft for the last 7 months and it's as stable as anything I've ever played. I'm also playing the A flex. 

sounds like you got a bad one . Hopefully GG can do you right and replace it. 

 

That's good to know. I went today and they said they would replace. This was met with a lecture from the staff that I shouldn't be swinging an A flex shaft at higher swing speeds. Did you change the weighting in the head of your driver? I play a Rogue LS which is d3.

[cksurfdude]

5 minutes ago, mantonic24 said:

This was met with a lecture from the staff that I shouldn't be swinging an A flex shaft at higher swing speeds.

That's why the knowledgeable people on this forum do *not* do club fittings @ GG. (Check for deals on the closeout rack - yes.) I'm sure a few locations may have a person who is skilled and conscientious, but more often they're just looking at pre-programmed charts it seems.....

But glad they acknowledged the replacement!

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

53 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

I second @David Leighton Reid. My SS lately is between 112 and 114 mph. I've been swinging the hell out of this shaft for the last 7 months and it's as stable as anything I've ever played. I'm also playing the A flex. 

sounds like you got a bad one . Hopefully GG can do you right and replace it. 

 

interesting. I have been thinking about this but going R instead of A if i decide to experiment and we are about the same speed

[mantonic24]

Anyone have an other recommendations on 40g A or R shafts to test out? Loving this concept so far with what I've tested.

[Bang60]

Which one of these balls would perform the best? I practiced with them for awhile, used 6iron driver 3wood?

[Ding-dong]

My personal opinion on swingspeed breaking shafts is … nah the differences we perceive are far bigger than the overall strength of the shaft. Humans in general are very sensitive, even the emotionally deficient ones. There will be always a safety margin in there and I really think they don’t calculate the durability in that manner … but I am sure a shaft design engineer could shed more light on it. 
 

I did break the autoflex, but that was instantly replaced, suggesting it is a common fault that they are willing to accept warranty on .. or the shaft is so hideously overpriced they are wealthy as oil sheikhs 

[David Leighton Reid]

13 hours ago, mantonic24 said:

Anyone have an other recommendations on 40g A or R shafts to test out? Loving this concept so far with what I've tested.

Originally, I had to be the different one and try a Fuji Air Speeder Blue 45 in A flex.  This shaft did not work for me so I purchased the Grafalloy Prolaunch Blue 45 in A Flex.  In my opinion, the main difference is the torque on the Fuji was 8.5 compared to 5.0 for the Grafalloy.  I believe the lower torque on the Grafalloy is why many of us are having success with this shaft.  

[azstu324]

16 hours ago, mantonic24 said:

Anyone have an other recommendations on 40g A or R shafts to test out? Loving this concept so far with what I've tested.

So far I have tried the following shafts. All have had varying levels of success but the PLB for me is hands down the clear winner in performance, feel, consistency, and stability. 

PX Evenflow Riptide 45g A flex

Garafalloy PLB 45g A flex

Garafalloy GWX 50g A flex

Fujikura Atmos red 45g A flex

UST Helium 4f2 45g A flex. 

 

Runner up to the PLB might be the UST Helium which is what I have in my Cobra LTDX LS.. but still I find myself wanting another PLB for the Cobra. I had a chance to really compare the 2 side by side yesterday and the PLB just felt more controllable and stable through the whole swing. Was getting similar SS #'s from both but ball speed was a little better with the Cobra VS the 0311.. Disbursement and smash factor though were consistently better with the 0311/PLB. Could have something to do with it being my soulmate driver for the past 7 mo. 

Hopefully I'll be able to plug a PLB into the Cobra this week and determine my setup for the rest of 2023. I also have a charity tournament in a couple weeks and would love to think that I could stand a chance to be the long drive winner. That would be some fun conversation

[David Leighton Reid]

On 4/24/2023 at 11:00 AM, azstu324 said:

Will be interesting to see if the paint impacts playability at all. 

Hey Stu - After painting and adding a coat of clear coat to the shaft, I weighed the reassembled club and if there is any difference in swing weight, it is very small.  Maybe 0.00 - 0.25.  My swing weight machine is not digital so it is hard to determine + or - less than 0.25.

[azstu324]

3 minutes ago, David Leighton Reid said:

Hey Stu - After painting and adding a coat of clear coat to the shaft, I weighed the reassembled club and if there is any difference in swing weight, it is very small.  Maybe 0.00 - 0.25.  My swing weight machine is not digital so it is hard to determine + or - less than 0.25.

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!!