Terra Forza Golf Shafts - 2024 Forum Review

[tdc1]

5 hours ago, MrBandit said:

You are probably accustomed to the counter balance of the Alta CB, its just a different feel.   May have to do more range sessions before hitting the course again to really get the feel for it.
 

4 hours ago, ChiefMikeOfficer said:

But, after sticking with it a bit, it turned around. Gonna sound cliche here because of how they do the fittings, but on a few swings, I had to remind myself to "use my feet" -- with those pedals under the feet, I think it was a subconscious "use the legs/feet" feeling, but I often go back to old, bad habits of not using the legs enough. Like I mentioned in a previous post, it's very possible that same swing thought/focus would produce a better result with my other shafts too but either way, right now mine feels great. 

During the fitting I could tell there was a difference in the three shafts I used (my own, TF Green and TF Orange) but I didn't have the sense of needing to work.  Maybe because driver was the only club I was hitting (after warming up with 8 iron) and I had gotten into a good rhythm.  Going to keep working on finding the right rhythm, that's for sure.  Also need to get back to simulator to get some more objective data.  Thanks, guys.

[ChiefMikeOfficer]

Bit of a tougher outing this weekend... Can't really blame the shaft though, need to practice and play a bit more to prove either way. Took it out for a scramble, and the consistency was gone. A few of those knucklers came out and missed well left. Had one that was way right. But, there were still a handful of very solid drives mixed in. 

My thought: my swing was a bit off, and this shaft can really expose the swing flaws. But, we'll see. 

[tdc1]

6 hours ago, ChiefMikeOfficer said:

Bit of a tougher outing this weekend...

My thought: my swing was a bit off, and this shaft can really expose the swing flaws. But, we'll see. 

Similar experience for me the last two rounds.  When my tempo is good, I get a nice, tiny draw; when it isn't, I get hard quackers.  Surprisingly, to me, I have yet to actually lose a ball -- a couple OB but findable -- and only one big old slice but even it stayed in bounds.

Two things stand out so far: (1) the ball comes out low, and, (2) I'm getting a high number of smother hooks that I attribute to trying too hard.  I play 4-6 times a week but rarely practice; I really need to commit to the range more often to see if my difficulties are swing-related or play-related (I'm guessing some of both).

Playing a new (for me) course on Wednesday that has a significant amount of water so I'll have that added pressure.

[MrBandit]

Played on Saturday, scoring was not what I was expecting, approach shots really did me in and the greens were slippery fast, couldn't judge the speed or wedge release or checks.. it was frustrating. 

BUT the driver/shaft was good again, when I did hit driver it was solid, again, I feel like I can still give it a go, just need to commit to the swing.  Hit every Fairway with the driver. Its a mostly a straight /baby draw right now, so I'm getting used to that ball flight, instead of the baby cut I been playing for the past few years.




Probably go to the range middle of the week and try to work on really giving it go, increase my swing speed and let it fly. At this point for me it doesn't feel like am going to lose the drives to far left or right if I do miss a fairway.
 

[GolfSpy BOS]

I finally have a moment to sit down and share some info about my own fitting and my experience with the Terra Forza app, their fit cart of shafts, and the unique way in which Terra Forza fits you for a shaft.

I ended up fitting best into the Terra Forza White shaft with the strong tip.  But more on that later.  This post is about the process and the app!

Here’s a screen grab of one of my early fitting sessions.  Most of my swings resulted in an orange shaft recommendation.  This is a step below the white based on swing pattern and load factor.  

On this day I would say my swing felt off and I wasn’t rotating, which is interesting as the White shaft mentions an increase in rotating force over the orange, so I knew we were on the right track.

This is probably a good time to break down some of the metrics that Terra Forza captures during your swings.  

The force plates measure your use of the ground across both vertically and laterally during your swing.  It also captures the timing of these forces and when they peak compared to impact. You’ll see a pattern in your movements after several swings. Here’s a break down of the trace patterns and corresponding shaft offering from Terra Forza:

Terra Forza makes great use of the technology in force plates to gather the key metrics in the blueprint of your swing regarding how you use the ground.  This allows them to set you to their shaft color profile that is the best match.

It’s really cool to see the pressure trace in action synced up with your swing video in the app.  Below are two examples of different swings.

First we have @GolfSpy_SHARK, who has good movement and rotational force in his swing.  He loads up on his rear leg and transfers a lot of his weight to the front foot before impact.

Next we have my brother, who fits into a different, softer profile and you can see he does not use his weight nearly as effectively.  He does not move his weight nearly as much, and is linear.  I actually plan to show this to him so he can leverage that while trying to get his swing better.  I have a feeling he is trying to keep his weight centered versus letting it load up (he used to sway really badly).

As we get to the end of a look into the fitting system I wanted to share my fitting result:  Terra Forza White with the strong tip.  As part of the fitting process Terra Forza recommends trying a shaft up and down the matrix to see what feels and performs best.  For myself, the app recommended the normal White shaft, but the strong tip version is what felt the best to me.  I’ve started to get some preliminary data at the range, and we’ll get some on-course action soon.  But you’ll have to follow along to read if the Terra Forza White can unseat the Fujikura Motore X F3.

[bama no 1]

5 hours ago, GolfSpy BOS said:

I finally have a moment to sit down and share some info about my own fitting and my experience with the Terra Forza app, their fit cart of shafts, and the unique way in which Terra Forza fits you for a shaft.

I ended up fitting best into the Terra Forza White shaft with the strong tip.  But more on that later.  This post is about the process and the app!

Here’s a screen grab of one of my early fitting sessions.  Most of my swings resulted in an orange shaft recommendation.  This is a step below the white based on swing pattern and load factor.  

On this day I would say my swing felt off and I wasn’t rotating, which is interesting as the White shaft mentions an increase in rotating force over the orange, so I knew we were on the right track.

This is probably a good time to break down some of the metrics that Terra Forza captures during your swings.  

The force plates measure your use of the ground across both vertically and laterally during your swing.  It also captures the timing of these forces and when they peak compared to impact. You’ll see a pattern in your movements after several swings. Here’s a break down of the trace patterns and corresponding shaft offering from Terra Forza:

Terra Forza makes great use of the technology in force plates to gather the key metrics in the blueprint of your swing regarding how you use the ground.  This allows them to set you to their shaft color profile that is the best match.

It’s really cool to see the pressure trace in action synced up with your swing video in the app.  Below are two examples of different swings.

First we have @GolfSpy_SHARK, who has good movement and rotational force in his swing.  He loads up on his rear leg and transfers a lot of his weight to the front foot before impact.

Next we have my brother, who fits into a different, softer profile and you can see he does not use his weight nearly as effectively.  He does not move his weight nearly as much, and is linear.  I actually plan to show this to him so he can leverage that while trying to get his swing better.  I have a feeling he is trying to keep his weight centered versus letting it load up (he used to sway really badly).

As we get to the end of a look into the fitting system I wanted to share my fitting result:  Terra Forza White with the strong tip.  As part of the fitting process Terra Forza recommends trying a shaft up and down the matrix to see what feels and performs best.  For myself, the app recommended the normal White shaft, but the strong tip version is what felt the best to me.  I’ve started to get some preliminary data at the range, and we’ll get some on-course action soon.  But you’ll have to follow along to read if the Terra Forza White can unseat the Fujikura Motore X F3.

I used the Motore shaft, it will be hard to beat.

[Josh Parker]

Great info everyone.  Question for the testers.

It seems like a lot of having to get used to or adjustments.  Do you think its the profile of the shaft or is it just that different from what you typically game?

 

 

[CFreddie]

5 hours ago, GolfSpy BOS said:

I finally have a moment to sit down and share some info about my own fitting and my experience with the Terra Forza app, their fit cart of shafts, and the unique way in which Terra Forza fits you for a shaft.

I ended up fitting best into the Terra Forza White shaft with the strong tip.  But more on that later.  This post is about the process and the app!

Here’s a screen grab of one of my early fitting sessions.  Most of my swings resulted in an orange shaft recommendation.  This is a step below the white based on swing pattern and load factor.  

On this day I would say my swing felt off and I wasn’t rotating, which is interesting as the White shaft mentions an increase in rotating force over the orange, so I knew we were on the right track.

This is probably a good time to break down some of the metrics that Terra Forza captures during your swings.  

The force plates measure your use of the ground across both vertically and laterally during your swing.  It also captures the timing of these forces and when they peak compared to impact. You’ll see a pattern in your movements after several swings. Here’s a break down of the trace patterns and corresponding shaft offering from Terra Forza:

Terra Forza makes great use of the technology in force plates to gather the key metrics in the blueprint of your swing regarding how you use the ground.  This allows them to set you to their shaft color profile that is the best match.

It’s really cool to see the pressure trace in action synced up with your swing video in the app.  Below are two examples of different swings.

First we have @GolfSpy_SHARK, who has good movement and rotational force in his swing.  He loads up on his rear leg and transfers a lot of his weight to the front foot before impact.

Next we have my brother, who fits into a different, softer profile and you can see he does not use his weight nearly as effectively.  He does not move his weight nearly as much, and is linear.  I actually plan to show this to him so he can leverage that while trying to get his swing better.  I have a feeling he is trying to keep his weight centered versus letting it load up (he used to sway really badly).

As we get to the end of a look into the fitting system I wanted to share my fitting result:  Terra Forza White with the strong tip.  As part of the fitting process Terra Forza recommends trying a shaft up and down the matrix to see what feels and performs best.  For myself, the app recommended the normal White shaft, but the strong tip version is what felt the best to me.  I’ve started to get some preliminary data at the range, and we’ll get some on-course action soon.  But you’ll have to follow along to read if the Terra Forza White can unseat the Fujikura Motore X F3.

Fascinating results @GolfSpy BOS - thanks for sharing more about this unique fitting experience. Curious to see some numbers as you get out to the range with the new shaft!

[tdc1]

2 hours ago, Josh Parker said:

Great info everyone.  Question for the testers.

It seems like a lot of having to get used to or adjustments.  Do you think its the profile of the shaft or is it just that different from what you typically game?

This is the proverbial $64,000 Question.  For me, it is clearly a combination of both.  I am used to a counter balanced shaft that is a hair lighter and, I suspect, the same hair softer.  The TF feels noticeably heavier and stiffer -- the day of my fitting I was between Green and Orange but the fitter did nor have the Green + shaft for me to try (see the chart @GolfSpy BOS posted in his great post above.  I received the Orange shaft which had the best dispersion during my fitting).  I have increased the head loft 1° and put some lead tape around the butt end of the club (probably about 3g based on 0.5g per inch average I've seen in online discussions of lead tape -- less than half the Ping 8g standard counter balance).

One thing I have noticed is that the ball flies low and left compared to my Alta CB Slate (55 - R).  This is consistent on good and bad swings so I mark this down as purely shaft profile.  Of the 54 driver shots hit on course with the TF Orange I have literally had only 1 high right.  With my Alta I would have expected 15-18 high right from the same number of shots.

The quest goes on.

[MrBandit]

8 hours ago, GolfSpy BOS said:

I finally have a moment to sit down and share some info about my own fitting and my experience with the Terra Forza app, their fit cart of shafts, and the unique way in which Terra Forza fits you for a shaft.

I ended up fitting best into the Terra Forza White shaft with the strong tip.  But more on that later.  This post is about the process and the app!

Here’s a screen grab of one of my early fitting sessions.  Most of my swings resulted in an orange shaft recommendation.  This is a step below the white based on swing pattern and load factor.  

On this day I would say my swing felt off and I wasn’t rotating, which is interesting as the White shaft mentions an increase in rotating force over the orange, so I knew we were on the right track.

This is probably a good time to break down some of the metrics that Terra Forza captures during your swings.  

The force plates measure your use of the ground across both vertically and laterally during your swing.  It also captures the timing of these forces and when they peak compared to impact. You’ll see a pattern in your movements after several swings. Here’s a break down of the trace patterns and corresponding shaft offering from Terra Forza:

Terra Forza makes great use of the technology in force plates to gather the key metrics in the blueprint of your swing regarding how you use the ground.  This allows them to set you to their shaft color profile that is the best match.

It’s really cool to see the pressure trace in action synced up with your swing video in the app.  Below are two examples of different swings.

First we have @GolfSpy_SHARK, who has good movement and rotational force in his swing.  He loads up on his rear leg and transfers a lot of his weight to the front foot before impact.

Next we have my brother, who fits into a different, softer profile and you can see he does not use his weight nearly as effectively.  He does not move his weight nearly as much, and is linear.  I actually plan to show this to him so he can leverage that while trying to get his swing better.  I have a feeling he is trying to keep his weight centered versus letting it load up (he used to sway really badly).

As we get to the end of a look into the fitting system I wanted to share my fitting result:  Terra Forza White with the strong tip.  As part of the fitting process Terra Forza recommends trying a shaft up and down the matrix to see what feels and performs best.  For myself, the app recommended the normal White shaft, but the strong tip version is what felt the best to me.  I’ve started to get some preliminary data at the range, and we’ll get some on-course action soon.  But you’ll have to follow along to read if the Terra Forza White can unseat the Fujikura Motore X F3.

During my fitting I was also in-between Orange, and White but also tried the Yellow trying to get the right feel.  White Strong-tip was also the recommendation, it felt the best and I could really get thru the ball. Ball speed had the best numbers with this shaft.

I like that you put up the Chart with the Load and Trace, I think that explains a lot about the fitting process.

So far, its not the longer than my Fujikura, but is more accurate, I'm hitting a lot more fairways and as I mention before, the adjustment of getting used to the shaft, I still feel I can give it more and improve on the swing speed and this would increase my distance.

Hitting the range this week to focus on increasing the swing speed and then taken out on the course this weekend.

Great updated!
 

[MrBandit]

3 hours ago, Josh Parker said:

Great info everyone.  Question for the testers.

It seems like a lot of having to get used to or adjustments.  Do you think its the profile of the shaft or is it just that different from what you typically game?

 

 

Its a different feel from my gamer shaft. I mention before that one thing that I had a hard time was that my game shaft Fujikura Speeder NX TCS 50 is a lighter shaft BUT the swing weight is D8 vs D5 of the current TF White Shaft with a heavier shaft 65.

So it took so getting used to.  Balls speed has 100% increase with this shaft. I just need to crease the swing speed to get the benefits.

The Pressure plates really showed me how am distributing my weight, not really loading as much as I thought and more of a control swing with some weight shifting just not as much as I was expecting.

 

[ChiefMikeOfficer]

9 hours ago, GolfSpy BOS said:

 

Here’s a screen grab of one of my early fitting sessions.  Most of my swings resulted in an orange shaft recommendation.  This is a step below the white based on swing pattern and load factor.  

On this day I would say my swing felt off and I wasn’t rotating, which is interesting as the White shaft mentions an increase in rotating force over the orange, so I knew we were on the right track.

This is probably a good time to break down some of the metrics that Terra Forza captures during your swings.  

The force plates measure your use of the ground across both vertically and laterally during your swing.  It also captures the timing of these forces and when they peak compared to impact. You’ll see a pattern in your movements after several swings. Here’s a break down of the trace patterns and corresponding shaft offering from Terra Forza:

Terra Forza makes great use of the technology in force plates to gather the key metrics in the blueprint of your swing regarding how you use the ground.  This allows them to set you to their shaft color profile that is the best match.

 

Really cool to see what the stats actually mean -- I saw the numbers but had no idea what the abbreviations meant. 

Interesting that you jumped from mostly Orange up to the White+ -- that makes me wonder, where does the Black fit in? I assume similar Load Factor to White?

[ChiefMikeOfficer]

4 hours ago, Josh Parker said:

Great info everyone.  Question for the testers.

It seems like a lot of having to get used to or adjustments.  Do you think its the profile of the shaft or is it just that different from what you typically game?

 

 

I'm not golf-smart enough to know for sure, but my gut says it's just the shaft specs, mostly just that it's lighter. For years, I've been in a heavier, maybe lower-torque shaft than what I got fit into here (not sure whether the + affects torque). Every time we tried to get something lighter, the ball would head hard-left, which was the initial tendency here. That might all be in my head or something, or it might be that I'm just used to something a little heavier -- either way, it happened at both Club Champion and at the TaylorMade Player Development Center fittings that I had in recent years. Considering some of the results I've seen with it, my gut says I just need to get used to the lighter weight and it will all be OK. 

The Yellow is documented at 68g, 3.4 torque. My most recently fitted shaft was the Diamana ZF 70X, which comes in at 76.5g, 3.1 torque (at the fitting we had the "let's try the 60X to see if we can pick up some speed" moment, and ). Before that, it was Accra TZ6 75 M5, which was 80g, 2.1 torque. The Tour AD-DI 6X that I picked up "just to try lighter" has very similar weight/torque compared to the Yellow, and through like two rounds, it seemed to be working pretty well. 

 

Edited May 14 by ChiefMikeOfficer
Correct 65-->60

[GolfSpy BOS]

18 minutes ago, ChiefMikeOfficer said:

Really cool to see what the stats actually mean -- I saw the numbers but had no idea what the abbreviations meant. 

Interesting that you jumped from mostly Orange up to the White+ -- that makes me wonder, where does the Black fit in? I assume similar Load Factor to White?

That was my first session with the plates, my swing was less than ideal that time, and it was more just to do a test run.  I wanted to share that one because it showed what I was feeling, with a lack of rotation and probably not hitting my usual speeds and form.  

I'll have to prepare some screen shots of my actual fitting too, probably when I share some of my first range/course results too.

[tdc1]

Today was 20° cooler and 100% wetter than yesterday so I took the opportunity to hit some balls indoors.  The simulators at my course are Uneekor (I don't know the model).  I hit off #8 (2") BirTee and used Pro V1 balls.  The ball choice was driven mostly from my initial Terra Forza fitting which used Pro V1 RCT -- yes, I know I should, but I do not play one brand/model of ball consistently although I tend to use "value" 3-piece urethane on the course -- Tour Response, Wilson Triad, Q-Star Tour/Tour Divide, Maxfli Tour.

After warming up with my 8 iron, I moved the the driver:  Ping G425 Max with head at standard 10.5° and back weight in the neutral position.  I hit 6-8 drivers with the Terra Forza Orange and then 6-8 with the Alta CB Slate 55•R that came with my Ping G425 Max.  I repeated this until I had 10 representative shots for each shaft. 

I then repeated the process with the head at +1° (back weight still neutral).  Below is a spreadsheet I put together with some of the data.

Compared to my fitting data which was captured on Trackman, I was swinging 4.9 mph faster today with the TF Orange and 4.1 mph faster with the Alta CB; I have to assume that some (much?) of this difference is due to the way each system calculates SS.  Ball speed was 0.1 mph slower today with the TF Orange and  1.1 mph slower with the Alta CB.  Carry distance was 4.5 yards shorter today with the TF Orange and 7.6 yards longer with the Alta CB.  Total distance was a whopping 20.5 yards shorter today with the TF Orange and a not insignificant 9.8 yards shorter with the Alta CB.  (Sorry about the editorializing the total distance numbers; agaoin, I have to assume that at least some of the difference is due to how the systems determine numbers.)

I do not have any Trackman data for the 11.5° setting but I find it very interesting that at both settings today the difference in carry distance and total distance is identical -- +3.8 yards and +4.2 yards in favor of the Alta CB.

Here is a dispersion chart for both shafts at 10.5°.

Given my on course feeling that the Alta CB was not as left biased as the TF Orange I was surprised to see so many of the Alta CB shots left of center.

And, just for grins, here is a composite dispersion chart for both 10.5 and 11.5°

Again, look at all those shots to the left!

I'm pretty sure that 11.5° is not the path forward although I will try it a couple of more times on course.

I welcome any constructive analyses of the limited data provided in the post.  (Or, please HELP me understand!)

I play a course tomorrow that I am completely unfamiliar with so I'm not sure how much daylight the driver will see.  Wish me luck.

[MrBandit]

17 hours ago, tdc1 said:

Today was 20° cooler and 100% wetter than yesterday so I took the opportunity to hit some balls indoors.  The simulators at my course are Uneekor (I don't know the model).  I hit off #8 (2") BirTee and used Pro V1 balls.  The ball choice was driven mostly from my initial Terra Forza fitting which used Pro V1 RCT -- yes, I know I should, but I do not play one brand/model of ball consistently although I tend to use "value" 3-piece urethane on the course -- Tour Response, Wilson Triad, Q-Star Tour/Tour Divide, Maxfli Tour.

After warming up with my 8 iron, I moved the the driver:  Ping G425 Max with head at standard 10.5° and back weight in the neutral position.  I hit 6-8 drivers with the Terra Forza Orange and then 6-8 with the Alta CB Slate 55•R that came with my Ping G425 Max.  I repeated this until I had 10 representative shots for each shaft. 

I then repeated the process with the head at +1° (back weight still neutral).  Below is a spreadsheet I put together with some of the data.

Compared to my fitting data which was captured on Trackman, I was swinging 4.9 mph faster today with the TF Orange and 4.1 mph faster with the Alta CB; I have to assume that some (much?) of this difference is due to the way each system calculates SS.  Ball speed was 0.1 mph slower today with the TF Orange and  1.1 mph slower with the Alta CB.  Carry distance was 4.5 yards shorter today with the TF Orange and 7.6 yards longer with the Alta CB.  Total distance was a whopping 20.5 yards shorter today with the TF Orange and a not insignificant 9.8 yards shorter with the Alta CB.  (Sorry about the editorializing the total distance numbers; agaoin, I have to assume that at least some of the difference is due to how the systems determine numbers.)

I do not have any Trackman data for the 11.5° setting but I find it very interesting that at both settings today the difference in carry distance and total distance is identical -- +3.8 yards and +4.2 yards in favor of the Alta CB.

Here is a dispersion chart for both shafts at 10.5°.

Given my on course feeling that the Alta CB was not as left biased as the TF Orange I was surprised to see so many of the Alta CB shots left of center.

And, just for grins, here is a composite dispersion chart for both 10.5 and 11.5°

Again, look at all those shots to the left!

I'm pretty sure that 11.5° is not the path forward although I will try it a couple of more times on course.

I welcome any constructive analyses of the limited data provided in the post.  (Or, please HELP me understand!)

I play a course tomorrow that I am completely unfamiliar with so I'm not sure how much daylight the driver will see.  Wish me luck.

Not sure what the rest of the Testing team feels about this, but it seems that maybe for your swing you would have benefit from the green shaft as a better options.  You appear to be the one tester that have not gotten any positive from this shaft and fitting.  

The higher the loft you go the more back spin you will create so the distance will be affected by this.

If you had time before your round this weekend, I would just for comparison purposes, lower the loft instead of 10.5 or 11.5 , go down to 10 or 9.5. This should lower the back spin numbers.  It did for me.  I would be curious if you still have the same results.

Edited May 15 by MrBandit

[MrBandit]

Range Session during Lunch trying to get faster with my swing. Its going to take a min to get that swing speed to increase as my swing has been ingrained to be a control swing to make sure I hit more fairways over the years. Its going to take some time to let it fly but baby steps of progress.

Today results using the VC SC300i Launch Monitor.


Getting better carry distance now, swing speed move up a little and Launch angle was up. 
 

Edited May 15 by MrBandit

[tdc1]

7 hours ago, MrBandit said:

Not sure what the rest of the Testing team feels about this, but it seems that maybe for your swing you would have benefit from the green shaft as a better options.  You appear to be the one tester that have not gotten any positive from this shaft and fitting. 

I'm trying not to let that get too deep in my head.  The Green + shaft seemed to be what the pressure plates were suggesting but the fitter did not have one to try.  I assume he and Colin talked and settled on Orange, so, Orange it is.

7 hours ago, MrBandit said:

The higher the loft you go the more back spin you will create so the distance will be affected by this.

If you had time before your round this weekend, I would just for comparison purposes, lower the loft instead of 10.5 or 11.5 , go down to 10 or 9.5. This should lower the back spin numbers.  It did for me.  I would be curious if you still have the same results.

I played today thinking I was back down to 10.5° but it was still at 11.5°.  Ignore the 365 yd. drive -- Shot Scope was obviously having a moment.  Interesting that even with one serious clunker off the tee, I came out at 198.6 average and 4/6 fairways hit.  The two shots to the right are due more to severe fairway tilt than being pushed/sliced.  And, FWIW, today's ball was Maxfli Tour.

The thought of going down to 9.5° is both intriguing and scary -- I have never used anything lower than a 10° Big Bertha.  I wonder if the back weight should be moved to draw?  At this point, all options are on the table.

Thanks.

[Josh Parker]

39 minutes ago, tdc1 said:

I'm trying not to let that get too deep in my head.  The Green + shaft seemed to be what the pressure plates were suggesting but the fitter did not have one to try.  I assume he and Colin talked and settled on Orange, so, Orange it is.

I played today thinking I was back down to 10.5° but it was still at 11.5°.  Ignore the 365 yd. drive -- Shot Scope was obviously having a moment.  Interesting that even with one serious clunker off the tee, I came out at 198.6 average and 4/6 fairways hit.  The two shots to the right are due more to severe fairway tilt than being pushed/sliced.  And, FWIW, today's ball was Maxfli Tour.

The thought of going down to 9.5° is both intriguing and scary -- I have never used anything lower than a 10° Big Bertha.  I wonder if the back weight should be moved to draw?  At this point, all options are on the table.

Thanks.

I kind of wonder if the green+ wouldn't have fit the bill. 

[tdc1]

4 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

I kind of wonder if the green+ wouldn't have fit the bill. 

In the fitting, the Orange had a better dispersion but the Green (not Green +) was a yard or so longer

[Josh Parker]

31 minutes ago, tdc1 said:

In the fitting, the Orange had a better dispersion but the Green (not Green +) was a yard or so longer

I just wonder based on the foot pressure how the green+ compared.

[ChiefMikeOfficer]

I feel like I'm having a rough go with this test - pretty much every time I work a round around the kids' schedule, it gets rained out (forecast looks like my next round will follow suit). Still have about 6 weeks in the official testing period, so we're still good, it's just annoying.

I took it out to our local, "poor man's Top Golf" range last night - decent launch monitor/sim with the Top Tracer, but missing some stats, and standard hard range balls (but many of the balls are very worn out or damaged). I was able to do a few comparisons, but eventually we just decided to do a sim round (kept the TF Yellow+ in the driver, but the stats go away), so actual analysis is limited. Some of what I saw (only used the TF and the AD-DI): 

Initial set: Picked up that hooker again. Hit one great, but most of the first 5 were in the 50-60ft apex range - far too low, likely also too low spin (but that's not in the stats). The GD had better overall performance - same speeds, but better flight. 

So... Decided to crank up the loft with the TF. I was hesitant to do that because I wasn't sure if it was like the PURE gimmick where you shouldn't turn the shaft (wait, did I say gimmick? Bit of a joke - I think there is some science to it), and the TM adapter turns the shaft (wish they were all like Callaway, which leaves the shaft in the same position). But after confirming with the TF team that it's cool to turn it, I put it up one setting. The results: solid. 

Straighter. Higher (90-95ft). Still mid 160s ball speed, pretty tight dispersion. I think this is where I'm going to leave it for the next round, and will try to get to a better launch monitor in the next week or two to run some more comparisons. 

 

[ZackS]

12 minutes ago, ChiefMikeOfficer said:

 

I feel like I'm having a rough go with this test - pretty much every time I work a round around the kids' schedule, it gets rained out

 

I had the same during my TPT testing. My available time to get a round in and weather were fighting each other for at least half the testing period. 

[tdc1]

UPS is driving me crazy!  Last Friday I got an announcement of a mystery shipment coming my way.  Due to be here tomorrow.  No, wait -- yesterday.  No, sorry, today!  Oops, maybe tomorrow instead.  <Sigh.>

Anyway, I went out for 9 holes today.  Steady 15+ MPH winds; gusts up to 30 MPH.  A challenging day, to say the least.  Back to the Alta CB today in Standard settings (10.5° and Neutral back weight).  Hit it 4 times but only kept data for 3 -- the 79 yd. top is solely on me not the club/shaft.  Hit 2/3 fairways (lost one to the Right).  Longest = 231.  Shortest = 169.  Average = 195.3.  For reference, I have played 4 @9-hole rounds with the Alta since the testing began and today's average is 3rd lowest.  I have played 10 times with the TF Orange (4 @18-holes and 6 @9-holes) and today's average would be tied for 6th in that data set.

 

[ChiefMikeOfficer]

On course update: I really thought last night's league round was going to be rained out again -- forecast was for things like 50% chance of storms all day, jumping to 90% by the evening, with a reasonable chance of a tornado. But...it held off all day. Teed off at 4:45, got our round in, then while hanging at the bar afterward, bartender comes back in and makes this classic Wisconsin comment: "hey everyone, just wanted to let you know the tornado sirens are going off outside. You're welcome to head to our downstairs area and hang out as long as you want. Or, feel free to stay here and finish your beers." (we knew the storm was still miles out, so we just packed up and made the 5 minute drive home and met the family in the basement).

Oh, right, the shaft -- first time on course with the new 8.75 degree setting. Played the 9 where there are a few non-driver holes, but decided to make at least one of them a driver anyway. First tee...bomb. Great flight, right side with draw, buuut it rode the 30mph left-to-right & hurting wind just into the rough (watch clocked it at 305 - slightly downhill, but that wind was a big factor too). Can't be disappointed with that (can be disappointed with the topped next shot - very out of character). Next tee shot...yank. Still got out there pretty good, and wasn't that far left (was playing left side because of the wind again, thinking it would ride to center-right, but missed about 15yds into the left rough). Next is the exciting hole - short, downhill par 5 that was playing downwind, feeling confident, and...sky-toe. Probably just went after it too hard and lost control, but it was still only like 10 yds off the fairway (caught a tree at 265).  

Next few were layups, then came to 8 -- normally it's a 4 iron to the wide part of the fairway short of the bunkers to get ~130 in, but I looked at it again, and it's the first time I ever realized that the driver landing zone is actually not that much narrower (and I have a shaft to test!). So, went for it, cleared the bunkers easily, kicked to the left side of the fairway about 50yds out (360yd hole). Last hole is a dogleg right that goes up to a flat area, the down to the right and back up to the green. The debate is taking a long iron or FW straight out to the top of the hill and having 175-200 in, or try to clear the trees on the right with a 3W or driver to get it down the hill to a more attackable distance (the 150 is in the middle of the small hill). But...I have a shaft to test! Again, piped, great ball flight, right on target, center of the fairway right at the 100 (total distance 305). 

So...only 2/5 fairways, but 3/5 victories for the shaft. The other two were just bad swings -- I could feel the over-the-top shut face on the left one, and the other . Feeling very good about the 8.75 setup. 

[ChiefMikeOfficer]

Trackman Time! Bit unfortunate on the reasoning -- wasn't actually a tornado that came through, but very high winds and a damaging storm. We have two trees down in our yard, and there were power outages and trees down all over the surrounding area. Needless to say...daycare was closed (power out). So, I planned a lunch outing with the 5 year old at a local sim place, hoping he'd just want to rip drivers so that I can collect comparison stats. But he really wanted to play a "real golf course", so I set us up on Valhalla, me from the tips and him from the forwards (even that was a big stretch for him -- dude only flies it like 40-50 yards, but he loved it, so all good). 

I did sneak one comparison in before starting that round. I took the Qi10LS with TF Yellow+ at 8.75, and compared it to the same head with the Mitsubishi ZF from my last TaylorMade PDC / Gears fitting (technically that was fit into a Stealth+ at 8.75, but didn't want to make a comparison across different heads). 

I have no idea why, but I'm sad that it didn't save my initial set with the Terra Forza -- I added a tag for the shaft and everything, but they just got wiped after. Those first 5-6 balls were the best driver set I had today. After that set, I'll be honest - something felt off with the swing. But, I did capture stats on both the ZF and the Yellow+, after removing a couple outliers (like I said, felt off, and had some shots to match). 

First, the ZF: 

It was a struggle, and I don't know why - thing treated me very well with the Stealth+ for two years, but now in the Qi10LS, it underperforms? I don't know if it was the swing flaw, the shaft/head mismatch vs. my fitting, or if this is just the performance I was getting last year (doubt it...didn't feel that way), but for me, this is not great (but now looking at the pic, probably should have deleted one or two more and hit a couple more).  

Then, because my first (and best) Terra Forza set was lost, convinced the kid to sit back down and eat a bit while I hacked at a few more with the Yellow+: 

Oddly, club speed was down -- expected the opposite considering the weight (might have left a bad one in there -- I'm looking at you #7). But ball speed and smash factor were up, spin was pretty much ideal for the swing speed (citing a July 2020 Golf Magazine article, which says 1750-2300 is best with 105+ MPH, but my old GolfTEC coach wants right around this number too), and about 15yds longer. When it comes to dispersion...you make the call. Still wish they displayed apex on this screen (and I didn't spend enough time to see if I could find it), but the flight looks good. 

Just gonna come out and say it...I don't know if it's the fitting or the shaft, but I think I'm concluding that Terra Forza beats the Gears fitting system. Can't say that with 100% certainty, but the TF has had consistently better performance for me throughout the test compared to the Mitsubishi. 

 

Next up: dad's coming to visit, and we're playing Lac La Belle on Friday (great track, if you're ever in the area). I will try to get some on-course pictures/videos, but I really struggle with that task with a driver shaft (when I tested a bag last summer/fall, it was super easy to remember, but I keep forgetting with the shaft). 

Edited May 23 by ChiefMikeOfficer

[ChiefMikeOfficer]

5 hours ago, tdc1 said:

UPS is driving me crazy!  Last Friday I got an announcement of a mystery shipment coming my way.  Due to be here tomorrow.  No, wait -- yesterday.  No, sorry, today!  Oops, maybe tomorrow instead.  <Sigh.>

Considering the highlight in this thread...do you think they might be sending you a different shaft to try, based on the fitting data + initial results?

[tdc1]

7 hours ago, ChiefMikeOfficer said:

Considering the highlight in this thread...do you think they might be sending you a different shaft to try, based on the fitting data + initial results?

Will know for sure this asfternoon but I'm thinking it might be. 

[tdc1]

Another 9 holes with the Alta CB today.  There are really only 3 legitimate driver holes on the front side for me.  I tried to push it to 4 on the last hole -- short par-4 with water all along the left and covering most of the green -- and managed a majestic (in terms of height) hook right into the water so I'm not including it in today's stats.  Slightly better average distance than yesterday at 196 yds. total.  Dispersion not great -- 1 in the fairway, 1 about two yds. into the right rough, and 1 wiiiiide right (35 yds.±)  but findable/hittable.

UPS delivered the mystery box arrived while I was at the course: a TF Green shaft (not sure if it is Green or Green+).  It is already in the bag with Shot Scope tag on it.  Excited to give it a go tomorrow!

[rkj427]

@tdc1 will be inter5ested in seeing how it compares to the Orange and the Alta you have been using.

Good luck, the weather is supposed to be nice in Michigan tomorrow.