AutoFlex Dream7 Driver Shafts - 2024 Forum Member Review

[KC Golf]

1 hour ago, BallsLeon said:

Dropped the autoFlex off this morning and hopped on the sim some to get some numbers with my current setup. Currently playing with a Callaway Rogue ST Max LS 10.5° head and a TENSEI AV White 65g Stiff shaft (trimmed to 44.5"). Not having a good swing day, not enough coffee, or a combination of the two left me with some middling results.

Averaging 95mph swing speed, but my efficiency is pretty terrible only averaging 197yd total with 1.29 smash factor. A lot of that has to do with hitting off the heel (also why the spin is so high), but I'm working on zeroing out my club path to hopefully find the center of the face more. While I have my good days where I am seeing more like ~250yd totals, this is pretty indicative of my average experience with my current setup as my Trackman driving average is only 209yds. After 10 or so swings I seem to get diminishing returns as I start to get tired with the 65g stiff shaft.

I hit 20 drives after my Sim round yesterday.  Hoping to get some data points.  Unfortunately did not get the data emailed from my shots through the Foresight email, not sure why.  Should have taken a pic or I would share it.  

Wasn’t driving it great yesterday.  Was averaging around 240 carry adjusted at altitude. Drove it slightly more left than my customary fade which was weird.  Probably more heal strike than flush.  My friend borrowed my driver and was striping it 290 carry choking up on it, so I know it’s the user issue for me!  

I am Probably crossing over a little at the top on my back swing, but didn’t film myself so not certain about that.

Will look at it again on Friday.  Still hoping to play outdoors on Sunday.  Not looking promising.

[Jean D]

The shaft has ARRIVED!!!!!!! And the pictures don't do it justice- it is absolutely gorgeous!

Quick pic- setting up for proper unboxing images for everyone this afternoon.

 

Edited May 2 by Jean D

[chisag]

... I finally got a call from my Autoflex Dream 7 shaft on a UPS truck and "out for delivery". Said he was excited to arrive in Phoenix and looked forward to driving on hard fast fairways in 90* heat. I told him he has his work cut out because these are some of the high end shafts I have played in my driver the last several years and it won't be easy to replace them:

 

... I sent him this picture including a few Graphite Design shafts and my current Red Ventus Velocore and this was his response:


 

 

Edited May 2 by chisag

[KC Golf]

2 hours ago, Jean D said:

The shaft has ARRIVED!!!!!!! And the pictures don't do it justice- it is absolutely gorgeous!

Quick pic- setting up for proper unboxing images for everyone this afternoon.

 

What?  I need to have a word with UPS!

Looks great Jean!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

2 hours ago, Jean D said:

The shaft has ARRIVED!!!!!!! And the pictures don't do it justice- it is absolutely gorgeous!

Quick pic- setting up for proper unboxing images for everyone this afternoon.

 

LOVE the Orange colorway!!!

[HikingMike]

2 hours ago, chisag said:

... I finally got a call from my Autoflex Dream 7 shaft on a UPS truck and "out for delivery". Said he was excited to arrive in Phoenix and looked forward to driving on hard fast fairways in 90* heat. I told him he has his work cut out because these are some of the high end shafts I have played in my driver the last several years and it won't be easy to replace them

So, Autoflex has a built-in cellphone then?

[chisag]

11 minutes ago, HikingMike said:

So, Autoflex has a built-in cellphone then?

 

... Evidently mine does. Or as a thespian for 44 years, I have a very active imagination. 

[Josh Parker]

5 hours ago, Jean D said:

The shaft has ARRIVED!!!!!!! And the pictures don't do it justice- it is absolutely gorgeous!

Quick pic- setting up for proper unboxing images for everyone this afternoon.

 

Awesome!!  

[Jean D]

Unboxing pics and little blurb added!

 

[Autoflexusa]

On 4/22/2024 at 3:20 AM, Jean D said:

AutoFlex Dream7 Driver Shaft (405x) - Official MGS Forum Review by JeanD

Introduction:

Hello everyone!  My name is Jean Dorais, I’m a 57-year-old golfer and father of a competitive curler from Ottawa, Canada.  I was incredibly fortunate to have been picked as one of the testers out of 2600+ entries for the Autoflex Dream 7 shaft review.  I must start with a great big thank you to MGS and Autoflex USA for the opportunity to review this shaft!

A little about me: I’m a senior IT Manager in the public sector and commercial photographer (weddings, portraits, senior portraits etc…) who started golfing some 25 years ago and then took a 17 year break to raise a family and do the ‘work thing’.  I’ve only started golfing again last year with my best friend and fellow golf fanatic (it's all his fault!) I have been absolutely hooked ever since! I am a recreational golfer with a handicap of 15-19…depending on the week. My golf swing has been described by various instructors and my current fitter as “how on earth do you hit the ball?” to “well, that’s certainly unique!” It’s different, but it works for me! I have fairly steady tempo - more Tommy Fleetwood, less John Daly... without the finesse, style or distance of either. I've slowly been working on my game, where my driver is my "best" club, but still struggle a lot in the >100yd range.  All that to say, I make "average Joe's" look good!!

I started with a set of 'previously-enjoyed' clubs that someone gave me, moved on to my first set of "real" clubs (Founder's Edge Original, with a Callaway Diablo 3 and 4 hybrids and a very whippy TM Burner) and played those before my break from the game.  On my return, I upgraded significantly to Cleveland Halo Launcher XL clubs (Driver, 3/4 hybrid, irons...) and played those all last season and loved them.  This January, I went for my first ever fitting and wound up with the TM Qi 10 Max (C6 Blue 60S shaft) & Qi irons (with Ventus TR 6R graphite shafts). The fitting was eye-opening and humbling at the same time...kind of like taking your car to the mechanic and saying "It's making a weird noise!" and the noise disappearing as soon as they look at it.  I kept telling my fitter: "honest, I can hit a ball!!!".  They were very patient with me and I now have some amazing clubs that are properly fit to my 6'4" frame for the first time ever!

I was also fortunate enough to have been able to setup a home indoor simulator in early April and have been getting the setup tweaked – just in time for this testing opportunity! It's still missing a few things, but I'm able to hit on it and get data. Yay me!

What I am getting:

The manufacturer’s design philosophy is certainly interesting.  They do not work with fixed flex types like pretty much every other manufacturer out there. Instead, they are focused on club head speeds to determine the best shaft for you.  In my case, I’ll be testing the SF405x 50g shaft for swing speeds of 90-105mph in Orange. I’ve heard the original shafts described as “whippy” and “noodle-soft”, but as I’ve never held one or even seen one out on the course before, I will reserve judgement on those characterizations. 

I want to see if this self-proclaimed "Experience the ultimate in power and stability" shaft will help me get:

* More distance.

* Higher club head speed.

* Higher ball speed

* Lower spin.

* Tighter dispersion.

*And ultimately, lower scores on the course.

Testing Methodology:

* Qi10 Max (currently playing at 46.25" ) set at 10.5 degrees 

* TM TP5x balls on course and the Titleist Pro V1 RCT balls on the simulator (R10) and Callaway RPT balls (MLM2 Pro) to get accurate readings. 

* Garmin R10 and Rapsodo MLM2 Pro launch monitors both indoor and at the range.

* Data -both baseline with current shafts and SF405X- will be posted, no editing or removing the really bad shots (as embarrassing as they may be!). 

* Will be alternating between the shafts every 10 shots to eliminate bias as much as possible on the sim and range, and every round on the course.

* I am aiming to hit 1000+  balls during the testing period.

* I will be listing my impressions on feel (back swing, down swing, impact, follow-through).

* I will be comparing the SF405x to my Tensei AV Limited Blue 65 Regular Flex and C6 Blue 60 Stiff shafts.

Based on both the manufacturer's claims to "Experience the ultimate in power and stability" and the cost, I am expecting a fairly significant increase in performance over my current shafts. To be perfectly honest, this is not a shaft that I would have even considered at my fitting- it's simply out of my price range (in CAD $, this is equivalent to my driver and hybrids). I hope my review as well as those from the other testers will help you make a decision on whether this shaft series should potentially be in your bag for the 2024 season!

 

Unboxing:

I received the Autoflex Dream 7 405x today (Thursday May 2nd) and it is absolutely gorgeous.  I do believe I am the first in Canada to receive it  (Sorry @KC Golf, I couldn't resist!) The box was well packed with kraft paper throughout to keep the shaft safe within and arrived without any mishaps or scratches.  The shaft itself comes in a unique sleeve to protect it even further with the Dumina logo at the opening flap and a very nicely embroidered "Autoflex" logo in the middle. 

 

The shaft itself is a glorious and vibrant orange and arrived with my chosen TaylorMade adaptor + a GolfPride TourVelvet 360 grip (which I will be changing to a GolfPride CP2 Wrap Jumbo to fit my big mitts ). My golf partner may not speak to me for a while after he sees the golf shaft come out of the bag: it is bold and beautiful and certainly not subtle.  Exactly what I wanted! One really nice added touch: a personal letter from Mike at Autoflex USA congratulating me on being chosen by MGS to do a test and review on their Dream 7 driver shaft. Mike, I really appreciate you taking the time to add this to our packages! As a first-time tester, this really was a "dang, this is really real" moment when I read the letter.  Thank you again!

The Tensei AV Blue Limited 65R and the C6 Blue 60S managed to play nice with their new sibling and even agreed to pose for some family photos: 

I will be heading to my fitter tomorrow to get the new shaft prepped and ready for the testing to begin.  I may be a little bold, but this is the shaft I will be using on Sunday for my first official on-course round of the year.  More updates to follow with hard data in the thread.

Glad it showed up and you like what you see!! I’m fired up to see some testing results from all guys!!!

Enjoy my friend!!!!

[Autoflexusa]

2 hours ago, HikingMike said:

So, Autoflex has a built-in cellphone then?

867-5309

[Jean D]

25 minutes ago, Autoflexusa said:

867-5309

His Dream 7 is nicknamed Jenny is she?  

Fitter is confirmed for tomorrow, bringing all 3 shafts to get the swing weights and lengths properly taken care of.  Is it a thing to have "golfers flu" in order to play hooky and get fitted earlier tomorrow? 

[GolfSpy_BEN]

44 minutes ago, Autoflexusa said:

867-5309

Jenny, Jenny who can I turn to?…

[ZMendle10]

So today was a massive day for the AutoFlex Dream 7. It was put through the absolute ringer today with a trackman session, followed by a fitting, then a pre round range session, and finally 18 holes from tees playing about 6800 yards. I'm going on a last minute trip to Austin from Saturday to Tuesday so no golf is gonna be played those days. However, being able to do so many different situations with it was really eye opening for me and gave me a true performance for my first impressions. 

Some things that I noticed so far for those who are impatient. The shaft delivers quicker swing speeds and thus higher ball speeds, shot shape is for sure consistent, and the head weight needs to be on the lighter side to get the most out of this shaft. So adhere to the swing weight recommendations for the shaft flex and get fitted for this shaft to get the most out of it.

I'm hoping to get both an outdoor range session as well as a trackman session before my trip but so far this shaft is the real deal and I'm excited to continue to the process.

[HikingMike]

1 hour ago, ZMendle10 said:

So today was a massive day for the AutoFlex Dream 7. It was put through the absolute ringer today with a trackman session, followed by a fitting, then a pre round range session, and finally 18 holes from tees playing about 6800 yards. I'm going on a last minute trip to Austin from Saturday to Tuesday so no golf is gonna be played those days. However, being able to do so many different situations with it was really eye opening for me and gave me a true performance for my first impressions. 

Some things that I noticed so far for those who are impatient. The shaft delivers quicker swing speeds and thus higher ball speeds, shot shape is for sure consistent, and the head weight needs to be on the lighter side to get the most out of this shaft. So adhere to the swing weight recommendations for the shaft flex and get fitted for this shaft to get the most out of it.

I'm hoping to get both an outdoor range session as well as a trackman session before my trip but so far this shaft is the real deal and I'm excited to continue to the process.

Wow you put yourself through the wringer too!  Well it’s been thrown into the fire, and sounds like you can already see there is something there, which is awesome. Thanks for that!

I wanted to ask how consistent your indoor sim and outdoor 18 holes experiences were with it. When on the course, was it performing similar to how it showed up on Trackman?

[nvizble1]

AutoFlex Dream 7 Review

Hi everybody, my name is Mike and I am a lifelong hacker and golf enthusiast, and this is my first review, so please bear with me.  I greatly appreciate the opportunity to try out the AutoFlex SF 305x Dr, test it and give my opinions. Thanks very much to MGS and JD Golf for this chance.

While I don't play as much as I used to, golf is still a big part of my life and my workout/activity routine. Living in South FL, I get a lot of chances to spend time outdoors. Last year I upgraded my driver to a Callaway Paradym and also got a new Odyssey Ai One putter. This was all predicated on the excuse of teaching the game to my grandson--that always plays well with the Wife!

My Paradym has a HZRDUS shaft currently, but I struggle with distance off the tee and consistency.  I have never been "fitted" for a shaft, so I am hoping for some noticeable results. In fact, I don't even know the swing weight of my current set up 

I have to admit I was wowwed when I received the AF 305x shaft.....just look at this beauty!

 

I'll be going to the PGA Store today to get it loaded and ready for play next week.

I just started a new job, so if nothing else, I 'll be able to get a few indoor sessions in with it over the coming week or so.

More to come.....let's see if a technology upgrade can help the likes of me!

Edited May 3 by nvizble1

[Autoflexusa]

Just a quick check in to all the tester to see if everyone has received their shaft or if it’s in route!!!

Asking here because I’m tooooo lazy to check UPS tracking and it’s Friday!!!

[Jean D]

The Autoflex has been trimmed down to 45.75", playing at 46". Swing weight is set to D1.

Interesting factoids:

1- my Tensei was at 46.75" (an extender was added I didn't know about) and swing weight was D7., playing at 47.9" with grip.  My fitter couldn't believe I actually managed to hit it! It has been shortened to 45.75" playing at 46" with grip and D3.

2- The C6 was at 46.7" and D9 playing at 47.75" with grip....extender there too (also a surprise).  It has also been shortened to 45.75" playing at 46" with grip and D3.

I hit a 10 shots per shaft and wowza that AF is going to take some serious getting used to. Loads up completely differently but holy heck my swing speed and ball speed jumped almost 10mph! WOW. 

Edited May 3 by Jean D

[Rearviewmirror]

I asked this earlier but didn't hear back, is anybody testing the 505 version?

[Autoflexusa]

2 minutes ago, Jean D said:

The Autoflex has been trimmed down to 45.75", playing at 46". Swing weight is set to D1.

Interesting factoids:

1- my Tensei was at 46.75" (an extender was added I didn't know about) and swing weight was D7., playing at 47.9" with grip.  My fitter couldn't believe I actually managed to hit it! It has been shortened to 45.75" playing at 46" with grip and D3.

2- The C6 was at 46.7" and D9 playing at 47.75" with grip....extender there too (also a surprise).  It has also been shortened to 45.75" playing at 46" with grip and D3.

I hit a 10 shots per shaft and wowza that AF is going to take some serious getting used to. Loads up completely differently but holy heck my swing speed and ball speed jumped almost 10mph! WOW. 

Shopping cart on website is open!!!

[KC Golf]

4 minutes ago, Autoflexusa said:

Just a quick check in to all the tester to see if everyone has received their shaft or if it’s in route!!!

Asking here because I’m tooooo lazy to check UPS tracking and it’s Friday!!!

I expect delivery later today,  Jean beat me by a full day!  I must speak with UPS on that!

Thank you for checking in with us.

[Autoflexusa]

Just now, KC Golf said:

I expect delivery later today,  Jean beat me by a full day!  I must speak with UPS on that!

Thank you for checking in with us.

Let me know if you have an issues…

[Autoflexusa]

7 minutes ago, Rearviewmirror said:

I asked this earlier but didn't hear back, is anybody testing the 505 version?

No 505’s were sent out…405x and 505x were.

[BallsLeon]

17 minutes ago, Autoflexusa said:

Just a quick check in to all the tester to see if everyone has received their shaft or if it’s in route!!!

Asking here because I’m tooooo lazy to check UPS tracking and it’s Friday!!!

Arrived!

[Rearviewmirror]

10 minutes ago, Autoflexusa said:

No 505’s were sent out…405x and 505x were.

Bummer, that's right in my swing speed - was hoping to see how someone in that zone got on. Thanks for the reply

[ZMendle10]

13 hours ago, HikingMike said:

Wow you put yourself through the wringer too!  Well it’s been thrown into the fire, and sounds like you can already see there is something there, which is awesome. Thanks for that!

It was a very long day of testing but easily the most thorough of all the products that I have tested There is for sure something to it and i have my theories but I will unfortunately save them till the final review. I will be going to Austin from Saturday thru Tuesday this week so I won't be bringing my sticks with me so I wanted to put it fully through its paces beforehand for first impressions. I will try to get to hitting some more balls today or tomorrow before I leave but only time will tell.

13 hours ago, HikingMike said:

I wanted to ask how consistent your indoor sim and outdoor 18 holes experiences were with it. When on the course, was it performing similar to how it showed up on Trackman?

I will say what I was seeing during my fitting was very close to what I was seeing on the course. The good ones were high bombs and the bad ones were super spiny weak fades. That being said I had no penalties off the tee and several drives over 310 yards so when it connects boy oh boy does it connect and is it a fun ball flight to watch. As testing progress I am going to capture clubhead speed and ball speed with my PRGR launch monitor.

 

I have been using this thing for a while and the ball speed and club head speed are accurate to within a mph because of rounding. It's easy to setup and use so I will have it be apart of my on the course testing for the final review. Unfortunately the batteries were dead when I wanted to use it yesterday so we will have to wait till next week to try again on the course. 

[BallsLeon]

29 minutes ago, Jean D said:

[...]

I hit a 10 shots per shaft and wowza that AF is going to take some serious getting used to. Loads up completely differently but holy heck my swing speed and ball speed jumped almost 10mph! WOW. 

[Jean D]

Well... I have a whole lot of "unlearning" to do with this shaft!  It will remind you how bad your backswing or downswing is- real fast. It loads at a completely different point in the swing than my other shafts and the learning curve is pretty steep at the moment.  I'm sure I'll get used to it fairly quickly but I've had to change my whole tempo (it's not a bad thing, just a lot of trial and error on my part) to get it to react and hit the ball "well". I am not hitting it great at this point, I am just at the "what is the shaft doing?" stage of figuring it out. This particular range uses TopTracer technology and doesn't track spin data at all- which I want to track.  It also doesn't export the data you get from the technology.  Sigh.

Average is in green for the session- using range balls.  I tried using the 'newest' balls in the tub they gave me, but they are still range balls. Average ball speed has increased an average of 7 mph over my C6 shaft and 10 mph over my Tensei shaft (again using range balls from different ranges)  but still very early days of testing.  I have had to de-loft the head down to 9.5 (from 10.5) to stop from hitting in the 25+ degree launch angle at home on both Rapsodo and Garmin LM's and it seems to have translated well on the range.

I am planning on going to my local no-tech range tomorrow with the Rapsodo MLM2 Pro and Garmin R10 to hit some balls and see what kind of numbers I get.  Switching between shafts is going to be interesting... completely different feel and swing profiles. What could go wrong?

I must say I had a lot of people looking at the very bright orange shaft...which means I had a lot of people looking at me trying to hit.  I don't know how the Tour players hit a ball with a huge gallery watching!!!

Averages are highlighted in green in the chart below.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5 by Jean D

[Kenny B]

9 hours ago, Autoflexusa said:

Just a quick check in to all the tester to see if everyone has received their shaft or if it’s in route!!!

Asking here because I’m tooooo lazy to check UPS tracking and it’s Friday!!!

Mine arrived at 6pm last night; got it cut down to 46" and a C9 swingweight with my Pure Pro midsize grip.

Edited May 4 by Kenny B

[Kenny B]

My wife and I have a 7:15am tee time tomorrow, and I'm taking the Autoflex for a spin.  Not sure what to expect and I'm NOT taking any other driver with me.  Let's see where it puts me!  Oh yeah, it could rain!  

Unfortunately, this is the only opportunity for me to get out on the course this weekend.  We are headed to Spokane and golf is not on the radar.  Next week looks like much better weather, but the winds are back.

Stay tuned!