Golf Clubs

Callaway RAZR X Black Graphite Driver $249.99 The RAZR X Black Driver from Callaway is constructed from Forged Composite material, which is lighter and stronger than titanium for precise thickness control and an optimized CG. The driver also features Speed Frame Face Technology that expands the sweet spot and produces faster ball speeds for greater distance. The Streamlined Surface Technology is designed to provide 17% drag reduction compared…

Callaway FT-i Squareway Wood Squareway Inertial Design positions discretionary weight to the extreme corners of the FT-i Squareway Wood clubhead, raising the MOI for unparalleled resistance to twisting. This provides straighter and more forgiving shots hit over a wide area of the face. Fusion Technology construction combines a stainless steel face, sole and body with a lightweight, carbon composite crown, allowing Callaway Go…

Tour Edge Men’s Exotics XCG5 #3 Fujikura Blur 75G Hybrid The Exotics XCG5 Hybrids are designed to tackle the toughest golf challenges: firm hardpan, deep rough, and tight lies. This inspiring club has an easy-to-hit, low center of gravity head, a heavy tungsten-steel sole and a maraging steel cupped face and crown. The heavier tungsten-steel moves more weight low in the sole to help your shots easily escape from difficult lies. Every area of the XCG5 br…

Nickent 4DX IW LH 2 Hybrid Ironwood Stiff Flex $33.99 New Nickent 4DX Ironwood Hybrid, 17* of loft, Left Handed, fitted with a Nickent Level 5ive graphite shaft by Fujikura 80g in Stiff. No headcover included.

TaylorMade R11 Driver (440cc) Right, 10.5 degree, Fujikura Blur 60 Graphite (Regular) $399.95 TaylorMade R11 Driver…New Aerodynamic Shape! The R11 driver brings new technology, innovation, and aesthetics to its already successful line of TaylorMade drivers. With its distinctive white crown and black face, the R11 is one of the easiest drivers to align at address. Also, its unique technological features ensure the proper fit for every golfer, allowing you to maximize distance through proper loft, face angle, and flight path customization. TaylorMade Mens R11 Drivers feature: Lofts: 8 9 10.5 12 Graphite shaft available in Senior, Regular, Stiff or X-Stiff flex Available in left- and right-hand Includes MWT/FCT wrench for weight/angle adjustment Includes headcover Click Product Tour for more information Only R11 Can Activate The 3 Dimensions Of Distance!

Stiff Fujikura

Buying Custom Graphite Shafts – Pitfalls

More and more pro golfers are switching to customer graphite shafts in their drivers. At last count, more than 90 percent of them use a custom graphite shaft in this club. Even players long known for with steel-shafted drivers have succumbed to this trend. And where the tour goes, so inevitably goes the consumer. Thus, the trend of switching to a custom graphite shaft in one’s driver is among the hottest with weekend players with all ranges of golf handicaps.

Unfortunately, logic doesn’t always reign when it comes to buying custom graphite shafts. Some weekend golfers gladly pay a premium for the chance to use the top shafts on tour, like Fujikura’s Pro 95 graphite model. Others happily pay a high price for color. UST’s Proforce Gold, a graphite yellow shaft with purple trim, is among the most popular models with weekend players—golf handicaps not withstanding. Needless to say, there’s a better way of selecting a custom graphite shaft.

Understanding Shafts

Understanding the shaft is simple. Its purpose is to transfer energy from the golfer to the clubhead and into the ball. Ideally, golfers need a shaft that’s not too long and has sufficient flex. The amount of flex depends on the individual and his or her swing speed. For example, seniors generally benefit more from using shafts with more flex than shafts with less flex, as I explain in my golf tips. So do women. Seniors and women also benefit more from using graphite shafts rather than steel.

The key measurement with shafts is torque. Simply put, torque is the amount the clubhead turns in your hands when the clubhead hits the ball off-center. Among the hardest things to control in manufacturing graphite shafts, torque is more of a concern for players with high golf handicaps than low. That’s because they mis-hit the ball more often than players’ with low golf handicaps. Thus, drivers with custom graphite shafts tend to be better for weekend golfers.

Greater Torsional Stiffness

Custom graphite shafts have greater torsional stiffness than their stock counter parts. That’s good because today’s larger titanium clubheads put more stress on shafts that previous clubhead designs. So you need more torsional stiffness. Custom graphite shafts can also be expensive. Prices range from $50 to $200, a result of the grade of graphite used, the manufacturing process employed, and other intangible factors, like star appeal and marketing. Steel shafts, on the other hand, go for about $8 each.

Excessive torque reduces accuracy because it makes the clubhead twist off-line on off-center hits. Thus, it’s better for weekend golfers to go with a custom graphite shaft featuring as little torque as possible. But you must be carefully, as I tell students who take my golf lessons. Only golfers with very aggressive downswings, very delayed releases, and swing speeds of greater than 120 miles per hour should consider a shat with a torque measurement under 2.5 degrees.

Getting Lighter And Lighter

Clearly, today’s graphite shafts are better than ever. Manufacturers are getting closer to producing shafts that are a weightless connection between grip and clubhead. Of course, they’ll never achieve that goal. There will always be some weight to the shaft. But there’s no denying that custom graphite shafts are getting lighter and lighter, and the lighter the shaft the faster your clubhead speed through impact. That usually means more distance on your drives.

But distance isn’t the only considerations when it comes to custom graphite shafts. Feel is important, too. If a club doesn’t feel right, you probably won’t hit it well. So if you’re buying a new shaft for your driver, do yourself a favor. Find a good custom clubfitter. He or she probably has a range of shafts at his or her disposal, a launch monitor, and a computer swing analyzer to help choose the right shaft. Those tools enable a good clubfitter to match the right swing with the right shaft. And that’s a key to getting the most out of your shaft.

About the Author

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros. He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. Free weekly newsletter available with the latest golf tips, lessons and instructions.

Graman UL540 shaft with Krank El Diablo?

I’ve recently purchased a Graman UL540 stiff flex shaft. It has allot of the same torque and info as my Fujikura Deizel Tour stiff shaft I loved. I broke the shaft and replaced it with a Fujikura e360 x-stiff. I’m just not loving the E360 and I don’t know if it was the torque or the going to x-stiff that is the problem. My swing speed is 120-125. I use to drive the ball straight with the Deizel and now fade/slice the ball. I hear all kinds of info on weight, torgue, flex, tipping and lenght but don’t know how to translate that to what would work for me? I have an El Diablo 7.5 with a shaft lenght of 46.5″. I love my Krank El Diablo 3 wood with the fujikura deizel tour shaft in a stiff but it seems to whip too much unless I take some off my swing. Should I get my new shaft setup like my 3 wood? Or any ideas would be great.

Yes, use a shaft you feel comfortable with. Thats very important.

Whats in the Bag? A look into my golf bag. Vol. 4 My golf clubs.