Should you spend the time or money to align your golf shafts? We begin looking at the topic in this video. We discuss the process of shaft spining, shaft FLO, and SST Pure, what they measure and if I believe it works.
Excellent expanation and demonstration of your club test jig. Perfect analysis so laymen can understand. I love it, thank you. Old school club builder's heads are exploding. I love that too. Get ready for some pushback. I am very glad I discovered your channel. Greetings from Canada.
thank you AJ your way of looking at the topic is based on good sense of some one who knows what he is talking about I fore sure apreciate that way of thinking in any profession
Thank you for doing this in a scientific manner and hopefully get rid of the myth once and for all. I am really enjoying your video’s and learning a lot. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
As a scientist who has taken a lot of physics in my life, I appreciated this video! Pretty good method and execution of your experiment! Good analysis and conclusions as well! I would say I found one flaw in your method though: you only tested half an oscillation, basically just how the shaft flexes in the backswing. In a full swing, a golf shaft goes through a full wavelength of motion, i.e., valley to peak to valley if we compare it to a sine wave. To test what a golf shaft does in a full swing, I believe you need to let the shaft flex back down to the bottom of our protractor projection: release from bottom - up to the top - then back down to the bottom. That would more accurately test what a shaft does from backswing flex to downswing flex. Thinking a bit more, when you pull down the shaft to start it’s motion, that is a forced/ controlled/guided flex. I don’t think it accurately represents what happens to a shaft in the backswing. You would also need to fix your release mechanism too eliminate that standard deviation you found. I'd love to see your high speed imagery from this kind of experiment.
Appreciate it. This video below is the continuation of this series, seeing if actual golfers could tell a difference. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EoTf0d-Aiz4.html
Great explanation of the techniques used to find the best position to install a golf shaft. Your single oscillation device is pretty dang cool. In the beginning of the video when you were pushing down on the shafts with the laser pointing to a plain white background I thought that the addition of two vertical dark lines would enhance the ability to see shaft movement. Even with the circular protractor in place I still think that would aid with the visualization you are trying to achieve. So far I've installed shafts in exactly three clubs to date. I've 7 pure'd shafts I'll be installing soon. What I've learned about installing shafts is from your videos so I'm grateful you've taken the time to do these and help out others who are new to club building. The amount of knowledge I have this topic is just barely above someone who has never installed a shaft. IMHO, finding a shaft orientation where the movement of the shaft is restricted as close as possible to a plane of movement is of benefit. Is it to me at my skill level? Nope. For a pro that hits club X exactly 100 yds or club Y 150 yds every time there is most likely a tangible benefit. Heck I learned about putting glass beads in epoxy to aid with centering my shafts in the hosel on your channel. Could there really be all that much difference in impact, flight and accuracy if I didn't use those glass beads? Probably not for the average golfer but it's these kinds of subjects that are fun to learn about and discuss! Thanks for the great videos!
Amazing video AJ. The best review of this topic I've ever seen. Answers a LOT of questions. Now I can continue building clubs logo down without wondering..
@@Mac13587 High quality shafts will often have the logo aligned so the FLOing position is consistent from shaft to shaft in the same model. In other words, the shafts were checked at the factory before determining the placement of the logo.
@@bobpegram8042 That's true. I was responding to the pureing scam! I have always found that good shafts have logo aligned with spine. In any case after the technical deliberation in the video, it doesn't matter much
Great video. I remember about 20 years ago when I first picked up the game a golf fitting location showed me that exact oscillating graph and why I needed my driver pure’d. Well $100 later I didn’t see any benefit but I always thought it was because I wasn’t good enough. Now I still see places asking if people want this done at $30 a pop. I just had my irons restarted and they asked if I wanted it done. Glad I said no as that would have added up quickly.
Yeah. I did a few driver shafts 20 years back and saw no benefit. As I got more into club building, it all started to make sense why. Don't love how it seems to have come back in vogue recently with these high end fitters. Thanks for watching.
I'm going through all your videos ( watching marathon) the grip station build is next then I'm heading to fit your own driver...AWESOME content...hope you keep teaching the science behind the club making process..im tired of paying for it
I have been attempting to FLO shafts for a set of irons. I built my own design laser device and it works fine. I am a firm believer that this procedure is something NOT needed for shafting. All I got was a bunch of lines on the wall that added to confusion. Great video. I am installing logo at the 12 o’clock position and be done.
have a set of project x lz blackout shafts and may buy those Tahomo 201 heads.. this video help me out in the sense of having to put together equipment to spine and flo … that was holding me back
Thanks for this. Finally, a comprehensive and accurate and sensible description of these parameters. I agree with almost everything you said, but, i do think that excluding the wobble factor which likely does not affect a single swing, there is a softer and firmer side of the shaft and this will affect the CPM in a frequency analyzer. If you think that frequency is at all important, there is a difference.
Another great informative video on this topic. I will definitely approach the idea of Spin and FLO differently. When I check the FLO I use the weighted laser for checking raw shafts but usually I use a laser pen light attached to the shaft matching the head then rotating the head with the shaft to find the best results. Using this method definitely takes longer:-) Sometimes when using the weighted laser I find it can effects the results. How do you feel about shaft droop? Strongest plane be aligned on top or bottom and or towards the target? Always more to discuss thanks AJ!
First off, thank you for saying spining is useless. I work for a club fitter who does the club builds and people get really mad that we only do SST Pureing and not spining. It's a pain to explain that today's shafts are not measurable by spining and that it never really worked in the first place. So I will caveat your statement on if pureing is worth it or not. Since the device was created and made available to touring pro in full. There have been less than 10 winners on the PGA Tour by players who don't have pured shafts. There are also studies done with it that show that a pured shaft vs one that isn't created more clubhead speed, about 6-7 yards of carry distance, and roughly 2-3 yards closer dispersion. It has also shown to lengthen the life of the shaft for players with higher club head speeds. I believe the most comprehensive test on SST Pureing that I can recall was done by Plugged In Golf a few years ago and it's still worth checking out.
To expand on your experiment, you should repeat the experiment multiple times with each shift orientation. If you find that any orientation is repeatable, it means that the spine truly is irrelevant. Because we as golfers will adjust to whatever slight deflection there is, as long as it is consistently happening. I think it would be very interesting to see if the non-aligned shafts return to the exact same spot on that initial deflection
Thanks for the technical review. I totally agree if you want to spend the money no harm but not a big issue. Having said that then flex or frequency is the main issue that we should consider? How do confirm the correct flex of your driver graphite shafts at home?
Very good video just started watching have learned alot you take the the BS out and help us amateurs that love the game and love doing thing there self. Thank you
Great video. I am impressed by the apparatus you created to demonstrate the flex of the shaft in a single oscillation. I also like (and will use!) your description of moving the variance vs removing it related to the processes you reviewed. I did a related video recently comparing Pure and FLO. My conclusion was that Puring is not worth it. Your argument here will make me think twice about continuing to use FLO. - Dave
Great video, thank you so much for this insight. I'm planning to go for a driver fitting later this season, and have been trying to determine what really matters vs. the marketing noise (which there is a lot of). I was recently going down the rabbit hole around whether it's worth the extra $$$ to go to a place like Club Champion that focuses on exotic shafts, as well as PUREing, Spinging, etc. to optimize performance. This video (and your others) have helped me immensely to focus on what's really important. Thank you! PS: My favorite part of this video was the shot of your Yoda mug.
I appreciate it. The high end fitters are all about PUREing and unfortunately it makes me question all fitters because of it. I know there are good ones out there, but if you're trying to sell people on this sort of thing it calls the whole fitting into question.
That’s the challenge for so many of us…discerning what’s marketing vs. what’s really important to our game. Club sales are a booming business right now, and there’s a lot of $$$ to be made in “proper” club fittings (with all the bells and whistles they claim to bring). It has the vibe of the old “don’t mine the mine, mine the miners” approach. Anyway, all this to say thank you for the data-based insight and review. Enjoying your content.
@@EFGMC It is so quick to do that I don't charge an extra fee. I know it can't hurt. If it helps at all it is worth the minor amount of time involved. A separate issue is torque. That can make a lot of difference especially for somebody who squares up the face at the last split second. A shaft with a lot of torque won't come around to square instantly.
Thanks, AJ. I am now of the opinion that I will save the money spent on pureing and put it into maybe a better suited shaft for me or lessons to help me deliver the face squarely and consistently.
Great Video! Got in to a Slight Disagreement recently with a Club Fitter about pureing a Driver Shaft. As the fitter gave the "sales pitch" I asked "What about when I turn the loft up or down from the perfect direction?" That's when the knee boots went to chest waders and I left without a Pured shaft. But did buy it there after the rest of the Fitting session.
ive learned sooo much from watching you channel. I would guess that all this stuff you talked about was probably more prevelant years ago than it is today with modern technology...
Yep, this concept has been around for a long time (I even built one of the early ball bearing spine finders back in the day). Even though scientific studies have been proposed, I know of none that have been done independently that support the use of FLO. I've always found it kind of funny anyway since the shaft during a downswing rotates relative to the direction of travel quite a bit and is only in the "FLO" direction just at impact(if it's square to the path that is). Plus, nowadays the adjustable hosels basically rotate the shaft in the head when adjusted totally negating any stable plane if it were actually a thing. I enjoyed your laser demonstration. Keep up the good work!
A spine finder demostrates what actually happens during a swing : one bends the shaft in an unaligned axis and the shaft rotates and clicks into position at the NBP. So when you install the shaft in such a way that it clicks into position at impact when the clubhead is square it must help consistency. PS: Some players prefer to feel some resistance when releasing the club (rotating the shaft) and prefer the shaft to click in position at the top of the swing. Having this axis alligned the same way in all the clubs helps to develop a consistant swing whatever that allignement might be (NBP/Spine).
@@lvd9505 If that is the case why super pros don't do it? you can check Taylormade truck making golf clubs for the pros (driver for Scottie Scheffler por example), they pick the shaft, trim tip/butt, expoy with the logo down, and that's it. More than that, I believe no human will swing in a perfect plane. If you need to work a shot (face open or face closed, blocking one side, fast closure rate, etc etc), it wouldn't be a problem either! I tried pured clubs and none pured clubs (exactly the same shaft/head/grip), and no difference at all. Even pros and very low handicappers couldn't tell any difference. Feels the same, performs the same. Since then, I do not waste time in aligning a shaft. However, it may make some guys happy to know they have their clubs pured!
Hi AJ. I would love your take on the subject of the swing speed vs shaft flex and also handicap vs different irons (game improvement, players etc). Thanks
@@dkvalour3574 Will depend on the player. Generic rule would be over 95mph look more at stiff, under look R. Under 85, light flex, over 105 X. But these are just general guides. Some people will prefer a more flexible feel and some will prefer stiffer. I find it can impact the initial downswing significantly if the feel is off.
yours is a correct analysis if the shaft was not also subjected to torsion during the swing, personally I believe that the hard part (spine) should be oriented around the 11 o'clock position so as to counteract the vertical flexion as much as possible during the downswing but at the same time time to bring the end pin of the shaft (tip) back to 12 o'clock at the moment of impact having a shaft loaded in 2 directions... obviously the greater the stresses and the more I move the pin slightly anti-clockwise (towards 10 o'clock) ... I "align" my shaft like this... I'm curious to know your opinion and congratulations for the videos of high technical value
Thank you for this in-depth detailed video which debunks many myths out there. Club Fitters continually upsell this and charge a fortune with no discernable benefit.
@@EFGMC SST is extremely expensive and very time consuming. A simple check with the laser light is free and does the same thing very quickly. The guy who invented the SST process is staying in business only because he has gotten the SST process to be used in the building industry.
Had a friend and myself ordered two drivers with same shaft and head specs… one ducked hooked and mine was good… took his driver apart, spinned the shaft, marked the top… pointed towards the target line … and his driver performance was much better and most importantly… NO duck hooks… reason we couldn’t return the club… we were in Egypt and golf equipment were not available. These drivers were from a top manufacturer.
Hey AJ, I've been a follower since a few month and just recently built a whole set. It's a work of art, thanks to all the skills and techniques you have shared on your channel. Keep up the great work! THIS video almost busted all my expectations, doubts and myths about spining and floing. BUT would the results of the floing test be any different if there would be a clubhead (with a certain weight distribution to it) attached and not testing the vertical but the horizontal oscillation? If not, I would never think about spining and floing again. Hope you are having a wonderful day, cheers from Hamburg, Germany
The mention about automotive tires is interesting. I worked at a BMW dealership and we used a tire balancer that allowed a ‘Road Force Match’ to be made where based the correlation of wheel rim runout and how much outward force the tire would make while rolling against a roller a spot on the tire and a spot on the wheel where noted to mark. After dismounting the tire and remounting to align these marks the outward force of the tire would consistently be less. This resulted in a smoother ride during the test drive. Sometimes it would be night and day difference of NVH but most of the time just marginal.
@@EFGMC Essentially yes it is aligning a tire to a wheel, sometimes this step can make a huge difference. Good tire shops and car dealers have this equipment.
In the fishing world, we call it splining. A fishing rod is made the same way a driver shaft is made. Splining is really important for fishing rods because of where the rod loads or bends. They are much more flexible than a driver shaft. It is really important for a fishing rod but I can see how in golf, it’s a wash.
Great video, however I will say having played shafts that have been pured and ones that have not, I have noticed the stiffness in one club against another. A consistent flex as far as stiffness is concerned is much needed for ball flight, spin and distance.
You'll see multiple additional small oscillations on super slow motion video through impact as the club moves through the turf and off centre hits, it will also flex at the start of the takeaway, watch the long drivers.
My co-worker got to spend a few hours on the TM Tour Van and asked the question. The technician looked around and said do you see a PUREing machine. The answer was no. This is a guy that builds clubs for PGA Tour players
I was told that when a graphite shaft is made it is, heated and folded around a mold, it meets and is sealed. That sealed joint is the spine. I have seen the shaft aligned several different ways. But, one way I see is the easiest is to have a vice, put the shaft in it, put the club head on (without epoxy) and to pull the head to the right, let go and see if the head goes back and forth in a straight line. Keep adjusting until you get it there and that's where you epoxy the head. It amazes me that club manufacturers like Ping, Taylormade and others sell their clubs without aligning their shafts. I believe in spine aligning the shaft as I have experienced an unaligned shafted driver and the same shaft realigned. The difference was amazing.
You know, I have a Cobra 7 wood in my bag; I was excited to start using it because I just couldn't hit my long irons consistently anymore. It came with a regular flex, too much flex, so I changed to a stiff; I gave up on it because it was fading more than I would have liked. My friend borrowed it while visiting me. He snapped it, I decided to have a friend of mine fix it. He does it on the side for extra money. When I watched him fix it, he put the Hzrdus smoke shaft that I bought on it. He flowed it the exact way you did; he then explained why he does it. I found the results to be incredible. He has since changed my 3 wood, & driver. I think it made a huge difference.
It works for you, so great. Assuming your friend didn't charge you for the FLO so I have no problem with it. Do you like the club now because of the FLO, or because of the shaft, or because of seeing the FLOing he did, that is hard to say.
@@EFGMC First off, I love the test you did, and I was only joking about the Santa Claus comment because people probably feel like they wasted money having this done. Let's just say that players who spend 3 and 4 hundred dollars on a shaft are probably wasting money. I have done that; I have a Tensi CK Orange and a Graphite Design Tour AD VR just sitting in my shop. I play the Hzrdus Smoke that came with my Epic Speed; this was not my original intention. The whip that I get with that shaft feels great. I'm a CAD engineer by trade, and I'm the kind of person that tries everything, and I'm always tinkering with clubs and testing them. I purchased everything for building clubs from Golfworks, shaft extractor, swing weight scale, digital loft & lie bending gauge, the whole ball of horrors, lol. So I like being able to FLO trace my shafts. With Irons, I can't see much difference, but graphite, I can. I have a simulator at my shop, so I'm able to test everything. And I can walk to my local course. One test I did was with my 9 & 8 irons. My average carry distance with my 9 iron was 132; after I FLO my shaft, I averaged 138 carry. I have a very relaxed grip when holding my grip, that's why I like having all my clubs FLO'ed.
@@gtplumbing2004 I don't doubt it, but I would ask if you've ever blind tested them to remove any possible placebo effect. Though in some ways I guess that shouldn't even matter because hitting the clubs better simply because you think they are better is just as legitimate as any other reason you might hit certain clubs well. This gives me an idea for an upcoming video!!
@@EFGMC I started playing golf more seriously about five years ago; before that, I was your average 8 to 12 times a year player. I noticed the equipment was getting more advanced, and I took more of an interest. I didn't even know that FLOing was a thing. I knew that they did it for hunting bows. I have always hit my fairway woods and my hybrids well; it bothered me that I could not seem to hit the 7 wood straight. After my friend FLO'ed my shaft and I started hitting it straight, I was sure that this was the reason. That's when I started working on my own clubs. I've been testing clubs for a while now. I haven't read or watched a video that said it didn't make a difference till the other day; I was looking for other ideas for FLOing. That's how I found you're video. I was shocked to see that others say it doesn't make a difference or are not sure. In my head, I felt like it does, And in my head, that's what matters.
Good video, however the shaft DOES flex back at forth throughout the swing: It flexes on the backswing, it flexes on the initial downswing, and it flexes in the opposite direction again before impact...(an all within a couple seconds FYI). Also, the golf shaft has an asymmetrical club head attached at the end of the shaft when you are actually playing golf, so your testing doesn't take into account the torque (which is very important). Ultimately, almost all clubmakers/fitters are missing the biggest issue: consistency throughout your golf bag. If you just randomly epoxy 13 clubheads to your shafts "without any plan"...all of the clubs will behave differently when they are loaded. If you build your clubs with your shafts all oriented in the SAME way, they will at least behave consistently throughout the set. Random shaft behavior due to poor club fitting (ignoring shaft alignment) is one of the most common causes of "golfer insanity". Even really good golfers who have poorly built clubs will wonder why they kept pulling their 7 iron and lost the club championship. It's due to inconsistent club building.
Thanks for watching. The shaft does however only flex one time during the swing, that being one load and one release. Any movement of the shaft during the backswing is inconsequential at best. The head lead at impact is due to the shaft release from the initial load or depending on the golfer, the "secondary" load as the club returns to impact. You also have centrifugal force pulling the cg of the club head inline with the hands.
@@EFGMC Yep. I’m just an advocate of consistent shaft behavior throughout the entire set. Might as well FLO and SPINE and PURE to reduce inconsistency. You have to put the clubs together somehow...so might as well eliminate random inconsistencies. This will eliminate 50% of golf psychologists. Ha!
hi, the best quality fly rods try to make the swing straighter and have the least side sway. It is something that is sought so that the line comes out as straight as possible. Isn't that an idea that can be applied to a driver's swing? Try to make it have the least oscillation up or down? Excellent video! Thank you
Thank you for taking the time to explain this hotly debated topic. Can I ask you about another one? How much of a difference, if any, is there between budget shaft (FST) vs expensive shafts (Nippon/KBS)? Would an average golfer even notice a difference?
Assuming you are talking similar weight and flex, most shafts are pretty consistent at this point especially steel. Most golfers would not notice. Thanks for watching!
I trust spining more than Flo or purring because they use spining in both. Spining a shaft gives you a hard and soft point in the shaft, hard for control and soft for a better kick point for distance.
Tube structure vibration engineering¡! Well presented. A bad shaft can't be refined. Period. Frequency matching old shaft to new shaft replacement is desirable. Actually with complex nature of head and shaft characteristics, getting a right match is like hitting the lottery.
Great video! What about shaft droop? The thing that bothers me is: The shaft will bend / droop more on a full swing and so it will change its dynamic lie compared to a half swing. Also the club face is deeper which makes it harder to hit the sweet spot.
That is true. However if you look at golfers swinging, the harder and faster they swing, the more the hands raise at impact as they are pulled away from the body in line with the shaft. It's probably not an exact match against the droop, but it gets pretty close. The face is deeper, but the overall sweet spot is also much larger on that face than with any other club in the bag. Also I would argue that hitting above the equator on a driver is the optimal impact location, as it imparts greater launch angle thanks to the face roll, while at the same time dropping the back spin due to vertical gear effect.
Just one question, do you have two swings? One for the outside golf course and the other for inside in front of the screen on the green driving rage mat? I have seen you in a few of your videos on the golf course taking big divots but no big bang sound on the indoor mat.
I think this video has sold me on doing FLO when building a club. My question is where can I find shaft vice like the one you are using in this video? I've searched most of the club building supply shops with no luck. Thanks in advance for your assistance.
That is part of my frequency meter setup. It's called the Club Scout. Not sure if the guy who does them, still makes them or not. Might try to search for it and see if you can contact them concerning the clamp section.
I would love to hear your take on club FITTING. ☝🏻 I’ve been fitted twice (once for a driver and once for irons). Neither worked for me. After playing an entire season with each, I donated them to my son. I have come to the conclusion that I can change my swing to fit the club; rather than fitting the club to my swing. Perhaps, like most of us, my swing is not consistent enough; or was not my normal swing on the day I got fitted; or I had a poor fitter who did not give me his best; or any of a number of other reasons. Your thoughts?
I have plans to cover this in a video however my short answer is, I have numerous issues with the modern take on club fitting. I have thought for a while now that club fitting is a result of golf retail moving online and especially the used club market moving online. It's not surprising that you're "fitted" clubs didn't work out. Fittings really only tell you how you are hitting certain equipment at a certain moment in time based strongly on what you had been using previously. I would argue that the same golfer coming into a fitting with different equipment, would end up with different fitted clubs.
This topic always seems to come down to if you feel like it helps, do it. If you don’t care don’t do it. I’m not sure if I could notice it or not. I do it because I have a raw shaft and why not. Even though I do it I’m not convinced it does much for me.
I appreciate the thought and experiment parameters. But I have a question. Could you potentially construct a larger scale test where the shaft is flexed along a larger path? I am curious what a larger travel path would do to compound the drift off center. I am also curious if eliminating the release variable might have reduced the effectiveness of the test. The reason I say this, is that, to a degree, the slight variability of the angle of the load at the top of the swing, may activate the variability in the unloading of the shaft. For instance, 5 * 0 = 0 AND 100 * 0 = 0 However; when increasing the variability by 1 (-1 to 1), the results are -5 to 5 and -100 to 100 respectively. I am by no means discounting the test results, but I am certainly curious what the test would look like with longer swing path and variable releases aggregated and averaged. Thanks for the video. I hope you are able to take this test further.
An overly flexible shaft can see more forward deflection at impact so the head is in front of the shaft. This can cause the head to increase loft and close slightly, which can lead to a hook. A shaft that is too stiff does not offer any of this forward deflection so the golfer needs to square the face himself. They often don't which can lead to open face. However in many cases it's simply a matter of feel and how the loading or lack of loading of the shaft can cause the golfer to compensate in some way that results in a directional miss of some sort.
I've spined my shafts for a while now, whether it makes a difference or not I prefer that it is done anyway... Even if it doesn't do anything, it makes me feel better....😊
@@EFGMC Yeah I do it myself, I've made my own clubs up for quite a few years now as I can't afford to pay retail for custom fit clubs, so I went for a fitting which cost me £30 to find what specs I needed and then assembled clubs myself... 🤓 It's been fun and I love it, it gives a real sense of pride playing with clubs I've made myself... 👌🏻
Thanks for doing this video. I have seen some very scientific tests but this helps to explain the real experience. Now I understand why the OEM’s don’t do these setups because it isn’t necessary. Especially Japan because they are so precise at times. I will not pay for these ideas.
All great points. But for fixed hosel clubs, if this is something someone believes in so be it. But what about the adjustable clubs where the shaft gets spun around for different lofts and lies. The point of finding the up position at that point makes no difference at all correct?
If you wanted to do it, you’d have to decide on what hosel position to use, and then install the shaft with that setting. Like you said, you couldn’t change it after that without reshafting.
If you have all the above done to your shafts does it mean the ball will fly into the rough straighter? ;) Thanks for posting another very informative production.
Agree…shaft moves back……unloads….stops….reloads ….down….once…all the Floing to the end are worthless. Graphites have improved over the past 25 years….when my TM driver heads bounced on my work bench…..wobbling so much. Today, the final products are much improved in consistency…more so as $ goes up. Most steels have logos laser etched. Except KBS steels…and others. I always check butt raw cpm…and with it FLO. My go to…align shaft logos in a consistent position. For irons….you want straighter ball flight….make sure your lie *s match your club length. Mizuno lie * design is same for all iron heads…so is Titleist. Their standard is different. TM and Callaway have different lengths, different lie* for different heads shafts. What a manufacturing nightmare. So…I agree…first back and down cycle is all that matters.
So does it matter then what orientation a not perfectly straight shaft is installed? I just bought new shafts for my woods and the middle lifts about 1/16th of an inch when I roll it in marble counter top. It’s polishes so I’m assuming it’s pretty flat.
oftentimes for aftermarket shafts the vendor already marks them, but the "optimal position" is always somewhat not inline with the logo. so I have been installing shaft based on logo position🤣 since look is always the priority. Now that I know it has no effect whatsoever, I can continue installing shaft like this with confidence.
that's really helpful info, I was guessing that they are measuring the shafts before decals are applied, they just never do a perfect job at it. I once received a kbs tgi that have so much residual bent it cannot roll on a flat surface at all, they pured that bent shaft as the markings are 90 and 180 degrees to the bent, not sure how it passed QC or heat damaged during shipping? I think that is the only time the puring would have mattered if I decide to use the shaft.
Great video! Thank You. I actually did an experiment last summer with an iron shaft that went through puring. I did it in a Cobra AMP Pitching Wedge. In a steel regular flex shaft. I had my control pitching wedge and then in the head of a second Cobra AMP PW head I purchased the same shaft as my control PW and had it pured. Then installed. When I go to the range or to the course and hit both PW irons, I get the same dispersion and the same results. So I agree with you and your more definitive testing. Not worth the cost. Thanks again for this awareness!
Well done. Always like to see people not just buying the marketing and hype that comes with so much in golf. Plan on a video soon doing the same basic experiment you did. Thanks for the support!
Spining and floing make such an imperceivable difference in steel shafts it is not worth the trouble. Graphite shafts are another animal entirely and it varies depending on the shaft and the application.
I've flowed shafts using the up down (12 o'clock) method , but have always thought that the swing is at 90 degrees to that, so I used the laser in the direction that the club is swung 3 to 9 o'clock., has it made any difference? your guess is as good as mine
But the initial load placed on the shaft during the downswing is in the 12:6 plane. At some point before impact, say 18 to 12 inches it has finished rotating 90 degrees and is now in the 9:3 plane. This is another problem with any shaft alignment theory. Do you align to the initial 12:6 plane, the 9:3 plane, somewhere in between?
Very interesting video. My initial challenge would be that if you google an image of a loaded golf shaft at transition or impact, the forces showing and the bend on the shaft are a lot more than in the very short journey the shaft travelled in your test. Under that level of increased load and stress, a shaft could show a lot more of the inconsistency/wobble/circular motion?
I agree and for the sake of not having a 40 minute video which I know people don't like, I tried to really pair down my argument. My 2nd big issue with shaft alignment is that it functions under the assumption that the shaft only bends in one plane in the swing. This is completely wrong however since the shaft is not only bending during the swing but also rotating 80-90 degrees at the same time. So what are you aligning the shaft to? That becomes the question since it flexes and rotates simultaneously. Really what people should strive for with golf shafts, is having ones with the greatest radial consistency so no matter which way the shaft bends, the "feel" will be constant. At least that's my take.
