Greetings!

We conducted the first "Shaft Test 2008" a couple of weeks ago and made some interesting findings. Over 30 Golf Lab customers participated. We will repeat of the "free fittings" next week but please read the text so you know what to expect.

Background: I attended the PGA Show in Las Vegas at the end of August. The show was primarily populated by "green grass" PGA Professionals and the focus was on education. I registered for several seminars and I was impressed by the quality of the presentations.

The most interesting seminar was by the Callaway marketing team that is in charge of the new Callaway interchangeable shaft system - "I-Mix". They started the presentation by admitting that interchangeable shaft drivers had failed to make an impression on Callaway customers. Sales have been disappointing. They blamed Callaway's failure to "market" the new system. It looks like Callaway has made a major investment in their I-Mix system so look for a drumbeat to start up again when the snow starts to melt.

Even if the interchangeable shaft systems haven't made it to the course, they are fabulous for fitting. When comparing driver shafts, it's a huge advantage to test different shafts with the same head. When you change two variables at the same time, it's impossible to know the exact reason you may prefer one shaft over another.

Callaway is in the business of making clubheads. As a result, they de-emphasize the role that shafts play in improving the performance of golf clubs. They are not alone in suggesting that the shaft is not really the "engine" of the golf club. Tom Wishon, another head designer has made the same argument. Although the loft and shape of the head might be the primary factors in driver performance, disregarding the shaft is a mistake.

The Callaway presenters made a cogent argument that "feel" does not come from contact with the ball. Their reasoning is that human nerve systems are slow to transfer information from the environment to the brain. The ball is fifty yards downrange before a player "feels" contact. In their view, "feel" was primarily attributed to the way a player loads shaft load and the sound of contact. Flex does not propel the ball like a slingshot. The primary goal of fitting for flex is to help a player square up the club at impact.

The Callaway presenters suggested that there was very little difference in shaft performance based on flex but a lot based on weight. I think that the defect in their testing methodology was that their data was produced by a robotic ball striker. What we found in our first round of "Shaft Test 2008" was that the "angle of attack", "swing path" and "face angle at contact" played a major role in optimizing a player's results with the driver. All of those factors are measurable, but vary from player to player and even swing to swing. Testing results can be measured and shafts compared side by side. Differences stand out.

It was common to produce 2* to 3* differences in launch angle for some players by exchanging a soft tip shaft such as an Aldila NVS with a stiff tip shaft, such as a Mitsubishi White Board. Shaft changes produced minor, but measurable, changes in spin rates - usually in the neighborhood of 500 RPM. That is enough to "tweak" or "tune" a driver but not enough to make a major difference in distance.

In agreement with Callaway, we found little correlation between flex and ball speed. In fact, some players with relatively low swing speeds produced higher ball speeds with stiffer shafts. Players with slower swing speeds tended to hit softer flexes straighter and more consistently. Faster swing speed players showed more control with stiffer shafts.

We found significant differences in swing path were produced by shorter and heavier driver shafts. Changing an outside-in swing path to inside-out produced significant distance increases. For some players that was possible by simply shortening their driver shafts. Longer drivers exacerbate the tendency for players to swing outside-in or "over the top".

Distance comes from ball speed. Lightweight shafts increased ball speeds by an average of 2-3 MPH - enough for eight to ten yards of additional carry distance. Worthwhile increases in carry distance were produced by ultra lightweight shafts at significantly longer lengths - up to 47.5". We saw distance increases up to 20 yards. With ultra lightweight shafts, we achieved better results in flexes stiffer than normal for all players.

We are accumulating valuable data to understand which shafts perform the best for which players under what conditions. We are not done - we need more volunteers who will "donate their swings to science". In the future, all Golf Lab customers will benefit from the knowledge we gain. This project is definitely the confluence of science and art.

All shaft fittings were accompanied by Balance- Certified "Stabilizer" testing. Practically all players showed increases in ball speed of 2-4 MPH and evidence of improved control measured by improvements in consistency of swing speed, swing path and face angle at contact.

The shaft might not matter to a robot, but it certainly matters to an average amateur golfer.