NickBooras

It all depends on the shop. The smaller shops tend to charge a bit more, usually around $20 for labor on a standard reshaft, $30+ for a bore-thru. Golfsmith charges $17 for a standard one, $23 for a bore-thru. Just make sure you ask to see some of the club builder's work before you hand over your clubs. I wouldn't trust 95% of these "club builders" to regrip my set, let alone use heat/epoxy/knives near my precious clubs!

I've got a customer who wants to reshaft a new 905T. I haven't done one yet, and I'm a bit concerned about the aluminum sleeve Titleist included in this newest version. What do you think the best approach would be? The customer does not care about saving the shaft. I'm thinking I'll drill out the little plastic tip plug and hot-rod it from inside, and pull the head with my shaft extractor. I don't want to do it the usual way - with a heat gun - because I wouldn't want the aluminum sleeve to come loose. I could also use the drill press and step drill it out, but I always hate to get a drill bit anywhere near aluminum... Thoughts? Joe? You have any experience yet? TIA

How much did you add? Placebo effect is a wonderful thing in the world of golf!

If they can't be knocked out with a punch, I usually use a long (48") drill bit I have to drill through the pin, then I use a punch to knock the now seperate pieces inside the shaft. Good luck.

As the others have said, it is a .355 taper tip shaft. Also, if I remember correctly, Scotty uses a more flexable iron shaft to provide better feel. Which iron shaft I do not know - I have never compared the step patterns - but I believe that is the case.

IMO, anyone who tells you they can feel a shim is either full of crap, or has a club that was poorly assembled.

It all comes down to the following: The larger the head, the farther the center of gravity of said head is from the shaft, and thus, more torsional stress is placed upon the shaft. If you take a driver head of 300cc, then make a scale replica of that head at 400cc's making every other characteristic the same - the same loft, same face angle, same CG location, same weight, etc., there will be much greater chance of misdirection due to shaft twisting with the larger head because of the location of the center of gravity being farther from the shaft. However, there are always other things to think about. First off, some companies actually move the center of gravity of club heads larger than 350cc's toward the shaft to help compensate. Also, face angle is an issue. If the face of the driver is open or closed slightly, the effects of a higher torque shaft could be more or less noticable. A lot of this comes back to swing speed, tempo, and general consistancy on the golfer's part. The average golfer could hit a shaft with 5 degrees of torque and never know the difference because the average golfer has a slow swing, and the average golfer is very inconsistant anyway. A tour player, on the other hand, would probably select a shaft with a torque of circa 3 degrees because they have quick swings, are very consistant, and a lower torque shaft will help eliminate any other variables. Read the section of this article on torque for a bit more info: http://www.wishongolf.com/tech_talk/indept..._shaft_fitting/

Yes, it can be done, but you have to be careful applying heat to a graphite shaft. If it's weak epoxy, I've had success applying a heat gun directly to the shaft, however, I do not advise this as it is easy to damage the shaft. You can always try heating it from the inside with a very, very thick hot-rod, but again, with that much heat it is still possible to damage the shaft, and melted plastic gets messy... If you're hell bent on saving the shaft, why not just cut the extension off flush with the butt?

Not necessarily. There is a bit more to length than just a person's height. If I'm fitting a T-Rex looking dude who is 5'6", or an Abe Lincoln looking fellow who is 6'6", they might very well play the same length clubs. Most people, in my experience, who are over 6'0" have been more comfortable with longer clubs, but there is no rule set in stone.

If swing weight is your only concern, keep in mind the following: For every 0.5" you remove from the shaft, you will decrease the swing weight by 3 points. For every 2 grams of weight you add to the head, you will increase the swing weight by 1 point. For every 4 grams of weight you subtract from the grip, you will increase the swing weight by 1 point. If you're removing 1.5", this info will be useful. Personally, I would take Joe's advice and add some weight to the head via lead tape/tungsten powder/tip weights/whatever, but you may want to play around with a lighter grip as well. Oh, and another thing: IMHO, baby steps are the way to go. I have customers come to me all the time wanting drastic modifications made to their clubs, then they are surprised when something isn't quite what they wanted/expected. I would try cutting off 0.5" at a time so you can get a better idea of what the club is doing to your game. Just my $0.02.

Most guys your height that I fit tend to be about 0.5" over standard (38.5" 5 iron), but that is by no means set in stone. For every 0.5" in length you add to a club, it will make it play 1 more degree upright, and increase the swing weight by about 3 points. Make sure you extend the clubs then test your lie to see what you need - if you extend and bend, you could end up with poorly fit irons. Bottom line, though: don't fix what isn't broken, especially mid-season. Finish out your year with your clubs as they are, then tweak in the off season.

I use the Golfsmith epoxy on a regular basis with success. If you have time for the 18+ hour cure time, I would HIGHLY suggest you use it, but if not, the Golfsmith "Tour Van" epoxy will do. One thing I will tell you - MIX YOUR EPOXY!!! You have 5 minutes of work time with the Tour Van epoxy. I would suggest using 3 of those 5 mixing. I've worked with this stuff a great deal, so I've got a good feel for when it is ready to use, but most people do not. They mix for 30 seconds in a half-assed sort of way, gule their clubs together, then accidentally take them apart again on the first swing. I'll say it again - MIX YOUR EPOXY! With the Golfsmith Tour Van, you want it to be an off-white color. If it is translucent even in the least, you haven't mixed enough. It will look like cream. Good luck to you.

4.5" for one swing weight? What are you using? Lead tin-foil? The 0.5" tape I've always used will change the swing weight by one point by using roughly 1" of tape, maybe a shade more. To the original poster: Bottom line - weigh the tape. For every 2 grams of weight you add to the club head, you will increase the swing weight by about 1 point.

*Hopefully* it'll fit just fine, but I'm kinda doubting it. Knowing Titleist, they like their taper tips, so they probably used the NV Hybrid in a .355T instead of .370" like everybody else. If it doesn't work, I'd just pick up the NV Hybrid in a .370" parallel and pop that in there. It's a fantastic feeling shaft with excellent trajectory (atleast for me), so I wouldn't hesitate at all to spend the $80 +/- on that. Good luck!

I would suggest you ask this question on the forum at www.golfsmith.com. Someone there will know for sure, but to my knowledge, since Golfsmith's acquisition of the Snake Eyes company there has not been a set produced with taper tip shafts. This may not apply since I believe the S&W set was (IIRC) pre-Golfsmith.

Which Taylor Made Rescue do you have? The Rescue Mid is a .370" tip, the Rescue Mid TP is a .335", the Rescue Fairway is a .350". I haven't done any work on the Titleist hybrids yet, but by the looks of them, they are either a .370" or .355"T, and knowing them, this could depend on if you select graphite or steel as the original shaft. Assuming the shaft tip diameters match up properly, or assuming atleast the Aldila tip is not larger than the Taylor Made hosel, this can be done with relative ease.

I'm no swing doctor, but playing the wrong length club will have a large impact on your lie angle. For every 1/2" in length you add to a club, it will play roughly 1 more degree upright. This means if you measure to standard length, standard lie, and are playing clubs that are 1/2" over standard, the lie will be 1 degree too upright for you.

The man is an absolute head-case who refuses to listen to any advice other than that of his friends. I've given up reasoning with his type. Placebo effect is strong with these guys. He's already convinced himself that he needs these shafts, so even if I do fit him for the right shaft (most certainly not a 6.1 flex), he won't be able to hit the clubs. I'll give him what he asks for, and do my best not to rub it in when he comes back in a couple months asking for 5.5's. :wink:

Frequency is something I've never been fully comfortable with, so I figured I'd run this past you folks before I make any orders. I've got a customer who wants his Callaway X-16 irons (4-AW) reshafted with Rifle Flighted shafts. His target flex is 6.1-6.3 @ 38.5" 5 iron and Lamkin Crossline standard size grip. I'd like to order taper tip Flighted shafts so we don't have to bore the head, but I realize that when you do this you must soft-step the shafts slightly to compensate for the borethrough. My idea is to order Rifle Flighted 6.0 shafts, but order them 3-PW instead of 4-AW like his set makeup. This way, we soft-step 3i shaft to 4i, 4i shaft to 5i, etc. Will this allow me to hit the target flex of roughly 6.1-6.3? Joe - I usually bore the Callaway heads to .370" parallel - when you are installing a taper tip shaft into a Callaway that has not been bored, how much to you force the shaft down into the head? Do you pound it on? Push it on? What? Also, I've always used my chop saw to cut the bore through angle, then finished it with the belt sander - what is your preferred method of finishing the angle? Do you do it before or after epoxy? Thanks for the help, folks. Nick

I don't see any problem extending the club by one inch with an extension. It will mess with the frequency a bit, but I would suggest trying one or two with an extension first, before you invest more money on a new set of DG shafts. As far as length on an extension, I have had luck going out to 1.5" or 2" with very snug fitting steel extensions, however, I will not do it for my average customer. 1" is the maximum I am comfortable with. As far as how it will change the specs of the club, a 1" extension will increase the swing weight by 6 points, and make it play 2 more degrees upright.

I pull several each week and I have never had a major problem saving the shaft. When you're dealing with $300 shafts, I don't think most people want you to cut it and drill it.

I don't trust anyone with my clubs, even so-called "experienced" club builders. I know guys around here that have 10-20 years under their belt, but they still cannot manage to install the shaft straight. I had one gentlemen, who has been building clubs for the last 30 years and is in his 80's, that it takes 8 inches of lead tape on the head to change one swingweight! Bottom line, club building is a guess and check thing, unfortunately. Look at some of their work and make up your mind. Make sure that only one person will be working on your clubs, so they are accountable. In the shop where I am employed I usually start the club, and someone else finishes it, or they start it and I finish it. This is very, very bad, and should be avoided.

The way I understand it is that the benefit of square grooves vs U grooves or V grooves is that a square has greater volume than a U or a V. Again, somebody correct me if I'm wrong here, but if I recall correctly, the main purpose of grooves is to give a channel for dirt, water, grass, rocks, etc., to go in so they do not get pinched between the ball and the face. With a channel of greater volume, more of the dirt and water and grass will be taken into the groove, giving you cleaner contact with the face. If you were to hit two identical wedges, one with grooves one without grooves, you would notice that the ball would have almost the exact same flight characteristics (spin, trajectory, stopping, etc.). The only time you'll notice a large difference is when you get into the freshly cut grass, or in the morning dew, etc. Think of it in terms of tires. If you want the most traction on a dry, clean road, you're going to use "slicks" that have absolutely no tread whatsoever. However, if you're going to be driving in rainy Seattle, or in snowy Alaska, you're going to want some tread to channel the water, snow, and dirt away, so you can get some traction on the road.

Sandblast and refinish. I've messed around with it a but, but I am nowhere near an expert. Make sure you go to someone who knows what they're doing. I'm sure Joe Kwok can give you a suggestion as to who does good work.

How is your control? The main reason players shorten their driver is because it gives them more control. This is one of the reasons many men can hit their 3 wood more consistantly than their driver - it's 43" long. If you can control your 45" driver, stick with it. If you can control a 46" driver, stick with it. Length doesn't matter in your driver as long as you're hitting it straight. In theory, the longer the better (within reason) because longer = higher swing speed = more distance. Hope this helps.