Driver shaft for epon 102 driver? Ive narrowed down to three choices

[pmr]

Recently got hold of an Epon 102 driver head in 9.5. I only have three shafts to choose from. Its a toss up between the three. Need your help in choosing one as my budjet will only allow one shaft and thats it. No more experiments.

Below is a little info of my swing and sticks.

Handicap: 3

Swing speed: dunno

Height: 5'10

Driver distance:285-295

9 iron: 147-150 yds

Current driver: Ping v2 Diamana WB 63 Xflex. Previous driver R9 with oban 70 xflex

Irons: 901 22, 302 5-7, af tour 8-pw, 208 52/56/, Callaway xforged cgrind 60 all with kbs tour shaft in x stiff

Below are the shafts that Ive narrowed down. Need your help here. From where I'm located theres no trackman or anything for that matter that would analyze my swing except for the above info.

1. Graphite design DI 7 x 3.1 torque

2. Graphite design Tour AD 9003 in 75g x flex 3.2 torque

3. Graphite design Tour AD 9003 in 80g x flex 2.9 torque

[gocchin]

Need a lot more info then your distances.

Are you smooth? Aggressive? Lag? Your transition?

How about your bad shot?

What's your trajectory like?

Do you get alot of run or is it all carry?

What kind of trajectory do you want?

What do you think of the whiteboard X? Did it work?

That said there is not that much of a difference in the 3 shafts you chose, all penetrating launches with low spin and all three can keep the left side out of play.

[pmr]

Need a lot more info then your distances.

Are you smooth? Aggressive? Lag? Your transition? Average smooth with lots of lag.

How about your bad shot? Used to be draw biased but changed my mechanics to make slight fade biased (to me I hit more faiways w/ fade biased) Some times I overcook my fade a bit but seldom happens.

What's your trajectory like? Mid high

Do you get alot of run or is it all carry? mostly carry

What kind of trajectory do you want? mid high because I need more soft landing. The course I play has lots of dog leg but can be cutted thru the tree lines if traj is mid high and carry is about 260yds (really big advantage). In summer the rolls are crazy long to the point you dont have much control ( could roll past 40-70 yds on drives on certain holes).

What do you think of the whiteboard X? Did it work? Whiteboard is awesome! Just a bit on light the side in terms of weight. Its a keeper but just wanted to add another driver in the arsenal.

[pmr]

Need a lot more info then your distances.

Are you smooth? Aggressive? Lag? Your transition? Average smooth with lots of lag.

How about your bad shot? Used to be draw biased but changed my mechanics to make slight fade biased (to me I hit more faiways w/ fade biased) Some times I overcook my fade a bit but seldom happens.

What's your trajectory like? Mid high

Do you get alot of run or is it all carry? mostly carry

What kind of trajectory do you want? mid high because I need more soft landing. The course I play has lots of dog leg but can be cutted thru the tree lines if traj is mid high and carry is about 260yds (really big advantage). In summer the rolls are crazy long to the point you dont have much control ( could roll past 40-70 yds on drives on certain holes).

What do you think of the whiteboard X? Did it work? Whiteboard is awesome! Just a bit on light the side in terms of weight (63x). Its a keeper but just wanted to add another driver in the arsenal.

[gocchin]

All 3 shafts are heavier and spin low so will naturally bring your ball flight down a touch than the lighter whiteboafd. All three should handle your lag and if anything stay with the fade.

I would consider either the DI7x or the 9003 X.

The 9003x X is a bit on the heavy side, and that's a pretty big jump from the D63.

The DI actually has the most similar stiffness distribution as the white board.

The white board is soft butt, stiff mid, stiff tip.

The DI is standard butt, stiff mid, stiff tip.

The 9003 is stiff but, standard mid, stiff tip.

The DI would feel most like the shaft you have but heavier which provides more control, more stabilty and even less spin.

[pmr]

Thanks for your reply. My previous driver R9 9.5 with inch tipped oban devotion xflex was at 77g. It was awesome, launch was mid high considering its low launch type, however if I use it with my Nike tour VR 9.5 driver the launch was too low.

The 77g weight didnt bother when I'm doin rounds but to be honest it tires me when I use it in the driving range because I hit too many balls about 350 and its mostly driver. Do you think the 80g would be a big leap considering R9 head was over 204g with 77g shaft as against the Epon 102 195g head with 80g shaft?

The rave a lil while ago was low spin low launch and both of my shaft are just that. Now the trend is low spin and mid/high launch and to want to try a shaft with this spec.

Anybody who has about the same swing profile as mine please chime in cuz I know it just as toss up between the three shaft's that I mention earlier. I hate/love it when I'm in these situation. I'll just give it aday or two and decide.

[supo]

Thanks for your reply. My previous driver R9 9.5 with inch tipped oban devotion xflex was at 77g. It was awesome, launch was mid high considering its low launch type, however if I use it with my Nike tour VR 9.5 driver the launch was too low.

The 77g weight didnt bother when I'm doin rounds but to be honest it tires me when I use it in the driving range because I hit too many balls about 350 and its mostly driver. Do you think the 80g would be a big leap considering R9 head was over 204g with 77g shaft as against the Epon 102 195g head with 80g shaft?

The rave a lil while ago was low spin low launch and both of my shaft are just that. Now the trend is low spin and mid/high launch and to want to try a shaft with this spec.

Anybody who has about the same swing profile as mine please chime in cuz I know it just as toss up between the three shaft's that I mention earlier. I hate/love it when I'm in these situation. I'll just give it aday or two and decide.

im pretty similar to you.

ive used the D1 6 s and didnt like it really. nothing heavier in that range, i swapped it out prettty quickly

its low spin alright and i think it is mid launching(?) and perfecty good , nice feeling BUT

its one of those take the left side out mumblers, that if you have any slice tendancies, is just plain awful.high slice a thons.

mjr d is the man to ask about the 9003 i think by all reports that thing is a monster.

as for weight..., ive gone form 69g to 77gs now and perform a lot better now .i use that weight in my epon and yamaha heads.. total club weight 320-325 grams now. SW no less than d3, ive gone heavier on these in the last 2 months and its made a great difference. hitting a lot more fairways and long. the mid launching shaft is the perfect balance to a 9.5-8.5 lofted head or as ive gone , and seem to prefer now 10* in the lower laucnching quadra fire line. u might want to have a look at he quadra line before u make ur mind up about GD. theres nothing better ive hit.... and ive him pretty much all of it.

[pmr]

supo67,

Thank you for inputs. I can get hold of a Diamana stinger in 70x. I can see you have the 102's with that shaft, how are they in terms of launch considering your head is in 8.5 loft and the shaft is somewhat of a whiteboard in terms of launch?

[pmr]

Supo67,

Forgot to ask your cpm and your swing weight on your 102/stinger setup? Thanks in advance.

[supo]

supo67,

Thank you for inputs. I can get hold of a Diamana stinger in 70x. I can see you have the 102's with that shaft, how are they in terms of launch considering your head is in 8.5 loft and the shaft is somewhat of a whiteboard in terms of launch?

ooooooooh if u can get one of those ur a lucky fella. get it. especially if u have the epon 102 head. thats one mean assss propulsion device u got there. theres NO stinges left. yes the proto is the kahuna. the 8.5 and this are absolutely perfect. they balance each other like nothing else. mine plays short to 44.5 inch and i can snap it if i really try. but i hardly ever do i have to grip really low to do that, the cpm is at 288 and the torque is 2.4 somehting crazy ............., cop that!

BUT it doesn feel like it is .., thast its beauty . i had a 70x sitting around unused till i got my new head on friday

the yamaha v201 TOUR MODEL 425cc

and immediatly took the DI6S out and re shafted it with this 70x best decision ever.

my first foray with it on sat was a beautiful result. plays too long for my liking 45.25 but i gripped down with great success.

the heads small. a lot smaller than the 460 cc. stock one which i absolutely adore.

the face is the biggest whoooooooooooooooooa there. wow this is small. i was gulping on the first tee shot. theres not a lot of it, but wholly shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhesh, when i got a few out of the centre and it was just laughable mosnter drives, but everything is monster off the centre. right?

the rating i go by ,and swear by on drivers IMO is not how good they are BUT how bad the the miss- hits are . and with this set up, i didnt get killed at all and i was toeing it all day , just hard to get used to the small face on this ,and i stayed alive pretty much every drive, was hitting into some wind most of the day as well. nothing else ive ever hit has the straightness and non blow out ness of the stinger shaft. if you can get one then GET IT!( but get a quadra as well seriously, they are just the nuts. )

i think the quadra and the crazy feel better, more alive, something in them just sings ,but the stinger is the straightest, when i go to a tight course the epon stinger combo is the one i take , when i play on open wide plains its the qauadra yamaha combo. the crazy is too right ish for me im crying about this but my swing floor kills me with the crazy., (i gotta sell them im crying)

[Blader-X]

I might be one to be able to shine some light on this for you. As a few people on this site know, the P9003x is my driver shaft. I've used it for the last couple years in the Epon AF101 9.5° and as I've said before I feel this shaft was made just for me. Recently, I ordered the new AF102 8.5° with the DI-7 in stiff. I had a very long hitting session with it and sent it off the have the shafts switched. Now, the new AF102 has my beloved P9003x and the AF101 has the DI-7. However, since receiving them, I've been hit with a couple of injuries (non-golf related) and was also busy with some home projects. Needless to say I haven't been able to hit the new setups yet. I will but it'll take a little more time. I can however give you my feeling based on hitting them previously.

Its my opinion that compared to the P9003X, the DI-7 will promote less spin and therefore give a lower trajectory. I prefer the feel of the new 102 head very much but didn't like the feel of the DI7 shaft. Yes, I can perceive the difference in both having hit the P9003 for so long now. While I like a lower trajectory, the 102 with the DI7 was lower than what I was looking for. With the 101 and the P9003x my trajectory I would describe as middle. Now, this is all subjective and one person's mid is another person's low but I've found that compared to most others I've played with, my driver trajectory is among the lowest and I prefer it this way. When I decided upon going to the new 102, I knew that I wanted to go down in loft to the 8.5°. (Both setups are about 2 degrees flat and a degree or two open so in terms of actual loft the difference is still only one degree.) So it really to me, comes down mostly to the two shafts. While I do believe the DI line is a very good shaft, it just doesn't match me as well as the P9003 line does.

In terms of my swing speed, I had been in the range of 110-115 but have been hit by a few things this year. First off was my back on Jan 1st which really limited by golfing by a lot early in the year. When I did return, my swing speed definitely went down. My distance was no longer there but the trajectory was and the dispersion which is really the most important. I finally started to feel close to 100% when I received the new driver so when I hit both I would say the swing speed was at or near normal. Mind you, like everyone else age is starting to creep in so I know in time it will slow more, however, with the P9003x I'm still able to swing it as I wish. After I sent off both clubs to be reworked, I sprained my right thumb and later twisted my right knee. Both injuries are on the mend and I'll be back out soon to put both clubs to the test and at that time I will write up my thoughts and feelings on both clubs. I haven't written on this site as much as I used to but I have a couple of new toys which to write about so please bear with me until I can. I don't wrap myself up too much in technical jargon and really don't put all that much stock into swing speeds but I base a lot of what works on feel. I know my tendencies and what works for me so anything that I say is coming from that perspective. We're all a little different so it makes it difficult at times to know just what to do in regards to these clubs.

Good luck in your decision and I promise to all to write a thorough review on both drivers, especially the new Epon AF102. I also have a new RC 3 wood that I will be reviewing as well. I just need to get some time in with both.

[pmr]

supo67,

Thank you for the spec of your set up. Helps a lot.

Blader X,

Were on the same boat here. Currently babying a total oblique fracture on my right wrist. Thought it was just an infalamation yet I still was a able to squeeze in 3 rounds but wasnt able to hold my usual overlap grip but used the baseball grip like the great Moe Norman. Still played decent despite the pain and the new grip(bout 3-4 more stroke more), half way thru my 3rd round I recieved a text from my doctor that based on my Xray I had a total oblique fracture. I was on my last 6 holes when I got the news of the fracture and ways told to rest the hands for 4 weeks, so naturally I had to finish the last few remaining holes since its gonna be a 4 week break and considering I just had my new sticks come in. Btw whats the weight of the GD9003x do you have 75g or m80g? As for the Quadra, its way out of my league $$$.

Other than that I'm scheduled for an ACL Revision sometime Feb. This one is gonna hurt more since I was told I cant play for 6 months. Ouuchh.

Well Ive eliminated the GD DI from my list and its down to either the Stinger or the GD AD9003x. How about a fubuki? Any body have personal experience with them?

[supo]

supo67,

Thank you for the spec of your set up. Helps a lot.

Blader X,

Were on the same boat here. Currently babying a total oblique fracture on my right wrist. Thought it was just an infalamation yet I still was a able to squeeze in 3 rounds but wasnt able to hold my usual overlap grip but used the baseball grip like the great Moe Norman. Still played decent despite the pain and the new grip(bout 3-4 more stroke more), half way thru my 3rd round I recieved a text from my doctor that based on my Xray I had a total oblique fracture. I was on my last 6 holes when I got the news of the fracture and ways told to rest the hands for 4 weeks, so naturally I had to finish the last few remaining holes since its gonna be a 4 week break and considering I just had my new sticks come in. Btw whats the weight of the GD9003x do you have 75g or m80g? As for the Quadra, its way out of my league $$$.

Other than that I'm scheduled for an ACL Revision sometime Feb. This one is gonna hurt more since I was told I cant play for 6 months. Ouuchh.

Well Ive eliminated the GD DI from my list and its down to either the Stinger or the GD AD9003x. How about a fubuki? Any body have personal experience with them?

not bad. gets the ball out there.

very stiff, they are pretty straight shooters

ive used the 70x in a driver, which is really really stout, too much for me.

the 75fw s isnt a bad fairway wood shaft tho.

but i just fine them to have not a lot of feel , which i l really like in a shaft , found them very hard to trun over.

[Blader-X]

supo67,

Thank you for the spec of your set up. Helps a lot.

Blader X,

Were on the same boat here. Currently babying a total oblique fracture on my right wrist. Thought it was just an infalamation yet I still was a able to squeeze in 3 rounds but wasnt able to hold my usual overlap grip but used the baseball grip like the great Moe Norman. Still played decent despite the pain and the new grip(bout 3-4 more stroke more), half way thru my 3rd round I recieved a text from my doctor that based on my Xray I had a total oblique fracture. I was on my last 6 holes when I got the news of the fracture and ways told to rest the hands for 4 weeks, so naturally I had to finish the last few remaining holes since its gonna be a 4 week break and considering I just had my new sticks come in. Btw whats the weight of the GD9003x do you have 75g or m80g? As for the Quadra, its way out of my league $$$.

Other than that I'm scheduled for an ACL Revision sometime Feb. This one is gonna hurt more since I was told I cant play for 6 months. Ouuchh.

Well Ive eliminated the GD DI from my list and its down to either the Stinger or the GD AD9003x. How about a fubuki? Any body have personal experience with them?

ACL in February. I've had two ACL's in my time, both on the right side. Word of advice, start your rehab now by getting that leg much stronger. It will help you in the long run. Also, after the surgery be religious with your rehab and follow the advice of your therapist to the letter. Most people might not think that the ACL is involved in the golf swing but take it from me; it very much is!! Many years have I struggled with my knee and who knows how good I could have really been without having the problems I've had with it. The only thing you'll be able to start with will be putting. Small chipping/pitching maybe in 3-4 months, but don't fool around with the full swing until you get the okay from the medical side. Good luck to you. My heart always goes out to any athlete having to go through this. Actually when I twisted my knee again this past week, I almost thought that I had torn the ACL a third time but thankfully, it doesn't appear that I did.

In terms of the P9003x, the uncut weight of the shaft is 80 gms with a torque of 2.9°. This is the P model. There are two other models in this line and that is the 9003 which come in both Stiff and X-stiff. Both have a torque of 3.2° with the stiff being 74 gms and the x-stiff 75. I've only played and hit the P9003 but I would imagine that both models share the same characteristics. I've never really been told what the exact difference is. The P model is touted as being for the Tour player or high level amateur with swing speeds in the range of 115-125. Its quite possible that my swing speed has been that fast in the past, but I'm sure its not there now but I'm still able to use this shaft with very good results. Not really sure why but this shaft has always just been the perfect fit from day 1 and remains so. Haven't hit any of the other shafts you mentioned so no help from me there. Good luck with the ACL and take my advice and start getting stronger now.

[pmr]

Thanks to all the info guys. Finally decidied on the GD P9003x. Ordered it last night.