mr.haha Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 Placed an order for a 7D Distance shaft with Chris and after some serious delays and hiccups the shaft is finally here. the shaft will be paired with an Syard T388 9.5. Swingweight about D3 at 45.5" I wont be able to test it until this weekend but here are some. more pics and reviews to come...club is drying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hutch Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 Sick...what a shaft.....not fitted by SD??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.haha Posted May 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 I wish, im in the US and could not get a flight over there. This shaft was fitted via the questionnaire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLL33 Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 (edited) Yeah, I'm still waiting on the one for my Blackout, too (since the end of Feb...). Hope it's because they refuse to cut corners even as they get more orders... But man, wait til you hit it in that T.388, all frustration will disappear on first launch, it's an amazing combination!!! Enjoy! PS. Mine was fitted through questionnaire, too. Edited May 7, 2015 by RLL33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hutch Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 I wish, im in the US and could not get a flight over there. This shaft was fitted via the questionnaire. haha... mate that would be one hell of a fit, Didn't send the head in freight flight??? Just thought that was the MO for a dreamers, once in never to stray;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.haha Posted May 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 haha... mate that would be one hell of a fit, Didn't send the head in freight flight??? Just thought that was the MO for a dreamers, once in never to stray;) nah i built it myself. i love building clubs. when i take this to the range i will compare it to my other T388 w Quadra Fire TP V SX. That will make for a nice comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hutch Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 Look forward to that! Is it staying in the head you fit hell or high water you will make it work...personally I wouldn't answer that, I would have utmost confidence that whatever head it goes in it would work better. Keep me posted, a intrigued to know the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLL33 Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 I sent my 388 head to them and let them do the installation after doing the questionnaire and talking with Chris pretty thoroughly about it. Then when I got it, my comparison was with the Messenger 1st in my other 388. I've in fact left that one installed, too, and every now and then I take them both to the range just to zero in on the feel that I think makes the 7D different. That comparison also helped me decide to go for another 7D for the Blackout. I'll look forward to your comparison, too, and the way you describe the difference from the Quadra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpbachman Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 I have a couple 7Ds and expecting another one. They each have absolutely different characteristics depending on their build purpose (standard vs. control) but both are smooth and feel like they just fit. I have been more consistent lately (swing changes too helped) but I can't complain about the distance (I am not the longest off the tee but not the shortest either...) :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.haha Posted May 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 After 2 full rounds of golf and over 100+ driving range balls, here is my analysis of the 7D Distance shaft. First, a little about my game/swing. I am 5'5" 145lbs 34 years old. I am very flexible and have a very quick transition from the top of my backswing and down through the ball. I guess in general my swing thoughts are to throw the club at the target. I have a pretty high ball flight and my miss is a push/fade. This occurs when I get lazy and don't make a full turn or I get stuck on the downswing. I have had instruction most of my life so my swing is in general a cookie cutter swing and I played competitively in college.I can get up to 110mph clubhead speed but I do not like to operate that high. I am typically in the 106mph range with about a 250 yard carry with a T.388 9.5* and SX Quadra Fire Express TPV. The T.388 with Quadra Fire is a great combo. It has a pretty active shaft and I could feel the shaft load during the downswing. This resulted in medium trajectory drives with pretty tight dispersion. I am very accurate with this shaft and am very happy with its distance. Luckily I had a spare T.388 9.5 so the 7D went directly into that club. Once I shafted up the club I went to my course later in the week and prepared myself to be wowed. All I can say is that I was not wowed upon the first swing. The shaft felt good but I couldn't see a noticeable difference between the Quadra. I hit maybe 5 - 6 more drives with similar thoughts. I took the club directly to the course and was ready to try it in action. The first hole is a pretty easy dog leg right par 4 with about 200 carry to the fairway. This hole typically plays into the wind, which it was that day, and is about 400 yards. I got up to the tee box, did my thing, and just let the club rip. I absolutely smashed the ball into a 15mph wind that gave me an approach of about 135. I will take 265 into the wind all day long! I played the driver maybe 8 times that day with overall ok results. I had my B swing that day so I definitely was no clicking on all cylinders. Fast forward one more around and 100 range balls later and this shaft just flat out performs. Things started off slow but the experience got much better. What I find interesting about the shaft is that the trajectory is actually medium to high for me but the carry is just insane. The ball has some serious hang time and it appears to just keep going. The trajectory is a little higher than the Quadra but hang time and continuous ball flight make me want to keep hitting the driver. Now onto feel. The feel of this shaft is totally different. I now have it figured out and wow the shaft loads at the correct time during my downswing and it almost feels effortless. Don't get me wrong, the Quadra is really good. But after trying the 7D it doesn't even compare. This shaft essentially feels like it reacts to my swing and I now do not need time my swing in order to get a high smash factor. I really can feel the location of the face with this shaft and this is something I have never been able to feel in the past. I feel like I know exactly where the club face is during my entire backswing and downswing. I cannot highlight this part enough. I know exactly where the clubface is during my swing!!! Dispersion in general is surprisingly pretty good with this distance shaft. I expected the ball to be all over the place but I found myself in more fairways than rough. Versus the Quadra, I do think the Quadra is a better fairway finder but I can't argue with the distance. Lastly, distance. Distance is without a doubt, longer. How much? 7-10 yards easy compared to the Quadra. I haven't hit any mammoth drives lately but on the 9th hole this past weekend I had an approach shot on a par 4 of about 75 yards where I typically have an approach of 100. I had never been in this territory before so having a half sandwedge into a green versus half gap wedge felt very different. So in general and after 36 holes and 100+ range balls just with the driver, I am sold. However, I do not think that this type of shaft is for everyone and I say that because I think it suits a player who knows exactly what their game is. Meaning that person knows his weaknesses in the driver game and knows how to be honest with his distance, clubhead speed and transition. I wish I could have gone to Japan to have a full fitting but this was all I could muster up and I am not disappointed at all. I would not hesitate to try another 7D if not for their service. 7D overlooked some things and I still don't even have the hard case, cloth and instruction booklet. Time will tell if I get these any time soon. However, the shaft certainly performs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 Great write up Maybe one day you can venture over and get the full fitting. Keep us informed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needmoregolf Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 excellent write up, honest yet encouraging for someone tip-toeing the line to pull the trigger. in hindsight, would you have chosen something different from the distance version, or pretty happy with what you got? thanks for the great review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 You can order the same shaft based on the same questions just designed for a different head and it's so cool how they perform similar yet different at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-500 Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 Fair play for going through the questionnaire and stumping up the cash, but for me, to have slightly better distance and slightly worse dispersion I'd be a little disapointed. I'd take the dispersion over distance. Hope it works out better for you over the next few rounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 By far most players are choosing the "Distance" option of the 3 designs presented, we have had a handful go with standard and control and are equally happy in just a different direction, I think we are all in search of the shaft that gives us the best distance & dispersion & feel but as everyone knows it's give and take we can't have it all, we may think we have it all at times then later find out we don't. It really depends on what you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLL33 Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 <<The feel of this shaft is totally different. I now have it figured out and wow the shaft loads at the correct time during my downswing and it almost feels effortless. This shaft essentially feels like it reacts to my swing and I now do not need time my swing in order to get a high smash factor.>> I think this part of your review is key. This is exactly what I started to realize several rounds into playing the 7D. I think I described it in very similar terms, in fact -- that the shaft feels like it reacts to my swing and even adapts to slight variations in my swing to produce the effect it was designed to produce. It's subtle, but quite different from many other shafts I've played which seem to require ME to make the adjustments to get it just right. "Effortless" then followed, as I became less focused on swing thoughts, mechanics, etc, and began to trust that the shaft would do the work. I remember specifically the day I realized all this because I was playing in a strong wind and the shaft sort of freed me from thinking about it. In fact, I remember the smile on my face it produced. All that said, I'm still waiting for my shaft for the Blackout. Next week will mark 3 months... I do hope Chris is right that they're getting past their production issues. Either that or they should give more realistic estimates/promises on ship dates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.haha Posted May 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 Fair play for going through the questionnaire and stumping up the cash, but for me, to have slightly better distance and slightly worse dispersion I'd be a little disapointed. I'd take the dispersion over distance. Hope it works out better for you over the next few rounds. agreed and as Chris said it depends on what you want. However, to know what you want is to know your game where you can have give and takes. for me, i will take 7 yards longer on every drive if that means marginally missing 2 fairways. I rarely hook or slice the ball and in general, I find the fairway quite often. so as long as you know your game and where you have some wiggle room, i think this process works quite well. <<The feel of this shaft is totally different. I now have it figured out and wow the shaft loads at the correct time during my downswing and it almost feels effortless. This shaft essentially feels like it reacts to my swing and I now do not need time my swing in order to get a high smash factor.>> I think this part of your review is key. This is exactly what I started to realize several rounds into playing the 7D. I think I described it in very similar terms, in fact -- that the shaft feels like it reacts to my swing and even adapts to slight variations in my swing to produce the effect it was designed to produce. It's subtle, but quite different from many other shafts I've played which seem to require ME to make the adjustments to get it just right. "Effortless" then followed, as I became less focused on swing thoughts, mechanics, etc, and began to trust that the shaft would do the work. I remember specifically the day I realized all this because I was playing in a strong wind and the shaft sort of freed me from thinking about it. In fact, I remember the smile on my face it produced. All that said, I'm still waiting for my shaft for the Blackout. Next week will mark 3 months... I do hope Chris is right that they're getting past their production issues. Either that or they should give more realistic estimates/promises on ship dates. agreed, this coupled with face control has just really impressed me. the best part is at impact when i have just made contact with the ball and i swing through. the feeling is powerful like i am completely loading and unloading my swing. I haven't smiled much only because i am pretty even keel on the course. however, in my mind I would say "damn that just feels and looks right". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLL33 Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 Exactly. And although I haven't talked much about the look of the thing, I stand by my original comparison to the monolith in 2001. It has that effect on most people, including me, every time I draw it from my bag... <g> Smooth, subtle, perfect beauty that has or needs not a single identifying mark on it. It knows what it is, and it exudes that. And for me, that's part of the confidence it inspires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.