CPMs in real life

[Staxxx]

We recently had a Honma demo day at our club and I tried a TW driver with a Vizard YZ65 in an SR flex. I hit it well and enjoyed the feel of it, although it did go a tad bit high for me. I tried the S flex too but was less good with it.

I was very surprised when I checked the specs to see the CPM at 270! (the swing weight was D2).

My question is although I know technically what CPMs are in a golf shaft, what does it translate to practically? If I were to try and fit a shaft to a head without having the opportunity to try it, should I look at the swing-weight in conjunction with the flex (SR) or the CPM (as it will not be consistent to flex across the board) to get a similar feeling club?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

So size of clamp matters which is why you may be surprised by the measurement but idk if thats the case.

I personally don't go by CPM's at all I pretty much ignore it now.

With today's shafts using better materials and designs a lot of the old thought goes out the window like CPM's and Torque.

4-5 torque used to be insane, but consider that the material/design handles squaring up the club face at impact so much better now it has allowed brands to produce shafts that feel better, kick harder, and allow faster tempos and swing speeds to use a higher torque or lighter weight.

CPM's also doesn't apply evenly to tempo and transition speed and thats the main reason I toss it. Some customers need say 270cpm or around that for whatever shaft they play as a requirement when truth is that in my opinion is not a good way to figure out the shaft.

Go by the shafts profile, is your swing is aggressive/fast in tempo and or transition and you have trouble squaring up the face if your timing is off then go with a more tip stiff shaft, if your concerned about feel consider a shaft with a softer butt.

Kick point is another one, the difference between high and low kick is just a couple of inches and now many brands are starting to do designs that act as almost multiple kick points some even going up to four which is hard to design but you see it in uniflex shafts and it works really great for some i.e Fuji air and ryoma beyond power etc..

So in short, CPM's imo is not the way to determine which shaft or flex you should play. your launch, spin rates, carry/roll and overall distance is best way to measure.

[Staxxx]

Thanks for the information Chris. So I am doomed to experiment........not such a bad consequence I suppose!

[needmoregolf]

Thanks for the information Chris. So I am doomed to experiment........not such a bad consequence I suppose!

Welcome to the fray mate ;) This is a great time to be tinkering though, lots of cool new stuff and the tech in shafts is at an all time high as Chris points out. This also means that some of the older premium gear can be had to try as members start to get into the new stuff themselves. Have fun!

[stevopagolf]

Trackman outdoors has been the best for me to test heads and shafts. I know it is a difficult thing to find. Did they have Trackman at the Honma Demo Day?

I tried multiple combos against a driver I have in the bag that I liked recently and found a combo that I hit longer with lower spin and better trajectory (tad flatter). Plus outdoors I could see the flight differences and then see the spin rate differences. Picked up 12 yards which is a lot for a person in the back nine of life!

[Staxxx]

Thank you all for your guidance. We have a big demo day tomorrow - lots of brands Srixon, Mizuno, Titleist, XXIO etc.- and I intend to try as many to get a feel. All of them seem to be using trackman numbers.