My Taylormade M1 shaft hunt

[MG 1977]

I recently traded my 9.5 AeroBurner TP Blueboard X stiff for the new M1. I got a great trade in deal but they only had stiff flex shafts, I got a 10.5 with the Kuro Kage. First shot with the club was a huge snap hook! My AB TP never went left so I was instantly regretting my decision to change. The Pro I got the club from said he would order me an x stiff but he wasn't sure how long it would take to arrive.

I decided to search the bay for a quicker fix. I found a new uncut Fubuki Tour 63x5ct in x stiff for a good price. I bought a couple of tour issue +/- 1 degree tips and decided to build the Fubuki tipped 1.75 inches as its quite a soft feeling profile. My first shot with it was a snap hook again! I managed to adjust my swing and hit some good drives similar distances to the AB TP I had traded. I'm not sure where the snap hooks come from would it be an issue with the lie angle?

I was gutted that I had got rid of a driver that I had never snap hooked for the M1 with which I have the snap hook and my usual miss the block fade. I then found a PX Hand Crafted 6.5 for a great price. I tipped it 3/4 of an inch and installed it. First shot with it mid flight fade... what a relief! The feel and flight of the combo is superb, its now a fairway finder and I'm around 10 yards futher carry than I was with the AB TP and the M1 with the other 2 shafts. I just can not believe the quality of the hand crafted shaft it feels very stable and kicks like a mule! I've ordered one for my AeroBurner HL 3 wood and I also bought a AB 14 degree mini driver with one as well... best shaft I have ever used.

[Tiptx1122]

Right now I have the UST ATTAS 5 GoGo shaft, feels wonderful and really looks great. I only went to the range as it's too cold to play this time of the year.

[MyShortGameSucks]

Loving my 661 Evo TS X in M1 460 and R15 460. I recently got an S+ 60X for my M1 430 head. Feels great but noticbly softer and maybe a bit spinner than the 661. Going to put them all on Trackman tomorrow and see what combos work best.

I agree the Kurio Kage is not the greatest shaft....

Steve

[Stuart_G]

[quote name='MG 1977' timestamp='1450572852' post='12741388']
I'm not sure where the snap hooks come from would it be an issue with the lie angle?
[/quote]

No. An upright lie angle can potentially add a little bit of draw to the shot shape, but it's not going to change a straight shot into a snap hook.

Swing weight, total club (shaft) weight, playing length, maybe face angle, and possibly something in how you might be responding to the feel of the shaft loading/unloading would be more likely suspects.

With the Aeroburner traded in and gone, we no longer have a reference point to compare the new club with so no way to be able to tell what might be different or where your efforts should be spent trying to 'fix' the new club. When you have a club that's giving you real good results and you like the feel, it's a good idea to get the various specs measured and keep a record so we have something to compare them to when you run into problems like this.

[Luv2bNTexas]

Not to upset you, but, the world of shafts is not dramatically different in terms of performance. This has been tested time, and time and time again. Take a ladies flex whatever, a whip, and then take an X stiff board, and the results are similar, not dramatic. There is no shaft you can put in any club that causes your "straight" drives to duck hook, or something like that. What does that is the lie angle, or the weight placement in head, or your swing. Shaft shopping is important primarily because of how you feel, mentally, when you swing it. But the results making similar swings, is comparable. For example, I have a Graffaloy "boost" shaft. It has a whippy, jello feel to it. I get similar results as an X stiff Red Tie shaft, but I like the Red Tie, or White tie feel way better. So I go with the White tie, because it feels very stable, and my brain just likes it, which leads to me making better swings, more comfortably. This is what shaft shopping is about. Comparability with the expectations in your brain. Because there is no shaft I ever seen or heard of where you can, for example, take a driver that is spinning at ~3000 RPM, and then after a shaft change, nowits ~2000 RPM. Or go from hooking, to slicing. WHen a manufacturer says it spins less, or lower launch, that is true, but what they are not telling you is the SCALE of that.

It could be from 17 degrees launch to 16.6 for example, and they categorize that as "lower" launch. Which it is. There is no shaft, that you take a 17 degree launch, and now its 12. And if there is, I would like to see robot testing + human testing to prove it.

[Stuart_G]

The key to that statement is IF the same swing is used. It's not just mental comfort that the feel can contribute to. A change in feel can potentially result in a change to the swing itself. And the amount the swing can potentially change can be very different for different individuals. Now, it's true that this is less common with flex changes but certainly does happen for some individuals who are particularly sensitive to the feel of the shaft loading and unloading). But choosing a shaft is much than just choosing a flex, it is much more common for shaft weight (as well as swing weight) to have a bigger potential to impact the swing. Although this is a fairly large over generalization, the biggest changes in ball flight (particularly left/right tendencies) tend to come from those player with faster swing speeds or aggressive transitions or have swings that are very dependent on and sensitive to release timing (very late release). While those with a fairly sound fundamentals, naturally smoother transitions, or those that normally hold the face square longer through impact (slower and earlier releases) may see little or no change to the left/right ball flight.

So yes, it is possible for changes in feel coming from the shaft to "cause" duck hooks or other large changes to ball flight tendencies. Yes, the route cause is really in the swing, but the different feels can impact the severity of the core swing flaw(s) in lots of different ways.

And while, for most, you are correct in that the shaft will generally not cause big changes in dynamic loft (assuming the same square delivery), you can potentially see much larger changes in ball flight numbers (launch angle and spin) due to those feel induced swing changes also causing variations in impact position on the face or even from how it might impact the ability of the player to square the face.

[MarkFromTheUK]

Probably in the minority, but I think the kuro kage sucks. It's only use should be as an alignment stick.

As for the best M1 shaft, I have tried a few, and nothing beat the White Tie.

[aussiegolferer]

its you not the shaft

[Stuart_G]

Actually, It's both. Or more accurately, the combination of the player and the shaft.

While it might be true for that individual, just coming out and saying a shaft "sucks" is a poor way to provide feedback about a shaft. It doesn't provide anyone else with any useful info about the shaft. So it's best just to ignore those posts. Now If they had supplied some actual objective details about why it 'sucked' for them (e.g. softer/firmer than another shaft) then that could have been useful so a small degree.

[driveandputtmachine]

I played a Bridgestone J40 for years with an UST Earth Elements Prototype at 80 grams in my driver. I have a buddy that works for TM and a friend that gets me UST shafts on the cheap so I didn't bother getting fitted for the M1, I know what I like and how I like a shaft to feel. The weight and balance point make a huge difference for me in how my swing works. So for me the Kuro Kage was crap, however for one of my playing partners the Kuro Kage is the best shaft for him.

I have since reshafted the M1 with a Axiv Core Green(One of my favorite shafts) and have two more adapters on their way for the Earth Elements and some kind of Chrome prototype Attas something my buddy sent me. He knows what I have played the best from the UST line.

Shafts in themselves do not make a huge difference for a robot. However for a person the shaft weight, balance point, and who knows what else can make a player make an entirely different swing and cause much bigger misses. Also when switching drivers, the headweight of the previous is a good thing to know before jumping ship as well. I REALLY need an additional M1 weight for the front track, and a heavier one for the back track to get it where I want it. I would prefer to not hot melt it.

[mattsam]

I really like the Aldila Rogue Black and Silver shafts in these heads.

[Gibles]

Has anyone tried the Tour AD line in the M1? I love my DI6s in my 915 but recently picked up the M1 with a Kuro Kage. It feels OK but I'm still curious about the AD-DI.

[chicagolongball]

[quote name='driveandputtmachine' timestamp='1450792747' post='12751044']


Shafts in themselves do not make a huge difference for a robot.
[/quote]

That's actually not exactly true. I've been lucky enough to witness and be privy to golf labratories testing and I can honestly tell you that going on real data, and throwing out theorhetics, there is a lot bigger performance difference between shafts of the same flex, even on a robot. Several degrees of launch and sometimes 4 digit spin differences. Believe it or not, I've seen it with my own eyes.

[Ri_Redneck]

As Stuart mentioned earlier, it is most likely an incorrect combination of swingweight and total weight. Does the new driver FEEL like the old one did? If not, that will screw up your swing in an instant. Have it reweighted so that when you swing it, you can't tell the difference from your old driver. I would recommend extra headweight because it's obvious your hands are releasing too early and snapping the face closed at impact.

BT

[Mr.Fuji]

[quote name='Gibles' timestamp='1450802685' post='12751782']Has anyone tried the Tour AD line in the M1? I love my DI6s in my 915 but recently picked up the M1 with a Kuro Kage. It feels OK but I'm still curious about the AD-DI.[/quote]

I just put a AD DI6s in my M1 460 and it feels and performs far better than the KK did at least for me.

[MG 1977]

Well I've sold my M1 it just wasn't for me even though I really liked the looks of it and it sounds great. I just couldn't get a shaft that coupled with that head that felt right to me. I've decided to go back to an aeroburner tp as I like the looks and feel of it. I'm going to a 10.5 head which should give me the little extra launch I was lacking with my original one.

Thanks for all the input. I agree shafts don't make you snap hook a ball but I have a very quick tempo to my swing and need a shaft to feel stable on my back swing. When a shaft feels soft on the way back more often than not i hook it. Ive not had any issues with my mini driver, 3 wood or hybrid which all have shafts that feel with me on my back swing.

[ph00ny]

[quote name='MG 1977' timestamp='1451254594' post='12769108']
Well I've sold my M1 it just wasn't for me even though I really liked the looks of it and it sounds great. I just couldn't get a shaft that coupled with that head that felt right to me. I've decided to go back to an aeroburner tp as I like the looks and feel of it. I'm going to a 10.5 head which should give me the little extra launch I was lacking with my original one.

Thanks for all the input. I agree shafts don't make you snap hook a ball but I have a very quick tempo to my swing and need a shaft to feel stable on my back swing. When a shaft feels soft on the way back more often than not i hook it. Ive not had any issues with my mini driver, 3 wood or hybrid which all have shafts that feel with me on my back swing.
[/quote]

What's your clubhead speed?
I'm also doing the shaft search for the M1. Rogue Silver works for me but it doesn't hurt to find the best shaft for my swing

[gioguy21]

see my sig...

HZRDUS...just sayin

[MG 1977]

[quote name='ph00ny' timestamp='1451310251' post='12771174']
[quote name='MG 1977' timestamp='1451254594' post='12769108']
Well I've sold my M1 it just wasn't for me even though I really liked the looks of it and it sounds great. I just couldn't get a shaft that coupled with that head that felt right to me. I've decided to go back to an aeroburner tp as I like the looks and feel of it. I'm going to a 10.5 head which should give me the little extra launch I was lacking with my original one.

Thanks for all the input. I agree shafts don't make you snap hook a ball but I have a very quick tempo to my swing and need a shaft to feel stable on my back swing. When a shaft feels soft on the way back more often than not i hook it. Ive not had any issues with my mini driver, 3 wood or hybrid which all have shafts that feel with me on my back swing.
[/quote]

What's your clubhead speed?
I'm also doing the shaft search for the M1. Rogue Silver works for me but it doesn't hurt to find the best shaft for my swing
[/quote]

I swing around 106mph with a very quick tempo. I need a shaft to feel with me on the back swing so I can go for it on my downswing. My driver swing is a bit like Phil Mickleson it's 110% everytime. I can dial it back with 3 wood, hybrid or irons but driver gets the full treatment!
I sold the M1 as I had tried 3 shafts already and it was becoming an expensive mistake. I've gone back to an Aeroburner TP it's 10.5 with a x stiff Fujikura Tour 73 x stiff. I've only played 9 holes with it (hit it 10 times) it was cold and windy but the left hand side is out of play again. Swings that felt the same as my hooks with M1 are finding the left edge of the fairway. I need to get on a LM with it but it's a high ball flight but looks like a low spin flight. It wasn't ballooning into the wind. I honestly think if the AB TP had an adjustable shaft it would have been a massive hit. A lot of people are put off buying a driver that you can't easily change the shaft on.

[driveandputtmachine]

Shafts in themselves do not make a huge difference for a robot.

 

That's actually not exactly true. I've been lucky enough to witness and be privy to golf labratories testing and I can honestly tell you that going on real data, and throwing out theorhetics, there is a lot bigger performance difference between shafts of the same flex, even on a robot. Several degrees of launch and sometimes 4 digit spin differences. Believe it or not, I've seen it with my own eyes.

 

OK, so let me rephrase and agree somewhat with your statement.

 

Yes an extremely high CPM shaft and an extremely low CPM shaft in the same head will produce dramatically different results.

 

Two shafts of a similar CPM(flex between companies is a pointless debate, as everyone's is different) and profile in the same head being swung by a robot will not make much of a difference. The robot goes back, pauses, then puts down close to the same speed with the exact same release every time. There will be some differences, albeit very small, based on what I have seen. Similar CPM's with a different profile produce a bigger gap, but I never saw 1000+ differences in spin or more than 2 degree in launch angle differences. I believe Tom Wishon or one of the many respected fitters have said the same, a shaft with fine tune you, but cannot make a huge difference in launch or spin. Now what they mean by huge is up for debate.

 

With a human this changes every time, therefore a shaft should not be just about maximizing your good swings, it should help minimize your bad swings. Humans are thrown off by balance point, SW, overall weight and other items that will put a hitch in your swing, or cause you to lose feeling and change your swing drastically. I could care less if a shaft gains me 15 yards. What I want to see is how it helps me smooth out my tempo.

 

My belief is 65% of my bad swings are from bad alignment and the rest are from poor tempo. This showed itself through two cameras at the range, when my alignment was off, I rarely hit a good shot and was twice as likely to hit a bad with some poor shots sprinkled in. If my tempo was bad I was twice as likely to hit a poor shot, but mainly bad with very few good shots. Each person is different, yours may be 80 and 20 or 50 and 50.

 

SO in short for me tempo issues lead to more penalty or lost shots. Bad shots hit the rough, or just off of the green. Poor shots go into the water or woods or out of bounds.

[jdawgttu]

The fujikura pro ts meshes really well with the M1 imo...nice penetrating flight with low spin. The 661 evo ts is also a nice choice.

[ph00ny]

The fujikura pro ts meshes really well with the M1 imo...nice penetrating flight with low spin. The 661 evo ts is also a nice choice.

 

Honestly, Rogue Silver 70x isn't bad either. Same goes for Speeder 757 Evo TS

[jdawgttu]

The fujikura pro ts meshes really well with the M1 imo...nice penetrating flight with low spin. The 661 evo ts is also a nice choice.

 

Honestly, Rogue Silver 70x isn't bad either. Same goes for Speeder 757 Evo TS

 

Agreed.