QUESTION: Good morning,

I am 59, and a 10 HC.  I have played Ping I3 OS irons with Rifle 5.0 shafts. 
Recently purchased a set of mizuno MP-57 with R300 Dynamic Gold shafts. They are
1/2″ short and 1 deg flat, based on being club fit at the golf store. After 3
weeks of struggling, I have put them on the shelf and gone back to the Pings. 
The Mizuno’s feel so heavy on the head compared to the Pings, and I can’t seem
to hit any of the irons any distance.  Flight is high and tends to go right
somewhat.  Have worked at the range a lot, and no success.  Could it be that the
R300 is too flexible for the weight of the MP-57 head, with my swing speed?  I am
about 95-97 MPH with the driver.  Not sure about the irons.

Thanks, Dave

 

ANSWER: Hi Dave,

Well, your set is certainly wrong for you. The hard part is to determine why you are having such a bad time of it. First of all, recognize that the main components of your set are all first quality. The Mizuno MP-57 irons and the Dynamic Gold shafts are premium quality, they just might not be for you. Like a quality, expensive bottle of wine, that just might not taste good to you.

Since they “feel heavy”, they probably are heavy, and you might have chosen the wrong shaft. The shaft weight dictates much of how the head feels, and eventhough this model is popular on the PGA Tour, most golfers do not fit into this heavy of a shaft. With such a poor shaft choice, I would certainly question the other fitting specifications of length and lie. Another factor to note is that the loft scheme on these irons is not the same, which is not that critical, but you should generally hit your Ping set a bit farther.

Most stores and manufacturers will do their best to fix these problems.

I recommend that you go to a demo day, find a fitting cart, or optimally find a fitter that can lead you to a better set of specifications. If you are able to hit outdoors and test different combinations, it is quite easy to see and feel if things are working.

This clubfitting thing is not simple, and as you have experienced, fraught with poor results.

If you have some success with a fitter, or test club, take those results back to your store and/or Mizuno and explain that your previous set is better and what is their program for remedying the situation. 

I also suggest that you try/test our 950 model. If you are able to find a fitter or test cart, often our 950 shaft is available. This model is in the 95 gram range and much lighter than your existing Mizuno set.

I wish I had more definitive answers for you, but optimally, all of us need, at some point, to discuss these things with a skilled fitter. Best regards, Mark

QUESTION: Where can I find the new Nippon NS PRO 999GH

shafts here in the Bay Area California? RP

 

ANSWER: Hi RP,

Any of our Authorized Centers have access to our new 

NS PRO 999GH shaft model. Go to our Center locator and

look under the “WEST” part of our map and you will see

several centers in your area.

We are just getting the shaft models in and are shipping 

out demos to some of our centers this week.

Best regards, Mark 

QUESTION: Hi Mark,

There is quite a bit of hype about shaft puring or spline alignment.  Is this really important in the installation of a shaft.  If it is so important, why don’t the shaft makers provide shafts with the spline identified?

Thanks, David
ANSWER: Hi David,

You are asking a question that requires a very long answer, so grab a cup of coffee, and sit back. First, in the interest of self discosure, I am involved in many aspects of the clubmaking industry, and I have had a financial interest in a golf shop that is a licensee of Strategic Shaft Technologies, (SST PURE), for several years now.

To answer your questions- here is some background.

Most every shaft maker that is designing and manufacturing models for the premium market is doing a wonderful job. The shaft products on the market today are better, in terms of quality, than at any time in the history of golf. 

What has also improved is the ability to measure these products. Using computers, load sensors, accelerometers, and the like, shafts are subject to a wider range of detailed production measurements. Combine this with the ability to track and measure the shaft’s effect on the flight of the golf ball, and you have a wealth of information on how a shaft might be adjusted to maximize performance.

Several years back, the USGA wrote into the rule book that a shaft must: “bend in such a way that the deflection is the same regardless of how the shaft is rotated about its longitudinal axis; and twist the same amount in both directions.” This is to basically say that every golf club must have a shaft that plays symmetrical and uniform. The only problem with the rule is that, as the USGA has learned, is that no shafts exhibit the exact same properties as it is rotated…

The SST PURE company petitioned for an exception to the rule, and the USGA agreed that shafts could be installed in a specific alignment, as long as the shaft was installed in a nuetral manner and meeting the spirit of the rule. The current rules will not allow a shaft into play that is intentionally aligned/installed in a manner that will aid in imparting a correcting flight to the golf ball.

So, knowing that golf shafts measure differently in different alignment positions, knowing that the USGA recognizes the randomness of golf shafts, and knowing that computers are capable of measuring various aspects of a golf shaft, the next question is, “does shaft alignment affect the performance of a golf club?”.

My answer is this-

Every golfer is playing with shafts that have more uniformity and less uniformity about the circumference of each model. It only makes sense that a golfer in search of the most uniform performance, will choose a process that aids in finding this uniformity. I strongly believe in choosing uniform shaft alignment versus random shaft alignment.

Does this uniformity produce better results? Everyone acknowledges the variation in shafts, but some do argue that it makes no difference in the shot performance. I have seen, tested and played with enough shafts to know that proper shaft alignment has a distinct performance benefit. On the PGA Tour, the SST PURE Tour Van has been out there for almost 10 years servicing the players, and usually, if something is a myth, it only takes a year or two for it to come and go. There are now SST PURE vans that interact with the Champions Tour, Nationwide Tour, and European PGA Tour. In 2007, both the U.S. Open and British Open champions played with SST PURE shaft aligned golf clubs. Also, Nippon Shaft has had major winners on the LPGA who have had their shafts SST PUREd.

There are many SST PURE licensees that are also Authorized Nippon Shaft Installation Center and there are other shaft alignment methods that some of our other Authorized Centers advocate. I am for any installation method that makes a golf club play better and conforms to the rules of golf.

Finally, regarding your question about why don’t the shaft makers mark their shafts for optimal alignment installation- some of the answers are legal and political, but are mostly cultural, and these changes have a schedule of their own. How come most every putter on the PGA Tour has a loft of 1-2 degrees, but the average amateur golfer is using 3 or 4 degrees of loft? The answer is in the culture of our industry. Many Ping brand putters were 6 degrees years ago, but as computer testing has evolved, and the grasses have become more like pool tables, lesser lofts are more efficient, and slowly, lower lofts are working their way towards the mainstream putters brands. It has taken years for this change to take place, and the shaft culture has a similar schedule of its own.

Speaking for the Nippon Shaft company, we spend all of our time and energy making each and every model as uniform and consistent as possible. The base materials we choose, our world famous heat treatment processes, our razor-thin manufacturing tolerances are all chosen to produce the most consistent product possible. Each shaft is subject to many computers and lasers as it moves from raw material to finished product. Nippon Shaft gives all its energy to making a perfect shaft, and prefers to leave the fitting and installation to the next group of professionals. Nippon Shaft supports any method of installation that gives optimal performance of our products and conforms to the rules of golf.

Best regards, Mark

 

     

QUESTION: Hi,

I recently purchased set of Ping G10 irons with stiff shafts(steel).
I used to play regular shafts Callaway (Memphis 10). My swing speed is about 85
mph with an iron. I am a 18 handicap & can hit a 7 iron about 155 yards. I played
8 rounds w/ new irons & recently developed a shank. I am slowly getting rid of
it but, it still looms. I was wondering if it has anything to do with the weight
of the stiff shaft or the fact that the club shaft is a half inch longer.
Thanks, Confused Golfer Mark
ANSWER: Dear Confused,

Varying club speciifcations of shaft length, shaft weight and shaft flex, can absolutely have an impact on our games and how we impact the ball. If the shaft is too light, too long or short, or too flexible, you will be forced to compensate, and if you are unable to compensate in an efficient manner, problems like this will come up.

The only way to determine which set is causing problems and your resulting impact/swing issues is by consulting with a knowledgeable swing teacher, a skilled clubfitter with enough test clubs to compare your interaction, or a comparison on your own with the different club specifications.

Pursue one of the above and you will learn plenty about your swing, your club specifications, and how these are so related to your performance. Best regards, Mark

QUESTION: Hi Mark, 

I currently play the NS PRO 950GH stiff in my Mizuno MX900 and like the flex but
might want a little more weight. I am switching irons and would the next step be
the 1050GH in a regular flex, or should I go with stiff?
Do you have any way to directly compare the flex of the stiff 950 to the reg
1050?

Thanks, John

ANSWER: Hi John,

The NS PRO 950GH and 1050GH models have the same shaft geometry. The real difference is the overall weight. For shafts with DIFFERENT geometries, the case can be made for some golfers to choose a different flex. However, I would absolutely not change the flex in going to the 1050 model. If you generally like the performance of the flex in your 950 model, 98 golfers out of a hundred will prefer to keep the same flex when switching to the 105. Best regards, Mark