I recently managed to get my hands on a bargin priced "Titleist 983K 10.5 degree" driver. Brilliant head, like it a lot, feel, draw bias, power with a boring flight. Problem though is that I'm not sold on the standard Titleist 4560 shaft (Reg flex) that's in it.
Thinking of replacing this shaft to make this driver the one to keep for the next seasons.
Happy with regular flex, always been measured at Reg flex swing speeds.
There seems to be a plethora of good aftermarket driver shafts but what should I be considering?
Grafalloy Blue - R-flex play too stiff?
Aldila One - not heard any reports?
Aldila NV65 - seems popular.
Proforce XL or Harmon CB.
Any thoughts or other recommendations greatly appreciated. Also need advice on where to get this replacement carried out - not all pro's seem able to get hold of quality replacement shafts or willing to fit them.
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 Aswell as SS, theres loads of other stuff to take into consideration.. torque, kick point, length, clubhead type, material used, swing tempo, accuracy / distance tradeoff. Your perfect shaft in one club may be crap in another.
Try to find as many demo clubs with the same head as yours. The shaft is the most important part of the club so you must make sure you get one that will work best for you.
I had my tour Launcher 400 fitted with an x100 a few weeks ago. It was done by www.xsgolf.com. Awesome service.
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Garry. When you decide on a shaft you might want to contact www.grahamtonge.co.uk who is based in Frodsham, Cheshire for a shaft fit. He is a professional golfer and clubmaker and offers a sales service and/or just a fitting if you supply the shaft. His service is very good and I can personally recommend him.
On the shaft selection bit - My SS is 92-95 mph and I fit at borderline regular/stiff but always go with regular as I have a smooth tempo. I shaft I tend to really get on with is the YS-6 by Graphite Design in regular flex. It's a great "swingers" shaft as opposed to a hitter and feels smooth.
You may want to get in touch with Jenny Mcguiness at Golfworks Europe. Golfworks can supply almost any shaft you require. Jenny can be contacted at jmcguinness@golfworks.com (TEL: +44 (0)1480 891311)
Hope this helps ;-)
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The best option that I know of is to find out when there is a Titleist Demo Day in your area. They have staff there that can tell you the best shaft for you and you get to try all the gear beforehand! I think they usually have it on their web-site. Good luck.
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Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated.
I have tied to hit other 983K's with differing shafts but its proving hard, most are cutom-fit only so the stock shaft seems to be only demo club you can get hold of.
Definitely a average tempo which can get rushed when I want to hit harder for length, it never works, I will remember this one day. I believe I'm looking for low kick point to get a higher flight maybe?
An interesting point on the current Titleist 4560 shaft, not sure if anyone can explain this one to me. Teeing the ball low, only a bit of the ball above the height of the club face gets a draw (good swing) to straight shot (okay swing) pattern. Flight lacks a bit of height in my eyes but then the ball is on a low tee. Trying a higher tee for a more sweeping shot should promote more of a draw I thought (magazine articles seem to indicate this is so) but not for me with this 983K driver, this one seems to get out to the right.
Thanks for recommending Graham, heard his name mentioned before, got him on my list to talk to once I have a shaft in mind.
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The low kick-point bit for a higher flight is correct yes. The Ys-6 is mid kick-point from memory I think.
The theory about the tee height is correct though, so I'm not sure why the higher teed ball would fly right and the lower one would draw!!
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I have the same 983K 10.5 with YS6 in Regular. It was a custom order. My driver swing speed is low to mid 90s.
It has a lower, more boring trajectory than the 4560. On contact, doesn't feel so soft as most stock shafts I've used. I think it feels stiffer than it actually plays. A nice smooth tempo gives great results for me. But unlike some other shafts I have tried, in the heat of battle, try a bit harder, and its still quite straight.
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 Go get yourself fitted with a rifle lite steel, you'll gain all the controls of steel without noticable loss of distance.
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Paul,
Interested in your comments about putting in a Rifle lite steel shaft. Tempted by this idea myself, the most accurate driver I owned was a TM200 with a steel reg flex Rifle shaft, but lacked length over my 3-wood. My worries would be what a steel shaft would be like in a larger 365cc titanium driver, what length I would be able to generate and whether I would have ruined any re-sale value of the 983K club by dropping out the graphite shaft and replacing with steel.
What club head do you have the steel shaft in? Any reasonable loss in length? I'm not worried about the odd 10 yards or so.
Anyone used or have experience of either the Aldila One or Proforce XL? these shafts seem to be available at a sensible cost instead of the NV65 costs (£90) I have been quoted.
Thank you for all the info and help.
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Garry I have a 44.5" dynamic gold x100 in my 400cc launcher. I hadnt played steel into titanium so it was a bit of a trial. the swingweight is D3. There has been no loss of distance [except maybe the once or twice a month real huge hit] but because of the increased accuracy i am more confident going after drives if i need the distance.
Adam scott plays a dynamic gold lite in his 983.
you may aswell try steel, you'll be able to get fitted for one and have it put in for around £30 quid. so even if you dont like it, theres no great loss.
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 Garry,
There are plenty of low cost alternatives available in steel and in graphite and some excellent suggestions have been made above. My thoughts on the reshaft are as follows:
The 983 is a thru-Bore hosel configuration and will play almost a whole flex stiffer with some shafts. You therefore need to consider shafts that are specifically designed for thru-bore heads or a regular flex will play to a firm/stiff - so be careful with what you choose!!
I am happy to suggest some shafts that should fit the bill but I will need some more information about your swing etc to make an informed recommendation:
Are you a 'Hitter' or a 'swinger' i.e. do you have a smooth and fluid swing or do you put the power on from the top aggressively?
How for (carry only) do you, on average, hit your driver, 5 iron and 7 iron?
Do you want a higher or lower trajectory?
What is your 'nightmare' shot? slice, hook?
Do you want/need a shorter shaft length?
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Darth,
Many thanks, info below;
'Swinger' rather than a 'hitter', hitting has never worked with me, I end up on an outside-to-in line, so have always tried to keep it fluid.
Higher trajectory would be nice, but I'm fairly sure I'm artificially keeping it low with the low tee (see response above for the reason which still makes no sense to me).
Definitely interested in a shorter shaft, was thinking of 44.5 or preferably 44 inches.
Nightmare shot is a slice, only get this with driver if I try hitting it too hard really.
Finally, 7 iron carry 145, 5-iron carry 160 (tails off explaining my liking of TM Rescue clubs). Driver, approx 220 carry in present conditions with a good swing.
Any advice appreciated. What are your thoughts on Steel for a 983K?
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Garry,
For steel shaft - I would suggest you look at the True Temper TX-90 in a reg flex. It will be a good match for the 983 and it is a sweet shaft. Mid/Low kickpoint, lightweight & the shaft should cost around 10 quid + fitting.
For a graphite shaft, you fit the Reg flex Graphite design YS-6 quite well. Mid kickpoint & soft in the tip section for a higher launch angle and it has excellent feel. It may play a tad soft for you - if so you may want to consider tip trimming by 1/2 inch or so. Shaft should cost around 35-40 quid plus fitting.
Hope this helps.
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 All the major manufacturers sites give guidelines on shaft fitting. Here's a few for you to look at
http://www.grafalloy.com/grafalloy.htm
http://www.aldila.com/
http://www.truetemper.com/
http://www.ustgolfshaft.com/dev/index.htm
http://www.royalprecision.com
May be of some help, or may just confuse you even more ;-)
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Darth,
Got any thoughts on an Aldila 'One' shaft for my 983K? The 65g regular flex with 'high launch' has been recommended as they (local club fitters) cannot get hold of the YS-6.
They can do the steel option, the TX-90 and have quoted £60 all in - reasonable price?
The 'One' would be £100.
Thanks for the info, much appreciated.
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Garry,
I have never it the Aldila One so I cannot comment.
The thru-bore reshaft it a little more complicated than others so the club builder may charge a little extra - but 60 quid is a bit steep for the TX 90. 100 quid for the One is also a bit steep.
Where do you live? Perhaps I could suggest somebody near you....
Failing that, Warren has made some good suggestions above which you may want to try. Alternatively you could call David Doyle who has contributed to this site and seems very competent....
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Cheers Darth, great advice as always. I'm in Nottingham, any shaft fitter suggestions welcome.
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Gary
Totally recommend Graham Tonge as per Warren's recommendations.
He has just re-shafted my driver wit ha Grafalloy Power-lite for £64 all in.
Give him a call or better still book a session with him if you are local, well worth it.
Mark.....
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Garry
I know I suggested steel but if you're set on graphite I've a Graffaloy ProLit 35+ r flex for £30 you can buy. Graham Tonge took it out of my Mizuno driver to replace with the steel shaft I mentioned before.
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Garry,
Sorry, don't know anybody in Nottingham.
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