Driver Shaft vs Fairway Shaft

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By Brian T

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  1. Brian T

    Brian T

    I've always received conflicting information when asking this question. It seems that most professionals play lower launch and lower spin shafts in their fairways than their driver. I understand that with more loft you can play a shaft with lower launch and lower spin, but I've been told time and again that because most shots with fairways need to hold greens, unless off the tee, and most people don't swing their fairways and fast as their drivers, that one would need the spin to stop the ball. If this is true then why do pros play these? I'm sure they want to hold greens just the same. Are the lower launch and spin shafts that most every pro plays in their fairways just a by product of them being generally heavier than the driver shaft, or is this because they are producing too much spin with their fairways and they don't want them ballooning up into the air? If you go with a lower launch and spin shaft in fairways are you giving up green holding ability for the advantage of never flaring one up into the air, or is there a happy medium? Obviously one should be fitted. But even then all fitters have different philosophies on this, as I've said, conflicting info... My swing is around 112mph with driver and ball speed around 162. My index is 5. I want to purchase your new 915Fs both 3 and 5 wood with custom shafts, but again I don't know exactly where I should be looking in the shaft spectrum. All the fitters I've been seeing have told me different things. Some say go with a shaft you stop quickly on green but get a tad less distance do to launch and spin. Others said I should try and max out my distances with the lower launch and spin shaft that I can still flight given my clubhead/ball speed. I know it's a long and complicated question. Thanks for you time!
  2. Richard H

    Richard H
    Grand Prairie, TX

    I'm no expert on the subject of golf shafts, but one possible explanation is the difference in the way pros swing their fairway woods versus amateurs. The way I understand it, a lot of pros swing down on the ball with their fairway woods whereas most amateurs think they have to sweep the ball with a relatively neutral AoA. Theoretically, a descending AoA would produce more spin, but I could be completely wrong.

    Also, I just don't see too many pros on tour going after greens with their fairway woods. It happens, but not as often as it does with amateurs because the pros usually have a shorter club in their hands even on par 5s. So, it could just be a matter of playing percentages - a pro will use a fairway wood off the tee more often than amateurs and use it off the turf into greens less.

  3. Dwayne N

    Dwayne N
    Island, KY

    Thought I had this issue all figured out my self until this weekend. Went to a Titleist demo day and the Rep was very helpful had his trackman in hand and proved that once again a good fitting is always best. The shaft I use in my driver but heavier was 35 yards shorter in my fairway than the driver shaft model. I was amazed mostly due to launch and spin. I am starting a fitting fund today with the goal of a total bag fitting in Oceanside or TPI in Mass. I want that confidence knowing that every club in my bag is the exact fit for me. 

  4. Dwayne N

    Dwayne N
    Island, KY

    Brian, I have a 915 driver with a Rogue silver 60 stiff I really like this setup. I started out with a different shaft and was ok with it but just felt I should be hitting it better so took the tried and true advice of team Titleist members and got fitted gained 30 yards by switching to the rogue. So naturally I thought that was what I needed in my fairway too. So I went in to a demo day / fitting day at a local golf shop. Started off hitting the Rogue silver in a heavier weight and was hitting it 10 yards farther than my old 913 so I was happy. Then the Titleist Rep Doug Jewel saw a number he thought we could improve on so we changed shafts ( Diamana blue ) and WOW I was hitting this setup as far as I was my 913 driver and total distance gained 25 yards over the Rogue. Long story short  get fit for them both. And a big thanks to Doug Jewel of Titleist for the patience and knowledge in helping improve my yardage.

  5. Brian T

    Brian T

    I have a rogue silver 70X in my 915D3. I love the flight and feel of this shaft. This shaft is pretty far towards the low end of the spin launch spectrum based off Titleists custom charts page. I've seen pros playing lower spinning lower launching shafts in their fairways which means I have only a few options in shafts for my fairways. The fugikura motore speeder vc tour 8.2 or 9.2 or the oban kyoshi blacks. These are the only shafts offered custom from titleist that will produce less launch and spin in the weights that I need for my fairways. Again this is all predicated on the fact that I should play shafts similar to the pros set up (lower launch and spin in fairways). For instance, jimmy walker plays rogue silver 80X in both driver and 3 wood, but plays a fujikura motore speeder vc tour 8.2 in his 5 wood, which is a lower launch and spin shaft than the rogue silvers. This seems to be consistant throughout other professionals bags as well. Billy horschel. Zach johnson. Etc... I have no problem getting the ball in the air with fairways and like to go for every par 5 I can whether its with a long iron or a wood. It just seems like less spin and launch shafts wouldn't hold greens the same. But based on how these elite players have their shafts set up, I might be wrong about that...
  6. Brian T

    Brian T

    I imagine the reason jimmy walker does this is because he want the same feel off the tee with both driver and 3 wood but when it comes to his 5 wood he spins it too much with the rogue silver 80X so he puts the very low launching and spinning fujikura motore speeder vc tour in his 5 wood to bring it down. I just wanted to bounce this speculation off some people and see if I'm on the right track as to why he does this along with many other very successful professionals. After all these shafts are not cheap and I dont want to make a bad decision. I understand fitting is the best way to figure out what's best for the individual. But im talking about the general philosophy behind it.

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