| My favorite driver these days is
the
Acer XP905 460cc Titanium driver. It allows me to easily move
the ball both ways and I use the
Blue Crush graphite shaft with stiff flex. I like it as it suits
my swing (111 MPH swing speed) and gives me consistent results. It
is light weight (62 grams) with a very low torque of 2.9.
I wanted to see what will happen if I
switch to a shaft that has a higher torque. I picked the
Apollo Ultralight Shadow graphite shaft. It is also very light
at 62 grams but it's torque is 5.0. Flex was kept Stiff just like
the Blue Crush.
Findings:
- At my full swing speed (110 to
111 MPH), the Blue Crush gives me solid consistent results. The
Apollo Ultralight could not give me similar consistency and I
was getting strong pulls instead.
- At reduced swing speeds (95 to
100), the Apollo Ultralight gives better results. In fact it
started giving me those boring ball flights that you see on
tour.
- Even at the reduced swing
speed, the Apollo Ultralight was delivering almost the same
distance as the Blue Crush at full speed.
Conclusion:
- If your swing speed is between
90 and 100, a low torque shaft like the Blue Crush will be a
detriment to your long shots. A higher torque shaft (4.5 to 5.5)
will suit your swing better and deliver consistent results.
- Of course the ideal thing is
to get your swing analyzed by an unbiased pro with a computer
analysis system and a range of shafts.
N.K. Babar
InterloperGolf |
Acer XP905
Blue Crush graphite
shaft
Apollo Ultralight
Shadow graphite shaft |
