From: davet@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (Dave Tutelman)
Subject: Re: LIghtweight steel shafts
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs - Lincroft, NJ
Distribution: na
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 01:33:57 GMT

In article <fragante.711831858@unixg.ubc.ca> fragante@unixg.ubc.ca (Gv Fragante) writes:
>Anyone familiar with reshafting clubs with lightweight steel shafts ? What
>are your recommendations ? My current choices are the True Temper TT-lites,
>Dynamic Gold Plus and the Flex Flow. Are these shafts noticeably lighter
>than the regular True Temper Dynamic shafts ?

First of all, don't confuse the TT Dynamic Gold and the TT Gold Plus; they're
very different shafts with very different characteristics.  In fact, the
Dynamic Gold is nearly as heavy as the Dynamic.  The Dynamic gold has a
high kickpoint, the Gold Plus a mid kickpoint.

The Gold Plus (no "Dynamic" in the name) is close to the lightest steel shaft
you can get.  Others are the Brunswick UCV-304 and the Apollo Acculite.  All
three are about 102-104 grams in "R" flex, and the Gold Plus is the cheapest
(by 10-20%).  True Temper also makes the even lighter (97 gram) Extralite,
but it has a low flex point (the others are mid-flex); thus it can't be
considered interchangeable with them.

>My clubs have a D-1/D-2 swing
>weight but the overall weight is noticeably heavier than my other set. I'm
>using a forged blade and I understand that they are generally heavier than
>cast heads. I would like to bring down the overall weight but maintain the
>D-1/D-2 swingweight.

Why?  I can see wanting to:
 1. Keep the overall swingweight, but move weight from shaft to head.
 2. Reduce the overall swingweight to increase head speed.
Both are reasonable goals, for reasons discussed here over the last couple
of months.  But why try to preserve swingweight but lighten the club?
(Of course, in the process you'll accomplish #1 anyway, so it IS a win;
but you got at it in a roundabout way.)

Anyway, if you're really determined to do it, here's how:
  A gram of weight in the clubhead is worth 3.3 to 4 grams in the shaft.
  (3.3 for a driver, 4.0 for a 9-iron, interpolate in between.)
Get a couple of good catalogs with data (the GolfWorks catalog is probably
the most comprehensive for shaft data).  Decide what flex point you want
(hi-mid-lo), and select from those.

Now, add to the clubhead about 1/4 of the weigth you took out of the shaft.
(Lead tape is an easy and reversible way to do this.)  But let me recommend
that you first play with them a few times at the lighter swingweight; when you
get used to it, you may like it.  You'll have more clubhead speed (and thus
probably more distance), if you can get comfortable with your swing.

>I have not seen a set of clubs using Flex Flow, but it does have an interesting
>concept. The long irons are supposed to have a low kickpoint to get the ball
>up easier (2-4 irons). The mid-irons have a mid kickpoint and the short-irons/
>wedges have a high kickpoint. Anyone used these before ?

I made my current irons with Flex-Flows.  I'm not in love with them, but
they're perfectly competent shafts. But I tend to hit ALL my irons with a
high trajectory anyway; never had any trouble getting the 2-iron in the
air.  However, they ARE a good weight at a good price (between Lite and
Gold Plus in both weight and price).  I'd probably do it again, but they
have no magic properties that I can determine.

Dave Tutelman