Aldila VS Proto "By You" shaft

[Bulls9999]

Anyone have any experience with one of these vs. a UST V2 Proforce shaft?

My son just entered a tournament sponsored by Aldila and all 140 kids got a free Aldila VS Proto "By You" shaft. He's got a Titleist 907 D2(or D1?) w/UST V2 Proforce in his current driver that he hits really well...I suggested 'don't fix what ain't broke'. Maybe trade it out for the Aldila NVS 65 in his older Callaway FT-3 and try that, but looking it up it looks like it's pricey, like a $150-180 shaft.

[Bigvivec]

It is a great feeling shaft...low torque, lower flight, fairly smooth feeling and a lively feel to it...very much a control shaft, it plays a litte stiff in relation to other "stiff" shafts out there, but is anything but boardy...one of my favorites...I had the proforce v2 in a 905r and really liked that shaft until I snapped it...only thing was that I was convinced that it was robbing me of distance, and I have no monitor evidience to back it up but I got very little roll on drives, height was more than with lower launching shafts, the ball would start low and then scoot high, all leading me to believe that I was getting too much spin with that shaft...if your son hits it well and the numbers are decent I wouldn't change a thing, but with that shaft in hand he ought to definitely try it out in the ft-3...

[JPsuff]

.



If it ain't broke, don't fix it!


You wrote: "He's got a Titleist 907 D2(or D1?) w/UST V2 Proforce in his current driver that he hits really well..."

Why would you want to change that?

I am a former Aldila disciple (HM-40 and NV's) but when I switched to the V2, I was stunned by how responsive and lively it was compared to the Aldila's. I love my V2 and if I were in your son's position, I'd either trade the "Proto" in for something else, sell it on Ebay or maybe put it into another club, but there's no way I'd mess with a driver that I'm hitting really well.


I mean, it's hard enough to arrive at a driver setup that feels comfortable and has the performance one wants. So once that's been achieved, why mess with it? It's not like he's suddenly going to gain dozens of yards of carry or anything like that. And let's say that it could be proven that the Proto was worth even FIVE yards (which isn't likely), would it be worth it to change to that and then risk losing the feel and other characteristics your son has obviously come to know and trust in the V2 just for a measly five yards?


Five yards isn't worth that. Neither is ten.



-JP

[drstroud]

The "By You" felt very boardy to me. I did have a driver with the V2 and loved it but bent the hosel. Put the V2 in a J33 and did not like the result, however. I'm considering building another driver with the V2 (maybe the HMOI version) because it was such a good shaft.

[Darth Fader]

I have a proto by you shaft in my 3 wood,as stated elsewhere i find it gives a lower more penetrating flight,low torque and has a tight dispersion as well,i would recomend it,however if your son is happy and hitting the ball well with his existing shaft i would leave well alone.

[Bigvivec]

Originally Posted by Darth Fader

I have a proto by you shaft in my 3 wood,as stated elsewhere i find it gives a lower more penetrating flight,low torque and has a tight dispersion as well,i would recomend it,however if your son is happy and hitting the ball well with his existing shaft i would leave well alone.

"Check" on dispersion...

[Bulls9999]

Thanks for all the comments....just want to make clear, I'm also the one that said in my opening post "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I offered to put the Aldila VS Proto "By You" in his older driver for comparison, but comparing a Callaway FT-3/Aldila VS Proto to a Titlest 907/UST V2 Proforce may be comparing apples to oranges.

Then he suggest replacing his wippy Reg-flex in his Taylormade hybrid with the Aldila VS Proto....would that be overkill, or a waste of a nice shaft, for a hybrid?

[Rndm_Als963]

Originally Posted by Bulls9999

Then he suggest replacing his wippy Reg-flex in his Taylormade hybrid with the Aldila VS Proto....would that be overkill, or a waste of a nice shaft, for a hybrid?

Hybrids are .370 and your VS proto is .335 tip diameter assuming it's a 46" wood version.

[Bulls9999]

Thanks (yes it is a 'wood' version)...that ends that thought, lol.

Originally Posted by Rndm_Als963

Hybrids are .370 and your VS proto is .335 tip diameter assuming it's a 46" wood version.

[JPsuff]

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Not all hybrids are .370. There are hybrids with a .335 hosel and as a matter of fact, I have two .335 hyrid heads sitting in my garage right now. Also, if you'd like to use that .335 shaft in a .370 hosel, just pick up a pack of brass shims. They work fine and they don't affect anything in terms of characteristics. All they do is allow a smaller shaft to be installed into a larger hosel.

I've used them in the past and they work fine.

Just remember that hybrid heads are generally quite heavy and they will tend to make a .335 shaft seem very whippy, which is why most hybrids are designed for a .370 shaft. The solution of course is tipping the .335 shaft to compensate for the extra weight. How much you take off is related to the weight of the head versus the desired characteristics and a good part of tipping is trial and error. There are no hard and fast rules for tipping a shaft and if you go that route, just tip the shaft in small increments until you get the results you're after.



-JP

[Rndm_Als963]

Originally Posted by JPsuff

.


Not all hybrids are .370. There are hybrids with a .335 hosel and as a matter of fact, I have two .335 hyrid heads sitting in my garage right now. Also, if you'd like to use that .335 shaft in a .370 hosel, just pick up a pack of brass shims. They work fine and they don't affect anything in terms of characteristics. All they do is allow a smaller shaft to be installed into a larger hosel.

I've used them in the past and they work fine.

Just remember that hybrid heads are generally quite heavy and they will tend to make a .335 shaft seem very whippy, which is why most hybrids are designed for a .370 shaft. The solution of course is tipping the .335 shaft to compensate for the extra weight. How much you take off is related to the weight of the head versus the desired characteristics and a good part of tipping is trial and error. There are no hard and fast rules for tipping a shaft and if you go that route, just tip the shaft in small increments until you get the results you're after.



-JP

Ok, I went and checked, and TM "TP" series hybrids are indeed .355. The rest of the models are .370.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't use that shaft for a hybrid. For once, it's most likely too light; then tipping will be tricky, as has been mentioned, plus, to my knowledge, the brass shims tend to soften the tip as well.

[JPsuff]

Originally Posted by Rndm_Als963

Ok, I went and checked, and TM "TP" series hybrids are indeed .355. The rest of the models are .370.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't use that shaft for a hybrid. For once, it's most likely too light; then tipping will be tricky, as has been mentioned, plus, to my knowledge, the brass shims tend to soften the tip as well.

I don't know what shaft "that shaft" is in terms of weight (if it has been mentioned, I didn't see it). But if it's a lightweight driver shaft then you're right, it's way too light for a hybrid. Most hybrid shafts are in the 85 to 110 gram range.

As far as the brass shims causing the tip to feel softer, I've never heard of that and I'd be interested in knowing why that might be so. As I said, a thinner shaft would feel considerably softer in a hybrid than a .370 shaft and since you'd need the shims to accommodate a thinner shaft, it could be that the shims are "guilty" by association, but I can't see how a shim itself could have any effect on how a shaft behaves.


-JP

[Rndm_Als963]

Originally Posted by JPsuff

As far as the brass shims causing the tip to feel softer, I've never heard of that and I'd be interested in knowing why that might be so. As I said, a thinner shaft would feel considerably softer in a hybrid than a .370 shaft and since you'd need the shims to accommodate a thinner shaft, it could be that the shims are "guilty" by association, but I can't see how a shim itself could have any effect on how a shaft behaves.


-JP

For all intents and purposes, if installed and epoxied correctly, there won't be much of a difference for an average player to notice. But the idea is, you are using a foreign object with the purpose of compensation, also it will depend on a particular shaft playing characteristics as well as the amount of gap to be filled.

[OnePutt]

I sure wouldn't waste a high dollar driver shaft putting it in a hybrid. Save it for your next driver upgrade.

[Bulls9999]

JP, thanks for the information. I picked up something I didn't know, not having messed with building my own clubs and knowing different tip sizes. I wanted to start messing with that this year...kind of like a little hobbying.

Originally Posted by JPsuff

.
Not all hybrids are .370. There are hybrids with a .335 hosel and as a matter of fact, I have two .335 hyrid heads sitting in my garage right now. Also, if you'd like to use that .335 shaft in a .370 hosel, just pick up a pack of brass shims. They work fine and they don't affect anything in terms of characteristics. All they do is allow a smaller shaft to be installed into a larger hosel.

I've used them in the past and they work fine.

Just remember that hybrid heads are generally quite heavy and they will tend to make a .335 shaft seem very whippy, which is why most hybrids are designed for a .370 shaft. The solution of course is tipping the .335 shaft to compensate for the extra weight. How much you take off is related to the weight of the head versus the desired characteristics and a good part of tipping is trial and error. There are no hard and fast rules for tipping a shaft and if you go that route, just tip the shaft in small increments until you get the results you're after.


-JP

[Bulls9999]

Oneputt, that's what I was pushing for...save it for some other driver (but also not messing with his current one). I just wanted to mention the possibility of a driver shaft being used in a hybrid on this board to see what the reaction was from many here... kind of like "One vs. the Mob", but this is an informed 'golf mob' (if you haven't seen that game show, then you don't know what I'm talking about), so I feel comfortable and appreciate many of the well intentioned responses...thanks guys.

Nice tournament sponsor that Aldila was to give out 140 shafts retailing for ~$179 to all the kids. My son looked at me cross-eyed (thinking I was serious) when I said, "hey, that'd make a great stake for my garden tomato plants".

Originally Posted by OnePutt

I sure wouldn't waste a high dollar driver shaft putting it in a hybrid. Save it for your next driver upgrade.

[JPsuff]

Originally Posted by OnePutt

I sure wouldn't waste a high dollar driver shaft putting it in a hybrid. Save it for your next driver upgrade.

That's fine if the Proto shaft is the shaft that works with whatever future driver head is chosen. But you won't know that until that day comes. The likelihood in a situation like this is that regardless of whatever future head is purchased, this Proto shaft WILL be fitted to it to justify its existence (and the fact that it was free) whether it's the right shaft or not - and that's just dumb if the shaft doesn't really fit the head / player.

That's why I think that selling it is best. "Option Two" would be keeping it for a potential trade-in down the road, but that's "iffy" from a value standpoint. Aldila gives them away in such situations because they're cheap to build but more importantly they're hoping that you'll immediately have them installed in your driver and that's free marketing for them as well as a big "atta boy" for be so generous. Whether they're the correct shaft for someone is of little importance to them as long as it's being used and thus displayed.

Just because something is free doesn't mean it's what you need.

If you're not going to use it right away, then selling it is the best option. A future trade-in is a gamble as shaft preferences change almost monthly and what's "hot" today is yesterday's news as little as a few weeks from now so its' trade-in value will likely be far less even in the near future.

As far as "wasting it" in another club is concerned, if the shaft fits that club in terms of specs, then it's not wasted - especially since it was free to begin with. If that shaft would work well in a 3-wood or even a hybrid and it's not used for that, then THAT'S a waste. But the snapshot version is simply that if it's of no immediate use, sell it while it still has value.


-JP

[Bulls9999]

I was at the parents meeting where the Aldila rep was giving a little presentation. He strongly suggested that all juniors get 'fitted' regardless of "what ever shaft you use" and that he sees many juniors with clubs that have never been fitted and they're trying to play in tournies against more seasoned kids with clubs that are fitted....(appealing to parents)..."why would you want your child to be going out there shooting worse scores than they could if they were properly fitted". It really isn't a money situation either.....the tourney cost $225-250, or $325 if you played the qualifier to get in....if you're from out of town you flew in or drove in and stayed in a hotel for 4 days....so the cost of fitting is a fraction of what they pay for one tournament. In no way was the guy suggesting everyone swap out their shafts and replace it with the freebie they just got.

Originally Posted by JPsuff

That's fine if the Proto shaft is the shaft that works with whatever future driver head is chosen. But you won't know that until that day comes. The likelihood in a situation like this is that regardless of whatever future head is purchased, this Proto shaft WILL be fitted to it to justify its existence (and the fact that it was free) whether it's the right shaft or not - and that's just dumb if the shaft doesn't really fit the head / player.

That's why I think that selling it is best. "Option Two" would be keeping it for a potential trade-in down the road, but that's "iffy" from a value standpoint. Aldila gives them away in such situations because they're cheap to build but more importantly they're hoping that you'll immediately have them installed in your driver and that's free marketing for them as well as a big "atta boy" for be so generous. Whether they're the correct shaft for someone is of little importance to them as long as it's being used and thus displayed.

Just because something is free doesn't mean it's what you need.

If you're not going to use it right away, then selling it is the best option. A future trade-in is a gamble as shaft preferences change almost monthly and what's "hot" today is yesterday's news as little as a few weeks from now so its' trade-in value will likely be far less even in the near future.

As far as "wasting it" in another club is concerned, if the shaft fits that club in terms of specs, then it's not wasted - especially since it was free to begin with. If that shaft would work well in a 3-wood or even a hybrid and it's not used for that, then THAT'S a waste. But the snapshot version is simply that if it's of no immediate use, sell it while it still has value.


-JP

[JPsuff]

Originally Posted by Bulls9999

In no way was the guy suggesting everyone swap out their shafts and replace it with the freebie they just got.

And why give away a shaft if that's not what they're hoping you do with it?



Just an observation.



-JP