My driver has never been the same since. . .

[Colinnz]

Thanks already to anyone wishing to contribute to this thread.

My last name happens to be the same as a brand of clone golf equipment. Naturally, not being as serious as I once was about golf, I bought one of these clones. It's pretty cool to have your name on your driver. When joe average with the latest R9 asks what I'm hitting, I say I liked this driver so much I bought the company. . .

well I used to like it. It originally had a penley shaft that was probably an inch longer than standard. it stuck out of the bag a bit too far and got caught on the boot lip (aka trunk) going into the car in a hurry one rainy day. result broken shaft.

The champion at our club Noel used to do a lot of club building and repair for our members as we don't have a pro. he's in his 60's and a good bloke who has played most of his life. he was using a Ping fitted with a aldila NV65r I hit it and handed him my shortened driver and said same shaft please. twice the price of original driver though.

Job done and I was happy. 270yards and straight enough, just like the last shaft. but a standard length (I only gave him the head end. the grip end was in the bin)

Noel wasn't so happy. blinkin hosel was tight as, he said. had to ream it out to get it the shaft in.
The hosel is supposed to be the same dia as the NV.

never the less a couple of weeks later the head flew off.
(Ball went 260 and straight btw) noel wasn't as surprised as I was. He re-fitted it.
I had a purple patch lasting 6 months or so with 3 rounds in the 60's handicap got to 5, then the head came loose again. after refitting it, It has never been the same. all I can achieve with it is a High fade 40yards off target line.
I really (and I mean really) have to take it back inside and push it out on the way down and sometimes it goes straight-ish.

noel is perplexed also.

A mate of mine goes through drivers like golf balls. I have a 'lend' of a big bertha with a oem 'firm flex' shaft. It's OK, goes straight enough, but about 20yds shorter.

I get both of them out on the practice fairway occasionally when I'm in a good mood and think today might be the day. . . but i'm still waiting.

I don't think that it's me.

I don't think it's a flex thing. I hit other reg shaft drivers straight.

The head is on in the same position as the first time. logo position/face alignment.

I know clones are not the best when it comes to quality, but I don't belive it's a fault in the head, I used to hit the club really well.

I have been playing for 25 years, it's not psycological.

Any Ideas?

[LowPost42]

Re: My driver has never been the same since. . .

Nothing else changed in the makeup of the driver - including graphics orientation in relation to the head - from one repair to the next and a 40 yard bender "just shows up"?

If the club is proven to have the same orientation, then I can't rightly blame the club.

I do know, however, that if I was hitting a club that the head had worked loose on - twice - I likely would change my swing with it trying to keep the head on. Not necessarily conciously, but I know I hit a buddy's driver differently than I do my own.

That said, I find it really odd that Noel had to ream out the hosel - not a fun job and I'm always wary as the hosel should have been .335" (I haven't seen any .350" clones) and it would have been a poor make to have shaved the original graphite shaft down if the hosel was smaller than .335.

Reading your story, to blame the club I would have had to guess shaft orientation (and hence, natural bend plane) have shifted, and/or there's weight changed in the head - either by adding or removing a shim to help the head stay on.

If it's neither, then I'm sorry to say I'd assume it's the archer, not the arrow.

[Colinnz]

Re: My driver has never been the same since. . .

Thanks for input Lowpost.

you are right, the logos on the shaft are at 12 o'clock same as when it was going well.

turner 518 sl and NV65r Both .355 parallel I wonder if the hosel was for example .345. Noel didn't say it was the wrong diameter for the shaft, just that it was really tight. too tight to hone, so he reamed it.

Does the tip of a new shaft have a taper? if so, that might explain why the original shaft was an inch longer than the replacement.

I don't believe that its operator error (bet you've heard that before) when it was going good and when I changed to the calloway my misses were/are left I won't belive that I'm going from draw to push slice because of what I have in my hand. I damn near get bruises on my right ribs where my elbow is hitting them on my backswing. thats how far inside I take it when trying to get a straight one.

I was hoping someone would say that the top of the shaft is damaged in the hosel and the face is opening on impact. But, I hoped they would say, it will seem fine if you try and twist the head on the shaft.

is this possible? or would the tip just break off.

Maybe I should get Noel to hit the B*&^ and see if he can get it to perform. if so, I'll admit that I have no idea
about my own (or anyones) golf swing.

Just got the go ahead from she who must be obeyed to purchase the Turner t10. it's based on R9 with adjustable shaft adapter. will get an extra adapter and put the aldila in it.

[LowPost42]

Re: My driver has never been the same since. . .

Thanks for input Lowpost.

you are right, the logos on the shaft are at 12 o'clock same as when it was going well.

turner 518 sl and NV65r Both .355 parallel I wonder if the hosel was for example .345. Noel didn't say it was the wrong diameter for the shaft, just that it was really tight. too tight to hone, so he reamed it.

Does the tip of a new shaft have a taper? if so, that might explain why the original shaft was an inch longer than the replacement.

I don't believe that its operator error (bet you've heard that before) when it was going good and when I changed to the calloway my misses were/are left I won't belive that I'm going from draw to push slice because of what I have in my hand. I damn near get bruises on my right ribs where my elbow is hitting them on my backswing. thats how far inside I take it when trying to get a straight one.

I was hoping someone would say that the top of the shaft is damaged in the hosel and the face is opening on impact. But, I hoped they would say, it will seem fine if you try and twist the head on the shaft.

is this possible? or would the tip just break off.

Maybe I should get Noel to hit the B*&^ and see if he can get it to perform. if so, I'll admit that I have no idea
about my own (or anyones) golf swing.

Just got the go ahead from she who must be obeyed to purchase the Turner t10. it's based on R9 with adjustable shaft adapter. will get an extra adapter and put the aldila in it.

It may just be a typo but unfortunately (or maybe it was done for S&G) there's also a .355" shaft. Just for information:

Wood shafts are often .350 for a lot of OEM models (Taylormade NON-TP drivers, for example) and the bulk are .335. Both are parallel tipped. There are a couple outliers (a .297 that was popular in persimmon and the .410 and .480 in the Wilson Fatshaft).

Iron shafts come either in .370 parallel or .355 taper.

You shouldn't ever see a .355 taper in a driver head. That's just bad news. If, in fact, Noel reamed the head out to .350 (it's been done to allow someone to put their favourite .350 shaft in an originally .335 head) - but if it's been reamed out and a .355 taper installed without a shim of some sort (even shimming not recommended) then the head will come off again.

Golf club epoxy works very well in torsion (ie holds against twisting) but fails easily in compression (don't use it for filler).

If the head's been reamed to .350 (and there's a .355 tapered shaft in there) not all is lost. Find a .350 Aldila NV and you should be good to go.

[Colinnz]

Re: My driver has never been the same since. . .

Ah yes, should have been .335 for both head and shaft.

I guess I'm going to have to take the shaft out to know whats going on in there.

I hoped there was an easy answer, but if you do't have one, there probably isn't one.

I will give the club to Noel and get him to hit it first. I will look forward to his results.

thanks for your help.

this won't be the last you hear. . .