I recently had the loft and lie adjusted on my hogan apex blades and i'm hitting them alittle better. I have the apex #4 shaft in my irons. I have heard some people say that altough it's a stiff shaft, it's still pretty weak. I was wondering how that shaft compares to the x100 shaft I hear so much about. I have a rather high swing speed, over 125 and was wondering if I should change them out for something else.

You might want to check with Hogan, they should be able to tell you how your shafts compare to the X100 or any other shaft in the TrueTemper line. But if you are able to control the distance you hit your irons well, I don't know if you need to worry about it. Swing speed is important, but the correct shaft for you depends as much if not more on how much you load the shaft. If your swing is smooth and not jerky, you might be better off with a softer shaft. I had my swing tested on the TrueTemper Shaftlab tester, and my recommended shafts are A-flex. My swing speed is 107 or so, which translates to a stiff shaft for my woods. My carry distance with my 9 iron is 150 yards, and that translates to X-stiff for my irons. So as you can see, for me, a stiff shaft is too stiff in a wood even if my swing speed is high enough to warrant it. You might want to have your swing checked on the Shaftlab system and find out if your shafts are right for you. You can check www.shaftfit.com to find a Shaftlab near you and get tested if you want. Good luck with your game. Don.

Don,
How on earth did they arrive at A flex for you!!?? A swing speed of 107 MPH is a pretty good speed. My swing speed was measured at 115 MPH, and I am playing DG S300's (S300 Frequency-calibrated in graphite wood shafts) in all my clubs as recommended by my clubfitter. I don't load the shaft early either, but an A flex would bend in half for me!
In response to the Apex shafts, the clubfitter should be able to tell if you are making square contact with the shafts you have. In my experience in getting a new driver shaft fitted for me, I know it is the proper flex for me because all the contact is being made in the center of the clubface. The same holds true for irons. I e-mailed Ben Hogan, we'll see what they have to say...

That's what the Shaftlab system came up with for both irons and driver. I was recommended to have a 45 gram A-flex shaft in my driver and a 105 gram A-flex shafts in my irons. I called Graffalloy about the results and gave them my swing speed, and the guy I talked to said I might be better to go with a R-flex in my driver with my swing speed. The only shaft that weights 45 grams in A-flex is the Grafalloy Prolaunch 45, but it has a torque of 5.0 degrees, which I feel is way too much. My LX2 irons are built with TT TriGold X-stiff Sensicore shafts and I love them. Can't think of one good reason to change them. Distance and accuracy is good, and the feel of a well hit ball is like hitting a marshmellow. I might have to get my swing checked again on the Shaftlab and see if they come up with the same results. Seemed too soft to me also, but that's what they came up with. If I had nothing better to do with $60.00 I'd buy the ProLaunch 45 shaft and install it in my old 10.5* Nicklas Airmax 360, just to see what I get. The factory shaft that was in it had a torque rating of 5.0, and I was spraying the ball all over the driving range with the club. When I installed a Prolite 65 shaft in it, I was much more accuracy with the driver, so I would think I would be back spraying the ball again with the Prolaunch 45.

When I got fitted for my driver shaft, I talked about torque ratings with my clubfitter (he was the 2002 International Clubfitter of the Year, so he seems to know his stuff. He's been quoted in my Golf Digest within the last year...)
According to him, Lower Torque will add accuracy. However, he said, get too carried away and the "feel" of the shaft will be a bit "board-like." He said the most important thing is proper flex, and the proper length that you can control and make center face contact. He also is a proponent of shaft "puring" so that the flexing of the shaft is optimized. The stock shaft in my R580XD was 45.5" long, S300 frequency (which was correct) but the shaft was installed from the factory in such a way that when he gave it a "twang" on the frquency meter, it oscillated all over the place! The torque was a 2.8, and it did feel very "board-like" compared to my current 3.5 torque rated shaft. I can feel if I toed it or heeled it instantly now. But the ball marks are all pretty much dead center now. I also went with a heavier shaft, and I have a better sense of where the club is in my swing now.
I guess the moral is don't get hung up on torque values. The flex and length and installation orientation are the biggest thing.
Don, I bet if you go to a 44" shaft in your driver, you will be very happy with it. It's just so much easier to control, and distance loss isn't really a factor.

I'm going to the driving range tomorrow, so I'll try gripping down an inch and see how I like it. If I can make better contact, that should tell me something. The only graphite iron shafts I can find listed in my book that comes close to being low in torque is a 2.2 rating for the Harmon tour CW95. The cost is $23.75 each and the weight is 95 grams. At that weight, I can go with the TT TX 90's, which weighs 104 grams, have a torque around 2.0 and cost $10.50 each. I don't see where I would gain much going with the CW95, and the price is not worth it in my mind.

If you would, could you ask him about steel shafts in drivers, in terms of torque and the board feel. A steel shaft is going to have a torque of 1.8-2.2. Does he feel it would also have a board feel to it in a driver? Do all steel shaft drivers have a board feel? If not, why not? I've heard the same thing concerning low torque shafts feeling to much like a board, but I haven't noticed it in my irons, so what's the deal? Could it be that golfers are just used to the feel of graphite shafts in drivers, and a lower torque shaft would just feel too stiff to them? I don't know, but, I would think that low torque is low torque, be it in a steel shaft or a graphite shaft. Be interesting to hear what he says.