Cutting a driver shaft down for 3W use

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By Doug E

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  • 7 Replies
  1. Doug E

    Doug E
    Urbana, MD

    Asked this question on another site's forum, but I guess no one had the time to read through my long-winded inquiry. No one responded. :-( So, I've edited it down a bit for this forum and am giving it another shot.

    I really like the Tensei Blue shafts I play in both my TS2 Driver and 818H2 21* hybrid. I was fit for both clubs, as well as my 917F2 15* fairway, which has a Diamana Blueboard in it. All are in a stiff flex.

    To make a major edit here, I will leave out how I came into possession of a new TSi2 16.5 3/4 fairway metal, but I did, and at a great price. Unfortunately, it has a shaft in it that does not fit me that well, a KuroKage 55 R flex. So, in my head, that won't work. Consequently, I'll need to replace the shaft with something else. Since I was fit for Tensei shafts in my driver and hybrid, I would think a Tensei in the new fairway won't be detrimental in any way. So, I will start looking around for one to plug in. In the meantime, I could swap out the Diamana that's in my 917F2 3W for the time being.

    I'm a tinkerer. I like to try different shafts anyway, so "getting fit" is not something I do when I'm "tinkering" if you know what I mean. Fitting by tinkering is the whole fun of it.

    Though I plan to put a Tensei in it, I am thinking about trying a PX Evenflow Blue driver shaft I have sitting around doing nothing. It was trimmed about 3/4" shorter than the Tensei I usually play in my driver....as an experiment. (I got the Evenflow for basically nothing so figured, what the heck! Chop it down and see what happens.) Though I don't mind the way the Evenflow feels in my driver, I think it subconsciously bothers me it's a 3/4 inch short, and as a result, on center contact strikes, I'm giving up distance. Whether that's actually true or not doesn't matter to my over-analytic mind. So, it sits in my garage doing nothing.

    That said, I was thinking of cutting it down further to try in my new TSi2 3W head, again, as another experiment. Will it play stiffer if I trim it only from the butt end (so I don't have to replace the Titleist adapter)? I already cut the tip a little to put the adapter on in the first place, since the shaft was not new when I got it and the tip was a bit rough from the initial pull procedure. I know PX Evenflow shafts are the same for driver or fairway, with only different trimming instruction, so I think this is feasible. It's a 5.5 flex (R+), but I assume cutting it will stiffen it, which is okay by me, as long as it doesn't make it too stiff. How much will it affect swingweight by taking 2" (approx) off the butt end? A little heavier swingweight is fine with me. I like to feel the head in my swing.

    Opinions appreciated. What say you? Anyone?

  2. Fred L

    Fred L
    Centerport,NY

    Did u look for the Tensei shaft on eBay? I did the same and have the Tensei R shaft on my 16.5 FW metal.
  3. Barry M

    Barry M
    Reno, NV

    I play around with different shafts a lot, but in no way an expert. Pretty sure Project X fairway shafts are just cut down driver shafts. They recommend 1/2" tip trim for a 3 wood and cut the butt to desired length, but the TS fairway adaptor is shorter than the driver adaptor so you'll have to swap that out. If you want the Tensei shaft, Mikes Golf Outlet has used or trade-ins available at a decent price.
  4. Doug E

    Doug E
    Urbana, MD

    Totally spaced on the fairway adapter being shorter.

    Thanks Barry. I'll check into Mike's. I'm pretty sure I've bought shafts there before, back when I lived close by to his place in Connecticut. I know I have purchased a bunch of FJ stuff through him.

    Anybody want to buy a KuroKage 55 R flex for their fairway metal? Already has the Titleist Sure-Fit adapter on it. I have no use for it.
  5. Brock L

    Brock L
    Fort Myers, FL

    Driver shafts and fairways shafts are one in the same in almost all cases. The main difference being that typically you want a slightly heavier shaft in a fairway than a driver because of the shorter length.... it will balance out the swingweights to be comparable. Most cases, you will need to trim 1/2" to 1" for it to perform ideally in a fairway. ALWAYS REFER TO THE MANUFACTURERS TIP TRIMMING GUIDE. It's really not difficult to remove an adapter to trim a little more and then re-epoxy it. Most modern shaft's flex aren't affected much by butt trimming, but it does slightly vary depending on the shaft. You will stiffen the shaft by tip trimming in most cases. So if you are concerned about it being too stiff, then trim the butt end first. maybe leave an extra 1/2" in length or so, in case you decide you might want to go back and tip trim it. Try it out, then trim either end to dial it in.
  6. Frank P

    Frank P
    Port St. Lucie, FL

    Military
    First of all, you should never tip trim a shaft to adjust for length, as you will surely stiffen the flex. Always trim from the butt end for length even if it means cutting off the grip and installing a new one. Generally speaking, you would have to trim 2'' off the butt for there to be any noticeable effect on flex which is way more than most would trim. May I suggest that you contact Golfworks either at 800-848-8358 or golfworks.com. I believe that they have the shaft that you are looking for.
  7. Doug E

    Doug E
    Urbana, MD

    To clarify my idea, I WANT to stiffen it if possible. I would tip-trim, not to shorten it, but merely to tip it a small amount for a bit more stiffness. I need to replace the Sure-Fit driver adapter with a fairway adapter anyway. Any additional trimming necessary to get it to a 3W length would, of course, be done from the butt end. I am hoping it might play more like a 6.0 than the 5.5 that it is, given the proposed trimming plan. And, it's just more of an experiment to see if I can make use of an otherwise unused shaft I have laying around doing nothing.

    I will plug a more appropriate shaft into the TSi2 head sooner rather than later, assuming I don't like the feel of the Evenflow once it's trimmed. But, in the meantime it gives me time to find another shaft without having to steal the Diamana Blueboard stiff out of my 917F 3W until I get exactly what I want.

    Golfworks is overpriced, same as TrueFit, Club Champion etc. I can buy an existing, basically brand new Tensei stiff TS or TSi 3W shaft pull off ebay, with Titleist adapter installed by Titleist, for less than 100 bucks today. But, if I wait and keep looking, I will find one for much less. There are dozens of TS and TSi owners who swap out their original for an exotic, who are happy to part with the stock Tensei (which is truly a great shaft, I might add) at attractive prices.
  8. Barry M

    Barry M
    Reno, NV

    Good luck with it Doug. Interested to know what the result is. I almost did the same thing with my TS2 3 wood with an Even Flow Blue 5.5 pulled from a cally Rogue driver. I always liked that shaft so wanted to experiment with it on my 3 wood. Only reason I didn't was the guy I sold the Rogue to called back and wanted to buy the Even Flow. Every time I play with the Tensei shaft in the 3 wood it reminds me how well I hit the 3 wood, so it wasn't really a big deal giving it up. I would be interested in plugging a Ventus Blue into it though. I switched the Tensei Blue stiif from my driver for that shaft (another experiment)in a regular flex last year when I was able to pick one up cheap and really like that set-up. I think the guy priced it according to the non Velocore model.

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