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At present I am using the old Ping G2 driver and after a bit of research into my fade off the tea, I believe that changing to a regualr flex shaft today will possibly help, can anyone explain as to why this is?

I also have steel shaft irons which have a slight fade with the aount of fade increasing as the iron gets longer, any reccomendations?

Thanks in advance

A fade isn't necessarily bad. What are you trying to hit? Or do you currently hit a slice?

I use a stiff shaft in my driver and find that whenever I try regular flexes, my dispersion will be greater. So I am more prone to hooks on regular shafted drivers than with a stiff flex one.

Right nikeone, maybe I got this wrong but I have heard that you are more prone to slice with a regular flex, and more prone to hook with a stiff shaft.

oggycompton - maybe others can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the slicing is more a result of an improper swing angle than the shaft, meaning you're out to in crossing at impact.

I have been told today by my course pro that if you get a regualr flex shaft then as was previously said, your shot dispersion will be bigger and also you will then be prone to a big draw or duck hook.

He gave me the new Ping Raptor driver which I used and had a very slight fade and a lot more distance which surprised me considering the loft was 10.5 as opposed to 8.5 on my G2.

In summary it seems that the shaft and loft angle of the club are massive contributors to this and the best thing to do is to hit a majority of clubs down the range first then you will find the club you need. Like I have and just cost myself £245 :)

Thanks

That sounds logical. I heard a club pro say once that the regular and ladies' flex should really only be hit by men when they get older and don't have the same range of motion and/or quickness they once did. So this guy claims that your average male as a general rule should always use a stiff flex.

I wouldn't put too much faith in what that pro was telling about how most golfers should be using stiff shafts in their clubs. That's the exact opposite of what all the other articles I've read. Going by what I've read, most golfers have a swing speed of less than 90 MPH, and that doesn't equate to needing a S flex shaft. As for increasing your shot dispersion with a R flex shaft, that's also not always true. If you need a stiff shaft, then yes, it might be true. But if you need a R flex shaft, going to a stiffer shaft and cause you to not load the shaft properly, and your dispersion can get worst, not better. The best way to find out what shaft you need, is to get fit for the club you are thinking of buying. As for you gaining distance with the Rapture, that doesn't surprise me at all. I've talked to a few Ping reps, and they all claim the Rapture is a good bit longer off the tee. And going from a 8.5 G2 to a 10.5 Rapture, that also makes a lot of sense. I doubt you have the clubhead speed to make a 8.5 degreee driver work properly. My speed was at 97, and I gained distance when I went from a 10.5 to a 11.5 degree driver. My ball flight is higher and my carry distance is a good bit longer, about 20 yards or so.

That's understandable that you would hear false claims on these things. You wonder how much some of these guys really know.

But one thing I know from experience in trying some of the clubs is that one manufacturer's stiff is another's regular. So it varies depending on brand.

oggy, just like you i've heard a lot of people (pro and non-pro) say this and that about shaft flex. the thing i hear the most is softer shaft equals higher dispersion. from a physics stand point it makes sense to me but, it didn't work out that way for me. i was able to hit a regular flex a lot more consistent. i have a driver swing speed right around 90-92. most of the people i spoke with advised me to get a stiff flex but i was hitting the regular flex a lot more consistently. do what i did. if you can, demo the driver in reg. and stiff flex and compare the results. like OnePutt is saying, things like how you load the club, early or late release, etc. all go into how each flex (actually, each shaft) will work for "your" swing. 8.5 loft is pretty low. if you got the wrong shaft put-on you might be putting way too much side spin which could make your dispersion even greater.

p.s. finding the right shaft is a pain. unless you hit each one (which is nearly impossible to do) you'll be at the mercy of the club fitter's knowledge. BUT, i know callaway and taylormade have their fit systems where you can interchange heads and shafts to see what is best for you. good luck!

All I am certain of is that all of you have some valuable and correct comments.

I have a swing speed of 97mph and I am definitly certain that the Ping Raptor has made me straighter and a good 20 yards longer. i am no good with things like thsi, and I know its alot of money but can anyone give me a link to the review for the raptor as I have also purchased the 3-wood in the same shaft and would like to have a look at how good it really is, because it seems great :)

Again, thanks all for your help

you can look at golfdigest.com, golfreview.com, golf-gear-review.com and golfsmith.com to get individual's reviews on this club. most of the time you'll find reviews that are very favorable. the most important thing is that you like this club and feel confident that you'll hit the fairway with the distance you are capable of. out of curiosity, were you hitting this at the range or off the launch monitor? what kind of carry distance were you getting?

I hit this at a driving range and was carrying it consistently over 255 yards, ranging from 250 to about 270 for carry and a very slight amount of run taking it out to 260 to 280 which is about 15 to 20 more than with my G2.