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 Need a shaft that will provide more distance at a slower swing speed? Change it. Need a shaft that will give you a lower ball trajectory because you’re teeing it up on a windy day? Change it. With a specially designed wrench or similar tool, golfers can pull an existing shaft off a clubhead and twist on a different one. But will it fly? Let’s take a closer look. What does it mean?Depending on flex, weight and kick-point, shafts can aid in increasing or decreasing trajectory, reducing the chance of a slice or hook, or providing more distance off the tee.Changing shafts to meet your needs makes sense, but getting an interchangeable driver requires buying the clubhead and shafts separately. Instead of a $399 driver, you’re buying a clubhead and shaft for $399 and optional shafts on top of that. But manufacturers are banking that golfers will pay for the ability to customize their clubs on the spot. “We think that interchangeable clubs are the biggest change in technology since hickory shafts moved to steel shafts [more than] 50 years ago,” said Jonathan Claffey, director of product marketing for Nickent Golf, one of the first manufacturers to leap into the interchangeable club market. “We think interchangeable clubs will revolutionize the golf industry,” added Dr. Jim Yeh, the founder of Alpha Golf, a Chatsworth-based manufacturer that offered its first interchangeable club in 2006. “The real shift will be when players begin to understand and see the benefits of customizing not just their clubhead, but also their shaft. This is definitely a trend that will move the industry forward.” What are the benefits?If a course is soggy, the wind is blowing or you’re noticing a deficiency in your length or accuracy, interchangeable clubs allow you to customize your shafts to existing conditions.“The reason it’s for everybody is that certain conditions call for certain performance,” Claffey said. “If it’s a windy day, everyone wants to keep their ball low. Also, every golfer’s game is always changing and you want to give yourself the ability to change and evolve. If you haven’t played a round in a while and your swing has changed from the last time, maybe you don’t want to play the stiff shaft you usually use. There are a lot of variables.” Who’s making it?Callaway and TaylorMade are the most prominent manufacturers, and many others are on board.Callaway offers four clubheads and more than 70 shafts to provide more than 1,600 combinations. The company, which uses a nut and specially designed wrench to swap out the shafts, is calling its interchangeable drivers I-MIX, which are variations of its FT-5 and FT-I square-back drivers. The clubheads cost from $349 to $399 and the shafts range from $150 to $350. TaylorMade’s foray is a bit more tentative. Its Tour Van in a Box will include a variation of its popular R7 driver head and three shafts, all with different weights to produce different trajectories. The package is expected to retail for $1,000. Nickent Golf, which touts its 4DX driver as the fastest-growing driver on the Nationwide Tour, is offering the same club in an interchangeable model. Because of the weight differential, the 4DX Evolver head is six CCs smaller than the traditional 4DX. Golfers can get fitted and buy a clubhead and shaft for $399, with the option of buying additional shafts. They also can buy a box with two shafts and a specially designed wrench for $479. “On a windy day, you’d use the standard launch, but on a wet course, when you need more loft or carry, you’d put in the high-degree launch,” said Claffey, whose company is expected to unveil fairway woods and hybrids with a similar connection system by summer. Alpha Golf’s interchangeable driver is the C830.4 Plasma, which was unveiled in 2006. It begins at $348, with the option of buying additional shafts. The company also is researching interchangeable designs for fairway woods, hybrids and irons. Is it right for you?Buying an interchangeable driver isn’t like buying the latest driver at your local retailer. You’re basically buying a head and two or more shafts.Yeh said Alpha Golf’s drivers are designed for two types of golfers: One is “the medium-level player who is looking to add distance to their drives,” he said. The other is “the advanced player [who] will find real benefits in being able to change shafts for different playing and wind conditions.” Yeh also suggests that beginning players explore all options before making a decision. “For beginners and medium-level players, we highly suggest you still visit your local clubfitter and go through a proper fitting session,” he said. “Due to their expertise, a professional clubfitter can provide a wider knowledge base of equipment and specifications to try, helping to optimize your overall game. But if golfers are looking to optimize their equipment for varying playing conditions, then interchangeable clubs are perfect for them.” SG |
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