We're happy to answer anytime!  Thanks for the question.

Our R&D team invests heavily in this area to develop stock shafts that optimize performance with Titleist club heads.  In fact, Mitsubishi felt comfortable enough with our Titleist version to let the shafts be called a Titleist Ahina, Kai'li and I'lima.  That goes to show how close the shafts are.  Also, during consumer testing, we felt that progressive torques played better with different flexes so we developed the shafts with that in mind.

In terms of performance, here is our post on Ben Crane's win last year while gaming a stock Titleist Bassara W-50... http://www.titleist.com/teamtitleist/b/tourblog/archive/2011/10/18/ben-crane-adds-distance-with-titleist-910d2-driver-and-new-bassara-w-shaft.aspx

We'd suggest focusing on the club. shaft and specs that perform best for your game.  In Ben's case, he was looking to increase his ball speed and did so by getting fit by our TPI Expert Fitters and gaming the spec combo that made the most sense for his game.

Please let us know if you are in the GTA and would like to book an appointment at The Titleist National Fitting at Eagles Nest, or potentially at one of our regional centers found in other parts of the country.

We hope this helps!

Regards,

Mitch D - Team Titleist Canada

Thanks for your response Mitch. The Bassara W 50 is exactly the shaft that intrigues me right now, having recovered from a disc injury almost two years ago. I live in Penticton BC and would love to get fit by Titleist as I need new irons and a driver. I play the ZB's right now with 5.5 PX flighted shafts. My driver was from another company until I broke it last week. In fact, I break it every year and would rather buy something new with similar specs than keep repairing it. I just love hitting it dead straight 250 every time. Ryan Crysler suggested the Bassara, based on the specs I provided. To the Question at hand: why are the shafts the manufacturers put in the stock clubs different at all from the ones that, Mitsubishi for instance, sells privately? I just don't get it. Are they indeed cheaper in some respects, as fitters have told me, or does Titleist work with them to design the same quality shafts but specifically made to match the D2 or D3 head? This question is difficult for regular guys to make sense of. Most of the guys I play with would pay more $$ to buy that ultimate driver fit perfectly for them like the pros. If Titleist tells me that the stock shaft is every bit as good as the Mitsubishi "off-sale", then I'll believe you. You stated that the shafts were close. What does that mean Mitch?  If they aren't the same, what exactly is the difference that is reflected in the 3, 4 or $500 difference in price. How can a $400 driver contain a $400 shaft? I'll play Titleist clubs until I can't play anymore. Nobody needs to sell me. I'd just like to understand. If you'd like to speak privately, I'd welcome an e-mail at home. Thanks again Mitch. Steve

Hi Steve,

We can only speak Titleist stock shafts while it sounds like the fitters you spoke to referenced 'multiple manufacturers'.

The only difference between the Titleist stock shafts and the direct from Mitsubishi shafts to is that we feature progressive torques. All this means is that the tourque rating is slightly different based on the flex vs the tourque rating being the same across all flexes.  When testing, the progressive tourques simply performed better with our heads.  We worked closely and extensively with Mitsubishi on this. Thus, quality is not comprimised...performance is simply increased based on our studies with Titleist heads.

The example already provided related to Ben Crane also speaks to the quality of Titleist stock shafts.  There are a vast number of other tour players playing Titleist stock shafts as well...Jay Haas is another who is gaming a 45" stiff stock Bassara W 50.

As for the price difference. Titleist makes a very large world wide commitment to the purchase of these shafts given their placement in our stock matrix.  As a result, the Titleist stock shafts are produced at higher volume and a cost savings is passed on as a result. When you are purchasing a shaft directly from the manufacturer, you are purchasing a product that is produced at lower volume which is then reflected by the shaft manufacturer in the price.

We hope this helps clear things up.  But if not, please feel free to let us know.

In terms of your wanting to get fit. We have a Titleist Regional Fitting Centre at Northview Golf Club.  If you are able to make it into that area we would highly reccomend getting fit by the very experienced team there. (Details below)  Failing that, we could potentially provide our sales representative in the area with your email address and see there is a place/time you can meet up for a fitting. 

Vancouver, BC
Northview Golf Academy
604-773-7589
fitter@mattgolf.com
http://mattgolf.com/titleist-fitting-center

Meanwhile, we would love it if you could reply to our seperate email regarding who the fitters were that made these statements.  We would like to reach out to them to ensure that they are communicating an accurate message to their customers.

Thanks again for the questions and support Steve.

 

Regards,

Mitch D - Team Titleist Canada

bogeyfree66

I was told I probably shouldn't ask this question on an official manufacturer's site but I trust and love my Titleist gear. So... two fitters have now suggested that if I buy a stock driver from any manufacturer, including Titlest, I am getting an "inferior shaft" compared to the "real" shaft of the very same manufacturer. Why else would the "good" shafts cost more than the stock driver altogether? I was hoping that large manufacturers like Titlest, Taylormade, Cobra, Adams etc. just got a better price than the individual because they buy so many. But, the fitters I spoke to said, "the shafts are different and when tested, are inferior to those purchased and fitted one at a time like the pros do. Can anyone enlighten me prior to my new driver decision. 

If you take this post to a differnt forum (like GolfWRX), you'll have started WW3 all over again. This is a long debadted subject and you can Google it and find the heated debates. Here's the skinny (I actually DID wade through all the forms and google searches when I bought my 910) and what I know to be true: For all the debate, there is one irrefutable fact. On a launch monitor, the proper shaft for you will reveal itself, regardless of what it says on the shaft. That said, the stock Titleist shafts that come in the 910 are good. The tips on the current "Made for" Titleist Mitsu's are more stable than they have ever been. I'll go out on a limb (my opinion here now) and say that if you're under the 115mph SS threshold, you'll probably be able to find a stock Titleist shaft that will give you good numbers. Their stock offerings are that good. Putting ego aside, try 'em all and you'll most likely fall in love with one of them. If you're a really strong swinger (>115mph or especially over 120mph), you'll most likely find that the "Made for" shafts aren't quite enogh to keep the ball down. I have a "Made For Titleist" Ahina' 82g X and it's NOT a bad shaft by any means, I could just never keep the launch angle down and the spin under 3000rpm, where a "real" Mitsu Whiteboard does, so I had to go aftermarket :( You'll see on the Titleist website that the launch for the "real" shaft is "Low" and the "made for Titleist" version is "Low/Mid". It also notes that the flex point on the OEM shaft is higer, proving that there is a difference. Again, a "difference" does NOT mean the stock offerings are to be written off as junk, 'cause they're not. With Titleist, they're great because you can custom order whatever you want without any hassle. If you'd like to save money but want the lower flight/spin, you can always order a stock shaft tipped to suit your swing. Any experieced fitter should be able to help you with that order. (The shaft generally has to come from Titleist because of the surefit hosel) Just on a final note, if you do Google the topic, be VERY weary of ego-freaks that swear down the made-for shafts. Generally they've already paid $300 for an after market shaft, so they just cant admit that a stock shaft is any good. Stock shafts CAN be a perfect fit for you, so give them a try.

Thanks Trevor, I'll do exactly as you prescribe. Titleist is a great company and as I've heard, no one fits their customers with more care. My journey will begin with a customer rep on the road with a bag of stuff but I'll give him a try. After that, if I can see a fitter somewhere near where I live I'll jump at the chance. Thanks again for your research, suggestions and truthfulness. Steve