My Aldila Shaft Journey
Alright, let’s talk about swapping out my driver shaft. My old one, felt kinda… well, loose. Like swinging a rope sometimes, especially when I tried to really go after it. Ball was going all over the place. High, spinny shots mostly. Frustrating stuff.
So, I started asking around, you know, talking to the guys I play with. A couple of them mentioned Aldila shafts. Said they used ’em, liked ’em. One fella swore by his NV shaft, said it felt real stable. That got me thinking.
I didn’t go too crazy with research. Honestly, too much info just confuses me. I basically looked at a couple of the popular Aldila models folks were talking about. The main thing I wanted was something that felt stiffer, more controlled than what I had. Didn’t need anything fancy, just something solid.
Picking and Fitting
Decided to give that NV model a try, the green one. Heard it was known for being pretty stout and keeping the ball flight down a bit, which sounded good to me. Didn’t want to just buy one online though. Felt like I needed to get it put on properly.
So, I took my driver head down to the local shop. Talked to the guy there. Showed him the Aldila NV I was thinking about. He measured my swing speed, nothing too scientific, just a quick check. He agreed the NV seemed like a decent fit for what I was complaining about – that loose feeling and ballooning shots.
- Took my old shaft off.
- Prepped the hosel on my driver head.
- Cut the new Aldila NV shaft to my length.
- Put the adapter on and glued it all up.
- Stuck a new grip on it too, just a standard Tour Velvet, nothing special.
He told me to let it cure overnight before swinging it hard. Waiting was the worst part!
Hitting the Range and Course
Next day, I went straight to the driving range. First few swings? Felt… different. Definitely stiffer. Almost boardy compared to my old shaft. Took a little getting used to. It wasn’t instantly magic, mind you.
But after about half a bucket, I started noticing things. The ball flight seemed flatter. Less of that high, floaty shot. When I made a decent swing, the ball just went straighter. Didn’t feel like the shaft was twisting or lagging way behind my hands.
Took it out on the course that weekend. Again, not a magic wand. Bad swings are still bad swings. But the misses weren’t as wild. Instead of ending up in the next fairway, a miss might just be in the rough. Center hits felt really solid, like the energy went right into the ball.
Final Thoughts
Been playing with the Aldila NV for a few months now. I’ve settled into it. It just feels reliable. I know what the clubhead is doing during the swing a lot better. It gives me more confidence to just swing away instead of trying to steer the ball.
Did it add 20 yards? Nah, not really. But is my driving more consistent? Yeah, I’d say so. Fewer penalty strokes, finding more fairways. For me, that’s a win. It wasn’t super expensive either, compared to some shafts out there. Just a solid piece of equipment that did what I hoped it would do. Happy I made the switch.
