In the age of steel, you can really get a sense of the power and viciousness in the pivot work here. Much heavier clubs and those great stiff shafts required the body to get busy and take control. Love the sound of the ball being struck by persimmon and the balata balls. Quick paced swings that don’t allow for the brain to over analyze. The athleticism is flat out impressive and inspiring. While we enjoy breaking down the swing in slow motion etc… sometimes it’s easy to forget what these swings were actually doing in full dynamic action. Mangrum’s left side torso crunch is on full display for ABSer’s here.
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Love how level the shoulders turn through the ball.
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Yes yes yes. I use to play s400 DG shafts in DCI clubs and they were heavier. I have found my Hogan shafts in my Apex Pros feel lighter and doesnt require any core to engage. I went back to my old set of 1973 Apex Hogan 4 shafts last week and all of a sudden I have to work to get them in motion. I am not hitting the pull left as much. Makes me think my shafts have been too light.
I don’t like thin light shafts because I lose feel and feedback from them. Also, as a hitter, we are holding shaft flex and hitting the ball with not only the weight of the clubhead, but also the entire shaft and even the mass of the body. This is another reason to work into X shafts. It’s great when the whole body feels the strike as well. Then you have a feeling you can engage and apply that isn’t just a thought in the mind, but actually a tangible sensation for your entire body. Makes a big difference.
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Whilst not as “vicious” as Mangrum’s swing Peter Thomson used very heavy irons that swung at D6 and he back weighted them to a D3 which actually increased the overall mass which he swung with such good tempo using a strong grip.
Only achievable thru the infamous “Orbit Pull”
I knew when aluminum shafts became the vogue in the late 60s that the equipment for the masses would change. I saw members I caddied for as a kid say things like, “They (aluminum shafts) feel weird, but I guess I just have to get used to them”…,”I can’t tell when I hit it solid”…”They’re ruining my tempo”…and the best, “I lost my feel and wish I had my old set back.”
Interestingly, when I worked at MacGregor in high school and college, I never saw any of the staff tour pros test an aluminum shafted club and also interestingly, I remember sorting shafts by weight and was amazed at how heavy the staff tour pros shafts were…now I know why.
I think Palmer won with aluminum shafts at some event from what I recall… but didn’t stick with them.
I agree, they feel terrible.
The feel of a shaft isn’t something people talk about much… but it is SO IMPORTANT!
