Project X LZ Fade Biased?

[Pomps]

Hi folks...recently had a round struggling with a left miss with the irons and went back to the lab to do some iron shaft testing just to see. Due to a somewhat quick tempo (anytime I've been on mizuno optimizer it's read 7 or 8 on tempo), I've always been fit into the 125-130g range of relatively stiffer profiles and have played either px 6.5ss (current), ctaper 125 S+, x100. I've hit before but never gave strong consideration to Px lz given the belief that it's designed for smoother tempos and thus opposite of me. However, after testing the px lz 6.5 vs px 6.5ss, DG x100 and c-taper 125, while ball speed, launch and spin and carry were all virtually identically with each shaft (surprising as well how close they were), the lz actually had the most right initial start line and the least right to left spin and thus ended up being the most straight (least left biased) in the group. Seems somewhat odd for what many say is a "softer" profile from the others I mentioned, but has anyone else seen the px lz line to produce a similar anti/less left ball flight?

[scheff13]

Softer usually means more torque. The more you torque a club the more the toe will lag behind. I’ve seen a tour fitter put a heavier and “softer” shaft in a driver for a kid who was hitting big draws and it pretty much made him hit it dead straight. Now, I’ve also heard the opposite on the physics side of it that debunks what I’ve just stated. Probably has to do with your tempo I.e. the toe not having time to catch back up. If it works go with it. You’ll have to talk to someone who knows more about the physics behind it. 

[m_w]

AFAIK LZ is more of a shaft that fitters pick to mitigate over fades, vs over draws. Pretty easy to load, more active tip than standard PX. But....shafts are so individual for each swing, it's hard to say. Like X100's: Spec says low launch and low spin, yet, in most fittings the spin is higher than any other shaft in its class.

Edited May 28 by m_w

[Cwebb]

Always go with your individual test results.  Doesn't matter what a shaft is marketed to bias

[Pomps]

Thank you for the feedback all. After some further digging, I actually saw a 2ndswin vid with Thomas having the same result....more pronounced left miss with standard px versus a straighter ball flight with lz. He talked about with his quicker tempo, the lz lags behind a little. His face angle on Trackman was with standard px was -1.9* and with lz it was only -0.4* ie less left. Interestingly, he also hit the LS, so even more stout and his face angle was even more closed at -2.5*. 

[Stuart_G]

On 5/28/2025 at 8:40 AM, Pomps said:

I've hit before but never gave strong consideration to Px lz given the belief that it's designed for smoother tempos and thus opposite of me.

 

Not even true in general, the LZ's can handle aggressive transitions.   But regardless, shaft fitting is more about what you can handle for loading/unloading feels - not about what the shaft can handle.

 

So it's really the person's swing that has the bias to different shafts, not the shaft itself that has any directional bias.

 

On 5/28/2025 at 4:24 PM, scheff13 said:

Softer usually means more torque.

 

Not usually.

 

On 5/28/2025 at 4:24 PM, scheff13 said:

The more you torque a club the more the toe will lag behind. I’ve seen a tour fitter put a heavier and “softer” shaft in a driver for a kid who was hitting big draws and it pretty much made him hit it dead straight. Now, I’ve also heard the opposite on the physics side of it that debunks what I’ve just stated.

 

It really does.  The short answer is that the fact that you have to stall your hands to release the club means it's impossible for there to be any lag (either torsional or longitudinal) left in the shaft at impact.  The shaft will always unload by the time the head gets to the ball.

 

Some people say they feel the shaft lags at impact - but it's just another one of the many "feels" in golf that are just not real.

 

On 5/28/2025 at 4:24 PM, scheff13 said:

Probably has to do with your tempo I.e. the toe not having time to catch back up.

 

It's really about how the different loading/unloading feels effects the release timing and sequencing in the swing.

 

On 5/28/2025 at 4:24 PM, scheff13 said:

If it works go with it.

 

Definitely!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 30 by Stuart_G

[speedeuphoria]

On 5/30/2025 at 12:37 PM, Pomps said:

Thank you for the feedback all. After some further digging, I actually saw a 2ndswin vid with Thomas having the same result....more pronounced left miss with standard px versus a straighter ball flight with lz. He talked about with his quicker tempo, the lz lags behind a little. His face angle on Trackman was with standard px was -1.9* and with lz it was only -0.4* ie less left. Interestingly, he also hit the LS, so even more stout and his face angle was even more closed at -2.5*. 

Check the video with the px IO he also hits very well. Not sure on stats tho

[robbie91]

PX LZ isn't known as a fade biased shaft. However, it sounds like your swing dna is a good match for the shaft profile in terms of eliminating the left side of the golf course. Just another great example of why fittings are important. 

Edited June 2 by robbie91

[KevCannon]

Sometimes I wonder who the people are that make these oddly specific blanket statements like “PX LZ is a fade biased shaft”. When, as others have already pointed out, that’s just not how it works. A lot of bad advice out in the wild i guess, be careful…