Equipment
How to remove an OEM adjustable sleeve for later use
Most golf equipment companies offer metal woods with adjustable features that allow golfers to change the loft, lie and face angle of the clubs. These clubs are made to be easy to adjust, but there are hurdles for golfers who wish to change the shaft of an adjustable club.
All of the current metal woods on the market that offer loft and face angle adjustability do so through an adapter or sleeve that is called an “adjustable tip.” So if golfers want to change the shaft of their adjustable clubs, they need to do one of two things:
- Buy another adjustable tip and install it on the new shaft.
- Remove the adjustable tip from the old shaft and install it on the new one.
Buying another adjustable tip is the best plan of action for golfers who want to try a new shaft, because it will allow them to compare the results of the shafts quickly and easily. But they’re not as cheap as many golfers might think — most OEM adjustable tips sell for between $25 and $40 each.
That’s why a lot of golfers, especially those who know the current shaft in their adjustable club isn’t right for them, might prefer to save the money and have their old adjustable tip put on their new shaft.
But removing an adjustable tip can be difficult due largely to the fact that the ferrule (on which most OEM’s print the loft adjustments) on can be ruined ruined in the process. That’s why I am going to share with you one method that I have found to work very well.
Supplies Needed
- Club Shield Paste (Jelly like substance that prevents burn marks)
- Small washers and a small screw
- Shaft extractor
- Bore Brush
- Torch or Heat Gun
- Small Strip of Cotton
Prep
Apply the Club Shield Paste all around the ferrule. Place the washers on the small screw, and thread them into the tip of the sleeve. Secure your shaft in the shaft extractor. Take the small strip of cotton and soak it in some water and then wrap it around the ferrule. The club shield paste and wet cotton strip will protect the ferrule from heating up and getting damaged.
Step 1
Position the shaft extractor firmly against the washers to start just as you would to the head of a club for typical removal.
Step 2
Apply heat to soften the epoxy and slowly apply pressure to the washers as you would when removing a club head (patience is the key for success). Slowly continue repeating this process. After a few applications, the adjustable tip will start to slide off the shaft. When there is enough room between the tip and the ferrule, reposition the shaft extractor to the top of the tip and continue to remove.
Step 3
Once the tip is off, clean the inside of it with your hosel brush. It is best to do so while the epoxy is still heated and soft.
Step 4
Remove the cotton strip and slide off the ferrule. Note: You may want to clean up your tip and ferrule before installing it onto the new shaft.
There are many ways to skin a cat. This process has yielded the best results for me. Take your time and you will be able to save most tips through this process.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
chester event hire
May 15, 2014 at 3:24 am
I actually do consider all of the strategies you’ve got offered on your own submit. They are extremely convincing all of which will surely perform. Even so, your posts are far too speedy to begin with. May well you please prolong these a little bit out of next occasion? Was looking for article.
Golfer X
Sep 6, 2013 at 8:14 pm
You young guys have it way too easy. In my day, we played golf with the VC shooting at us. No time to waggle…
Regis Staley
Sep 5, 2013 at 9:00 pm
I’ve probably removed and re-used 20-30 tip adaptors. Mostly TM .Best result I’ve achieved is to use a torch and focus the flame on the very tip- The more pinpoint the better. The heat migrates up the adaptor at a reduced intensity. I can get sufficient epoxy breakup in less than a minute. Then if necessary Golfsmith or Billy Bobs sells just the plastic collar for about $4. You can either melt or cut off the damaged collar.
Freddy V.
Sep 5, 2013 at 9:58 pm
Seriously…spend the 20-30 bucks for a new TM tip or another 5 for a new ferrule. Trying to save the plastic tips are a waste of time and NEVER come off without damage in some form to the plastic. Stores don’t do it for 2 reasons. 1 the chance of pulling it cleanly is slim to none and if they gaurantee they can do it, they are on the hook for damage. 2. It takes more time to do and costs almost the same as a new tip. Kind of like paying 3-5 bucks to save a grip when it cost that much for a new grip. Don’t let this article fool you into thinking it is a flawless process. The plastic always gets damage on a TM tip because the plastic melts at a lower temp than the epoxy used by TM. Goodluck regardless.
Cody_gateway
Aug 14, 2014 at 1:43 pm
Freddy V sounds like the type of person with no patience. this tip worked out great don’t let this hot head tell you otherwise
Linkerpan
Sep 5, 2013 at 12:34 am
Both Golf Galaxy and Golfsmith have ruined the adaptor on my Callaway. The lesson I learned is that if you buy a new shaft, you buy a new adapter. I hope all store managers print this article and quiz the employees later.
cha4218
Sep 5, 2013 at 9:18 am
I guess it all depends on who is working on it. I recently had the adaptor for my Nike Covert Tour taken out and installed in another shaft. A guy named Tom (Paramous, NJ) did a killer job on it. I couldn’t thank him enough. Kudos to him at Golf Galaxy.
Ross Bailey
Sep 4, 2013 at 5:49 pm
I would recommend using a heat gun and not an open flame to get the
adaptor hot enough to remove. The rest of the sequence is great.
Ga
Sep 4, 2013 at 5:27 pm
9 out of 10, that plastic degree sleeve gets melted. They should just make it out of aluminum. I don’t understand why they didn’t.
Chester
Sep 4, 2013 at 1:46 pm
I work at a golf store, and run the club tech department. I’ve found that heat gun is much more tip friendly when it comes to saving the plastic ferrule on the TM adaptors, although I do cover the plastic with heat shield as well. I recommend pointing the heat gun away from the ferrule, and towards the tip to avoid melting the ferrule at all. The tips that are first time pulls from the manufacturers are much easier pull, than 2nd time installs that potentially use stronger bonding glue. Great article though.
Kadin Mahmet
Sep 4, 2013 at 2:00 pm
Thank You! I agree first time pulls are much easier.
Mo
Sep 5, 2013 at 3:28 am
That’s not necessarily true. It also depends on the kind of epoxy used and how much of it got to seal up the very top of the adaptor. For example, if, in this case of the TM adaptor, if the adaptor is fairly stuck on with a lot of hardened, strong epoxy near the top, no amount of heat shield or wrapping is going to break the bond of the epoxy enough to be able to pull that thing off safely without melting the numbers on the plastic, let alone the plastic itself.
It all depends on the amount of epoxy, what kind of epoxy and how much of the hard epoxy was used to make the shaft really hold firm inside the adaptor.
At some point the adaptors will become cheap enough like ferrules, as this is where everything is headed, and, they will also have figured out a way to do away with the plastic so we don’t keep ruining these things.
Mateo
Sep 4, 2013 at 12:11 pm
Not bad. You should never use a blowtorch though. Use a heat gun to avoid damaging the tip. The tip that was pulled is not the same as the tip in the final picture. You can see the damage to the paint in the second to last picture. Looks like he pulled the old switcharoo.
🙂
leif
Sep 4, 2013 at 1:09 pm
Actually, that is the Hear Shield residue still on the tip after it dried…just need to wet it down and wipe it off.
leif
Sep 4, 2013 at 1:10 pm
Heat Shield…sorry.
Joe Golfer
Sep 5, 2013 at 12:08 am
Yes, I think Golfworks.com sells that stuff to protect hosels and such that are painted, so I can see why it would be used here.
If using a torch, use Butane and not Propane, as butane burns at a lower temperature.
A heat gun will work, but it sometimes seems like it takes forever to get the job done. And some epoxies simply won’t break down with a heat gun, so then you wind up resorting to the torch anyway.
Mateo
Sep 4, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Oh. Didn’t think of that. I don’t use heat shield because I’ve never really needed to. 😉
Kadin Mahmet
Sep 4, 2013 at 1:11 pm
Thanks for taking the time to read and post…
This is the tip that was removed…
“Note: You may want to clean up your tip and ferrule before installing it onto the new shaft.”
I see now that it’s a little vague. I clean the tip and use a “sharpie” style marker to touch up any scratches or paint blems.
Deck
Sep 4, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Heat shield is a wonderful thing. You might want to try it. Agree with the above poster. Residue. Have you ever used it before you comment on it?
Mateo
Sep 4, 2013 at 3:22 pm
Don’t use it because I don’t need to. Only amateurs do. Lol
kirk
Sep 4, 2013 at 11:49 am
any golf store can remove to tip and put onto another shaft
Brian
Sep 4, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Actually, ‘many’ stores will not remove the tip and put it onto another shaft. Either because they don’t know how, have had an issue with customer being satisfied with the result, or just prefer not to. Good to have this bit of ‘how-to’ available when the stores won’t do it.
Kadin Mahmet
Sep 4, 2013 at 1:14 pm
The shops in my area will not provide this service though a lot of shops will.
The idea behind this topic was geared towards the DIY’er
Thanks for taking the time to post! 🙂
kirk
Sep 4, 2013 at 2:48 pm
well every store around me will do this, rather pay some 10-15 bucks,than n screw around doing in my self
AJ Jensen
Sep 4, 2013 at 4:10 pm
And I’d rather do it myself. This was a great step-by-step article for a guy like me.
AJ Jensen
Sep 4, 2013 at 11:46 am
OK, for what it’s worth, I’m giving this one the award for “How-To Article of the Year.” Very well done, sir.
Kadin Mahmet
Sep 4, 2013 at 1:06 pm
Thanks AJ ! I appreciate that!