Ping Alta CB 55 Shaft Review – Specs, Flex, Weight

Ping Alta CB 55 Shaft Review – Specs, Flex, Weight

The Ping Alta CB shaft was designed specifically to be paired with thePing G425 driver.

Both the driver and the shaft went on to be very popular in their own rights. In the case of the Ping Alta CB, it is a highly sought-out  aftermarket shaft.

It comes in a handful of weights but today we will be looking at the Ping Alta CB at the 55g weight point. Obviously, this is a very lightweight driver shaft so it may appeal more to slow and moderate swing speed golfers. But there is more you need to know about this shaft before making a decision…

Ping Alta CB 55 Shaft Overview

The first thing you have to know about the Ping Alta CB 55 is that it is a counterbalanced shaft.

This means that there is more mass in the grip section to counterbalance the weight of bigger, heavier game improvement driver club heads. If you have never swung a counterbalanced shaft before, the Ping Alta CB 55 may take some getting  used to. And if you don’t intend to plug the Ping Alta CB 55 into a bog game improvement driver head, its main benefit may be lost on you.

But for this test I was using a fairly beefy driver. In fact, I tested the Ping Alta CB 55 with its intended G425 Max driver. The Ping Alta CB 55 felt very controlled through transition. Which was surprising given the weight of this shaft. The stouter butt section and stiff tip section gave me a sense of control that I don’t normally feel in 55g shafts.

The kick is in the midsection but it’s almost concealed by the stiff tip and butt section. The Ping Alta CB 55 is very active. I feel like a light breeze could activate it. And at times, I did feel like the driver head was getting ahead of my swing. But it could have been that I simply wasn’t used to the action of a counterbalanced shaft. Overall though the Ping Alta CB 55 felt smooth. I was getting really good club head speed and felt that I could swing ever faster.

Why is the Ping Alta CB 55 So Popular?

Probably because it was paired with the wildly popular Ping G425 shaft.

But on its own merit, the Ping Alta CB 55 shaft is fast without being as whippy as other lightweight shafts. Faster swing speed players will definitely put a load on this shaft that it can’t handle; but I can see why this is a popular shaft among slower swingers.

How Does the Ping Alta CB 55 Perform?

The Ping Alta CB 55 shaft produces a mid trajectory which is a result of the stiff tip and butt section.

I was actually expecting launch angles exceeding 15° with such a lightweight  shaft but they stayed between 13° and 15° for the duration of my testing. Come to think of it, that’s really impressive for a 55g shaft.

Another thing that surprised me were the spin rates. I was expecting something like 2800-3000 RPMs but what I got was 2600-2700. Not bad. With the spin rates within tolerable ranges and the launch angles very close to what I get with my gamer, my average carry distance was really good: 256.7 yards.

I was leaving some yardage on the table because of the spin rates; but the drop-off wasn’t drastic. It’s worth noting though because the spin rates were actually high enough to counteract the effects of the weight. The Ping Alta CB 55 is significantly lighter than my gamer shaft. As a result, I increased my club head speed by over 2 MPH. But that didn’t have an impact on distance because the club head speed was neutralized by the  spin.

Ping Alta CB 55 Shaft Specs

Specs	Ping Alta CB 55
Available flexes	Regular
Weight	55g
Length	46”

What Flexes Are Available? What Swing Speeds Do They Suit?

The Ping Alta CB at the 55g weight point  specifically is a regular flex shaft. Regular flex would be a good choice for players swinging their drivers between about 70-85 MPH.

What Weights Are Available? What Swing Speeds Do They Suit?

The Ping Alta CB 55 is, as you may have guessed, a 55-gram shaft. This is a good weight for slow swingers in the range of 60-75 MPH.

Why is it So Good?

I was really surprised that the Ping Alta CB 55 was giving me distances similar to my heavier gamer shaft. Even at 55 grams, the Ping Alta CB 55 manages to work for slow, moderate and fast swing speed players. It has a broad appeal that is very rare in lightweight shafts.