Explaining the effect of wrong shaft flex in golf clubs. A category 1, r category 2, s category 3, x category 4, tour x. There are both budget picks and topshelf options, meaning. For irons and drivers, the shaft type and its characteristics can have a significant effect on the sensation a player experiences during the swing and impact, while also influencing the launch and spin characteristics that can be achieved. The stiffer shafts should provide you with a little more control with your swing without having to swing faster provided you have the right club in your hands. Typically the rule of thumb is that a golfer with a slower swing speed will benefit from using a lighter shaft, and you would add weight. Getting the correct weight of your shaft is an important factor to consider as well. Picking out the proper golf shaft is very important as it will impact several components of your golf swing. Based on the custom club fitting chart of taylormade the required speed for selecting stiff shaft flex is 95110mph and has 240275 yards of carrying distance. That said, it makes sense to use, for example, a 70 gram shaft as a starting point for a player who prefers a 60 gram driver shaft because, when its cut shorter, the shaft will feel similar in terms of weight. Which shaft weight gives the most consistently centred strike often using a shorter driver shaft can help with this, the most clubball speed and which gives the best dispersion. Last year in 2018, titleist launched their t2 and t3 drivers. The tip and butt diameters of the shaft have less impact on their performance than flex and torque, but they are important measurements nonetheless.
Now that you know what you should be looking for in a driver shaft, lets consider some of the most popular and effective shafts on the market. For nongolfers or those just starting to get into the sport it can seem almost impossible that the design of the shaft will have much effect on the overall swing of the user. Lpga driver shafts are typically 50 to 65 grams while the pga tour driver shafts are 60 to 85 grams. This is one of the two most popular stiffnesses and is usually used by midlow handicappers. Each player hit seven drives each with five different nippon regio formula mb shafts. Shaft manufacturers will offer stiff and regular flex in nearly all weight classes while most light and ladies flex clubs will weigh no more than 55 or 60 grams, but could be as light as 40 grams. There is no governing body for shaft flex that says a regular shaft or a stiff shaft has to be within a certain frequency range. Shaft properties such as shaft flex, shaft torque, flex point kick or bend point, shaft length and weight, influence playability by impacting on trajectory, accuracy, balance, consistency and feel.
Pluggedin golf does shaft weight matter more than shaft flex. Flex is categorized in letter form, the most popular being l ladies, a seniors, r regular, s stiff. Ping are renowned for custom fitting and no matter which iron model you buy in 2018, youll be fitted into one of 20 shaft weights. Understanding golf shaft launch and spin true fit clubs. This is because of the light weight of the shaft and premium quality ensuring. So if you are playing a 65 gram driver shaft noted by a numeral 6. At the time we spoke to wishon, he told us that shafts can be bought that weigh as much as grams 4.
Senior flex shafts are appropriate for golfers who swing between 75 and 90 mph and carry a driver about 180 to 200 yards. Your flex is based on your clubhead speed or carry distance of a driver for wood shafts and a five iron for iron shafts. Strength, tempo and preferred club length play a huge roll in determining shaft weight and swing weight. In actual fact the best driver shafts can add a remarkable number of yards to. True temper project x pxv 39 driver shaft by russ ryden, a golf digest americas 100 best clubfitter fit2score, dallas fort worth, texas. The performance of a golf club largely depends on the shaft length, torque, flex, alignment, weight, and kickpoint of the shaft. But at the end of the day, the majority of golfers with swing speeds of 100 mph and lower are going to do far more harm for their game by choosing a shaft that is a little too stiff rather than a shaft that ends up being a little too flexible. Players with a swift swing require less flex shafts, while players with slower swing require greater flex shafts. After finding the right weight and torque, shaft flex is used to fine tune the shaft for the player. If youre using a ladies flex driver and your loft is too high, you should try a senior or regular flex driver, for example.
We help golfers of all abilities hit longer, straighter drives by selecting the proper length, shaft weight, shaft flex, swing weight and shaft profile. Thus each golfer must take a look at his or her natural swing tendencies before selecting the shaft flex best for their overall game. Dont forget to subscribe so you can catch all of the golf equipment information. Shaft manufacturers will offer stiff and regular flex in nearly all weight. Importance of shaft weight in fitting dlance golfd. Golf club shaft flex guide everything you need to know. Get the right shaft to hit your driver straight and long. The shaft weight has a major effect on the overall weight of the driver. Most couldnt tell you the weight of the shaft in their current driver or the one theyre lined up to buy. Thus, when a golfer switches from an average steel shaft to an average graphite shaft today, the drop in total weight will be in the area of at least 50 grams or more 1. Regular flex shafts are designed for golfers who swing 90 to 100 mph and carry a driver about 200 to 240 yards.
The shafts were the same torque, flex, and bend profile, the only difference was weight. How important a factor is shaft weight in golf clubs. But one overlooked factor when buying a driver is your golf shaft. The more flexible the shaft is, the easier it is to bend or flex the shaft during a swing. A shaft that is too heavy for your swing will result in a shot blocked to the right or a hook. This can happen to golfers that have both a insidetooutside swing direction push and an outsidetoinside swing direction pull. Get the right shaft to hit your driver straight and long true fit. Despite the high end pricing, it is a great club choice for regular golfers, especially those with smooth, slower swings who struggle for long distances.
Seniors generally require an a shaft, swinging in the 7085 mph range, balls carrying 180210 yds. The shafts in most drivers typically weigh between 40 grams and 85 grams. This is particularly true for graphite shafts as some variables are only of importance in graphite shafts. Generally, the faster your swing the speed, the stiffer the shaft you will need. With the proper shaft weight, flex, length, swing weight and trajectory and spin characteristics, you will maximize distance and accuracy for your swing. Flex in a golf club shaft is the ability for the shaft to bend during a swing. Hit your fairway woods more consistently dlance golfd. Shafts that have a balance point less than 50% are considered tip heavy and rare in driver shafts.
Grafalloy bimatrix if you fancy a colourful custom upgrade then check out the tour prototype, as used by bubba watson in his pink ping g driver. Generaly the heavier shaft will play stiffer and produce a lower launchspin in same shaft model light shafts are good if you can keep the spin down dustin johnston plays a 65g shaft but its very tip stiff and tiped 1. Shortening the length of your driver swing weight and. Best driver shafts for distance in 2020 golf rating. Best golf shafts for drivers picking out a new driver is lots of fun. How to choose the correct flex shaft driver for loft. We tested to find out in this edition of golf myths unplugged. Now for our most luxury, premium choice of distance driver shafts.
Actually it is rarely there as most shafts for driver have a balance point that is approximately 52% from the tip of the shaft. Is it more important to get the shaft flex right or the shaft weight. Iron shafts can be as light as 55 grams in graphite, and grams in steel. This shaft should allow you to add loft to your driver head for higher launch with low spin. Head weights, shaft weights and balance points oh my. Shaft flex is a measure of stiffness or resistance to bending toward the target when comparing one shaft to another. If youre using a stiff driver and your loft is too low, you would also try a regular or senior flex driver. Characteristics like weight, flex, and torque can affect how a shaft feels and how it performs. This rating is usually printed or engraved somewhere on the shaft or club head of each driver. The truth about golf shafts that every golfer should know. That is why choosing a club solely based on shaft flex is highly flawed. Understanding your speed is the most important in choosing your best driver shaft flex. These numbers are the weight of the shaft in grams. And the drop in shaft weight from trimming a driver from say 45.
Im having trouble finding preswung clubs that fit that range. It doesnt matter whether youre buying a driver or set of irons, shafts are. Most ladies average less than 70 mph and 180 yds and should use an l shaft. I have seen fair number of driver shafts with labels implying light weights, but i have only seen one shaft that was labeled with a number that actually was the weight of the raw 46. Selecting the right flex for your golf club shafts is key to getting the most out of your clubs. It is why the most popular weight for driver shaftweights on the pga tour is still in the mid60gram range, with some players having tried shafts. Regular flex may be used by golfers who consistently drive the ball between 225250 yards and is also a very popular selection. We see most stock shafts from manufacturers use the same weight of shaft in fairway woods as their driver models. If you have a driver with a regular flex and are hitting the ball long but inaccurately, you may want to consider going to a stiffer shaft. Graphite shafts are manufactured in a variety of weights ranging from the sub 40 gram category up to about 90 grams, with the most common being in the 65 gram vicinity. Every player hit the shafts in a different order, and every shot was captured on trackman. I hit 6 shots with the 7 wood and they all went around 225 metres 248 250 yards, and that was on a range that you hit up hill on. This is very important because the clubhead speed in your swing mostly comes from the club bending and then releasing creating a whiplike effect. Shaft flex can have a significant effect with your ball striking, we all know this, but shaft flex can also have an effect on what type of swing you have.
Unless youre a tour pro swinging over 105 mph, and driving the ball over 260 yds, you can forget about an extra stiff shaft. The flex of a shaft is the most important factor which affects direction and distance. Just like drivers, iron shafts vary massively in weight from 65g to g, and theres different balance points where weight is positioned within the shaft to be considered, too, which means theres so much choice out there, its easy to make the wrong decision. Thats why its hard to judge a shaft by butt cpm only or by fcm numbers, because its less than half the story.
Moreover, a short shaft helps you gain better control. A professional golfer swings faster than those who are just entrylevel. Golfers can gain distance through a proper shaft weight fitting, but it might be at the expense of dispersion, or vice versa. This stiffness is appropriate for midhigh handicappers. New driver shafts are made as long as 46 inches, requiring them to be cut down to size for most players. That will keep the swing weight high at shorter length. In fact, 2019 saw the release of the taylormade m5 and m6 golf drivers and callaway released their 2019 epic flash drivers. Golf club shaft flex guide everything you need to know about.
Golf geeks how the shaft affects performance mygolfspy. I think the player who went from, say, a 50 gram driver shaft to a 90 gram fw shaft would be a significant outlier. My current average driver distance is 190 metres 209 yards. Talk to the average fitter, however, and theyll tell you that weight is critical. Make offer new proforce gold 75 extra x stiff flex graphite driver golf shaft 46. If you look at the chart with px shafts there are several models with the same butt cpm strength, so they are all flex 7. How to select the right shaft flex for a golf club golfweek. A short driver shaft may help you hit a straight shot better and also hit the center of the face more than you usually do. Shaft weight has become more important than flex in the modern. Shaft balance points in driver shafts range from 48% from the tip to 56% of the length of the shaft. Remove the grip from the driver using a hook blade or a utility knife, as well as the grip tape on the shaft.
Last week at the range i tested a callaway 7 wood that had a mizuno graphite shaft with torque 6. For example, picking the wrong golf shaft flex can cause you to hook or slice the golf ball. This is because the two weights of a golf club are very much. Your fairway wood shafts should be slightly 5 to 15 grams heavier than your driver shaft. One thing i shall touch on in the next article which is about swingweight i. One of the stiffest and heaviest shafts on the market kbs c taper x stiff g gets put up against the other end of the spectrum in the project x lz 4. I also play with a 74g shaft in my driver, more for stability then anything else. The shaft too flexible in butt section a flex when should be an r, for example. The length, flex, torque, kickpoint, weight and alignment of the shaft all have an effect on the performance of your golf club. Can also be caused by a shaft that is too light or swing weight is to light. I have tried both lighter and heavier shafts even of the same model with similar torque and flex and this is where i fell more from a feel perspective than anything else.