What Is Flex And, More Importantly, What Is yours?
Flex is the amount of bend in a shaft, typically designated by one of five letters: L (ladies), A (senior), R (regular), S (stiff), and X (extra stiff), from most flexible to least. Swing tempo (elapsed time of your swing) and swing speed (clubhead speed at impact) are the two principal factors in determining your proper flex. If they're fast, you'll generally need a stiffer flex. If they're slower, you can play a more whippy (softer) shaft. When trying to figure their flex, most people overestimate their swing speed and tempo. Get yours measured by a clubfitter or at a golf shop equipped with a speed gun. Take your normal swing for an accurate read so that the clubfitter can offer calculated suggestions. Or you can enter your data into home-computer software such as Dynacraft's "Shaft Selector +" program to find which shaft models can optimize your game. There are no official "average swing speed" figures available, but men typically swing drivers and fairway woods at roughly 90 mph, while most women and seniors are slower. Everyone swings their irons a little slower, as the shorter shafts make for a shorter swing arc, thus retarding the clubhead speed.
Why Don't All Like Flexes Feel the Same?
Because there are no standards among shaft manufacturers, one brand's R flex (or any flex, for that matter) won't feel or perform like another's. Likewise, the same shaft installed in different clubheads will feel different because of the heads' specifications-geometry, weight, hosel length, and so on-and their effect on how the shaft reacts. Experts say this is why you're best off trying several shafts in your current clubs if you're re-shafting, or in new clubs if you're considering a purchase. Also note that a shaft with a smaller tip diameter will usually feel soft, a larger tip will feel stiff.
What Flex Do Most People Play?
The wrong one. Experts agree that most golfers play shafts too stiff for their swings primarily because they think their swing speed is faster than it really is. According to True Temper, the world's largest steel-shaft maker, 48 percent of its customers play stiff shafts in their irons and 55 percent in their woods. Fenwick, a graphite-shaft maker, claims 28 percent of its customers play stiff shafts in their irons and 35 percent play them in their woods. Yet officials at both companies say most of those consumers should play a regular flex. "Play the most flexible shaft you can control," advises Scott Hennessy, president of True Temper. "If it's too soft, you'll spray the ball all over the place. Too stiff, and you'll lose distance but will have better directional control." On the men's pro Tours (where driver swing speeds hover around 110 mph), S and X flexes are the most common, especially in woods where accuracy is more crucial than distance (up to 65 percent of PGA Tour players use an X flex). Only 2 percent of PGA Tour players and 10 percent of Senior PGA Tour pros play R flexes in their irons, indicating that as players get older, they prefer softer flexes, perhaps to get back some lost distance.
Should you Have the Same Flex Throughout your Set?
Not necessarily. Because wood shafts are longer, their flex should be slightly stiffer than those in your irons so that the shots won't stray too far left or right. All of your iron shafts should be the same (but because your short irons have shorter shafts, they'll feel stiffer). However, some of the latest iron shafts are stiffer in the tips of the short irons and more flexible in long irons, designed to help you hit more accurate shots close to the green and longer shots from your long irons. By the way, unless specified, most wedges come fit with a stiff shaft for shot control.
What Is Torque and How Does It Affect your Shots?
Clamp a shaft in a vise, grab the clubhead, and turn. The shaft's willingness or resistance to twist is its torque. More twisting at impact usually means more sidespin will be imparted on the ball, sending it right or left. If you hit the ball out toward the toe, the clubhead will twist more around the shaft than it would had you hit it near the sweetspot, and more energy and distance will be lost. Beware, though: Make sure your shaft torque isn't too low for your swing speed or else you'll lose feel and push a lot of shots. And like flex, torque measurements are only relative to other shafts produced by that particular supplier.
What Should you Know About Kick Point?
Kick point (also called bend or flex point) is that spot on the shaft where it flexes most. Manufacturers can place that point up and down the shaft for certain effects. A shaft with a high kick point (farther up the shaft toward the grip) produces a lower shot trajectory. A shaft with a low bend point frequently results in a higher trajectory.
What Is Frequency Matching?
Shafts-both graphite and steel-that are billed as "frequency matched" have had their stiffnesses precisely synchronized throughout the set, so that each club feels and performs alike. While only two companies-Royal Precision and Fenwick-market their clubs this way, experts say you can be assured that if the shafts throughout your set are properly trimmed, they'll be closely matched to one another.
Steel Or Graphite?
Steel shafts have been around since the 1930s (when they replaced hickory), while graphite shafts debuted in the 1970s. Graphite has become popular, especially in woods (84 percent of golfers have graphite in their driver), less so in irons (28 percent).
How do you know which is better for you?
One way: trial and error. Most people say graphite feels softer and absorbs shock better at impact, and it usually weighs less (all contributing to its increased use in woods), but it's also more expensive than steel. And while graphite has improved in feel and consistency of performance, steel still has a leg up in both those areas with most golfers. But steel can be harsher on your body: Less shock is absorbed at impact, which you'll feel in the arms and hands, particularly in colder weather. You have other choices, too. Titanium shafts are lightweight and dampen impact vibration, but are expensive; thermoplastic shafts (generally shafts made mostly from graphite fibers embedded with thermoplastic matrices) allow for good shot control and average distance.
Can you Hit the Ball Farther With Graphite Than With Steel?
Graphite shafts are lighter than conventional steel shafts and typically come one inch longer in woods and a half-inch longer in irons, all of which may help you generate more clubhead speed and distance. But you need to control the longer shaft by preventing an early wrist break in your backswing. And because graphite is lighter, many golfers mistakenly try to swing harder, thinking that translates to distance, which it rarely does. If you like the feel of graphite but can't control long shafts (particularly if you're neither tall nor strong), you might want to trim your graphite shafts to steel length. This will give you more control because your hands will be closer to the clubhead, but it may cost you distance. If you're seeking lightweight shafts and control, consider buying lightweight steel shafts; they're slightly heavier than graphite, but cost less. Although many Tour players use graphite shafts in their drivers, two of the longest don't: Tiger Woods uses standard-length X-flex steel; John Daly, stiff titanium.
Can you Reduce Vibration In your Hands At Impact?
If your hands sting when the clubhead strikes the ball, your shafts aren't properly absorbing vibration. You have options: Get your clubs reshafted with a graphite shaft or a steel shaft designed to reduce shock, such as Royal Precision's Rifle shaft. You can also buy shafts with vibration filters in the lining: True Temper claims its SensiCore (an option in its steel shafts) dampens vibration to the hands 70 percent more than its standard steel shafts and 25 percent more than its graphite shafts. And it won't affect the shaft's playability. Some club brands take the potential bite out of their clubs up front: If you order Pings with steel shafts, they'll come equipped with the company's Cushin vibration filters; Prince and PowerBilt also offer shafts featuring shock-dampening inserts. Again, it all comes down to what feels best for you.
