Shafts (2)

Shaft Fitting - A Few Basic Facts

If you're going to wave 43+ inches of graphite shaft around in front of you, then it must stand to reason that the amount this shafts bends or flexes must be matched to the speed at which you hit the golfball.

If the shaft is too flexible for you then, as it approaches impact, it can either unload early (ball goes left for the RH player) or it unloads late (you leave the shaft behind) adn the ball goes right (or further right). Yes, you will probably gain distance but at the expense of accuracy.

If the shaft is too stiff for you will invariably be unable to square the shaft/clubface at impact and a fade/slice will result, the ball flight will be too low and you will lose distance.

So how do you match shaft to golfer ?

To narrow the choice down, you must first of all measure your clubhead speed electronically. Then find find shafts of matching speeds - any shaft can be speed rated by the use of a shaft frequency analyser. Then its down to feel and comparison, either using a launch analyser or simply plotting the results on a piece of paper.

Finally a little bit about torque and shaft weight. Torque is the amount a shaft will twist on a test machine, not at impact. The action of the golf swing imparts a twisting motion to the shaft and the higher the clubhead speed, the greater this twisting action which the shaft must be able to resist. So a long hitting/high clubhead golfer might well require a shaft with a torque value of around 2.8 degrees, whereas a slower swinging lady or senior golfer might require around 5 degrees. More high modulus carbon fibres are required in the manufacture of a low torque (around 3 degrees) shaft and these fibres cost more which is why you pay more for such a shaft.

Shaft weight - the average uncut weight of a driver shaft is around 65 grams (there are ultralights at 55 grams). However, golfers with fast aggresive swings very often benefit from playing a heavier shaft of around 85 grams