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Golf Clubs -
Finding a Graphite Shaft
to suit
I have bought this expensive driver but I can’t seem to get on with the shaft? This is a question posed by many golfers once the novelty of buying an expensive driver to improve their game, has worn off.
As golfers we are all different in ability through swing speed, rhythm and timing, ball flight and direction. And yet we all go and buy the same driver hoping to produce good consistent shots. We would not go into a shop and all buy the same size shoes, but we do with our clubs hoping that a brand name will produce the desired results. For many the results are not good and the club a waste of money.
Shaft manufacturers make many different types of shafts to suit all kinds of golfers. The real key in improving your tee shots is to find a shaft that suits your requirements.
Firstly, find out your swing speed. This needs to be your average speed not your fastest. Remember after a four hour round on a hot sunny day when your strength is on the wane you will not be swinging as fast as on the first tee. Also whilst it's “macho” to swing the club as fast as you can to record a high swing speed to impress your friends, the reality is that on the course you should always try to swing with a bit in reserve to promote control and balance which, in themselves, will help with the timing of the swing to help hit better shots. Brute force in a swing always ends in tears as erratic play soon develops. Quite often the faster swing speed produces the biggest the directional error.
The tempo of your swing is very important. A broad shouldered golfer with a short quick swing will need a different shaft than a tall slim player with a smooth flowing action.
Whether you produce a high or low ball flight is important, as is the usual direction you expect of your shot if not straight and the spread pattern of your bad shots.
So let’s try and understand how we can find a graphite golf shaft to suit our swing.
The slower your swing speed, e.g. 60 – 75 mph, the more suited to light graphite golf shaft at around 50 - 60 grams dead weight and more flexible shaft. A soft “R” or a senior flex usually referred to as an” A” flex is preferred. If your speed is under 60 mph, even a ladies flex would suit. Remember the more flexible the shaft the more height and length the ball will travel, the stiffer the shaft, the lower the ball’s flight and less length you will achieve with a slower swing speed. The ball flight with a shaft that’s too stiff will tend to be a weak cut to the right. A slower swinger will benefit from a graphite shaft with more torque in the tip. Torque is the twisting motion of the shaft through impact. A manufacturers rating of between 4.0 – 6.0° of torque is preferred. Once again the lower the swing speed, the higher the torque, is a good guide to produce accuracy and length. The final part of the puzzle is the bend point of the shaft. The lower the bend point at impact the more flexible the tip. As is proven more flex gives more length to a slow swing.
The majority of golfers have a swing speed of between 75 – 90 mph, and can often find the shaft fitted as standard in most drivers too flexible. The shaft most helpful to this speed of swing should weigh in around 60 – 70 grams (lightness encourages more speed for the same effort at these swing speeds) a torque rating between 3.0 -.4.0°, a stiffer tip with a medium to high kick point. Balance has to be reached between encouraging length of shot through flex and control through stiffness. The stiffer shaft will also help with ball flight.
The more speed the swing has the stiffer the shaft should be and the lower the torque together with a higher kick or flex point. Always remember that flex gives length but if your shot patterns go both right and left off the tee at your normal swing speed but goes straight if you slow down a little, then the shaft in your driver is definitely too flexible. The same principal applies if you find the ball flight goes too high but quite straight. A stiffer tip shaft will help to produce a more penetrating flight
Really fast swingers of over 100 mph plus, will benefit from a heavier graphite golf club shaft up to 90 grams in dead weight a high kick point, stiff tip and a low torque of between 2.5 – 3.0° especially if the driver has a 400cc or very big head. This type of player is looking for control; lack of length is not the problem.
As there are so many shafts now available for different types of golfers if you own a driver that you really like but feel that the shaft is not suitable, don’t get rid of it go and seek advice from a good club fitter and replace the shaft with one that suits you as a golfer. You really can fit any shaft into most heads and it could make all the difference to your game.
Report on Graphite Design's YS6 Stiff Graphite Shaft
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