Golf Geeks – How the Shaft Affects Performance
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Golf Geeks – How the Shaft Affects Performance

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Golf Geeks – How the Shaft Affects Performance

Shaft Fitting

When it comes to shaft fitting, players have a variety of options. Characteristics like weight, flex, and torque can affect how a shaft feels and how it performs. 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. This article aims to educate the reader about some of the different elements that characterize driver and iron shafts and present insights into why shaft fitting is important.

Shaft Elements

Although shafts are typically categorized by an overall flex, there are many shaft parameters that influence the way a shaft feels and performs. Below is a list of some of the most common parameters that are used to characterize a shaft, along with a brief description of what they are and how they may influence performance.

ei-chartSample EI chart from MRC Golf

Flex

The flex of a shaft can be a fairly complex characteristic. The holistic characterization of the flex of a shaft is something called an EI profile. An EI profile presents the local stiffness of a shaft, from one end to another. In most environments, more general terms are typically used such as stiffness, butt stiffness, and tip stiffness. These values represent an average stiffness of different regions of a shaft, or an overall average stiffness. The following measurements are some of the most common.

Static Flex: There are two methods that are typically used to characterize the overall stiffness of a shaft. The first is what I would call a static-flex measurement. This is basically a cantilever loading where the shaft is clamped at the butt end and a load is applied to the tip. The amount the shaft bends corresponds to its stiffness. In general, a Ladies flex will bend much more than an X-flex using this method. In many cases the softer the overall stiffness, the greater the launch angle and spin rate. This is not always the case, as players can respond differently to variations in stiffness. This will be expanded upon in one of the following sections.

Frequency: The second method is more of a dynamic measurement, where the shaft is clamped at the butt end, and the shaft is pulled and released with a weight on the tip end. This causes the shaft to oscillate back and forth. Generally, the faster it oscillates, the stiffer the shaft. Shaft mass can also slightly affect this measurement. If two shafts have the same static flex, but one is significantly heavier, the heavier shaft will have a slightly lower frequency measurement than the lighter one. Changes in frequency have a similar effect as static flex on performance.

Tip Flex: Tip Flex, or Retro Flex, represents the average stiffness toward the head side of the shaft. Sometimes this is measured in a very similar fashion as the static-flex measurement. The difference being that the tip end is clamped and the load is applied to the butt end of the shaft. The more a shaft bends in this configuration, the softer the tip. Tip flex has a similar effect on performance as static flex, in that the softer the tip the greater the launch angle and spin rate.

Kick Point

Kick point is essentially another way to talk about the difference in tip stiffness and butt stiffness in a shaft. The softer the tip is compared to the butt end, the lower the kick point, and vice-versa. As one could gather from the above discussion on flex, the lower the kick point, generally the higher the launch and spin characteristics for a shaft.

Weight/Balance Point

The overall weight of a shaft and its center-of-mass can play roles in performance. These characteristics are pretty much the easiest to measure since all that is required is a scale and a knife edge (or 2 scales). Both metal wood and iron shafts can come in a range of weights and balance points.

Overall weight is typically the first characteristic a player notices when trying various shafts. Some players have a strong preference for a heavier or lighter shaft. We have seen in testing that a heavier shaft can promote lower ball flights with more left-to-right trajectory while lighter shafts can promote higher ball flights with more right-to-left trajectories. It should be noted that the easiest way to make something stiffer is to add more material, so in many cases weight and stiffness can trend together.

Iron shafts offer a choice between graphite and steel. Graphite will typically play lighter, and is great for players who struggle to get enough club head speed with steel or who would like to minimize the harshness that can sometimes be prominent on mishits with a steel shaft. Steel shafts are available in a variety of weights and can produce a range of impact sensations.

Another shaft term that has become quite common in the fitting environment is counter balanced, or high balance point. One benefit of a high balance point or counter balanced shaft is it allows for more head weight without drastically affecting the swingweight of a club. These types of shafts typically promote a bit of a higher launch angle, and are available as aftermarket options as well as stock in some OEM models.

Torque

Of all the characteristics that can describe a shaft, torque is the one I receive the most questions about. There seems to be a pretty strong sense that if a shaft is lower torque (more torsionally stiff), it is somehow better. I have yet to see evidence that this is true. It is true, however, that making a shaft with lower torque can be more difficult, and as a result can lead to a more expensive shaft. One way to measure torque is to clamp one end of the shaft and apply a constant couple-moment (turning force) to the other end. The more the shaft twists, the higher the torque.

Having conducted testing on shaft torque, we know that it affects both feel and performance. One of the clearest insights from testing is that shafts with lower torque FEEL stiffer and shafts with higher torque FEEL softer, even when the EI profiles (stiffness) are pretty much the same. From a performance standpoint, there was little difference (at least statistically) between shafts of high and low torque. There did appear to be some minor evidence to suggest shafts with lower torque delivered the face more shut, while shafts with higher torque delivered the face more open relative to path. Even though there was some slight evidence in the data, if this effect is really present it is extremely small.

Is Shaft Fitting important?

There are a number of reasons why shaft fitting is an important component of most any fitting, and something all players should consider before purchasing new equipment. Here are a couple reasons why I feel one should make it a priority to be fitted for a shaft.

All Flex codes are not created equal

In previous articles on iron and driver fitting, I discussed the reality that the flex codes labeled on a shaft (e.g. R, S, X) can adversely influence a fitting. Not only can the flex code elicit an unfair emotional response from a player who may perceive a softer flex as a reflection of their strength or ability, but there is no standard for these codes. Two shafts with different flex codes may, in actuality, have very similar flex. This is depicted in Figure 1, which shows the Trajectory Effect of a shaft (discussed in a following section) and the Flex. Studying this figure and the overlap of flex codes, it is clear that there are some R-flex shafts masquerading as S-flex shafts. It should be noted that on the PGA tour, where players generate plenty of club head speed, the flex of iron shafts spans a range from R-flex to X-flex. As a player being fit, do not allow the flex code to cloud your judgement regarding which shaft will lead to the best performance.

Figure 1 - Shaft Trajectory Effect vs. Flex
Figure 1: Shaft Trejectory Effect vs. Flex

New Model? Might need a new shaft.

Another important thing to note is just because a shaft worked well with one driver model or set of irons, does not mean it will perform optimally for the same player in another model. The way a shaft behaves and delivers the club head depends on the characteristics of the head itself. The mass properties of the head (things like total mass and center-of-mass location) can change quite a bit from model to model. As a result, a player may find that one shaft works really well in one model, but another shaft works best in another model.

You might not always see what you expect

In the previous section, I described some of the elements that can characterize a shaft and how, IN GENERAL, varying these elements can influence ball flight. One challenge with fitting is that the player and club do not always behave in a predictable manner. For example, two players who appear quite similar can react differently to changes in shaft characteristics (e.g. stiffness).

An informative academic paper that exemplifies this phenomenon, written by Dr. Sasho MacKenzie, is entitled “The Influence of Golf Shaft Stiffness on Grip and Clubhead Kinematics1”. This paper presents a study conducted using a motion-capture system where participants hit drives with an R-flex driver shaft and a more rigid X-flex shaft. One of the more common notions held by club fitters, and something we have seen in our own testing, is that more-flexible shafts can generally lead to higher launch angles. Although this may hold true in a number of situations, the effect may vary drastically from player to player. MacKenzie found that there was a significant difference in the deflection of the shaft at impact (in the loft direction) and shaft handle lean. The R-flex shaft functionally added 2° more loft through lead deflection. However, the actual mean delivered loft the ball saw for the R-flex shaft was only 0.4° higher, and was not statistically significant. These results can be seen in figure 2. Essentially, some players compensated for the added shaft lead with the regular flex by delivering the handle with more forward handle lean, which competes with the added loft from the shaft. In some cases the R-flex shaft was actually delivered with less loft. Others kept a similar handle lean, and did see higher delivered loft numbers with the R-flex shaft.

Figure 2 - Effect of Shaft Overall Stiffness on Club Head Delivery

Figure 2: Effect of Shaft Overall Stiffness on Club Head Delivery

All this shows that players may alter the way they swing a driver based on the feel and feedback they receive from the shaft. Ongoing research looks to understand and predict how players react differently to inputs such as shaft stiffness. This again highlights the importance of shaft fitting. There are some general shaft-fitting behaviors that on average hold to be true, but there are always exceptions. Comparing shafts in a fitting environment and examining actual performance data is still the best-case scenario since you may not always get the results you expect.

Choosing a Shaft

So, with all this information on shafts, how does one begin to understand what type of shaft might be best for them? There are definitely some ways to start to narrow down the type of shafts that may be best for you, and allow you to enter into a fitting with an idea of what might be best. Typically, fitters will base an initial driver shaft recommendation on a player’s swing speed and/or distance. Although other factors (tempo, transition, impact position, etc.) will influence shaft recommendations, club head speed is a decent starting point. As you try different shafts, the fitter should solicit feedback about feel (flex, weight, impact) and performance, and evaluate how each shaft affects ball flight.

I feel one of the best ways to look at a range of shaft offerings is to plot the Trajectory Effect of a shaft against the Flex. An example of such a chart is shown in figure 3, which at PING we call a Shaft Visualization Chart. The Trajectory Effect is a number we use that considers the effects of all the different elements (flex, torque, weight, etc.) and provides a relative measure of how a shaft on average might compare to another. The Flex is basically the static flex of the shaft. In general, every 10-point increase in Trajectory Effect will increase the launch angle by 1/3 of a degree and the spin rate by 100 rpm with a driver. We have found that players will end up “getting along” with shafts in specific regions of a chart like this. Even though there might be some subtle differences in the shafts someone might need when changing the head model they are using, one does not move to extremely different regions.

Figure 3 - Shaft Visualization Chart
Figure 3: Shaft Visualization Chart

Let me talk through an example of what it might look like to understand where you would find yourself on a chart like this. In a simplified sense, we use 3 different characteristics to determine what region of this chart someone would find the best shafts for them.

  • Club Head Speed: We typically would start with club head speed (CHS) to try and understand a general region of flex that may work best. So someone with a driver CHS around 105 mph on average would do best with a shaft having a flex value around 3.5. Without considering any other aspects of this player’s swing, a shaft sitting somewhere in region A on figure 4 would have the best chance of performing well for this player.
    Figure 4- Shaft Visualization Chart with Example Regions
    Figure 4: Shaft Visualization Chart with Example Regions
  • Loading: The initial part of the downswing plays a fairly big role in the stiffness profile that is optimal for a given player. Players who exert concentrated, high levels of force and torque during this phase of the downswing typically do better with a shaft that plays a bit stiffer than CHS alone would suggest. Conversely, players who are a bit more gradual in their loading of the shaft typically get along with shafts that are a bit softer. Let’s say our example player loads the shaft gradually, and more along the length of the shaft. This would shift the region upwards and to the right to region B on figure 4.
  • Handle Lean at Impact: The last of the three parameters that we use to determine the appropriate region on the shaft visualization chart is the position of the hands at impact. Looking at a general handle location can influence whether shafts with higher or lower trajectory numbers will perform best for a particular player. If we look at our example player and realize he is someone who generally delivers the driver with a lot of forward shaft lean, the region of shafts that would most likely perform best would move upward, into region C on figure 4.

It should be noted that this philosophy of leveraging swing characteristics is based on average behaviors across large samples of players. Finding a region on a chart like the shaft visualization chart provides a high probability of converging on the best shaft, but as was discussed earlier in this article, you may not always see what you expect. Validating shaft choices with actual ball flight will always provide the highest level of confidence in a choice of shaft. To help determine the region of the Shaft Visualization chart that may be right for you, start with the club head speed numbers located at the top of figure 3, and then move around based on your specific swing and preference.

PING Fitting Example

I tapped into our nFlight fitting software’s database to pull up an example of the difference a shaft can make during a driver fitting. This particular player converged upon a 12° G SF Tec driver model fairly quickly. From there, the question as to what shaft would perform best for him needed to be addressed. His club head speed was in the 95 mph range, and he hit both the Alta 55 Stiff shaft and the Tour 65 Regular shaft for comparison. It quickly became apparent that the Tour 65 Regular was going to be the best.

Figure 5 shows the difference in dispersion between the shafts, and table 1 shows the ball-flight data. On average the R-flex produced a much higher launch angle with a little bit more spin. This ultimately led to 11 more yards of carry and 7 more yards of total distance.  The extra launch and spin helped boost carry distance, even though the average ball speed was down 1 mph. The steeper landing angle led to slightly less roll-out, but the net gain was still significant. In addition to the gain in distance, the player’s dispersion area shrunk significantly.

Table 1 - Ball Flight Data from Shaft Fitting
Table 1: Ball Flight Data From Shaft Fitting

The resulting differences can not only be attributed to the way the shaft was bending, but the way the player was responding to the shaft. The combination of shaft deflection and the way he delivered his hands to the ball with the R-flex shaft led to some compelling results. It should be noted that this is a single example comparing two significantly different shafts. Although results between shafts may not always but this drastic, this shows the sort potential that lies in a shaft fitting.

PING Staff Player Example

One of the benefits of conducting research at a major OEM is the exposure to a huge range of swings, abilities, and research tools. In particular, tour players on staff provide a fantastic pool of players to examine with tools like motion capture and high-speed video.  Many times when working with a staff player, the data and results are purely for our use as scientists and engineers to support research projects and club designs. In other instances, this time is spent trying to answer questions that arise from the player during the fitting process or from on-course experiences.

Figure 6 - Impact Heat Map Comparision of Shaft A to Shaft B
Figure 6: Impact Heat Map Comparison of Shaft A to Shaft B

In one particular instance, one of our staff players was trying to understand and validate some of the things he was feeling when comparing two different iron shafts. Both were constant-taper iron shafts with labeled flex codes that were similar. He had a sense that one was performing a bit better than the other, but was not completely sure he wanted to switch from his current shaft (shaft A) to a new shaft (shaft B). To help provide some insights, we compared the two shafts using a motion-capture system. After having the player hit ten shots with each shaft while alternating clubs through the process, we spent some time looking at the results. Figure 6 shows a comparison of the impact pattern for the two different shafts. It was immediately apparent that shaft B was leading to a much tighter impact pattern on the face. In addition to the tighter impact dispersion, the player was able to deliver the club head with a mile-per-hour greater club head speed on average with shaft B. The tighter impact dispersion and increased club head speed ultimately led to a decrease in dispersion landing area and greater carry distance, as seen in figures 7 and 8. This helped validate what the player was seeing on the range, but also demonstrates why shaft fitting is important. It can definitely affect performance!

So the next big question is, “Why did shaft B perform better than shaft A for this player?” After evaluating the data produced by the motion-capture system, it was clear the shafts where loading and unloading in a different fashion. The difference in actual dynamic deflection of the shaft during the downswing influences the sensation the player experiences, and can lead to kinetic responses that vary in consistency, timing, and magnitude. Ultimately what I am saying is that players tend to “get along with” different dynamic bending profiles, leading to more-consistent performance and sometimes more-efficient delivery of the club head, a behavior that was also evident in the previous fitting example. This is a great instance of how different shafts can lead to significantly different results, even when the two shafts look similar and have similar flex codes.

Figures 7 and 8 - Landing Stat Area and Carry Distance

Summary

The study of how shafts influence the delivery of the club head and the way they can elicit different responses from a player is complex. It is something that the industry and scientists in academia are continuing to research and understand. Even though this is the case, being fit for a shaft can be extremely fun and lead to improved performance on the course. It is something all golfers should spend some time doing if they desire to improve their game. Hopefully this article has given you a good idea of the importance of shaft fitting, the different elements of a shaft and how they may affect performance, as well as how swing characteristics can be used to converge upon an optimal set of shaft options.

1 MacKenzie, S. J., Boucher, D. E. (2016). The influence of golf shaft stiffness on grip and clubhead kinematics. Journal of Sports Sciences, Accepted Feb 18, 2016.

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Erik Henrikson

Erik Henrikson

Erik Henrikson

Erik currently manages the Innovation and Fitting Science Department at PING Golf. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2010 from Arizona State University, where he studied plasma physics and micro-satellite propulsion. Since starting at PING in 2010 as a research engineer, Erik has played a part in the development of various technologies and projects, including iPing, Turbulators, nFlight fitting software, and the PING Custom Fitting Manual.

Erik Henrikson

Erik Henrikson

Erik Henrikson

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Erik Henrikson

Erik Henrikson

Erik Henrikson

Erik Henrikson

Erik Henrikson

Erik Henrikson





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      Aaron

      4 years ago

      This was a very good article but only helps if you are able to find a fitter that’s knowledgable. I’ve tried fittings but walked away with the conclusions that the fitter wasnt knowledgable or lacked passion with helping an average skilled golfer. Any reccomendations for places / fitters that are knowledgeable of the information you have provided and willing to provide quality service for a double digit golfer that’s looking for an edge to help reduce few strokes from his scorecard?

      Reply

      Gerry

      6 years ago

      Do you need to PURE steel iron shafts?

      Reply

      Bryan Beem

      8 years ago

      You know this is sort of interesting except. And I’ll be short. Nothing was said about the different weights of the golf club heads from 1 manufacturer to the next. And how and who built the club if you make 10 million shafts and build and use them all how many people does it take to build them and get that club to a market place can there be any quality control???

      Reply

      William D Cox IV

      8 years ago

      Hell yes it does… It is one of the most common mistakes in golf

      Reply

      Ryan Tracy

      8 years ago

      I love when I fit a high handicapper and he comes in telling me that his friends told him he needs a high torque, low kick point, stiff shaft. No you need to let me do my job, find you a head that works best and then fine tune the shaft to the desired ball flight/optimal launch conditions.

      Reply

      Thomas Aulik

      8 years ago

      Only if you are dedicated to the game.

      Reply

      Greg Marcus

      8 years ago

      And that customer is going to tell you “let me think about it” you’re left with nothing, all you did was address shaft flex…… You’re still not seeing my point

      Reply

      Benjamin Lee

      8 years ago

      I disagree. It can be more of an individual thing depending on a lot factors like tempo, strength, any re-routing, etc. While you can adapt to a shaft flex, getting a flex fit to your swing is more effective. A strong swing using a ladies flex will struggle more keeping it in play than using a better fit of stiff or x-stiff.

      Reply

      Benjamin Lee

      8 years ago

      Yes. The shaft-head combo is extremely important to optimizing ball flight.

      Reply

      Kenny Stammen

      8 years ago

      I’m a 40 year avid player. The bottom line is this in finding a shaft that works for you, try everything even if it’s not suposed to be what the fitters say should work for you. I have a driver swing speed of 105-110. All the fitters recommend a high kick point, stiff to extra stiff, low torque shaft but the one that works best for me is a low kick, high launch shaft with a relatively high torque. I hit the ball on a mid to high trajectory, the ball doesn’t rise (balloon), it carries far down the fairway, lands at an angle that allows for nice roll and feels like butter when I strike it sweet. It’s a Graphaloy Blue stiff and the head is one of the old Callaway FT-5s with a very hot face. I’ve tried something new a half dozen times and nothing works better for me.

      Reply

      David Moore

      8 years ago

      Tempo

      Reply

      Brett Frimmer

      8 years ago

      Good players hit clubs well no matter what shaft is in the club. These same players are also the only people good enough to see a difference and yes the shaft can make a big difference. But the players that can’t hit a 200 yard drive straight and shank their irons just suck at golf. It isn’t because they haven’t had “a proper fitting”. Keep telling yourself that as golfers on the adjacent hole have to duck from your errant drives.

      Reply

      Troy Vayanos

      8 years ago

      Great post Erik,

      I just recently upgraded to new clubs and got regular flex shafts put in instead of the stiff shafts I had before. Even though I have most of my life played to low single figures, I found as I got older and my swing speed slowed the stiff shafts were getting harder to hit consistently well.

      As soon as I changed to the regular shafts I started hitting the middle of the clubface almost instantly. I don’t have to swing as fast and the best bit is I haven’t lost any distance in the process.

      I’d highly recommend anyone who has been struggling with their game to get their shafts checked out to make sure they match your swing speed.

      Cheers

      Reply

      Joseph Loukota

      8 years ago

      Once again, nobody does ‘golf science’ like PING!

      Reply

      Geo Golfx

      8 years ago

      The shaft IS the performance of the club. Amazingly, many will spend tons on “Tour” driver heads or custom ground irons. But, never get proper, weighted, flexed, and matched shafts. Especially in irons.

      Reply

      Rod_CCCGOLFUSA

      8 years ago

      Thanks for the well-presented article on shafts. The Flightscope launch monitor provides a shaft deflection reading that adds to the carry distance and shot dispersion data to help select the best shaft. Thanks for pointing out that club heads affect shaft performance differently. I have found this to be true within the same set of game improvement irons in which there is significant variation in club head size. I am always very cautious when working with a customer who likes his irons but wants to reshaft to the latest thing because results are not always the best, and this article helps explain why. Also, I have found that some players have a huge affinity for shafts to which they have adapted their swings over the years. A number of senior golfers just can not be made happy moving to a softer shaft even when the data is clear because “it doesn’t feel right.” Launch monitor science gives us a lot of help, but club fitting is still an art.

      Reply

      W.B. Neal

      8 years ago

      I have been using the frequency method for the last few years. I have found the frequency range that fits me best and use that factor for all my shafts. If I keep the CPM’s within a certain range I usually get the results I expect. Thanks for the article.

      Reply

      stevegp

      8 years ago

      Thanks for an interesting article. Helpful and informative.

      Reply

      Bob Pegram

      8 years ago

      With the way the center of gravity location of a driver head can vary and all of the shaft variations, you would think more driver heads would would be designed with ways to adjust the weight distribution.
      I use an old Adams Redline driver head with 4 weight ports. I straightened out my sometimes hooking drives with it. I replaced my other driver head with the Adams head and made a slight weight distribution adjustment. End of problem. I now hit my driver the same direction as my other clubs without changing my swing.

      Reply

      Dino Datu

      8 years ago

      A good shaft with a so so head will be better than a good head with the wrong shaft. The shaft is more important.

      Reply

      simon

      8 years ago

      Hasn’t Crossfield debunked the shaft performance claims? Surely shaft is about feel much more than performance. And for amatuers stock offerings are mostly fine. Clubhead is king. Get a club you like and performs for you. Shaft will have limited impact on performance for amatuers

      Reply

      Mike

      8 years ago

      You have been misinformed.

      Reply

      Joe Golfer

      8 years ago

      I’d have to disagree, from personal experience.
      I’ve got a moderate tempo with a late release, but age has slowed my swing from my days of youth.
      If I use a shaft that is too whippy, my drives start out straight but then hook like crazy.
      If I use a shaft that is too stiff, my drives lose considerable distance and go too low, usually straight but sometimes with a very slight fade on the very end.
      I may swing only about 92-94 mph on average, but the shaft flex does have a very noticeable impact on my performance.
      Unfortunately at that swing speed, I’ve found that many stock R flex shafts are too soft, and many stock S flex shafts are just a little too stiff.
      If Crossfield said that, I think he’s mistaken.
      I have noticed that the higher torque listings do in fact feel softer, just as this article states.

      Reply

      Tony Covey

      8 years ago

      Crossfield does good work for the most part, but I would simply say that PING (and the others we’ve discussed this with) have exponentially more data at their disposal. As with most anything else in golf, the actual differential contribution of the shaft depends on the golfer, but for most it does have a direct influence on performance. In some cases that’s distance (launch, spin, ball speed), for others its simply a matter of accuracy.

      Reply

      Keith

      6 years ago

      Hi Tony,
      Mark is one of those rare people who hit everything the same. Apparently Ernie Els swings any flex well too. The rest of us…

      Aleksi Lepistö

      8 years ago

      Feel first. Then maybe hop in the launch monitor.

      Reply

      Chuck Ludwig

      8 years ago

      It would be interesting to find out what percentage of PGA Tour Players have their driver shafts SST Pured.

      Reply

      Thomas

      8 years ago

      Very well thought out article. A lot effort went in to gathering the data from several angles. All boiled compexity data boiled dwn so as us common guys can understand Speed, Lean and Loading
      Thanx very much appreciated.

      Reply

      Sean Cartwright

      8 years ago

      The shaft actually does very little really…the shaft can’t change your path, face angle, attack angle, strike etc! You shaftoids read into it too much!!

      Reply

      Rob Mcdonald

      8 years ago

      Get expertly fitted & you’ll find out how much it changes.

      Reply

      Todd Bailey

      8 years ago

      Sean, explain why I would hit a regular shafted driver to “the moon” while an X stiff is on a playable trajectory if the shaft does very little….

      Reply

      Alex Paoloni

      8 years ago

      Let’s all play hickory shafted clubs and see how it affects out performance, Sean

      Reply

      Sean Cartwright

      8 years ago

      No one said anything about hickory shafts…?✋?

      Reply

      Chris Embardino

      8 years ago

      Sean, you’re just ill-informed. That is all.

      Reply

      Todd McKinnon

      8 years ago

      I spent some time with a club fitter today testing different shafts in a 2017 M1 driver. There was a vast difference in the results of the shafts I tested. The shaft I thought I wanted and would be best for me was 20 yards on average shorter with much less accuracy. Getting fit for the right shaft is very important!!!!

      Reply

      Troy Vayanos

      8 years ago

      I think getting right flex in your shafts is vitally important and something most golfers don’t spend enough time and money getting right.

      I’ve recently changed to a slightly less strong a shaft and already noticed an improvement in my golf iron consistency.

      Reply

      Teletext

      8 years ago

      I never see anything about the best shaft that I have ever used the Xcaliber SWRD stiff flex. It is a 50 gram low ball flight shaft. I have used the whole range of Xcaliber shafts over the past few years and really love the SWRD. I am a PGA member and have played on tours in my country. I have fitted the Xcaliber shafts to many drivers and it is the only shaft that I have had the customer come back to me and thank me for recommending and fitting the shaft for them. It is designed by Robin Arthur who crested the Grafalloy Blue all those many years ago. Xcaliber is definitely the best range of shafts on the market and the price is great as well. Just a fraction of some of the very high priced items out there.It plays as well as any shaft you want to put up against it.

      Reply

      Chuck Ludwig

      8 years ago

      Why didn’t you include the SST Puring Shaft Technology (Shaft Realignment) being used by many PGA Tour Players on the shafts of their Clubs & its effect on performance.

      Reply

      Erik

      8 years ago

      That was an element that was definitely in consideration for the article. Although we did not discuss it here, there is a nice academic paper that looked at the effect of spine alignment and SST Puring from the University of Waterloo (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187770581000411X). Not exactly light reading, but a read through the conclusion section may be insightful to those interested.

      Reply

      Chuck Ludwig

      8 years ago

      Performance Results on Driver Shaft realignment are more significant & meaningful than a SST test on a #5 Iron. Golfers are using assembled lengths that are probably 2″: too long.
      SST Puring comparisons on these longer shafts (not Pured)_ vs longer shafts that are SST Pured shows dramatic reductions in shaft oscillations & reduction of the movement of the driver head at moment of impact. Bottom line, in every Driver, there is an optimal orientation placement of the shaft assembled in the Driver Head that will improve performance. Probably improves the Smash Factor. PGA Tour players are using Drivers that are assembled shorter that what the public is purchasing. I’ve switched to a Taylor Made SLDR Mini Driver, 12 Degrees loft with SST Pured Shaft & I’m hitting tee shots in play.

      Tony Covey

      8 years ago

      Chuck – I’m not 100% sold on the benefits of SST Puring as an absolute. Logically (for whatever that’s worth) the benefits would theoretically be greater for less consistent shafts (more wobble you might say). It would be interesting to know what shafts were used in the study Erik referenced.

      Russ Ryden at Fit2Score/golfshaftreviews.info is routinely measuring the radial consistency of shafts from reputable manufacturers at over 99%. Freely admitting that this is an area where I don’t have a lot of experience, the suggestion is that at that level of quality the benefits of puring/spining are minimal at best.

      That said, it’s certainly a curiosity.

      Dan Sueltz

      8 years ago

      While we do not use SST Puring, we do FLO all of our shafts (flat line oscillation) during assembly. While Russ is correct that shaft consistency has improved, you would be surprised that some of the newer shaft introductions are actually quite inconsistent. While we have not done the empirical testing that SST has, we do believe that getting the shaft oriented correctly can improve accuracy and consistency. And if either Pureing or FLOing gives your customers more confidence that they will hit straighter shots, you have done the customer a good service.

      Bob Pegram

      8 years ago

      I do FLOing as well. It doesn’t take long and demonstrates to the buyer how important it is. It is easy to see that a shaft will oscillate in a straight line in one orientation and wander all over when turned.
      I temporarily put the head on the shaft, clamp it at the grip end at the correct length and “twang” it. I can turn the head instantly and do it again until I find the orientation where it oscillates in a straight line.
      Many of the best shafts have the painted label oriented so if is up or down, the oscillation is straight. Manufacturers must test them in the factory before painting.
      The “adjustable” driver head connectors wreak havoc with this since the shaft is turned to a different orientation to change the loft, lie, etc.

      Bob Pegram

      8 years ago

      Russ’s EI charts, similar to the one you show, are helpful when comparing shafts – bend points, overall stiffness, etc.

      Joe Golfer

      8 years ago

      I’ve heard the same type of stuff about SST Puring with the pro’s shafts.
      They use such high grade shafts that the symmetry is excellent already, so the puring may not be needed.
      With off the rack clubs at the local golf store, I doubt the quality of their stock shafts is anything similar to the $300 to $400 shafts that pros use, so having your club pured may make a bigger change? But like someone else noted, the adjustable connectors in most of today’s drivers will alter the puring benefits a bit.

      Andrew

      8 years ago

      I love these articles and discussions, keep them coming, MGS!

      Reply

      Alan N

      8 years ago

      How much does the opinions and biases of the fitter effect the shaft choices? I was “fit” for my last driver purchase, about a year ago and it seemed that a lot of the judgements/decisions were based on the opinions of the fitter. While numbers were involved, it was still a 25 to 30 year old bomber fitting a 67 year old duffer.

      Reply

      Tony Covey

      8 years ago

      Safe answer is it depends on the fitter. Interpretation of the data is one thing (does the fitter slant towards, distance, accuracy, or dispersion). It’s only natural for the fitter to lean towards a product (or product line) he’s more familiar with as well. For example, you have guys who prefer KBS to True Temper, Aldila over Fujikura. In most cases there’s a product in nearly every major shaft manufacturer’s lineup that will provide a reasonably good fit for nearly every golfer.

      Reply

      homer

      8 years ago

      Ordered some shafts through Golfworks and had them pured, it surprised me how crooked some of them were. These were steel shafts for irons, I’d bet a dollar graphite shafts would show the same variability. Wonder how that affects ball flight.

      Reply

      Chad Mardesen

      8 years ago

      Great article. There are so many variables, it’s really more art than science, but it’s way more important than anyone gives credit.

      Reply

      walt

      8 years ago

      Wow. Maybe I should have taken up bowling instead.

      Reply

      Tony Covey

      8 years ago

      Nah…bowling is physics too.

      Reply

      The Nak

      8 years ago

      Walt
      Take a look a bowling ball drilling layouts. Physics my man

      Reply

      Skip

      8 years ago

      There’s just as much physics to consider in bowling than there is in golf, perhaps even more. You should take up rock-paper-scissors.

      Reply

      Fozcycle

      8 years ago

      Thanks Eric, although the physics is pretty complicated, the basics are understable. For example, I was gaming a Paderson Kinetix in my Cobra Bio Cell and it was perfect. However, when I put it in the Cobra King F6, I did not get the same results. The stock shaft for the King is an Aldila Rogue Black. After several rounds, I felt the lag of the Rogue Black and was able to time my hesitations so that the club head met the ball square. The Padersonn is 69 gm and the Rogue Black is 70 gm.

      Reply

      Bill Rogers

      8 years ago

      So the weight of 1 paper clip made a difference? Or .003% of the weight of the club. People like you are a nightmare for anyone who has any technical fitting knowledge and likely blame their shit golf games on anyone other than themselves.

      Reply

      Tony Covey

      8 years ago

      Such outrage. I would imagine the weight really wasn’t the issue so much as differences in bend profiles, but by all means, shake that fist angrily.

      Brad Smith

      8 years ago

      I’m curious about the results in the driver fitting example. In Figure 3, Ping’s Trajectory Values of the shafts were: Alta 55 S = 132 and Tour 65 R = 136. In the discussion of that Figure, Erik says….”In general, every 10-point increase in Trajectory Effect will increase the launch angle by 1/3 of a degree and the spin rate by 100 rpm with a driver. In other words, the launch and spin from these two shafts, in general are inferred as almost identical. Yet in the fitting, from Table 1, the Tour 65 R launched an amazing 2.8* higher and spun about 360 rpm more. Why? Was it that a large reduction in shaft lean produced more dynamic loft on the Tour 65 R for this player????

      Reply

      Erik

      8 years ago

      Great question Brad. I was wondering if someone would pick up on that. What we see with the example fitting is similar to what was seen in the study by MacKenzie. This particular player reacted to the differences in flex in such a way that led to considerably higher launch angles. Possibly a combination of hands being more forward at impact and delivering the face more closed to path with the Alta shaft on a couple drives.

      As I tried to highlight in the article, a lot of shaft performance predictions are based heavily on what happens across a large population (vs. a single player). This is an example of a individual behaving differently than the mean.

      Reply

      John Ineson

      8 years ago

      Well done with a very complex subject!
      Although the effect of torque is dismissed as “extremely small,” the bouquet of shafts I have in my workshop was collected in the course of discovering that, for me, torque is a major factor.
      I have a pretty strong move into the ball and high torque definitely leaves the face open. “Extremely small” at contact can mean 10 yards or more by the time the ball has flown 250 yards.

      Reply

      John Duval

      8 years ago

      The shaft and head (and golf ball) work together. You must be properly fit to each to get the best results.

      Reply

      Justin

      8 years ago

      So the takeaway, from a fitter’s perspective, is to use Wishon’s “Common Sense” method:

      1. Start with a flex relative to swing speed
      2. Alter flex based on transition (more for aggressive transition, less for passive)
      3. Use release mechanics (shaft lean) to fine-tune the recommendation.

      It’s good info for those not in the know, though.

      Reply

      Kc Leonard

      8 years ago

      The shaft matters more than the head these days. Find a head you like the looks of and then get fit for a shaft

      Reply

      Andy Stelten

      8 years ago

      Engine of the club

      Reply

      Rob Mcdonald

      8 years ago

      The shaft means everything

      Reply

      Brett McDonald

      8 years ago

      So a poor swing with the “right” shaft would be better than a “good” swing with any old shaft?

      Reply

      Chad Mardesen

      8 years ago

      Brett, Rob is correct. It’s nearly impossible to make good consistent contact with the wrong shaft. To put it in simple terms, you could have a great swing but you’ll spray it everywhere. The shaft is the engine. While good swing mechanics (arguably just good solid impact position really) is very important, that’s just the price of admission, the shaft is the show.

      Reply

      Steven C

      8 years ago

      Great article.

      Reply

      txgolfjunkie

      8 years ago

      Great article explaining terms and physical attributes of the shaft without getting too scientific. It’s insane how many shaft options are out there these days, especially for drivers.

      As a fitter, do you ever give swing tips to make the swing fit the shaft? For example, you have a golfer who has a negative AoA, do you work on his swing to maximize a particular shaft knowing that if he keeps the steep AoA no shaft will cut down the high spin and launch?

      I think one of biggest frustrations as a consumer is there are a lot of options and each company rates the shafts differently. Titleist has their particular chart that shows shaft X is low launch, low spin but if you look at Cobra, they say it’s mid launch, low spin. Obviously you should go get fitted but a lot of the fitting carts don’t have all the particular shafts (or they have a lot of shafts, but not in all flexes) so you have to go off what a particular company thinks of the shaft. Is it based on independent testing that Titleist or Ping or Cobra has done and determined which shaft does what with their particular product?

      Reply

      Tony Covey

      8 years ago

      To your last point…I think it’s important for golfers to understand that everything is relative, and there’s ultimately no such thing as, for example, a low spin shaft. If you’ve got a guy who’s averaging 3500RPM with one shaft, the likelihood that outfitting him with what’s generally regarded as a low spin shaft is going to drop him down to 2100 RPM is just slightly higher than zero. You might get him lower…but probably not low.

      With that said, low (lower, lowest) spin is a relative term and generally only relevant within a given manufacturer’s own lineup. For example, a Matrix Black Tie can be expected to spin less than a Red Tie, but even that can very on an individual basis depending on how each of us loads and unloads the shaft.

      As to differences between club OEMs. Most do their own testing, and that means they may see different tendencies with given heads. Also, in the spirit of relativity, it depends on the rest of the shaft lineup. The lowest spinning (relative average) shaft in a manufacturer with limit offering’s lineup might only qualify as mid spin in the lineup of an OEM with a more extensive selection.

      As with anything else, fitting is key. It’s also important to understand that a shaft that’s absolutely money for you in one head, may not produce the desired result in another.

      Reply

      Justin

      8 years ago

      You’re right Tony and I think it’s important to also note that while we are becoming more and more reliant on equipment technology to help us further our game, there is only so much technology can do to help the swing you have at the moment. The golfer who spins his driver 3500 RPM on average likely has issues with angle of attack, ball placement, and/or weight transfer. The point is, groove a swing that gets you “close” to the results you want before buying new equipment, rather than expecting the equipment to fix everything. For me, the switch from a 67 gram shaft to an 80+ gram shaft with a stiffer tip brought my spin from 2400 to 2100 rpm. That may not seem like a ton, but it resulted in at least 10 more yards carry on average and a much tighter dispersion. That being said, now that I’ve figured out that the Tour AD DI-8 is the best shaft for me and my driver, I’m going to sign off and start saving my loose change!

      Tony Covey

      8 years ago

      I love the example if only because of my self-serving nature. 300 RPM (roughly equivalent to what you’d get from a 1° change in loft) is about as much as we should reasonably expect from a shaft change. Certainly other characteristics (accuracy, dispersion) can change as well, but 300 is decent estimate of the limit. Now compare that to a loft change, where we see roughly a .8° change in launch angle for every degree of loft, which suggests it’s much easier to effect change though the head than with the shaft.

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