Shafts

Shaft flex, also referred to as frequency, is a measurement of the shaft’s stiffness from the butt end of the club to the mid-section. Shaft flex plays an important role in how the club feels to a player and, to a lesser extent, how the club performs. Shaft flex can alter the way a player delivers the club to the ball; however, these changes are player dependent and not uniform across all player types. Shaft flex alone will not alter a player’s clubhead speed. Generally, golfers with slower swing speeds prefer more flexible shafts such as A or R flexes, while golfers with higher swing speeds generally prefer stiffer shafts such as S or X.

The kick point is also known as the flex point or bend point, where the shaft bend is at its maximum during the swing. A shaft with a lower flex point will make the club feel more “tip flexible”. A higher kick point shaft will feel stiffer. The difference between the highest flex point shafts and the lowest flex point is less than 2 inches. Look to flex point more for a feel difference, and to head design and loft for trajectory difference.

Torque is the amount of rotational force necessary to twist an object. A low torque shaft will twist less than a high torque shaft when a force is applied. Shaft torque is a post impact phenomenon and has little measurable effect on ball flight. Torque does have an effect on the player’s feel.

In Drivers: Shaft length plays an important role in club’s head speed, path, attack angle and the player’s ability to make solid contact. As shaft length increases, clubhead speed also increases. There is a point when the weight of a longer shaft, combined with the awkwardness of controlling the extra length, will result in diminishing clubhead speed. As shaft length increases, it is common for players to deliver the club more from the outside and on a shallower angle of attack. It also becomes more difficult to make solid contact.