Is golf shaft the most misunderstood part of the equipment in your bag?
I will swear is.
I have a friend – some actually – who routinely throw $ 350 on a new shaft – all because a pro -tour used it to win last month or because his lighter friend (I) thinks it’s the best thing ever.
You probably know someone like this. You can even be THAT boy
Why is it so widespread?
Golf shafts can be confusing
If there is one thing on golf equipment, this is more mystical than the “Beginning” plot is golf shaft. Walk at any appropriate center and you will hear terms such as “type-stiff”, “mid-chop” and “high balance point” cast around as they are common knowledge. What if most of these terms tell you it means different things drastically depending on who they say and which shaft are they talking about?
Like many things in golf, the whole story is a little more complicated, so here are six things you need to know about golf axes.
1. Flex is almost nonsense
I can’t calculate the number of times I have heard a guy say, “I need a rigid shaft.”
Cold. What model?
In reality, there are no standards that determine the rigidity of the axis. With that, Stiffy’s Stiff is the X-Flex of a third company and a third company. It is also true that Flex can even change significantly within the formation of the same manufacturer.
While flex can provide a general idea of rigidity, the fact is that Flex is not a continuous thing. On relative basis, some parts of the axis are stronger than others. Is the totality of the flexion profile (or the EI curve) that provides the best indicator of shaft stiffness over its full length. And this is before we start talking about things like torque and the point of balance.
But, again, there are no standards.
2. As a suitable variable, swinging speed is less important than you think
Whereas, for simplicity, the flex shaft often comes with the recommended range (see above why this is not transferred from one brand to another), tempo, especially in transition, plays a more important role in assembling the axis. Boys at 100 mph speeds and unexpected or aggressive tempo often fit into X-stiff (for real x-stiff) while boys swinging in a smooth adaptation 115 can be inserted into softer shafts.
These are, at best, loose guidelines because, again, there are no standards that set flex.
3. The features of the start and rotation performance are far from guaranteed
Axis companies have to simplify things for players, so almost every shaft is described about its starting and rotation features.
This can be unclear.
As my friend Ian Fraser says, “The shafts do not rotate”
Does what does a company describe a shaft as a low boot and low rotation?
More often than not, they are hinting that the axis has a stronger section, but you, the golf, play an important role in the realities of starting and rotation.
My favorite example is Fujukura Ventus Black. It is described as a low spin and low spin and for some players it is exactly it, but if the profile does not work for you and you cannot flatten it, it will produce shots that are really high and rolls like crazy.
Likewise, if the profile of a high boot shaft promotes aggressive closure, it will fly down with not many rolls.
For their loan, axis manufacturers are becoming better for accepting these realities. The Mitsubishi graph at the top of this section, for example, includes denial: Only that they are all plotted in this way does not guarantee that performance will follow these features exactly. All players swing differently and load and divert a different golf axis. That is why we recommend using this table to get an initial base on where to start, then work with a mount to call it exactly.
4. All of them have become the same (mostly)
Whereas, over the years, the axis companies have occasionally promoted the fact that their shafts are handmade or hand-wrapped, the fact is that almost every axis of the consequences is made from the layer that rotates with a pre-seven hand around a mandrel and then bake everything together.
There is nothing special about the process. Howt how (almost) everyone does it.
The exception is TPT which uses a continuous method of fiber heart, but this is a discussion for another day.
5. There is still much to learn about the assembly of the shaft
While the shafts have been around as long as there were heads to insert them, there is still much to learn about the shaft mounting. Almost every mountain has their own method, Fliffscope has done some delightful things by looking at the acceleration profiles, and finally, Taylormade has suggested the shaft assembly key can stay in the metrics of the foresight closing.
I am not willing to say that the shaft assembly is the last limit of performance profits, but it is an area where there is still room for exploration and opportunity.
6. The boundaries of the borders in the absurd
So -called exotic The shafts, the things most commonly used in tournaments, are expensive: $ 350 and up. And while often high -level things contain more complex and material constructions more expensive than OEM class rear options (and obviously more than things done for some club formations), it does not distance close to justify the difference between $ 350 retail and unit costs paid by the club manufacturers.
You can change the difference for the fact that the most popular shaft brands operate under numerous business models. On the OEM side, it is a volume game with narrow borders. They make up it at the end of the consumer of the equation where the volume is lower, but the limits are significantly higher.
Some companies do little or no business OEM while others, such as Upsart Artera and Design Graphite (Title), have partned with OEM at more sensitive prices (though away from premium -priced price options.
What to do from all this
Finding the right shaft is a lot like meeting – what works for your friend can be a disaster for you and sometimes what looks great on paper turns out to be completely wrong in practice.
Bruh, you need to slide left.
The truth is that it is not the axis – it is adjustment.
So the next time you be tempted by that “that is changing” dollars that promises to everyone, but eliminate rotation and add 20 yards, ask yourself this: what would happen if you spend that money in a proper fit with a professional who realizes that the shaft is just a part of a complex enigma:
It is not always to have the most expensive equipment. Has to do with the right device to you. It is even possible for the solution you requested to come to your driver.
Hungry for more?
For a deeper dive into the golf shaft material, design, and more, make sure you look at our University series.
office 6 Facts you need to know about golf shafts first appeared in MygolfSSS.
