What Are The Signs You Need A Stiffer Shaft?

If you’re wondering about the signs, you need a stiffer shaft and whether or not this is something you should be concerned about, keep reading! 

Golf is not an ordinary game, but it’s a complex sport of the elite. Therefore, one needs to be aware of the technicalities while playing golf. Thus, for improved performance, choosing the correct equipment becomes necessary.

Having the right equipment in a moment of need, say shaft, will significantly impact your gameplay more than you can imagine.

Playing the appropriate shaft in your clubs can manipulate the difference between flying that bunker with your drive or navigating a tight fairway with ease and striking more greens with your Irons.

What Is A Shaft Flex And Why Does It Matter?

Signs You Need A Stiffer Shaft

Shaft flex refers to how much the shaft bends throughout the swing; a slow swing requires a more flexible shaft, while a fast swing requires a stiffer shaft.

Woods and Irons come in various flexes, including Ladies, Senior, Regular, Stiff, and X-Stiff.

Swing speed, ability, age, and personal choice will all influence your shaft flex. In addition, there are various weights and kick points for each shaft flex (bend points).

The flex of your shaft is critical for distance and accuracy.

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What Are The Different Shaft Flex Options And Their Attributes?

In Woods and Irons, shafts are classified as Ladies, Senior, Regular, Stiff, and X-Stiff, based on clubhead speed rather than gender.

The swing speed shaft shown below will provide you with a starting point for determining which shaft is best for you.

A Ladies’ shaft will often be lighter than a Regular shaft, and so on. There are a few exceptions, such as heavier Regular shafts and lighter Stiffer shafts, but these are uncommon.

When Your Shaft Flex Is Very Flexible, What Happens?

When Your Shaft Flex Is Very Flexible

You’ll have a ‘whippy’ feeling in your hands and won’t be able to feel the clubhead on the downswing if the shaft is excessively flexible.

If the shaft is overly flexible, the golf ball will have too much spin when struck, causing the shot to ‘balloon‘ and fly high.

You can get an uneven shot shape if your shaft is too flexible. Because the shaft bends incorrectly, the ball will come through with a closed clubface, causing the ball to go left. 

The shaft can’t withstand your swing speed, and the head rotates too much.

See also Best Golf Drivers for Slow Swing Speed

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What Are The Signs You Need A Stiffer Shaft?

If you can’t track your swing speed, these are some clues you need to go stiffer.

  • Your ball is floating in the air.
  • Your ball is below your pitch mark when you hit your driver.
  • Your ball spins too much on the course when you attempt with your irons.
  • Your accuracy has decreased.
  • You start hitting hooks.
  • The flight of your ball is quite high.

What Appears To Happen If Your Shaft Is Insufficiently Stiff?

It will be difficult to swing, feel heavy, and tire you out when the shaft is super stiff after a few swings.

You won’t be able to get enough spin on the ball if the shaft is too stiff, causing it to come out very low and look like it’s falling out of the sky.

If the shaft is excessively stiff, your shot will slice from left to right (slice), and the club head will not be able to return to the square.

Will A Hook Or Slice Form If Your Shaft Is Too Flexible?

If you’re having trouble hooking, your shaft may be too flexible; switching to a stiffer shaft can assist keep the face square at impact and prevent the face from flipping over.

If you’re having trouble with a slice, you may be using a shaft that’s too stiff for you. 

When a shaft is overly stiff, the clubface struggles to return to the square, leaving the clubface open at contact and causing the ball to slice. 

The easier it is to spin the clubhead over at impact, the more flexible the shaft is.

See also senior flex vs ladies flex

How Do You Know What Shaft To Use Based On Your Swing Speed?

Various gadgets can track your clubhead speed, including Trackman, Flightscope, and GC Quad, among others. 

FlightScope Mevo – Portable Personal Launch Monitor for Golf

These are known as launch monitors, and they keep track of your swing speed and a variety of other parameters.

Unfortunately, they are fairly expensive, making them difficult to obtain. However, any Certified Fitter or your local Pro should have one.

After you’ve warmed up and hit a few shots in front of the Launch Monitor, it’ll tell you your average clubhead speed, and you’ll be able to figure out which shaft flex is optimal for you.

What Role Does A Lighter Golf Shaft Play In Shaft Flex?

This isn’t rocket science: the heavier the shaft, the more material it contains, and the stiffer it becomes.

The smaller the shaft walls are, the more flexible it is, and the lighter the shaft is.

When Should A Flexible Shaft Be Used?

If you can’t monitor your swing speed, you should switch to a more flexible shaft.

  • You are facing difficulty getting the ball into the air with your driver.
  • You get no spin on the grass with your irons when you approach the grass
  • You hit a slice
  • Your shots are inaccurate 
  • You start losing range

Is It Possible For Me To Change The Shafts In The Clubs?

Yes, absolutely. Changing shafts in a driver is a little easier than changing shafts in irons because drivers’ shafts can now be screwed out, making it simple to chop and replace different alternatives.

Iron shafts are a little different; first, you must purchase 7 or 8, depending on the make-up of your set, and then they must all be extracted and changed; this is a time-consuming operation, but it is well worth it in the end.

If you wish to modify your shaft, we recommend speaking with a local professional who can give you more information.

A hundred percent Yes! Golf clubs are not inexpensive these days. You won’t buy a car without taking it for a test drive, and you won’t buy a Maserati if you need to go off-roading.

Purchasing faulty equipment can put you on the back foot. On the other hand, having the proper shafts for your game might offer you a significant advantage and make the game much more enjoyable.

Which Shaft Material is More Appropriate When It Comes to Golf Club Flexibility?

Many things can contribute to a flexible shaft.

These are the ESSENTIAL ones that you should know about.

Let’s talk about these shaft flex parameters and how they affect your game.

Material Of The Shaft

Although this may be the most obvious factor, differing materials vary shaft flexes.

GRAPHITE and STEEL are the most common:

Graphite Shafts

Graphite Shaft materials have the following advantages:

  • Lesser vibrations for better management and comfort 
  • Simpler to swing for less strained tempos
  • Less weight for increased swing speed and distance
  • A graphite shaft experiences more whip and versatility. While this is great for a grooved swing, it certainly reduces inaccuracy.

Steel Shafts

These are the advantages to consider if you are going for a steel shaft, depending on your requirements:

  • Balanced weight for a better swing temperature and control
  • Vibrations of feedback to let you know how your swing and impact are going.
  • Cheaper for a more cost-effective shaft
  • Steel shafts are more rigid than graphite shafts in most cases.
  • The length and weight of the shaft are important factors to consider.
  • One must correctly match them to the shaft flex.
  • Lighter shafts are more likely to provide greater ball flight and more spin.
  • Less spin and lower ball flight are more likely with heavy shafts.

The tensile strength and flexibility of your stick, on the other hand, should adapt to the size of your clubhead. One should also match this to your height and swing strength.

Conclusion

The correct Driver and Iron Shafts may greatly enhance your distance and accuracy.

Swing speed is a key consideration in the shaft flex you should use, but it’s not the only one: age, handicap, feel, and preferred shot form all play a role. 

Moreover, everything narrows down to your skill apart from the stiffness you may require.

Some excellent players can manage flexibility: stiffness of their shafts via their skills. Thus, to assess whether you need to switch from a flexible to a stiffer shaft, you need to be well off with the golf’s technicalities and on-field experience.

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