Beginner's Guide to Golf Shafts
It’s my job today to educate about the topic of golf club shafts. I would encourage anyone to pause at the end of each section and give yourself a pat on the back if you are able to get through the section without either chuckling or grimacing about such things as shaft torque, shaft bend, or softer/stiffer feels. If you make it the entire article, make it a round of applause. Both are a hands-on approach. Whether you succeed or not, that’s fine. No judgements here.
Anyway, the properties of the shaft you’re using can affect multiple things in your golf game including club head speed, ball trajectory/height, club face orientation at impact, curve, and swing path. There is no “one shaft fits all” for everyone. Instead, it’s a matter of matching the right shaft to your particular swing.
1) Flex (flexibility)
Shaft flex is the amount of bend or bowing the shaft achieves during the swing. Flex affects accuracy and distance. The ratings for flex are as follows, from most stiff to least stiff:
Extra stiff (X or XS)
Stiff (S)
Regular (R)
Senior (S)
Ladies (L)
New ratings of flex will likely to continue to come out as technology develops but we’ll stick to the simple ratings above. In general, the faster your club head speed and longer your carry distance, the stiffer your shafts should be and vice versa. For example a swing speed about 100 mph would pair with an extra stiff shaft, 90-100 mph pairs with stiff, 80-90 pairs with regular, and 70-80 mph would pair with ladies or senior flex. Recommendations may vary slightly by these exact ranges.
Think about the fact that bowing of the shaft during the swing is not only inevitable regardless of the stiffness/flex, but also that this bowing actually provides useful and essential physical forces upon the ball. All things being equal, a faster swing will cause more bowing while a slower swing will cause less bowing. Either too much bowing or not enough bowing will negatively affect performance. This is why swing speed and shaft flex need to be paired together properly; a stiffer shaft for a faster swing and a more flexible shaft for a slower swing will optimize the “happy medium” amount of bowing in your golf swing.
2) Kick Point (also called Bend Point)
The kick point is where the shaft bends the most, and this affects the ball trajectory. A high kick point near the grip causes a lower trajectory. A low kick point near the club head causes a higher trajectory. A mid kick point is somewhere in the middle. The effect on trajectory is relatively small but important.
It may be useful to imagine the effect of kick point on ball trajectory as somewhat similar in concept to forward shaft lean. All things being equal, more forward shaft lean at impact means the lower the trajectory. When the kick point is high/near the grip, the backwards-bowing shaft from that high point in the shaft causes the rest of the distal shaft and club head to lag even further behind the hands in a way similar to increasing forward shaft lean. Again high kick point causes lower trajectory. In comparison, when the kick point is low/near the club head, there’s a shorter segment of shaft between the kick point and the club head, therefore the backwards-bowing of the shaft from that point will not result in as much lagging behind of club head.
In general, a lower kick point is better suited for slower swing speeds. A higher kick point is better suited for a fast swing speed.
3) Torque
Torque is the amount the shaft twists during the swing. The shaft will twist more with higher torque ratings. Torque affects the club face orientation at impact. A higher torque shaft will often have a “softer feel” to the golfer, may help those who slice, and may help those with slower club head speeds. A lower torque shaft will have a “stiffer feel” and tends to be used by lower-handicap golfers with faster club head speeds.
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