Shaft flex is really confusing now!

Part 2 of my confusing as hell day...

I demoed the Taylor made r9 460 today, against my will, but a pretty nice club I might say!

Anyways, I was hitting irons trying to figure out what flex I need, when the taylor made guy game up to me and told me to hit the driver on the launch monitor. So as Im hitting he says Im definitely a stiff flex on the driver as my swing speed was between 95-100 mph..... and ball speed was somewhere mid 100's....

So I asked him if I need stiff flex in my irons, he says no, I need regular flex, because he saw me swinging the irons in the next bay. I told him i was just taking it easy and swinging to feel the club, not kill the ball. i told him I swing much harder on the course....

He goes on to say that even though I think I swing harder out there, I really dont. I had no way to see the trajectory of my ball I was in a bay hitting into a net.... He says Im definitely a regular flex....

So I go to dicks and that PGA pro tells me Im most definitely a stiff flex in my irons! He had that simulator and the ball speed clocked between 95 and 129 mph with a 6 iron... I duffed a few.....

So is it possible Im a stiff flex in woods, and a reg in irons?

Or is the Dicks PGA guy right that Im a stiff in irons? not sure how accurate that sim is at dicks...

And lastly, does it really matter?? Regular or stiff in steel shafts, does it even make a difference?

Thanks a ton guys!

Jim

I'll give the same answer as on your other part to the experience at the two stores...

Find a local PGA PRO who is also a club fitter. You should be hitting the ball outside. He will be able to fit you into the right length,lie and shaft based on your swing and ball flight.....

Thanks oregon, do you usually have to buy from fitters if they fit you, or can I take the specs he gives me and buy a used set on ebay or something like that??

Thanks!

Jim

Shaft flex is always a big question mark. Swing speed alone doesn't indicate what flex you should be using because it depends on your tempo, backswing to downswing transition as well as what 'feels' right to you. I remember reading an article in the last year or so about Hot Stix (club fitting company out of Scottsdale, AZ) that said they usually recommend with a driver to go with a stiffer flex than the normal swing speed table recommends.

Of course the only time the stated flex rating can be relied on anyway is when you shafts you are hitting are identicle (same brand and same model with same specs). There is no industry standard on shaft flex so what what is a Stiff in one model might be a Regular in another model, but an Extra Stiff in yet another. For irons you are usually ahead to err on the side of too soft rather than too stiff, but personally with a driver I think it might be better to err on the side of too stiff. When it comes down to it you just have to see what you like the feel of best and seem to have the best numbers with on a launch monitor.

As for fitters, I know most fitters will allow you to get a professional fitting then take those specs to another place to make purchase. However, remember the issue with flexes being different across the industry. Also, if you are taller and shafts need to be lengthened they will likely be a little less stiff because of the extra length. For best results in fitting make sure you see a professional fitter and not just a PGA Professional. Both will be better than just picking something off the rack, but a fitter is better trained to actually go through a full dynamic fitting (they check for more than just swing speed, arm length, etc) to find the clubs that will work best with your game and give you the best chance to improve.

The fitters near me (not at the Golfsmith or Dick's stores) charge a nominal amount if you are not buying clubs. A quick check was $80 to $150.

Thanks for the info guys. Well hypothetically speaking ( I will get fit eventually) if I'm borderline stiff/regular and I'm extending half an inch I should probably go with stiff then?

Yes in theory.

Just to make this a it more complex: You sound like you are newer to the game and working on getting better. There is a good chance you swing might be in transition. If so you can only be fitted to your current swing and may need to change things down the road.

No you don't necessarily have to buy clubs from the person that fits you.....But you'll need all the information on your fitting to find the right clubs.....And another thing to know, say if your fitter says that your 1.5" over standard length on your irons.....well there isn't a standard length across the industry, you need to know what the standard length was of the clubs the fitter was using.....same with lie.....here look at this...some popular clubs in 6 iron and ther standard specs...

Taylormade Burner - 37.625"/62.5 lie Loft 27
Mizuno MX 200 - 37.25"/61.0 lie Loft 29
Ping G10 37.25"/61.5 lie Loft 30.5
Callaway x22 37.25"/62.0 lie Loft 30
Cobra S9 37.5"/62.5 lie Loft 29
Adams Idea A4 37.875"/61.5 lie Loft 29
Scratch EZ-1 37.5"/62.0 lie Loft 32
Titliest AP2 37.5"/62.5 lie Loft 31
Nike slingshot 4D 37.75"/63.0 lie Loft 30

If you look at the lengths you can see over 1/2" difference between shortest and longest......up to 2 degrees difference in lie....No two sets are exactly the same for length and lie....
So you can see that info you'll need is i need a 6 iron that is 37.5" long and 62 degree lie and the rest of the irons built off of those specs....not i need 1" over standard and 2 degrees flat if your not going to buy from the same person that fits you......


On a side not you can also see why all these irons feel so differently to hit....