R vs S flex..........

what is the major difference between reg flex and stiff flex on ur driver? i have 2 drivers one of each flex, the R flex has an offset head to help with my erm "fade". but i prefer the stiff flex shaft. i have no idea what my swing speed is so do u think it would be worthwile having the stiff flex shaft pulled and fitted to my offset driver head???

if you currently have a fade with a Reg shaft plus offset head / closed face, a Stiff shaft may accentuate your fade???

The offset head has really straightened out my drive, maybe im just improving but i can on the odd occasion hit a draw with it. the slice comes in when i see my golf partner bomb the ball 300 yards and i try to take the skin off the ball to do the same and lose all control of the swing. so are stiff shafts for higher swing speeds?

Well, distance is not always what it is cracked up to be.....course maintenance is the key to shooting lower scores....

That being said......I would say most amateurs, especially those with handicaps greater than 5 need a regular flex....unless your club head speed is hitting 100 mph or higher on a regular basis.....stick with a regular flex!

Play golf with your head....not your....well.....testosterone producers!

Exactly - after the greens and fairways have been cut and the bunkers have just been raked I shoot much lower scores. You're throwing out a lot of information that seems to be pulled from thin air.

Coming from an old guy with an 87-95 mph swing speed......the Stiff will give you better accuracy, but less distance.  The Regular will provide more distance.

Over the years I have used Offset heads, Weighted heads, Adjustable heads, Nitrogen filled heads, etc. But after several lessons from Golftec, I increased my loft to 11* and use a fixed shaft. Currently, I am gaming the Callaway FT-iz 11* with a Project X 5.0 graphite shaft.  It has provided me with more distance straight down the fairway than I have experienced on a consistent basis.

There is a big difference when it comes to Regular shafts........after much trial and error, I found that the PX graphite shafts are the best for my swing.  I have even purchased used forged irons with the PX 4.5 graphite shaft because I like the feel and flight pattern.  I traded in Cally X24 hots for used Mizuno MP-53's.  They are 1/2 inch shorter and the 5 thru 8 are 3 to 4 degrees weaker loft.  So I have had some adjusting to do.......but winning $$$ every week over the last 5 weeks is a good sign that I have found the right combination.

There's no set standards for flex. One shaft models S is another's R.  Until a club is put on a frequency machine you don't know what you really have.

Oh, I don't mean maintenance like that.....I mean maintenance as is playing the best shot for your game and the course from shot to shot....not always trying to hit the ball as long as you can....maybe best described as shot maintenance and playing the course??

I think you mean course management not maintenance.

I knew what you meant. I was just kidding about the maintenance part. but was serious about the "pulled from thin air" part.

whats pulled from thin air?

Same here....simply put....you play the course, not the other way around.  Don't try to force shots.  If you get into trouble, make the smart play, get back into good shape, then carry on....

The bolded part was what I questioned, but since he said "I would say . . . " implying it was an opinion, it's really not worth debating beyond "my opinion disagrees with his opinion".  I shouldn't have implied he was trying to state facts.

If you have a, "fade" with a reg flex then a stiff is only to make it a bigger, "fade".

If you do not know your swing speed then you will be best to go see a pro and have them fit you with a proper shaft for your swing speed.  Like tin man said earlier, stock shafts are rarely true to their marking of stiffness.  Have a pro at a golf shop or Dick's or something get you in front of a swing analyzer so he can measure your swing speed, trajectory, etc.  They will fit you with the correct shaft and you should see an improvement in your driving.  However the shaft probably will not help your fade.

thanks for the advice......fitting it is then

Get fit.  I use a driver with 13* of loft and a significant amount of flex.  I hit it way further and straighter than my old 9* stiff with a low, penetrating flight.  I don't know why.  If you gave some on this board a 13* driver with a 45g prolaunch blue regular flex, they'd probably lose 50 yards.  I gained 30.  You need to go hit a ton of product and get fit.

Thats a very wide generalization that just isnt true. there are plenty of golfers above a 5 handicap heck even a 15 that are more than capable of hitting stiff shafts at a normal swing speed.