how does shaft flex affect ball flight? - Page 2

Get on a launch monitor and see what your swing speed is. If its at or under 100 get a regular flex shaft. The reason you slice or hook is most likely caused from your swing path

not your shaft.

 

For 100Mph I'd recommend stiff. 

 

Maybe but not always. I swing around 98-102 and I use a regular flex without any trouble hitting it straight.

He also said that it makes almost no difference.  He said its more feel and personal preference and not to get to muddled down in different shafts.

A shaft too flexible will most likely leave the club face open at impact and work high right. Too stiff low left or right and decrease in distance. Get fitted at a shop that will let you take different clubs to the range. But get fitted you wont regret it. Most golfers are playing shafts too stiff for their swing.

I said "Launch angle will be the same no matter what the flex." is not true.

It's not.

True but if we are going to argue about 1 degree of launch we are splitting hairs here. 

Should the average golfer really obsess about 1 degree of launch when they dont hit the center of the clubface anyways?  Missing the center of the clubface is going to change the launch angle much more than different shaft flexes ever will. 

I dont deny that there is a difference but not a huge difference and not something that the average person should obsess about.  Ive honestly never seen a big difference from reg to stiff flex.  Maybe a slightly lower ballflight but certain not the high, ballooning shots or the huge hooks that some stiff shaft advocates swear by.

My two bits.....shaft flex does make a difference but in different ways depending on your swing speed....

If you are hitting "R" flex shafts and should be hitting an "S" flex shaft you will see an uncontrolable draw as the face closes prematurely prior to impact.   I've h hit my same iron with both R and S shafts in them from the same manufacturer and have recorded a significant difference in draw pull performance....launch angle was a little lower but distance was similiar with a soft shaft in swing speed that requires a stiff shaft. But accuracy was 10-20 yards off due to an uncontrollable draw.  Fades and minimum distance were noticed in slower swing speeds when using a stiff shafts.  So it boils down to "check your ego at the door" and get fitted.

 

Curious what you meant by that ?   Huge shaft or clubhead advances in the last 5 years ?    

The post before the quoted one was from 2007. The poster bumped a 5 year old thread.

That's a lot, especially if by "one degree" you mean "1.4 degrees" or "1.6 degrees." Absolutely.

Goalpost shifting. You're changing the discussion. You said "shaft doesn't affect launch angle." It does. For most people it might not matter much. For others it will matter.

So, whatever. That's fine, and I'll agree that for some people it's not a big deal. For others, though, it is.

And his test was hardly very scientific. Ask the PING, Callaway, Titleist, etc. guys how much shaft flex can change launch angle. Or the shaft guys.

L flex = really loose; basically for slow swingers.. which mean if you dont need it.. your hands and body will get to the ball before the clubhead does.. resulting in slices.. everytime. But i feel when it hits right.. the ball just rockets out of sight in a flash.. definitely gets some distance.

 

R flex = bit tighter, but still has some flexibility.. currently trying out a driver with R flex.. after being told the L flex isn't right for my 24yr old self because it's for older people.. [says the golfsmith manager]

 

S flex = think of it as solid steel.. where your hands and body are on impact.. the club head will be. i was told to try this one out.. maybe it was the nerves during the simulator.. but i just couldnt hit with it.

I have a senior flex 7 wood that always hooks never thought it was the flex that made it hook but now i do thnx

After reading more about flex, on diff sites, etc.

 

I have no idea what is best for me.. and until I truly find my driver swing.. it would be pointless to get a fitting.. as a slice will be a slice.. and an ugly swing will be an ugly swing.

Id call that a fair description.  About S flex, dont feel bad.  My average drive is about 250 yards and I cant hit s flex either.  Every club Ive owned that was S flex resulted in shots that were low and a push.  I basically have to try to murder the ball every time in order to load the shaft enough and when I do that, Im not consistent.  Thats OK, my ego can take clubs that are R flex.

Just take a look on Ebay sometime and you will see thousands and thousands of listings by people who thought they could hit S flex and found out that they were mistaken.

Until then you may just be best to stick with senior or R flex then. 

I switched to a Senior flex in my irons and tend to hook if I hit them with too fast of a swing speed.  Slowing down a bit keeps me more under control and promotes me making more solid contact.

 

Therein lies the problem with stiff shafts. Most people have to swing harder than they are comfortable swinging in order to load the shaft properly and it causes them to make poor contact.