What shaft to use?

[JYB]

Hey everyone!

I'm just really getting into the game seriously for the first time now and even though i have some great gear, I wanted to learn more about the different kind of shafts for drivers/woods.

I use regular shafts now but i'm 6'2" and 23 years old. I'm a former pro baseball player so you imagine how hard i swing the golf club. What are the pros/cons of using a regular, stiff or extra stiff shaft? What player type uses these types of shafts? What do the guys on tour use? I know this is kind of a newbie question but, just wanted to know.. Thanks!

[beung]

Shafts are all about ball flight as it relates to hight and somewhat about horiszontal ball movement. No one is going to be able to tell you which equipement to use just by reading your physical measurements, they have to see your swing and see your ball flight and then find out what ball flight you want to have.

Get yourself on a launch monitor. You can't know if you have improved if you don't know where you started from so go and get a baseline. If you are lucky you may be able to find an authorized Cleveland fitting center (if there is such a thing), for me I use TM so they have every driver head they currently have on the market and have quick release shafts so they simulate your actual driver setup and swap in shafts here and there to see what is will help and what will hurt your distance.

[Guest]

Hi, I agree with the last post. If I had to guess just based on the info in your post I'd say that you should probably be in a stiffer shaft than a regular flex. This would be easier if we at least knew your swingspeed or even your 150yd club. As a very general guideline you can use the following to help you find the best flex:
85-94mph swingspeed- Regular Flex
95-104mph swingspeed- Stiff Flex
105+mph swingspeed- X-Stiff Flex

Now this is just the most basic form for determining shaft flex. There are many other things to take into account such as your swing tempo. If you have a very quick tempo, backswing, etc. then a stiffer shaft is probably better. If you have a smoother swing with a slower tempo then you can go wtih a softer flex shaft. This is good to know if your swingspeed falls in between two categories above. Any golf store should be able to tell you your swingspeed and tell you what shaft would be best for your swing. You should also know that all "stiff" shafts are not the same, I've found that different manufacturers shafts can all be different even though they all say "Stiff" or "regular" on them. The most accurate way to measure flex would be to use a frequency machine, which measure how many times a shaft oscillates in a given amount of time and it gives you a number for that shaft somewhere between 230-280 where 280 is very stiff (x-stiff) and 230 is very soft (senior/ladies). This is how most professionals get fit, and to answer your question most play a stiff to an x-stiff shaft.
As far as pros/cons go the easiest way to think about shaft flex for every club is that a more flexible shaft will give you a bit more distance, whereas a stiffer shaft will give you more accuracy. The best way to think about it if you are trying a bunch of shafts is to try and get the most flexible shaft you can while still being able to control the shaft and not give up accuracy. Most amateur golfers play shafts that are too stiff for them, I think a lot of the time its an ego things especially for us guys. Most guys incorporate playing a stiff shaft as being stronger or a longer hitter, but they don't realize that playing too stiff of a shaft is making their drives shorter. I hope this explanation helps and good luck.

[JYB]

This helps a lot! I won't be getting new equipment any time soon however but when I do, i'll def. get fitted to make sure i get the right stuff for me.