Regular or Stiff?

[Fastrack]

If I'm at the border line between regular and stiff flex, which way do you recommend to go and why?

Height, wrist distance from the floor, swing speed, age, a club I use for 150 yr, and my handicap were considered. Thanks for your opinion

[Snake]

FWIW, I've always heard it's better to err on the side of too flexible rather than too stiff.

[wachesawgolfer]

Who knows. It all depends on whether you swing or hit, have a fast or slow tempo, where you load the club, if you do at all, and your position at impact. You should hit both clubs and see which one feels the best and makes you want to swing within yourself and, of course, which one maximises distance and accuracy.

[BritBoy]

If you are right on the border then I would say it depends what you’re looking for.

If you want distance go with the Reg, but if you want accuracy go with the Stiff.

[nykfan4life]

I've heard that to stiff produces a lower ball flight and a slight fade, whereas to flexible and you have a higher ball flight and a slight draw.

[lefttoright]

I think the best way to figure out which fits is to select the club brand that you are intereted in and take both flexes to the range and see which produces your desired ball flight consistently. Hitting the clubs is the only way to make a decision.

[nykfan4life]

I think the best way to figure out which fits is to select the club brand that you are intereted in and take both flexes to the range and see which produces your desired ball flight consistently. Hitting the clubs is the only way to make a decision.

didn't even realize that: you have to hit both a stiff and a regular in clubs with the same specs so the flex of the shaft is the only variable(same clubhead, loft, same shaft(with the different flexes) so you know the difference is the flex.) An experience clubfitter will send you home with the right flex

[lefttoright]

An experienced clubfitter will probably want to watch you hit with the clubs.

[wolverine318]

I've heard that to stiff produces a lower ball flight and a slight fade, whereas to flexible and you have a higher ball flight and a slight draw.

I've never heard this before from any PRO I have talked to. But I guess that doesnt mean its not true. But like BritBoy said most all say the weaker flex gives you more distance while the stiffer gives you more accuracy. For what its worth any club I hit with a weak flex baloons and slices to the right.

[under_par]

My story:

About 2 months ago I was out with a buddy and decided to try his reg flex TM driver and did I ever crushed it. I have always played with a Stiff and I do notice the ball is lower flight about 65% of the time. With the Regular I get distance and height.

I quickly switch the flex and I am loving my driver now

As for my Irons I keep it at a stiff and all is working great.

Since we are not pros and don't pratice like them I would recommend that you get the reg if you are on the border. It worked for me.

[lefttoright]

It all depends on your swing speed. You do get distance from flexing the shaft. Faster swing speeds can flex a stiff shaft(or even an X which pros use), while slower speeds need a regular or senior shaft to get the desired flex. If you match a fast swing speed with too flexible of shaft, you are going to loose control (accuracy) of the club head. Just like loft, lie, and length, shaft flex is an integral part of club fitting to your individual swing. You don't just buy a whippie shaft to gain more distance.

[sirshanksalot]

I think the best way to figure out which fits is to select the club brand that you are intereted in and take both flexes to the range and see which produces your desired ball flight consistently. Hitting the clubs is the only way to make a decision.

I was faced with the same question as I am a "tweener" for shaft flexes. I honestly think the only way you can determine which fits the best is to try both the regular and stiff flexes out with the same specs and make your decision that way. I currently own a regular shaft driver and stiff shaft irons... and recently purchased a hybrid testing both flexes out.

Another factor is also that if you are a "tweener" like me, there are so many more variables that you could run into when it comes to shaft options. I definitely would highly recommend testing out both.

[nykfan4life]

I've never heard this before from any PRO I have talked to. But I guess that doesnt mean its not true. But like BritBoy said most all say the weaker flex gives you more distance while the stiffer gives you more accuracy. For what its worth any club I hit with a weak flex baloons and slices to the right.

yeah take my words with a grain of salt; I was told that by a friend whos a scratch and works at golf galaxy.

[Dent]

Im in the same position you are, and I have choosen to stick with regular. I dont know why but I think its just what I could still hit better.

[Fastrack]

Do you feel comfortable mixing two different flexes for your irons, such as longer iron with regular and short irons with stiff(er) flex?

BTW, mine was custom fitted, but want to make it better....who doesn't

[golf_junkie27]

This all really depends on your tempo. If you are aggressive and fast, I would go with a stiffer shaft. Additionally, find out from an experienced fitter what the shaft is going to play like. Not all stiff shafts play the same. You want the one that is going to play closes to your specs and give you ideal performance: launch angle, spin rate, etc.

[mikelaw]

stiff! consider taking accuracy over distance!

[Avid Golfer]

If I'm at the border line between regular and stiff flex, which way do you recommend to go and why?

Like most of the other posters have said I'd find a place to demo both the regular and stiff flexes from and based on your ball flight and the feel with each in mind make a decision.

If you plan to have the club(s) for a couple of years then you may also want to factor in how you think your physical fitness (which could effect your swing speed) would factor in to the equation. If you plan to exercise and get more flexible and stronger then you may want to lean toward the stiff, but if you don't plan to change your fitness routine anytime soon then you may want to go with the regular which could be better if you loose flexibility or strength.

I've heard that to stiff produces a lower ball flight and a slight fade, whereas to flexible and you have a higher ball flight and a slight draw.

I've found that to be pretty true in that the stiff flex shafts will tend to produce a lower (more penetrating) ball flight, and regular will produce a higher (more floating) ball flight. As for the the slight fade and draw - I find that to be more related to the amount of torque in the shaft. In general it is true that regular flex shafts tend to have more torque (which will mean the sahft will twist the clubhead closed easier) than the stiff flex, but the person should look at the official shaft stats to be sure before hand.

http://www.taylormadegolf.com/club_options.asp

I've never heard this before from any PRO I have talked to. But I guess that doesnt mean its not true. But like BritBoy said most all say the weaker flex gives you more distance while the stiffer gives you more accuracy. For what its worth any club I hit with a weak flex baloons and slices to the right.

Guess your pros haven't researched shafts

. Weaker flexes don't necessarily give more distance, and stiffer shafts don't necessarily provide more accuracy. Each flex with produce different launch conditions (launch angle and spin rate), and based on your launch angle, spin rate, and ball speed one of the shafts will be closer to generating the optimal numbers than the other (optimal numbers vary based on the golfer's swing and solidness of contact made). What balooned and sliced for you may not do the same for someone else. (A swing that is steeper comming into impact is more likely to baloon and slice a ball than one that is shallower comming into impact).