Questions on Driver Fittings

[SpacklersEdge]

Can someone explain to me the different things to look for in a shaft aside from "stiff" or "regular"? i.e. kick point and torque? Are there others?

Also, what swing speed do you need to be at to warrant stiff shafts? And if you swing slow, but have a stiff driver shaft, what negative affects will this have? And vice versa, if you swing fast but have regular flex, what are you missing out on?

I know this is a lot of questions, but I figured someone could refer me to an existing post I may have missed while searching, or another site they have looked at before.

[Wisco-Kid]

I am by no means an expert in this and I have wondered the same things you are. I am just offereing some insight with the things I have gone through with my last few shafts. I have always played a stiff shaft. I had gone to a launch monitor a few years ago to get fitted for my first driver and found that my swing speed was 114mph. Up until a couple of days ago I just assumed that my swing speed was still in the stiff range. WRONG! I had a new Big Bertha 460 with a stock stiff shaft on it and constantly sliced the ball no matter what I did. I went to Golf Galaxy and tried out the HiBore XL on the launch monitor. I had accidently grabbed a red tour shaft Regular Flex with a stiff tip. I was amazed to find that my numbers were perfect. No slice at all on the 30 balls I hit. 95 mph avg swing speed with a carry of 239 and i had a few that rolled to 260 yards. I knew that I had found the right shaft for me. I felt so much more control with the driver head. With the Big Bertha no matter what I did I just could not control that thing.

I know I didnt offer any technical advice but I just wanted to say that getting the right shaft is the most important thing you can do. Go to a launch monitor and try out everything you can. Don't just think you should hit a stiff because all your buddies do and I think that 9 times out of ten the problems you are having with your clubs is more then likely the shaft not the club..Get fitted you will play better golf and be much happier in the fairway!

[Batmanrb89]

word of mouth is always a big part in buying productsi always say, but if you are serious about getting the right shafts for your swing, get fitted. Beleive it or not, some people who feel they should be playing a stiff steal shaft, actually benefit more from a regular shaft, and vice versa. Theory on kickpoints....High kickpoint promotes a lower ball flight, while low kick point promotes a higher ball flight. All in all, it really depends on your swing...I'll give you an example I had happen. I ordered a Titleist PT 904 Fairway wood with a 13.5 degree head, Aldila Nv 85 grams Stiff graphite shaft. hit it well, but was concerned. Took it to a Simulator to check the launch and what not, and while I was there, decided to try a Clevelnad Hi-Bore # wood, from last year. The cleveland was 15 degrees, with the stock stiff shaft. Ym Titleist was meant to hit low based off of the stats, and the cleveland was made to high, based off the stats, but I actually hit the Cleveland lower, and the Titleist higher, makes no sense, but, everybodys body and swing is different....

[danpark]

i agree with batman. you should get fitted to find a shaft that's right for you. each clubmaker tends to have different characteristics for the shafts they make for certain clubs. therefore, regular flex for one club maker may be closer to a stiff flex for another club maker. just get on a launch monitor or try demoing some clubs at the range. see what feels best.

don't quote me, but in general...

flex: if it's too flexible, then it'll feel whippy & accuracy goes down (may have a tendency to slice). if it's too stiff, it won't feel responsive, and loss of distance may result. on avg, reg flex for ~80-95mph swing speed & stiff = 95-105mph. this is usually the most critical component. most people will warrant a regular flex.... unless they swing very quickly. i'm a tweener where i can get my swing to be 95-100mph... but i like to swing a bit slower and so i went to a regular flex. if you tend to swing slow, i'd recommend a regular flex. if it's too stiff, then you might start trying to compensate and that'll mess up your swing, rhythm and tempo and you'll tend to lose distance since you can't get the shaft to flex enough or properly.

kickpoint: point at which shaft bends... higher the kickpoint (closer to the grip end), lower the trajectory/ball flight & vice versa. usually comes as high, mid or low. pick the one that you think that will help you acheive the ball flight you want (remember, think opposites. high kickpoint = low ball flight). also, the loft on the club makes a difference for ball flight.

torque: how much a shaft will twist (feeling of the clubhead turning around the shaft). the lower the number, the lower the torque, and the less it'll twist. i had a 905r stiff flex with a ys-6 shaft... which is a low torque shaft... and i wasn't generating enough clubhead speed to get it to square at impact and so i kept pushing the ball.

here's some articles:
http://www.golf.com/golf/equipment/a...566804,00.html (overview)
http://golf.about.com/cs/tipslessons/a/shaftflex.htm (stiff vs regular)
http://www.purelygolf.com/E/Shaft.htm (a bit more technical)

hope that helps. gluck