Which is worse?

[C-Rope1]

I am really in between needing a regular or stiff shaft in my clubs. Which would be a worse predictament? Swinging a shaft that is too stiff or one that is not stiff enough?

[Laxplayer201092]

personally, i would rather swing something too stiff than not stiff enough. The stiffer, the more stable it feels. Theres nothing worse that not going after a drive because you are worried that your shaft will snap left because it is too weak.

[glebert]

You could always get custom fitted and have them built halfway between. Also, since there is no standard for flexes maybe if you try different brands/models of shaft you will find a soft S or a stiff R that fits you very well.

Also maybe look at a stiffer tipped shaft (high kick) in R flex. To me it feels like a stiffer tipped shaft (with softer flex) gives me control without losing feel, but that is probably all in my head.

[ctw262]

When I was fitted, I was told to get 5 or 6 of the same driver(same flex, loft,etc) and hit all of them. Not every driver is made the exact same so you may find one thats more/less stiff and/or "hotter" than the others.

[cocky_watchman]

Depends on your shot shape too. If you fade/cut the ball and the shaft is too stiff-you will really struggle to square the club face resulting in a slice. Id guess if you draw it and the shaft is too whippy i.e. not stiff enough, then you would have a tendancy to hook more. Don't take this as gospel. But that was my experience as a fader on getting a too stiff shaft-and the rest is logical, I think!

[PiKapp23]

It depends on your personal tempo as well. If you have a very fast tempo, then you might find a stiffer shaft to better fit you. If your tempo is slower then a regular flex may work better. Another though is your attack. Steep swings are often better with stiff and shallow swings better with regular.

With driver I always found I found I liked stiffer shaft than my other clubs because it seems easier to hit consistent and straight. For me, I carry a stiff flex driver, stiff 3w and 2h (because I like to swing aggressively with those clubs), R flex in my 4h and 5h (because I like a smoother swing) and stiff in my irons (I have a steep, agressive swing). It's taken me years to figure out what works best for me, but that's just me.

Because there are few 'standards' in the shaft industry flexes are not consistent from one brand to another (and sometimes even one model to another). In steel shafts for irons the Project X shafts seem to be less stiff than Dynamic Gold by about 1/2 flex. In graphite one of the things to look for is 'kick point' or 'tip stiffness'. A stiff shaft with a lower kick point or softer tip will play much different than stiff with high kick point or firmer tip. I don't think enough time is spent trying different shafts to find one that fits a particular golfer.

[goblue107501]

Also, since there is no standard for flexes maybe if you try different brands/models of shaft you will find a soft S or a stiff R that fits you very well.

This is what I was going to say. You may want to check into the Rifle (not Project X) lineup. They offer a wide variety of different flexes. It might be the place to look if you feel you are in between.

[youngskip40]

I'd rather be stiffer in the woods and weaker in the irons. A shaft that is all over the place can be dangerous with a driver/3 wood since you are already so far away from the the ball. Weaker iron shafts give a little better feel in my opinion, and you have to work extra hard to get really stiff shafts to do what you want.

That said, if you care that much about the flex of your shafts (and you should) you should get fit and have someone who knows what they're doing reshaft your clubs because as other people have said there is no industry standard for what is a stiff or what is a regular. Going off frequency is a much more reliable way of measuring the flex of a shaft.

[theballbites]

I am really in between needing a regular or stiff shaft in my clubs. Which would be a worse predictament? Swinging a shaft that is too stiff or one that is not stiff enough?

A shaft thats too shift! atleast with a shaft thats not that stiff it wont hurt your hands!