swingspeed and shaft stiffness

[iammike]

Ok, so I bought an r580XD a month or so ago. Its a regular stiffness 10.5 degree loft. It felt good in the store and all, and i think i'm hitting it fairly well so far.

The other day I was checking out a hybrid 2i and the store i was at had a swingspeed monitor, which was clocking my swingspeed with the 2h as 95 mph consistantly, which the guy there said probably makes my driver swing over 100.

My question is in what way is having a regular stiffness driver shaft hurting my game? Is it just distance, or could it be hurting in other ways (like straightness of ballflight).

Would be a serious letdown for me if it is effecting me badly, considering when I was buying the club i was choosing between a 9.5 degree stiff shaft and the 10.5 degree regular, but ended up getting the 10.5 degree because it was the only one left when i went back the next day.

any ideas would be appreciated.

[Dminn23]

It is to my understanding that if you use a shaft that is not quite stiff enough for your swing speed that you will have a tendency to fade/slice the ball more. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[iacas]

It is to my understanding that if you use a shaft that is not quite stiff enough for your swing speed that you will have a tendency to fade/slice the ball more. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I think that's backwards. Too stiff tends to mean you leave shots low and right. Too weak is high and left.

[georgep]

As long as you're not consistently hooking it or missing fairways on the left (assuming you're a rightee), don't worry about it. There's a lot of variation between different brands and shafts as to what an R and an S is. And the R will probably give you better distance.

[st8fan19]

from my experience the only thing that really happens when you are using a shaft that is too weak is that you either push the ball, fade it, or slice it. This is caused by the shaft being still extremely flexed at impact... however... a looser shaft may help you temo so if you have a tendancy to leave it right then try out a stiffer shaft... if not then i think that you should be okay... but this is without looking at your ball flight and swing...

hope this helps

[cmarkmyers]

from my experience the only thing that really happens when you are using a shaft that is too weak is that you either push the ball, fade it, or slice it. This is caused by the shaft being still extremely flexed at impact... however... a looser shaft may help you temo so if you have a tendancy to leave it right then try out a stiffer shaft... if not then i think that you should be okay... but this is without looking at your ball flight and swing...

Actually iacas/Erik got it right (assuming what I have read from Tom Wishon). At impact the shaft is actually flexed opposite the way that most people think. So when you swing a shaft that is too flexible the clubhead is somewhat more lofted with the face pointing a bit more left (for a right handed golfer) causing the ball to go higher and draw.

[zebrasinamerica]

i've always been told it matters more how the club is tipped than actaully shafted higher the swing speed you have the stiffer the tip your shaft should have. If your shaft is tipped to weak you will hit fades and draws on your off center shots even when the face comes through square, if it is tipped to stiff you may loose some distance but will gain a lot of control.

correct me if i am off track here

ZEBRA

[Everardo]

i've always been told it matters more how the club is tipped than actaully shafted higher the swing speed you have the stiffer the tip your shaft should have. If your shaft is tipped to weak you will hit fades and draws on your off center shots even when the face comes through square, if it is tipped to stiff you may loose some distance but will gain a lot of control.

Here's what I see as a problem with that statement. Tipping a shaft more will affect the feel of the shaft and not every golfer with a high swing speed needs or wants a stiff tip shaft.

In my opinion, tipping a shaft more than the manufacturers recommendation is often an abused practice. Now I'm not against tipping and feel that it's a great method to fine tune a club to a player but that people often try to make the wrong shaft fit by tipping then just getting the right shaft and/or flex to begin with. There are so many factors to consider like Swing Speed, Swing Tempo, Shaft Weight, Torque, Kick Point and Bend Profile to name a few. It's difficult to fit a player with a few blanket statements or assumptions even with these numbers. Then take into consideration the endless shaft and head combinations. If you tip a shaft it will have a few effects 1. Will affect the kickpoint and generally lower the ball flight (One special consideration is the type of head IE Bore-Through or Bore-Thru) Since this end of the shaft is the smallest and most flexible part of the shaft. 2. Will stiffen a shaft because it will leave more of the butt end of the shaft which is the stiffest and heaviest part of the shaft I believe the torque of the shaft and the overall flex will dictate direction more than the tip itself. Also one companies R may be another companies S so you have to first make sure you're comparing the right flexes to start.

[iammike]

since making this post, i've had a lot more work with my regular flex shaft driver, and have noticed i get a pretty high launch, and when i'm swinging right, I get pretty damn good distance off of it.

I think i might reshaft it someday to a stiff, but it will most likely be after i've worked a whole lot of other things out of my game. I can deal with less distance if i'm more consistant, which i am currently.

[warbirdlover]

Most all of the newer high end shafts I've been playing with don't recommend tipping at all. I wanted a stiff Comp NT (untipped) in my Launcher Comp. In his infinite wisdom my club guy bought a "regular" flex and tipped it 1-1/4" (when tipping was not recommended) and said it was in the stiff range on his instrument. It might have been stiff but it played horrible. I was totally disappointed and sold the thing. My new stiff Accuflex is NOT tipped and it is working nicely.