Irons and woods shafts - how important to have same flex?

[GaryH]

My driver (Taylormade R9) has a regular flex shaft whereas i recently bought Ping i20 irons for which i was fitted for their stiff flex shafts which come as standard.

I'm not that powerful so i think i would be borderline between regular and stiff.  I'm now going to get hybrids and woods.  Would it be a problem if i had stiff shafts in irons and hybrids but regular shafts in woods and driver?

[WUTiger]

Years ago, the "rule of thumb" was that, if you're on the flex line, have regular in driver and woods for distance, and stiff on irons for control.

Recently, I have run across a couple of low-HDCP seniors - one a teaching pro - who went the other way: They have stiff shafts in driver and 3W (and one carries a 3i with stiff) and regular in all else. The idea is they have a high-rotation, rhythmic swings that generates a lot of flex on the longer shafts - hence long = stiff.

Handloading - quick vs. slow - would also play into which is best. Really, I doubt there's any "rule of thumb" that would work for everyone.

Flighted iron shafts would also come into play for the decision. Well before 2000, savvy clubsmiths would soft-step the longer irons in a player's iron set to increase launch angle. This produced similar effects to flighting.

When in doubt, get on a launch monitor and see what the data says. If you're mixing different makes and models of shafts, LM is the only way to really compare them.

[GaryH]

Thanks WUTiger.

It's interesting how schools of thought can change, the ultimate example being the ball flight laws.  Hybrids tend to give a high ball flight so if i go with the ping i20s i might be alright with their standard stiff shafts, but i'll be testing them at the range to find out.  Fairways will probably be a choice between the ping i15 (going a bit cheaper at the moment!) with the regular flex shaft or the i20 with its stiffer shaft.  Again, i'll see how i hit em.

[GaryH]

Well, i went with the ping i20 23 degree hybrid and the ping g15 5 fairway metal as i hit them both well.  Actually very pleased with how i'm currently swinging and striking the ball, makes a very pleasent change believe me, i only pray it continues.

[mosnas]

Sorry to Hijack this thread but I also had a question in this area.  My driver is a stiff my 3 wood and 5 wood are both regulars and my irons 6.0 stiff.  My woods are pretty old 4 or so years I got them when I was 14 and had a lower swing speed.  My three wood used to hit a normal draw and now hits a harder draw with the occasional huge slice.

My question how much would the shaft flex affect the flight and direction of my ball?

[GaryH]

Good question, mosnas.  I talked more of differences in trajectory but perhaps direction can also be affected by stiffness of shaft.  My understanding is that stiffer shafts could possibly make the ball go right if they are too stiff for you and so the shaft doesn't 'kick' in time thus leaving the clubface open.  Shafts that are too whippy can kick too early thus presenting a closed face at impact and ball goes left.  But don't take that as gospel as i might be incorrect.

By the way, in a previous post (post 3) i was talking about the G15 fairway, not the I15.  I don't know how to edit.

[saevel25]

For me, find golf shafts that fit your swing. The best is to go get fitted. For me i wont hit anything less than a stiff flex..

[k-troop]

I like stiffer shafts in my driver and fairway wood.  These clubs are plenty long when struck solidly; I feel like the longer composite shafts are more stable in a stiffer version.  Anyway, it works--since I went to my x-flex driver and 3-wood, I'm hitting the woods better than I ever have--even when I was playing in college.

I've always had a pretty fast transition, which is really one of the biggest factors in determining optimal shaft flex.

[GaryH]

When i was fit for my ping i20 irons 3 months ago my swing contained quite an aggressive transiition move, which the fitter mentioned in relation with me being suitable for stiff shafts.  I'm not a big guy, being a slim 5'11, and i'd assumed stiff shafts were for stockier chaps.

I've recently change my swing to a more smoother action right from the start and all througohut really (and i'm very pleased with the results at the moment).  This, i guess, might allow me to use regular flex in the woods, though i'm also hitting my stiff irons better than i ever have.  So hopefully i'll be fine with my current set-up.  Time will tell.

[mosnas]

Originally Posted by GaryH

Good question, mosnas.  I talked more of differences in trajectory but perhaps direction can also be affected by stiffness of shaft.  My understanding is that stiffer shafts could possibly make the ball go right if they are too stiff for you and so the shaft doesn't 'kick' in time thus leaving the clubface open.  Shafts that are too whippy can kick too early thus presenting a closed face at impact and ball goes left.  But don't take that as gospel as i might be incorrect.

By the way, in a previous post (post 3) i was talking about the G15 fairway, not the I15.  I don't know how to edit.

My understanding was the opposite, if it is too flexy it will be more flexed at impact thus causing the clubhead to be behind the shaft thus causing the clubhead to be open at impact (not positive on this) and unfortunately I don't have any place outside of a department store 3 hours away, that just would do a quick fitting.  So I just want some thoughts on whether it would be worth going to get a stiffer 3 wood or just fix my swing errors (if there is any) with my 3 wood.