Shaft flex issue??? Maybe??

[Rynofskie]

If my swing is too fast for a regular flex shaft, what will the ball typically do? Does that allow the clubface to stay open longer resulting in a slice or something? I just notice that my driver is really bending a LOT when I swing full force. I was going to buy a new driver, but if that's not the issue...I guess basically my question is:

If the flex is too stiff what happens?

If the flex is too soft what happens?

[Golf4life]

If the flex is too stiff what happens?

I think what you may feel is a really hard board feeling. I hit X-stiff so for me it's just fine.

If the flex is too soft what happens?

I hit a regular flex once and it felt like a noodle. I think my hands was past the ball and the club head was still coming around my back. i was slicing it like no tomorrow.

Go get properly fitted, do not second guess what shaft flex you need, otherwise it's going to cost you more money.

[Cooker]

Too Soft of a flex was a terrible slice for me. Since I changed to stiff shaft, Straight with a nice fade.

[fusioncal]

If my swing is too fast for a regular flex shaft, what will the ball typically do? Does that allow the clubface to stay open longer resulting in a slice or something? I just notice that my driver is really bending a LOT when I swing full force. I was going to buy a new driver, but if that's not the issue...I guess basically my question is:

I happen to have the same problem with both my driver and irons. I'm not sure if I can provide you with accurate answers, but I'll do my best to describe what happened to my shots.

My swing speed with a driver was tested at 94 mph on launch monitor weeks ago. The fitter told me that my shaft is too flexible for me and I should reshaft. I agreed to him because I had noticed significant distance loss and high ballooned ball flight with occasional fade/slice. After a few monitored swings, he stopped me and said, "I know just the right shaft for you." He then showed me brand new uncut UST ProForce V2 shaft and asked me. "Are you a sissy or a macho out there in your golf round?" I laughed and replied, "Sissy." "Okay, go with regular then, I was going to give you stiff" I didn't reshaft that night because I had to play the next morning. So I told him next time around. My dilemma is that I want to get r7 SuperQuad because all my friends who I used to outdrive are using it and now they outdrive me everytime. This makes the whole reshaft thing is useless with my r7 460. Anyway, I'm still thinking about what I should do. With my irons (MP-60) also in regular flex, the shaft feels so whippy during the downswing and slaps the ball at impact. The result is high ball flight and a LOT of draw like 25 yards off the target when it lands and could be more using longer irons. This applies only when I use mid-long irons. I don't have any problems with the short ones, they're dead straight. I was thinking could it be that I swung over to the top (out to in)? From what I know it would've been a pull. The thing is my ball starts straight then it goes left but not a hook although it draws a lot. Or is it a light hook? I'm not sure. So those are my issues, who knows there are some similarities with yours.

[Rayy]

I have the same problem with my driver now. I have stiff and last year and fourth month ago it was dead straigh all the time sometime a litle draw. Them in the last month my swinspeed has increase and im hiting the ball longer betwen 280 and 290 but always with a litle fade and sometimes it fade a lot. Im starting to feel that the head of my driver is getting on my back and well I starting to think it is a shaft problem and not a swing issue.

[keiyoz]

count me in as well...i have been severely stressed out with my driver issues. most of my iron shots go straight, but i have not hit the driver properly on the course since 3-4 months ago.

today, i was lucky enough to be grouped with this guy, who immediately noticed the problem i had. he asked me what iron shafts i used (rifle stiff), and asked me what shaft i had on the driver (flexible ).

actually, if i had used my common sense, i would have realized this as well: the more flexible driver shaft tends to bend during my driver swing, causing me hours of frustation. the head lags, and then WHAM the ball snakes off to the right.

i always thought that i sliced because i am a newb, but this person enlightened me. he even let me try out his r7 driver with a stiff shaft, and the control felt so similar to my iron shots. i am going to sell my cobra driver and 2 nike cpr hybrids, and get clubs with stiff/regular flex from now on.

i agree with the common knowledge on this forum: get your clubs fitted! unfortunately for me, the city i live in does not have any fitters.

[Cahal]

I've always been on the edge of switching from regular flex in all my clubs to stiff. Different fitters have always said that based on my swing speed and distance I would be a good match for going stiff but I've always found a few issues:

Going stiff definitely causes me to lose feel with the clubs and the trajectory definitely is lower with stiffer shafts. I've been told that the flipside, shafts being not flexible enough, will cause someone to really balloon the ball.

What i've been told and found a little myself is that going too stiff can cause you to actually accentuate a slice or hook as the shaft isn't flexing enough and doesn't have enough time to square up properly. Think about it, if the shaft is flexing it will lag behind a bit and give you perhaps a fraction more time to help square up the clubface. I think this is probably mostly true for higher handicappers or slower/smoother swingers.

I work in a sports store and we constantly see people go too stiff with the shaft when they don't have the swing speed to really get the benefit out of it. If you see what a lot of golf teachers say that their best recommendation for most players is to have more loft and a more flexible shaft in their drivers.

Just figured I'd put my two cents in as i think a lot of people associate stiff with straight when they may not have the swing speed or skill to make that the case.

[$2 Nassau]

For me, too soft = very high ball flight and tons of backspin.

[szaino]

All things being equal:

If a shaft on your driver is too flexible: the ball will tend to fly higher and possibly hook.

If the shaft is too stiff: the ball will fly lower and go right (not necassariy slice.)

By too soft I assume you mean the shaft kickpoint: Regular shafts tend to have a lower kick point (softer feel and higher flight.) While stiffer shafts have a mid or high kickpoint.

Thus, if you don't generate enough club head speed you can't get the shaft to bend and release properly to launch the ball at the correct angle in order for it to fly to it's optimum distance.

My club head speed for my Ping G5 is 107 to 113 and I have a Stiff shaft, which is the best shaft for me.

[fusioncal]

All things being equal:

What if the ball goes too high and fade? What would the shaft be? Too stiff? Too flexible? Cause that is my ball flight pattern.

[NM Golf]

I guess basically my question is:

The basics are this:

Too stiff affects distance, if the shaft is too stiff you are losing yardage. Too Flexible affects accuracy, if the shaft is too flexible you tend to impart more spin on the ball than you really want. That among other factors can hurt your accuracy. It can also affect distance for the same reason, too much spin.

[szaino]

The shaft in your driver is for the most part based upon how much club head speed you generate. Have this tested again. R flex for a 94mph clubhead speed sounds correct. Once you get up over 100 you may look at a stiff flex.

Other equipment issues which are important-
What is the loft on your driver?
What type of ball do you play?
What driver model are you using?

Once you do your equipment check - then you have your swing analyzed by a pro.

1. If your swing has serious flaws contributing to the high ball flight you want to address those first. Also have your launch angle checked. It should be around 14 degrees.

2. If you have a fundamentally solid swing, a high ball flight could just be attributed to the fact that you are tall and/or have a steep swing plane. In that case you can look to make equipment adjustments such as a lower lofted driver, stiffer shaft, or driver head which has a slightly higer center of gravity. The goal being to get your launch angle down around the +-14 degrees which supposedly will result in the optimum distance with todays equipment.

I have seen players hit the ball very high with the driver because they are making contact with the ball on the downsing before the apex. This imparts a lot more spin and will make your ball rise. With the driver you should be making contact just after the apex on the upswing.

Or you could just be playing the ball too far forward in your stance and hitting the ball too much after the apex and sweeping it with too high of a launch angle.

[fusioncal]

The shaft in your driver is for the most part based upon how much club head speed you generate. Have this tested again. R flex for a 94mph clubhead speed sounds correct. Once you get up over 100 you may look at a stiff flex.

I was using my own driver r7 460 10.5 deg in stock shaft reg. flex and standard length and lie. I can't remember what balls I was using, but they're almost new balls (some were Titleist Pro V1 and V1x) that were provided for swing analysis purposes.

I hit about 4-5 times with the launch angles varied from 11-15 deg. Side spin was around 150-210R to the right, which was still okay as I was told by the fitter. Swing speed varied from 92-95. Yes, I hit them solidly and not to brag but the fitter did say I have very nice and solid swing after I was being analyzed. The fitter told me to reshaft with UST ProForce V2 60gr in regular flex. The thing is I'm close to buying the new r7 SuperQuad 10.5 and I'm going to sell my r7 460 soon. So, I don't think I will reshaft and probably I'm going to use the stock shaft that r7 SuperQuad has, which I think is already an upgrade. Hopefully it'll fit my swing.

[justinp]

Before this season I played an Adams Redline 460 with the stock Fujikura shaft in a regular flex. I was getting annoyed that every time I felt like I crushed one it flew high and landed soft (little if any bounce and roll) resulting in a much shorter shot than I though I should be hitting.

I figured maybe I just needed a lower loft. I was using a 10.5 degree. I went and hit clubs on a launch monitor and talked to a pro about my issues and he explained it was likely the shaft flex and had nothing to do with the club loft.

I left the store that day with a Cobra F/Speed with the stiff flex Aldila NV-F shaft. Without changing anything in my swing I'm easily averaging a 40+ yard increase over my old driver. My ball flight is slightly lower but more importantly I'm seeing a big first bounce and roll when my ball lands now.

[Pebble2010Champ]

Here are some technical articles from Tom Wishon ( see bio here ) regarding shaft flex that I have always referred to when I feel like I have a shaft problem (instead of a swing problem).

Shaft Flex importance

How to pick the right flex

Here's another one from Brent Kelley:

Understanding Shaft Flex