Am I going against the grain when it comes to shafts?

[drewasem]

Hello All,

This is my first post and I sought the site out because I have recently been curious to get others feedback on my question.

I have been playing golf for almost 20 years and have always been considered a decent player. I have always stepped up in shaft stiffness as I got faster swing speeds.

My Dilema: I have always been a poor driver of the ball. That is probably the weakest part of my game. For years I have not been able to be consistent. I am not short off the tee so I am never concerned about distance for me it has always been control. I recently played three straight rounds with my father while visiting him. I did not bring my own clubs so I rented but I used his driver the entire three days. He plays the Cobra Fly Z, Regular Flex, 55grams(senior weight and flex).While playing I had never been so consistent off the tee and did not notice any loss in distance.

My Question: I have an average swing speed of 107mph with my driver. Why do you think that everything I have ever read and believed has always told me that I should be using stiff to x-stiff and heavier grammed shafts? Again, the only reason I am posting is because I have never hit the ball better off the tee and I just want to know everyone else thoughts on "am I going against the norm, and should just believe that stiffer shafts are best for me?"

Thank you in advance for anyone else thoughts and experiences.

dan

[flopster]

Swinging that softer shaft probably made you concentrate on swinging with good tempo and thus the better driving day.

[billchao]

@drewasem , there isn't a hard rule about shaft weight and flex vs swing speed. There isn't even an industry standard on shaft stiffness. Some faster swingers play better with lighter shafts, some don't. That's why it's important to get fit for your swing.

[Kenny Lee]

I play regular shafts even though my swing speed would indicate stiff shafts.

[JazzFatCat]

My understanding of shaft stiffness is that it has less to do with swing speed and more to do more with transition, tempo, and lag release point. Plus there are no industry standards for stiffness...

http://www.golfwrx.com/44239/wishon-taking-shaft-fitting-from-guessing-to-specifics

[cooke119]

I would forget about stiff, x-stiff, regular, etc. and just go buy a Cobra Fly Z, Regular Flex, 55grams (senior weight and flex) driver. We tend to over think this game too much and listen to all the hype, myself included. I have bought and sold more drivers / shafts than I care to think about. I have a Cobra S3 three wood, regular shaft, that I have used for years and hit very well. I recently thought, why didn't I ever try the S3 driver? So I looked up on E-Bay and found a new Cobra S3 driver, regular flex, for $89.00. Now the S3 is before the Amp Cell, Bio Cell and Fly-Z, has got to be five to six years (maybe more) "out of date." I hit the hell out of it, and straight! When I think of all the money I have wasted on other Cobra, Cleveland, TaylorMade, and Callaway drivers my head hurts. I have sold most of them (for a loss) but still have a few. They will stay in the garage for a long time. I guess I'm saying when you find something that works don't worry about all the BS out there.

[Lihu]

My understanding of shaft stiffness is that it has less to do with swing speed and more to do more with transition, tempo, and lag release point. Plus there are no industry standards for stiffness... [URL=http://www.golfwrx.com/44239/wishon-taking-shaft-fitting-from-guessing-to-specifics]http://www.golfwrx.com/44239/wishon-taking-shaft-fitting-from-guessing-to-specifics[/URL]

The article states that swing speed is a starting point, but the transition dictates the shaft someone should use. There was a reference to 3 golfers with a 100mph SS and yet all three require different shafts.

[WUTiger]

In recent years, golf researchers have determined that clubhead speed is only one factor in helping one select proper shaft stiffness.

Your transition move as top is also important. People with a quick transition to downswing would need stiffer shafts than those with a smoother transition. (This factor shows up in the Mizuno shaft optimize r numbers.

When in doubt, get on a launch monitor and see which {Head + Shaft} combo give you the best numbers.

[stealthhwk]

Other factors such as kick point, loft and head shape also come into play. NEVER put yourself in a box when it comes to golf equipment. As others have mentioned, theres not enough standardization to do that. Buy and play what u like and what suits your game above all else. And sounds to me like the cobra might be a good fit.