Shaft Flex Question

[mdr817]

Since I started playing back in September, I have gained confidence as well as swing speed. I'm hitting my 7 iron about 150 yards straight. I also have been using Regular Flex shafts and thinking of moving to Stiff Flex shafts. What would you advice? Thanks!

Golf =

[andre112]

general guide line:
if your 6i is averaging 170y, you could use a stiff flex.
if not, regular is fine.

from my experience:
if you switch to stiff, you are gonna lose some distance probably 1 club or so.
it might force you to swing faster to get the same distance you are hitting now.
whether that's a good thing or not, it's up to you i guess.

[Shindig]

general guide line:

Wait, what's this about stiff flex costing you distance when you get to it? How does that work?

I understand why it would cost me distance (6i = 135 yards) if I were to switch to it now. But why if someone swings that fast would it cost them then?

[mdr817]

general guide line:

Thanks for the reply.

So what's the real purpose of having a stiff flex?

[andre112]

Wait, what's this about stiff flex costing you distance when you get to it? How does that work?

sorry

I meant from my experience i hit my 7i about 150y with regular and when i tried stiff flex i hit about 1 club shorter. a friend of mine hits his stiff ben hogan apex edge 7i about 145y but he didn't want to swing so hard to keep that distance so when he bought cleveland cg1 with reg, his 7i goes 160 yard. see if other ppl with faster swing speed have the same experience.

Thanks for the reply.

when ppl have a faster swing speed the shaft becomes whippy and doesn't kick as consistance. so they have stiffer flex.

[thumper07]

a regular flex shaft has a bigger whip action to it so when you have a slower swing speed it will make up for that with the shaft unloading back through the ball. when you swing faster with a regular flex it becomes harder to control the release point of the club. a stiffer flex shaft has less whip in it if it was being swung by the same person that was using the regular, thus giving you a touch better feel but at the cost of that shaft not unloading like the regular flex did.

i know thats not professionally written but i believe it is correct. If i am wrong feel free to correct me.

-matt

[Shindig]

sorry

Nothing to be sorry about. Your experience might be the general rule. I was just curious if there was something (else) that I didn't understand.

[NM Golf]

Wait, what's this about stiff flex costing you distance when you get to it? How does that work?

It doesn't make sense because it is totally incorrect.

general guide line:

If you switch to a stiffer shaft and lose a lot of distance then you have no business switching to a stiffer shaft. If your swing speed speed warrants a switch you should lose very very little or no distance whatsoever.

In no way should such a switch cause you to lose an entire club, thats ridiculous. The basic rule is this. Stiffer= Straighter and less stiff= farther. But this is only true if you are borderlined between two flexes. And even then it would be minimal. For example, if your swing speed is 120 MPH you should be in a x-stiff. Hitting a regular flex would cause a drop in both distance and accuracy. In addition, you cannot calculate what shaft flex is correct for you by measuring the distances you hit your clubs. The only way to correctly calculate shaft flex is to get on a swing monitor and have it calculate your club head speed. Once you have your club head speed then you need to look at things like tempo. For instance if your club head speed is 95 MPH then that is borderline between regular and stiff. If you have a nice smooth, easy tempo, then you might want to go with a regular flex. If you swing fast and hard you'd be better served with a stiff flex.

sorry

My thoughts would be if it cost you 10 yards:

1. Your swing speed is no where near fast enough for stiff shafts. 2. The lofts on the clubs are not the same. 3. Different length shafts Your friend has two different clubs each having a different loft for the 7 iron. Yeah both say 7 but that doesn't mean they have the same loft. Other differences include forgiveness, swingweight, and possibly shaft length. When I switched irons I got the exact same shafts put in my new set. I still lost about a club in distance. Couldn't be the shaft its the same, its the head. Don't compare apple to oranges.

[andre112]

It doesn't make sense because it is totally incorrect.

i feel embarrassed posting something that's totally incorrect... :(

thanks for clearing that up

[Alex B]

I ordered regular-shafted irons this spring, and received them extra-stiff. My results with them are inconsistent. I hit my 7-iron about 145 yards. Should I switch to a regular-flex?

[JonnyGolf]

i feel embarrassed posting something that's totally incorrect... :(

What you were saying was headed in the right direction. In general, if someone is hitting a 7i 150yds, then their swing speed probably does not warrant a stiff shaft. I think that the original poster, like many inexperienced golfers, believe a stiffer shaft will deliver more distance. And that is what is really incorrect. That said, choosing a shaft flex based on yardage with a particular club is not valid. They should definitely get some swing speed work done with a qualified club fitter before deciding whether a change is in order.

[Boosty16]

I hit my 7 iron 175-180 and i use x-stiff. With that yardage you need to be hitting regular flex. You probably dont get any height on your shots either due to the shaft not being in sync with your swing speed.

[NM Golf]

What you were saying was headed in the right direction.

True. I also believe that there is an ego factor involved sometimes as well. Guys love to say "Oh, I need an extra -stiff shaft cause I hit the ball so far." Whereas they do themselves and their games a disservice. Either way, the only way to get the proper fit for a golf club is to go and get fitted by a qualified retailer.

[wachesawgolfer]

As stated, shaft flex can vary a little from ideal. I think it is better to be a little too stiff, than too soft in irons. I think the argument you get more distance from softer shafts applies more to driver/woods than irons. With irons if the shaft is too soft, the ball flight is high but lacks punch as the shaft hasn't enough backbone to transfer power. A little soft can feel great but cost you distance. If your swing is reasonably sound and your impact position is good, a little too stiff will not hurt. A lot stiff will feel very boardy and cause harsh feeling. You should feel a shaft is too stiff after just a few hits, but its harder to tell a shaft is too soft. A 7iron @ 150 is stiff per True Temper's web fit.

[Everardo]

I ordered regular-shafted irons this spring, and received them extra-stiff. My results with them are inconsistent. I hit my 7-iron about 145 yards. Should I switch to a regular-flex?

I hate using this as a reference because there are still too many variables. Like if the player compresses that ball, what ball is used, the loft of the said 7-iron, altitude, weather conditions, etc.

Also I have using a persons handicap as a factor for shaft flex. I know many old men with slow swing speeds but are scratch golfers. The only way to truely know is to be fit by a professional.

[NM Golf]

i feel embarrassed posting something that's totally incorrect... :(

Don't be embarrassed, what you said was not entirely incorrect. The basic gist was true. Plus, part of the reason we are on this forum is to trade ideas, pass on advice, and learn about golf. Don't be afraid to contribute, if your wrong then you learn something.

[ks8829]

I currently hit my 8 iron 150 yards and use a regular flex shaft.

[mancest]

As stated, shaft flex can vary a little from ideal. I think it is better to be a little too stiff, than too soft in irons. I think the argument you get more distance from softer shafts applies more to driver/woods than irons. With irons if the shaft is too soft, the ball flight is high but lacks punch as the shaft hasn't enough backbone to transfer power. A little soft can feel great but cost you distance. If your swing is reasonably sound and your impact position is good, a little too stiff will not hurt. A lot stiff will feel very boardy and cause harsh feeling. You should feel a shaft is too stiff after just a few hits, but its harder to tell a shaft is too soft. A 7iron @ 150 is stiff per True Temper's web fit.

This is what I would agree with, I have DG S300 on my irons and DG Wedge flex on my sand wedge. Irons I am very concerned with having accuracy and consistent distance, so I think a stiff flex will help me more then the regular flex. When I got fitted for my irons the fitter recommended stiff, otherwise I would have stayed with regular.

I have always had R flex in my woods, and I think I have always been on the cusp of R and S flex. I play in a very windy area, so maybe I should rethink that. I went to Golfsmith the other day to demo a couple fairway woods, and without warmup or my regular golf attire (incl. shoes) I was about 90-93 mph swing speed. Figure I am normally averaging around 95. Just my two cents and where I am at.