Shaft Flex 101 for Dummies

[TropicalSandTrap]

Ok, I understand the difference between the shafts basics, but these days trying to look deeper into it is like reading an engineering book. Soft tip, stepped on, kick point, weight, torque 

Can somebody dumb it down for me. 

I am right on the edge of stiff and regular. My swing speed could allow me to go stiff, but I don't mind using regular and don't need to feed my ego with a stiff. But what are some of the specifics in a shaft that would impact whether a flex is a firmer regular or a softer stiff flex than others?

[Piz]

The make and model for starters.  A, R, S, and X, are relative designations; useful for ball-park estimates but not specific enough on their own.  Fortunately...it doesn't matter.  If a club feels good to you, and you hit it well, the letters on the shaft band are irrelevant.  And given the wide variety of offerings, by different manufacturers, it is difficult to see how it could be otherwise.  

[TropicalSandTrap]

I understand that all manufacturers are different, etc...

 

but im not sure what I should be looking for in the specs. 

Like I go to ebay for look for callaway optifit shafts and there are a ton of options for $40-$80. I try to research them and don't know what the specs even mean. 

 

And i I don't have access to a professional fitting with a launch monitor etc so that's not an option. Need to go the trial and error route. 

[boogielicious]

1 hour ago, TropicalSandTrap said:

I understand that all manufacturers are different, etc...

 

but im not sure what I should be looking for in the specs. 

Like I go to ebay for look for callaway optifit shafts and there are a ton of options for $40-$80. I try to research them and don't know what the specs even mean. 

 

And i I don't have access to a professional fitting with a launch monitor etc so that's not an option. Need to go the trial and error route. 

I've found Ralph Maltby's site pretty informative. If you know a shaft you like, you can match new ones up to it using his rating system.

http://ralphmaltby.com/what-is-my-mpf-rating/

GolfWorks then sorts there shafts using that rating system after they've tested it.

https://www.golfworks.com/

 

[MarvChamp]

I suggest you study various shaft makers' descriptions of their shafts characteristics. Then find a way to check your swing speed, launch angles and the like.

I  have a slow swing speed at my age. I have so-called senior shafts in some clubs, regular in others and regular with one soft step in others. Some are lightweight steel and some are graphite. (I have multiple iron sets.) All were more or less fitted for me by a professional friend who took into account weight of shaft, clubhead and overall.weight plus my desired torque and launch angles ( I like a higher launching shaft). All are great but only the Project X stands out to my "feel". I think finally it comes down to what feels right when you swing it.  Good luck...It took me a long time to work through all this.  -Marv

[saevel25]

6 hours ago, TropicalSandTrap said:

Ok, I understand the difference between the shafts basics, but these days trying to look deeper into it is like reading an engineering book. Soft tip, stepped on, kick point, weight, torque 

• Kick point is where the shaft tends to flex from.
• Weight is self explainatory
• Torque is how much the shaft resists the club head turning round the axis of the golf shaft. Imagine hitting a toe shot. A shaft with a low torque value will resist the club face opening up from a toe strike
• Stepping is changing the flex of the golf shaft by cutting the shaft a certain way or putting the golf shaft of a higher or lower number club in a the clubhead you want. So lets say put an 8 iron shaft into a 9 iron would be soft stepping.
• Tip flex is just how flexible the golf shaft is down by the clubhead.

4 hours ago, TropicalSandTrap said:

but im not sure what I should be looking for in the specs. 

You may never find the specs for all the characteristics.

 

[TropicalSandTrap]

Thanks for the info. 

 

I have a Bassara e 42 regular flex. I can't seem to tell the difference between that and the stiff flex. At first I thought it was the torque at 6 (with the assumption that closer to 2 would be stiffer), but the stiff has almost the same torque. 

 

[iacas]

8 hours ago, saevel25 said:

Kick point is where the shaft tends to flex from.

Also, IIRC, the highest kick point to the lowest kick point is only a difference of about two inches.

[saevel25]

48 minutes ago, iacas said:

Also, IIRC, the highest kick point to the lowest kick point is only a difference of about two inches.

Really, I didn't know that. I believe kick point does have a decent amount of influence over launch angle, though I could be wrong. 

[TropicalSandTrap]

What is the measurement or specification that actullay measures the flex stiffness?  Or is it just a combination of all the specs and manufacturer decides what to label it?

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, TropicalSandTrap said:

What is the measurement or specification that actullay measures the flex stiffness?  Or is it just a combination of all the specs and manufacturer decides what to label it?

You can measure CPM or other types of things, but most often… yeah… it's just whatever the manufacturer calls it.

33 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

Really, I didn't know that. I believe kick point does have a decent amount of influence over launch angle, though I could be wrong. 

It does. Depending on what you mean by "a decent amount."

[saevel25]

1 minute ago, TropicalSandTrap said:

What is the measurement or specification that actullay measures the flex stiffness?  Or is it just a combination of all the specs and manufacturer decides what to label it?

There are a few ways. 

One is frequency matching. You'll see this rating more in golf shafts like Project X. They have the number 5.0 or 6.0 as an example. 

Other people believe in knowing the bend profile. http://www.golfshaftreviews.info/understand-golf-shaft-stiffness-ratings/. These guys will measure how the golf shaft bends along the entire length of the golf shaft and produce a bend profile. 

Basically the usage of regular flex, stiff flex, x-stiff flex is just a way for golf shaft manufacturers to create slightly different golf shafts with in the same make and model. It's more of a fine tuning. 

[TropicalSandTrap]

thanks for the info. That's good to know. 

 

Im at that point where I could go stiff or regular (hit 8 iron from 150, 4H from 200), but I take the view of error on the side of a smooth swing. But every time I get a little wild with a hook or something I start second guessing whether a stiffer shaft would add to control. Head games more than anythiNg. 

I thought torque was more than anything the main component for stiff, and that is why I ha she visions of regular shafts flailing all over with a stiff shaft nice and controlled. But I see my driver shaft has almost the same torque whether it is stiff or regular, so no big deal I guess. 

 

Moving forward, the ease of callaway in just switching shafts out and they don't seem too expensive I wouldn't mind trying some others. What are some specs you might look for?  I know that's a super loaded personal preference question, but hearing other people's preferences and why can be helpful. 

 

Thanks again. Good information. 

MY old 3W had a project X 5.5 shaft and I liked that one

[Buckeyebowman]

2 hours ago, saevel25 said:

Really, I didn't know that. I believe kick point does have a decent amount of influence over launch angle, though I could be wrong. 

It does, But, that's how important the space of 2" in a shaft can be!

2 hours ago, TropicalSandTrap said:

What is the measurement or specification that actullay measures the flex stiffness?  Or is it just a combination of all the specs and manufacturer decides what to label it?

Like Iacas said. It's whatever the manufacturer wants to call it! I will put this in caps so the message doesn't get lost. THERE ARE NO OBJECTIVE STANDARDS REGARDING SHAFT FLEX! Got it?

[saevel25]

Just now, Buckeyebowman said:

THERE ARE NO OBJECTIVE STANDARDS REGARDING SHAFT FLEX! Got it?

THANK YOU FOR YELLING IT!!! 

[scotth]

15 hours ago, boogielicious said:

I've found Ralph Maltby's site pretty informative. If you know a shaft you like, you can match new ones up to it using his rating system.

http://ralphmaltby.com/what-is-my-mpf-rating/

Not sure how the link above really helps.  After answering questions it tells me I am a 3B3M and when I click the link that says choose the right shaft for you have several shafts presented.

I still have to pick a flex after selecting a shaft.  Am I missing something?  Guess I don't understand how the mpf thing is helping.

[WUTiger]

Here are some comments on shaft flexes which I provided recently to  @Shindig:

Shaft Flex Comparisons

 

[Shindig]

57 minutes ago, scotth said:

Not sure how the link above really helps.  After answering questions it tells me I am a 3B3M and when I click the link that says choose the right shaft for you have several shafts presented.

I still have to pick a flex after selecting a shaft.  Am I missing something?  Guess I don't understand how the mpf thing is helping.

Different flexes have different ABCD markings in their catalog.  For example, suppose you wanted these shafts:

https://www.golfworks.com/kbs-560-580-series-iron-shafts/p/FS0044/

(I am not endorsing these, nor am I saying anything bad about them -- I don't even really know anything about these shafts.  Just using them as an example of a shaft that has a 3B3M option)

The regular flex for both the 560 and 580 are 3B3M.  The stiff flex for both is 4B3M.  

Click the link to the shafts and scroll down about 1/3 of the way and you'll see a table with that info.