Re-Shafting
The shaft is the engine or to be more exact, the transmission of the golf club. It transfers the energy from the golfer's swing and transmits it to the club head. It is essential that the right shafts are fitted to suit your swing for optimum performance.
The following are the primary elements you may want to consider when choosing a shaft. Understanding how each of these elements works will help you in your choice of which shafts will best suit your requirements.
All shaft manufacturers carried, call for prices.
The shaft is the engine or to be more exact, the transmission of the golf club. It transfers the energy from the golfer's swing and transmits it to the club head. It is essential that the right shafts are fitted to suit your swing for optimum performance.
The following are the primary elements you may want to consider when choosing a shaft. Understanding how each of these elements works will help you in your choice of which shafts will best suit your requirements.
All shaft manufacturers carried, call for prices.
Flex - Torque - Weight - Launch - Bend Point - Length - Spin
Flex
Refers to how the shaft bends during a golf swing. The flex impacts trajectory, accuracy and distance of your shot. Although, there is no industry standard for how stiff any of the shaft flex codes are. So what could be considered stiff to one manufacturer could be classed slightly differently to another manufacturer. Generally, for right-handed players, if the shaft is too soft the ball will go to the left, too stiff and the ball will go to the right. The opposite effects occur for left-handed players.
Refers to how the shaft bends during a golf swing. The flex impacts trajectory, accuracy and distance of your shot. Although, there is no industry standard for how stiff any of the shaft flex codes are. So what could be considered stiff to one manufacturer could be classed slightly differently to another manufacturer. Generally, for right-handed players, if the shaft is too soft the ball will go to the left, too stiff and the ball will go to the right. The opposite effects occur for left-handed players.
|
Torque
Refers to the amount of twist in the shaft during the downswing. Torque measures a shaft's resistance to twisting. Torque value is expressed in degrees. The lower the degree of torque, the more resistance the shaft will have to twisting. Steel shafts have a lower degree of torque than graphite and therefore torque is a higher factor when choosing graphite. Generally, if a golfer has a fast, strong swing and generates a lot of club-head speed then they will require a lower degree of torque. Although, with graphite, to achieve that lower degree of torque you have to increase the weight of the shaft. Increasing the weight of the shaft will cause lower club-head speed. A fine balance needs to be accomplished when selecting the correct flex, weight and torque. |
|
note: shaft weight is displayed on shaft along with flex and torque. (70grams - 3.2torque - stiff flex)
Weight
Refers to the weight of the shaft. The lower the weight, the faster the club can be swung with less effort. Club-head speed can be increased by a lighter shaft which will result in greater distances. Although, it is harder to lower the torque on a lighter shaft and this is where the cost of graphite shafts can increase. Shaft weight is expressed in grams and a low weight graphite shaft can be around 45 grams. A heavy weight graphite shaft can be as much as 120 grams and up to 140 grams for steel.
Refers to the weight of the shaft. The lower the weight, the faster the club can be swung with less effort. Club-head speed can be increased by a lighter shaft which will result in greater distances. Although, it is harder to lower the torque on a lighter shaft and this is where the cost of graphite shafts can increase. Shaft weight is expressed in grams and a low weight graphite shaft can be around 45 grams. A heavy weight graphite shaft can be as much as 120 grams and up to 140 grams for steel.
Launch
Refers to the launch angle of the golf ball's initial angle of ascent immediately after impact,
measured in degrees. Launch goes hand-in-hand with bend-point. The loft of a club will have more impact on the flight of the ball. Although, if two identical club heads were fitted with shafts with different characteristics then there would be noticeably different results, provided the swing could be 100% duplicated.
Refers to the launch angle of the golf ball's initial angle of ascent immediately after impact,
measured in degrees. Launch goes hand-in-hand with bend-point. The loft of a club will have more impact on the flight of the ball. Although, if two identical club heads were fitted with shafts with different characteristics then there would be noticeably different results, provided the swing could be 100% duplicated.
|
Bend Point
Bend-point, kick-point or flex-point is the point at which the shaft bends during a swing. Bend-point is responsible for the trajectory and launch angle of the flight of the golf ball. Knowing where the bend-point is on a shaft will help you select the type of shaft for the type of shot you want to create. A high bend-point will generate a lower ball flight and a low bend-point will generate a higher ball flight. |
|
Length
A golf club's length is measured from the heel of the club to the butt end of the grip. Club length over the past few years has been increasing, especially with drivers and putters. Equipment must conform to "USGA" and "The R&A" regulations to be permitted for use in competition. The minimum length that a club must be is 18", the maximum length is 48". This length does not account for putters. Although, in January 2016 new rules come into play where anchoring of putters will be banned but there has been no official mention of length.
A golf club's length is measured from the heel of the club to the butt end of the grip. Club length over the past few years has been increasing, especially with drivers and putters. Equipment must conform to "USGA" and "The R&A" regulations to be permitted for use in competition. The minimum length that a club must be is 18", the maximum length is 48". This length does not account for putters. Although, in January 2016 new rules come into play where anchoring of putters will be banned but there has been no official mention of length.
Spin
The spin or spin rate relates to the amount of backspin of a golf ball after immediate impact. Most people these days are concerned with the amount of spin they are generating from the driver. Less spin is sought with the driver because the objective of the tee is to promote distance and roll and to minimize backspin. The amount of spin that a golfer desires is dependent upon the individual’s needs for the shot at hand. A much higher spin rate is beneficial for wedge play, because maximizing control and stop around the greens is paramount.
The spin or spin rate relates to the amount of backspin of a golf ball after immediate impact. Most people these days are concerned with the amount of spin they are generating from the driver. Less spin is sought with the driver because the objective of the tee is to promote distance and roll and to minimize backspin. The amount of spin that a golfer desires is dependent upon the individual’s needs for the shot at hand. A much higher spin rate is beneficial for wedge play, because maximizing control and stop around the greens is paramount.
Parrallel & Taper Tip
There are other things in a shafts make-up to consider when selecting Parallel and Taper Tips, Tip Size and Butt Size.
There are two ends of the shaft to consider. The butt end (the end to which the grip is fitted) and the tip which fits into the club-head. There are two different types of tip, parallel and taper-tip. The parallel-tip shaft is a constant diameter from the last step down to the tip of the shaft. The idea of this is that one shaft can be manufactured to fit all irons and one shaft can be manufactured to fit all woods. To obtain the correct flex with a parallel-tipped shaft, the shaft is cut from the tip end at the appropriate point to achieve the correct flex. Then the shaft is cut from the butt end to achieve the desired length. The taper-tip shaft, as the name indicates, tapers down from the last step in the shaft. Taper-tip shafts are manufactured to the correct length and flex for each club so it is important that the correct shaft is fitted to the corresponding club. A 3 iron shaft would fit into an 8 iron, for example, but it would play far too soft in flex and would be too long. To obtain the desired length for a taper-tipped shaft, the club should be cut to length from the butt end, after the tip end has been fitted into the hosel of the club-head.
Tip Sizes
The tip diameter is a measurement of the circumference of the shaft at the tip and is expressed in inches. There are generally four different tip sizes available and are as follows: .335, .350, .355 and .370. There are others such as the Wilson over fit shaft (fat shaft) manufactured by True Temper and Apollo which measures in at .500 but most the common are .335, .350, .355 and .370. smaller sizes, .355, .350 and .355 are what a wood would usually require and .355 and .370 for irons but this is not a steadfast rule as club manufacturers are constantly changing the sizes they fit.
Butt Sizes
The Butt diameter is a measurement of the circumference of the end of the shaft where the grip is fitted and is expressed in inches. There are many different butt sizes available but as a rule, most shafts have around a .580 to .610 measurement. Manufactures make many different sizes due to the configuration of their shafts, flex, torque and length are many of the variables. Grip sizing is important when butt sizes are not "standard". Generally grips have an inside core dimension of either .580 or .600. Fitting a .580 grip on a .610 shaft would make the grip thicker than if it were fitted on a .580 shaft. This is because as the wall of the grip becomes thinner the higher the grip core size number is. Conversely, if a .600 grip was fitted on a .580 shaft the grip would feel thinner. When selecting a shaft, pay attention to all the shaft specs as a shaft with a very larger butt end may make fitting a grip awkward or over sized for your hands.
FLO (Flat Line Oscillation)
During a golf swing, the shaft will cause the club head to oscillate. It is more prominent during the down swing as there is more power being applied to the golf club and it will affect the shot. To minimize this movement, the shaft will require spinning or the identification of the FLO (flat line oscillation) point.
Mid to high handicap golfers whose swings are not so consistent will probably not notice this oscillation, but low handicap golfers will notice the benefits of the FLO point. This is not to say that all golf shafts have serious flaws during the manufacturing process. However, it is almost impossible to produce shafts that are perfect and that have precisely the same stiffness in all possible directions of bending without extensive manufacturing which would increase the cost of shafts dramatically. Top quality shafts do have very high accuracy and consistency but, spinning or identifying the FLO point is the way to guarantee that the shaft will perform to its highest potential.
The following process identifies the FLO (flat line oscillation )of the shaft. The butt end of the shaft is put into a rubber shaft clamp and placed into a vice. A small 205 gram weight with a laser is attached to the tip of the shaft then the tip is pulled down 4 to 6 inches and let go. This method is called twanging. Ideally the shaft tip will bounce perfectly straight up and down without any curving oscillation. If you notice that the shaft's tip start sby moving straight up and down then making a circular motion, changing into a horizontal back and forth motion, a circular motion in the opposite direction and even a straight up and down motion again. What this shows is that if the shaft is positioned in the least optimal position it would be very inconsistent. FLO should be obtained when the spine is in the correct position, i.e, pointing towards the ceiling and twanging performed with that position in mind.
The shaft is then fitted into the club with the shaft's spine/FLO point aiming towards the target.
Laser light example of shaft twanging.
Note: The straight up and down motion of the shaft tip. This demonstrates perfect FLO (flat line oscillation) |
Laser light example of shaft twanging.
Note: The oscillation of the shaft tip. This circular motion demonstrates the inconsistencies of the shaft when not fitted in the correct position. |
