Golf Equipment – Importance Of The Shaft
The shaft of your club can really hurt your game, especially in your driver. Before you can understand this, you need to comprehend why the ball goes straight or curves after you hit it. When your club face impacts the ball, it should be square, simple as that. If it is not, your ball will not go straight. If you get to the ball and your club is open, guess what, its going to be a push or fade. If its closed it is probably going to be a pull or draw. In the extreme of both cases, you will have a slice or a hook. Your shaft can directly effect the position of the club face at impact. Your shaft bends on the upswing and on the downswing. On your downswing, the club face is behind your hands because the shaft is bending back. If your shaft doesn’t catch up with your hands before impact, your ball will not go the way you want it to. The harder and faster you swing speed is, the more force you put on the shaft to bend.
Another aspect of the shaft is the shaft torque. This involves how the shaft twists when you swing. When you downswing, air is pushing against the face of your club. This air pushing on the face is causing the shaft to twist so the the club face is open slightly. Once again, the faster you swing, the more the shaft is going to twist.
These two concepts on shafts will greatly impact the flight of your ball. This is why you must have the correct shaft. I know it gets kinda complicated, but the golf experts out there have it set up so we don’t have to think about it too much.
Golf manufacturers have five basic levels of shaft stiffness. The most flexible shaft is called Ladies. You guessed it, its for women. More importantly, it is for people who swing at 70mph or less. The next level up is called A flex. It is for swing speeds of 70-85mph. The next level is called Regular and is for 80-95mph swing speeds. Next up is Stiff and it is for 90-105 swing speeds. Finally, there is extra stiff which is for 105+ mph. Once again:
X – 105+
S – 90-105
R – 80-95
A – 70-85
L – 70 or less
The shaft torque or its ability to resist twisting during the downswing, is usually stated in degrees. The higher the number, the more resistant it is to twisting. The lower the number, the less resistant. When considering the torque number that is right for you, you need to examine your swing. If you have a swing that is very strong on the down swing and has a late release, then you need a lower torque. Probably no higher than 3. If you have a smooth swing with good rhythm, you don’t need a torque any lower than about 3.
If your can’t get the flight pattern you are looking for in your drives, or maybe you just cant hit good drives, you should think about getting a new shaft. I am never one to tell someone to get a new shaft if they are hitting the ball well, however, if you are playing with the wrong shaft and you still hit the ball well, you have probably adjusted your swing to fit the shaft. For example, if you have shaft that is too flexible for you, you have to slow your swing down in order to hit it straight. This could be holding you back. If your swing speed does not match your shaft, you should at least try the shaft that is rated for you. You might hit your drives even better than you already do. So go down to your golf equipment store and see what is available.
For more check out my blog on How To Buy Golf Equipment.
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