Some Popular Golf Club Shaft Misconceptions
Most people believe that a shaft that is too soft bends backwards at impact. This is not possible. The reason being as the wrists release, the shaft accelerates, and the arms slow down making the shaft bend forward. This is the reason that softer shafts fly higher than stiffer shafts as the force applied is at the grip end of the club. Given sufficient energy (club speed) the grip end of the club and the centre of gravity of the club head will be generally on the same line resulting in the head always being ahead of the shaft at release.
People also believe that the shaft is the engine of the club. It’s not, as the shaft is an inanimate object. The golfer is the engine; the shaft merely transfers the energy.
Another thing we hear all the time is the shaft is all that matters and just get me the right shaft and my club will work better. Well, we have news for the average golfer, they could have a shaft that matches their DNA but if the head is the wrong loft or has poorly matched centre of gravity they are out of luck.
A good example would be a golfer wanting to re-shaft their 9-degree driver. So, we check their delivery on the GCQuad, which shows a launch angle of 7 degrees with a ball speed of 110 mph. It matters little what kind of shaft you put in that driver as it will never work for that golfer. In this case as in most cases the club head is more important than the shaft.
Loft, face angle and centre of gravity will almost always take precedence over the characteristics of the shaft. Also, it is wise to bear in mind that no major manufacturer would deliberately put an ill-suited shaft in their golf clubs.
The club path, angle of attack and face angle at impact are the main culprits for your misses. The shaft cannot really correct path, angle of attack or manipulation of face angle.
We have tested and hit numerous drives long and straight with a shaft flex akin to overcooked spaghetti, so if the shaft were responsible for straightness this would be impossible. The shaft is more responsible for trajectory and energy transfer. Your coach should be able to help improve your dispersion far more than a shaft can.
Another point to consider when looking at or testing shafts is do not automatically believe the manufacturers’ published flex for any given shaft as they all have different criteria that determine shafts stiffness. This is not to say that they are inconsistent.
What we are not saying is that the proper balance flex, torque and weight in a shaft that matches golf clubs that are properly fit for all other parameters will not make a difference, as it will, but it is not the only or the most important parts of the club!
The shaft is the single fitting parameter that becomes more important as the player becomes more advanced. The reason for this is the more advanced the player generally the more they can “feel” what the shaft is doing. However, sadly it is often the less skilled golfers who believes the answer is in just the shafts
