
When To Move To A Stiffer Shaft?
- Feels ‘whippy’ in your hands.
- Feels too light.
- Your ball is ballooning in the air.
- Your ball is behind your pitch mark when you hit your driver.
- You ball spins to much on the greens when you approach with your irons.
- Your accuracy has dropped.
- You start hitting hooks.
- Your ball flight is very high.
What happens when a golf shaft is too flexible?
When a golf shaft is too flexible, you will not be able to hit the ball straight. You will also end up losing a bit of distance. When a golf shaft is too flexible, it isn’t easy to control the clubface and get it to square up at impact. Faster swinging players are the golfers that need to worry about a shaft that is too flexible.
Should golf beginners play with a stiff shaft?
Stiffness or Flex
- Swing Speed. The stiffness or flex of the shaft is a much-neglected aspect of your golfing equipment as most golfers are more interested in the brand, or technical features, or ...
- Indications. ...
- Over Correcting. ...
- Classification. ...
- Beware, Don’t Over-Compensate. ...
What happens if shafts are too stiff?
What Happens If My Shaft Is Too Stiff?
- Struggle To Hit The Ball Far And High. One of the most significant indicators of a too stiff golf shaft is that you struggle to hit the ball high.
- Hitting Slices And Fades. ...
- Decreased Swing And Ball Speed. ...
- Inconsistent Contact. ...
What happens if golf shaft is too flexible?
- Golf ball flying too high
- Difficulty feeling like you can control where the golf ball goes
- No consistency in shots
- Continually missing shots to the left or hitting hooks
- Feeling like you aren’t getting the full distance potential out of your shots

How do I know if my golf shafts are too stiff?
If your driver's shaft is too stiff, the clubhead may not square with the ball at the point of impact, causing slices and fades. If you can't feel the weight of the clubhead loading through the shaft, it's probably too stiff, and can cause errors and issues associated with accuracy such as these.
What happens if iron shafts are too stiff?
Is Your Golf Shaft Too Stiff? If your golf shaft is too stiff and your swing speed is too slow, your well-struck shot will be limited on both carry distance and shot trajectory; a too-stiff golf shaft will most often lead to weak fades or slices.
How do you know if you need a stiffer shaft?
To check your swing speed a shot tracking device will be the most accurate method. Based on your swing speeds here are our recommendations: 80-95 mph swing speeds should use regular shafts. 90-105 mph swing speeds should use stiff shafts.
Will too stiff a shaft cause a slice?
When the shaft is too stiff, you won't be able to get enough spin on the ball, causing it to come out very low, and look like it's falling out of the sky. If it's too stiff, your shot shape will be from left to right (slice), the clubhead won't be able to return to square because the shaft is too stiff.
What happens if shaft is too soft?
When a golf shaft is too flexible, you will not be able to hit the ball straight. You will also end up losing a bit of distance. When a golf shaft is too flexible, it isn't easy to control the clubface and get it to square up at impact.
Do pros use stiff shafts?
Most PGA Tour pros will use stiff or extra stiff in their shafts. It is rare to find someone swinging a regular shaft with the amount of swing speed those guys have.
What swing speed requires a stiff shaft?
between 97 and 104 mphStiff – This range is still considered fast, but you most likely won't be out on Tour anytime soon. If you're between 97 and 104 mph with the driver, you need a stiff flex. Regular – Now we are getting into the range where a majority of recreational golfers fall, and also where many LPGA pros fall.
What swing speed requires a stiff shaft for irons?
between 90-105 mphWho should use stiff flex irons? The starting point for this is swing speed, if you swing your driver between 90-105 mph then you will probably need a stiff shaft. This will benefit you by delivering great control of your club during your swing and stop you spraying it everywhere.
What swing speed requires a stiff shaft for irons?
If you're swinging the driver above 105 mph, it might be time to get some X stiff shafts in your set. Stiff – This range is still considered fast, but you most likely won't be out on Tour anytime soon. If you're between 97 and 104 mph with the driver, you need a stiff flex.
Can a high handicapper use stiff shafts?
Stiff shafts are appropriate for men with single-digit handicaps as well as some with handicaps 10 to 15 who have high clubhead speed. Stiff flex is available in graphite or steel.
What swing speed requires a stiff shaft?
In general, golfers with driver swing speeds over 95 mph should play stiff flex shafts, and those under 95 mph should play regular flex. Shafts also come in extra stiff (105+ mph) and senior flex (under 85 mph).
How to tell if your golf shaft is too stiff?
One of the biggest indicators that your golf shaft is too stiff is that you are having trouble hitting the ball high. If you have a low swing speed and the shaft is too stiff, any well-struck ball will have a limit on the shot trajectory and the carry distance.
What happens if a golf shaft is too flexy?
On the other hand, a shaft with too much flex will create too much lag, making it difficult to control the clubface and achieve consistent contact.
How does shaft flex affect golf swing?
The amount of flex you need in your club’s shaft depends primarily on your swing speed. Once you find the right shaft flex, you’ll notice your distance and accuracy improving, and this can make the game so much more fun!
What does flex do on a golf swing?
When you pick the right flex for your swing speed, the clubface lands squarely on the ball, helping to improve your accuracy and maximize your distance.
Why is my golf ball leaking?
A leaking ball flight or fade because you won’t be able to flex the golf shaft enough when you swing to create a square impact position on the ball.
Why use stiff shafts?
Generally, stiff shafts are used more by elite players because they have the technique and swing speed required to put them to good use.
What part of the golf club provides the power that is transferred to the head of the club and eventually the ball every time?
The golf shaft is the part of the club that provides the power that is transferred to the head of the club and eventually the ball every time you swing.
Why is my golf shaft weak?
Swinging with a weak shaft flex can hurt you in both windy and wet conditions. Because the spin is so high when you hit it with a weaker flex, the wind will magnify the spin and decrease your distance and accuracy.
How does the shaft affect the clubhead?
As the shaft flexes and releases, the golf club’s clubhead changes position; this directly affects whether the golf club’s clubface is open or closed and whether it adds or decreases loft.
What is the shaft of a golf club?
Golf shafts are the engine of the golf club. But what does that mean? Since the very first golf clubs, club makers have considered how much or how little a golf shaft flexes; the golf shaft provides the power that is transferred to the clubhead and, ultimately, to the golf ball. Because the shaft flex directly facilitates this power transfer, your shaft choice can make or break your game.
What is a slice in golf?
Typical Miss: Slice (left to right for right-handed golfer) If your golf shaft is too stiff and your swing speed is too slow, your well-struck shot will be limited on both carry distance and shot trajectory; a too-stiff golf shaft will most often lead to weak fades or slices.
What is graphite shaft?
Graphite is typically the best material for amateur golfers, though some low-handicap players and professionals enjoy the vibrations they can feel in their hands after hitting a golf ball with a steel shaft.
What to do after determining shaft flex?
After determining your shaft flex, you can then refine your selection based on a desired ball flight; for example, if you are between a regular and stiff shaft flex, how do you know what to choose?
What is a typical miss in golf?
Typical Miss: Draw (right to left for right-hand ed golfer) with too much spin
How to tell if your golf shaft is too stiff?
One indicator of a too stiff golf shaft would be that you struggle to hit the ball high. Should your swing speed be on the low side combined with a too stiff shaft, any well-struck ball will be limited on the shot trajectory and the overall carrying distance.
What Happens If My Shaft Is Too Stiff?
Getting your game analyzed on a launch monitor by a professional would be the ideal way to rectify any grem lins concerning your golfing form. Unfortunately, not all of us have that luxury and have to make do with self-analysis most of the time.
Why does my golf club close at the point of impact?
When your shaft is too flexible, it may result in a draw and hook shots, as the clubface may be unloading too quickly, causing the clubhead to close slightly at the point of impact .
Why is my golf ball leaking?
Not being able to flex the golf shaft enough when you swing won’t allow you to create a square impact position on your ball, leading to a leaking ball flight or fade. Should you tend to either slice the ball or fade towards the rough on the right of the fairway may indicate that your shaft is too stiff.
How does low trajectory affect golf?
Not being able to hit a standard ball; instead, a low trajectory ball will result in less spin on your golf ball. The lack of spin will directly affect your game negatively, as you will have less control of the ball when it comes to greens and fairway play.
Why use granite shafts?
Using granite shafts, especially with regards to distance clubs, assists golfers with a slower swing speed. Sacrificing a bit of accuracy for distance is what you will get when using granite shafts. On the shorter irons, control and precision are more important, and you might want to mix and match with some steel shafts here.
How to buy a new set of golf clubs?
When you need to buy a new set of golf clubs, make it your mission to visit a local PGA professional and get yourself fitted. The professional will measure your body , offer a wide variety of clubs to hit with, and most importantly, put you on a launch monitor to collect data of which swing speed will be one of them.
What Happens If Your Shaft Isn’t Stiff Enough?
When the shaft is too stiff, it’s going to feel hard to swing, it’s going to feel heavy, and make you tired after a few swings.
When To Move To A Stiffer Shaft?
You should move to a stiff shaft once your swing speed moves into the next bracket, if you can’t track your swing speed here are some signs you need to go stiffer
What Happens If Your Shaft Flex Is Too Flexible?
If the shaft is too flexible, you will have a ‘whippy’ feeling in your hands, and you won’t be able to feel the clubhead on the downswing.
How Can You Measure Your Swing Speed To See What Shaft You Should Use?
These are called launch monitors , they track your swing speed, loads of other parameters.
What is shaft flex?
Shaft flex is how much the shaft bends throughout the swing, someone that swings it slow will need a more flexible shaft, while someone that swings it fast will need a stiffer shaft. You get Ladies, Senior, Regular, Stiff and X-Stiff shafts in Woods and Irons, generally your Woods and Irons will be the same flex.
How to determine shaft flex?
Your shaft flex will be determined mainly by your swing speed, and then by your ability, age and personal preference. Within each shaft flex there are different weights and kick points (bend points).
Why does my golf ball go high?
When the golf ball is struck it will generally have too much spin if the shaft is too flexible, this will cause a ‘ballooning’ effect on the shot and it will tend to go quite high. You might have an inconsistent shot shape if the shaft is too flexible.Having a shaft that is too flexible can also cause the ball to hook uncontrollably, ...
How to tell if your golf shaft is too stiff?
There are a few tell tale signs that your shafts are too stiff, firstly you will lose the ball to the right, because the shaft is to stiff it will be hard to square up at impact, causing the face to be open when you hit the ball, this is going to produce a fade or slice shot, generally ending up on the right side of the course.
What Happens If Your Driver Shaft Is Too Stiff?
Playing with the correct shaft in your driver is incredibly important. With the correct shaft flex you will be able to deliver the club at optimum speeds, and produce the correct numbers in terms of launch and spin on the golf ball.
How To Discover Your Swing Speed?
By using a very fancy piece of machinery called a launch monitor, you are able to track how fast your swing speed is. The most popular companies are Trackman, Flightscope and GC Quad.
What is shaft flex?
Shaft flex is how much the shaft bends while you swing the club, if you swing it slowly you will need a more flexible shaft, while if you swing it fast you will need a stiffer shaft.
Why is the shaft stiffer?
The stiffer shaft allows the shaft to bend correctly and allow the club head to return to a square impact position.
What is a stiff shaft?
A stiff shaft will generally have a high kick point, if the shaft is too stiff, and you are losing your ball to the right, going with a shaft that has a lower kick point can help straighten out your shape.
Why does my golf ball come out lower?
Secondly your shots will be quite low, when the shaft is too stiff the face angle at impact will also be delofted, causing the ball to come out lower than it should.
What happens if your golf shaft is too heavy?
If your shaft is too heavy, then you’ll probably experience these side effects: You get less wrist-snap when you swing. You have decreased swing speed. Your golf ball speed is decreased. You get less spin on your golf ball. You lose distance on the course.
Why is my iron shaft stiff?
This is because there’s very inefficient energy transfer from your club to your golf ball unless you hit your shot just right. The feeling you get is too firm.
What Weight Should your Iron Shafts be?
The weight of your iron shaft depends on you. It varies from golfer to golfer but a good rule of thumb is that if you have fast swing speeds and tempo then you should use heavier golf shafts while if you have slower swing speeds you should use lighter shafts.
Why use a heavier shaft?
There are benefits to using a heavier golf shaft. Golfers that switch to a heavier shaft can experience improvements in their swing and their golf ball flights.
How to know if your golf club is dead?
You need to feel your club head when you swing and if your shaft is too stiff it’ll leave you unable to determine when the weight of your club head has loaded your golf shaft. It feels less like you’re swinging a golf club and more like you’re swinging a baseball bat.
What is a firm flex shaft?
A firm flex golf shaft is just that, a golf shaft that’s firm. They’re also called stiff shafts and are the preferred shafts of golfers that have a fast swing speed that regularly hit their golf ball out 250 yards or more. These golfers that tend to use firm flex golf shafts usually have club speed of about 90mph to 105mph.
What is the difference between a heavier shaft and a heavier shaft?
The heavier shaft has a weighted feel which gives you better control over your golf club, Heavier shafts have lower torque which keeps your club face more stable . The heavier shaft has a lower launch angle which helps you from hitting your golf ball too high.
Why is my golf club shaft so flexible?
Expect misdirected flight paths of the ball. This happens because when a golf club impacts with the ball, the shaft tends to move forward. A right-handed golfer with a flexible shaft will notice that the ball moves towards the left.
How to tell if you need a stiffer shaft?
There are several ways you can use to tell if you need a stiffer shaft. One and the most common is distance and direction. If you tend to hit long balls, but with high inaccuracies, you likely need to have a stiffer shaft.
What factors affect the flexibility of a golf club?
Factors such as your swing speed and the shaft material affect the flexibility of your golf club. If you often lose your direction despite having an impressive distance, then the problem might be that you are using a highly flexible golf club.
What are the factors that affect shaft flexibility?
Before we dive into the signs and outcomes of using a highly flexible shaft, there are factors that affect shaft flexibility that you need to know. Distance and accuracy, swing speed and golf club material affect shaft flexibility. In this article we look at their impact on highly flexible shafts and their effect on the turf.
What is the difference between a stiff shaft and a regular shaft?
You may ask yourself, what is the difference between a regular shaft and a stiff shaft? The answer to this is simple and quite self-explanatory. A stiff shaft is harder to bend and tends to be more firm, while the regular shaft is the opposite. Both of these shafts have their advantages and disadvantages.
What to consider when buying a golf club?
When purchasing a golf club, always consider the type of material used to make the shaft. Different materials have different flexes. For instance, graphite shafts tend to be lighter than their steel counterparts. You are likely to have higher swing speeds when using shafts made from graphite than those made of steel.
Why does my golf club slice?
There is a high chance that your stiff golf club will cause a slice. This happens because the face remains slightly opened when it hits the ball. The shaft fails to unload appropriately, leading to a slice. When choosing a golf club, make a point of picking one that is neither too stiff nor too flexible.
