What Is Torque in a Golf Shaft?
- Definition. Torque is defined as "a force that produces or tends to produce rotation or torsion." If you think of a golf shaft as an axis, the heel of the ...
- Amount. A low-torque shaft may allow only 2 degrees (or less) of twist, while a high-torque shaft might go all the way to 6 degrees.
- Materials. ...
- The Right Amount. ...
What is the importance of torque in a golf shaft?
Apr 17, 2018 · "Torque" is a property of golf shafts that describes how much the shaft is prone to twisting during the golf swing. All shafts, steel and graphite, exhibit torque, which is measured in degrees. A high-torque shaft will twist more than a low-torque shaft. Put another way, some shafts resist twisting better than others.
What does high torque mean in a golf shaft?
Jan 05, 2022 · Torque is measured in degrees and is an important metric to consider in your golf shafts. Torque measurements on most golf shafts range anywhere between 2-degrees to 7-degrees of torque (or higher). A good way to think of this metric is “the higher the torque, the more twisting will occur.”
What is the torque rating on a golf shaft?
Torque is the measure of how much the shaft twists during the golf swing. It may be hard to imagine this even happening, but shafts are made with that particular fact in …
What does torque mean in a shaft?
A higher-torque shaft will help a golfer create a more rightward dispersion. These guidelines seem to fly in the face of conventional wisdom about shaft torque, which has long stated that lower-torque shafts help golfers avoid a snap hook due to their greater resistance to twisting.
How important is torque in golf shaft?
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT TORQUE For left-handed golfers, the dispersion direction should be reversed. A lower-torque shaft will help a golfer create a more leftward dispersion. A higher-torque shaft will help a golfer create a more rightward dispersion.
How does golf shaft torque affect ball flight?
If we think about torque affecting how the club head is delivered to the ball at impact, you can imagine that it would affect ball flight. One study in 2017, showed that shafts with a higher torque caused a more open club face at impact which led to a slightly higher launch that tended to go right.
What shaft torque do I need?
So for most golfers, as long the torque of a graphite shaft is between 3.5 and 5.5 degrees - which is the case for the vast majority of graphite shafts today - the golfer will be OK and torque will never be a factor to worry about in the shaft fitting.Apr 17, 2018
How much does tipping affect torque?
Shaft tipping is when a club builder removes length from the tip section of a shaft, which is the end where the clubhead is installed. In most cases, tip trimming a shaft makes it meaningfully stiffer. It also increases torsional stiffness, known as “torque,” which is a shaft's resistance to twisting.
What is torque in golf?
Warren Little / Getty Images. "Torque" is a property of golf shafts that describes how much the shaft is prone to twisting during the golf swing. All shafts, steel and graphite, exhibit torque, which is measured in degrees. A high-torque shaft will twist more than a low-torque shaft. Put another way, some shafts resist twisting better than others.
Who is Brent Kelley?
Brent Kelley. Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. Tripsavvy's Editorial Guidelines. Brent Kelley. Updated 04/17/18.
Why should you care about torque?
You should care because torque is a major component in how a shaft feels, much more than flex . You could have an XX-stiff shaft with high torque, and it might feel “smooth” or even “whippy.”. Alternately, you could have a senior flex shaft with low torque that can feel “boardy.”.
What is torque in a car?
Torque is really pretty simple: it’s the shaft’s resistance to twisting. Torque is measured in degrees (meaning: how many degrees will the shaft twist under a certain amount of force), and you’ll typically see measurements as low as 2° and as high as 5°, 6°, or 7°.
Is torque as important as flex?
In the first edition of Shafts 101, we explored shaft flex . Today, we’re looking at torque. Though it’s not as talked about, torque is every bit as important as flex when it comes to feel and performance.
What is torque in mechanics?
Torque is the measurement of a shaft’s resistance to rotational twisting . Torque is expressed in degrees – the higher the number, the less resistance.
Where does Matt live?
He's worked in nearly every job in the golf industry from club fitting to instruction to writing and speaking. Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
Is steel an isotropic material?
Steel is an isotropic material meaning its material properties are the same in all directions. Steel is very limited in terms of design. If you want to make a steel shaft stiffer in bending, you can make it thicker and heavier – but that will also cause the torsion stiffness to increase as well.
Is composite material anisotropic?
Composite materials are anisotropic , meaning their properties vary in different directions. As a structural designer, there is a lot more flexibility in designing with composite materials. For a given bending stiffness shaft, we can vary the torsional stiffness as we see fit to maximize feel and performance.
What is torque in golf?
Torque is the measure of how much the shaft twists during the golf swing. It may be hard to imagine this even happening, but shafts are made with that particular fact in mind. They are even made to resist it more or less, depending on your swing and what kind of results you are looking for.
When you strike the ball, do you want your club head to be square?
When you strike the ball, you want your club head to be as square to your target as possible. When the club head twists, it can make the club head a degree or two open or closed when it makes contact. Therefore you want less torque when you are looking to straighten your ball flight.
Where is Jennifer Stow?
Based in Minnesota, Jennifer Stow has written golf related articles for Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy and local golf media. She has been a professional golfer and a golf professional for over ten years and has experienced all sides of the business. She holds a Bachelor of Arts sociology from Rollins College.
Why does a steel shaft have less torque?
A steel shaft will have less torque simply because of the material it is made of. A degree of 3 to 4 is normal for a steel shaft. Graphite shafts can have a lot more torque. Since graphite is not a solid piece of material, the torque can be much higher; to degrees of 7 or 8.
What is torque in golf?
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT TORQUE 1 A lower-torque shaft will help a golfer create a more leftward dispersion. 2 A higher-torque shaft will help a golfer create a more rightward dispersion. 3 These guidelines seem to fly in the face of conventional wisdom about shaft torque, which has long stated that lower-torque shafts help golfers avoid a snap hook due to their greater resistance to twisting.
How is shaft torque measured?
Shaft torque is measured by a device that records the amount a shaft will twist under a certain amount of force, and it’s recorded in degrees. A shaft with 3 degrees of torque will twist less than a shaft with 5 degrees of torque, and so on. Torque is a separate variable from the more talked about measurement of “shaft flex,” which deals with ...
Who is the head of TPT?
TPT Head of Performance Jon Sinclair closely monitors dozens of data points during a TPT shaft fitting. But his approach is simple in the sense that he’s looking to help a golfer with two goals: distance and consistency.
How does torque affect dispersion?
While it’s true that low-torque shafts are more resistant to twisting, it’s this same resistance to twisting that actually causes a shaft to “snap back to square” more easily than higher-torque shafts at impact and thus produce a tendency to move dispersion to the left.
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If you’re on the slower end of the speed spectrum (less than 90 mph), going to a shaft with higher torque properties affords the face a better opportunity of being returned to square at impact. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. How you deliver club to ball can affect the amount of torque needed in a shaft.
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If you’re on the slower end of the speed spectrum (less than 90 mph), going to a shaft with higher torque properties affords the face a better opportunity of being returned to square at impact. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. How you deliver club to ball can affect the amount of torque needed in a shaft.
What is a golf shaft?
A golf shaft used to be something that was either steel or graphite. Then it had a flex, then people started talking about kick points, and torque and weight, and more. Golf shafts are certainly much more researched, studied, and analyzed than they ever have been. If you have ever wondered what kick point is in a golf shaft, ...
What is the kick point of a golf club?
While the flex of a golf club determines how much it will bend when you swing it at different speeds, the kick point of a golf shaft is the actually point where it starts to bend, ie. the area of the club where the flex happens. A low kick point club will produce a higher golf shaft; a high kick point club will produce a lower golf shaft.
What is a low kick point?
A low kick point club will produce a higher golf shaft; a high kick point club will produce a lower golf shaft. Sometimes the kick point of a golf club will also be called a bend point. Most golf clubs will have either a mid, low, or high kick.
What is a mid kick point shaft?
Mid kick point shafts are what the majority of golf shafts are. Most golf clubs for the mid handicapper are going to be a mid kick point shaft. This will give you a moderate launch on your shots, and the club is usually medium weight as well.
What is shaft torque?
A shaft torque is a bit different than a shaft flex and kick point. The torque is how much a golf club will resist bending during the swing. A golf shaft with a higher toque means that the shaft is going to twist more, and a golf shaft with a low torque will twist much less. Generally speaking, golfers with faster swing speeds are going ...
What is shaft stiffness?
The shaft tip stiffness is very similar to the kick point, but it has a little more to do with the release of the club. If you are a golfer who releases the club early, you will need a different tip stiffness than a golfer who tends to release the golf club just before impact. Fitting for something like tip stiffness would take a custom fitting ...
What Is Torque?
How Is Torque Measured?
- If you read the first Shafts 101, you know that there are virtually no industry standards in shafts. Measuring torque is no exception. While the specifics may vary, the procedure for measuring torque is the same across the point. The butt of the shaft is clamped, a force is applied to the tip, and the degrees of twisting are measured.What can vary are the size of the clamp, the distance …
Torque = Feel
- One of themes that came up frequently was the connection between torque and feel. When a shaft has higher torque (is more able to twist), it willfeel smoother and softer. Lower torque shafts feel stiffer. What many players describe as a shaft feeling too soft or too stiff may not be related to flex as much as it’s related to torque. Additionally, t...
Is Zero Torque Possible?
- The answers to this question ranged from, “Possible, but difficult” to “Impossible.” What everyone agreed on, however, is thatit’s not desirable. MRC pointed out that a shaft with zero torque would transfer very little energy to the golf ball. Others mentioned the drawbacks of extremely rigid feel and the lack of forgiveness
Is Torque Relevant to Steel shafts?
- Most shaft manufacturers report the torque measurement on their graphite shafts, but it’s not a number you typically see on spec sheets for steel shafts. We asked the manufacturers why that is. In short,torque values are smaller and less variable in steel. It can be measured the same way, but the range of values is not large, so it’s not typically reported. If you want to get into the science o…
Finding The Right Amount of Torque
- Overall, faster swingers and players with more aggressive swings benefit from lower torque shafts. More rhythmic swings and players with less club head speed often prefer more torque. However, these are general rules, and there are many exceptions. Feel and shot shape preferences must be considered as well. Nippon, True Temper, Fujikura, and MRC all agreed tha…
What Have We Learned?
- Torque, just like shaft flex, is an important factor in selecting a shaft. Not only does it have a huge impact on the way a shaft will perform, it’s one of the biggest factors in how a shaft feels. Just as with flex, there are some general rules of thumb for selecting flex, but all the best shaft makers agree: if you want to optimize the performance of your golf clubs, there is no substitute for a pro…