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.
What does "torque" mean for a shaft?
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 head is centered on that axis, but the toe – as well...
What does high torque mean in a golf shaft?
Oct 17, 2016 · 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 …
How much does shaft torque affect performance?
Apr 24, 2008 · Torque occurs in a shaft due to the fact that the clubhead is affixed to the shaft off-centre. The mass of the head thus causes a twisting of the shaft when the club is swung. Torque doesn't necessarily 'do' anything - it's just something that's pretty much unavoidable due to the design of a club. A certain amount of torque is a plus as it ...
What does torque do for a golf shaft?
How does shaft torque effect ball flight?
Does tipping a shaft affect torque?
Does shaft length affect torque?
What is Torque in a Golf Shaft – Everything you need to know
The world of golf shafts seems to continually become more complex. It is now at the point when only the most enthusiastic golf equipment geeks truly know what they are talking about. What this means is that it is becoming harder and harder for normal golfers like us to know what shaft we should be playing.
My Polish Golf Friend
I used to play golf frequently with a Polish guy called Andre. He played on the old Nike Tour, now the Korn Ferry Tour, and he knew more about golf clubs than anyone I have ever met. He would dazzle me with talk of swing-weight, kick-points and torque.
What does it really mean?
Okay, so the technical definition is up there for you, but what does this all mean in your hands. I like my driver shafts to feel smooth, I really dislike the feeling of a “boardy” shaft that feels dead in my hands. I like to emulate the feeling of steel shafts in my woods.
What effect does this have on your golf game?
Golf has a problem with “conventional wisdom” and by that I mean that a lot of “facts” people talk about just simply don’t stand up in real life. One study, by MyGolfSpy looked at some of these “facts” about torque and put them to the test.
Do I need high or low torque?
Whilst many will tell you that your swing speed or your shot shape can help you decide, we have seen from the study above that this may not be strictly true. I would really say that the answer to this question really lies in what feel you like in a shaft. For me, I like to feel a bit of whip so I prefer higher torque.
What swing speeds require what torques?
Conventional wisdom would suggest that a high swing speed would require lower torque. If you think of a high speed swing, the club is under more pressure during the action and will be more prone to twisting, a low torque shaft will help the stability of the club.
How is shaft torque calculated?
The number that is quoted is measured in degrees and this is the amount a shaft rotates during the golf swing. The butt end of the shaft is clamped and a force is applied to the tip end. As this force is put on the shaft it will start to twist, the amount of this twisting is measured in degrees.
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.
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.
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.
What is torque in golf?
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 head is centered on that axis, but the toe – as well as most of the clubhead's weight – is off-center. When you swing the club, the head twists around the shaft. The toe gets "left behind" as you start your downswing, then it "catches up" and returns to its normal position at impact. The shaft resists that twisting motion, allowing only a certain amount. The twisting that is allowed, measured in degrees, is the shaft's torque.
Who is Mike Southern?
He is the author of the instructional golf book "Ruthless Putting" and edited a collection of swashbuckling novels. Southern was trained in electronics at Forsyth Technical Community College and is also an occasional woodworker.
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°.
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 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.
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.
Who is Matt Saternus?
Matt Saternus. Matt is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Plugged In Golf. 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.
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.
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 ...
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.
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.
Golf Magazine
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.
