what is a high torque golf shaft?

"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.

Full Answer

What is torque in golf shafts?

"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.

Do you need a high torque shaft for a high swing speed?

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 much does shaft torque affect accuracy?

The shaft resists that twisting motion, allowing only a certain amount. The twisting that is allowed, measured in degrees, is the shaft's torque. 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. That might not sound like a lot, but it certainly can affect your accuracy.

What is the torque of a graphite club shaft?

Since graphite is not a solid piece of material, the torque can be much higher; to degrees of 7 or 8. When you have less torque in your club shaft, it is said that you will have a straighter shot and a stiffer feel. When you have more torque in your club shaft it is said that your shots can be less accurate but go further and have a nice soft feel.

What does shaft torque mean?

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.

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 torque shaft should I use?

The conventional wisdom on torque consists of two major tenets: 1) Players who tend to hook the ball will benefit from a lower torque shaft. Players who tend to slice the ball will benefit from a higher torque shaft. 2) Players who swing faster need lower torque.

What is the difference between high torque and low torque?

As previously mentioned, torque tells you how an engine feels when you accelerate. Cars with high torque engines tend to accelerate slower off the mark but quicker from low revs in a high gear. Conversely, cars with low torque engines tend to accelerate quicker off the mark but slower from low revs in a high gear.

Why is shaft torque important?

Shaft torque becomes increasingly important the faster you swing. 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 ...

What happens when you have less torque in your golf club shaft?

When you have more torque in your club shaft it is said that your shots can be less accurate but go further and have a nice soft feel.

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.

Does Tiger Woods know how much torque he needs?

Certainly Tiger Woods knows exactly how much torque he needs for every club in his bag , but for a beginner it won't matter much. Torque should be one of the last things you look at when trying to improve your game. Golfweeks' Adam Woodard breaks down the results from the match.

What does it mean when a shaft is high torque?

A high-torque shaft will twist more than a low-torque shaft. Put another way, some shafts resist twisting better than others. A shaft with a lower torque rating means the shaft better resists twisting; a shaft with a higher torque rating means the shaft is more prone to twisting (all other things being equal). ...

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.

What is twisting in golf?

A golfer's swing, and the clubhead attached to the end of the shaft, exert forces on the shaft that lead to twisting. This twisting is simply a part of the swing.

Why is torque narrow?

In steel shafts, because the type of steel material is the same throughout the entire shaft, the torque exists in a very narrow range of degrees, one that is much more narrow than in graphite shafts.

Is torque a factor in golf shaft selection?

Therefore, torque is not a factor to worry about in the selection of a steel shaft, but it is a point to keep in mind for some golfers when selecting a graphite shaft.

What is torque in golf?

Torque is the simply the amount a golf shaft (shown in blue) twists when subjected to a known amount of force (usually one foot-pound of force is applied) and the torque value is always expressed in degrees. It is a term commonly associated with composite or graphite shafts, but steel shafts have a certain degree of torque too.

Why are shafts less accurate?

One of the reasons shafts with higher torque values are considered less accurate can be attributed to the cost. Often times the higher torque wood shafts (above 6°) will be less than $9 retail and may not be 100% graphite, but have a certain percentage of fiberglass mixed in. One clue is to look at the shaft weight.

What happens if you use less material on a shaft?

If less material is used (due to the lighter weight), there is less material available to control torque or resist twisting.

Is there a standard for golf shafts?

I like to say “the only standard in the golf industry is there are no standards.”. Each manufacturer has an internal method for measuring torque that will vary from one to the next. However, each shaft by the manufacturer will be measured using the exact same clamping dimensions and force for all their shafts.

Does steel have torque?

It is a term commonly associated with composite or graphite shafts, but steel shafts have a certain degree of torque too. However the amount cannot be independently changed from the frequency (or stiffness) of the shaft like a composite design, thus torque of steel shafts is generally not listed by the manufacturer.

What is torque in a shaft?

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°. As with many other things, these numbers don’t necessarily mean a lot ...

What are the two main tenets of torque?

The conventional wisdom on torque consists of two major tenets: 1) Players who tend to hook the ball will benefit from a lower torque shaft. Players who tend to slice the ball will benefit from a higher torque shaft. 2) Players who swing faster need lower torque.

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.”.

Does torque affect where the ball ends up?

Torque also has a major impact on where the ball ends up. All other things being equal, a shaft with higher torque will lead to a club face that is pointed further left (for a RH golfer) at impact…but we know “all other things” are rarely equal when you add in the human element.

Is torque a rule?

Torque matters, and, like flex and weight , there are no easy rules to follow. You need to try a variety of things and be fit into the shaft that will work best for you.

Why do golfers use low torque shafts?

Power players such as PGA Tour golfer Dustin Johnson generally use low-torque shafts to better help them control the ball. Golf shafts have many technical specifications that you, as an average golfer, likely never consider. You are indirectly aware of them because they affect how your clubs feel when you swing them.

How much twist does a high torque shaft have?

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. That might not sound like a lot, but it certainly can affect your accuracy.

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.

Why are you aware of the specs on your golf clubs?

You are indirectly aware of them because they affect how your clubs feel when you swing them. But those specs affect how your club performs, and club fitters take them into account when they fit you for new clubs. Torque is one of those "invisible" specs, and it has a bigger effect on club performance than you might expect.

What happens when you swing a golf club?

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.

Does torque matter in golf shafts?

The material used to make your shaft matters. While torque always has been a factor in shaft performance, the inherent stability of steel shafts made torque relatively unimportant to everyday golfers.

Can graphite shafts be duplicated?

With the introduction of graphite shafts, however, manufacturers now can tailor shafts to behave anyway they want; they can duplicate the performance of any material from classic hickory to high-tech steel. But this comes at a price; the less torque you want, the more you have to pay for it.

CosmosMpower

After doing some research and reading some specs on shafts after demoing I came to decide I like high torque shafts. After trying a few and deciding what I like (blind test of sorts) then looking at the specs most the shafts I like are over 4.0 torque ratings.

arkstorm

I think there's a lot more to torque than feel. If you play too high a torque it will increase your dispersion dramatically. But I agree with the original poster that the name of the game isn't necessarily playing the lowest torque shaft. I also found that I favor the more mid torque shafts but that the very low torque ones don't work for me.

mikec222

I wouldn't say that by trying a v2 you can lump low torque shafts as boardy. I suppose at a low price point this is somewhat true, prolaunch red, v2, not so much aldila's offerings though. Alot of more expensive shafts don't have that boardy feeling at all regardless of torque.

chickenpotpie

From what i've read on the topic torque is mostly about feel today. When graphite shafts first came out, they were very inconsistent and low torque was necessary for a stable shaft. That said, hard swingers will still need a low torque shaft, simply because higher torque shafts may feel too whippy (regardless of what the dispersion looks like).

thewitt

Another thing to keep in mind here - you cannot compare torque readings across companies using their published data.

CosmosMpower

Another thing to keep in mind here - you cannot compare torque readings across companies using their published data.

arkstorm

Another thing to keep in mind here - you cannot compare torque readings across companies using their published data.