What is a spine in golf shafts?
A Spine should be visualized as a backbone or ridge in the golf shaft, running down its length, more resistant to bending than any other part of the shaft.
What is the best orientation for the spine in golf?
Golf Shaft Spine Orientation There are two main positions that you can align the spine in, the swing plane and the droop plane. This is explained in detail in this article but it is felt that most benefits come to the golfer when the spine is aligned in the droop plane orientation.
Do shafts need to be tested for spine location?
"Today, many shaft makers pre-test their shafts to locate a consistent plane of bending in the shaft, and only then paint and apply the name/logo to the shafts. Thus, with the vast majority of quality shafts made today, there is little need to have the shafts checked for spine location and re-installed in the clubheads."
Does a spine exist in all shafts?
A spine exists in all shafts; regardless of the material they are made from (steel, titanium, graphite, etc.) and regardless of the manufacturing process.
What does it mean to spine a golf shaft?
A golf shaft is said to have a 'spine' if it is inconsistent in its stiffness when bending in different directions. Aligning all the shafts within a set so their spines point in the same direction (either forward or back) is called 'spining. '
How do you find the spine on a golf shaft?
1:503:31How to Find the Spine of a Golf Shaft - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou might find more than one spine on the golf shaft. And don't be surprised to 32 be a hundredMoreYou might find more than one spine on the golf shaft. And don't be surprised to 32 be a hundred eighty degrees apart after all it's going to be a plane. And that's the point of least resistance.
How are senior shafts marked?
"L" is the most flexible shaft and "X" is the stiffest shaft: "L" denotes "ladies flex" "A" or "M" denotes "senior flex" (might also be designated "AM" or "A/M," or "Senior")
How do you read a golf shaft?
Put simply, the higher the rating, the more the shaft is prone to twisting. It is the torque that also determines how the shaft feels to every player, which means that the higher the rating, the softer the shaft will feel. A shaft with a 3-degree torque will feel much stiffer than a 5-degree torque, for example.
Do graphite shafts have a spine?
Just like graphite shafts, steel shafts also have spines. Being heavier, it is sometimes trickier to find the spine of a steel shaft but they are there and you can use the same method as described above to find it.
How important is arrow spine alignment?
Having the shafts spine aligned isn't really more critical from one venue to another if you're looking for as much accuracy as you can squeeze out of your equipment. For a hunting arrow it helps a lot because fixed blade broadheads will typically perform better when the arrows are as consistent as possible.
Is the S on a shaft senior or stiff?
The typical range of shaft flexes available on the market range as follows: TX (most stiff), X (extra stiff), S (stiff), R (regular), A (senior) and L (ladies, least stiff). Some companies use different denominations such as numbers or colors to denote flex, but golfers are most familiar with the letters listed above.
What does P mean on a golf club?
A driver, however, usually has a number such as 9.5 or 10.5 to indicate the loft of the club. Drivers are available in a variety of lofts. Wedges typically don't have numbers. Instead that have letters such as P or PW for pitching wedge and S for sand wedge.
What shaft should a senior golfer use?
Senior flex shafts are appropriate for golfers who swing between 75 and 90 mph and carry a driver about 180 to 200 yards. Regular flex shafts are designed for golfers who swing 90 to 100 mph and carry a driver about 200 to 240 yards.
Why do golf shafts have spines?
A golf shaft is said to have a 'spine' if it is inconsistent in its stiffness when bending in different directions. Aligning all the shafts within a set so their spines point in the same direction (either forward or back) is called 'spining.'.
What is a spin in golf?
Updated February 06, 2020. "Spining" (one "n," as in "spine") is a term that applies to golf shaft s and describes a process of matching all the shafts within a set of clubs so that their most consistent bending positions all point in the same direction. Spining is a service to golfers offered by some custom club makers and some club fitters.
Why is spining important?
Spining was once a pretty important service provided by custom club fitters to highly skilled golfers and to other golfers who love diving deep into the technical side of golf equipment. But with the improved golf shaft manufacturing standards of today, is spining still important?
Do golf shafts have consistency?
Wishon continued: "While the top-quality shaft makers do manufacture shafts with very high accuracy and consistency, there are shafts in the golf industry that possess a variation in the consistency of the stiffness about their circumference. If severe enough, these inconsistencies can cause misdirection problems when the shaft is installed in such ...
Is spining golf shafts a service?
The answer to this question is easy: No. The spining of golf shafts is not something that any recreational golfer needs to be concerned about, nor is it a service on which any recreational golfer needs to spend money today.
Shaft Selection
Shaft selection is made on the basis of the stiffness of the full length of the shaft and the radial consistency of every shaft.
Shaft Certification
Every shaft is put through a series of quality control checks to ensure that each shaft is of the highest quality and performs optimally.
Spine Alignment
Spine alignment is a quality control measure to ensure the shaft performs in the most reliable and consistent way every swing.
What is a spine?
The spine is the part of the shaft that is more resistant to bending than any other part.
What can be done?
I start by finding the shafts spine, once found, I align and install the shaft into the club head so the spine works with your swing and not against it.
An added benefit
On a graphite shaft the normal position for the shafts spine is face up, this gives the shaft optimum resistance to shaft drop. (For info on shaft droop read up on the effect of shaft flex and club length on lie angles on the loft and lie page)
Some history
In February 1999 the golf’s governing bodies modified the rule on golf shafts that required all shafts to “bend symmetrically in all directions”, they decided it was no longer against the rules to orientate the shaft in the club head, as long as the shaft imitated the effect of bending symmetrically (you are not allowed to orientate the shaft to make a club that produces a draw or fade)..
Shaft orientation also know as spining, puring, or optimizing USGA Ruling
Because of a change in the interpretation of a USGA rule. Rule 4-1b states: b. SHAFT The shaft shall be generally straight, with the same bending and twisting properties in any direction Appendix II 4-1b states, BENDING AND TWISTING PROPERTIES.
Some science
An independent study on spine alignment was undertaken by Golf Science Consultants Inc, performed by J.
What Others Say
Tom Stine, PGA Tour Partners Magazine. September/October 2002: “The bottom line is that if the spines are not set in the club heads at the proper angle in relation to the clubface, we are not getting the most out of our golf clubs and we will continue to have golf clubs that will perform differently than others.
Where is the spine of a golf shaft?
There are varying opinions as to where the spine should be located in a finished club. Based on tests I had conducted years ago, I defined two planes in a golf shaft: the droop plane and the swing plane. The droop plane is parallel with the clubface and the swing plane is perpendicular to the clubface. For our purposes, the spine of a golf shaft is the stiffest plane of the shaft.
What is the stiffest plane of a golf shaft?
For our purposes, the spine of a golf shaft is the stiffest plane of the shaft. Finding the stiffest plane can be performed by several different methods. One method is by using the Lockie board. When a shaft is placed on the board and bent, a state of equilibrium exists when the weaker plane is the bend plane.
Where is the Penley shaft located on the Autoflex machine?
Since Penley shafts are checked on the Autoflex machine which marks the weaker plane, graphics are placed on the shaft with Penley located 90° from the Autoflex mark (on the spine).
Which plane of the spine has a more positive and consistent reaction at impact?
Our second position is that by having the spine in the droop plane , the shaft has a more positive and consistent reaction at impact than when the weak plane is in the droop plane .
Feedback
I've done a few Ahinas myself, one which I am currently gaming. I spined and flow'd both and both came up with the diamana logo in the 6 o'clock position or close to it. The spine, if I remember correctly, was 180* of the logo. I do prefer logo down, but also prefer spine at 12 o'clock on woods to minimize droop.
Feedback
Depends on whether or not you believe the spine aligning is worth the time or not, and there are arguments to both and everyone has their own opinion.
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What happens when you spin and flo your shafts?
When you Spine & Flo your shafts you'll get more repeatable center strikers, more consistent gapping from club to club, a small gain in yardage, an increase in the quality and feel of your shot, and you'll reduce equipment related inconsistencies.
What is the N1 on a shaft?
We put the shaft in a Neufinder and find the softest axis of the shaft, this is called N1 which refers to the natural bend plane of the shaft which is the spot the shaft wants to snap to when it's placed under load. Once we find N1, we'll mark a line over some painters tape and this is the spot that should be aligned at the target.
