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 does high torque mean 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 is the importance of 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 head is centered on that axis, but the toe...
What is the torque rating on 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 does "torque" mean for a shaft?
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.
What does torque number mean in golf shaft?
How does shaft torque effect ball flight?
What is the torque on steel golf shaft?
What does torque and kick point mean in a golf shaft?
Does tipping a shaft affect torque?
How much torque should my driver shaft have?
What kick point should I use golf?
How do you measure a torque shaft?
What iron shafts should I use?
Is stiff shaft better than regular?
What shaft should I get?
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 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 torque is needed for a graphite shaft?
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.
Why is torque narrow in steel shafts?
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. Graphite shafts can be and often are made with a wide variety of different graphite fiber strength, stiffness and position on the shaft.
What happens if you use too high a torque rating?
a strong golfer who uses shafts with too high a torque rating might produce shots that leak to the fade side;
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.
Is torque a factor in shaft fitting?
But for most golfers, Tom Wishon, golf club designer and founder of Tom Wishon Golf Technology, told us, "... torque will never be a factor to worry about in the shaft fitting." And those golfers who do need to consider torque only need to consider it in relation to graphite shafts, not steel shafts.
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 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 ...
Why does my golf club go faster?
This also means you can hit the ball a little further, because at the time the club strikes the ball the torque can cause the club head to go faster.
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 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°.
Which player will benefit from a lower torque shaft?
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.
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.”.
How many shots does each golfer hit with each shaft?
Each golfer hit 10 shots with each shaft and the results were measured by our FlightScope X2 launch monitor. All testing was done at the range at The Bridges of Poplar Creek Country Club.
Does Tester 3 like low torque shafts?
Tester 3 hates boardy feeling shafts, so, despite the fact that his most-hated miss is a hook, he does not like low torque shafts. On the other hand, Tester 1 doesn’t like loose feeling shafts despite the fact that he needs all the help he can get to square the club face. Historically, he has found better success with lower torque shafts because he feels like he can release the club more aggressively.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
How much torque does a 46" shaft have?
For the sake of example, this 46” raw shaft (with a 43” beam length) happens to measure a torque of 6.0º using 1 foot-pound of force. By most standards, this torque rating may seem high.
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 is a low cost graphite shaft?
Low cost graphite shaft are construct ed with low modulus (lower strength) materials. Often times these shafts will exhibit both high torque and a softer tip section. In the hands of a stronger player, this combination would be less accurate than a lower torque model.
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.
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.
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.
Why is torque mentioned more often in relation to composite golf shafts vs. steel?
steel is because composite shafts offer so many choices in torque while in steel, such a vast selection simply does not exist.
What does a lower torque shaft feel like?
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, the shaft’s torque will affect how it feels on mishits. Shafts with lower torque will feel harsher and more punishing on mishits. Conversely, shafts with higher torque ...
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.
What is the function of the shaft's GJ profile?
Torque is a function of the shaft’s GJ profile, where G is the shear modulus (resistance of the material to twisting) and J is the shape (diameter and wall thickness). In a carbon shaft, we can vary the G by changing the type of carbon we use of the size of the torsional ply we use. Because of the steels used in golf shafts, G is always the same, ...
Why is torque important?
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.
What is clamped on a shaft?
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 between the clamp and the force, and the amount of force used.
Who said fitters have the experience to know how specific shafts will work with your swing?
Alex Dee of Fujikura said it best, “ [Fitters] have the experience to know how specific shafts will work with your swing. I believe our fitters look at the shaft as a whole rather than focusing on one characteristic. The right combination of shaft weight, flex, and torsional stiffness will result in the best feel and ball flight.”
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.
What would happen if a right handed golfer hit a group of shots with a lower torque shaft and
What we are saying is that if a right-handed golfer were to hit a group of shots with a lower-torque shaft and a group of shots with a higher-torque shaft — with all other things being equal — the average dispersion of the low-torque shaft would be more to the left. The average dispersion of the high-torque shaft would be more to the right.
Why does a higher torque shaft cause a club to twist?
And because this shaft has a high torque, it won’t “snap back to square” as quickly as necessary, which is why higher-torque shafts tend to create a more rightward dispersion for a right-handed golfer.
Why use a lower torque shaft?
This allows them to benefit from a better energy transfer (i.e. more shaft “kick”) while taking advantage of the added stability a lower torque provides .
What shafts help with left and right dispersion?
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. 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 ...
What does low torque mean on a golf shaft?
The lower the torque number — it’s measured in degrees — the more resistant the shaft is to unwanted twisting. For someone like Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy, who generate top-end speed with the driver, having an uber-stable shaft with low torque ensures they can go after the ball and not have to worry about speed affecting launch angle, spin rate and dispersion.
Why are low torque shafts so expensive?
“As you go up in grade of material, which is actually going up in stiffness and strength of the material, you essentially double the cost of the material for every step you take up ,” said designer John Oldenburg.
What shaft is Tiger Woods?
Tiger Woods' Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Plus shaft is an example of a low torque product.
What materials are used to stabilize a golf swing?
Torque can be controlled a number of different ways, but the most common is utilizing exotic materials — including Kevlar, Carbon, Boron and Zylon — to stabilize the shaft. Accomplishing this makes the profile more resistant to unwanted twisting during the swing, especially at impact. In other words: improved consistency.
Does every shaft have torque?
Not every shaft has the torque number emblazoned on the shaft, but if you happen to play a Project X HZRDUS or Aldila Rogue — these are just a few examples — you might notice a number with a decimal point that looks somewhat out of place. It’s too small to be the shaft weight or flex (in the case of Project X products), which leaves us with one other option: shaft torque.
