Golf Shaft Knowledge

[kardboard.kid]

I have searched through the forum and found conversations about specific shaft manufacturers, and their offerings.  Never have I found a place where there is an educated discussion of the pros and cons of all shafts.  Not just material, and manufacturer but also shaft performanc, shaft dia., shaft pricing.  I have a goal to re-shaft the old PGA irons I bought a couple of years ago at a garage sale for $9.  I have grips courtesy of a Sears location near me that closed last year for almost nothing.  There are also discussions regarding the DIY of club making, that I have read, and countless You Tube videos I have watched.  Nothing though on Shafts.  Could we start an educational thread just about club shafts?  The good , Bad and Ugly.  What is lost or gained reflective of cost?

Thanks,

[null]

The problem is shafts, while they have certain properties, are not absolute.

There is no universal flex - Stiff for one company may play as an xstiff in other brand.

But most importantly, everyone reacts to a shaft differently.  Just because one shaft may produce a lower flight for me doesn't mean it would produce a low flight for you. Shafts are a variable that can change someone's swing/club path/face angle, but how those numbers change by changing shafts will vary completely from person to person.

Here are some great reads to help give you more information around shafts

https://mygolfspy.com/mygolfspy-labs-wrong-shaft-flex/

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RESULTS

The results of our test group spit directly in the face of conventional wisdom: THERE WAS NOT ONE CONSISTENT TREND.  Even the shaft manufacturers, give you guidelines such as “Stiff flex fits 90-100 MPH,” clubhead speed is only a starting point.  If we had fit our testers only based on clubhead speed, our highest swingspeed player would have lost 9 MPH of ball speed!

Now, before you run to the comment section and say that three testers is not a big enough sample size, please read the next paragraph:

As I compiled these results, I was shocked by what I saw.  I immediately fired off an email to UST Mamiya to see if their findings (they have done this same exact test with hundreds of golfers) were equally chaotic.  They assured me that they were.  Sometimes a slower swinger needs an X-flex.  Sometimes a big hitter needs a mere stiff.  It’s all about fitting the individual and there are no hard and fast rules.

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https://mygolfspy.com/golf-geeks-shaft-performance/

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Ultimately what I am saying is that players tend to “get along with” different dynamic bending profiles, leading to more-consistent performance and sometimes more-efficient delivery of the club head, a behavior that was also evident in the previous fitting example. This is a great instance of how different shafts can lead to significantly different results, even when the two shafts look similar and have similar flex codes.

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https://mygolfspy.com/mgs-labs-does-the-shaft-matter/

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• Our results show that performance differences between iron shafts are undeniable.
• In general, smoother swingers (picture Ernie Els), find less variation in shaft performance.
• Aggressive swingers, with quicker tempos, will generally see greater performance variations between shafts.
• While not reflected in the group averages, for the majority of our testers, there was one, sometimes two, shafts that offered significant performance benefit.
• As a whole, the data suggests that, for most golfers, often significant differences do exist between shafts.
• As always, we recommend getting properly fitted for your iron shafts.

 

 

[kardboard.kid]

Thanks, I will be soaking this all in over the next few days.

[RoverRick]

The shaft/head combo make tons of difference but it is something that is individualized. Three years ago I hit a friends Callaway Great Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond (if name length directly correlates to drive length this is a winner) on a MRC Fubuki Zeta Tour Shaft. It was much longer for me than any other driver. However, I was only playing a couple of times a month and soon quit golf altogether.

 

I wanted to try this combo when I returned this year and bought the driver with a different shaft and bought the shaft that fit my SLDR. I didn’t like the shaft nor did I like the driver. Then I got hurt in May and was not able to make full swings until last week.

 

I finally put this combo together and after my 18 holes on Sunday I played this combo and another shaft against my SLDR/C Kua combo that has been my gamer for almost 5 years.

 

The Alpha/Zeta combo FOR ME really was 13-15 yards longer than the others and they were within 2 yards either way from each other. I hit 3 tee shots off 10 tees and kept switching the shafts in the Alpha. Eventually, I stopped and just hit the Alpha/Zeta.

 

This is the reason so many of us say go get fit.

 

Miyazaki has a 4 digit number on their shafts that denotes stiffness in 4 quarters of the shaft. It would be awesome if all shaft manufacturers used this system. Having said that, it still would not tell you the shaft/head combo that’s best for you.

 

Several years ago I did a comparison of all the KBS shafts and ma have included some DG and PX shafts. But that was just my opinion and honestly don’t know if my opinion has changed since then. I went with DG XP 90’s in the Mizuno JPX Ez Forged I tested because they were the best distance for me. However, they were ultimately not the best scoring for me and currently use in my Mizuno MP64’s C Taper 120g in my 8-p and C Taper Lite in my 6-7 and a Proforce V2 in my 5 Iron and Project X PXv in my 2-4 Hi Fli. This came about by trial and error and me wanting certain feel and distances out of my irons and most importantly which shafts provided me with the best score.

 

 

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[kardboard.kid]

So then this has me really wondering, what is the standard OEM that the mainstream golf club companies use to decide what to sell "off the shelf"  There has to be some sort of thought behind what they mass produce and sell?  What, or how do they make these decisions?  I absolutely agree with the notion of being fit for your specific swing.  This is something I plan on doing over the winter.  There seems to be too many generalizations and assumption concerning this very important part of the club.  I'm just trying to wrap my head around it, and instead I'm being crushed by it, especially with my engineering mind.

[RoverRick]

So then this has me really wondering, what is the standard OEM that the mainstream golf club companies use to decide what to sell "off the shelf"  There has to be some sort of thought behind what they mass produce and sell?  What, or how do they make these decisions?  I absolutely agree with the notion of being fit for your specific swing.  This is something I plan on doing over the winter.  There seems to be too many generalizations and assumption concerning this very important part of the club.  I'm just trying to wrap my head around it, and instead I'm being crushed by it, especially with my engineering mind.

Most likely . Money and marketing.


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[cnosil]

I am sure it is a combination of testing and agreements between the club and shaft OEMs to decide what is offered as stock or a no cost option. The OEM goal is to find something that will work for the widest range of golfers at the cheapest price for a stock offering.

At my club champion fitting one of the early things we did was try to identify a shaft by selecting a head and then trying different shafts. One of the best descriptions for the purpose of a shaft I have heard is that the shaft is responsible for the timing part of your swing. Once you find the right shaft for you, it will become obvious and the results will just confirm what you are feeling.

[THEZIPR23]

25 minutes ago, kardboard.kid said:

So then this has me really wondering, what is the standard OEM that the mainstream golf club companies use to decide what to sell "off the shelf"  There has to be some sort of thought behind what they mass produce and sell?  What, or how do they make these decisions?  I absolutely agree with the notion of being fit for your specific swing.  This is something I plan on doing over the winter.  There seems to be too many generalizations and assumption concerning this very important part of the club.  I'm just trying to wrap my head around it, and instead I'm being crushed by it, especially with my engineering mind.

My guess is the mass production hits the biggest curve of the average golfer. 

[Mr. 82]

All I know is what feels right when I hit the ball. Numbers say I should be hitting a stiff flex, but the feel and dispersion of my shots say a regular flex works for me. I just sent my irons back to PING to have the shafts changed from stiff to regular.

But yeah, you can drive yourself nuts learning about shafts. I’m a total feel player, so we hit it and see what works until we hit something that feels better then anything else.


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