Shaft Technology

Shaft Technology 101:

Optimizing Power and Accuracy In Your Game
The key source of energy transfer between your golf swing and the ball are the shafts in your clubs. As such, the shafts in your clubs may be the most important golf equipment investment you can make. And at Custom Crafted Golf, we have the swing analysis technologies, products and skilled club making resources to make sure your shafts are perfectly fitted to your swing, improving distance and accuracy.

There are over 10,000 different shafts on the market today in constructions that range from graphite, steel, titanium, fiberglass and even plastic. How are you to select the correct shaft for your swing? We are here to help. To fully understand the importance of the shafts in your clubs, it is important to have an understanding of the dynamics of shaft performance and the variables that will effect your swing and ball flight.
Shaft Matching Basics

Flex:
The most common term given to shafts is Flex. Flex is how much the shaft bends during the swing. A more flexible shaft bends more, a stiffer shaft bends less. A player, such as a PGA pro or strong amateur, who swings harder requires a stiffer shaft for control; the energy their body provides makes this type of shaft work best. A slower swinging player will be best suited to a more flexible shaft. For players with slower swing speeds, the shaft actually helps to provide added energy and speed for maximum distance and feel.

Torque:
The amount that a shaft resists twisting when you swing it is the shaft's torque. Torque helps to make sure the club is directed toward the target at impact. If you swing fast, you will need a shaft with less torque since your strength lets you get the club aligned toward the target consistently. But, if you swing slower, a shaft that twists more (one that has more torque) can actually help the club face square toward the target for straighter shots. Clubhead size and center of gravity may also dictate what type of torque a player should use.

Bent Point:
The point at which a shaft bends the most as it is swung is known as its bend point. Our club fitters will be able to tell you where on your shaft the bend point is located. A shaft with a lower bend point will make the club feel more ?tip flexible? and may help you hit the ball just a little higher. A higher bend point shaft will feel stiffer and might cause you to hit shots just a little lower. If you have trouble hitting the ball too high, a high bend point shaft. If, on the other hand, you hit the ball too low, a lower bend point shaft might help cure your problem. In all actuality, the difference between the measured bend points on the highest bend point shafts to the lowest bend point shafts is less than 2?. Look to bend point more for a feel difference and to head design and club loft for noticeable trajectory difference though.

Weight:
Weight and shaft are related. Generally the stiffer the shaft, the more it weighs. On the market today, there are shafts available in a wide range of materials (graphite, steel, titanium) in weights ranging from over 125 grams to under 50 grams. The objective for finding the ideal shaft is to find the lightest shaft that a player is able to control. This will provide a shaft that will maintain swing balance while allowing the player to hit the ball farther and more consistently.

The Concept of Frequency Matching

One of the most common buzzwords in the world of shaft fitting is ?frequency.? Frequency may be defined as the oscillation of a shaft (club) after the tip is pulled down and released while the shaft is mounted in a frequency measuring device. The frequency of a club is measured in cycles per minute, or cpm's. So what does this mean to the average golfer as he or she swings a golf club? It determines how an individual club feels, the possible trajectory of the shot, the potential direction of the shot and how one club feels when compared to another.

Let's put it in more understandable terms. Most players have a favorite club, one that feels best to them. The frequency of this club is tested and compared to the others in the player's set. It is not uncommon for none of the other clubs to match this one. It is also not uncommon that the frequency of the clubs in a golfers set actually indicate some of the clubs are three flexes apart from one another. Effectively that could mean that the player had a club or two in the set that were, for example, ?R? flex, most are ?S? flex as the labels may indicate, but a couple test at ?X? flex. It's little wonder that not all of the clubs feel the same ? and also little wonder that they don?t all perform the same!

Frequency matching is a process that ensures that the deviation in frequency between adjacent clubs is consistent. This provides that all of the shafts in a player's set will feel and perform the same. Typically steel shafts vary by 4-5 cycles per ½? in length, while graphite may vary by somewhat less.

Beyond Frequency Matching

Recently golf technology has taken another step forward in understanding shaft performance. In spite of the extensive quality control procedures there are inconsistencies in the thickness of the shaft walls. Close examination of the shafts shows no bend, visible high or low spots; the shafts ?look? fine. But obviously the machine is detecting something...

But they are detectable by the oscillation of the shaft in a frequency machine...and they are known as shaft ?spines.? Shaft spines have been defined in a number of ways...they have been called irregularities; high or low spots; out of round places...the list goes on and on. A good working definition of a spine would concern the position of the shaft in a club that allows the shaft to bend naturally as it was designed to do. Shafts installed with their spines in the neutral position (parallel to the target) permit a club to perform consistently though the set; this is evidenced by player feedback as well as how the shaft oscillates in a frequency analyzer. Experimentation and testing have determined that aligning a shaft's spine parallel to the target will provide uniform performance and feel; spine aligning adds another dimension to frequency matching.

A best fit shaft for a player will load and unload in a straight line in relation to the intended target. Spine aligning helps to ensure that this will occur; shafts that are not spine aligned tend to bend either more toe-up or toe-down than will provide the best shaft plane for the golfer. Independent tests conducted by former True Temper Research VP Howard Butler of Golf Science Consultants have shown that in a small population of golfers have experienced a 20-60% improvement in their percentages of on-center hits when using clubs that have properly fitted shafts that have been spine aligned.

Frequency matching and spine aligning help a player achieve this matching. Are they for everyone...not necessarily. But they certainly can make a set of clubs perform to their best designed characteristics...And what serious players want to be using clubs that aren't best matched to their swings? Club matching is a definite factor in helping you play your best. Give it a look the next time you decide on an equipment change; you may be pleasantly surprised at the results.