Do shafts matter?

[Gdmichael]

Do shaft's matter?

 

Photo: Jim Herity

 

 

By Max Adler

Golf Digest

July 2007

 

Driver shafts are like blue jeans: If you want to look your best, try on as many pairs as it takes to find the perfect fit. If it happens that the designer Diesel jeans you saw on Fifth Avenue hug you most flatteringly, you're out a small fortune. But if you're the guy who walks in, grabs $30 Wranglers with "close enough" inseam and waist measurements then heads straight to the checkout counter, you're still going to look fine.

 

About 75 percent of golfers buying new drivers opt for the $30 Wranglers when it comes to shafts. Most major manufacturers work with a top shaft company to produce a model to perform with their specific clubhead (the TaylorMade partnership with Fujikura on the ReAx shaft is one example), so masses, rest assured you're getting something decent.

 

Stock shafts are designed to accommodate groups of players, so the question is whether such a general flex profile sufficiently matches your swing. Says Bob Dodds, former technical director of the Professional Clubmakers' Society, "Two players with identical swing speeds might need different shafts that still measure at the same overall stiffness. A short swing requires a stiffer tip. A longer swing needs a soft tip with a stiffer butt section."

 

1. A “tetra weave†in the Accra AXIV XE lays graphite fibers in four directions in only one ply of material ($425, accragolf.com). 2. The Fujikura Rombax X uses a box-weave material to stabilize the shaft at impact ($300, fujikuragolf.com). 3. The low kick-point Graphite Design Tour AD Quattro Tech uses minimal resin, ultra-high modulus materials ($380, gdintl.com). 4. An extremely stable tip in Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana WhiteBoard is designed to minimize spin ($350, mitsubishirayongolf.com). 5. The Matrix Ozik TP-7x features a ballistic-grade Zylon wrap to increase hoop strength (minimize shaft deformation) as well as dampen vibration ($1,200, mccshafts.com).

(Photo: Jim Herity)

 

 

By experimenting with expensive composites, layering and fiber direction, shaftmakers can tailor things like flex, torsional resistance and feel while minimizing deformation. "The slightest undesirable flexing can magnify inconsistencies in a swing," says Don Rahrig, UST's vice president of engineering.

 

The problem: The cost of chasing these material consistencies, which likely exceed the golfer's swing consistencies, can be astronomic. ozik prices one model at $1,200 and uses GMAT heat-resistant fibers to maintain precise specifications during the shaft's rotation in and out of a 240-degree oven. The company also swears by the wonders of 120-count boron.

 

Do high-grade materials enhance performance significantly? Well, a golf fitting haven such as Hot Stix Golf of Scottsdale rarely recommends the stock shaft when performing a clubfitting. However, others aren't so sure. "Cheaper graphite fibers can obtain the same parameters of weight, torsion and flex," says Tom Wishon, author of Common Sense Clubfitting. "The only difference for the golfer will be feel."

 

Of course, if an expensive shaft construction translates into a better feel, that harmony could lead you to make better swings more often. Therefore, focus on performance, not fashion. Even Larry Bischmann of mitsubishi rayon (maker of the Diamana shaft used by Tiger Woods) concedes, "If the shaft doesn't fit you, it doesn't matter who's playing it or how much it costs."

 

[crew_138]

I didn't believe in changing shafts until I baught a club with a high end shaft in it just for kicks (diamana)... and now I have been getting some ball flight I have never experienced before... for the better. So I have to favor shaft upgrades now... just from my short experience.

I would love to get fit into a particular shaft, but being a lefty there just isn't much for us to try, at least where I know to go.

 

On another note... stock shafts feel much better than they used too... at least lately... i.e hibore's fit-on, ping vs proto...etc.

[Nut_Case]

I believe the shafts make more difference than the heads do. If you can afford to have a shafy matched to you, it is 100% worth it. No sense in swinging with a shaft that has a higher swing speed rating, than you can produce!

[Hifade]

Shafts will definitely make a difference but it come down to proper fitting. The expense is not a direct corolation to performance. There are outstanding shafts at $75 that will fit and perform better for some than those priced at $1,200.

[Jahambo]

How important are shafts? In a word, extremely.

 

Historically, we have come from hickory, to solid steel, to aluminum, hollow steel, and on to graphite and nano-tube. Who knows what's next? All in an effort to improve the game.

 

Frankly, I couldn't play with a hickory shaft. I don't have the timing or the desire to swing with such little control. I have no idea how the old timers did it.

 

Shafts make all the difference in the world. In the recent Golf Digest article on shafts, one of the 5 keys listed there to knowing if you have the wrong shaft is if the hits don't feel solid. If that's the case with your clubs, you probably need a stiffer or different shaft. Maybe not, but if you are having trouble try this experiment:

 

Grab a ladies or seniors shaft and take a whack at a ball...a good solid swing. The results are awful if you have any swing speed at all. Keep moving up in flex unitl you feel a resounding pop. It should feel hard, solid and strong. Keep moving up in stronger flex shafts until you do. You may surprise yourself discovering you need a much stronger shaft than you thought. If regular or stiff flex don't give you the swing results you are looking for...a solid pop, don't stop. Go on to X or even XX until you get it right. You'll know it when you max out. It will fell like you're hitting the balls with a sledge hammer and you are feeling every blow.

 

Once you feel a solid hit, after that it's all about shaft kick, and control. There are tons of options, but the bottom line is you will never play the game well with a shaft that is wrong for you.

[Sean2]

OEMs are providing better shafts these days. My drivers has a YS-6+, my fairway woods are Aldila, my hybrids Fujikura, my irons Royal Precision, and my wedges TT Golds. Thos are all "stock".