does torq effect ball flight?

[scotte]

If it does is it that much different between a shaft that is 3.5 and a shaft that is 2.8? I currently have the stock red shaft in my cleveland hibore tour and the shaft is a 3.1 torq and I hit it very high. What I am thinking is about a aldila nv 65x with 3.5 or a aldila nv 75s in my other driver I have a diamana 83x, but I think I am liking the feel of the 65 shaft, I just wish it went as far as my diamana. My diamana goes just about as high as my new stock hibore, but my old driver goes further.

[TuffKukae]

If it does is it that much different between a shaft that is 3.5 and a shaft that is 2.8? I currently have the stock red shaft in my cleveland hibore tour and the shaft is a 3.1 torq and I hit it very high. What I am thinking is about a aldila nv 65x with 3.5 or a aldila nv 75s in my other driver I have a diamana 83x, but I think I am liking the feel of the 65 shaft, I just wish it went as far as my diamana. My diamana goes just about as high as my new stock hibore, but my old driver goes further.

 

 

Torque should be thought of as resistance to twisting and the lower the number the more resistance to twisting the shaft is. Yes it is more of a "feel" number in my opinion but generally lower torque numbers go hand and hand with higher kickpoint (lower flight) and heavier shafts. If you are worried about hitting the ball too high the clubhead loft and shaft flexpoint have more value then a torque rating in my opinion.

[thewitt]

You cannot compare published torque numbers from two different shaft companies - they don't measure torque using any sort of standard to the numbers will not match...

 

Torque today is all about feel. The higher the torque, the more feel in the shaft during the swing.

 

-t

[utopiapga]

TORQUE is simply this.............the higher the torque rating the more the club ossalates in the swing.

 

In other words the club head will actually move in a rounding motion in the down swing when loaded, the less torque the less the club head will ossalate and the more consistant it will be. More torque is genarally better for slower swing speeds and lower torque is better for higher swing speeds.

 

Hopefully you can picture this...........

[arkstorm]

Torque is a measure of the shaft's resistance to twisting in terms of degrees. Hence, the lower the torque the less it will twist. The way torque is measured is by fixing one end of the shaft then applying a predetermined torque (one to five foot pounds is a standard) to the opposite end of the shaft and measuring the total angular deflection.

 

But just because a shaft is low torque does not necessarily mean it will be low launching because that has more to do with the kick point of the shaft. However, generally speaking, a low torque shaft will be more tip stiff which often has the effect of moving the kick point further up the shaft and producing a lower ball flight. Notice, for example, the Diamana Blue Board, which is a relatively low launch shaft has a much higher torque at 3.6 deg. than a V2 which is another low launch shaft at 3 deg. Both shafts produce a boring trajectory even though the Diamana isn't considered a particularly low torque shaft.

 

Torque is just another number in a large equation when it comes to shaft fitting but it probably shouldn't be you first consideration since there are many ways to skin a cat when it comes to achieving desired ball flight.

[thewitt]

Resistance to torsional rotation and tip stiffness are not related and in fact are controlled with different weave orientations in the graphite fiber.

 

When a shaft is tip stiff and has a low measured torque (not a low published spec, but a low measured torque) it's because both elements are present in the shaft design.

 

There are very few graphite shafts that actually measure below 3.0 in torsional rotation when you apply the ASTM proposed standard for measurement of torque.

 

Companies use creative methods to measure torque so it appears lower than this. One company measures torque by shortening the beam length and then measuring from both the tip and the butt and averaging their results. Their published spec of 2.8 measures 3.5 on average. Their published spec of 3.5 is well over 4.5.

 

You can see some measured torque values on shaftprofiles.com - though you will currently have to go other websites to see the factory published specs for torque, there will be a comparison report on that website soon.

 

-t

[skinny99]

Does a low torque number generally result in a shaft that feels more boardy?Or is tip or butt stiffness the greatest factor? Thanks Todd

[thewitt]

Though it will depend on your swing mechanics, yes - a low torque shaft will feel more boardy to most players.

 

When I was designing a 45g shaft last year, I had initially made the prototype with 3.2 degrees of measured torque. Virtually everyone who hit it hated the feel.

 

I changed the design to bring the torque up to 4.5 degrees and changed nothing else about the shaft - it's now a fan favorite.

 

It seems to me that ultralight shafts in particular benefit from a higher torque number to avoid them feeling brittle.

 

-t