The shaft of a golf club stores and delivers the energy of a golfer's downswing. For a well-struck shot, the shaft's flex has to match your swing speed so the clubhead arrives at the ball pointed squarely to your target. If the shaft's flex releases the clubhead a few degrees too soon or too late, you may have trouble finding the fairway consistently.
Importance
Using the wrong shaft flex for your swing speed can cause problems, but it's not the sole fault. The grip has the most influence on squaring the clubface. Next is the release of your wrist cock. If you release later, you can flex the club more and close the loft angle, producing a longer shot. Releasing too early saps power, no matter what shaft you use.
Shaft Ratings
Golf shaft manufacturers rate shaft flexibility on five levels: Ladies, Senior, Regular, Stiff and Extra Stiff. The industry does not, however, have standards for those five levels, so one company's Regular shaft may have slightly more flex than another company's.
Materials
Steel and graphite are the most common materials used in shafts. Steel has been approved for play since the early 1930s and is better for shots that require distance control, which is why most players use them for irons. Graphite shafts, which came to market in the 1970s, are lighter and longer. That means they tend to flex more than steel and therefore can be swung faster, so they are used in the distance clubs such as the driver and fairway woods.
How Flex Affects Clubhead
The shaft's flex affects the club in four ways during a swing, according to master clubmaker Ralph Maltby. Flex closes the clubface, strengthens the loft angle, flattens the lie angle and shortens the club. Maltby says the most important factor is how the clubface closes. That happens when you release the wrist cock and the clubhead races ahead of the shaft.
Finding the Right Flex
The best way to find the right shaft is to test with a launch monitor and on the range. Launch monitors, found at sporting goods superstores and golf shops, can provide data such as launch angle, ball speed and spin rate. This can help you find which shaft you need to generate optimal launch conditions. Test on a range with different shafts to see your ball flight. The best shaft for you helps you hit consistent, straight shots with the trajectory you prefer.
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