# Stiff shaft for a beginner?



## stu3y (Dec 22, 2015)

Is a stiff shaft a bad idea over Reg for a beginner? Found a nice set of clubs but advert says they are stiff shaft... What's the difference?


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## Hacker Khan (Dec 22, 2015)

There are some that say shafts make very little difference, some say they can make or break your swing.  Personally I'd pay to get a proper fitting from a pro, as then you will have a decent idea of what you need.  You can then narrow down the search for clubs a bit.


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## SugarPenguin (Dec 22, 2015)

I dont see any harm in getting a stiff shaft.
Its more to do with your swing speed than ability.
I recommend what Hacker has said though - go get fitted to get the best results.


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## stu3y (Dec 22, 2015)

At the minute my swing is literally all over, no 2 swings are the same, I was hoping to find a decent set of clubs, the. Take up lessons and go from there, I bought some clubs a few weeks ago but didn't look in to it and it turns out they are senior flex clubs!


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## patricks148 (Dec 22, 2015)

S300 i imagine would be fine, not PX7.0 though


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## ScienceBoy (Dec 22, 2015)

Grab some clubs and get out there. 

Rather than worrying about clubs invest in lessons. Young and fit then stiff is fine, will grow into it quickly.

Most here never started golf worrying about their kit. They got on with what they had.

Grab some clubs and play!


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## garyinderry (Dec 22, 2015)

They will be fine.  

Just to confuse you,Someone will be along in a minute to tell you their regular Cleveland irons are stiffer than someone's else's ping tour x stiff irons.  


If you are reasonably fit young man then stiff should be fine. 


Yeah with a super duper full fitting you can find a shaft and weight that will eek out 5 more yards and be arguably more accurate but in reality you can learn to swing and play to a decent level with any set of clubs.


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## ruff-driver (Dec 22, 2015)

One brands stiff is another's regular, there's no real industry standard

It's a lot to do with swing speed ,weight,  torque kick points , butt , tips blah blah 

some even say flex doesn't matter or make a difference( crossfield iirc)

If you can control the clubhead  with a repeatable ish swing then your 3/4 way there

I'd imagine most golf shops would not recommend stiff for a beginner, just seems the norm to start with reg 

But it's what suits you as a player  , if you can swing a 6 ir at nigh on 100mph then reg shafts may not be for you


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## Ethan (Dec 22, 2015)

Depends on the beginner and the shaft. If a big strong rugby player started golf, he may well need stiff shafts from the start. But in any case, some lightweight stiff shafts may be easier to swing than heavy regular ones. The old concept of 'I use stiff' is outdated, as the picture is more complex nowadays. A competent pro can help identoify the appropriate shaft for any player, and if they suggest something in a stiff flex, so be it.


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## User 105 (Dec 22, 2015)

Do what the others have suggested. 

Don't worry about custom fit right now. Play with what you want. Get some lessons. Get your swing to settle down and be consistent. 

Then consider getting custom fit.

It's not worth getting a new set of custom fit shineys now if after a few lessons your swing changes completely !


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## HomerJSimpson (Dec 22, 2015)

If the price is good and you can get some of the money back if you don't get on with them, then why not. Give them a go, get a few lessons over the winter and see what happens


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## UlyssesSky (Dec 23, 2015)

While I do believe buying the stiff shafts wouldn't be totally wrong, there's a couple of good reasons to look for regular shafts.

Like Tom Wishon (who I think knows a thing or two about shafts) said: 




From a pure shaft performance standpoint, 90 percent of you are goingto be better off with a shaft that is more flexible than what you think youneed. 

Click to expand...

There's 3 problems that come with shafts that are too stiff, that will negatively affect you (generally, but especially as a beginner):

Shorter flight - most beginners don't hit it too far anyway, so an additional distance loss hurts even more
Lower flight - a ball flight that's too high typically isn't a problem for beginners, not being able to hold the green is
Fade tendency - with a fade/slice being the typical beginner problem, increasing that tendency doesn't help

And here are the downsides of a shaft that's too flexible:

Higher (and possibly farther) ball flight - I haven't seen a beginner that struggles with ballooning balls, yet...
Draw tendency - if you're not already fighting a hook/strong draw, this shot shape bias may actually be welcome.


Let me sum up the two options by quoting Mr. Wishon again: 




Of the two, choosing thesecond choice is a no brainer. 

Click to expand...


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## selwood90 (Dec 23, 2015)

I would pretty much buy what pleases you, get out there and start wacking em about. After all, you may decide the sport isn't for you after 6 months, thus making a fitting a costly experience and the club's harder to shift on once you want to. Don't worry about what you get too much, can always re - invest in some more suitable later down the line when your swing is repeatable thus being able to benefit from the custom fittings suggested.


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## Craigg (Dec 23, 2015)

Oh, right...Sorry wrong forum!


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