Shaft flex explanation needed...................please!

[Slime]

Hi all,
I'd just like to know a couple of things with regards to why certain things happen when the wrong shaft is fitted to a driver.

If Your Flex Is Too Stiff
What effect does a too-stiff shaft have on your golf game?
1. The ball will probably fly lower and shorter for any given loft, compared to a properly fit shaft.
2. The ball may tend to go to the right, or fade side, for right-handed golfers because with a too-stiff shaft the clubface is harder to square (the clubface is more likely to be open at impact, in other words).


If Your Flex Isn't Stiff Enough
And what will happen if your flex isn't stiff enough?
1. The ball might fly higher for any given loft, compared to a properly fit shaft.
2. The ball may tend to go left, or to the draw side, for a right-handed golfer (because with a too-flexible shaft, the clubhead may tend to come into the ball closed).

I know these things happen, I've read it & heard it, but, can someone please explain, in simple terms, exactly why & how.

Many thanks,

Slime.

 

[JustOne]

I can't believe I'm going to type all this...............


All shafts will hit the club to the right if you keep a load on it. The issue here (and why you hear so much wrong advice) is how your swing is.

Think of a flexible ruler, when you bend it back and let go it will flick just a little past straight before returning to it's straight position. Now the MOST powerful point to 'hit' that ruler is when it's on the way forward and is straight.. not once it has gone past the forward position as it has effectively dumped all it's energy by then.

When you hit a soft shaft, provided you keep it loaded (accelerating) at impact the clubface will be open and the ball will start right, HOWEVER if like the majority of the golf population you slow into impact the club shaft will start unflexing and actually go past being straight (like the ruler) into a slight forward flex.. the clubhead is now pointing left slightly and you'll hook everything. This only happens when you dump your clubhead speed.. it's a good test to hit some soft shafted clubs to see if you're a flipper of the club. The perfect shaft for you is the one that is dead straight at impact.. you have the swing strength to flex it just enough so that at impact you can't hold it any longer and the clubshaft starts to unload it's flex, arriving at the ball dead straight.

With a stiff shafted club that is too much for you you'll never get any load onto it in the first place... it can't unflex if you didn't load it, even if you do get a little bit of load onto it the chances are you won't swing well enough to keep it there... so what happens is the club will just follow it's natural path which is open and closed. With the ball forward in your stance the ball will technically go left (not right) however it is our timing that then comes into play, we normally expect a little help from the shaft and seeing as it's not there we tend to leave the clubface open more than what would happen if it WAS helping us... and then even more so after a couple of shots trying to get this iron bar airborne! It's the human part of hitting a shaft too stiff for us that makes it go to the right. Put an iron bar with clubhead on a swing machine hitting a ball off the front foot (in front of the arc base) and that clubface will ALWAYS be pointing left.

I'd say from my own experience if you have a shaft that seems too whippy and you're hooking it then it's because you are dumping the flex and need to retain the flex with a faster swing with more lag pressure.... but people don't accept that (it's a macho thing and they probably can't swing anyfaster) so they change to a stiffer shaft that WON'T bend at all and it seems to keep the ball straighter!!! They just can't hit it very far...

If you can't decide then it's always better to go with a softer flex as you'll have a lot more chance to get the ball in the air, you might gain some assistance from the shaft... and you don't need to bring your A game every time you tee it up (as you would if you get a shaft that is too stiff).

hope that helps.

 

[Slime]

I can't believe I'm going to type all this............... .
Hope that helps.

Yes it does...........and I thank you for it.
It all makes a lot more sense now. I'm glad I went for a regular shaft rather than constantly try to load a stiff shafted club.
Maybe that's part of the reason for my overswing...............trying to bully a stiff shaft into flexing!
My reg shaft obviously doesn't need the bullying, so I guess I can use that as an incentive to calm down a touch.
Once again, thanks mate,

Slime.