Stiff Or Regular?

[Crazyface]

I've been using metal stiff shafts every since I've been playing for no reason whatsoever. I do know it's about swing speeds, but does it really make that much difference? I'm sure my swing speed isn't fast enough for stiff shafts but I seem to do ok with them or am I missing out by not switching to regular? My reason for asking is that I've got a growing itch for new clubs. :mmm:

 

[duncan mackie]

It's more about weight, and swing transition, than purely swing speed.

 

[Orikoru]

I find it weird that you went straight to stiff first. Most people would try regular first before deciding they need to switch to stiff I would have thought?

It's definitely worth trying some regulars. Try and find somewhere where you can try the same club in regular and stiff side by side to get a true feel for it.

 

[TreeSeeker]

To answer this question i hit some different flexs with my pro. Got the best consistent results from regular, but prefered the feel of stiff. Senior was an experience to hit haha. I'd say go have a hit and see, i dont buy that it makes the world of difference.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

It makes a difference to me. I have the swing speed of a sloth, when hitting it well, so stiff do not work at all for me. Regular are just the chap.

I do get what Duncan is saying but swing speed must come into it to a degree.

My son had ladies pings for a season or two as he was growing up. He could hit them for miles. I found them to be like comedy, trickshot clubs as they were so whippy. Could not hit them for love nor money.

 

[robbeh32]

I find it weird that you went straight to stiff first. Most people would try regular first before deciding they need to switch to stiff I would have thought?

It's definitely worth trying some regulars. Try and find somewhere where you can try the same club in regular and stiff side by side to get a true feel for it.

You say this but I started playing golf at the beginning of summer bought a cheap Wilson starter set and the man in shop sold me Cobra F7 driver for £100 with the set. I only found out yesterday that the shaft is an extra stiff adilia thingy. I'm wondering myself if I should buy a new driver or just persevere with it.

 

[Imurg]

It makes a difference to me. I have the swing speed of a sloth, when hitting it well, so stiff do not work at all for me. Regular are just the chap.

I do get what Duncan is saying but swing speed must come into it to a degree.

My son had ladies pings for a season or two as he was growing up. He could hit them for miles. I found them to be like comedy, trickshot clubs as they were so whippy. Could not hit them for love nor money.

Swing speed is a big part but many in the business are swaying towards the weight of the shaft playing as big a role. As Duncan said, transition is another area to look at as is release of the club head.
I have a fairly aggressive transition and a fairly late release so I need heavier shafts to keep everything in place. Flex comes into it but recent tests by Crossfield and others show it to have less significance than has been thought in the past.

 

[Dasit]

My girlfriends club are all nice and light lady flex

I hit her clubs so long, high and straight.

If I could get them 2 inches longer think I would be a better player using them

 

[Orikoru]

My girlfriends club are all nice and light lady flex

I hit her clubs so long, high and straight.

If I could get them 2 inches longer think I would be a better player using them

One of my golf mates, when I started playing with him a few years ago, he was using a ladies 3 and 5 wood that must have been 20 years old. I swear he hit 3 wood about 270 yards which is pretty long, but my god would he slice it sometimes. He has a pretty fast swing.

 

[duncan mackie]

My girlfriends club are all nice and light lady flex

I hit her clubs so long, high and straight.

If I could get them 2 inches longer think I would be a better player using them

Just try A flex clubs.....job done.

 

[clubchamp98]

If your going to change get a fitting it’s worth the money.
It will save any expensive errors.
You don’t have to buy clubs off them.
Get your spec and look around for any deals.
One manufacturers stiff is another’s reg so it’s worth trying as many as you can.

There is a perfect shaft for everyone you just have to find out which one it is.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I tend to be borderline between R and S flex in most manufacturers standard shaft options based on my swing speed. In most I don't like the S flex and don't get it working so well. For my last custom fit (I25's) they solved it by hard stepping the shafts which worked a treat. As I advance in age, I'm sorely tempted to start dabbling with graphite shafts and seeing if they have any benefits for me

 

[jim8flog]

It very much depends on the actual shaft.

Steel shafts vary in weight by as much 55 grammes (75 grammes to 130 grammes, raw weight) and can have very different bend characteristics.

If you are going new take the opportunity to get custom fitted if you do not already know your preferred weight and flex of shaft.

The easiest start point is to do a web based shaft fit on truetemper.com or kbsshafts.com

 

[Jamesbrown]

I’ve only ever noticed weight. Get a fitting and try some out!

 

[jusme]

It very much depends on the actual shaft.

Steel shafts vary in weight by as much 55 grammes (75 grammes to 130 grammes, raw weight) and can have very different bend characteristics.

If you are going new take the opportunity to get custom fitted if you do not already know your preferred weight and flex of shaft.

The easiest start point is to do a web based shaft fit on truetemper.com or kbsshafts.com

This ^^ I hear to often regular or stiff and it is never as simple as that. Too many variations between shafts. That being said solid advice from most experts is to play the softest flex that you can control. I find I can't control most regular shafts as the dispersion is everywhere, but when controlled and hit well they go further than the stiff I play. With my stiff shafts I get excellent dispersion and that is what in my opinion a stiffer shaft will give you, if your happy to give up a little distance.

 

[Rlburnside]

I play soft flex shafts , I left my clubs down south as I am returning in a few weeks, so I’ve been playing my old regular flex clubs and surprised how different they are , they feel more like stiff shafts to me.

It would be helpful if you tried regular shafts and compared the difference, you could go to a pro and ask to use a 7 iron in regular flex and take your own 7 iron hit 20 each and see the difference.

 

[the_coach]

I've been using metal stiff shafts every since I've been playing for no reason whatsoever. I do know it's about swing speeds, but does it really make that much difference? I'm sure my swing speed isn't fast enough for stiff shafts but I seem to do ok with them or am I missing out by not switching to regular? My reason for asking is that I've got a growing itch for new clubs. :mmm:

there is no standard to flex through all the shaft manufacturers

more important is the weight of shaft along with the bend profile along the shaft - plus also the right length & lie angle

swing speed just gives a very general ball park of where a fitter might start

weight of shaft can help with swing path & the weight & the bend profile can greatly help with finding center of the club face at optimum chs for the individual swing motion plus both can help with having the best optimum launch conditions - launch angle / spin rate / ball speed etc

anyone buying clubs really should get fitted

 

[larmen]

I tried lots of different things from the 'range bin' at my local driving range. Different shafts, different length, ... . Then when I went to AG it turned out that they recommended me the clubs I tested myself to anyway.