Stiff shafts - For fast swings or powerful swings?

[Timbo]

Driving, the bain of my life. My iron play is fairly solid but my driving is eratic with any wood (Driver or 3), with them ranging from a soft fade to a super slice. The net result is that I'm nearly always in trouble off the tee, and my confidence just drains away.

I had a lesson with our Pro and he identified that I was not releasing my wrists enough so I've been working on that with a modicum of success, but no real solution.

It was then suggested that I try out some different drivers to see if that made any difference, so a colleague lent me a Callaway Fusion FT3 with a Aldila NVS 55 Reg shaft and a Ping G2 with a Prolaunch Blue 65 Stiff shaft to compare to my Adams RPM with an NVS 65 reg shaft in.

Now I've been told that I have a powerful swing, but not a fast one, so I've always gone for Reg shafts on the basis that stiff shafts are for faster swings, but the Ping with the stiff shaft was by far the straightest and most consistent driver I've hit in a long time. The Fusion was worse tham my Adams!

Any thoughts on why this might be?

 

[Putting_Green_Pro]

i believe it was your mental attitude towards the club.
i got myself a 909D2 which cost the earth and seeing that everyone else said it was 'bad' so did i. therefore i was hitting every shot which sooo muchh slice.
Now it has clicked and now i take my club out in confidence and can hit it 280 with a good contact in a straight line.

btw anyone who says the 909's are poor. i say you are poor and cant afford it

 

[JustOne]

Hi Timbo, it might be a case of "if the glove fits...".
I'd consider getting your swing speed measured so you know just how fast/slow it is. But if you find a club you like and are happy with the way you hit it then there's nothing to stop you using it and being happier and more confident.
I'd say there's probably something wrong in your swing if you are slicing it and it's your choice whether you dive in and address that or not.... clubs don't slice, players do.

 

[slugger]

I've hit lots of drivers over the last few months. Some with stiff shafts, some with regular and a couple with xtra stiff. I've only found 2 that i can hit well regularly and confidently. Ended up with a Srixon with a shaft with a high kick point. To me, i think the way the shaft flexes is just as important as how stiff it is. One stiff is not the same as another stiff...

Take your time trying lots of different clubs until you find one that works well. Or take a punt and get lucky like i did

 

[Mike_j_golf]

Hi,
If the shaft is to flexible it will exaggerate your natural fade as the head will be lagging behind so a stiffer shaft might help to straighten u out.
Mike

 

[freddielong]

I very much doubt that it is the reg shaft that caused your slice If anything I would expect it to go the other way - It may just be that the Ping G2 gives you the confidence to release properly, the Ping woods do look great at address.

 

[muttleee]

Now I've been told that I have a powerful swing, but not a fast one,

How do you generate power without clubhead speed? I would have thought that one goes hand in hand with the other.

 

[Macster]

A Fast 'swing' isnt the only requisite for a fast clubhead speed, it depends on the speed that you 'snap' your wrists thru the impact point.

You cant say that Ernie Els or Freddie Couples have particularly 'fast' swings, but they generate huge clubhead speed and hit the ball a mile.

Therefore, I would assume a 'powerful' swing is smooth, good tempo, but with good speed thru the impact point.

*simples.

PS: Stiff Shafts can be worse for slices, as they dont have as muck kick-thru at impact, squaring the face etc.
Or so they told me at Titleist

 

[muttleee]

Fair enough but surely it's clubhead speed that determines whether or not you're likely to need a stiff shaft? (Oo er missus!). I can't imagine Ernie or Freddie play with regular shafts, despite their languid swings.

 

[RGDave]

PS: Stiff Shafts can be worse for slices, as they dont have as muck kick-thru at impact, squaring the face etc.
Or so they told me at Titleist

Everyone I've asked about this seems in agreement.

I find it no coincidence that the clubs I hit the best all have fairly whippy graphite (regardless of the R or S on the shaft) and are "soft-tip" engineered.
The Aldila NVS suits me better than the NV.....
The extremely soft Fuji Re-Ax on my 3 wood is a peach.

I wouldn't recommend either of these to a faster swing player.

 

[shanker]

I´m with Muttlee on this one. Can´t see the difference between a ´´fast´´ swing and a ´´powerful´´ one. Els´ swing may look slow but the clubhead is moving bloody fast as it approaches the ball.

 

[Macster]

Absolutely, his swing, ie arm movement, is probably slower than yours or mine.

However, the point that his wrists' snap the clubhead back thru the ball is very probably much later than you or I, hence needs to move bloody fast to catch up and be square at impact.