Why do I find flex shafts easier to hit?

[ScoopUK]

I was wondering if anyone had any insight as to why I seem to find more flexible shafts easier to hit than stiff ones when it comes to my hybrids, wood and driver? I appreciate it'll be just concepts without anyone really knowing what I am doing.

I'm 6'2", 240 lbs so I don't tick the typical boxes for flexible shaft users although I've never measured my club speed so bit of an assumption. I know I come down on the ball a bit steep, probably due to not being very flexible. I find it a bit harder to arc more around the body (unless I let my left heel raise off the floor on back-swing). My 3 hybrid with flex shaft is becoming my favourite club!

Still haven't quite figured out my driver and wood but they are at least going straight albeit with only 1/2 - 3/4 swing at the moment. When I try my other brand stiff shaft hybrid, wood and driver I'm utterly useless. Can't even connect properly.

 

[Sidsidgwick]

Height and weights don’t dictate the flex of a shaft you need. To accurately prescribe which flex shaft is best for your swing you need to know your swing speed and try different brands of shaft as one brands Regular flex may be somewhat stiffer than its competitors.

Get to your local fitter and try out a range of shafts and see what’s best for you, don’t worry if it’s Senior, Regular, Stiff or X-Stiff just see what produces the best results and use that.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

More knowledgeable people than me will come along shortly but I think it is mainly swing speed. If you are not flexible, I'm not either, then you will not be generating much speed so the flexible shaft will help you out. I had stiff shafts in my woods for a spell and going to regular has helped me no end. I am much straighter now, far more often.

Don't worry why, just go with what makes life easier.

 

[ScoopUK]

Height and weights don’t dictate the flex of a shaft you need. To accurately prescribe which flex shaft is best for your swing you need to know your swing speed and try different brands of shaft as one brands Regular flex may be somewhat stiffer than its competitors.

Yes, I was making an assumption I'd have a fast club speed perceiving myself to be stronger but I suppose I could just as likely be a sloth-like lumbering oath

I'm on what is really my first set of introductory clubs so until I seek to upgrade I'll have to just work with what I've got. Was wondering if my experience might be indicative of something.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Think of it in boxing terms. The hand speed of a featherweight against a heavyweight. You may be big and strong but that does not always equate to speed. Me, I'm neither strong nor flexible so that is a bit of a bummer . Incidentally, loving the idea of a sloth swinging a golf club.

 

[ScoopUK]

Think of it in boxing terms. The hand speed of a featherweight against a heavyweight.

I've made the mistake of sparing a lightweight boxer when I dabbled in martial arts. I know EXACTLY where you are coming from... just never thought of it in those terms before! I didn't even see them coming.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Did the annoying little blighter refuse to stand still? :rofl:

 

[ScoopUK]

Did the annoying little blighter refuse to stand still? :rofl:

I couldn't even tell you what happened. I saw him in front of me 6 feet away. Next thing I'm stumbling backwards not sure where I am. Fortunately we were training partners so he gave me the courtesy of recovering and squaring up before he hit me again. It didn't last long before instructor realised it wasn't a very productive match up

Have I mentioned how much more civilised golf is?

 

[Sidsidgwick]

I've made the mistake of sparing a lightweight boxer when I dabbled in martial arts. I know EXACTLY where you are coming from... just never thought of it in those terms before! I didn't even see them coming.

Been there and done that myself, I outweigh my MMA training partner by about 10 stone but haven’t been able to successfully lay a glove on him for around 7 years now.

My swingspeed is around 100mph and I found that a heavy and stiff shaft (75g stiff) works best for me as I originally had light regular shafts (55g in my Driver) and I was losing a great deal of distance and had poor dispersion with it which has been rectified by a fitting and finding the shaft that worked best.

 

[ScoopUK]

Been there and done that myself, I outweigh my MMA training partner by about 10 stone but haven’t been able to successfully lay a glove on him for around 7 years now.

Yeah, I learned to be humble because you never know what skill level someone is. Looks can be very deceiving. It also busted the myth that a boxer governed by rules who can only stand up and fight would be useless in a mixed discipline or on the street. They are so fast.

My swingspeed is around 100mph and I found that a heavy and stiff shaft (75g stiff) works best for me as I originally had light regular shafts (55g in my Driver) and I was losing a great deal of distance and had poor dispersion with it which has been rectified by a fitting and finding the shaft that worked best.

It might be my club speed increases as I get more comfortable and confident in my swing I guess. Only been at it a few months so I'm still trying to deliver that club nicely and thinking about it consciously. Once I'm hitting them relatively consistently maybe I'll speed up. Again, until I'm a bit more experienced I suppose I should just let the foundation develop before I look at testing and changing things.

 

[Blue in Munich]

Titleist have a fitting mantra; "It's not how fast you swing, it's how you swing fast." Whilst swing speed will have some bearing, the manner of your transition from backswing to downing, the way you load the shaft and your release will all have a bearing on the flex that suits you best. Swing speed is at best a starting point, it is certainly not the be all and end all.

Another thing to bear in mind is that there is no standard for flex in golf; as I know from a fitting, one manufacturer's stiff is another's regular, so don't get too hung up on the flex designation; if it ain't broke..........

 

[jim8flog]

It might be my club speed increases as I get more comfortable and confident in my swing I guess. Only been at it a few months so I'm still trying to deliver that club nicely and thinking about it consciously. Once I'm hitting them relatively consistently maybe I'll speed up. Again, until I'm a bit more experienced I suppose I should just let the foundation develop before I look at testing and changing things.

I do not understand why you particularly want to have stiff shafts. The advice I have always understood is play the softest shaft you can whilst still maintaining the direction.

 

[Blue in Munich]

I do not understand why you particularly want to have stiff shafts. The advice I have always understood is play the softest shaft you can whilst still maintaining the direction.

This, exactly the same as suspension in vehicles.

 

[hines57]

I couldn't even tell you what happened. I saw him in front of me 6 feet away. Next thing I'm stumbling backwards not sure where I am. Fortunately we were training partners so he gave me the courtesy of recovering and squaring up before he hit me again. It didn't last long before instructor realised it wasn't a very productive match up

Have I mentioned how much more civilised golf is?

- give it time - there are some very volatile golfers out there!!!!

 

[duncan mackie]

It's important to recognise that what's referred to as swing speed is the speed of the clubhead itself at the point of impact.
Generally, timing has a significant effect on this - but strength has little.
Once you have an easy 110mph and 260 driver carry then strength may well become a relevant factor in faster and further. ..

 

[the_coach]

I was wondering if anyone had any insight as to why I seem to find more flexible shafts easier to hit than stiff ones when it comes to my hybrids, wood and driver? I appreciate it'll be just concepts without anyone really knowing what I am doing.

I'm 6'2", 240 lbs so I don't tick the typical boxes for flexible shaft users although I've never measured my club speed so bit of an assumption. I know I come down on the ball a bit steep, probably due to not being very flexible. I find it a bit harder to arc more around the body (unless I let my left heel raise off the floor on back-swing). My 3 hybrid with flex shaft is becoming my favourite club!

Still haven't quite figured out my driver and wood but they are at least going straight albeit with only 1/2 - 3/4 swing at the moment. When I try my other brand stiff shaft hybrid, wood and driver I'm utterly useless. Can't even connect properly.

overall it will be down to the swing technique you currently have

if you do tend to come down a tad too steep then intuitively the brain will look to deliver the club face the best way it can so the club face can arrive somewhere in relation to both the club path & angle of attack - plus the much shorter swing length is goin to play into the issues

hard to say but reading between the lines would guess it's more an arm hands dominated swing not so much legs & body so some 'flex' in the shaft is goin to aid things in terms of distance & helping to 'square up' the face angle in a much shorter period of time due to the fact that the clubhead doesn't travel that far overall

often times this kinda 'swing pattern' can tend to lead to swing motion that has the club face arrive at ball before the handle & the hands because that kinda swing pattern has the body straighten up more vertical into impact so there's a tad of a 'flip' type release into impact - often too means the swing sequence is somewhat out of whack as the downswing starts from the shoulders arms & hands rather than transition starting from the ground up

does this in order to intuitively 'line up' the club face a tad 'squarer' in relation to the path to get ball to somewhere's near target

many folks don't tend to realize this but into impact the club shaft is really in a 'lead & droop' position in all full swings - that means approaching immediate impact the shaft is really 'bending/flexing' towards target in the head end of the shaft with the toe of the club head 'drooping' towards the ground

it really just means however it is that you are swinging the these clubs currently more flex is aiding you to better line up the face it's kinda helping whatever the issues with the swing motion are - will be down to a certain extent the swing speed but also how the transition originally 'stresses' the shaft at the start of the downswing then how the swing motion tries to deliver the club into impact - sound like your getting a tad of a friendly 'kick in' into impact with the tad more flexible shaft

a lesson with the pro would be able to tell you exactly what the issues may be & how to go about 'fixing' whatever may need to be 'fixed' then may find overtime you might need to look again at what shafts would be better or not

 

[ScoopUK]

Great reply, very informative. Thanks Coach!