Golf Shaft Fitting – Selecting the Shaft so You Don’t “Get the Shaft”
Here’s a little fact of life the golf industry never talks about when the subject of custom Clubfitting comes up. There are no established standards within the golf equipment industry for shaft flex. The R flex from one company may have the same stiffness as the S flex from another company, or the A flex from yet some other company. The result is a lot of golfers walk away from their club buying experience without the right fit for the shafts in their new clubs. Accurate shaft fitting has to consist of four important steps: Measure the driver and middle-iron swing speeds of the...
Read MoreThe “New” SuperLite Shaft Trend – Who’s it For?
One of the advantages to getting “longer in the tooth” in any area of interest is it gives you the opportunity to separate the “been there done that” from the things that truly are new and different. One of the latest “rages” in the golf equipment industry is the current trend among some of the companies to offer “superlite” drivers – drivers made with a graphite shaft that weighs less than 50 grams to allow the total weight of the driver to be less than 300 grams (@10.5 oz). The marketing concept behind these very light weight drivers...
Read MoreHow Important is the Shaft in the Performance of Golf Clubs?
Ever heard this phrase? “The Shaft is the Engine of the Golf Club” Actually, those who believe this have their auto parts mixed up. In reality, the shaft is more like the TRANSMISSION of the golf club because it connects the golfer’s hands to the clubhead and allows the golfer to transfer his or her power to the clubhead, and in turn, to the golf ball. Those who like to say the shaft is the engine of the golf club are in essence trying to say the shaft is the most important part of the club or at the least, equal in importance to the clubhead. I’ve found in my...
Read MoreIs Shaft Quality Measured by Shaft Price?
I realize I am getting a little long in the tooth in the golf equipment industry. After all, I was first starting in clubmaking and club repair back when the first commercially marketed graphite shafts came on the market in 1972. One of the things I remember questioning when I touched my first graphite shaft back then was, “gee I wonder if golfers will pay this much for a shaft?” Suffice to say in the mid 2000s when I opened a catalog to see a shaft selling for (cough) $300 FOR ONE SHAFT, I just about S**T a ton of bricks! You’re kidding, right? $300?? Naive was...
Read MoreWhat Shaft is the Best for Me?
As many of you know, there are several internet forums where golfers with an interest in their golf clubs can go to ask questions about any aspect about golf clubs. I like to peruse a few of these to see what the hot topics are and as time allows, I’ll do a post here or there to share what I know about the subject in question – especially when the questioner is being steered in the wrong direction. It’s always been interesting to me to readhow many posts are posed by golfers asking for feedback on this shaft or that shaft, and throwing a question out there to the effect of...
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