The shaft of the golf club is said by many to be the engine of the golf club. The more I think about this statement, I'm not convinced it is accurate. I am maintaining the more accurate statement is that the swing is the engine and the shaft is the transmission. Regardless of what you consider the shaft to be, all golfers need to know which shaft is right for their swing.

While it is best to be fit by a professional club fitter, golfers should have a good idea what type of shaft they should be looking for. There are three main specifications that the typical golfer should keep in mind when choosing a shaft. Most golfers will at least be familiar with these specifications: flex, bend point, and torque.

Flex: flex is the relative stiffness of the shaft, more specifically, the shaft's resistance to bending when a force is applied. Flex is categorized with the following designations from the most flexible to the stiffest; L-flex (ladies), A-flex (senior), R-flex, (regular), S-flex (stiff), and X-flex (extra stiff). Any information about shaft flex is given in generalities only. Since there are no industry standards, every companies designations concerning flex can be different. Traditionally, a golfer will base a flex decision on swing speed, or driving distance. Although this is not the only determining factor, the following is a good place to start.

Club head speed: Driving Distance Flex Up to 65 mph 160 yards or less L 60-75 mph 160- 180 A 75- 90 180- 225 R 90- 105 220- 255 S 105+ 255+ X Bend Point: Often confused with kick-point, the bend point is the maximum position of the shaft when it is subjected to a bending force. Kick-point is determined by a different test and is not the same. Bend-point designations are; low, mid, and high. The terminology

might lead you to believe that the bend point designations are in distinctly different places on the shaft. In reality, all bend points will be within an approximately 6-inch section of the shaft. Bend point can effect trajectory slightly. Low bend point shafts will slightly increase the trajectory, and high bend point will slightly decrease the trajectory. Additionally, low bend point shafts will feel more flexible at the tip end. Generally speaking, players with more feel prefer higher bend point shafts, and high- handicapped players do better with low bend point shafts.

Torque: Torque is the measurement in degrees that indicates the amount of twisting the shaft sustains by the force of the swing and the impact of the clubface with the ball. Torque has more of an effect on feel than any other fitting parameters. The lower the torque of the shaft, the more it will feel stiff in the tip. Torque is no longer considered a factor in shaft fitting, with only a couple exceptions; feel, and those of the player with a very fast swing speed and a fast tempo, or the player with a very low swing speed. The fast swing speed player should (>95mph), should not use a shaft with a torque greater than 5 degrees, and the low swing speed player should not use a torque less than 3.5 - 4 degrees of torque.

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