Sunday, July 29, 2007

Which Flex Golf Club Shaft Is Right For You?

by Golf Club Flex


Playing the game of golf requires the right equipment. But, never has a golfer had more options and decisions to make when selecting the right set of clubs to fit their style. Flex is the amount of bend that a shaft undergoes through the swing - and also has an effect on the position of the clubface at impact. As an avid and experienced golfer for almost 20 years, I'll attempt to give a clear cut and simple synopsis on which golf club shaft flex type is most likely suited for your game.
Flex is the ability of the club shaft to change as force is applied to it throughout the golf swing. Proper fitting for the golf clubs shaft flex is important because without it, the clubface is misaligned at impact and too much/too little acceleration of the clubhead through the swing. The flex ability of shafts is generally broken down into 5 categories: Extra Stiff, Stiff, Regular, Senior, and Ladies.
As a rule of thumb, looking at the distance you hit your driver can give you a general guide as to which flex you may require. Professional golfers (drive 275-300+ yards) require the extra stiff flex; Good golfers (drive 225-275 yards) require stiff; Average golfers (drive 200-225 yards) require regular flex; Senior golfers (drive less than 200 yards) require the senior shaft; and, Ladies require the ladies flex shaft unless they fall into one of the other above categories.
Another important component of choosing the right flex is the smoothness of your golf swing. Smooth swings do well with more flex in the shaft, however a jerky swing (especially when at the apex of the backswing transition) requires a stiff shaft. Most men attempt to overswing, which usually results in a jerkier swing - therefore they may benefit more from a regular or stiff flex shaft. If you are comfortable with the club doing most of the work, you'd be better able to utilize a more flexible shaft.
Lastly, one can sometimes determine the shaft they should use by looking at the common trajectory and direction of their golf shots. For a right handed golfer, if you typically drive the ball to the left, you may benefit from a stiffer flexed shaft since your clubhead is misaligned at impact. However, if you're a right handed golfer and your swing typically goes to the right - a softer flex may be a better match for you to aid in the alignment of the clubface at impact.
I trust that this synopsis will help you as you navigate through the plethora of golf equipment options, and that these simple rules will allow you to better enjoy the game of golf for many years to come.
About the Author
For more information on Golf Club Flex, visit the Golf Forum at http://www.DiscussGolfing.com today.

Thanks to Golf Club Flex for this article.

1 comment:

mhelvin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.