The first step in choosing the best shaft for your golf swing is to know the pattern of your shots. Do you slice or hook? Do you hit the ball high or low? If there is a pattern to your shot making, matching up the right shaft for your swing is relatively simple. Following are the four main characteristics of a golf shaft and how they influence your golf shots.
Torque or Twist - Reduces Golf Hooks and Slices
- If you slice the golf ball, you need help squaring up the club head at impact so you need to find a shaft with some torque or twist. This means you have to go for a graphite shaft as steel has very little torque.
- Just before impact if you have torque in the shaft the club head will close down helping to avid the big slice.
- Generally the bigger your slice the more torque you need. The amount of torque varies and the amount is printed on the side of the golf shaft along with the weight. (eg 65 gms and 4 degrees of torque).
- Conversely someone who hooks the golf ball needs to choose a shaft with hardly any torque. This will help keep the club head square through the shot without flipping over.
Graphite or Steel - Controls the Speed of Golf Swing
Whether you need a steel or graphite golf shaft is again relatively simple. If you have a short fast golf swing, steel is the shaft for you. A longer more graceful golf swing will benefit from a graphite shaft. Ladies or senior golfers will nearly always benefit from a light graphite shaft to help build club head speed.
Flex - Affects the Trajectory of the Golf Ball
The flex of the shaft deals with how high you hit the ball. Some golfers naturally hit the ball high while others find it difficult to get the ball airborne. Generally, the more flexible the shaft the higher you will hit the ball. The flex of the shaft is printed on the side, R = regular, S=stiff, L=ladies, Light =seniors
Weight - Power Golf
Whether a batsman at cricket, a snooker player, or a golfer, the most powerful players benefit from a heavier club. The heavier shafts are steel and the lighter shafts are graphite. The weight of the shaft dramatically affects the overall weight and 'feel' of the club. Most normal golfers will need graphite, but manual workers who are strong in the arm should possibly investigate a steel shaft.
Choosing the right shaft for your swing can help you become a more consistent striker of the ball and in turn lower your scores. If in doubt go to your local golf club where a member of the PGA will help you make the right choice.
Related Article - Understand Your Swing - PGA Tip
Related Article - What Does Over the Top Swing Mean - PGA Tip
John Hoskison - John is a class 'A' member of the British PGA and author of the acclaimed book 'Inside - One Man's Experience of Prison'.
