Most weekend golfers get this wrong (and it’s no wonder since most info you see online is misleading at best).
You’ve likely seen or heard that faster swing speed golfers should use a stiffer
But…
Multiple studies have shown that there is no link between
This topic can end up pretty complex and I went down a big, long rabbit hole in researching and writing this article so here’s the important bits…
- Shaft flex letter designations (R, S, X etc.) are meaningless because there is no standardization between manufactures. One company’s “stiff” might be another’s “regular” or even “senior flex”.
- Adding to the confusion – even within the same manufacturers stiffness range – for example S (Stiff), they can now produce versions to help achieve higher launch and spin, lower launch and spin and everything in between. So, stiffness is even less relevant.
- The best
golf shaft for you is 100% individual and unfortunately there is no guide or rules (including swing speed) on what will definitely give you the best results. - The only way to know is to test out different shafts for yourself and see what feels best and what gives you the results you are looking for.
Testing Golf Shafts
Putting it all together, if you want to find the best
- Find a higher quality club fitter near you and let them help you. They should have a bunch of shafts you can try and test and will be able to help you interpret the data and result.
- You will need to pay the fitter a fee, but it means you don’t have to fork out any cash for a bunch of shafts.
- Get some shafts and test yourself.
- This will mean you need to buy some shafts up front. But once you have figured out which one you want to keep, you can sell the rest in almost brand-new condition and get back most of your money.
If you want to test it yourself, then I am guessing you are likely going to start with your driver. But the same method applies across all clubs.
Start by getting a few shafts that are suitable for your club. Ideally from the same brand (since flex between brands isn’t comparable). The most popular brands by tour players are:
- True Temper (30%)
- Project X (woods), Dynamic Gold (irons)
- Mitsubishi (21%)
- Diamana (woods), Tensei (woods & hybrids), MMT (irons)
- Fujikura (18%)
- Ventus (woods), Speeder (woods)
- Graphite Design (8%)
- Tour AD (woods & hybrids)
Once you have a few shafts, fit them and start hitting some balls. Pay attention to the feel, ball flight, distance, and shot consistency.
Ideally you want to use a launch monitor, so you have actual numbers to check against. If you don’t have one, find a driving range near you that has one.
Once you have your favorite – keep it and then you can sell any shafts you no longer need.
If you are interested in the details and background info on
Why Is High Swing Speed Recommended Stiffer Flex Golf Shafts?
Let’s start at the beginning…
… looking at the top 101 most popular driver shafts used by tour players, we can see that:
- 2 used a “stiff”
golf shaft. - 48 used an “extra-stiff”
golf shaft. - 51 used an even stiffer “tour-stiff”
golf shaft.
Why does nearly everyone recommend a stiffer shaft for higher swing speed golfers?
History and tradition has a lot to do with it.
The idea of stiffer shafts being suited for higher swing speed players and more flexible shafts for slower swing speed players started way back in the 1940s and 1950s when
And without the composite materials of today, a stiffer shaft meant a heavier shaft.
To accommodate slower swing speed players, they needed to make lighter shafts, but lighter also resulted in them being more flexible (since they were made of wood).
During this time, there was no interchanging of heads like today and the entire club, shaft and head, was designed for a certain type of player.
Because of this, the lighter, more flexible shafts with a low bend point were fitted with shallow face woods for slower swinging players.
And the heavier, stiffer shafts with higher bend points were fitted with deep-face strong lofted woods for the low handicappers (and faster swinging players).
In those days, it made sense to say slower swing = more flexible shaft and faster swing = stiffer shaft.
Unfortunately, this concept never went away.
Golf Shaft Flex Chart
A very popular book first written in 1974 by Ralph Maltby (Golf Club Design, Fitting, Alteration and Repair) was one of the first publications that provided charts matching clubhead speed and/or ball carry distances to shaft flex. This became the primary tool for stiffness recommendations charts like that are still (incorrectly) used today.
To his credit, after publishing the book Ralph said that clubhead speed or ball carry distance was a guide only and the final determination has to be one of trial and error.
But even to this day, equipment manufacturers publish golf shaft flex charts like this:
And without knowing any better, that’s what average
How To Determine the Right Golf Shaft Flex… For YOU
The best
- Your subjective “feel” of the club/shaft you are using.
- Your specific swing mechanics.
- The ball flight you are getting (compared to what you want).
Factor 1: How The Club Feels When You Swing and At Impact
How a club feels is the number 1 factor.
And what feels best to you might be completely different than what feels best to others (even if their swing and speed is just like yours).
Unfortunately, the only way to know what feels best for you is to try out different shafts.
Generally speaking:
- More flexible shafts usually feel smoother and livelier. This is backed up by a 2014 study where more flexible shafts were rated as having a better shot sensation and higher shot quality compared to stiffer shafts.
- Stiffer shafts, naturally, feel firmer. If you have a more aggressive swing, this might feel better for you.
Feel is the most important factor, because so much of
And when your club feels good and you are feeling comfortable, you will swing with more confidence and more commitment to the shot. This can lead to better connections (more sweet spots hit), faster speed and ultimately longer-straighter shots.
Factor 2: Your Specific Club Loading & Swing Mechanics
No 2
Your swing style will load the
Looking at 3 phases of the swing and how you load the club…
| Swing Phase | Generally Suited to a MORE FLEXIBLE shaft if you… | Generally Suited to a more MID-RANGE shaft if you… | Generally Suited to a STIFFER SHAFT if you… |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: Going from top of your backswing to starting your downswing | have a SMOOTH transition | have an AVERAGE transition | have a FORECFUL transition |
| 2: Downswing Acceleration | are SMOOTHER/SLOWER | have an AVERAGE acceleration | are FASTER/more AGGRESIVE |
| 3: Where you unhinge your wrists near impact | EARLY unhinge | MIDWAY unhinge | LATE unhinge |
3: Ball Flight Trajectory (Sort of)
Some studies show that a more flexible shaft (near the tip) can increase dynamic loft at impact.
In the image below, the darker grey club shows where the club head would be with a perfectly stiff shaft.
The lighter green shows how dynamic loft increases as the club bends up near the point of impact.
The more flexible the shaft (near the tip), the more the dynamic loft increases.
And because we swing
And it will also cause the club to be more toe-down like this:
Interestingly, more toe-down opens the face. So how much your face angle changes open or closed will depend on which deflection is happening more – and that will be different from shaft to shaft.
But either way, a more flexible shaft will generally increase dynamic loft.
A lot of jargon… what does it all mean?
If you are finding you are hitting the ball too high, it MAY indicate the particular shaft you are using is too flexible.
However, if you have a slower ball speed – this might be a good thing. You might NEED a higher launch and more spin to maximize the distance you can get for your particular swing speed.
This chart below (from Trackman Data) shows the optimal (driver) launch angle for various club speeds (with attack angle held constant at 0 degrees).
*Spin rate has less effect on the trajectory at low speeds and launch angle becomes the primary factor for optimizing distance.
As you can see – at lower club speeds – you want a higher launch angle to maximize carry distance.
BUT that doesn’t necessarily mean you need a more flexible shaft (or stiffer shaft at higher club speed).
Most modern drivers have an adjustable shaft/head where you can change the loft up or down a few degrees.
AND
Launch angle is also impacted by things like your swing and resulting angle of attack.
Which is all to say… you don’t necessarily need to change your shaft to change the launch angle you are getting (with driver at least).
What Is Shaft Flex Anyway?
Shaft flex is the general resistance of the shaft to bending. It’s one of the four major specifications of a shaft:
- Flex
- Weight
- Torque
- Bend Profile
What Do the Flex Letters Mean
Shaft flex is normally indicated by one of the following letter designations (from stiffest to most flexible) printed on the shaft:
- TX: Tour Special Extra Stiff
- X: Extra Stiff Flex
- S: Stiff Flex
- R: Regular Flex
- A/M: Senior Flex (or Amateur Flex)
- L: Ladies Flex
However, the letter designation is largely meaningless. There is a complete lack of standardization among manufacturers regarding what these letters represent.
One company’s “stiff” might be another’s “regular” or even “senior flex”.
Attempts were made in the mid-to-late 1990s to establish uniform testing standards for properties like flex, but they failed because some companies wouldn’t agree to a consistent method.
This means you have no real idea what you are getting by simply buying a
Golf Shaft Bend Profile
Beyond overall stiffness, the bend profile (also called flex profile) is a crucial characteristic in shaft flex. This describes how the stiffness (of flexibility) is distributed along the shaft’s entire length. From the tip (club head end), through the center and the butt (handle/grip end). Shafts can have the same overall stiffness but different bend profiles, which results in different playing characteristics.
For example, check out the below chart from Titleist.
Each of those red dots is a different shaft model. 153 in total on this chart. They vary from high launch and high spin characteristics down to low launch and low spin.
EVERY single one of these shafts is designated a “Stiff” (S) shaft by Titleist.
Meaning the actual stiffness designation is even less important.
Summary of Reference Studies
Definitely no need to read this section, but here’s a quick summary of some of the research studies supporting the findings in this article.
Source: The Role Of The Shaft In The Golf Swing
Outcomes:
- Findings showed that shaft flexibility is not significant. In blind testing both amateurs and professionals were unable to tell the difference between regular, stiff and x-stiff shafts.
- Main impact is a change in loft (and closing of the clubface). But this can be done with club setup.
Source: Understanding the Role of Shaft Stiffness in The Golf Swing
Outcomes:
- Findings back up previous studies in that shaft stiffness was found to have a meaningful effect only on clubhead orientation (dynamic loft and dynamic close) at impact.
- There was no evidence to support the premise that matching the stiffness properties of the shaft with the golfer would improve clubhead speed.
- As swing speed increased – shaft deflection increased.
- As shaft flexibility increased – shaft deflection increased.
Source: The influence of golf club shaft stiffness on clubhead kinematics at ball impact
Outcomes:
- For both clubhead speed and loft angle, the effects of shaft flex were highly subject specific.
- Different players impart different kinetic loading patterns to the club, and as a result exhibit different shaft bending profiles throughout the swing.
- It is therefore plausible that if the response of a shaft is dictated by the manner in which it is loaded, then a certain loading pattern may be inherently more suited to a particular shaft flex.
Outcomes:
- A light and flexible shaft was harder to control at high speeds.
- A heavy and stiff shaft was hard to close the face and control face direction
- Best performance was achieved with either a regular flex with heavier weight, or a stiffer flex with lighter weight.
- Regular shafts felt better to the golfers than stiffer shafts (regardless of weight).
- Neither weight nor the flex of the shaft had an influence on the clubhead speed.
- These findings support the statement of the coach of the German national
golf team saying that “almost all golfers play with shafts which are too stiff for their swing” (König, 2001).
Source: Shaft Stiffness Significantly Influences Golf Clubhead Speed at Impact
Outcomes:
- Found some minor changes to club head speed (2.5%) with changing shaft flex (equivalent of going from 95mph club head speed to 97mph).
- However, the speed change amongst the golfers (all of similar speed) was different. Some were faster with a more flexible shaft. Others with a more rigid shaft.