Golf shafts - the engine of your golf club

How to choose a golf shaft

Golf shafts come in many variations. They are one of the most important factors to consider when deciding on your clubs. Length is a factor and fitting centres and Golf Professionals will be able to install shafts which are the correct length and lie for your build.

Golf shafts come in different materials such as carbon fiber or steel and many combinations of weight and stiffness or flexibility.

There are many different applications of the materials within the manufacturing process all usually designed to create a shaft which is strong and optimises the effect of the flail action of the club on the ball and with a consistent twisting and flexing action to ensure consistent shape and length of shots.

The weight is important and needs to suit the player and their swing speed.

Heavier shafts tend to be stiffer but that is not always the case and this is an area for significant and continued technological advancement.

With regard to the flex there are two factors to consider - how much the shaft will flex when it is swung and about which point does the flex occur (high or low kick point).

Unfortunately there is not a single standard between manufacturers of golf clubs and shafts. There are the broad category of flex such as regular, stiff, extra stiff etc. but these vary between one manufacturer and another. You can find lots of resources online to compare the flex point, weight and other specifications of most manufacturers.

The shaft will make a lot of difference to the trajectory of the ball and the length that it will travel with your swing. Generally speaking the stronger you are and faster you swing the golf club the stiffer and heavier shafts will perform better for you. This is because with a fast golf swing you will create a lot of torque and flex in the shaft. Whereas with a moderate or slow swing you will probably get better results with a softer flex and lighter shaft. However, this is one area where trying different types and being fitted by a professional will really help.

A low kick point, or flex point or bend point, means that the shaft will show the greatest degree of flex about a point nearer to the tip of the shaft (nearer to the club head). A high kick point will mean the shaft flexes about a point higher up the shaft and nearer to the grip end.

A low kick point will generally cause the ball to go slightly higher when compared to a similar club shaft, stiffness and swing speed compared to a high kick point. A high kick point will generally, when all other things are equal, keep the ball slightly lower.