! Scigolf presents Scott Hazledine Answers Your Golfing Questions On Your Golf Game.

Question 45

Dear Scott,
Please address the subject of club shaft stiffness as a function of club head speed.
Everybody claims that a stiff shaft is what all the better players use and that a flexible shaft is only for the women players and seniors. An 82-year-old fellow golfer of mine uses a driver fitted with a very flexible "seniors" shaft. I have hit his club several times and enjoyed long, straight shots with it. My club head speed consistently measures 100-105 mph with a driver, but I use the single axis swing method that you teach. Is that why (unlike other strong hitters that use the conventional, dual axis swing) I don't lose the ball to the right as they do with a more flexible shaft?

Best regards, David

Dear David,

Shaft flex serves as a function for directional control, trajectory, and speed. Even though the rules of golf state that you must manufacture and use shafts that will bend equally in all directions, this is seldom the case. If you have shafts that are incorrectly positioned in the club head you will find shafts that won't help you square up the club but rather have you consistently hit the ball to the right or to the left. This happens because of what it is known as the spline angle. This is the point that the shaft flex is the strongest. If you have the spline parallel to the face, directly in line with the face, or pointed away from the face or pointed to the hosel you will have the shaft working properly throughout the golf swing. Then it all depends upon your genetic timing barrier or your swing technique to square the club face. As long as the spline is correctly alinged with the face the shaft will work properly. But at, for example, a 45 degree angles you will have a club face that will want to constantly remain open, or closed. The torque of the spline on the shaft will attempt to move in line with the force.

Directional control I believe should always be the primary function associated to the shaft. Second in line would be the trajectory which also takes into account a centered hit, the effective loft of the club face, and the angle of attack with the club head speed. All things being equal the shaft flex will determine how high or how low you hit your shot. The commonly held belief that the stiffer the golf shaft the more control you have is a misnomer when you set the spine angle properly.

IMA Systems takes great care in setting the proper spline angle and shaft flex for your swing speed. Scigolf does the same.