Choosing the correct shafts to suit your swing can have a massive impact on your distance and accuracy, this will have a direct impact on your scores.
I am a PGA professional playing off a +0.8 index, I have been teaching, fitting and club building for over 6 years, this has allowed me to test the ins and outs of aspects regarding shafts.
The main differences between a regular and stiff flex shaft is the weight and stiffness. A regular shaft would suit someone that swings a driver between 85 – 95 mph and a stiff flex shaft would suit someone between 95 – 105 mph.
There are more shaft flexes out there as well as a few more aspects to consider when choosing a shaft, so let’s dive into some details below.
Regular Vs Stiff Shaft Overview
Regular and stiff refers to the flex of the shaft, and what flex you need is determined by your swing speed not your ability.
A regular shaft has more flex compared to a stiff shaft, it is also slightly lighter. The slower your swing speed is the more flex you need, and vise versa, the faster your swing speed is the stiffer the shaft you will need.
The correct shaft will increase clubhead speed, increase distance, reduce spin and increase accuracy.
How Do I Tell If I Should Use A Regular or Stiff Shaft?
The best way to do this is by using a launch monitor. Most PGA professionals and club fitters should have one.
Once you have determined your clubhead speed you will know which flex you should be using.
The tricky part is that there are thousands of shafts to choose from.
Once you have determined your clubhead speed, you need to look at your launch and spin numbers. Within each shaft flex there are shafts that can either reduce spin and launch or increase it.
Getting your spin and launch numbers correct is extremely important, as this will directly influence your distance and accuracy.
Below are a few charts with your recommended shaft flex for your swing speed, as well as the optimum launch and spin.
Driver Shaft Flex Vs Swing Speed Comparison Table
| Flex | Ladies | Senior | Regular | Stiff | X-Stiff |
| Driver Swing Speed | <75 mph | 75 – 85 mph | 85 – 95 mph | 95 – 110 mph | > 110 mph |
| Weight | < 45 gram | 45 – 55 grams | 55 – 65 grams | 60 – 65 grams | 65 grams plus |
| Spin Rate | 2800 – 3100 rpm | 2800 – 3100 rpm | 2500 – 3000 rpm | 2300 – 2700 rpm | 2000 – 2500 rpm |
| Launch Angle | 13 – 17 degrees | 13 – 17 degrees | 11 – 15 degrees | 10 – 14 degrees | 9 – 13 degrees |
Iron Shaft Flex Vs Swing Speed Comparison Table
| Flex | Ladies | Senior | Regular | Stiff | X-Stiff |
| 6 Iron Swing Speed | < 60 mph | 60 – 70 mph | 70 – 80 mph | 80 – 90 mph | 90 mph + |
| Shaft weight | 45 – 50 grams | 55 – 85 grams | 75 – 105 grams | 90 – 120 grams | 115 grams > |
| Spin Rate | 4500 – 4000 rpm | 4500 – 4000 rpm | 5300 – 4600 rpm | 6000 – 5000 rpm | 6500 – 5500 rpm |
| Launch Angle | 18 – 22 degrees | 18 – 22 degrees | 16 – 21 degrees | 15 – 19 degrees | 14 – 18 degrees |
How Important Is Flex In A Driver Shaft
The flex of a shaft is very important. It will control your spin, launch and direction. Don’t assume just because you have the right shaft you will hit perfect shots every time, you will still make bad swings and hit bad shots, but if you have the right shaft the chances of your bad shots being a little bit better than if you had the wrong shaft are higher.
At the end of the day golf is hard as it is, so for me if I put a good swing on the ball, I expect to see a good shot, when you have the right shaft in your club this will happen, if you have the wrong shaft in your club you might see a bad shot, this is not what you want to happen.
How Does It Affect Performance
If you have the wrong shaft in your club the ball will either spin too much causing the ball to balloon into the air or not spin enough causing it to fall out of the air, both instances will result in loss of distance.
It will also affect your launch, having a launch angle that is too high or too low will also result in a loss of distance.
And lastly it can also affect your direction, causing you to hit the ball too far left or right.
How Can I Tell My Swing Speed?
The only way to find out your swing speed is to use a launch monitor. These are devices that either use radar or images to determine a number of different parameters, one of them being swing speed. You are able to purchase them, but they are expensive. We suggest going to get fitted, most local professionals, fitting centers or golf retail stores will have something like this.
What Will Happen If My Driver Shaft Is Too Stiff?
- You will lose clubhead speed as well as spin, this will cause you to lose distance.
- It will be difficult to square the club up at impact, this will cause the face to be open at impact, resulting in a left to right shot or fade/slice.
What Will Happen If My Shaft Is Too Flexible?
- You will produce too much spin and flexion in the shaft, giving you more loft at impact, which will result in lose distance and accuracy
- The face will rotate too much, making the club face closed at impact, this will cause you to hit a right to left shape or draw/hook
Are Stiffer Driver Shafts Always Heavier
In general the stiffer the shaft the heavier, this is because the easiest way to make a shaft stiffer is to add more layers of graphite, this in turn makes it heavier.
Some manufacturers have developed technology that allows them to make a shaft stiff by changing kick points and different graphite materials.
What Weight Should My Driver Shaft Be
Have a look at our table below, this is our recommended weight for shaft flex.
| Driver Swing Speed | 75mph | 75 – 85 mph | 85 – 95 mph | 95 – 105 mph | 105 mph plus |
| Weight | < 45 gram | 45 – 55 grams | 55 – 65 grams | 60 – 65 grams | 65 grams plus |
| Flex | Ladies | Senior | Regular | Stiff | X-Stiff |
What Is Torque In A Driver Shaft – How Will It Affect Performance
The torque of a shaft is how much the shaft twists. The lower the torque the less twist there is.
Players with a fast swing speed will need a club with low torque as it will prevent the club head from shutting at impact.
Players with a slower swing speed can use a shaft with high torque to help them square the clubhead up at impact.
The faster you swing the less torque you need, this will keep the clubhead under control and prevent it from turning closed through impact, this will cause you to hook the ball.
Generally stiffer shafts have less torque, while regular shafts have more torque.
| Low Torque | Mid Torque | High Torque |
| <2.5 | 2.5 – 4 | >4 |
What Is Kickpoint – How Will It Affect Performance?
The kick point of the shaft is where the shaft is most flexible, manufacturers do this to influence the launch and spin of a shaft.
The higher the kick point the lower the ball will launch and spin, and the lower the kick point the higher the ball will launch and spin.
Manufacturers also can use the kick point to give a heavier regular flex the right launch and spin characteristics as well as a light stiff shaft the right launch and spin characteristics.
Do I Need The Same Flex On Irons And Driver?
99% of the time yes of the time your driver shaft flex will match your iron shaft flex. The total speed will be less for an iron compared to a driver, but it is all relative. See the iron flex and weight shaft chart below.
| 6 Iron Swing Speed | < 60 mph | 60 – 70 mph | 70 – 80 mph | 80 – 90 mph | 90 mph + |
| Shaft weight | 45 – 50 grams | 55 – 85 grams | 75 – 105 grams | 90 – 120 grams | 115 grams > |
| Flex | Ladies | Senior | Regular | Stiff | X-Stiff |
Does A Stiffer Driver Shaft Go Further?
This all depends on your clubhead speed. If you are playing with a shaft that is too flexible for you, then going with a shaft that is stiff could help you hit it further.
However if you go with a shaft that is too stiff for you, then you will actually lose distance.
Will I Lose Distance If I Use A More Flexible Driver Shaft
Yes, a shaft that is too flexible for your clubhead speed will over spin the golf ball causing you to lose distance. It will also cause you to lose distance.
However if you move from a shaft that is too stiff for your clubhead to a shaft that is more flexible, you will gain distance as it will help you optimize your launch and spin, as well as increase your clubhead speed.
Can A High Handicapper Use Stiff Shafts?
Yes they can, your shaft flex depends on your swing speed not your ability. No matter what level of golfer you are, you can play any shaft flex, it all depends on how fast you swing the club.
Do All Pros Use X-Stiff Shafts?
Yes most professionals use x stiff shafts, that is because their swing speeds are all over 110 mph. Naturally the better you become the better your technique becomes, and therefore the faster your swing speed becomes.
What Do Ladies & Seniors Use?
Again this all comes down to swing speed, but the majority of ladies will play with a ladies flex and seniors will play with a senior flex. I have done many fittings though where a lady or senior golfer will play a regular flex, this is because the regular flex matches their swing speed. Naturally they aren’t as strong, so usually it is a lightweight shaft, but nonetheless they will use a flex that matches their swing speed.
Conclusion
Playing the right flex for your swing speed will not make you hit it straight and long everytime, but it will help you be more consistent. It will also help you make your bad shots that little bit better, and let’s face it we hit more bad shots than good shots on the course.
Matching your swing speed to a shaft flex is the starting point, from there you need to find the right weight and kick point for your swing. Using a shaft that feels good in your hands is also a very important aspect.
Have yourself tested on a launch monitor at your local pro or testing facility, you might be surprised on what shaft you actually need.
