Shaft Flex: How Stiff is Stiff?

Choosing the proper shaft flex for each club in your bag is vital to creating conisistent performance throughout your set. 

Shaft Flex affects two major components of your golf shots: 1) trajectory and 2) accuracy.  Shafts that are too stiff affect trajectory by not unloading properly at impact creating lower than optimal trajectories that fall short of the intended target or do not produce enough spin to hold the target.  Likewise, shafts that are too flexible tend to produce higher shots with more spin.  While this can be good for increasing distance, it can often have a negative effect on accuracy.  A shaft that has too much flex for a golfer's swing generally unloads early before impact, closing the clubface, and producing shots that miss to the draw side of the intended target.  Likewise, shafts that are too stiff for a golfer's swing tend to produce shots that miss the target to the fade side because the golfer was not able to apply enough force to the shaft at impact to create a proper release.

So if I play a "stiff" shaft in my driver, should I play "stiff" shafts in all of my clubs?  Ah, here's the $64,000 question.  The answer is "not necessarily".  Let me explain.  Remember we are trying to create the most consistent performance possible from club to club in our set.  Ideally, if our clubs have similar balance points (swingweights) and relative measures of frequency (or stiffness) they should feel the same and therefore perform similarly.  This is where the problem comes in...there is no standard in the golf industry as to what designates a "flex".  One company's Regular flex could be the same frequency as another company's Stiff flex.  This not only occurs between companies, but between shaft models within the same company.  For instance, a Fujikura Motore F1 65g Stiff flex shaft is slightly stiffer or less flexible than the same Fujikura Motore F1 stiff flex in 55g, but considerably stiffer than the comparable Fujikura Motore F3 60g stiff flex.  Fujikura is one of the highest quality shaft manufacturers in business today and one of the most popular brands on all of the major golf tours...how could this be? 

Golf shafts come in a wide range of bend profiles that allow manufacturers to create products that perform differently to fit the myriad of golf swings that are out there.  Some golfers require a shaft that will allow them to hit the ball on a little higher trajectory with more spin to maximize their distance.  Continuing with our example, the Motore F3 would fit this golfer much better than the Motore F1 which is designed to produce a lower launching, lower spinning trajectory.  So by design, the shaft profiles within a company produce differences in stiffness within a flex designation (such as stiff). 

Each club in your bag, whether it be a driver, fairway wood, hybrid, iron, or wedge is designed for a specific purpose and should perform in specific way.  For instance, hybrids are designed to hit the ball high and create a soft landing.  This trajectory is ideal for hitting out of trouble situations and approaching greens from longer distances.  Flex designations are going to differ between driver shafts and hybrid shafts simply because of their design.  A golfer will no doubt swing a driver much differently than he or she would a hybrid, and for good reason, they are different clubs designed for different purposes.  Let's say that this golfer uses an X-stiff shaft in his driver because he has a high swing speed and produces alot of spin.  The stiffer shaft in his driver allows him to swing away without worrying about balloning his shot and losing distance or overlaoding the shaft and risking accuracy.  This same golfer will likely swing a hybrid with less ferocity when approaching a green.  By using a stiff flex shaft in his hybrid he is better able to produce a controlled swing that will fly high and land softly...

Here's the take home message...Just because you play a specific flex of one company's shaft in one club doesn't mean that you have to use that same  general flex designation for all of your shafts...choose the flex that will produce the result you are looking for from each individual club.  Consult your clubfitter for help...that's what we're here for!

Swingweight - What is it and How does it affect me?

Golf is no different than numerous other industries that rely on specialized terminology to function.  Swingweight is one of the most used terms and one of the least understood.  So what exactly is "swingweight"?  The technical definition according to Tom Wishon:

"Golf club swingweight is the measurement of a golf club's distribution of mass about a fulcrum point that is established at a specified distance from the grip end of the club."

Sounds pretty simple, right?  Uh huh.  In layman's terms swingweight is an arbitrary measurement of how heavy the head end of a club feels in the golfers hands.  I say arbitrary because of the measurement system that is used.  Most scales use a 14" fulcrum or balance point meaning that the pivot point of the scale is 14" from the grip end of the club.  Early scales originally measured in real units called inch/ounces that were later "converted" to an arbitrary scale using a letter-number designation.  The FEEL or sensation of the clubhead becoming heavier increases as the letter-number designation increases such as from C8 to D2.

Ok, now that the definition is as clear as mud, How does swingweight affect me?
Swingweight is a measure of feel of a golf club.  If you have 14 clubs in the bag, wouldn't you want them to all feel and perform similarly?  By matching the swingweights of the clubs in your set, they should all feel very similar during the swing.  Your 3 iron should not feel noticeably different from your 9 iron in a swingweight matched set.  Each club that you pick up creates a specific stimulus or feel to which your body must react in order to execute a golf swing.  If the swingweight of one club is too heavy, the body must create a compensation move outside of the golfer's ideal motion in order to execute a golf swing.  The same applies to a swingweight being too light for a particular golfer's swing.  You get the point.  Swingweight is just one of the tools at a skilled clubmaker's disposal that can be used to create a consistent set of well matched clubs to help you play your best golf.

Fairways and Greens,

Musclebak

What does it mean to "HotMelt" a Golf Club?

HotMelt is a heavy glue that is put into Wood or Hybrid heads to add swing weight, adjust flight bias, dampen impact sound, and/or arrest rattles. Tour vans generally stock lighter to standard weight heads and use hotmelt to customize wood and hybrid heads for swing weight and flight bias. Most PGA pros play shorter than retail woods and use hotmelt to return the clubs to a decent swing weight. For every 1/2" a club is shortened, it loses three swing weight points. Applying 6 grams of hotmelt inside the head can restore the original swing weight while allowing the player to play a shorter, more controllable club. For example: a driver that swing weights at D2 at 45" will swing weight at D0 if cut down to 44 1/2". Applying 6g of hotmelt can allow the golfer to play the driver at the new length of 44 1/2" with the original swing weight or feel of balance. In most cases, shorter clubs, especially the driver, produce tighter dispersion patterns and greater accuracy. If the balance is restored properly this also generally comes with no loss of distance.


Where the hotmelt is applied within the head can affect the flight bias (although dependent on how much is needed). If the hotmelt is applied to the (inside of) the face it will dampen impact noise, produce a lower flight, and reduce spin slightly. If it is applied to within the rearward portion of the head it can potentially create a higher trajectory with a little more spin and less noise reduction. Applied to the toe of the club it can promote a fade, while application to the heel can promote a draw. Obviously there are several combinations of each of these applications.

HotMelt is a fine tuning tool for spin reduction as there are other more influential factors such as loft, shaft profile, angle of attack and swing speed. If you are willing to provide me a little more info on your current set up and what your ball is doing I will be better able to help you find the right solution.  Please drop us a line at tourtech@nc.rr.com or come see us at tourtechgolf.com, We love talking shop!
 
Fairways and Greens...

Choosing A Golf Shaft Based on Bend Point

So what's the deal with retailers advertising golf shafts as high, mid and low launch?  Can a golf shaft actually affect the trajectory of a golf shot?  The answer to the latter question is yes...if one condition is met. 

Golf shaft manufacturers produce different lines of shafts designed to launch the ball at different trajectories and with different spin rates.  The design characteristic of a shaft that allows it to produce a specific trajectory is generally referred to as it's bend point.  The bend point is simply defined as the zone along the shaft that experiences the greatest degree of bending during the swing...high tech stuff.  A high bend point shaft bends closer to the golfer's hands than a low bend point shaft which bends closer to the clubhead.  A golf shaft bends forward during the release of the club in the swing (I'm not talking about throwing the club down the range).  The release during the swing is the point at which the golfer unhinges the wrist cock that was created on the back swing.  This is the point at which the clubhead is moving at its maximum velocity as the hands are slowing down, the wrists are unhinging, and the clubhead is moving further away from the golfer's body increasing centrifugal force and thus velocity.  The forward bending of the shaft at impact creates an increase in dynamic club head loft or effective loft at impact.  If the shaft bends closer to the clubhead (i.e. has a low bend point)  it is able to produce a greater forward bend at impact, creating more dynamic loft and resulting in a higher trajectory.  The opposite is true for a higher bend point shaft.

Wait...wasn't there a condition that we had to meet for shaft bend point to actually affect shot trajectory?  Yep.  This entire process depends on WHERE the release point occurs within the swing.  The two types of releases that we are interested in here are an early release and a late release.  An early release occurs when the golfer's wrists unhinge above the waist while a late release occurs closer to impact or when the golfer's hands are below the waist line.  An early release tends to negate the shaft's possible contribution to dynamic loft because the shaft bends forward (at release) too far away from the ball.  The stored swing energy is lost as the shaft bends forward when the golfer's hands are still above the waist line giving the shaft time to rebound back into a straight position before impact.  So for a shaft to be able to affect shot trajectory the golfer must have a later release so that the energy stored in the shaft during the downswing can be released immediately prior to impact contributing to dynamic loft and the desired shot trajectory. 

If you need help picking a shaft based on your swing characteristics, please drop us a line, we love talking shop!

Fairways and Greens

Spine Alignment in Golf Shafts...VooDoo or Valid?

     Ahhh, here we come to one of the more mysterious aspects of clubmaking...spine alignment.  A quick definition is in order to make sure that we are all on the same page as we delve into one of the most mis-understood tools in the clubmaker's chest as it relates to the pursuit and art of creating the most consistent set of clubs possible.  Golf shafts do not have "spines" as the academic definition would have you believe.  Whether this be thought of as a weld seam in a steel shaft or a composite rod inserted along the length of a graphite shaft.  A "spine" simply refers to a plane of greatest stiffness or most resistence to bending within a shaft.  Although light years ahead of only a few years ago, manufacturing tolerances and techniques are simply not able to produce a completely uniform shaft in all dimensions including straightness and flex in every direction of possible shaft load.
     As with many other subjects in the game of golf, clubmaking not withstanding, you are bound to run across a veritable smorgasbord of opinions on the relevance and proper technique of shaft spine alignment when building quality golf clubs.  Opinions vary from "I will not build a set of clubs without aligning all the spines in a certain direction," to "It really isn't necessary".  As a Golfer I can see the benefits of the concept.  As a Clubmaker I see the need for a method to ensure consistency from club to club.  As a Scientist, I am still struggling with the current methodology for determining and then aligning the "spine" of the golf shaft.  Hopefully, by combining all three of my personalities, I can best serve my clients by providing the highest quality equipment available. 
     The concept of spine alignment is simple...align the stiffest plane of the golf shaft in a manner that will produce consistent club behavior swing after swing.  It makes sense on a fundamental level.  This definition opens the door for the scientist to ask, "IF I can find the plane of greatest stiffness, what direction should I align it to because the golf shaft is loaded in at LEAST two different planes during the swing.  The first plane being the heel toe plane as the downswing is initiated, and second most prominent is the face back plane as the clubhead bends forward at release."  Now we have identified two planes.  What happens now when we further compound the problem by introducing individual swing characteristics and shaft load patterns?  Some golfers do not release the club, some release the club too early essentially eliminating the forward bending of the shaft at impact.  How should we align the shaft spines to maximize their performance?  Other golfers load the shaft hard with a quick transition while still others are silky smooth swingers that place a minimal load on shaft while still producing great clubhead speed.  How should we address their spine alignment? 
     I am neither naive or arrogant enough to profess that I have all of the answers.  I have done enough research  and experimentation to develop my personal philosophies and prove that they work when applied to specific situations.  If you have questions on spine alignment or are simply interested in the concept and would like to chat, please drop us a line at tourtechgolf.com.  WE LOVE TALKING SHOP!

Fairways and Greens.

The Light Shaft Movement

I ran across this article in Golfweek (http://www.golfweek.com/news/2010/apr/20/driver-shafts-lighter-options-lure-big-hitters/) about big hitters on tour moving toward lighter golf shafts.  Why?  Well, the obvious answer is to increase distance through increased swingspeed.  The shaft is the one component of any golf club that has the greatest ability to affect the total weight of the club.  Scientific theory says that a lighter object requires less force to move it (ok, so this is extrememly oversimplified, but hopefully you get the picture).  By making the club lighter, there is a possibility to increase swingspeed.  The same applies to using longer shafts to increase club head speed (again using the laws of physics to our advantage, but club length will be digested in a later post I'm sure).  Distance is raw product of the transfer of energy (swingspeed + head mass) from the club head to the golf ball.  Lighter and longer shafts open the door to possible gains in distance by generating more speed.  Manufacturers have recently begun to exploit these principles by pushing the average driver length to 45.5 inches or more and the average shaft weight down to 65 grams.  This is a far cry from the standard of say, ten years ago when drivers were 43.5 inches long and had steel shafts that weighed as much as 125 grams. 

But what's the catch?  The one word answer is CONTROL.  I am by no means discouraging anyone from buying a 47 inch driver with a 45 gram shaft if that is what they want, but I will say that you WILL hit fewer fairways with it.  Distance also depends on one small factor, hitting the golf ball with the maximum amount of energy (derived from a combination of speed and MASS) in the center of the clubface to minimize energy loss from twisting of the clubhead resulting from an off-center hit.  An off-center hit negatively affects the direction and distance of any shot.  I know everyone saw the article in Golf Digest a few issues back touting that almost half of the golfers tested benefitted from the longer and lighter drivers.  What they forgot to tell everyone is that the sample size (number of golfers tested) was extremely small.  I will bet a dollar to a doughnut (I have NO idea where this expression comes from...) that if the sample size was increased to several hunderd golfers, the results would have been quite different. 

Obviously not all golfers are the same and FEEL plays a large part in what is comfortable and therefore effective for any one golfer.  My recommendation is that you find a professional fitter (that knows what he or she is actually doing) to help you determine the best combination of length and weight for your game.  Feel free to drop us a line with any fitting questions that you may have at http://www.tourtechgolf.com/.

Fairways and Greens

How To Choose the Proper Golf Grip

     Grips are often overlooked as they aren’t quite as exciting as the promise of a new club head or shaft that is taunting new distance or accuracy gains never before seen by the eyes of man. The grip is however; the golfer’s only direct connection to that shiny new driver with the latest exotic shaft that guarantees 300 yard drives straight down the middle. If the grip does not do its job, the most expensive, hottest new club to hit the market, isn’t going to do anyone any good.

     There are a few factors to consider when choosing a grip. Grips now come in a variety of colors, materials, tactile patterns, durometers (or firmness) and of course, sizes. Before getting all confused, just relax…the most effective grip is the one that feels comfortable in the hand and is pleasing to the eye. If you want a grip to match your alma matter’s colors, it’s probably available. Choose a tactile pattern and firmness that feels comfortable to you. Some golfers prefer firmer grips with cord woven into the polymer or rubber compound while others prefer the softer more supple feel of a leather or simulated leather grip. It’s all personal preference.

     The sole purpose of the grip is to provide a secure link between golfer and club so that the golfer can deliver the club to the ball as consistently as possible. The most influential variable in that equation is grip size. Obviously we don’t all have the same size hands so we don’t all need the same size grips. Here is where performance and comfort collide. The general thought among many club makers and PGA pros is that if a grip is too large it will promote a slice and if it is too small it will promote a hook. The laws of physics tell us that in theory this is correct, however it doesn’t stack up to the law of golfers. A smaller grip is easier to rotate in the hands allowing the clubface to close more easily before impact and promote a hook. A larger grip is just the opposite. Again, the theory makes logical sense, put practically it fades. The only cases of grip size having a noticeable affect on influencing shot shape are in instances of gross over or under-sized grips for a golfer’s hands. A common cause of directional inconsistency related to grip size can be seen when a grip is either too large or small in the hand so that it isn’t comfortable to the golfer causing a tight or tense grip. When this scenario presents itself it leads to a tensing of the muscles from the hands up through the forearms to the shoulders and permeates through the rest of the body leading to poor swings. Improperly fit grips also affect shot accuracy by causing the golfer to subconsciously re-grip the club DURING THE SWING in an effort to find a comfortable hold on the club!

     A properly sized grip should be comfortable to hold and waggle without feeling like you will lose control. Again, rules of thumb are only good for measuring thumbs (no pun intended), but this chart provides a good starting place for selecting a grip size.

This article is by no means designed to be an exhaustive concordance on grip fitting but simply provided to arm you with a little information when the time comes to regrip or buy that shiny new driver. Drop us a line on grip selection, we’ll be more than happy to help!

Fairways and Greens...