What type golf shaft

There are some newer options that combine the two materials, known as multi-material shafts. Steel shafts are much heavier, more durable and are generally less expensive than their graphite counterparts.

They are often made from carbon steel, but stainless steel is sometimes used, and start at grams. Therefore, steel shafts offer more control and have greater emphasis on accuracy than distance, which means that a faster swing speed is required to generate the same distance as a graphite shaft.

Steel shafts are recommended for players with normal swing speeds, who could do with more control when playing. Graphite shafts are much lighter, less durable and more expensive in comparison to steel shafts, and weigh between 50 and 85 grams — around half the weight of a steel shaft! These light-weight shafts help to provide a greater swing speed for more power, however, it sacrifices control due to the flex generated in the swing.

As a result, graphite shafts are a good choice for all golfers. In particular, they are suited to women golfers and seniors, who may struggle to produce a fast-enough swing speed to use a steel shaft effectively. This shaft type often comes with an extensive range, including a variation in flexes and colours, which appeals to amateurs and professionals alike.

A recent addition to the market are multi-material shafts which are used on both irons and drivers. This type of shaft incorporates steel and graphite into one shaft to get the best of both worlds for each player, to suit all playing types. Generally, the shaft is made using a steel shaft that has a graphite tip. The steel shaft allows the player to control the ball flight more, whilst the graphite tip ensures the golf ball can go the distance without any unwanted vibrations.

Therefore, getting the right flex in your golf clubs is important. Which flex rating you use will depend on the type of swing you have. For example, beginners and those with less powerful swings tend to use a shaft with greater flexibility to propel the ball more.

Finally I stress again the importance of seeing a fitter as they would know best what suits you with the data they can gather from your swing. There are various types of materials used to make shafts. They vary in prices and durability. Steel shafts are generally less expensive than graphite shafts and made from carbon steel. Although, sometimes stainless steel is used.

Furthermore, steel shafts are stronger and more durable. With more emphasis on accuracy than distance than graphite shafts, steel shafts would have more control with their shots. Generally golfers would have them fit into their iron shots as those are the shots that require more control and accuracy compared to distance. Moreover, steel shafts do require a faster swing speed to generate the same distances as a graphite shaft. The main type of steel shafts used in the majority of golf clubs by all the major manufacturers is the stepped steel shafts.

On a stepped steel shaft, you are able to see a step pattern throughout the body of the shaft. The tips are thinner and the top is thicker to produce the flexibility. This manufacturing process allows consistency from shaft to shaft and gives the same stiffness throughout an entire set. The main difference for the rifle steel shaft is that the whole shaft is smooth from top to the bottom without steps.

The difference with rifle steel shafts is that the flexes can be more exactly tailored for golfers as they use decimals to measure stiffness. Rifle manufacturers claim that it provides greater accuracy due to the stepless design technology eliminating the energy-robbing steps found on most other steel shafts.

Graphite shafts are more expensive compared to steel shafts. They are less durable and more lightweight. The light weight allows golfers to produce greater swing speeds for more power, but sacrifices control due to the flex generated during the swing. Graphite shafts are mainly found in drivers and woods. Furthermore, they are often suited for female and senior golfers who cannot produce the swing speed to use steel shafts effectively. There are variations in flexes and colours which make graphite shafts a popular choice amongst all golfers.

The shafts weigh between grams as compared to steel shafts at around grams. Thanks to the lighter weight, it allows for more distance to be gained. However, getting a consistent feel is difficult compared to a steel shaft. A downside to graphite shafts is that they require more care.

If the paint on the graphite shaft gets worn off, this will negatively affect the performance of the shaft. These are new additions to the shaft market. Multi Material Shafts can be both used on drivers and irons as they combine both steel and graphite into one shaft to try and get the best of both worlds. Typically the tip is graphite whereas the body of the shaft is steel.

Due to the steel section, it allows golfers to control the ball flight more. Getting the correct flex in your golf equipment is of the utmost importance. The flex is a rating of a golf club shaft's ability to bend during the golf swing. All shafts, no matter how stiff, exhibit flex under the forces of the golf swing. A player with a very fast swing will require a shaft with less flex, while a player with a slower swing will need a shaft with greater flex.

The less the bend in a shaft, the more control a powerful swinger will have. On the other hand, beginners and those with less powerful swings generally use a shaft with greater flexibility. The average swing speed with a driver is from 65 miles per hour for the beginner up to over miles per hour for powerful swingers. Different shaft manufacturers have differences in their specifications of flex.

There are 2 methods of measuring flex. Both are effective in the measurement of flex. Stiffness defines the bending characteristics of the shaft when weight is applied. Frequency is another way of defining stiffness and indicates how fast a club will vibrate with that particular shaft. The stiffer the shaft the faster the vibration. If you have a low swing speed, more flexible shafts will propel the ball more at the downswing.

If you have a high swing speed, a stiffer shaft avoids lagging clubheads. Torque is the twisting movement of the shaft during the golf swing. It is measured in degrees and shown as a rating that gives information about the 'twisting' characteristics.

The higher the rating, the more the shaft twists and vice versa. The more torque a shaft has, the softer it will feel. A shaft with a 3 degree torque will feel much stiffer that one that has 5 degree torque.

Every shaft, graphite or steel, has a certain amount of torque. Most steel shafts have up to about 3 degrees of torque. Torque however has a slight effect on ball trajectory, with the lower the torque, the lower the trajectory. This defines the point where the shaft bends and affects the trajectory of the shot. The effect is small but measurable.

A shaft with a high kick-point will usually give a low shot trajectory and more of a "one-piece" feel to the shaft. A low Kick-point will usually give a high shot trajectory and a feeling of the shaft tip whipping the clubhead through. Kick-point will also affect the feel of the shaft. Some club specialists will dispute this by saying that the Kick-point and bend-point are the same. Bend-point is the highest point of the shaft when it is bending by applying pressure to both ends of the shaft.

Kick-point is the highest point the shaft is bending, by clamping down the grip and pressure is applied onto the club head, like in the swing.

There will be some shafts where both bending points are similar or very close. The weight is the actual weight of the raw, uncut shaft before installation, in grams. Lighter shafts mean lighter total weight and therefore the prospect of additional clubhead speed and more distance.

Have you noticed that sometimes you will have a favorite club in a set of clubs that you just seem to hit better and more consistently than the others?

This is most likely due to the fact that the spine in that club happens by chance to be correctly aligned in the club. The opposite is probably true for the club in the set that you can't seem to hit well at all! Most golf shafts have some sort of minor irregularity in them that is inherent in the manufacturing process.

This could be from the join of the shaft, the shaft not being perfectly round; the material of the shaft may be just slightly heavier on one side of the shaft than the other, or from an imperfection in the shaft material. This can cause the shaft to bend towards a certain point when you swing, causing the clubface to open or close.

You can get your clubs 'Spine Aligned' to sort this problem out. What they do is test the shaft to determine the characteristics of the golf shaft. Then the shaft can be installed so that the spine of the shaft is directly behind your target line. This way it does not affect the direction of your shot. Parallel tip shafts are the same diameter for a specific distance up from the tip. Taper tip shafts reduce in diameter to a specific location on the shaft tip section. Taper tipped shafts and parallel tipped shafts do play similar to one another.

The only difference between the two is tip diameter and weight. Taper tip shafts are constant weight, meaning that each shaft weighs the same from the long irons to the wedges. Parallel tip shafts have a descending weight through the set. Pureing is a patented process that locates the most stable plane of the shaft, regardless of type or manufacturing process. Using a number of mathematical formulas, Pure computer software reveals how round, how straight and how stiff each shaft is and allows the operator to mark the dominant orientation that is most consistent.

By installing each shaft so that the marked area is placed in a neutral position, every shaft or club within a set will have the exact same Plane of Uniform Repeatability PURE.