Good day golfers. Today’s question comes from Miles in Everett.
He is shopping for a new set of irons and asked about shafts and what to look for in his new set. The shaft is the meat of the club. No club head can completely fix the problems caused by an improper shaft. The three major components of the shaft are flex, kick point and length.
The simplest to define is length. The longer the shaft the harder it is to control the shot. For men between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet tall, standard length is fine. For those shorter or taller, shaft length will change in half inch increments.
Next is kick point. A shaft with a high kick point or a kick point that is up toward the grip will produce a low ball flight, and a low kick point will help create a higher ball flight. Generally, stronger players will use a shaft that has a high kick point because they need help controlling the ball flight and do not have trouble getting the ball up in the air. Conversely, high handicappers need the help from a shaft with a low kick point to help elevate their ball flight.
Finally is flex. Shaft flex runs from very flexible to very stiff. The faster the club head speed, the stiffer the flex needs to be to maintain control. Guidelines for club head speed are: below 70 mph – L flex; 70 mph to 80 mph – A flex (or Sr. flex); 80 mph to 90 mph – Reg. flex; 90 mph to 100 mph – S flex (stiff); and 100 mph plus – X flex (extra stiff).
One word of caution is that there is no industry standard for shaft flex. This means that one company’s stiff flex may be closer to another company’s regular flex.
One other consideration is whether to use graphite or steel shafts.
My suggestion is to stick with steel for your irons and wedges. Steel shafts are much more consistent throughout the set. Invariably, a set of graphite shafted irons will have two clubs that seem to hit the ball the same distance.
When choosing a shaft, there is no substitute for hitting clubs with those shafts. Find your proper length, and your flex (based on your club head speed). Then select shafts that are more flexible and stiffer, trying them all. Also, within your chosen flex, try out shafts with high and low kick points. This will help you decide which combination of flex and kick point produces the ball flight you want.
Expect to spend some time trying these different clubs and don’t be afraid to come back another day and try again. The more time you spend trying clubs, the more likely you will find the club that you need.
Keep those e-mails coming.
Tyrone Hardy is co-owner Hardy Golf LLC, and Director of Golf at Ballinger Lake GC and Gleneagle GC. He can reached at: tyroneh@ballingerlakegolf.com.
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