Why Your Choice in a Golf Shaft for a Driver Will Affect Your Game

Some golfers will just eat up the promotional material generated by manufacturers of golf club heads. Modern iron, putter and especially driver heads feature space age technology and moving weights that improve balance and handling and much more. Sleek and eye-catching, modern club heads make potentially big promises. The hype surrounding them can eclipse the significance of the golf shafts you pair with them. However, the golf shaft you choose - especially a golf shaft for a driver - will significantly impact your performance.

This is interesting, especially because some of the manufacturers that produce the club heads are also designing, testing and developing their shafts as well. It’s time that more attention was paid to the importance of the impact of a golf shaft for a driver - it’s possibly the most important decision you will make.

Shaft Stiffness: How It Affects Your Swing

The main reason that a driver’s shaft is so important is because, when swinging a driver, you’re going to be applying a lot of force in an attempt to generate a high swing speed. This is not the case, for example, with a putter shaft (although a putter shaft is still very important).

Because you will be exerting so much force on the driver shaft, shaft flex is vital - it will affect clubhead speed, ball flight, distance, and accuracy, as well as your overall satisfaction with the experience provided by your equipment.

More experienced players tend to prefer a stiffer golf shaft for a driver, because they don’t need any help achieving higher swing speeds and may not need the extra accommodation that a more flexible shaft provides. In fact, the “whippy” nature of an overly flexible shaft might even be frustrating.

Some of the stiffest shafts around are made from steel, but since no one uses steel shafts for drivers anymore, nowadays the market is dominated by graphite shafts and composite shafts. These can be engineered to offer varying performance - from extra stiff to more flexible regular, ladies and senior ratings.

A common problem some players face is choosing a shaft that is too stiff for their personal capabilities. Playing with a shaft that is too stiff will actually hinder your game instead of helping it. While you can refine your form, increase your swing speeds and gradually adapt to stiffer shafts over time, practicing with one that is too stiff is not a wise idea.

One of the recurring issues that manifests for players who use shafts that are too stiff is associated with ball flight. If you notice that your shots stay low to the ground, your shaft might be too stiff. Low ball flight and lower swing speeds may cause you to struggle to improve your range. This is an issue that could also be associated with high kick points, but stiff shafts tend to have high kick points anyway.

Golf shafts that are too stiff for a given player can also cause issues like slices. If your shaft does not properly unload at the bottom of the swing and the club face contacts the ball at an improper angle, it will impart that error into your shot, further muddling your accuracy.

Then there is a problem associated with players with slower swing speeds. A stiff shaft does not load the same way as a more flexible shaft, making it harder for a player with a slower swing speed to translate energy from the swing into the ball. This is one of the reasons that more flexible shafts are preferable for some players

Shaft Length and Swing Errors

Although stiffness is arguably the most important feature of a golf shaft for a driver, shaft length is also critically important. Every player has personal measurements that will dictate the fitness of a given shaft for their uses. A player can still use a slightly longer shaft, or even a slightly shorter shaft, simply by altering the grip.

However, shafts that really are too long or too short for a player will also cause errors. For example, a golf shaft that is excessively long will make a player prone to fat shots whereas a shorter shaft can increase the occurrence of thin shots - although form impacts this as well.

Factors like these highlight the importance of working with a professional when selecting and evaluating the golf shafts with which you should play and practice.

Work with Our Professionals

If you are already familiar with your personal measurements and what other features you desire in a golf shaft, you can easily use our online golf shaft fitting tool to find equipment that will suit your needs.

However, for the full benefit of our professional service, come into our shop in Dallas, Texas and take advantage of our professional club fitting services. Our professionals will interview you to learn more about your goals and abilities, observe your swing, take your measurements and then recommend shaft and club head combinations that will suit you best.

To learn more about how we can serve you, please feel free to contact us at 800-955-9550, or, of course, come visit us in-store.