There are some golf shafts for drivers that produce low-low performance, and long, straight, penetrating drives, like the Fujikura Ventus Black and the Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green.
For the golfers these serve, there’s no other way, and they’re some of the best shafts in the game. But not all golf shafts for drivers produce like this.
Some driver shafts produce high launch. Some produce high spin. And some produce both.
And, moreover, these performance attributes are actually highly coveted by some golfers. Let’s take a closer look.
The (Not So) Secret to High Launch
The first part of this equation should actually be fairly obvious. The whole selling point with high launch is about getting the golf ball to go further.
When you’re limited in how fast and how hard you can swing the golf club, one of the things you can do is aim up.
Literally, you hit the ball higher. That’s exactly what golf shafts for drivers that are more flexible do. Those that are more flexible and have a lower kick point send the ball on a higher trajectory.
The higher you aim, the farther the ball will go, to a certain point. As long as you keep the launch angle below 45°, it’ll go farther, assuming the same speed off the tee.
But the truth is that high launch is just one half of the picture here. Spin rounds things out.
The Secret to High Spin
When it comes to spin in driver shafts, some golfers have a love-hate relationship with it.
There are some that crave high spin shafts for the benefits that are about to be explored. Then there are others that loathe high spin shafts because of the wrench they throw in shot dispersion.
But first let’s talk about the reason why some golf shafts for drivers are specifically engineered to offer high spin in the first place.Golf balls are covered in dimples. That’s not just a cute design aesthetic. Those dimples are there to generate lift.
The thing is, they only really create lift when the ball gets a bit of backspin. That’s where the shaft, and to a degree, the driver head come into focus.
These two work together to create backspin as the ball leaves the tee. The club head does a lot of this, but the shaft does too.
To keep things as straightforward as possible, the more spin a shaft creates, the more lift the ball generates as it spins.
For a ball that comes off the tee slower, the more lift it can generate, the better. So, what you’re looking at with a higher spin shaft is one that can produce more carry distance, at least potentially.
The catch here is that more spin can also exaggerate shot biases and errors. So if your form isn’t good, or you’re out of practice, a high spin shaft can just make shot dispersion a whole lot worse.
But, even so, for some golfers, the extra lift generated by spin is a thing worth having and a compromise that’s ultimately worth it.
Putting It Together
When you combine these traits, you have more than one thing working towards your ability to create more carry distance for the golf ball, and for some golfers, high launch and high spin are an irresistible combination.
Those with faster, stronger swing speeds tend to eschew these golf shafts for drivers, but for those on the other end of the spectrum, they can’t be matched.
Ultimately, the best thing you can do is work with a fitter, though, so you aren’t throwing darts at the board. A fitter will help you find what will work best for you, and in shorter order.
