Ever thought about getting custom golf clubs online – custom in the sense that the shaft and club are matched perfectly for your abilities?
You can’t do it unless you understand the following 5 terms, all of which will significantly impact the performance of the outfit.
Shaft Flex
All in all, shaft flex is probably the most important factor you need to consider when outfitting a custom shaft and club combo. It refers to the nature of the shaft’s bend profile.
More flexible shafts feel a bit whippy but they can also load and unload more easily with energy, making them more attractive to players with slower swing speeds. They can, however, complicate shot dispersion.
Stiffer shafts don’t load in the same way and therefore require the player’s swing speed and energy to do most of the work boosting clubhead and ball speed. They can be better for players with higher swing speeds, but also frustrating for players with slower swing speeds to play with.
Kick Point
Kick point refers to how high or low the shaft appears to or feels like it bends when it is placed under a load – such as during a swing.
Shafts with a low kick point tend to be more flexible, and generally produce higher launch profiles and more spin. They can boost carry distance, but they can also result in higher shot dispersion.
Shafts with higher kick points generally are less flexible and send the ball lower off the tee, usually with less spin. A high kick point is a good pairing with a stiff shaft, for a fast-swinging player, generally speaking.
Torque
Torque refers to how much a shaft will twist around an axis that runs straight through the centerline, when the shaft is subject to a load (such as when it is swung).
This metric is very important because the higher the shaft torque, the more it will twist when swung, and a high torque shaft can result in a club face failing to square at the critical point of impact.
If the torque rating is not well-matched to the player in question, and results in a lower incidence of center-face contact with the ball, a higher incidence of shot dispersion and shot errors, like slices.
As a result, it is important to understand not only the shaft’s flex rating, but also its torque rating, so you can pick a shaft that matches that club you’re using.
Loft and Lie
The loft of a golf club is the angle of the club face with respect to the center of the shaft. Loft, like shaft flex rating, will affect both trajectory and spin, so loft is a critical metric in determining carry distance and shot dispersion.
The lie angle is the angle formed between the center of the shaft and the club’s sole, when the club is resting in the normal playing position. Lie, like loft, can impact the launch profile of a shaft and club combo, and therefore can also impact trajectory and spin.
The Importance of Working with a Club Fitter Before Buying Custom Golf Clubs Online
As you can see, it is not just one characteristic or metric of a shaft or club that will impact launch and spin profile and therefore carry distance and shot dispersion. They all work together, and several of them have marked impacts.
That is too much for the average golfer to know out of the gate, especially without getting fitted. Therefore, before getting any shaft, club, or combo, it’s important for a golfer to be fitted at least once, for measurements as well as for swing mechanics, so he or she can apply those learning for what to look for in shafts and clubs in the future.
