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Time to switch up to a stiff shaft???

Nippon Shafts
kildaire

kildaire

Left Handed Hacker
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I recently had a swing analysis done and the pro there told me although I am only swinging 94.5 mph I need to upgrade to a stiff shaft to reduce the spins per cycle. I upgraded yesterday from my LH Big Bertha Diablo 10 degree Regular shaft to a LH Diablo Octane 10.5 degree Project X stiff shaft. I only used it 4 times last night but it was definitly hitting a good 15 yards more. I started thinking was it the club or the shaft? I was told the stiff shaft would reduce the slice but i still had it on 2 of the 4 shots. Chunkylover has golfed with me a few times and said I should be in a Regular shaft and I trust him on all things golf but the instructer was sure the stiff was for me. When do you know its right to switch up to a stiff shaft???
 
Since there is no industry standard, its hard to say that stiff or regular will work better. One company's stiff can be another company's regular. I do think if you are struggling with shafts even a basic fitting would be hugely helpful. Your swinging slower than I am, and I am playing a regular shaft. However there is certainly more to flex than just swing speed. Tempo and more come into play. The goal is to have the weakest flex shaft that your swing can hold up to, to assist in getting optimal launch conditions.
 
Trial and error is the best way to know.

Perfect case was my iron/shafts fitting last night. My Mizuno Shaft Optimizer swing speed numbers say I'm right in between the upper part of R flex and the bottom part of S flex so I could probably go either way. However when I was hitting clubs with both R and S shafts my numbers (ball speed, launch angle, and distance) were more consistent with the R flex vs. S flex.
 
kildaire said:
I recently had a swing analysis done and the pro there told me although I am only swinging 94.5 mph I need to upgrade to a stiff shaft to reduce the spins per cycle. I upgraded yesterday from my LH Big Bertha Diablo 10 degree Regular shaft to a LH Diablo Octane 10.5 degree Project X stiff shaft. I only used it 4 times last night but it was definitly hitting a good 15 yards more. I started thinking was it the club or the shaft? I was told the stiff shaft would reduce the slice but i still had it on 2 of the 4 shots. Chunkylover has golfed with me a few times and said I should be in a Regular shaft and I trust him on all things golf but the instructer was sure the stiff was for me. When do you know its right to switch up to a stiff shaft???
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Regarding slice, this is the key word. If you have a swing that produces a slice, you're still going to slice the ball. A shaft can help minimize the effects, but until you fix the swing, you'll still slice.

As was stated above, going through a fitting is the best way to match your swing to a shaft. I probably sound like a broken record, but it really makes a difference. As far as your original question though, at 95 mph, you're just on the edge of regular / stiff (in general), and going up to stiff should help with keeping the ball in play.
 
I agree with the previous THPers here.

My suggestion would be to slow down your swing a bit and work more on tempo and contact. Yes, the SS will be a tad slower but you'll make up for it in accuracy and enjoyment. Plus, in doing so you'll probably be more fit to stay in the REGULAR shaft flex. It's not all about SS but a combo of tempo, compression, and angle of attack.
 
m-910 said:
I agree with the previous THPers here.

My suggestion would be to slow down your swing a bit and work more on tempo and contact. Yes, the SS will be a tad slower but you'll make up for it in accuracy and enjoyment. Plus, in doing so you'll probably be more fit to stay in the REGULAR shaft flex. It's not all about SS but a combo of tempo, compression, and angle of attack.
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I agree with them too. I fitting is the best option. My SS is faster than yours, and I use a regular shaft.
 
Sorry when i stated swing analysis, I meant driver fitting. It was a driver fitting that told me to go to a stiff shaft but I'm still not sold on me swinging stiff.
 
Best thing to go and do is get frequency matched. Like JB says, regular, stiff and x-stiff are so vague because every company is different. For example, my diamana blueboard is a stiff according to that company, but it actually plays pretty soft compared to other "stiffs" in the market. So go get fitted by frequency. I was fitted for a 5.7 and the diamana flexed out near the same.
 
Hanks said:
Trial and error is the best way to know.

Perfect case was my iron/shafts fitting last night. My Mizuno Shaft Optimizer swing speed numbers say I'm right in between the upper part of R flex and the bottom part of S flex so I could probably go either way. However when I was hitting clubs with both R and S shafts my numbers (ball speed, launch angle, and distance) were more consistent with the R flex vs. S flex.
Click to expand...

So your fitting went well? you getting new clubs?
 
It doesn't matter what the shaft says on it;as long as it feels good and you can put it where you want it.I suggest you try every driver you can cause they all look and feel different.Good luck.
 
JB said:
The goal is to have the weakest flex shaft that your swing can hold up to, to assist in getting optimal launch conditions.
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I've read that elsewhere as well. If there's a question as to whether which flex you should be playing, go with the weaker of the two. My driver SS is only in the low/mid 80s. I've never tried any out, but have wondered if I'd benefit any from a senior flex.
 
My pro told me I could play stiff flex, but since I can handle regular flex to stick with that as I'll get more distance. Works for me. :)
 
a slice doesnt come soley from the shaft stiffness. The main thing the stiffness will do is affect ball height.
 
all of these responses before the pro has had a chance to reply....naughty naughty
 
mikedean441 said:
all of these responses before the pro has had a chance to reply....naughty naughty
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Sorry man, but this isn't the ask the pro section, this is the club fitting and building section.
 
oh crap missed that, tiny print on phone....my apologies
 
I have a Driver swing speed between 100-105 and I use K15 10.5* Driver with stock Regular shaft, TFC 149D. I do choke down 1.25 inches since the shaft is 45.75 inches. No issues slicing. This Driver is money - fairway seeker.

For the heck of it have tried Aldila En Fuego Serrano Stiff at GS and my launch angles were horrific on the launch monitor. Tried other few stiff shafts and was having same problems. Just could not hit. Gave up for the day and will try another day for S shaft option.

Else, I'm happy using my R shaft and getting 250-260 off tee . Granted a S shaft could put me in 260-275 range easily.
 
kildaire said:
I was told the stiff shaft would reduce the slice but i still had it on 2 of the 4 shots.
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Pardon my ignorance, haven't been playing very long, so this may be a dumb question, but here goes:

A slice is caused by an outside-in swing - if you change to a stiff shaft, you'll still have an outside-in swing and still have a slice. Right or wrong?
 
BASDawg said:
Pardon my ignorance, haven't been playing very long, so this may be a dumb question, but here goes:

A slice is caused by an outside-in swing - if you change to a stiff shaft, you'll still have an outside-in swing and still have a slice. Right or wrong?
Click to expand...

A slice can be caused by multiple things, including a shaft that is too soft. A poor fitting shaft can also exagerate swing flaws.
 
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BASDawg said:
Pardon my ignorance, haven't been playing very long, so this may be a dumb question, but here goes:

A slice is caused by an outside-in swing - if you change to a stiff shaft, you'll still have an outside-in swing and still have a slice. Right or wrong?
Click to expand...

Most likely the case. When it's a shaft problem, it's the clubface refusing to close because of the weak shaft installed.
 
I have gotten to practice alot more with my new Octane 10.5 project X stiff shaft. After hitting a good 100 balls with it, I can say my slice is pretty much gone. Slices seem to come very seldom at the range and could be from poor form on my part. The new problem I am having seems to be more of a hook. I will say most are straight bullets going a good 20 yards further. I am probably hooking 1 out of 10 might be a timing issue with the new weight of the club.
 
I would agree with that kildaire. Seems to be a fairly common comment from new Octane or Octane tour users. For what it's worth, I've found the same thing with mine.
 
BASDawg said:
Pardon my ignorance, haven't been playing very long, so this may be a dumb question, but here goes:

A slice is caused by an outside-in swing - if you change to a stiff shaft, you'll still have an outside-in swing and still have a slice. Right or wrong?
Click to expand...

I see more weekend golfers slice due to the clubface being open. Or at least the big slices that fly into the adjoining fairways. I've seen a few instructional sites that claim the open face is the most common problem too. But who knows what that assertion is based off of. I know the slicing I went through recently was due to open clubface, but that was easily fixed once identified as a set up problem.

I have recently done a lot of research in flex and slices/hooks and also got a nice post here from a member that explained it very well.

It used to be that if you were slicing and playing say a stiff and really not swinging it fast enough it could be that because you didn't get the bottom forward leaning bend on the bottom of the shaft and so the clubface was still open, dropping to a regular flex could fix that.

However, shaft profiles are way more complex now and it could very well change from one shaft to the next. Though many places still say that it is a general rule of thumb is that too stiff a shaft can cause a slight slice.
 
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