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Kick Points
Ball flight is a problem for many golfers that are not even aware of it. Many golfers are losing 3-5 strokes a round just because they have too low of a ball flight pattern. No, we do not want you to have a high BALLONING ball flight. But, yes you do want a more penetrating higher ball flight that lands softly. Think about
shots that you have to play over a bunker with pin tucked closely behind . With too low of a ball flight you might land on green but not be able to stop ball before you have run it 30 ft past pin. You happily walk up to green, pray for a two putt and go to next tee box. But what if you could have played that same shot and been able to stop ball 10-15 ft past cup. You might have been able to sink a one putt and saved one to two strokes on that hole alone. The tables below show which shafts give you ball flight you are looking for.
Shaft Torque
Just because a shaft says stiff flex does not mean that it is right shaft for you, even if you fit that criteria. Torque comes into play as well when properly fitting a shaft to a golfers swing speed.
Think about a $4 graphite shaft that is a stiff flex and a $40 graphite shaft that is also a stiff flex. There has to be a reason why that shaft is more expensive . Generally it is for a couple reasons : Better materials, better tolerances, and more precise kick points and torque tolerances for flex it should correspond with.
To get maximum distance and control out of your shaft you need to have right torque rating . If you hit ball 275 on average without roll and are playing a 2.5 torque stiff shaft you are most likely not getting everything out of that shaft as you should be. Remember torque is amount head turns on shaft from right to left. If you do not put enough load on shaft to maximize 2.5 torque rating you are not allowing shaft to load and unload to its maximum capacity. Therefore you are not getting maximum distance out of your new stick.
Most hitters need "a little pop" to help clubhead release properly through impact. Players should not get carried away in thinking that lower torque means better control. The following chart will assist you in getting right torque rating for your next driver shaft. Remember that this rating is more precise for higher quality shafts, due to fact that they rate there shafts more accurately.
Shaft Weight
DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO SWINGWEIGHTING SO MUCH. To many golfers get caught up in trying to get that D2 weighting they hear about . But remember every golfer likes a different feel . Some like more feel in head some like their weight more evenly distributed throughout entire club. And remember also that irons and woods are different . I prefer a lighter feeling head on my driver, so by 14 th hole I don't feel like I am lugging around a 2 X 4 . This way I feel like I am in more control of my game throughout my entire round. This is just one opinion, but point is to have you start actually thinking about clubs in your bag in a different light . Think about it, if you could afford a $5000 suit that was totally custom fit to your body and money was no issue then you would do that for yourself. Well why wouldn't you completely customize your driver or new irons if you could afford it. Oh yeah you can!! With prices we sell our equipment for, you can customize your clubs in every aspect possible.
SHAFT LENGTH
Shaft length is very important but typically shaft length in drivers is where most golfers are making their mistakes . However for your irons we do not want you tailoring your swing to your clubs . There are enough variables to be worried about in golf, last thing you want is to have a perfect swing and equipment that does not match up.
Do you find yourself choking up more often then not? Or do you wake up morning after your round with a sore back? That is your body telling you that you need to get your clubs custom fit. In addition, that is also your body telling you it is having to change its motion to match up to your equipment. NOT GOOD. If you take your body out of its natural rhythm, BELIEVE me your game will never be allowed to flourish.
Below is a list of problems that could be occurring due to wrong length shaft:
Clubs Too Long
Low Hook - Tends to make toe of club stick up. This causes heel of your club to grab first which turns your toe in causing right to left spin on ball and lower ball flight. Higher Ball Flight Then Normal – Many times golfers with too long of a club will tend to try to over compensate, which causes them to stand too tall and lean back on their downswing. The leaning back can cause extra loft to be added to head which can cause a high shot with a loss of distance. Super Fat Shots - Your body has to compensate for extra length if your clubs are too long. But since this is not your bodies natural motion it will tend to forget about 40% of time. So when your body forgets that extra length makes contact with ground a hair to soon. This is what will cause those Super-Fat shots. Worm Burner - This is opposite of Super-Fat shot . In this instance your body actually over compensates for length and stands too tall. You then make your contact in center of ball. This will cause that screaming worm burner or shot that flies 60 yds. over green. Clubs Too Short
Push Or Slice - Too short of an iron will have to toe pointing down into ground. This causes toe to grab to early and pushes your heel forward. This causes left to right spin or open face which causes push or slice. Catching It Thin - If you are catching it a little thin more often then not. You might have a set of irons that are a little too short for you.
SHAFT FLEX
Imagine taking your 9 yr old sons clubs out to play in your next tournament. Or imagine playing with long drive Champions driver. You think you would be able to perform as well with their equipment? Most likely not. And one of reasons is because flex of those clubs most likely does not fit your swing speed . Flex is amount club flexes from front to back. Torque is amount head twists from right to left (FOR RIGHTIES). So both components are important when it comes to picking right shaft for your game.
Too flexible of a shaft and your going to have less control, and you will produce a draw or a hook.
Too stiff of a shaft and you are going to lose some distance, and you will produce a fade or a slice.
We would love to give you a table that shows exactly what swing speed corresponds with what shaft flex. But unfortunately every shaft company goes by different standards . So a UST Gold 75 stiff might play a whole flex stiffer then a Penley Graphite Light Stiff. The following tables are a good rule of thumb for majority of shafts on market.
When you visit www.golfideas.com you quickly get the feeling that these guys have the right stuff. But it is not until you call them until you get the full effect of why they are still around after 6 years online.
