After the official kick off of the golf season from the showcased event at Augusta National, it’s a common time for players to be looking into upgrading their bag to help maximize their chance for a leg up on the rest of their playing companions. The most exciting club in the bag to improve for the new season is of course the big dawg, number one club, or most commonly referred to as the driver. With today’s technology, this is normally 460cc of grip it and rip it. With the newest club heads showcasing a stylish white paint job, featuring jail break technology, or even having a twisted face, the most common over looked part of the club is the shaft.
The analogy I always use, is the shaft of the golf club is like the engine of the car. Of course having the latest and greatest, with the most stylish club head is valued, but to gain maximum results the proper shaft is needed. This is due to the trajectory, flight pattern, and over all power of the shot coming from the shaft not the club head. Yes the weighting and design of the club head helps, but until correctly matched up with the proper shaft for the individual, the club is falling short of its potential.
During impact the shaft “kicks” the clubface through impact. The goal is to have the proper shaft reaction for your individual swing. There are many different factors that go into the reaction of the club. Including shaft flex, torque, kick point, weight, and length that all play roles in producing the perfect fitted club. If the shaft bends too much during impact this will result in a lack of accuracy. If the shaft does not activate enough throughout the swing, the shot is losing distance. So make sure when you are getting that hot new driver you saw in a magazine, get it at your local pro shop with help on how to properly fit the right club for your game!
