Regular vs. Stiff Flex, and for Which Clubs
Making sure that you are swinging the correct flex shaft in your clubs is extremely important. Without the right flex, your golf ball will not end up where you want it. Also, your swing may be changing to accommodate the incorrect equipment. The good news is that it is not that difficult to figure out which golf shafts you should be using. If you know your swing speed or you don’t, there are still ways to tell what a perfect fit would be for you and your game.
How Does Golf Shaft Flex Affect My Golf Shots
A golf club’s flex is the strength of the actual shaft. A golf shaft will also have a flex or a kick point that will affect the stiffness as well as the ball flight. If you are swinging a golf club that is not the correct flex for you, there will be effects on the golf shots you can hit.
The five most common shaft flex options are Ladies, Senior, Regular, Stiff, and Extra Stiff. Each company has their idea of what a stiff flex shaft is. So a Callaway stiff flex iron may be different than a Titleist stiff flex.
What swing speed requires a stiff shaft?
Most golfers have their swing speed measured using their driver. The general rule of thumb is as follows . . .
- Swing speeds above 105 mph Extra Stiff
- Swing speeds between 90-105 Stiff
- Swing speeds between 80-95 Regular
- Swing speeds between 70-85 Senior
- Swing speeds less than 70 Ladies
If you are borderline stuck between two shafts, it can be challenging to decide what is best. If you are right at 90, you will probably want to go with stiff for your driver and regular for your irons. Most of the time, it is easier to swing a Driver faster than it is to swing irons. Plenty of players have a mix of shafts between their woods and irons.
What About The Different Clubs?
Even though swing speed is mostly measured when using the driver you can apply that number to the rest of your clubs. Except, of course, in the instance where you fall in between two shafts. When that happens, it does benefit you to test out both options and see which one feels best. Make sure to hit enough shots that you get a little tired. If you are borderline between stiff and regular and decide to go with the stiff, you will need to be able to release it and hit it solid even as you get to the eighteenth green.
Stiff Or Regular For Driver?
As we mentioned earlier, if you are borderline for stiff or regular, go with the stiff on the driver and the regular in the irons. Make sure you don’t choose a very heavy stiff shaft, as that will make things harder on you as well.
Heavier vs. Lighter Golf Iron Shafts?
If you are torn between heavy and lighter shafts, the best place to look is your ball flight. If you are hitting a regular shaft straight, but the ball seems to be ballooning in the air, try something heavier. The weight in the shaft will help lower the ball flight.
You will notice that as shafts get stiffer, they also get heavier. This is because there is usually a correlation between ball flight and player swing speed. The faster the swing speed, the easier it is to launch the ball.
Does Shaft Flex Matter In Wedges?
You might have noticed that wedges tend to come in “wedge flex”. It is possible to custom order many wedges with the exact shafts that you have in your irons, but most players tend to stick with the standard wedge flex. A wedge is usually quite a bit heavier as it is not swung as hard or as fast as something like a driver. The weight in the wedge also helps give you the feeling that you need around the greens.
For players with slow swing speeds, shaft flex in the wedges may matter a bit more. If nothing else, make sure to try and get a graphite shaft in the wedge to make it a bit easier to release.
On the other hand, if you have a breakneck swing speed and plan on needing full swing length wedge shots to fill in distance gaps in your bag, you should get the wedges custom fit with extra stiff shaft.
Stiff Or Regular For Putters
Don’t even start thinking about this question. Putter shaft flex does not matter. It would be best if you swung the putter shaft that comes standard with your putter.
What happens if shaft flex is too stiff?
If the shaft of your golf club is too stiff for you, you will have a tough time hitting the ball straight. Your swing speed will not be able to release the club to turn it over enough and square up the clubface at impact. Almost always, if a shaft is too stiff for you, then you will hit the ball to the right.
Will I lose distance with a stiff shaft?
The only time a player will lose distance with a stiff shaft is if it is not the correct shaft for them, just as you will lose distance with a regular shaft if it is not the right shaft for you. Making sure that your swing speed can flex the shaft you are using correctly is what will give you the distance you need. If you are hitting a regular shaft and you lose a few yards, and it starts tailing to the right when you switch to stiff, then you are just not producing the swing speed necessary to hit a stiff shaft consistently. All regular swing speed players make a few fast swings in their round, but you want something that continually delivers.
Will stiffer shaft lower ball flight?
A stiff shaft can very likely lower your ball flight, and for some players, this may be a good thing. For faster swing speed players that have been using regular shafts, they may notice that they are getting a bit too much height and potentially losing some distance. For this player switching to a stiff shaft will be a welcome change as the ball flight will be lowered to the proper height.
Who should use an extra stiff golf shaft?
If you are continually swinging the club over 105 mph, then an extra stiff shaft is for you. Now, if you can go to the range and launch one and get a number of 125, that’s great news, but that is not your typical swing speed. When switching to an extra stiff shaft, you must be sure you can swing at this high speed for 18 holes, not two holes.
If you are looking for a set of irons that come standard with an extra stiff shaft, you may have trouble finding something forgiving. Extra stiff shafts are typically considered to be for better players, lower handicaps. This means that the majority of the models are blades or tour preferred irons.
Do all pros use extra stiff shafts?
Most PGA Tour pros will use stiff or extra stiff in their shafts. It is rare to find someone swinging a regular shaft with the amount of swing speed those guys have.
Should a High Handicapper Use Regular Or Stiff?
This is an interesting question that comes up quite often in the world of golf. Most beginner complete sets are made in a regular graphite shaft. That is because the majority of the golfers who take up the game are not going to have tremendously fast swing speeds. The problem is that for a twenty-five-year-old former college baseball player that wants a beginner set, he will likely snap the clubs his first time out. Shaft stiffness is tied more towards speed than it is towards handicap. This can feel misleading though, with most low handicap players clubs being stiff or extra stiff. Keep in mind that golf manufacturers are producing clubs to fit the majority of players. If you don’t fit in with the “standard” or “typical” beginner or high handicap golfer, don’t feel pressure to swing a shaft that is fit for them, it will not help your game.
Conclusion
Choosing between regular and stiff shafts should not be overly complicated if you fall within the middle of the swing speed ranges. If you are still not sold on the fact that you need a regular or a stiff go out and test some equipment. As we mentioned several times, make sure to take plenty of swings as you want to see how you perform when you are tired as well. If you are looking to go to a stiff shaft, play your friends clubs on the 18th hole, this is a much better indication of the shaft you need than a hitting booth inside a store when you make five swings.
Any questions for us about this advice? Feel free to reach out and let us know which shaft you went with and why.
https://golftips.golfweek.com/shaft-flexing-swing-impact-golf-20516.html
https://swingmangolf.com/average-golf-swing-speed-chart-2/
https://pluggedingolf.com/shaft-flex-matter-golf-myths-unplugged/
http://www.golfcompendium.com/2019/03/putter-shaft-flex.html
https://golftips.golfweek.com/advantages-stiffshaft-irons-20497.html