What Is The Kickpoint In A Golf Shaft And Is It Important

A golf shaft used to be something that was either steel or graphite. Then it had a flex, then people started talking about kick points, and torque and weight, and more. Golf shafts are certainly much more researched, studied, and analyzed than they ever have been. If you have ever wondered what kick point is in a golf shaft, you are in the right place.

What Is The Kick Point Of A Golf Shaft

While the flex of a golf club determines how much it will bend when you swing it at different speeds, the kick point of a golf shaft is the actually point where it starts to bend, ie. the area of the club where the flex happens. A low kick point club will produce a higher golf shaft; a high kick point club will produce a lower golf shaft. Sometimes the kick point of a golf club will also be called a bend point. Most golf clubs will have either a mid, low, or high kick.

How Does It Effect Performance

The most significant impact on performance when it comes to kick point is going to be the launch angle. If you are a golfer who has been struggling with getting the ball up in the air, sometimes all it will take is a golf shaft with a low kick point.

This extra bit of flex right at impact will help to skyrocket the ball on the angle that you need. Many golfers get caught up on the quality of the golf shaft and the clubhead they are swinging and forget to look at the specifics that matter like the kick point.

High Kickpoint – Pros And Cons

A high kickpoint shaft is going to have a very low launch. Low launching golf clubs are generally geared towards the faster swinging players. Sometimes a golfer with very fast swing speeds will generate so much launch from their driver that they hit the ball too high. Switching to a high kick point shaft will help to bring the ball flight down. Generally speaking, higher kick point shafts are not as forgiving, and they are usually a bit heavier as well.

Low Kick Point – Pros And Cons

A low kick point golf shaft is going to be a very high launching. These golf shafts are best for golfers with slower swing speeds that struggle to get the ball flight that they need. The downside to a low kick point shaft is that sometimes you end up getting more height than you want and subjecting your ball to more wind resistance and movement. On a windy day, you will still want the ability to keep the ball low if you need to.

Mid Kick Point – Pros And Cons

Mid kick point shafts are what the majority of golf shafts are. Most golf clubs for the mid handicapper are going to be a mid kick point shaft. This will give you a moderate launch on your shots, and the club is usually medium weight as well.

Should You Get Different Kick Points On Your Different Clubs? Driver, Irons, Wedges?

You may need different kick points on your golf clubs, depending on how you perform with each club. For instance, if you have always hit your irons too high, you are going to want a high kick point shaft to help lower the ball flight.

Even though you have always hit your irons high does not necessarily mean that you will hit your driver high. It would help if you matched the shaft to the strengths and weaknesses in your game.

What Is Shaft Torque?

A shaft torque is a bit different than a shaft flex and kick point. The torque is how much a golf club will resist bending during the swing. A golf shaft with a higher toque means that the shaft is going to twist more, and a golf shaft with a low torque will twist much less. Generally speaking, golfers with faster swing speeds are going to want lower torque golf shafts.

What Is Shaft Tip Stiffness?

Golf shafts flex in different areas. The shaft tip stiffness is very similar to the kick point, but it has a little more to do with the release of the club. If you are a golfer who releases the club early, you will need a different tip stiffness than a golfer who tends to release the golf club just before impact. Fitting for something like tip stiffness would take a custom fitting session. You will have a hard time determining the tip stiffness that is needed on a golf club you purchase.

Does Shaft Material Affect Kick Point? Graphite Or Steel?

A golf shaft is going to have a kick point regardless of the material that it is made of. If you are playing all steel shafts in your irons-they still have kick points. Many people think that graphite shafts are the only clubs that have kick points, and this is not the case.

What Kick Points Do The Pros Use

No one kick point and no one golf shaft will be a universal fit even for the professionals. Professional golfers are very picky when it comes to their equipment and the products that they put in their golf bag.

One thing to take note of is that most golf professionals have very high swing speeds. Golfers that have very high swing speeds tend to hit the golf ball high. All of that speed helps golfers compress a ball considerably, and it leads to a much higher launch.

Since ball flight can sometimes get too high and most professionals would like to make sure that their ball-flight is controlled and calculated, they will use a higher kick point golf shaft. The higher kick point keeps the ball flight down and allows them the control that they need.

What Should A Beginner Use

There are all types of beginning golfers out there. Some are twenty-two years old and learning the game, and others are eighty-two years old and just picking up a club for the first time. It is hard to say precisely what kick point a new golfer should use. That being said, there are a couple of general guidelines that you can follow.

• Unless you think you have a significant problem with a ball flight that is too low or too high, the mid-kick point golf club will be the best choice.
• The mid-kick point drivers are easiest to find in the game improvement category of golf clubs. If you want something with a low kick point, take a look at the super game improvement clubs. For a high kick point, you generally need to look for a player’s golf iron or wood.
• Beginners tend to struggle with both swing speed and launch; the majority of golfers will do best with the lower kick point golf clubs that help them launch the ball higher.
• As crucial as kick point is, it is more important to choose the proper shaft flex than it is to make sure that the kick point is exact for a beginner golfer.

What Are The Numbers on a Shaft?

Some golf shaft manufacturers will put a lot of numbers and labels on their golf shafts, and some will put hardly any. When it comes time to replace your golf clubs, it is good to have a general idea of what you have been playing with.

The most common things to see on a golf shaft are going to be the weight of the shaft and the flex. Flex is usually represented as a letter, although companies like Project X will use a number system on their golf iron shafts.

If you see a 6.0 on your shaft, it is likely not a six-gram shaft; it is probably a Project X 6.0. The Project X 6.0 shaft is a stiff shafted golf club.

If you see numbers that range from around 40-85 or so, that is very likely the weight of your golf shaft in grams.

How Important Is The Right Golf Shaft?

Choosing the right golf shaft for your golf game is probably more critical than the clubhead you select. Without the right golf shaft, you will not be able to perform to the best of your abilities, and you will end up struggling with distance, direction, and ball flight as well. The game of golf is not fun when you are not playing with the right golf shaft.

If you are looking for the premium high kickpoint driver on the market tody, you are going to be talking about the Taylormade Sim Max. It has as much technology as a modern airplane so it is guaranteed not to let you down.

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If you are looking for a club with a lower kickpoint that will suit beginners then the Callaway is one of the very best on the market right now.

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Conclusion

Finding a golf shaft with the proper kick point usually happens naturally if you have been fitted for a shaft with the right weight and flex for your game. The weight, flex, and kick point of a club usually all match for the type of player that they are made for. All golfers should keep in mind that sometimes the fact that your golf ball is launching too high is not the golf club but the golfer.

There are things in your golf game that could be causing you to hit the ball too high or too low. Pay very close attention to your setup and take a lesson or two before you sell yourself on that brand new driver.