GolfClubmaking - Shaft Flex and Frequency matching

Swingweight | Moment of Inertia | Shaft Flex and Frequency matching

Shaft Flex and Frequency matching

Shaft flex is one of the most complicated aspects of any golf club. This has been mainly brought on by the golf industry itself as there are no standards in golf and every golf company has their own standards and this also is apparent in shaft flex. You have probably heard about R flex (regular), L flex (Ladies) etc. Due to the fact that there are no standards what one companies R flex would be another companies S flex (stiff) flex etc which only adds to the confusion. Another confusion is what does R flex mean ie how fast a swing would fit an R flex, ask a couple of Pro’s and you can be guarantee that they will give you different answers.

Even if you compare shafts from the same manufacturer such as R300- flex parallel tip version of the True Temper Dynamic Golf lite shaft which has a frequency of 282 cpm while the R flex True Temper TT lite XL combination flex shaft as a frequency reading of 315 cpm. Working on approximately 10 cpm per flex you would find you would find a difference of 3 flexes between shafts! Other manufactures, shaft patterns and materials have been measured at 80cpm difference between shafts, that’s 8 flexes!

In other words an R flex in different shafts from the same brand of shafts are completely different as are from one brand to another.

Just the other day a golfer came to me with problems with his clubs and driver especially. I will not name the brand of clubs he was using but suffice to say they are one the best known brands used by pros on the tour and not cheap. The first thing I did was measure the flex of the driver, it stated that it was a stiff flex but amazingly enough it measured at 207cpm which for the length of driver, measured in at Ladies Lite flex. No wonder he could not hit it. The irons also stated S flex and even though not a bad as the driver, but where still Seniors, Average flex. This golfer had a swing speed of 100mph with a smooth tempo, normal wrist cock release etc. The driver he was using would suit a similar golf swing but a swing speed of 65 mph! Needless to say the golfer has now signed up for a fitting.
I wish I could state this example as not the norm but unfortunately its becoming more and more common with not just that particular brand of clubs, also with many others.

To add even more confusion is the weight of shafts and the tolerances used to manufacture them. The heavier the shaft is the stiffer it becomes compared to the same shaft type that is lighter (not necessarily the case in graphite shafts as this is dictated more by the fiber alignment) . Why does this make a difference? Well the tolerances shaft manufactures use for certain shafts could change the flex of a whole flex. For example a shaft that weighs the normal weight for an R flex could if built heavier (still within the tolerances) could actually be a S or A flex. You could in the worst case scenario be playing with clubs which you believe are R flex (what ever swing flex this is?) which in fact are a mixture of A, R and S flex!!

Other factors that affect shaft flex are bend points, balance points and twisting properties.

Sorry I am still not finished with the confusion surrounding flex yet. Another factor that also needs to be taken into account is the weight of the other components used ie clubheads and grips etc. Clubheads themselves are also built to tolerances of weight. It takes 2.5 grams to change one swingweight and one swingweight will change a flex by approximately 10%. The range of grip and shaft weight tolerances can cause a 5 point swingweight change.

One last point to finish this off is the fact that there is up to 10mph difference between flexes, not that accurate I know but we will come onto how we solve this later on.

Before you throw away your clubs and give the game up, ok, there is confusion but I am identifying the worst case scenarios and there is a solution.
So what you do about it?

The first thing you need to do is to find a Flex that suits your particular swing. This is decided by a number of factors but one thing I will make you aware of now is the fact that far too many people play with clubs that are far too stiff for them and would benefit from clubs that are at least half a flex or even a full flex more flexible.

The factors that determine what flex of clubs you should be playing with are:-

Swing speed
Swing Tempo and Rhythm
How the down swing is started
When and how you un-cock your wrists before release.
Your lead arm position at the moment of impact.

The way Golfclubs4me determine these factors will be to use a Vector Launch system with various demo shafts and if necessary a video camera to slow down your swing so these factors can be determined.

Golfclubs4me does not fit shafts for flex by letter ie R, A or S more-over we fit to Mph which is far more accurate way of determining an exact flex for the shaft. Rather than a 10mph difference we measure our flex to the exact mph.

The are two ways of measuring a true flex of a shaft which are

1. Deflection

Traditionally shaft flexibility was measured on what is called a deflection board. Clubs where secured in a clamp and a weight (normally 7 lb) hangs on the head end of the club about 1 inch from the hosel of the club. Measurements are then taken as to how far the shaft bends or deflects and these measurement will determine how flexible the shaft is.

The deflection board method is a static measurement of flexibility in a shaft and a shaft in motion or dynamically is not tested. The deflection method is not as accurate as the next method which is Frequency.

2. Frequency

Frequency measuring shafts with a frequency analyzer is much more consistent than the deflection board method. This is because it not only measures the dynamic flex but it also measures what would be the finished club.

Shaft frequency measures the rate at which a shaft would vibrate over a known time. The club is clamped into a frequency analyzer and oscillated or twanged at the tip and a reading is taken, givening a digital ready as to how still the shaft is.

A Frequency analyzer will also taken into account the following factors:

Shaft Flex.
Shaft or club length.
Clubhead weight.
Shaft weight.

Only clubmakers that possess a frequency analyzer can make clubs frequency matched. Golfclubs4me frequency match each shaft to your exact swing speed by making clubs in what is called a frequency slope. The frequency slope is a graph used to connect each of the clubs you have in a set measuring their frequency or stiffness. As the clubs get shorter they get stiffer forming an ideally 30 degree slope. This is what we call a frequency matched set of golf clubs.

Golf Companies do not carry out frequency matching using frequency analyzers many due to the fact that to frequency match each set of clubs would take too long and would not be cost effective. You can order different shafts through the Golfing companies who hopefully can source them, their custom departments would then make the club for you, but make sure it is the shaft that suits your swing. They will not fit you so you need to make sure they install the correct shaft for you and you are relying on them to have standards similar to yours. I have tried myself to find out what standards particular Golfing companies use unfortunately they are unlikely to divulge this information. They don’t even give pro shops etc a reference chart as to what swing speed will fit their shafts. If you receive a shaft that is perfect for you go out and buy a lottery ticket straight away because your luck is in and you will also win that too.

Golfclubs4me can source almost any golf shaft on the market and correctly fit it to your unique swing, by looking at your swing speed, the mechanics of your unique swing such as Tempo, the starting of the downswing and release of your wrist cock etc. We do this in conjunction with a Vector launch monitor which will aid us in helping choose the correct shaft to suit your swing.

Click here contact Mark for professional custom fitting using the contact form in our retail store www.snakeeyes.co.nz/shop