Stiff Golf Shafts
A club with a shaft flex rating of stiff is denoted by "s". If you can drive the ball to 250-275 yards, you need a shaft with a flex rating of "stiff".
Ask any regular golf player and they will tell you the huge difference in playing experience that stiff golf shafts makes. Unfortunately, while there are still some standards regards to the golf ball, there are no such standards set for the shaft which is the most important part of any golf club. This piece of metal that lies between your hands and the golf head contributes a lot to the distance the ball traverses when it comes in contact with the golf head. But there are no fixed standards and this is the main reason why you might be comfortable with one particular shaft manufactured by a particular company and the same stiff golf shafts with the same specifications manufactured by another company might not provide you with the same playing experience.
You might have felt comfortable with your friend’s shaft and keeping that thing in mind might have purchased one of the same types, only to be disappointed. The reason behind this is that all shafts are not manufactured similarly and they have differences between them. This problem is aggravated by the choice of materials used to manufacture the shafts. There are many important factors that constitute a golf shaft and they include the weight of the shaft, the material used for manufacturing the shaft, the particular `kick’ or bend point of the golf shaft (this is the point where the shaft tends to bend during the process of swinging) along with the torque of the shaft.
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The torque determines the a stiff golf shafts resistance to twisting during the downswing. If this is not enough, the length of the club also affects the flex of the shaft unless subtle adjustment in the shot is made. The shorter club feels stiffer whereas the longer one feels flexible. With so many different factors at play, it is next to impossible for getting the correct shaft immediately off the racks. The shaft that works perfectly for one player might well be the incorrect one for another player. If you thought that the costlier shafts are better, you are totally off mark and a cheaper shaft might well work better for you than a costlier one, since it features specifications that are perfect for you.
Different types of shafts can affect the trajectory, the solidness of feel, the consistency of hit, the directional control and the clubhead distance or speed. Now that you have understood the difference specialized shafts can make and the confusions it can create during your game, it can be said that the regular golf shafts are a better choice. As the saying goes, a known devil is better than an unknown saint. There are just too many things that are affected by the shaft length and this is not all. To compound problems, the weight of a stiff golf shaft also plays a major part in determining your game play. You can attain faster swing speeds and a greater distance with lighter shafts, but too light a shaft will cause problems.