# Choosing the Right Shaft Flex



## brokengolf (May 12, 2011)

If you want to avoid giving your game the shaft, you need to understand the effect that shaft flex has on your game.

"Flex" refers to the ability of a golf shaft to bend as forces are applied to it during the golf swing.

Those forces are generated by the type of swing that you have - fast or slow, smooth or jerky.

There are five generally used ratings for shaft flex: Extra Stiff, Stiff, Regular, Senior and Ladies, usually denoted by the letters X, S, R, A and L ("A" is used for Senior because this flex was originally called "amateur").

Having a flex that doesn't match the needs of your swing will result in the clubface being misaligned at impact, causing your shots to go off-target.

*What Flex Impacts*

Shaft flex impacts, either directly or indirectly, the accuracy, trajectory and distance of your shot. Three pretty important things, eh?

As the shaft flexes throughout the swing, the position of the clubhead changes. And the face of the club must be square (perfectly straight) at impact to get the most out of the shot. If you have the wrong flex for your swing, there is less chance that you'll make contact with the ball with a square clubface.


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## Hogan (Jan 23, 2007)

Thanks, this is a good overview. As there are no standard benchmarks for the shaft industry so that all shafts of specific designation are the same, it seems like a crap shoot. Is the Ping, TaylorMade and Callaway R shafts the same? No way. 
My swing requires a shaft that is somewhere between an R and an S. I have really no way to judge what I should buy for the length and club head weight I'm using. I know a fitting will determine the best kick points and if a shaft should be shaved, but still its somewhat subjective based on the fitter's selection of shafts. Why don't manufacturer's have a standard to live by?


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