Shaft flex for 107-113Mph swing

I have a Titleist 983K with Graffalloy Prolite 35 Regular shaft, and hit it around 260 to 290 (over 300 in some instances). My bad shots go high and right, but rarely does it hook badly, but these could well be due to my swing faults. Normal trajectory is not too high or low.

Should I be bothered about upgrading to stiff shafts? Most OEMs recommend stiff, but will my swing speed suit a stiffer shaft?

Thanks

Koonl

Hi Koonl,

You would definatley be suited to a stiff shaft..........the grafalloy in your titelist is a great shaft, my golfing partner uses the same shaft only stiff with the same head as you and a swing speed of 116mph.

He hits 280-300 in the UK which is very long.

You may find your drives will straighten up a little with a stiff shaft.



Hope this helps

Ian.

If you arent hooking the ball at all then the shaft is probably good for flex most people notice with too light a flex they pull/hook and with too strong a flex they push/slice.

Usually with too light a shaft you can overpower it and start hitting the ball too high and right as the shaft struggles to contain the power. Unfortunately the same can happen with too heavy a shaft (without the height though) the good thing is that 983's are common as muck at most golf shops. Have a look at your local driving range and see if they have one with a stiff flex shaft and demo it to see if it suits you.

Beware however, stiff shafts are a bit of an ego trip for a lot of golfers. I have a fairly strong swing (over 115mph with the driver) and I still use regular shafts on my irons because they suit me just fine. I can use X-100's but they are real hard work after 27 holes and the back nine of 2 rounders get a bit tiring on the arms. I usually specify stiff shafts on my woods simply because I prefer the lower flight they give me (I have an X-100 on my 5 wood for instance). My friend on the other hand has a medium speed swing (about 95-105mph) and he uses S-300's simply because he prefers the added accuracy.

Grafalloys are superb, they are my shaft of choice for graphite. I still use the Prolite 35S on my driver despite the advent of the Blue.

See how you get on with a demo club and then make your decision.

Good Luck.

D.

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If you are happy with the ball flight and the accuracy, why would you switch?

Switching to a stiff shaft will drop yardage off your drives. You will add some accuracy, but it is ultimately up to you as to what suits you best.

As the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Basically, if you are happy with the results, don't change!

I see where you are coming from, but I would switch if I found a shaft that gave a better flight and more stability (accuracy) in the shot - though I would never know this until I try it. How can one know if the shot pattern is most efficient if you have only experienced one shaft type? A stiff shaft may further improve accuracy but I will need to compare the two flexes. I'm off to the London Golf Show and I'm hoping there are a couple of drivers with the same shaft there, reg and stiff so I can test it out - they got a driving range setup over Victoria Docks!

Does the Graffalloy come up slightly stiffer than standard reg shafts anyway?

Well, I bought a stiff 9.5 deg - not exactly what I was expecting - it does feel a lot stiffer with less give than the reg. Still had the shot pattern of high and right, but it went just as far as the reg on comparable straight hits, but didn't feel as if it had the zip. After hitting 10 balls with the stiff, and then switching to reg, the reg was amazing! One final test is to take it out onto the course and see.

If my game owas off and wanted to slow down my swing a bit, I think the reg would be ideal - I assume the stiff would still demand a higher swing speed

Koonl,

If you were pushing the ball out to the right then the stiff shaft was too stiff....thats for sure unless its a swing fault.

You are correct the stiffer the shaft the higher the swing speed required.


However your origional thread stated that you have a very high swing speed 107-113mph, this type of speed would normally demand a stiff shaft.

Did you have this mesured accuratley by a pro or swinging as hard as you can in a golf net in a shop??


If your happy with the regular then stick with it...we are all different, I use a regular shaft with a firm tip and my swing speed was last mesured at 95mph.


Ian.

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I used the Beltronics Swingmate - the stiffer shaft also feels heavier, though it's still the same model. Is this normal? Obviously at impact it feels stiffer, but maybe I need to play with it more to decide - my last session at the range was pretty poor as I had lost my rhythm and shots for both shafts were erratic, but I always felt more comfortable when I had the reg shaft in my hands, felt effortless compared to the stiff. Will decide when I play on Saturday. I usually shoot a driver then a wedge, but may have to drive shorter, but more accurate, with the stiff

With a stiff shaft, you have to maintain a 105+ mph swing speed to maintain consistancy. With a reg flex shaft, you can slow your swing down and not lose anything.