There are two factors that are important while choosing golf club shafts. One is the length of the shaft and another is flex. The golf club length that is determined by the length of the shaft is a crucial factor for any golfer. It is important to choose the right length of the club as the swing of the club primarily depends on Golf club sizing. Though it is believed that longer clubs give better swing and cover greater distance, it is not always true. This is because clubs with longer shafts are difficult to handle and often it is seen that balls are hit in wrong directions. Therefore it is important that you choose clubs with perfect length of the shaft.
Another aspect that is very important for the golf club shafts is the flex. Flex is the quality of the shaft that creates the bend of the shaft under the load. A stiffer flex will bend less while a flexible shaft will bend more under same amount of stress. The golf club shafts that are made of steel tend to have less flex and hence the golfer will need to put in more strength to create the right impact to the ball. While with a shaft that has more flex will require the golfer to put less strength into a shot and it is the flex of the shaft that will magnify the impact to the ball when the head of the shaft hits the ball. This is the reason that graphite golf clubs that have more flex than steel shafts are preferred for making driver and woods.
Depending on the level of flex there are five standards of flex and they are – L (Lady), A (Intermediate), R (Regular), S (Stiff) and X (Extra Stiff). For an amateur and a regular flex shaft or the intermediate flex is appropriate while for a professional it is always the stiff or extra stiff shafts that are used for making the irons, wedges and putters.
In the recent years, there is a trend of using multiple golf club shafts for a single club head. It ensures that the golfer gets the perfect flex along with the required head so that he or she can use the club for a perfect shot. It enables the golfer to choose from different flexes on the basis of the requirement of the shot.
