Where they are loading it, what they feel, what they are looking to do. If you look at the picture to the left, these are just a few of the steel iron shafts available and they run the range from 85 grams to grams. The kick point is the point at which the shaft will literally kick at the ball during impact, releasing any stored energy from the downswing and exploding at ball. On the other hand, a high kick point shaft produces a lower launch angle. After custom fitting golfers for the past 40 years, we are happy to. So kickpoint isnt a singular point on a shaft, but rather an area along the shaft s length where it exhibits the most flexing when a force such as a golf swing is applied. If a shaft is stiffer in the lower third of the shaft it will launch lower and spin. These points affects the trajectory of the ball upon contact. Oct 30, 2012 shaft weight and torque make a bigger difference than shaft flex. The general rule for kick points is an inverse relationship. Click here to subscribe to our driver tips and instruction playlist. Golf shafts have different flexes and weights that make them beneficial for certain swings speeds of golfers. Dallas golf company is proud to be one of the leading online sellers of custom, aftermarket golf shafts for drivers.
So can the shafts of hybrids, fairway metals and drivers. Flex point a shafts flex point sometimes called bend point is a characteristic that promotes flexing at certain areas of the shaft to control trajectory. It also may feel like the club is whipping during the swing while a. Shaft kick points can change best on your swing tempo and release point. Jun 22, 2016 an informative academic paper that exemplifies this phenomenon, written by dr. The higher the swing speed, the stiffer the shaft flex should be. Shaft properties, including flex, torque, bend point also referred to as kick point or flex point, shaft length and weight, play important roles. Mar 22, 20 how long to use a driver when to replace golf clubs duration. Kick points are designated as low, mid, and high, but with no real industry standards, these points vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Choosing the best golf shaft is essential for getting the most distance and accuracy from each shot on the course. Continuing with our iconic tour spec white paint, atmos is a true tour flighted line of shafts with a simple color coding red as the higher launching, blue as mid launch, black as the lowest launch similarities include keeping the handle flexes the same for feel. Shaft weight and torque make a bigger difference than shaft flex. Golf club shaft flex guide everything you need to know.
What you need to know about moi moment of inertia in golf clubs. A shafts kick point, also called the flex or bend point, plays a key role in the clubs performance a shaft with a high kick point will tend to produce lower shots. I am 69 years old and played a regular flex shaft in my hybrids and woods and played a stiff steel shaft in my irons. The shaft of the golf club is often ignored when it comes to performance, but it is the engine of the golf club. A low kick point shaft has a flex point closer to the tip and produces a high launch angle. Before you decide which shaft you need, understand how to read shaft specifications and how they relate to the golf swing. Many club makers or shop repairmen will refer to the slang version of kick point. Golf club shaft chart guide when it comes to picking a graphite shaft for your driver or fairway woods, the number of choices that are available can be overwhelming, especially as golf companies continue to offer more and more in the way of custom options. Brent kelley is an awardwinning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. The flex point in a golf shaft can also be referred to as the bend point or the kick point.
Apr 17, 2018 brent kelley is an awardwinning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. Getting the ball up is not an issue with my swing, and this shaft helps the top of the flight flatten out a little more so there is great penetration. The lightweight nvs 55 shaft, in particular, is suited to those with more moderate swing speeds. Kickpoint is probably a golf term that you have heard about anytime you are looking to buy a new club. When it comes to picking a graphite shaft for your driver or fairway woods, the number of choices that are available can be overwhelming, especially as golf companies continue to offer more and more in the way of custom options. The length, flex, torque, kickpoint, weight and alignment of the shaft all have an effect on the performance of your golf club. Torque is a property of golf shafts that describes how much the shaft is prone to twisting during the golf swing. Choosing the proper golf shaft for your swing is essential to reaching your potential on the golf course. Matt is a golf instructor, club fitter, and writer living in the northwest suburbs of chicago. The shaft weighs less than 60 g, which helps you increase your. Best golf shafts for drivers online, custom golf shafts. When a shaft has a low kick means it will bend more toward the head of the club, when it has a high kick it bends more toward the middle of the shaft. Golf shafts are vital to having the best possible outcome of any golfers swing. The general golfing public has been conditioned and educated that shaft flex is the endallbeall when it comes to shafts and that simply is not true.
Sasho mackenzie, is entitled the influence of golf shaft stiffness on grip and clubhead kinematics 1. If you want to understand golf shafts the way a golf shaft engineer understands the, you need to see the three point. The length, flex, torque, kick point, weight and alignment of the shaft all have an effect on the performance of your golf club. As the shaft flexes throughout the swing, the position of the club face can change. With a lower kick the ball will have a higher ball flight than a higher kick, which has a lower ball flight. Shaft kick point is where the shaft bends and affects the trajectory ball flight. A golf shaft is tapered toward the club head, resulting in a bend closer toward the club head. During the golf swing, each shaft will bend at a different point in the swing, storing up. This paper presents a study conducted using a motioncapture system where participants hit drives with an rflex driver shaft and a more rigid xflex shaft.
A low kickpoint maximum bend on the lower end of the shaft delivers a. The worst qschool horror story youll read this year golf. Other things have to determined before you buy the clubs such as the shaft. Golf driver shafts of the same overall flex or stiffness can have different kick points. So kickpoint isnt a singular point on a shaft, but rather an area along the shafts length where it exhibits the most flexing when a force such as a golf swing is applied. Golfers may also refer to kickpoint as the flex point or bend point. Fujikura and mrc agreed that weight needs to be considered along with those other factors to.
Mar 01, 2016 why is the shaft such an important part of the driver. A shafts kick point, also called the flex or bend point, plays a key role in the clubs performance. A shafts bend profile is rarely advertised, but has huge role to play in different swing styles. The weight of the shaft is going to help keep the players swing on plane. Senior flex is appropriate for swing speed of about 80 mph, while those with a slower speed should use l flex shafts. A guide to understanding shaft vocabulary golfweek. He talks about weight, torque, kick points, graphite v steel and. All three of these points will, however, be relatively close to middle of the shaft. An incorrect shaft flex becomes more noticeable the longer the club gets ie. Shaft flex also can have an effect on many golf shot factors such as trajectory, consistency of your hit, directional control and how solid the impact feels. The atmos tour spec line is geared towards the performance golfer looking to keep the ball flighted down with low spin.
It optimises the energy flow through into the ball. Flex point a shaft s flex point sometimes called bend point is a characteristic that promotes flexing at certain areas of the shaft to control trajectory. Nov 16, 2018 the aldila nvs range of shafts encourage a high ball flight. The shaft has to complement what the player is doing. Low kick point means higher ball flight trajectory. While stronger and more skilled players often prefer a shaft that lowers their trajectory, many can gain yardage from the tee by creating a higher ball flight. It also will be hard to square the clubhead at impact, meaning you will have a tendency to hit your. Matts work has been published in mulligan magazine, chicagoland golf, south florida golf, and other golf media outlets.
It then straightens or unloads to release that power and help create clubhead speed. Graphite is one of the most common shaft types used in golf clubs and can. Apr 30, 2018 we headed to golf principles in basingstoke to talk to shaft guru jason macniven, as he exploded myths surrounding iron shafts. Lighter shafts are not for everyone, and dont automatically equal higher swing speeds. The kick point is important because it helps determine the balls trajectory after you hit. So when you swing a club it would be the entire area of the shaft where the flex is happening. Aldila shafts generally provide flatter ball flights, but the more responsive tip in the nvs helps to create a higher launch. I recently got a new rbz 3 hybrid with extra stiff and feel so much more confident with it. It has a very high kick point, perhaps the highest ive ever used and it is mounted in an 8. Generally it is considered a more reliable measurement than flex or frequency. When you swing your club, the shaft bends or loads to store power. We headed to golf principles in basingstoke to talk to shaft guru jason macniven, as he exploded myths surrounding iron shafts. Apr 12, 2018 kickpoint is probably a golf term that you have heard about anytime you are looking to buy a new club. But golfers also are fit for a less familiar specification the shaft flex point.
A year ago i went to a fitter that uses trackman and using my clubs as a baseline ended up switching from ping irons to callaway xrs with the project x graphite shafts in an a flex, aw, pw 6 and a 54 xr hybrids. Kick point in my opinion kick point is an outdated term as most club fitters now refer to a shafts launch properties simply as launch. Midway through the back nine on sunday, patrick sullivan was sitting on the cut line. Shaft kick point golf term the point of maximum bending of a shaft, measured by pulling the tip end while the butt remains stationary. I think the player who went from, say, a 50 gram driver shaft to a 90 gram fw shaft would be a significant outlier. Typically the rule of thumb is that a golfer with a slower swing speed will benefit from using a lighter shaft, and you would add weight as swing speed increases. Golfers who swing around 90 mph with their driver should look at using a regular shaft. The difference in shaft torque will usually not be noticeable to the average golfer. A higher kick point, which means the bend point is higher in the shaft, closer to the grip, can help lower trajectory, while a lower kick point, which is closer to where the head and shaft are connected can help increase the trajectory of a golf shot. Check out this index for easy access to all of our coverage of golf news, instruction, equipment and courses. Hes also been a featured speaker in the online golf summit and is a member of ultimate golf advantages faculty of experts.
Getting the correct weight of your shaft is an important factor to consider as well. This is helpful to many weekend golfers who have average swing speeds and want to gain carry distance on their drives. The term refers to that region of a golf shaft at which the shaft exhibits the greatest amount of bend when the tip is pulled down. Why is the shaft such an important part of the driver. Therefore, getting the right flex in your golf clubs is important. Kick point or launch is the shafts flexibility in the lower third of the shaft.
I think my game has finally caught up to my poor shaft choice in my driver that i got off ebay 5 years ago. Kick points in shafts are where the shaft flexes most. The latest generation of driver shafts combine a flexible shaft with a stiff tip, giving the golfer the required flex to whip into the ball while reducing clubhead twisting. What many believe is most important when it comes to a shaft choice is that a particular. A low kick point bows near the head of the club, producing a higher ball flight. The shaft kickpoint also known as flexpoint is the point where the shaft. A realworld example would be to compare the swings of two legendary golfers. For example, picking the wrong golf shaft flex can cause you to hook or slice the golf. A mid kick point bows in the middle of the shaft and will have a mediumhigh trajectory.
Dec 10, 2018 midway through the back nine on sunday, patrick sullivan was sitting on the cut line. The kickpoint flexpoint or bendpoint refers to a maximum bending point of the shaft. Steel shafts are heavier and provide the golfer with more vibrational feedback on mishit shots. A low kick point gives you a higher ball flight and a medium kick point gives you a medium ball flight. Shaft kick point, also known as flex point or bend point, is the location on the shaft that bends the most during a swing. In a relatively short time, kbs shafts have been adopted by top pga tour professionals and the custom department of every major manufacturer.
Jan 03, 2017 that said, it makes sense to use, for example, a 70 gram shaft as a starting point for a player who prefers a 60 gram driver shaft because, when its cut shorter, the shaft will feel similar in terms of weight. A simple rule of thumb to remember when buying a shaft is a high kick point rating means low ball trajectory. Choosing the right shaft for your clubs is all part of the goal of giving you consistency. Testing a shaft for bend kick point not all shafts correctly bend to an individual golfers needs. Kick point correlates to ball flight and launch angle. If you want to understand golf shafts the way a golf shaft engineer understands the, you need to see the three point ei profiles of the linear strength of the golf shaft. An incorrect shaft flex can cause the club face to become open or closed delivering the club head incorrectly resulting. The truth about golf shafts that every golfer should know. We have thousands of shafts from more than a dozen manufacturers aldila, fujikura, oban, mitsubishi, va composite, graphite design and more. The importance of shaft weight in fitting golf clubs cannot be overstated. That means that the higher the kick point is on the shaft, the lower the ball flight will be. Modern shafts, particularly graphite shafts, can produce kick in different sections of the shaft high kick, mid kick and low kick being three obvious points of. The length, flex, torque, kickpoint, weight and alignment of the shaft all have an effect on. Stepped steel shafts are used in the majority of golf clubs by all the major.
The point of maximum bending of a shaft, measured by pulling the tip end while the butt remains stationary. For example, beginners and those with less powerful swings tend to use a shaft. The guide to remembering which one does what, is to inversely identify them. Dunno if thats a fair comparison but i have the itch for my next golf purchase. May 28, 2018 getting the correct weight of your shaft is an important factor to consider as well. You need a fast swing speed to play a shaft with a high kick point. All shafts, steel and graphite, exhibit torque, which is measured in degrees. It was the final round of the final stage of qschool. Continuing with our iconic tour spec white paint, atmos is a true tour flighted line of shafts with a simple color coding red as the higher launching, blue as mid launch, black as the lowest launch similarities. The ei curve shows exactly how the shaft is bending from tip to butt during the swing. Low kick shafts are designed to launch the ball higher at impact. Kim braly signature kbs tour shafts was formed in early 2008 and has rapidly become the fastest growing steel shaft brand in the industry. Golf geeks how the shaft affects performance mygolfspy. Explaining kickpoint in golf shafts and how it affects shots.
Does shaft flex affect driver distance callaway golf company. A shaft has literally no effect on spin rate for slower swing speeds. He talks about weight, torque, kick points, graphite v steel and much more. An informative academic paper that exemplifies this phenomenon, written by dr. The majority of our panel agreed that shaft weight is very important. Shaft bend point testing golf club building, fitting, repair.
This feature of shafts is also called flex point or bend point. Picking the proper shaft for a golf club is essential to maximum output of the cluband golfer. Taper tip shafts are constant weight, meaning that each shaft weighs the. The major golf club manufacturers offer a variety of shaft options for use with their clubs. Club champion told us that weight is the first thing they look at when fitting a shaft, and nippon said, if a golfer cant feel a shaft thats properly weighted, the other factors flex, torque, bend profile are moot. Manufacturers can locate the kick point by varying the taper andor the wall thickness of the shaft design. Kick point is the area of the shaft that bows the most during the downswing and through impact. When swinging faster than 100 mph, use a stiff shaft. How long to use a driver when to replace golf clubs duration. Golf club shaft flex guide everything you need to know about. Simply put, it is the part of a golf shaft at which the shaft experiences the greatest amount of bend when the tip is pulled down. This may not seem like much but weight can dramatically change your performance.
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