Soft / Reg / Stiff / Steel vs Graphite?

[Tenn-Driver]

I would like to hear a break down on the difference beteen club shafts and how to decide what works best.

Currently, I am learning with King Cobra's SS Oversized Stiff shaft
Greydawgs old RAM 10.5* driver
V Rod Mallet type putter

My swing speed avg is around 114.

Does it really make that much of a difference between reg vs Stiff shafts or Steel vs Graphite ?

 

[dave.]

My swing speed avg is around 114.

Does it really make that much of a difference between reg vs Stiff shafts or Steel vs Graphite ?

yes

who measured your speed and why didn't they tell you?

 

[gobber]

With A SS of 114 you could need something stiffer than just a normal Stiff shaft. My buddy swings at about 117 and most Stiff shafts are too soft for him but he does hit at the ball aggressivly rather than swing through it smoothly. He plays x stiff in his driver and stiff in his irons. I would suggest maybe speaking to a pro and trying various shafts out to find what works for you.

If you dont fancy that idea go on some shaft web sites and put your specs in it can give you an idea of what shafts would work for you and this will at least give you a starting point.


gobber

 

[Tenn-Driver]

Once I decided that I was going to go ahead and jump into this game last fall, I went to Dick's Sporting Goods (ya I know...)

I went on the simulator and hit a few balls and the computer said I had swing speed of 114 to 117.
The gentleman that was helping me was or he claimed to be a pro or semi pro. He told me that steel shafts were better because it added weight to the club, giving it a more solid feel.
He advised me not to go over board when it came to clubs until I got better in my game, but didn't really tell me what I needed... maybe because I was so new at it then.
He did agree with me when I stated that the clubs that were given to me was most likely holding me back, which I noticed a immediate improvement when I got my Cobra's.

I was just curious as to the benifits one type of club would have over another...

 

[Greydawg]

While we're at it,
what exactly does "Kick" mean???
ie: low kick, mid kick, etc.
And how does it work?

 

[FKA19]

While we're at it,
what exactly does "Kick" mean???
ie: low kick, mid kick, etc.
And how does it work?

"kick" is the bend point of the shaft. if a shaft has a higer kickpoint it will launch lower than a shaft with a low kickpoint. a low kick shaft will bend closer to the tip of the shaft and add effective loft at impact.

easiest way to look at it:
high kick- lower loft
low kick- higher loft

some over-exaggerate what kickpoint will do to your ball flight. it makes a max difference of 0.5-1* in launch angle. head loft is much more important in deciding your launch angle.

 

[mont86]

Does it really make that much of a difference between reg vs Stiff shafts or Steel vs Graphite ?

It took me about four years to start appreciating the difference between
reg and stiff and steel and graph. My S.S. is about 90 and my best
game is brought out by reg. steel shafts... I have tried stiff and graph. in
various combo.'s without much luck. once I quit trying to crush the ball
and smoothed my swing out reg. steel shafts were ideal for me.