Which flex should I be in?

[Clugnut]

I think I'm going to get another Accuflex Creation for my Cobra project. The Creation recommended swing speed range is 100-110 for stiff, and 110+ for X. My SS is almost always between 105-115 when I get it measured, and I do not have a problem getting the ball in the air. My miss is usually right because of the open face drivers I play.

To be honest, I clock 105 way more than 115. If I had to give an average, I'd say 107-108. Should I just go with the stiff? What happens if I have a good day and swing 115 all day? Shaft flex is kind of a mystery to me. Some think that you will miss in a certain direction if you play the wrong flex, some do not. Is it just all about spin/trajectory, or is there more to it?

 

[JEFF4i]

65? Stiff. 80? Possibly X.

 

[Clugnut]

65? Stiff. 80? Possibly X.

Just what I was thinking. Do you have any feedback for the other part about how flex affects ballflight? Any ideas?

Muy bueno, senior mucho posto.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

Also need to consider your tempo, especially if you are in between. If you have a really quick tempo, you may require a stiffer shaft. Really slow, you maybe be able to get by with a more flexible shaft.

 

[JEFF4i]

Just what I was thinking. Do you have any feedback for the other part about how flex affects ballflight? Any ideas?

Muy bueno, senior mucho posto.

All I've ever used is X, but I really liked it.

 

[PureStroke]

Unless you load the shaft at the top of the stroke , you may just want to stick with a stiff flex that weighs anywhere from 67-75 grams. A low kick point shaft will give you maximum trajectory and a high kick point shaft will give you a lower trajectory, and a mid kick point is right in between the two trajectory's . But you know your swing a preference better than us.

 

[SilverUberXeno]

I think you're better off with the stiff.

There are a hundred reasons to miss right or left. Especially if you spine align your shafts (which I know you do well!) I can't imagine that a shaft flex is going to cause a substantial miss in either direction. If you were swinging 105 with a LL flex shaft, or swinging 80 with an XX, maybe. But you're so close either way. I think you should go stiff, and believe wholeheartedly that you don't HAVE to swing hard.

Because when you aren't thinking about swinging so hard, you generally swing faster

Stiffer tips generally keep the ball lower, and a too-stiff shaft will theoretically lose the ball to the right. This doesn't make sense to me, honestly, but it's what I've read on the board.

I would think that a stiffer shaft, which produces a higher CPM number (and this rebounds more times than a weaker shaft) would rebound FASTER and case a hook for a too-slow swing. Clarification would be nice, here.

 

[ezra76]

I'll add my $.02. Look at your answers and mine in the "favorite shaft" thread from a few days back. Now consider the Creation 65X was the worst shaft I've ever hit. FTi tour 8.5* carried about 120yds. shorter than the 9.5* with the 686S in it.

 

[Clugnut]

Yeah, your right. I wanted to give the Cobra a fair test with a know quantity.

BTW, just won an auction on a VS Proto 60, in stiff. That's what I'll use.

 

[ezra76]

Sounds like a good choice. I've never hit the 60g so would be interested to hear how it plays. The SpeedPro has the yellow VS 65S in it. I was surprised that it plays a lot like the 70g VS and not the 65S Nike uses. I had a 65S I assume was a Nike pull (since Titileist was the only other using it in 65 at the time) and it was considerably weaker feeling than the 70g aftermarket shaft. Very pleased with the SpeedPro. I hit some of the deepest drives of the year in 55-60* weather last week with it. Carry is pretty much maxed out for my SS potential.

 

[RCI]

The only club I swing as hard as I can (within control) is the driver... and it is a high kick point X shaft. Normal stiff shafted drivers turn the ball over a little too soon for me, and when trying to hold off for a cut, I tend to lose them a little more right than preferred. In your case, for a driver, try to fix the "lose it right problem" with a better plane and club squaring adjustment if possible. A more flexible shaft might just make the "lose it right" problem worse. No one can know this without seeing your swing, but shaft flex does not fix problems of getting the club trapped behind you, a down swing that comes over your plane, or issues squaring the face. A 105 to 110 swing speed is plenty fast enough for most stiff shafts.

Iron shots are very different. For irons, I use stiff rather than X, and I hit my irons comparatively shorter distances than my driver by choice. However, using at least a stiff shaft helps with the quick loading of the downswing -- if you have a faster tempo, I think you need a stiff shaft iron even if your swing speed is not max'ed out. That is just an opinion... because you should try both and see what feels best and produces the best shot pattern.

Traditional wisdom for most people is to trend toward stiffer shafts as long as you don't have issues with getting the ball up or squaring the club face. As mentioned above, some otherwise stiff shafts may have a lower kick point so higher ball flight is still produced even with lower swing speeds than recommended for the shaft. Only testing will determine your own best answer.

 

[keithpbz]

I may be way off here but personally i look at the torque of the shaft mainly, the lower the torque the less i seem to miss to the right. I think lower torque keeps the shaft from twisting and causing the face to open or close, where the flex i would think would just change the loft of the club if it were to flexible. But i may be way off but i have tried alot of different shafts lately and that is the only thing that has seemed to change for me. And i average a 112mph swing speed and play a stiff flex in my driver, but i have always played x flex until this one.

 

[warbirdlover]

I've learned (the hard way) to always "error" to the lower flex side.

 

[LeftyHoges]

I've learned the hard way to always err towards the stiffer flex side.

Different strokes for different folks I guess...

 

[JEFF4i]

I'd say go stiff there Clugger. My story and I'm sticking to it.