Will a regular shaft go further than a stiff shaft all other specs being equal ?
JimHarrington Answered question August 3, 2022
Will a regular shaft go further than a stiff shaft all other specs being equal ?
I’d like to share a study on this that I read about many years ago. Perhaps some may remember it. I can’t remember the source, probably one of the golf magazines, but it made sense. There may be more recent studies and I’d be interested if others can provide a source/link.
I think the broad answer to the question is that “it depends.” Generally a softer flex adds distance potential but reduces control. I remember reading that “one should use the softest shaft that one can control.” It was a pretty subjective conclusion.
The study compared a five iron distance (probably with a loft closer to the older standards) and a driver distance (with old technology) using a robot. The tested swing speed produced a driver distance of about 240 yards and a 5 iron distance of about 160 yards using stiff versus regular shafts. I thought this was, at the time, close to the regular/stiff decision point. Results (from my memory):
Dispersion was greater with the regular shaft but (in my opinion) negligible. I think it was perhaps less than a yard for the 5 iron. As I recall, dispersion for the driver was also greater but not enough to be significant for anyone that would even be considering regular shafts (i.e., non-professionals).
Driver distance was a few yards greater with the regular shaft.
Five iron distance was slightly less with the regular shaft, but still very small, not something one would notice.
Why would the 5 iron produce less distance with a regular shaft? My guess is that the shaft flex added enough dynamic loft as to reduce the overall distance that one would get from the extra shaft kick.
This convinced me that, for many average players, stiff shafts for the irons will not hurt. But … for the driver, and probably fairway metals, one should consider erring on the softer side.
A lot has to do with how a player transitions from back swing to down swing. Faster transition swings typically suggest erring on the stiffer side.
In the end, in my opinion, it’s a good thing to compare in a controlled setting for your swing, such as on a simulator. There are a lot of factors that make answering the question specific to the player and equipment. Shaft flex, for one, varies significantly in lots of ways. “Stiff” versus “regular” actually says very little these days. I’ve seen stock stiff shafts in drivers that felt like a senior flex.