I was asked how to determine where the flex point on a shaft is. Is it determined by the stiffness of the shaft? How can you know if that point is near the grip or near the head and how does it affect ball flight?
You can determine a general flex point with a flex board. That is a little old school but a good way to do it. Put the shaft on the flex board with the appropriate weight and note the peak bend location and that is the bend point. A little more to it than that, but that is basically it. The reality of “flex point” is that whether it is low or high, the entire range of where it can be lies within about a 2″-3″ area in the middle of the shaft. In other words, low flex points are not at the tip end and high flex points are not at the butt end. They are at the upper (butt end) or lower end (tip end) of that 2-3 inch range.
Theory tells us that a lower bend point will or can produce higher launch angles and trajectory and higher bend points will or can produce lower launch angles and trajectories. Generally speaking that is true, but overall flex profile has more of an affect. More flexible overall shafts will produce higher trajectories and stiffer shafts will produce lower trajectories, again generally speaking. Every player is different and each individuals swing dynamics can produce results in line with these general assumptions with regards to flex point and overall flex, or they can produce results that may be contrary to the specs. That is why a fitting with a qualified fitting professional with the tools to measure and see the difference in the ball flight with different types of shafts is so important to dialing in the right type of shaft for any individual player.
Britt Lindsey