First, you can’t really have shafts frequency matched pre-delivery. Shafts can be frequency sorted prior to assembly (we do not offer that service), but frequency matching is done at the time of assembly. If you had shafts frequency sorted before being cut and assembled, then all you have is a more consistent starting point, but that does not insure the set will be “frequency matched” when the set is assembled. Adjustments have to made in assembly to account for head weights, bore depth variations, club lengths, etc. So, if your going to build frequency matched clubs, you need to have a frequency machine. That being said, and as I said in my previous post, “Frequency matching can occur naturally in sets where shafts are consistent (should still be Pured) in flex, head weights progress like they are suppose to (7 gram increments through the PW) and lengths progress in 1/2″ increments.”
So, since shafts generally are more consistent than they use to be, you can still build consistent sets without a frequency machine, but you can’t know the true oscillation progression and consistency of each shaft frequency in the set without building using a frequency machine. Both operations, FLO or Frequency Matching, are done to eliminate possible inconsistencies in how a shaft loads and unloads. In theory, doing one of the operations is better than doing none, but doing both is better than doing one if the goal is to eliminate any small (or more prevalent) inconsistency that might be present in the shafts.
Britt Lindsey
Britt, Thanks for your reply. I do understand the issues that FLO and frequency matching are each designed to correct. I guess what I was hoping to find out is whether, other things being equal, one of procedure is more important than the other to club performance. I can afford a laser device to FLO shafts but not the machine for measuring frequency.
If matching frequency is quite important because stiffness can vary a lot then among shafts of the same model and stiffness destination then I would pay to have that done predelivery. If frequency matching there’s not so crucial to club performance, consistency, etc., then I might skip it entirely. Thanks again.