Is it Time to Look at New Shafts For Your Clubs?

OBAN ShaftsAs you start dreaming about the 2015 golf season and visualizing those perfect tee shots, approach shots that snuggle next to the pin and draining 10 foot putts, your dreams may be interrupted by the thoughts of those shots that don’t always work out the way you want them to.  “Man, I thought I put a great swing on that ball!”, you say as the ball sails OB left.  While you can blame your swing, or the club, maybe it’s the shaft that isn’t quite right.  With 13 clubs (not including the putter) in your bag, the chances of all of those shafts being consistent in weight, flex, and profile are slim and none.  The lightest shaft in your bag should be your driver, and the heaviest ones should be in your wedges.  Too often I see shafts in fairway woods and hybrids that are too light for the set making for inconsistent shot patterns.  Same with shaft flex.  The stiffest club in your bag should be the driver with flexes getting progressively softer as the clubs get shorter.  This is rarely the case when I test clubs during a fitting.  Finally, the profile of the shaft (high or low launch, soft or firm feel) can be quite different throughout the set.  All of this inconsistency can cause inconsistent shot patterns, ball flights and contact.  A proper fitting with a professional can determine exactly what shafts will work best for YOUR swing and can actually build you a set of clubs that is consistent from club to club throughout your bag.  So make one of your New Year’s resolutions to get a good fitting to see what shafts are right for you!  You may also be interested in whether graphite or steel shafts fit your swing so here is a link to an article I just updated last week  https://www.dlancegolf.com/graphite-or-steel-shafts/

Dan Sueltz