Iron Shaft Tests Show Big Differences

We recently conducted a series of tests for a major shaft company to understand the differences in launch angle, spin, carry distance and total distance among several shafts.  We tested 10 shafts, both graphite and steel, of varying weights.  All shafts were built to within a half a flex of the specs for both golfers testing the shafts.  The test head was a Mizuno MP-58 6 iron.   The launch angles were in a very tight range.  Less than 2 degrees separated the highest launch angle from the lowest.  Spin was quite a different story with the lowest spin rate at 4796 and the highest at 6264.  The big difference was that each shaft had quite different characteristics so the effect on distance was significant.  Up to 12 yards separated the longest average distance from the shortest – literally a full club difference.   So, make sure you have the right shaft in your irons to give you the best distance, accuracy and control so you can hit more greens in regulation!

        Min.           Max.
Launch Angle 21.85 23.15
Spin Rate 4796 6264
Carry Distance 153.2 163.8
Total Distance 160.7 173