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GOLF ARTICLE 05
LEARNING ABOUT STEEL
SHAFT PROPERTIES
In this frst part of a three-part series on shaft properties and
shaft ftting, you will learn about steel shaft properties and how
they may affect the swing and ball fights.
WEIGHT
Defnition
The dead weight of the shaft, e.g. 130g or 95g. How a weight feels is a relative concept – a 100g weight may feel heavy
to some but light to others. Shaft weight design in a set can be classifed into three types:
Constant Weight Descending Weight Ascending Weight
All irons will have (approximately) The weight from the long irons to The long iron weighs less than the
the same weight. Most taper tip the short irons gradually lessens. short iron. This design makes MOI
1
shafts fall into this category. Most of the parallel tip shafts (and matching somewhat easier; there is
a handful of taper shafts) are of this no need to add much weight to the
category. Descending weight design head (with the current head weight
also makes matching a set of irons to design).
2
1 MOI or SW more challenging.
1 MOI: Moment of Inertia SW: Swing Weight
2
Role
Head weight is pretty much constant, so shaft and grip become the primary two means to decrease or increase the total club weight.
Effect
Affects club path, swing speed, tempo and ball striking. When the shaft is too heavy for a golfer, it will lower the club head
speed, tends to be stiffer for the golfer and results in a lower launch angle. When the weight is too heavy or light, it will
affect the tempo/timing of the swing and also negatively affect ball striking.
Property Defnition Role Effect
Used to fne tune shaft with Wall thickness affects
overall stiffness and balance vibration transmitted
Wall Thickness How thick the section of the shaft is.
point. Affects overall fex and to the hand, directly
feel of shaft. affecting the feel.
An indication of the material distribution; Allows manipulation of the
Balance Point
has a net effect on swing weight. static weight of the club.
A result of the butt to tip ratio. Generally
Bend Point Affects trajectory and feel.
classifed as high, mid, and low.
Affects feel and ball fight.
Measurement of tip stiffness as a result
Tip Defection Soft tip tends to launch
of the shaft geometry and wall thickness.
the ball higher.
Measurement of butt stiffness as a result
Butt Defection of shaft geometry and wall thickness. Not Directly drives tip responsiveness. Affects tip responsiveness.
to be confused with butt frequency.
A method of qualifying the stiffness of a
golf club measured in CPM.
Raw frequency: Frequency of an untrimmed
production shaft or blank shaft.
Frequency Three constants: Clamp pressure, clamp
length, and mass of the weight used at
the tip.
Finish club frequency: Frequency of an
assembled golf club cut to length.
Keep a lookout for our discussion of graphite shaft properties and shaft ftting in the upcoming issues!
LEARNING ABOUT STEEL
SHAFT PROPERTIES
In this frst part of a three-part series on shaft properties and
shaft ftting, you will learn about steel shaft properties and how
they may affect the swing and ball fights.
WEIGHT
Defnition
The dead weight of the shaft, e.g. 130g or 95g. How a weight feels is a relative concept – a 100g weight may feel heavy
to some but light to others. Shaft weight design in a set can be classifed into three types:
Constant Weight Descending Weight Ascending Weight
All irons will have (approximately) The weight from the long irons to The long iron weighs less than the
the same weight. Most taper tip the short irons gradually lessens. short iron. This design makes MOI
1
shafts fall into this category. Most of the parallel tip shafts (and matching somewhat easier; there is
a handful of taper shafts) are of this no need to add much weight to the
category. Descending weight design head (with the current head weight
also makes matching a set of irons to design).
2
1 MOI or SW more challenging.
1 MOI: Moment of Inertia SW: Swing Weight
2
Role
Head weight is pretty much constant, so shaft and grip become the primary two means to decrease or increase the total club weight.
Effect
Affects club path, swing speed, tempo and ball striking. When the shaft is too heavy for a golfer, it will lower the club head
speed, tends to be stiffer for the golfer and results in a lower launch angle. When the weight is too heavy or light, it will
affect the tempo/timing of the swing and also negatively affect ball striking.
Property Defnition Role Effect
Used to fne tune shaft with Wall thickness affects
overall stiffness and balance vibration transmitted
Wall Thickness How thick the section of the shaft is.
point. Affects overall fex and to the hand, directly
feel of shaft. affecting the feel.
An indication of the material distribution; Allows manipulation of the
Balance Point
has a net effect on swing weight. static weight of the club.
A result of the butt to tip ratio. Generally
Bend Point Affects trajectory and feel.
classifed as high, mid, and low.
Affects feel and ball fight.
Measurement of tip stiffness as a result
Tip Defection Soft tip tends to launch
of the shaft geometry and wall thickness.
the ball higher.
Measurement of butt stiffness as a result
Butt Defection of shaft geometry and wall thickness. Not Directly drives tip responsiveness. Affects tip responsiveness.
to be confused with butt frequency.
A method of qualifying the stiffness of a
golf club measured in CPM.
Raw frequency: Frequency of an untrimmed
production shaft or blank shaft.
Frequency Three constants: Clamp pressure, clamp
length, and mass of the weight used at
the tip.
Finish club frequency: Frequency of an
assembled golf club cut to length.
Keep a lookout for our discussion of graphite shaft properties and shaft ftting in the upcoming issues!
