Golf Shaftology 101 - Some basics for iron shafts

Golf shafts are clearly an important part of every golf club.  Some say they are the "engine of the golf club" and some do not agree - but finding the right shaft(s) for your woods and irons can clearly improve the consistency of your shots and - if you were playing a shaft that did not fit you - how far you can hit your clubs.  So I thought I would start out this newsletter issue with some information about the basics of iron golf shafts - and hopefully let you know some things you might not have been aware of.

Iron shafts.  There are four basic categories of shafts for irons - including wedges - that you should be aware of:

• Taper tip iron shafts.  Taper tip iron shafts are the ones that you typically find in OEM clubs that you purchase in golf stores.  At the tip end of the shaft - where the shaft goes into the iron hosel - the diameter is 0.355 inches and it increases to approx. 0.370 inches at the end of the hosel.  Many of the PGA professionals like to play taper tip shafts because they are "constant weight" shafts - the shaft weight for each iron is approximately the same.  They come in different "flexes" - R, S, X as examples - and the exact flexes of the shafts cannot, for most taper tip shafts, be adjusted significantly.  

• Parallel tip iron shafts.  Parallel tip iron shafts started to be available in the 1970s, largely due to manufacturer's desire to control inventories of shafts.  As the name implies, parallel tip shafts have a tip end that is a constant diameter - in this case 0.370 inches.  Many clubfitters prefer to use parallel tip shafts because they can tip the end of the shafts to achieve a specific shaft flex throughout an iron set, based on the best fit for a player.  Parallel tip shafts are not constant weight shafts, so the shaft weight goes down as you move from longer to shorter irons.

• Shaft material - steel or graphite.  For the most part most PGA tour players play steel shafts.  However, there are a wide range of excellent graphite and steel shafts available to help us "mere mortals" achieve good results.  Graphite shafts are available in different flexes and weights from around 50 grams up to 120 to 130 grams raw weight.  For a long time steel shafts were only available from about 100 to 130 grams, but now there are steel shafts available down to about 75 grams raw weight.  There is a myth that graphite shafts are not high quality, this is simply not true.

• Speciality shafts.  There are iron shafts available specifically for use in wedges (sometimes called "spinner" shafts to promote lower ball flight and high spin rates) and also shafts designed specifically for hybrid clubs.  Both of these types of speciality shafts are available in steel or graphite.

Your Wedges - Some suggestions on how to choose them.

There is more that you should consider in buying a set of wedges than how they look and if they are a specific name brand that is popular.  Perhaps some of the ideas noted below can help you improve your wedge play and lower you scores.

Know and understand your "gaps."  These days many advocate playing 4 wedges - a pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, and lob wedge.  The purpose of playing 4 wedges is to ensure that there are no major distance "gaps" between your clubs.  What this usually means is that there should be about 4 degrees of loft difference between each of your wedges if you choose this set makeup.  Be sure you know if this is truly the case - for example, if you are playing a 50 degree gap wedge and a 56 degree sand wedge, this gap may not produce the results you want. 

Can you hit a lob wedge?  Many find a lob wedge is difficult to hit, but keep trying to use it.  If this is the case, it is OK to let go of you ego, and take the lob wedge out of your bag.  Instead you can open up your sand wedge a little for higher lofted shots.  Another option is to find a lob wedge with a little more bounce than standard, which may make this club easier to hit of you really want to use  one.

Play wedges with spin milled faces.  Over the past few years, "spin milled" wedge faces have become available, and these produce greater spin particularly for the average player.  If you have trouble getting your wedge shots to spin and stop, find wedges that have these roughened faces.

Consider a specialty wedge just for sand shots.  Most golfers know the story of Gene Sarazen inventing the sand wedge by adding "bounce" to one of his clubs.  If you look at that wedge and a lot of the modern sand wedges available, you will actually see little difference in the look of the club.  However, there are "game improvement" sand wedges available that have fairly high bounce but also a very side sole - or more "effective bounce."  These can make sand shots much less taxing on your blood pressure (I have personal experience here!).  These clubs are also good for shots out of the rough around greens.

Maybe "pro grind" wedges are not for you.  Many PGA players like to play wedges that have a "pro grind" - these are designed with less sole width near the heel of the club so that when you open the face the club bounce actually becomes less.  Be aware that some wedge grinds are this way - maybe they are for you, but maybe not.

Coming Next Month!

In late March I will get the opportunity to spend two days learning from Dana Upshaw, in my opinion one of the top 2 or 3 clubfitters in the world.  I hope to find out a lot of new things that I can bring to my fitting efforts, and also to share with you in the next issue of this newsletter.  

If you have any specific questions on golf clubs, shafts, fitting, and clubbuilding, please feel free to email them to me and I promise to address them either off  line or within future issues of this newsletter.

The Fit Is IT!

Tony Wright

GAME IMPROVEMENT GOLF

Oak Ridge, TN

tony@gameimprovementgolf.com

www.gameimprovementgolf.com