Apparently this post is older than internet 1970!!!
Just posted it seems and then locked. Anyway I wanted to respond, since I got fitted recently....
Quote:
Why Do the Best players Use the Stiffest Shafts Part I
A seeker recently asked, "Why do the best Players Use the stiffest Shafts?" Yes, Virginia, there is a reason, and here it is:
The reason is because that is what must be done to prevent an unintended deviation of the Clubface Alignment during Impact. Let me explain.
Do you remember those old pictures of Ben Hogan in the book Power Golf? The shaft was actually bowing backwards! Before people like Homer got involved, that was considered an optical illusion, but it was not.
What is happening is that the the Sweetspot is attempting desperately to maintain its straight-line relationship with the #3 Pressure Point. The Clubshaft -- being the medium of physical attachment between the #3 Pressure Point and the Sweetspot -- is attempting to do the same thing.
Unfortunately, not being part of God's original plan for Centrifugal Pull, the Clubshaft simply cannot keep up. Hence, the "bow" back you see in the old golfing photos (whose slower shutter speeds heightened the effect). And the weaker the Shaft, the more the backwards "bow."
The effect is visually minimized with today's cameras ,but like the fly bending the rail it walks on and the tide in your coffee cup, it is still there. And the Ball knows it.
To understand the effect this bowing has on the Clubface Alignment, take a driver and bend its Shaft forward. Examine the Clubface, and you will see that it is now closed (in relation to its original alignment). Such a distortion during the Impact Interval (in an otherwise sound Stroke) will produce unintentional Hooked Shots. This is exactly what was happening to Sam Snead in his earliest days on Tour. And then Henry Picard gave him the super-stiff shafted 1 1/2 wood that Sam used virtually the rest of his prime playing days.
Larry Nelson represented The Ben Hogan Company for many years and would play only their stiffest shafts. We talked about this one day, and he told me that he had just visited Ben in his Ft. Worth offices, and that he likewise preferred the stiffest shafts.
When I asked Larry how stiff Hogan said he wanted those shafts, he replied:
"Somewhere between a fence post and a telephone pole."
Now, I might add that the weaker shafts are often correctly prescribed for the average player. Unfortunately, the reason they are prescribed is typically for "more whip," i.e., greater ClubheadSpeed. This, of course, is simply wrong. Again, the Sweetspot is attempting to maintain its straight-line centrifugal pull relationship with the #3 Pressure Point, and a weak shaft contributes nothing to this process.
Nevertheless, there are two reasons why weak Shafts and weak Players are made for each other. First, because of the weak Player's greater tendency towards Throwaway, the additional flex provided by the weaker shaft means there is just that much more Shaft stress that must be lost before the Clubhead Lag is completely dissipated. Hence, the weaker shaft makes for a more forgiving Club. Secondly, the weaker Shaft's unintentional hooking of the Clubface alignment can be extremely helpful for average players. Providing of course, that they are slicers -- which, not coincidentally, most are.
Hope this has cleared the fog.
__________________
Yoda
A few months ago I approached an internet clubmaker who was supposed to know the shafts I was using. I simply luv those shafts. Harrison Tour 2.5 Feather lite. Unfortunately they have gone out of production. Too bad, because that was a great shaft. At any price. And it only cost 45$ back in the good ol' days.
This was back in the days where the standards were ..... very local. Anyway this club fitter was supposed to know since I bought the shafts from him in the late 90's. My order this time was to build a close to replica of my old driver. The club fitter missed by a huge margin. Probably by 20 cpm or more. He also missed the face angle by some 5 degrees.
Then I found a club fitter here in Katy, Tx. I went to see him and thank God, he set me up with a driver head that just suited my eye. So I was able to hit the ball pretty well while I was fitted. I ended up with a stiff Fuji Motore shaft. It felt OK but not as lively as the old one, but feel is something you can get used to.
I did a lot of fitting there, changing grips, flattening all the irons, changing the shaft in my hybrid etc... We went through everything. On my way out the door I had an idea: "Before we settle the shaft selection for the driver could you please measure the "firm flex" shafts in my 3 wood and 5 wood. It's the same as I used to have in my driver. And btw - can you also measure this old hybrid I have here. It is possibly the upper limit as far as stiffness is concerned for me, but the distance has always been good and extremely predictable."
It appeared that my belowed Harrison shaft was between stiff and x stiff by today's standards. They were around 270 cpm. But they also have lot more torque stiffness so they play stiffer than the cpm reading. The hybrid was beyond x stiff as it checked out at 290 something. I had been fitted for a Fujikura Motore stiff shaft, but I went with my gut feeling and changed it to x stiff before I left the shop.
I was shocked when I picked up the driver. Almost psyched out. The cpm reading was 280. But the 20 first balls I hit with it felt right and the distance was good. All in all it didn't feel stiffer than the good old Harrisons.
What I've learned from this: Play the stiffest shaft that doesn't feel clanky when you hit the ball. It is better for precision, and it also pays off in a reliable way distance wise when you make a good effort and a good stroke.
This is btw for a guy that has a very moderate swing speed. The measured ball speed was around 150 mph and the estimated carry was close to where I expected it to be.
1970!!!
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