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P. 7
GOLF ARTICLE 07
SHAFT
FITTING
In this fnal part of a three part series on shaft properties and shaft ftting, we will focus on the ftting
methods which are currently available to the everyday golfer. Generally, there are four main shaft performance
characteristics which need to be considered to properly ft a shaft:
1 SHAFT FLEX 2 SHAFT BEND POINT 3 SHAFT WEIGHT 4 CLUB FINAL LENGTH
You can read about the performance characteristics in the previous issues. The following table shows a
comparison of the four main ftting methods generally offered by shaft companies, original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) or club ftters.
Fitting Methods: Pros Cons
• This is the quickest way to ft for fex and it is very easy to explain to the golfer.
• A sample speed chart may look something like this: • Generic information
• Least amount of
accuracy due to
lack of dynamic
interaction.
• This is usually made
SWING SPEED/
SPEED CHARTS available online at
shops, so golfer can
just guestimate what
is right.
• Generally this
• Launch monitors provide immediate feedback of club performance and a wealth method is very time
of data not available through any other ftting method. consuming as the
ftter will need to get
• Predominantly, the most accurate solutions are radar and high-speed photography golfers to baseline
based systems. There are many other innovative low-end solutions around, but their performance
we will leave them out of this discussion as they tend to be less accurate and and then capture
offer limited data for club ftting purposes. data with different
• Examples of prominent launch monitors include shafts to make an
LAUNCH ›› Flightscope and Trackman – using radar tracking technology assessment and
MONITORS recommendation.
›› Ernest Sports, ForeSight Sports, Accu Sport, AboutGolf –
using high speed camera • Varying levels
of accuracy and
• For putting analysis, there are solutions from Science & Motion’s SAM Puttlab interpretation,
and Quintic’s Ball Roll Software. depending on
monitor model.
• Fast and effcient dynamic ftting through interchangeable components. • Tied to one
manufacturer’s
• Golfer can see and feel club and shaft combination differences. philosophy.
• Most OEM brands provide such a cart, e.g. Titleist, TaylorMade, • Limited shaft options
OEM FITTING CARTS Callaway, Ping and Mizuno in most carts.
• Professional independent club ftters will usually opt for this setup and offer
them a launch monitor analysis.
• Like the Launch
• Typically one can expect more than 200 shaft options and 30-40 club head monitor method,
designs to accurately ft a golfer. Some also deploy databases where they have this is very time
access to thousands of shaft profle information. After analysing the swing profle, consuming due to
BEST OF BREED a shaft is selected based on its bend profle and a golfer’s reaction to the weight the many options
of the shaft. Fine-tuning is then performed based on the launch condition.
available to a golfer.
• Being brand independent, golfer will not be tied to a small number of shaft
selections like most OEM ftting carts.
Hope this discussion gives you a better idea on what to look for when you consider changing your shafts. However,
there are many more parameters that will determine whether the club is a right ft for the golfer. When in doubt,
simply check with a professional club ftter. Till then, we hope you have an enjoyable golfng journey!
SHAFT
FITTING
In this fnal part of a three part series on shaft properties and shaft ftting, we will focus on the ftting
methods which are currently available to the everyday golfer. Generally, there are four main shaft performance
characteristics which need to be considered to properly ft a shaft:
1 SHAFT FLEX 2 SHAFT BEND POINT 3 SHAFT WEIGHT 4 CLUB FINAL LENGTH
You can read about the performance characteristics in the previous issues. The following table shows a
comparison of the four main ftting methods generally offered by shaft companies, original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) or club ftters.
Fitting Methods: Pros Cons
• This is the quickest way to ft for fex and it is very easy to explain to the golfer.
• A sample speed chart may look something like this: • Generic information
• Least amount of
accuracy due to
lack of dynamic
interaction.
• This is usually made
SWING SPEED/
SPEED CHARTS available online at
shops, so golfer can
just guestimate what
is right.
• Generally this
• Launch monitors provide immediate feedback of club performance and a wealth method is very time
of data not available through any other ftting method. consuming as the
ftter will need to get
• Predominantly, the most accurate solutions are radar and high-speed photography golfers to baseline
based systems. There are many other innovative low-end solutions around, but their performance
we will leave them out of this discussion as they tend to be less accurate and and then capture
offer limited data for club ftting purposes. data with different
• Examples of prominent launch monitors include shafts to make an
LAUNCH ›› Flightscope and Trackman – using radar tracking technology assessment and
MONITORS recommendation.
›› Ernest Sports, ForeSight Sports, Accu Sport, AboutGolf –
using high speed camera • Varying levels
of accuracy and
• For putting analysis, there are solutions from Science & Motion’s SAM Puttlab interpretation,
and Quintic’s Ball Roll Software. depending on
monitor model.
• Fast and effcient dynamic ftting through interchangeable components. • Tied to one
manufacturer’s
• Golfer can see and feel club and shaft combination differences. philosophy.
• Most OEM brands provide such a cart, e.g. Titleist, TaylorMade, • Limited shaft options
OEM FITTING CARTS Callaway, Ping and Mizuno in most carts.
• Professional independent club ftters will usually opt for this setup and offer
them a launch monitor analysis.
• Like the Launch
• Typically one can expect more than 200 shaft options and 30-40 club head monitor method,
designs to accurately ft a golfer. Some also deploy databases where they have this is very time
access to thousands of shaft profle information. After analysing the swing profle, consuming due to
BEST OF BREED a shaft is selected based on its bend profle and a golfer’s reaction to the weight the many options
of the shaft. Fine-tuning is then performed based on the launch condition.
available to a golfer.
• Being brand independent, golfer will not be tied to a small number of shaft
selections like most OEM ftting carts.
Hope this discussion gives you a better idea on what to look for when you consider changing your shafts. However,
there are many more parameters that will determine whether the club is a right ft for the golfer. When in doubt,
simply check with a professional club ftter. Till then, we hope you have an enjoyable golfng journey!
