In The Art of War, Sun Tzu quipped, “if you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
If we apply this to golf, with specific respect to purchasing equipment, we can take this to mean that you need to be as familiar with your own strengths and attributes as you are with the equipment you intend to use.
Taking this a step further, we can apply this maxim to the process of a search for new golf clubs. You must understand your own strengths and abilities if you are going to buy equipment that suits you well.
To be as succinct as possible, there are three things you need to know before you buy golf shafts.
Your Measurements
Your measurements will dictate the length of the golf shafts you should be playing with, which will have a profound impact on your abilities.
Golf shafts that are too short will have you leaning into the shot, which can ruin your form. You might also hit a lot of topped shots because the shaft won’t be able to properly “reach” the ball. Shafts that are too long can be even worse.
If you end up playing with shafts that are too long, you’ll likely hit a lot of fat shots, which won’t just ruin your game, they can damage the shaft itself.
Worse, if you play with shafts of a variety of different lengths, this will prevent you from developing consistent form during your swing – which is damaging in its own right.
Fortunately, once you have a fitter take your measurements once, you’re basically set for life. You can apply this knowledge to your purchases of future golf shafts.
Your Swing Speed
Arguably even more important than your measurements, you have to know what sort of swing speed you’re working with before you buy golf shafts. It is likely the single most important indicator of fit.
Before you buy golf shafts, work with a fitter to determine what your swing speed is, or at least what the applicable range is. Are you swinging over 100 MPH or closer to 70? These are questions you need to answer.
If you have a slower swing speed and your shaft is too stiff, you’ll struggle to generally loft and lift that result in carry distance. If your swing speed is very high, playing with very soft shafts may be frustrating; in some cases, you might even damage them.
Ultimately, working with a fitter can help you tie up these loose ends before you buy golf shafts, whether you buy them in person or online.
Your Swing Tempo
Lastly, you will want to know what your swing tempo is. It’s a little bit harder to define than swing speed, though.
Think of it this way. If you have a fast swing, the speed is fast, and the tempo is not how fast you swing it, but how you swing it fast.
You could have a very fluid swing tempo, or a more aggressive, jerky tempo. Tempo influences accuracy and shot dispersion, just like shaft flex, and will impact how a certain shaft responds to an individual player.
Nonetheless, it is also something you should know about yourself before you buy golf shafts.
Buying Golf Shafts? Work with a Fitter
The long and short of this whole post is this: if you have never worked with a fitter before and you intend to buy golf shafts, change that. A fitter can help you learn these 3 things about yourself so you’ll be better informed about the purpose.
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