Forget buying custom golf shafts online for a minute. What you really need to do is better understand the launch and spin profiles of stock shafts, and you’ll get custom-like, personalized performance, even from what you consider off-the-shelf options.
Besides, there are plenty of excellent golf shafts out there – Autoflex golf shafts, Mitsubishi VANQUISH shafts, the Kai’li White, the Fujikura Ventus Black, and Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green are just a few of them.
But they are very different from each other, especially in terms of the shaft flex rating that engenders each shaft’s unique launch and spin rating.
That’s what you need to understand, and this (very) short post will do just that.
About Shaft Launch Profile
The first thing we need to put under the microscope is the launch profile of a given shaft. This is, plainly, how high of an angle the shaft will produce when you hit the ball.
A higher angle will generate more carry distance than a lower angle, if you hold swing speed and therefore speed off the tee constant.
This is beneficial to players that have a slightly slower swing speed as it allows them to hit the ball farther without struggling to swing harder.
The flipside to a high launch is that, with inconsistent form, it can exacerbate shot errors and highlight biases, so a high launch is not a good thing across the board.
In fact, there are players that prefer low-launching shafts, such as the Fujikura Ventus Black, as lower launching shafts can produce straighter drives.
With a faster swing speed, a lower-launching shaft might be preferable.
About Spin
The impact of a shaft’s spin characteristics are more nuanced than its launch profile; it’s easy to see how a higher launch can produce more carry distance, but spin is more subtle.
More backspin on a golf ball produces lift. This is again something that is sometimes preferable to golfers with slower swing speeds, because more spin can therefore generate more carry distance.
The more spin, the more lift, and the more the ball will float – literally – even at lower speeds, carrying it farther.
There is an even bigger tradeoff with spin, however, than there is with launch angle. The more spin, the more likelihood there is to be greater shot dispersion.
Therefore, spin is a little more controversial to most golfers than launch angle. For those that have good, consistent form and don’t need a boost from their shaft, extra spin is undesirable.
But for those that could use the extra help, both high launch and high spin are favorable attributes in golf shafts.
The Connection to Shaft Flex
What’s important to know here is that high launch profiles and high spin characteristics are generally associated with more flexible shafts, but that this is not always the case.
Do not look at a shaft with a softer flex rating and assume that it will launch higher and produce more spin. You’re likely to be correct but you don’t want to stake your performance on the course to that assumption.
The bottom line is that while it’s important to be aware of the relationship, it’s more important that you look into the specifications of each shaft that has your attention without making any assumptions.
Explore the Best Golf Shafts in the Game
Still interested in getting custom golf clubs online? Start your search at Dallas Golf Company. Their online shop features some of the newest clubs and best shafts in the game, and their fitters can help you with any questions you have, too. Visit their website for more information or get in touch with them directly today.
