Other Tips and Techniques:
Shaft Technology:
Shaft Stability - Hoop Strength
Graphite or Steel Shafts? For years it has been pretty simple to decide whether to play graphite or steel shafts in your clubs. In the past year, dramatic changes have been made in both weight and composition of graphite and steel shafts so that the lines are really blurring. Before you spend your hard earned money on new clubs or re-shafting your existing equipment, let’s see what decisions you need to make. It’s Not About Weight Anymore.The typical decision point for steel versus graphite was weight. Steel is heavier than graphite so faster swingers preferred a heavier shaft so that they could feel the clubhead being delivered to the ball. The problem for players with a slower forward swing is that the weight of the steel shaft felt too heavy so the player would attempt to swing harder causing a loss of accuracy and consistent contact. This is especially true with longer irons (3, 4, 5), and woods. That is why almost all the wood and hybrid shafts you see today are graphite. A typical graphite wood shaft weighs 65 grams while a steel shaft weighs 128 grams, almost twice as much! But all this is changing. Now you can find light weight steel shafts like the True Temper Dynamic Gold SL that weigh as little as 100 grams and graphite shafts that weigh as much as 115 grams. The new
What About the Feel of Graphite?Another major reason for choosing graphite shafts instead of steel is feel. Graphite tends to absorb the shock of a miss-hit much better than steel. The feel of a “stinger” when you hit a thin shot with a steel shaft is very uncomfortable, especially if you have arthritis or tendonitis in your hands or elbows. TrueTemper makes an option in steel shafts called Sensicore that actually dampens the vibration substantially, but the shafts are still heavier than graphite. Several PGA Tour players like K.J. Choi, Hale Irwin and Rich Beem are now playing graphite shafts in their irons because they like the feel better than steel. Isn’t Steel more Consistent?Steel shafts in general are much more consistent than graphite shafts because of the way they are manufactured. The rolling or extruding process of making a steel shaft versus the wrapping process of graphite shafts produces more even shaft walls and weight distribution throughout the length of the shaft. At D’Lance Golf we test thousands of graphite and steel shafts to select the most consistent shafts on the market. When we manufacture finished clubs at D’Lance Golf, we make sure that each graphite or steel shaft is frequency matched and spine profiled so that each club in your set, regardless of whether it is steel or graphite has the same flex and feel. There is no reason to fear inconsistency in graphite shafts when they are custom-built and frequency matched! So What Should You Do?First, by testing your swing on the True Temper Shaft Lab at D’Lance Golf, you will know the optimum shaft flex, weight, swing weight and shaft tip profile for your natural swing. Each person has a natural way of swinging the club that produces an optimum shaft flex for both their woods and irons. Based upon your forward swing time, and your ball speed with either a 6 iron or driver, we will then make recommendations for either graphite or steel shafts. In general, players with faster forward swings and higher ball speeds will need to play heavier shafts. The decision as to whether to play graphite or steel is then based upon two factors: 1. Feel and, 2. Cost. Most players can quickly feel the difference in a graphite shaft versus steel, especially at the same weight and flex. Graphite will feel more comfortable, especially on miss-hits. Graphite shafts, however, are more expensive in both new clubs and in re-shafting existing clubs. Good graphite shafts will cost 25% to 200% more than steel. Some of the most expensive graphite shafts can cost as much as $1,200 because they are made with exotic materials like Zylon. So, don’t waste your hard earned money on the trial and error method of shaft selection. Call D’Lance Golf at 303-730-2717 (Englewood) today for an appointment to get your swing analyzed and test different clubs in steel and graphite shafts.Shaft Stability - Hoop Strength
Grafalloy AXIS Technology
ACCRA AXIV Technology Golf shafts typically are constructed of multiple layers of pre-preg material wrapped around a steel mandrel in specific orientations (parallel, 45 degree angle, etc.) and in specific layers and areas on the mandrel to achieve the design objectives of the shaft. These design objectives include the proper launch angle, spin rate, weight, torque, and feel of the shaft. In the past 3-4 years, every manufacturer of graphite shafts is focusing on improving the hoop strength of their shafts. Hoop strength is the resistance of the shaft to going out of round or flattening during the golf swing. If the shaft deforms too much, when it recovers to its original state, it may recover inconsistently causing your shots to go offline. One of the original shafts to improve the hoop strength of the golf shaft was the Speeder line from Fujikura with their Triax weave. Since that time, Grafalloy, UST, ACCRA, MATRIX, Mitsubishi Rayon have all spent a lot of R & D money to improve the hoop strength of their shafts. Why? Because it really does work! The benefit of this improvement in hoop strength has been a significant improvement in shot dispersion (accuracy) and distance. A design issue that is addressed by some shaft companies better than others is the feel of the shaft. In certain shafts, the increased hoop strength makes the shaft feel stiff or "boardy". Some companies are using exotic materials like Kevlar (Fujikura) and Xylon (MATRIX), which are body armor materials to maintain the strength but improve the resiliency or feel of the shaft. In our testing, we know that every golfer's equipment can benefit from the improvement of hoop strength in their shafts. However, the most benefit comes for golfers that have the fastest transition from the top of their swing, the latest release point in their golf swing and have the highest ball speeds. These golfer's put a tremendous amount of load on the golf shaft. That is why we spend a lot of time testing your shaft loading, tempo, transition, release and ball speed to determine the optimum shaft for your swing. For more information on our dynamic shaft fitting, go to http://www.dlancegolf.com/custom-clubs-step2.htm. If your accuracy and shot dispersion is not what you would like, it may be due to the shafts in your clubs. The only way to determine your optimum shaft flex is through a high tech fitting. So, if you have not been through a High Tech Fitting at D'Lance Golf Performance Center, sign up TODAY!
Graphite Shafts Unwrapped By: Dan Sueltz I spent two days in California last week visiting two of the top graphite golf shaft manufacturers in the world: Fujikura and Matrix Composite Corporation (Matrix). I was determined to unwrap the mysteries of the new graphite shafts we are seeing in the marketplace today. Fujikura has been the Number 1 wood shaft on the PGA Tour for the past five years and is going strong again this year. Matrix has the Number 1 graphite iron shaft on tour and has a reputation in the industry for making the highest quality shafts. So what is new? High Loft and Low SpinEvery golfer should be trying to increase their launch angle and combine that with a lower spin rate of the ball they are playing. Why? The modern golf ball and club head are designed to be matched. If you took an old persimmon wood and hit a Pro v.1 it would barely get off the ground. With today’s technology the ball should launch high ( roughly 16 degrees off a driver with a 125mph ball speed). Both Fujikura and Matrix are producing shafts that have multiple trajectories for different players. Both companies agree that higher launch angles create flatter trajectories with today’s lower spin golf balls. The result is more distance as the lower spin and higher launch creates a longer roll-out after the ball lands. Matching Shaft Profile to a Golfer’s SwingEvery golfer should be playing the longest, lightest, softest shaft that they can control. In addition, the shaft and club head should provide the optimum launch angle and spin rate to give the maximum ball speed and minimum shot dispersion. At D’Lance Golf Performance Center, we test every shaft in eight different places along the shaft to determine its quality, butt stiffness, tip stiffness, and trajectory rating. For example, we know that a Fujikura zCom shaft will have a much softer tip than the Fujikura Speeder. While we know this from the product brochures, now we can evaluate shafts from multiple companies and have a true comparison. The graph below shows the relative tip and butt stiffness of several 75 gram wood shafts. Materials Make a DifferenceMake no mistake, there is a shortage of carbon composite for golf shafts. The war in Iraq and the boom in the aircraft industry has taken a huge share of the available graphite for golf shafts. In addition to the 40 million new golf clubs sold each year, over 25 million shafts are sold in the after-market for re-shafting existing clubs. The companies with the longest business history like Fujikura and Matrix will get their share of high quality composite material. To make lighter, stronger shafts that still have good feel and control, both Fujikura and Matrix have introduced more exotic materials. Fujikura has several new designs of its Triax weave material made of Kevlar being introduced later this month in their Rombax wood shaft. Matrix has gone a step farther and introduced their OZIK shaft with Zylon, a body armor material that absorbs shock and provides an extremely fast recovery time. What does this all mean? Longer, straighter shots with better feel and control. What Graphite Shaft Should YOU Play?Three factors determine what graphite shaft YOU should play. First, is your shaft load profile as tested on the True Temper Shaft Lab. This shows us how much you bend the shaft, when you release the shaft in your downswing, the timing of your downswing and the kick velocity of the shaft prior to impact. This determines shaft weight, flex, swing weight and tip stiffness. Second, is validation of the shaft load recommendations by testing on a launch monitor to see the results in terms of ball speed, shot dispersion, distances and spin rates. Finally, there is you, the golfer. If the shaft does not “feel” or look good, you will not hit it good. We see it every day. With the right shafts in your clubs, you will hit the longest, straightest, most consistent shots of you life.Load, Release and Kick That Shaft! The science of fitting golf shafts has gone to a whole ‘nother level. Golf shaft fitting used to be more of an art than a science. Watch the ball flight on the range. Get a sense for the feel of the shaft. Estimate how many of your shots were on target. Yep. That’s the shaft for you. Not anymore. Now we can measure your shaft load before impact, your “release point” in your downswing, and the kick velocity of the shaft at impact. After testing and fitting over 7,000 golfers, we have developed a unique formula for proper shaft selection. We can literally help you get more distance with tighter shot dispersion with the right shaft. Now you can hit those long, straight shots more consistently. But what is right for YOU? Measuring Shaft Load. There is really only one way to accurately measure your pre-impact shaft load and that is with the True Temper Shaft Lab. When you take a swing with the test five iron or driver, the club literally measures how much you bend the club in your downswing in two dimensions; toe-up/toe-down, and lead/lag. How much you load the club and when you stop accelerating in your down-swing determines your optimum shaft flex. The larger the load, the stiffer the shaft. Downswing Time. Every golfer has a unique tempo. Ever had your buddies tell you to “slow down”? Sorry, Charlie, but your tempo and downswing time are unique to you and your personality. Sure, you can probably do it for a few swings in a round, but then you go back to your old habits! When we test golfers, downswing times vary from as little as three tenths of a second to as much as a full second. The slower your downswing time, the lighter the shaft and club swing weight you may need to control the club. Faster downswing times require heavier, higher swing weighted clubs so the golfer can feel where the club head is during the downswing.
Every golfer “releases” or stops accelerating the club at different points in their downswing. This is true for everyone, even the pro’s! This loading and releasing action creates a unique profile for each golfer. After testing over 7,000 golfers, we have identified six common profiles, or “swing prints”, kinda like fingerprints, that help us determine what type of shaft will work best. Let’s look at three of them. Each of these load profiles will require a different weight, flex and shaft tip stiffness for the best performance for the golfer. And, for the majority of golfers, this profile does not change with lessons or practice! Shaft Kick Velocity The proper shaft for you takes into consideration your launch angle for both woods and irons. By using your shaft kick velocity as determined by the Shaft Lab, we then test the golfer with different shafts with different tip stiffnesses to determine the best one. The higher the kick velocity, the stiffer the tip in order to control the clubhead and launch angle. Golfers with very low kick velocities will benefit from softer tip shafts that help get the ball in the air and actually accelerate through the ball at impact. By testing on a launch monitor, we can measure launch angle, distance, shot dispersion, and several other key statistics and properly fit the shaft to the golfer. So What Should You Do? To hit each club in your bag the farthest and straightest of your ability, each club needs to be matched to your optimum shaft flex, weight, swing weight and tip stiffness. The first step is to have each of your clubs tested to determine their exact flex, swing weight, and weight. Then, you can see how closely they match your swing profile. If the shafts are off by as little as a third of a flex, three swing weights and 10 grams in total weight, you will notice that your shot dispersion is quite a bit greater than you would like. While we can tell you that you need to have a shaft flex in your woods of low stiff (5.7 Shaft Flex Index) with a 75 gram shaft in a stiff tip, it will be highly unlikely that you can purchase a club off the rack that has those exact specifications. By custom building or re-shafting your existing equipment, D’Lance Golf can frequency match your clubs to the EXACT CPM you need prior to building your clubs, put in the correct weight of shaft, and swing weight them to your exact specifications. Buy your clubs off the rack and you will be lucky to get the consistent, accurate clubs you bargained for. So, don’t waste your hard earned money on the trial and error method of club buying. Call D’Lance Golf at 303-730-2717 today for an appointment to get your shaft load analyzed and your current clubs profiled. That way you are assured that each club in your bag will perform consistently from swing to swing, day to day, throughout the season. Miracle of Modern Shaft Technology Just when you think technology in golf shafts cannot get any better, along comes some new material, a new design, and better performance. If you have been struggling with consistency in your iron distances or lacking length off the tee, you had better look again at improving the shafts in your clubs. How do shafts affect consistency? Since the shaft is the only moving part in the golf club, the more your shafts are consistent from one club to the next, the better your shots will be. Take a look at the photos below. At address the shaft is straight and in line with the target. At impact, this soft shaft has bent over 5 inches causing the ball to fly high and right of target. A properly fit shaft will bend no more than one half inch at impact. Since your downswing time is less than one half a second, it is virtually impossible for you to change your swing to affect contact at impact. More accurate contact with the ball will give you more fairways and greens!
How do I determine the proper shaft? The first step is to determine shaft flex. We have found in fitting over 5,000 golfers that shaft flex is the most important factor in creating a very tight shot dispersion. If your shafts are too soft, your shots will be left and right of target, sometimes long and short, and very inconsistent in ball flight. If your shafts are too stiff for you, you will see lower ball flight, loss of distance, and shots that are consistently right of target, for a right handed golfer. With 13 clubs in your bag, the chance of each club having the same flex is pretty slim. The shaft flex also affects the lie angle of the club at impact. Soft shafts will give you a false reading that you need your clubs bent more upright due to the toe droop of the club at impact. The exact flex of the club is so important that you will see a significant change in shot dispersion if your shafts are off as little as two tenths of a flex from your optimum. By testing your swing on the True Temper Shaft Lab, we can determine your exact flex down to the tenth of a flex. Using the Golf Achiever launch monitor, we can also measure the tightness of your shot dispersion to dial you in to exactly the correct flex, weight and length. Does the type of shaft REALLY make a difference? Absolutely! Look at the pictures below. On the left is a shaft from MCC (Matrix Composite Corporation) that has a patented Tip Torsional Resistant (TTR) tip for stabilizing the shaft at impact with today’s large driver heads. On the left is a less expensive conventional shaft. Notice the wavy pattern at impact in the conventional shaft. Because of this, ball flight will be erratic. At D’Lance Golf, we test every shaft we use for playing characteristics on the MCC Shaft Profiler to determine stiffness, spine strength, and overall launch characteristics. This means you will get the best shaft for your investment.
The bottom line is that you will begin immediately to play better golf and have more fun with the correct shafts in your clubs. So whether you are looking for new equipment or love your old clubs but they need some help, look at the shaft first. Since it is the only moving part of the golf club, it is important that it moves correctly for your swing profile. With every club in your bag exactly matched to your swing, you will begin to see the consistency in both distance and direction you have been looking for since early this spring! Did You Get the (Right) Shaft? The golf season is upon us and you are itching to get some new equipment. You have been to your local pro shop or driving range and tested a few clubs. The first thing you noticed is that you seemed to hit an "S" flex more consistently in one manufacturers club but an "R" flex better in another. You want to spend your hard earned money on the right equipment, but this inconsistency is driving you crazy. What is going on here? Why R is not really R. First of all, every manufacturer like Cleveland, Callaway, and Taylor Made have shaft companies like Fujikura, Graphite Design and Grafalloy make shafts specifically for their clubs. These shafts are designed to perform with the clubheads (like the Launcher 400) to get particular performance characteristics, like higher launch angles, etc. These shafts are also designed for a particular target market, like beginners, better players, etc. Because of this, an R shaft in a Cleveland Launcher 400 will not feel or hit the same as a Firm flex in a Callaway ERC. The same holds true for steel iron shafts. A Dynamic Gold S300 shaft in one club will be stiffer or softer than in another. That is why you may hit one manufacturer's clubs better in an R flex than an R flex in another. Why Shafts are Inconsistent Steel shafts in general are much more consistent than graphite shafts because of the way they are manufactured. The rolling or extruding process of making a steel shaft produces a shaft of more uniformity and consistency. Graphite shafts are made by wrapping multiple thin layers of graphite material around a tapered steel mandrel. This wrapping process produces overlaps that cause thick and thin spots and uneven weight distribution throughout the length of the shaft. One measure of shaft consistency is its frequency, or CPM (cycle per minute) as the shaft is rotated around its axis. Steel shafts are very consistent but graphite shafts can vary as much as two full flexes from shaft to shaft. This is why you can hit your buddy's driver great on the range, go to the local pro shop and buy the exact same thing, and not hit it out of your shadow! Spines are Everywhere For both graphite and steel, but especially for graphite, the stiffest part of the shaft creates a "spine". This spine can cause you to hook or slice if the shaft is not properly aligned in the clubhead when it is assembled. At D'Lance Golf, we test each shaft on the MCC Shaft Profiling Machine to determine the exact location of the stiffest part of the shaft. We then align this spine so that it is facing the target line of the club at address. By doing this, you will have a shaft that aligns itself perfectly square at impact. No major manufacturer does this in their stock clubs. Most clubs purchased over-the-counter will have a variety of shaft alignments and will perform erratically. Just when you think it's your swing, you are wrong again..it's the shaft! What the Pro's Do The touring pros are trying to hit the longest, lightest, softest shaft that they can control. At D'Lance Golf, we test this theory for everyday golfers by testing you on the True Temper Shaft Lab to determine optimum shaft flex. Then, we have you hit a number of different demo clubs and then review your results on a launch monitor. The launch monitor tells us the launch angle, distance, shot dispersion, and several other key statistics. Each shaft will create different shot patterns depending upon the flex, weight, length and spine alignment of the shaft in the club. The touring pros have tour vans that follow them to each major golf tournament so that they can tweak their shafts to each course they play. So What Should You Do? First, by testing your swing on the True Temper Shaft Lab at D'Lance Golf, you will know the optimum shaft flex for your natural swing. Each person has a natural way of swinging the club that produces an optimum shaft flex for both their woods and irons. To hit each club in your bag the farthest and straightest of your ability, each club needs to be matched to your optimum shaft flex. The next step is to have each of your clubs tested on a frequency meter to determine their exact flex. Then, you can see how closely they match your optimum swing. If the shafts are off by as little as a third of a flex, you will notice that your shot dispersion is quite a bit greater than you would like. While we can tell you that you need to have a shaft flex in your woods of low stiff (5.7 Shaft Flex Index), it will be highly unlikely that you can purchase a club off the rack that is that exact flex. By custom building or re-shafting your existing equipment, D'Lance Golf can frequency match your clubs to the EXACT CPM you need prior to building your clubs. Buy your clubs off the rack and you will be lucky to get the consistent, accurate clubs you bargained for. So, don't waste your hard earned money on the trial and error method of club buying. Call D'Lance Golf at 303-730-2727 today for an appointment to get your swing analyzed and your current clubs profiled. That way you are assured that each club in your bag will perform consistently from swing to swing, day to day, throughout the season.
Get Consistent! The Right Shaft Does It.
Why is weight so important? The only way to change the weight of a golf club is with the shaft and the grip. A MacGregor V-Foil 350, an Alpha V2 and a Titleist 975K driver head will weigh within one or two grams of each other. The graphite shaft of most drivers on the market today will weigh 62-70 grams. A steel shaft will weigh 126 grams, roughly twice the weight of graphite. If you are a smooth swinger with low to moderate loading of the club, you will get better feel and control with a lighter shaft. If you have a more aggressive, fast swing and load the club to a high S (stiff) or X (extra stiff) flex, you will have more control and accuracy with a heavier (75 – 90 gram graphite or steel) shaft. The load is determined by using the True Temper Shaft Lab which shows not only how much you load the shaft, but exactly when in your forward swing you stop accelerating and the shaft takes over to deliver the clubhead to the ball. Forget about potential loss of distance with a heavier club. More accurate contact with the ball will give you more fairways and greens! How do I determine the correct length? There are two ways to determine the proper length of the club that is right for you. First, take a static measurement based on the length of your arms from the first crease of your wrist to the floor. This gives a good starting point. Second, by observing your posture, and placing impact tape on the face of the club we can determine if you tend to hit the ball more on the heel or the toe. The proper length has you hitting the ball consistently on the center of the clubface. If your clubs are too long you will tend to hit the ball on the heel of the club, hit behind the ball and potentially pull the ball left of target. If your clubs are too short you will tend to hit the ball on the toe of the club, hit your shots thin (towards the middle of the ball) and potentially push the ball right of target (for a right handed player). Even major manufacturers like Titleist, Ping and Callaway have their own standards for length so be sure you have the correct length for YOUR swing. Does shaft flex make that much difference in consistency? Absolutely! We have found in fitting over 5,000 golfers that shaft flex is the most important factor in creating a very tight shot dispersion. If your shafts are too soft, your shots will be left and right of target, sometimes long and short, and very inconsistent in ball flight. If your shafts are too stiff for you, you will see lower ball flight, loss of distance, and shots that are consistently right of target, for a right handed golfer. With 13 clubs in your bag, the chance of each club having the same flex is pretty slim. The shaft flex also affects the lie angle of the club at impact. Soft shafts will give you a false reading that you need your clubs bent more upright due to the toe droop of the club at impact. The exact flex of the club is so important that you will see a significant change in shot dispersion if your shafts are off as little as two tenths of a flex from your optimum. By testing your swing on the True Temper Shaft Lab, we can determine your exact flex down to the tenth of a flex. Using the Golf Achiever launch monitor, we can also measure the tightness of your shot dispersion to dial you in to exactly the correct flex, weight and length. The bottom line is that you will begin immediately to play better golf and have more fun with the correct shafts in your clubs. So whether you are looking for new equipment or love your old clubs but they need some help, look at the shaft first. Since it is the only moving part of the golf club, it is important that it moves correctly for your swing profile. With every club in your bag exactly matched to your swing, you will begin to see the consistency in both distance and direction you have been looking for since early this spring!
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D'Lance Golf
14 Inverness Drive East #120A
Englewood, CO 80112
Phone: 303-730-2717
Fax: 303-730-2848
Email: info@dlancegolf.com
