Swing Speed Chart For Shaft Flex: A Complete Guide [2024!]
Golfers’ swing speeds vary due to factors like physical strength, launch conditions, and club type. But, the stiffness of golf shafts also affects their swing speed. That’s why golfers use the swing speed chart to select the proper shaft for themselves.
So, what is the swing speed chart for shaft flex? This chart provides basic guidelines for golfers who want to buy a golf shaft with the right stiffness according to their swing speed. It includes the following stiffness levels:
- Ladies Flex
- Senior Flex
- Regular Flex
- Stiff Flex
- Extra-Stiff Flex
In this article, we will explain how you can use the swing speed chart to determine which shaft stiffness suits your playing style. So, let’s get started!
Why Shaft Flex Is So Important To Golfers?
Golf shaft manufacturers offer golf shafts with different levels of flexibility to improve your performance. Plus, they want to ensure you feel comfortable when using the golf shaft.
Now, you might wonder, how does this improve your performance? Well, studies have revealed that the stiffness of a shaft can affect how far the golf ball travels after you hit it in the following ways:
- A less flexible shaft can store and release more kinetic energy when you downswing. As a result, it increases your clubhead speed.
- A shaft’s stiffness can also change the angle of the clubhead when you hit the ball. Thus, it affects how far the golf ball travels and where it goes.
The Swing Speed Chart For Shaft Flex: A Detailed Explanation
Take a look at the table we have given below. You can use this table to figure out which shaft flex you should choose based on how fast you can swing your golf shaft.
Clubhead Speed/ Swing Speed | Ball Speed | Shaft Flex |
75 mph or below | 112 mph or below | Ladies Flex (L) |
Senior Flex (A) | ||
75 mph-95 mph | 112 mph -144 mph | Regular Flex (R) |
95 mph-110 mph | 144 mph-165 mph | Stiff Flex (S) |
110 mph or above | 165 mph or above | Extra Stiff Flex (X) |
Now, let’s break down the information in the table above.
Ladies Flex Or Senior Flex
If your clubhead speed is around 75 mph and your ball speed is approximately 112 mph, you should use a golf shaft with a “Ladies flex” or “Senior flex”. These shafts are designed for beginners and tend to have the following qualities:
- Provide a softer feel.
- Shorter length
- Less weight
Researchers have found that golfers who use a more flexible shaft tend to develop faster swing speeds than those who use a stiffer shaft. Additionally, researchers have noticed that when golfers use lighter golf shafts, they can hit the golf ball further by 1.5 meters.
So, if you want to increase your swing speed, you should buy a shaft with either ladies flex or senior flex.
Regular Flex
If you have a clubhead speed between 75 mph and 95 mph and a ball speed between 112 and 144 mph, you should use a shaft with a “Regular flex”. These shafts are made for mid-level golfers who need a flexible shaft to control their swing speed and clubhead angle efficiently.
Stiff Flex
You should choose a golf shaft with a “Stiff flex” under the following circumstances:
- You have a clubhead speed between 95 mph and 110 mph.
- If the golf ball travels at a speed of 144 mph to 165 mph after being hit.
This is because a stiff shaft will allow you to have better control over your shot and provide less dispersion. However, if your swing speed isn’t at least above 95 mph, you might not feel comfortable while using a stiff shaft.
Also, remember that launching the ball could be more difficult if the shaft is too stiff. So, you should use a shaft with stiff flex if you have the following qualities:
- You have a strong grip.
- You have great core strength.
- You have a wide angle between the shoulders and pelvis.
- You can effectively rotate your arm while swinging the golf shaft.
- You maintain your body weight on your back heel rather than on your toes while hitting the golf ball.
Extra-Stiff Flex
Extra-Stiff golf shafts are specifically made for highly skilled and professional golfers with an average swing speed of over 110 miles per hour. If you have a quick tempo, you can use a golf shaft with an extra-stiff flex.
An extra-stiff shaft will provide you with the following benefits:
- As it bends less, the shaft will effectively transfer energy from the club to the ball.
- It will decrease unwanted side spin.
- Your shots will become more consistent.
- It will increase the probability of your shots spreading out over a larger area.
For more information on what type of golf shaft flex will suit you accurately, you can watch this YouTube video.
in our final verdict Swing Speed Chart For Shaft Flex
Overall, golf shafts are available in varying levels of stiffness like ladies flex, regular flex, stiff flex, and so on.
Thus, you should use the swing speed chart to get a general idea about the type of golf shaft you should use based on your swing speed and ball speed.
Researchers discovered that the stiffness of the golf shaft impacts your swing speed by about 2.6%. This, in turn, increases the distance the golf ball travels by 9.1 meters. Thus, you must select the correct shaft with the appropriate stiffness.