As we move past the pre-fit interview, we start to dive into letting the player actually hit golf clubs. Step one is get a proper length. Always have the player hit the right length – at least as much as possible. Do this for iron AND wood fittings. If he needs +1/2″, measure his irons – even if he’s looking for a driver. Plant the seed for tomorrow’s sale.

Sorry on advance for making this so long. Shaft and head need to be covered together.

At Callaway, when we fit, we take the area with the least amount of variability and work on that first. This holds for each step. Because of this, we do head first, then flex and shaft, then loft, then finite adjustments like hosel settings, lie and grip, finally finishing with set make-up discussions.

Since the head has the least amount of variability, we start there. Choose a test shaft that is as close to what he has as possible. I start with Rogue Max unless he has something very different (Apex 19, for example, I would start with Apex 21). Normally, I like to have an “out” for more or less forgiving IF he can’t handle that one. 3 to 4 swings with each, and move through your options. You should see differences and improvements (or not) as you move through the heads. Remember a few things. With a driver, a lower lofted head will spin less than a higher lofted head. It’s different for each player, but 300-400 rpm is a good average. The corresponding launch angle will drop by about 1/3 of the loft change (drop from 10.5* head to a 9* head, your launch will drop by about 1/2*, while your spin drops 300 to 400 rpm). On irons, as lofts get stronger, you need less spin. In the old days, a 7 iron = 1000 x the iron number in RPM of spin. This is based on tour player swing speeds. Optimal spin would be lower as swing speeds got slower. Today, it’s probably 1000 rpm or so less than the old days. A good player may only need 5500 rpm of spin on todays 7 iron. As always, check the carry and total numbers – too much roll out, you need more spin.

Find the best match based on performance and move on to the shaft.

Here we gooooo… Let’s talk about the importance of the shaft vs. the importance of the head. I love hearing “It’s all about the shaft.” Here’s the truth: The shaft doesn’t hit the golf ball. The head does. The head is going to have the greatest determination on ball flight. Period. Can you alter spin with a different shaft? YES. Will one shaft launch it higher vs. another? Yes. Will a heavier shaft promote a different golf swing than a lighter one? YES. Is ball speed affected by shaft? Minimal at best. Curvature? Yes, potentially a little. The head is what contacts the ball and thus, will have the greatest impact on flight. The shaft returns the head to the ball. Done correctly, you have a great match for a player. Done incorrectly, it can be difficult for a player to play good golf. The correct answer is that BOTH important. The perfect shaft with the wrong head will be an ill-fit club for the player and vice-versa. EITHER one being wrong makes a bad fitting. In my opinion, head is easier to fit because there is less variability. Fitting for shaft is more of an art and requires more knowledge of the swing and the nuances of the shaft pool available to you. 

First. We talk about shaft flex. This has less variability that shaft type. When we fit for flex, we look at 3 things in 2 equal parts. Swing speed is half of it. Tempo and transition make up the other half. If you have a player at 90 mph club head speed with a driver, he would be a regular flex player, right? However, if he is aggressive at the top of his swing and has a quicker tempo, the shaft will be under more stress. Stiffer may be better for this player. The opposite can also be true. 97 mph club head speed, but slower tempo and more gradual acceleration into the ball could be a regular flex. The point being is you have to look at the swing, not just the data to make the right determination.

Second. About shafts. In the old days, we had blanks that we would tip trim some, butt trim the rest and get them to flex as we needed them too. This process has evolved through the years to where shaft companies use “Player Profiling” to design the right shaft for a particular golf swing. A ladies shaft is different than a senior flex shaft. It will have more torque, lower kick point, perhaps a smaller butt diameter, lighter weight, and a different balance point. The only real similarity? The paint job on the shaft. Why is this important? If you move a player from a stiff to a regular flex, but in the same model shaft – it is NOT the same shaft just stiffer. Essentially you have to start over. This is why you dial in flex first.

Third. This is where you earn your weight. Don’t underestimate the value of torque. Torque measures the amount of rotation in the shaft. This means the torsional twisting of the shaft. If the club traveled on a perfectly vertical plane (straight up and down), torque wouldn’t matter. But, it does not. It swings on an angle. Due to this, the shaft will rotate as forces are applied to it (re: the golf swing), and it will cause it to rotate as the hands pull, lead, release (roll over), and finally lag. EVERY shaft does this differently. EVERY player does this differently. Thus, there is no one size fits all solution. As a golf club manufacturer, we have a “pool” of shafts that are optimized for the heads that we make. These will tend to give the best results for the majority of players. These are our “Stock” shafts. My preference is to always start with these, see the results and then tinker to see if we can improve. Torque is also what makes a shaft feel “soft or stout”. More torque means more rotation and it feels as though the shaft is softer or helping launch the ball. Less torque means less rotation and a firmer feel through the hitting area (the premise is that the payer does this naturally and does not need additional help). This firmer feel happens because the shaft is fighting the player vs. a softer feel which is assisting the player.

Once you find a feel the player likes, coupled with the results that satisfy both player and fitter in one club, it is easy to find a shaft to compliment throughout the rest of the set. Learn what different shaft feel like and perform like and your job will be easy. You have to go out and hit them. See for yourself. I get a new pool in every year and I need to spend some time at this time of the year re-learning what the new stuff does for me. Once I know, I can incorporate it more effectively into my fittings. 

What about weight? Doesn’t that change flex? NO. A stiff flex shaft is a stiff flex shaft. It can be heavier or lighter. Have more torque or less. Softer feel or firmer feel, higher launch or lower, and still be stiff flex. Options are good!! Here’s a rule of thumb. If a player likes a particular iron shaft, take that weight and cut it in half, then add 5-10 grams, and that will be a good driver shaft weight. This will give similar balance to the driver compared to the irons. Say a player has Dynamic Gold iron shafts. These are 130 grams. Divide by 2 and add 5-10 grams is 70 – 75 grams. Elevate 95 is 95 grams – 55 grams is right here. Within that pool of 55 gram (ish) shafts, tinker with torque and bend point options to get the right launch conditions and ball flight. Have a driver shaft he likes and want to know where to go with an iron shaft? Double the driver shaft weight and subtract 10 grams. Once you get above 70 grams on the driver shaft, go as heavy as you can in an iron shaft. 

Remember. It’s not the head OR the shaft. It’s the head AND the shaft. They work together.

Next week, we will talk about fine tuning these. How to use the construction of both to your advantage. That won’t be as long – promise!!

I hope this helps. Happy Fitting!!