Proper Shaft fitting

Question
Hello,

My average driver swing speed is 100mph and 89mph with a 6 iron. I generally don't take much of a divot and my carry distance with a 6 iron averages 165 measured with sky caddie. I try to be smooth but my tendency is to get quick on my swings.

I have demoed many different driver and wood shaft combinations and my question is regarding flex and torque. I usually play a stiff shaft since I feel the r shafts are too whippy. I have tried different torque ratings and wanted to know the general rule and what would be best for me.

Is the lower torque rating for a faster more aggressive swing and the higher torque rating for a slower smoother swinger? I can't always demo the shafts I am interested in and wanted some general guidelines.

Thanks for your help!

Answer
Ray,

Torque is the shaft's designed resistance to turning throughout the downswing and impact. Since your driver swing speed is at 100 mph, you want to make sure that the torque is no more than 4.5 degrees. Steel shafts inherently torque less than graphite shafts as a rule. Some graphite shafts may torque as much as 8 degrees so be careful when you demo graphite drivers.

I would certainly recommend a stiff shaft for your swing speed. I'm sure you hit the ball more consistently with a stiff shaft compared to a regular shaft. Right? The other ingredient is kick point. The lower the kick point the higher the ball flight.

Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

Michael Hoffman
PGA Professional