Short Backswing = Stiffer flex???

[petep5280]

I am not a high speed golfer, but I have always hit the ball better with stiffer shafts.  I have a relatively short backswing, and I don't have wrist....ahem.  I have read elsewhere that would mean that the club won't travel as far and therefore I would need a stiffer shaft.  This seems totally counterintuitive to me.  I would think without the travel to flex, I would need a much softer shaft than my swing speed would suggest.

 

How on earth does this make any sense?  

[gdb99]

You put a lot more torque into a shaft with a short quick backswing. 
 

I have a long smooth backswing. How much torque do you think is on the shaft in my swing compared to yours?

[petep5280]

Thanks. Makes sense. 

[third-times-a-charm]

Short backswinger checking in.

 

It also depends on your tempo and "aggressiveness". You can be short and smooth or aggressive as well in tempo. The latter leading to a stiffer flex in theory. 

[phizzy30]

I have a 3/4 back swing with an aggressive transition.  Very stout shafts tend to work better for my swing.  However, the most important thing for me nowadays is stability followed by feel. 

[Stuart_G]

12 hours ago, petep5280 said:

 I have read elsewhere that would mean that the club won't travel as far and therefore I would need a stiffer shaft.  This seems totally counterintuitive to me.  I would think without the travel to flex, I would need a much softer shaft than my swing speed would suggest.

 

How on earth does this make any sense?  

 

First of all, lets make something clear.   From the standpoint of the physics - there is no "need" for any particular flex or stiffness.   There is no such thing as an ideal or optimal amount of loading of the shaft.    If a robot was swinging the club, it could use any shaft stiffness equally as well.    Depending on the mechanics (how late the release), the stiffness might have a small effect on the amount of forward bend at impact - and therefore can have a small effect on dynamic loft.  But that's it.

 

A good fit for stiffness is ALL about feel - and more specifically how the feel might influence the players control over their swing - or simply how it matches the players expectation of what they think they should be feeling for a particular amount of loading and unloading.

 

Loading feel is both a function of how aggressive the transition and the speed generated.    With a very short backswing (Rahm or Finau) it is harder to have a smooth transition and still generate a lot of speed - but it's not impossible.   So those swings are more likely to have a bit more aggressive transitions.   But longer back swings can come with all types of transitions - from super smooth to super aggressive.    So it's kind of pointless to try and generalize what the longer swing players will "need" - and therefore pointless to try to compare the needs between shorter and longer back swings.

 

Don't over think it.   Just find out what works for you and accept it.

 

Edited March 24, 2024 by Stuart_G

[Trouble_shooter]

I had a set of cobra ssi irons years ago with aldila 65 graphite. I couldnt hit em for the life of me with a full swing. I even broke the 4 iron in half trying to hit out of the rough mistakenly thinking I had a clue what I was doing. I thought to myself, what the heck, why not try a half swing. Pulled a 5 iron from the fairway, half swing, slow tempo, completely flushed it. Hit a rainbow that rolled 10 ft. away from the pin. Play what works for you though, grab a stiff shaft and throw it in your 7 or 8 iron, youll find out quickly if itll work. After 15 years of building bridges and shipyard work, I cant even look at a stiff shaft without wincing 🤣.

[bcjim]

On 3/23/2024 at 6:06 PM, petep5280 said:

I am not a high speed golfer, but I have always hit the ball better with stiffer shafts.  I have a relatively short backswing, and I don't have wrist....ahem.  

You must have some.