What shaft do you have in your driver right now? If this helps you hit that thumbs up button

So glad I watched this. I've gotten 4 fittings for irons in the last 2 weeks. Two said regular flex, one said stiff, and the last, at first said stiff, then changed it to regular. I'm a 10 hdcp, hit my 7-iron 165, with a swing speed of 74-78MPH. I'm 64 and imagine my swing speed will decrease over the next few years. I also feel that inside, hitting off a mat into a video screen, you have the tendency to "Let 'er rip", vs. a slower, more controlled swing you would take on a golf course, where control is the key. Therefore, IMO, the regular flex would probably suit me better??? Help me Alex!!!

Most excellent Alex-3 years ago I switched to Reg Flex in irons and metals. What happened was amazing! Suddenly, the control Id mostly enjoyed returned and my distance increased! Result? Scores came down, the enjoyment increased. Your tips are most excellent and I enjoy your channel very much. My PGA pro here in the States was most helpful, as you are with this tip! Many Thanks and Happy New Year!

Being a senior golfer, driver swing speed 85 mph I am in a senior flex and the shaft bends at the right point. Tried different reg shafts but they don't seem perfom as good as my senior shaft. Excellent video.

You explained this very well. Thanks. I just bought a new Taylormade Stealth 2 plus driver w/Kai’li red 60R shaft as it was on sale for a great price. Now, I don’t know my swing speed and have never been fitted. But, I do believe I’m in that speed range. My old driver is Taylormade R7 also with a stiff shaft but, has a ‘soft tip’. My swing was out of wack though. I also bought a swing caddie so next time I’m at the range, I’ll get some numbers on swing speed. If I need a different shaft, I’ll get it changed. Glad this old video came into my feed today.

For me, shaft flex is a bit like buying trousers...(stay with me on this one...). Yes, as I'm getting older I may need to go up a size but that realy depends of the clothing manufacture, as to which size.. Only way I can tell is by trying them on (or if I've bought from them before). With driver shafts there's so many variables in play, weight/kick point/tourque/length/flex, unless you already know what shaft works for you the only way you can find out whats best is by trying them. I actually play a Project X Black 5.5 (feels a bit whipy but works) and I swing around 90mph.

Swinging regular during a fitting is great advice. I love that.

My mum won a driver in a competition many years ago, she said it was a mens driver. But the shaft was super flexible. I have a very fast swing which resulted in the head opening up a bunch and I kept slicing it massively. I thought it was just me having a bad swing/grip/stance. Used someone elses driver which was a really stiff mx4 and absolutely blasted it super straight over and over again. Gonna buy myself a brand new driver in the summer.

Thanks AE ... I went for two fittings before I spent the money on a driver with the same shaft and clubhead. I wanted to be certain the first set of people weren't just trying to sell me something. But I did pick up an extra 20 yards of carry when I got the right one. The shaft IS the thing. Then I changed the shafts in most of my irons to those the fitting found for me... by working with a independent fitter, I kept the clubheads and just changed the shafts .. saving hundreds .. if not .. thousands of dollars.

Excellent video. I have a regular shaft on my driver. I tried a stiff shaft at the golf shop and wasn’t hitting it well. Changed to a regular and boom right down the middle with a 89 mph swing maybe 90. If i try to swing harder don’t know where the ball will land.

my range is about the same on my driver, but I am a brand new golfer. Will say senior and regular feel better on the hands but I lose a little control more. with my stiff shaft I avg about 85-90mph which is slow but I get a nice consistent draw with it at about my average distance so idk. I hope to increase my speeds and consistency, over time with practice.

all depends on dynamic loft at impact. Also, all the long driver competitors are now using regular and soft shafts.

Thank you! I have been trying to figure this out for a long time! 🙌🏽

I was fitted for my driver and got extra stiff. I never asked why, but after watching this video I went backed and looked at my data from the fitting. my clubhead speed average was 112. Now if I can figure out how to go straight more consistently

I just bought a new Cobra LTDX driver. I swing the driver at 100-105 mph. I went with a stock stiff shaft. But I also bought a regular flex and a senior flex shaft. I actually hit the senior flex shaft a little bit better. Tighter dispersion, slightly higher ball and club head speed too with senior flex shaft. Very small differences overall. I could play all three pretty much, doesn't really matter. What's up with that?

The only problem is that each brand has his own category, but not on the same spec. For example, I fit the driver with an Tour AD DI6 SR (Stiff Regular) which perform well with my 93/99 mph clubspeed. Some other regular didn’t fit me because to strong and others stiff was too soft. Difficult to see clearly except a try….but your rule make sense in general. 75mph = no stiff except for putting with a driver 😂

I value your opinion. I go stiff right now but i went for a srixon fitting and the best shaft for me was that recoil f3 Regular (95g) make me wonder about trying a regular flex on my radspeed

I use regular in all my clubs. My driver is 44 inches and backweighted 10 grams at the butt end. I did this as an experiment and stuck with it, because I could feel the shaft load on the backswing and unload on the downswing. Interestingly, I picked up 5 yards and my dispersion improved. This isn’t very scientific, but it worked for me. You might want to try it on an old driver. I now use a Srixon 302 that is about 20 years old. I was astonished it outperformed my “newer” Callaway Rogue. I also reduced my fairway woods by an inch and backweighted them 10 grams as well and got the same results.

So helpful Alex. Thank you. Keep up the great work on our behalf. Appreciated immensely.

Another one that I made a expensive mistake and was fitted for where irons the shafts where stiff but way way to light it took me a season to figure out ended up going to my old irons.

Question: I am 58 yrs old. Slim. I hit my drives between 175- 200. 200 on a good day. (160 usual).I mean good day..What shaft should I use? Reg or Senior??

Great advice again Alex. Just used for the first time a Trackman & was amazed the details of the info available

I know I have the right shaft for my swing. I am 72 yo and I use Senior shafts for all my clubs. My swing speeds are around 85 mph so I use the shaft to get a little more whip into the ball and hit my Driver around 200 yards. So I let the club do allot of the work now. take care.

Great video Alex.found this so helpful with you explaining the swing speed and club characteristics👏👏

I have a Fuji Velocore TR in 50R and a Tensei Pro Orange in 60S, pretty much a toss up for me at 62 and a 95mph club speed

Great video. Funny thing is that with my driver and irons I have a regular flex but in my 4 hybrid I have a senior flex.

Another great video And you are so correct most golfers think they need a stiff shaft we’re in fact regular or even senior shaft will give them more distance and accuracy

Thank you so much for this video. Great advise as always and I now know what to look for and what to do, to find find the correct flex shaft. Really appreciate it

I've always been on the fence between R and S. 93-98mph swing speed here. Always been a balancing act.

Distance depends on the club head speed and the amount of the backspin - PREDOMINANTLY - the direction MAY depend on the shaft flex but this is debatable as the stiffer shaft usually gives you a better grouping. Stiffer shaft spins less as well and will allow you to find the centre of the club head much easily as it is not flexing that much and is keeping a similar path .

My average speed with a driver is 94mph. My dispersion is much better with a stiff (but lighter) shaft than a regular shaft. I have no problem with height either. HC 4.

What about swing speeds for irons. My swing speed is around 78-83mph. Would you suggest reg or stiff?

I got fitted into a regular flex hybrid and 5w, but a stiff flex in my irons. At the same fitting. I dont know my swing speed, but would geuss right in the middel between the 2 flex's .

Getting back into golf at 26 as someone who swings right around 95 mph but knowing that initial improvement is coming fast would you recommend getting a stiff as buying a new shaft every year isn’t something I can do

It’s weird that this video popped up on my feed today, in the shop today I have had a similar conversation with a few members who are in the market for new clubs, asking which staff was best for them. Got a couple of fittings booked in.

I swing more consistently with a stiffer shaft than you recommend. I have a quick tempo and that affects the shaft. Smooth tempo, the regular flex would work.

I’m around 90mph with driver and use stiff as it felt better and seemed to have better dispersion. The bit I wasn’t sure about was if iron shafts should be the same flex? Guess I need a fitting

Dear Mr Elliott What a brilliant you tube So clear It was just what l needed because l have been baffled by all the data. I didn't realise shaft flex required is still how fast on how you swing the club Phew what a relief Could you kindly explain ball speed and spin speed as succinctly and as clearly please

It takes me so much time to warm up, I settled on stiff. Holes1-4 I have a hard time firing my hips. After that, I’m good. Oh, I ended up getting a SZ 2nd hand driver.

I'm using X flex but it's right weight around 45 grams (Japan spec).

Well great video and advice. have lots i needmto try thanks. Best coach

Regular flex on driver, woods, and irons. I fully believe what I once heard years ago: play the most flexible shaft you can still hit straight with the proper distance.

Fantastic video Alex .I can't help but laugh this as just happen to me last week . I was playing a cobra max offset Driver with a regular shaft. And was fading the ball quite a lot . I cracked the head of the Driver so couldn't use it anymore. My brother out of is kind heart bought me a cobra f max offset Driver but with a senior flex shaft .I am now hitting the ball straighter than I have ever drove the ball before and I have gained an extra 15 to 20 yards of carry .I really didn't realise my swing as got slower.

Well I was hitting hooks and slices with a stiff shaft, so should I try X stiff?

You do need to be careful with shaft flex, one companies R is another's S and vice-versa

since the only thing with a slower swing speed than me is a statue, I have tried the senior shaft but it feels too flexible, so I have been using a reg flex with a 10.5 lofted head which gives me a dead straight 170 yd drive, the distance is embarrassing so for Christmas I got a 12 degree head with a reg shaft cut down to 43 inches the thought process being better chance of hitting the sweet spot, perhaps gaining some yardage and still keeping it straight. Your Thoughts ? I have not had the chance to test it yet.

Hi Alex, a really good topic and thank you for your help. I’m glad I use standard flex clubs as this was how the club pro helped me decide on shafts purely based on swing speeds. 👍😎🇦🇺

have you checked out the testing being done on shaft flex comparing senior/lady flex to reg & stiff. distance to dispersion it is interesting. i've played around testing other peoples drivers to mine to see what results are without getting too involved. interesting results.

Met a long drive champion with 133 mph. He hit a ladies shaft 355 yards carry.

Such a good point not to get the shaft for your fastest swing only 👍

I bought a driver off Facebook and didn’t really know the stiffness of the shaft, went to American golf to have a club MOT and the shaft is apparently very stiff and heavy so probably not best for my swing speed so going for a full bag fitting on Thursday as my irons probably need updating as I was “fitted” for them 20 years ago but only started playing again 18months ago, irons are regular flex but my launch angle is too high so will be good to see what the outcome is

Shaft weight and swing dynamics play a part. Swing speed matched only to the shaft flex is a bit simplistic no ?

You talking diver swing speed for driver shaft, wood speed to wood shelf and say 7 iron speed for iron shalfs or all based on say the driver?

How does the weight of the shaft play a role in selecting correct shaft? Some are 45 gram, 55 gram, 60 gram etc.

Other you tube instructors are saying shaft flex means little and proving it. Shaft weight is king. Your thoughts please

Possibly the other aspect you did not mention Alex is swing tempo. A golfer with a smooth rhythmic swing would more likely not need a stiffer shaft as the player with the shorter, abrupt fast tempo swing. If a player is swinging too hard for the shaft fitted to his Driver, the misses can be high right fades when he leaves the club face open at impact ( it can't catch up because of shaft bend) and then as you said the next shot is a hook. I have noticed players try to compensate for the high right fades by set up compensations ( closed club face at address, delofted etc) rather than identify the incorrect shaft issue. To make matters worse, many golfers hit down on the Driver shots and add excessive spin to the problem and blame the shaft fitted. Many of us average golfers live in the 85-95 mph swing speed zone. My Sunday best is 94 mph, but my average shot is 89-90 mph ( PRGR monitor readings). I am using Regular flex shaft in my Driver, but I can play a A flex or even L Flex. Some players are not shaft sensitive and adapt to what they have in hand.

I understand what you are saying but why do i hit a driver more straight with a stiff shaft, than a regular flex? I do have trouble getting it up in the air with the stiff shaft, but it seems that I hit many balls left or right with a regular shaft - I am left handed. My swing speed is somewhere in the mid to high 80's, but when I get tired it's going to drop to the high 70's.

It’s ironic you just posted this. I went to PGA Tour Superstore this past Thursday and they said I was borderline needing regular versus stiff flex. The dispersion and distance was almost identical. So I am keeping the regular flex and ordered a stiff flex so I can change them out depending on how I am playing on the course

Alex, what about the weight of the shaft. If I fit into an “R” what is a good shaft weight to consider? Thanks in advance….

I use a stiff shaft over a regular flex and I get a much straighter shot

Alex, great video...Got fitted for Ping Driver, I was right between stiff and regular. Stiff was recommend so stiff I bought and I hit it great.. love it. Some months later I bought the 3 and 5 woods in the same spec...can’t hit them for toffee..what did I do wrong?

I've noticed similar phenomena with grips that are too small or too big. Care to comment on that factor? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

I have driver speed around 130. XS is sometimes not enough. For those of us in this category do we take low torque tipped Heavy XS shafts to make it work? I lose club head control if I put a full swing and my timing gets off on 3/4 driver swings

Thanks for the video! I can’t see what my clubs speed is but ball speed is usually 140-150mph. It kind of puts me borderline between regular and stiff. If I’m borderline, I’d it safer to go with regular?

the end is truly priceless

Great tips

I would argue that weight is much more importent then flex ( although they go hand in hand most of the time. Heavier = stiffer )

Hello Alex, I need some advice. My club head speed is 93-97mph. I am a mid-age single HCP Player. I have 2 shafts. Both Tensei. A CK Blue 60 in regular and a CK Orange 50 in stiff. The orange in stiff seems a bit too hard to me. Balls tend to fly to the right. The Blue in regular, on the other hand, is a bit too soft. The balls are not hit in the middle and often hook. A good fitting is hard to find here. Always indoors, which I have a problem with. Would you then advise a regular or a stiff? What about the weight class? can you give me a tip

Well done alex great advice 👏 👍

what about weight? i am in the stiff flex mph. 50 g or 60g shaft?

Would explain it all. Last week I was 130 yards on my pitch wedge but over the last couple of months has been going low and right. Not many places around my area to find out my clubhead speed though. Don't want to go to the golf warehouse place though a incase they hard sell me.

great advice thank you

for years i played a regular shaft, i didn't think i had club head speed. turns out i swing around 116mph lol.

Thanks Mate!

Not played since 2010. I have a Titleist 909D stiff flex. Got good club head speed but seem to be hitting low and left. Could this be due to being too stiff or old? To note some still go straight 300-320 yards.. Or just my hands getting behind? 🤷‍♂️

curious on your thoughts on how weight effects the stiffness of a shaft. Now with 40g X flex shafts on the market, the idea of a swing speed to shaft correlation maybe a mute point. The opposite can be said for 75g Stiffs as well.

I'm pretty sure this is at least 50% of the reason my driver doesn't work well. I get MASSIVE spin with it, like 5000+ at time, and very rarely below 4500. Swing speed around 108, been as quick as 114 when really trying to go after it on the sim. Regular flex "box kit" driver. Ball goes about 220 and then falls out of the sky like it hits a wall. I know I need a fitting and can't wait to get one done and see what is possible with the right club in my hand. Figure I could possibly see as much as 50 yards getting that spin in a more normal range.

I have to say Alex I’m at that point where I know my swing speed has dropped and I got fitted for a new driver later part of last year and I was put into a regular shaft where I was playing a stiff shaft before that much so that I got another stiff shaft and put it in my new club but I’m not seeing any difference I also brought a PXG with 50g stiff shaft and distance wise I’m not seeing any difference so I’m a little confused now lol

I love my RAD speed

This video taught me two things. Driver accuracy hasn't been my fault for my entire life as I'm very close to needing a extra stiff shaft. 😂 And don't try using a joke magicians wand as an iron shaft.

Regular, my swing speed is about 87-94.

I just bought a stiff but average my driver around 115-120, should I be looking at an x-stiff?

Not accurate for all players. I swing in the low 80s however I get more distance with an X-Stiff shaft. Golf Digest many years ago did a study with many senior players and found that many achieved more distance with stiffer shafts. It depends how you load the shaft, at least that is what the article said.

What shaft would you recommend for my 106-107 mph clubhead speed

I use a senior 55 g.

At 94 to 100 mph, use 5.5 which is firm.

I’m just over 110 and I’ve only ever used a regular. My friend who’s an instructor looked at my shaft and said “WTF are you doooing “

how is this diff for irons?

I swing right at 95 mph. I’m gonna flip a coin for reg and stiff lol.

Went for a fitting last year and got fitted in a X flex. I was swinging it at 110mph so I could have went with either. I tried both stiff and x and it was the x that came out the best. I use stiff in all my other clubs🤷‍♂️

Very interesting video

Aren’t there differences between stiff shafts and different brands? High launch stiff, low launch stiff, different kick points. Of course you would respond to this comment by saying “of course go get fitted” but this video could be misleading as is.

Bought a Cobra Bio Cell+ driver off Golfbidder a while back, have found myself slicing it quite badly lately, didn't realise at the time it's got a stiff shaft. Have been considering replacing it with something newer but now thinking of just changing to a Reg flex shaft to see if it makes much difference.

Interesting, but what about the shaft weight. How does a heavy regular flex compare to a light stiff shaft?

To be fair I try and smoke every single drive 😂

Well that could of saved us some messages had you of put this video out 2 weeks ago🤣🤣🤣 Thank you

Mate, where has your mic gone?

Fr

Go on tour in ur area, meat ur fans, fix there games, it's wat da people want

Alex can speak up had your so low on my TV. You must record it very low