In it’s simplest terms club shaft flex is the ease or amount which the shaft of the club bends when a given force is applied to it.
In more complex terms what that means for your swing is a change in accuracy, trajectory, distance, and getting the club face back around to square at impact. Shaft flex can affect all of these elements of your swing.
There are many different flexes that you can get for a golf club shaft but the main 5 are Extra Stiff, Stiff, Regular, Senior, and Ladies. Those flexes respectively go from stiff to flexible. Those ratings are also represented on most clubs by the letters X, S, R, A, and L, respectively.
As one would begin to swing a club from the top of their back swing down through the ball, a club with a more flexible shaft like a Ladies or Senior flexed shaft, the club head lags behind where the hands are in the swing plane because of the flex. Then as you come through the ball your hands and wrists will be ahead of the ball and the club head when it finally makes impact. This allows the club to have more of a whipping action to snap through the ball and also gives the club head more time to get around to square producing a straighter shot. (Note that is if you are unable to control your swing or if you have a slower swing.)
Check back for more on selecting a shaft flex that is right for you.
