The Ultimate Golf Shaft Fitting System?
Gary Mayes, Equip2Golf, Inc.

The Ultimate Golf Shaft Fitting System. This is the phrase used by True Temper Sports to describe their one of a kind fitting system known as the Shaft Lab. It is widely recognized by experienced club makers that the shaft is the “engine” of the club and how extremely important it is to get the right shaft for optimal performance. True Temper contends that most golfers are playing the wrong shaft because shaft selection has proven to be one of the most difficult aspects of club fitting. Their response to this problem is the True Temper Shaft Lab. The lab is a computer-based system that provides an objective shaft prescription unique to each golfer. The lab consists of a computer, analysis software, and specially designed golf clubs (5-iron, driver).



Each club contains several tiny sensors throughout the shaft. These sensors are connected via a cable back to the computer where approximately 8000 data points are collected on the forces being applied to the shaft during your downswing. The lab takes this information and recommends a flex range specific to your swing as well as a list of True Temper shafts that meet your personal characteristics. True Temper licenses the Shaft Lab technology to pro shops and retailers to assist in properly fitting customers with the correct shaft. Recently, we visited a Shaft Lab and went through the process to see how it works.


To set context, Our subject golfer currently plays Ping Eye2+ irons with Ping JZ-S (stiff) steel shafts, Titleist 975D driver with Titleist Select (stiff) graphite shaft, and Titleist 975F fairway woods with True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 (stiff) steel shafts. He possesses a smooth swing tempo with swingspeed measuring 90 mph for 5 iron and 95 mph for driver. Finally, his USGA handicap index is 7. The fitting session, which normally takes around 15 minutes, began with an interview session where personal information about current set makeup and ball flight was recorded into the computer. Following a warm up, the subject hit five balls each with the lab’s 5-iron and then driver. The computer collected the data and then prepared graphs depicting my swing characteristics. The graphs compared downswing time vs. shaft deflection. In addition to the graphs, the lab provides recommendations on shaft flex.

Driver Results 5-Iron Results Shaft Recommendations

 

 
The lab recommended that our golfer should be playing an "A" flex in both irons and woods. This is two flex ratings weaker than our subject's current shafts. As a reminder, flex is the shaft's degree of bending and is usually indicated on a label on the shaft with one of several ratings as shown.


Specifically, the lab recommended the True Temper Release shaft with Sensicore in steel and the True Temper Tour Flight in graphite. Another shaft that was recommended by the fitter was the True Temper Tri-Gold steel shaft in regular flex. This shaft features a progressive flex throughout the set (i.e., more fleixble in the long irons and stiffer in the short irons).

Historically, the main aspect used to deterimine flex has been clubhead speed. The lab highlighted additional aspects such as tempo and downswing dynamics that need to be considered as well. Potential benefits in changing shafts per the recommendations include increased clubhead feel and distance. Our subject golfer plans to reshaft his irons and woods based on this fitting and will report his findings in a future article. The True Temper Shaft Lab makes use of modern technology to help you be more informed when selecting the most important component of your golf equipment. For additional assistance in selecting shafts that fit your game, visit the True Temper website for Shaft Lab locations as well as seeking assistance from your local PGA professional or an accredited clubmaker.