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Shaft Twisting -- A Common Cause of Hooks and Slices Swing variations and their resulting shaft twisting are subjects that are rarely addressed by the golf press. Therefore, the importance of these topics is not widely understood by golfers in general. Up until now, most golfers have attributed hooks and slices to defects in their swing, grip, hip rotation and even the small sweet spot in club head. We do recognize the importance of a perfected swing. However, based on our experience in fitting golfers with the aid of instruments. A technically perfect swing is something that rarely happens. The great majority of swings that we have observed were golf swings with an inherent 5-degree variation in either swing path or club head position. In laymanıs terms, this means that the club head is either 5 degrees open orclosed on impact, or the swing path is either 5 degrees inside out or outside in, or the combination of both. The constant
in a golf swing is variation itself. However, it is rather ironic
that most golf companies publish performance statistics based upon
center-hit data. When in fact a perfect center-hit is a phenomenon
that rarely occurs. Understanding the role of variations in a golf swing, we can now address the issue of its impact on shaft twisting. The physics behind shaft twisting is what engineers have called the "Circular Moment of Inertia". To put it simply, the bigger the club head, the more the shaft twists. From the perspective of the ball impact point, the further away from dead center the ball impacts, the more the shaft twists. Ironically, the common solution to the issue of swing variations is a bigger club head with a larger sweet spot, while using shafts that twist excessively. This is most unfortunate, because the amount of shaft twisting will be further exaggerated with a bigger head. Based on player testing, we have estimated that a 40cc increase in club head volume will generate the equivalent of a one-degree increase in torque. 280 cc driver heads dominated the market in 2000. Larger, 320cc driver heads have become the industry standard for 2001. We have frequently asked golfers this question, " what is the percentage of time your drives are straight?" The answer is a historically low average of 15%. Based upon our survey, we cannot help but asking ourselves how this trend can be in the best interest of golfers. Let there be no doubt that the shaft is the engine of a golf club. To make a club more forgiving, golfers need shafts that twist less, so that the 5 degree variations inherent in most golfersı swings will not be magnified to the extend of an out of bounds shot. We take pride in producing the finest quality of shafts anywhere. It may cost you a little bit more, but we make shafts that twist less, providing increased accuracy and distance. At Harrison, we make shafts that make a difference. |
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