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Most golfers understand shafts are designated by flex… but what is often misunderstood is how shaft flex relates to other factors not often discussed including weight and profile.

In the video, I break down some simple things to consider when its comes to steel shafts — flex, weight and bend profile — as well as why you might fit into a flex you weren’t expecting.

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Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. Dave

    Feb 25, 2018 at 12:35 pm

    Hi Ryan,

    I have been building and repairing clubs since the late 80s, while working at Kings Forest Golf Course. Over the years i have been fortunate enough to be educated by Tim Wishon, Oakville Golf staff… One question that i have for You is how much do you think playability is affected by putting a heavier midsize grip on a set of irons when they were originally built wuth standard size grips? Do you think i should tip weight heads to bring the swingweight up the 3 points or leave status quo? My friend is an excellent player at Heron Point and he said he did not notice the lower SW when i regripped with midsize grips.

    • Ryan Barath

      Feb 27, 2018 at 9:12 am

      Good Question Dave,

      Some players will notice the counter balanced effect of the heavier grips while many will not. By adding back more weight to the head to get the swing weight back you will also soften the shafts a bit. The proof is always in the pudding, and in the case of the added weight to the butt end if the players likes the performance dont worry about swing weight.

  2. Mario

    Feb 14, 2018 at 1:53 pm

    i partially disagree with what he said, for amateur golfers, weight is important to prevent injuries, few years ago with a new set of clubs, shaft 120g i got epicondylitis, in just two months, a fitter friend of mine told me to go for graphite, while another fitter told me to go for 80g steel, i follow the suggestion, and with the 80g i never got epicondylitis again

  3. Dave

    Feb 14, 2018 at 12:30 pm

    Great video! Question maybe you can answer this one. I’m playing regular, KBS C-Taper lites… my ball flight is very high, would like to bring it down as I play in Florida wind.. swing speed is pretty average. Would you suggest moving to graphite stiff???? Thx

    • TONEY P

      Feb 14, 2018 at 1:40 pm

      No the graphite would give a higher flight,lite shafts help get the ball airborne easy. Try a standard weight.

    • Ryan Barath

      Feb 27, 2018 at 9:14 am

      The single biggest factor for ball flight is player dynamics. If the ball flight is too high maybe try bending your irons a bit strong first before trying a shaft change.
      Best advice is to always see a fitter.

  4. Gorden

    Feb 12, 2018 at 2:28 pm

    Reading about flex is one thing, best thing is to find a fitter or even a big store like PGA Superstore and just hit balls with different shafts in what ever head your interested in playing. Either work with scope or just your feelings and you will find some that feel right or feel completely wrong…you may be supersized how different shafts can feel/work for you….while playing the head you want to play…

  5. Improving Golfer

    Feb 12, 2018 at 1:38 pm

    Great video! Could you do a video on CPM and how accurate shafts are in our clubs vs PROS clubs. More specifically, if you order a set of clubs from a major manufacturer, how accurate are the weight of club heads and weight and flex of shafts in what we have vs. what the pros have done. Some club fitters say they do a good job with quality control, others say its best to get CPM checked when clubs come in because a “stiff” shaft may be anywhere from 280 cpm to 305 cpm.

  6. Joro

    Feb 12, 2018 at 12:53 pm

    Great information, something everyone leaves out when talking about flex. If a person wants a correct flex the weight has to be considered which is why Dyn. Gold had 5 flexes within a flex. The lightest of the dyn. golds were at 125 and the heaviest at 130 gr. which created different flex within a flex.

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Whats in the Bag

Chesson Hadley WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620 CB (4, 5), Titleist 620 MB (6-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball
Grip: Odyssey

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Check out more in-hand photos Chesson Hadley’s clubs here.

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Whats in the Bag

Gary Woodland WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Cobra Darkspeed X (8 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 70 M5

  • The white circle that appears at the top of the face a removable sticker that’s used for launch monitor tracking, and Woodland removes it for competition!

3-wood: Cobra Darkspeed X (14 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

7-wood: Cobra LTDx LS prototype (20 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

Irons: Wilson Staff (18 degrees), Cobra King MB (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X

Wedges: Cobra SB (48), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-14F), Cobra King (60)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X (48 degrees), KBS Tour V-Ten 125

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0P

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

See more in-hand photos of Gary Woodland’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

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As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

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I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

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