So, why would one player choose one company’s shaft over another? The reason relates to the profile of individual shafts, and which profile best suits a player’s swing. Golfers do not all swing with the same tempo, release the club at the same point, or swing with the same swing speed. Because every golfer is different we cannot all use the same shaft profile in our clubs. So how do we know which shaft will perform best for our swing?
Tom Wishon has developed over the decades a shaft matching system by designing shafts for four specific measurement or characteristic of your golf swing. We know from testing and measuring what is needed for each of those swing characteristics. Long slow swings need a different stiffness in each section of the shaft than a short quick and violent swing. Even when the two swing create the same club head speed at impact. Swing speed, downswing transition move, tempo and release point determine how the profile of your shaft should be fitted. With over 50 years experience in observing golfers and playing the game I have noted nuances of the golf swing that also change how a golfer swings. Weight is a major consideration as is length of the club. Pictured below is a frequency machine used to measure shaft profiles.
For a more in depth explanation of the Wishon system of shaft profiling see his explanation.
Shaft profiling allows for a much closer look at how shafts perform under static load versus swing performance. This is done by taking 7 measurements for iron shafts and 8 for wood shafts at five inch increments from the tip of the shaft to the butt end of the club. This work is done by the use of frequency machine to determine the flexural rigidity of each shaft. By using the profiles, we can find out the butt stiffness, mid section stiffness, and tip stiffness which allows me to match each section to each players swing characteristics.
Combine all of this with your health and physical conditioning, your height, how long your arms are and being able to watch specific videos of your swing I can tell you what you need.