Most important of these is the golfer's downswing moves. If the golfer is able to hold the wrist-cock angle until mid- to late in the downswing, this will allow two shafts of different bend profile design to show a little difference in the height of the shot with the same clubhead. But if the golfer unhinges the wrist-cock very early in the downswing, such a swing move will negate the ability of any two shafts to demonstrate a visible difference in the trajectory of the shot.
For golfers with a mid- to late release, the actual difference in trajectory will be greater in the shafts of woods than it will be in irons. This is because of the effect of the clubhead's center of gravity, namely how far back from the face the CG is positioned in the clubhead. The farther back the CG from the face, the higher the shot can fly for any given loft and shaft design. The closer the CG is to the face, the lower the shot will fly for any given loft and shaft design.
When you look at the shape of woodheads vs. ironheads, it is easy to see that all woodheads are made in a shape which has far more depth from face to back. In turn, this always means the CG is farther back from the face in the woods than it is in the typically "thinner" body shape of ironheads.
Thus, when a golfer with a later release compares a "low flight" shaft design to a "high flight" shaft design in the same woodhead, the trajectory difference should be clearly visible. But when the same golfer uses a high- and low-flight shaft in the same ironhead, the height difference in the shots will be much less.
Return to Golf Shafts FAQ index

