Golf

  1. Home
  2. Sports
  3. Golf

What Do the Letters X, S, R, A and L Mean When They Appear on a Shaft?

From Tom Wishon, for About.com

Question: What Do the Letters X, S, R, A and L Mean When They Appear on a Shaft?

(Editor's Note: Most shafts are designated with a letter code, the letters being X, S, R, A and L. What do these letters represent? Here is Tom's answer.)

Answer: Some golf shafts bend more than others, of course. The letter code represented by the letters L, A, R, S and X represents those different grades of flex.

"L" is the most flexible shaft and "X" is the stiffest shaft. "L" denotes "ladies flex"; "A" denotes "senior flex"; "R" denotes "regular flex"; "S" denotes "stiff flex"; and "X" denotes "extra stiff flex."

Why is senior flex represented by an "A"? When manufacturers first started using this code to denote the flex of their shafts, "A" stood for "amateur," but that level of flex later became associated with senior men.

See also: Are there industry standards for how flexible each level of flex (L, A, R, S, X) should be?

Back to Golf Shafts FAQ index

About the Author
Tom Wishon is one of the most highly respected members of the golf equipment industry. He specializes in clubhead design, shaft analysis, and clubfitting research and development, and is the owner of his own golf equipment company, Tom Wishon Golf Technology. Tom is a member of the Golf Digest Technical Panel, and is the Technical Advisor to PGA.com, the website of the PGA of America.

More Golf Q&A

Explore Golf

About.com Special Features

Learn to Pitch

Strike out the competition with these step-by-step pictorials. More >

Introduction to Pilates

Learning Pilates fundamentals can help you get the most out of your exercise regime. More >

Golf

  1. Home
  2. Sports
  3. Golf
  4. Beginners
  5. FAQs
  6. Golf Shafts - What Do the Letters X, S, R, A and L on the Shaft Mean?

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.