Finding the right shaft flex is important for getting the most from your golf game.
No matter your age, shaft weight, and flex rating play a huge part in the distance, accuracy, and launch you get with each swing.
For most golfers, only two flex ratings matter: regular and senior flex shafts.
The two shafts offer flexibility and softness that get the most out of golfers with slower swing speeds.
In this article, we’ll solve the debate on senior flex vs regular flex, plus give you the information you need to ensure you choose the right one for your club set.
Senior Flex vs Regular Flex Shafts
Regular Flex Golf Shafts
Before we break down the differences between the two shaft flexes, let’s first provide some background on regular rated shafts.
Ideally, for golfers with an average swing speed of around 85 mph with their driver, the regular flex shaft offers mid-range flexibility to help square the club face at impact.
Not as soft as the senior driver shafts or a ladies flex shaft, the regular provides an option for a wide range of golfers with a variety of average clubhead speed.
The most common shaft for golf clubs you’ll find off the shelf at any major sporting goods store is a regular flex golf shaft covering golfers who don’t swing hard enough for a stiff shaft but haven’t lost enough swing speed for senior shafts.
Senior Flex Golf Shafts
A senior flex golf shaft is for golfers with a driver swinging speed that hovers around 75 mph or less. The senior flex is a more flexible shaft that offers additional whip to produce faster swing speeds to the ball.
The senior steel shaft is the right flex for irons for senior golfers because it increases their clubhead speed and offers a stiffer alternative to a ladies flex shaft.
While the shaft has obviously been named after a specific age group of golfers, junior players can also benefit from playing with senior shaft clubs.
The lighter, softer shaft flex can help golfers with below-average swing speed boost their distance and make it much easier to hit the ball cleanly.
What is the difference between regular and senior flex?
The main difference that you can feel in your hands is softness.
Regular flex golf clubs are stiffer compared to the senior golfer flex shaft because they are made to accommodate higher swinging speeds.
Golfers will find the senior flex offers more “whip” or flexibility in the shaft when swinging.
While the shaft length isn’t affected by the flex rating, weekend warriors can tell the difference immediately when swinging each club shaft.
For golfers who swing the club incredibly hard, the regular and senior rated shafts are far too soft to maximize their distance and cause sync issues on the downswing.
These differences can force these high speed golfers to widen their dispersion and dramatically decrease their ability to put the ball where they want on a hole.
When should I switch to regular flex shafts?
If you are playing senior flex or stiff flex shafts, you should consider playing a regular shaft if you display inconsistency across your entire club set.
Even with steel shafts in the irons, it would be best to consider assembling a set of regular shafted golf clubs once your swinging speed reaches the regular rated shaft range.
If you reach a driver speed that lies between 87 and 94 mph, you should consider replacing your current shafts with a flex rated as regular.
The new shaft will offer more consistency across the entire club set, helping you to achieve maximum distance, tighter dispersion, and better spin rate to help you with control.
What golf shaft is best for seniors?
A senior flex shaft is the best choice for golfers over 50 years of age, with a driver swing speed that’s dipped below 80 mph.
The lighter shaft helps generate more swing speed to power the ball down the fairway.
The shaft also boosts launch and increases rollout with the driver.
For the irons, graphite shafts with a senior flex can improve overall enjoyment on the golf course by helping increase distance and spin. Plus, they help older golfers hold the green on approach shots.
With the higher flexibility, these shafts also help boost distance with shorter backswing, which older golfers tend to exhibit as they age.
Do any pros use regular shafts?
While we don’t see PGA Tour pros use regular rated shafts, a few on the PGA Champions Tour play with these shafts to get more distance and better launch.
Because pros swing so much harder than amateurs, a regular flex shaft would create an abnormally high launch with tons of backspin and, therefore, be much harder to control.
So, they tend to choose stiff flex or extra stiff shafts for their clubs to maximize distance and manage launch angle with mid-level spin.
Since swing speed matches flex rating, getting the right shaft flex is vital to getting the most out of the golf ball at impact.
With their sponsorships, professional golfers like Tiger Woods are at the forefront of getting the best clubs with cutting-edge technology to match their ball speed.
How does swing speed impact shaft flex selection?
Swing speed is everything when choosing a shaft flex for your golf shafts.
Currently, there are five different shaft flex ratings. Ladies, senior, regular, stiff, and extra stiff flex are all available shafts to amateur golfers.
While the shaft length depends on the height and arm length of the golfer, most golfers use the proper shaft flex for their golf game based on their swing speed.
When talking driver speed, extra stiff matches with a swing speed over 105 mph, while stiff runs from 97-104 mph. Regular covers the 87-94 mph swinging speed, where most casual golfers reside.
For senior shafts, the 72-83 mph range has its fit, and anything under 72 mph falls into the ladies flex category.
Since their strength grows as they get older, it’s not uncommon for junior golfers to start with the lighter ladies shaft, then move onto heavier shafts in the regular and stiff flex categories as their golf game evolves and matures.
Can using the wrong shaft flex negatively affect my golf game?
Using the wrong shaft flexes with each golf club can affect everything from ball flight to spin rates.
Playing a softer flex can cause your clubhead speed to drop as the club whips into the golf ball, causing significant control problems.
If you use a stiff flex instead of a regular rated shaft, you’ll find that you are behind the ball at impact. This swing flaw can cause a lower line drive with little spin and even less control over the ball.
If you are a higher handicapper or beginning golfer, the golf club will spray the shot all over the spectrum of negative possibilities.
Until you switch to a proper shaft flex with your golf club set, you’ll experience terrible and very frustrating inconsistency.
Can I mix and match my shafts in my club set?
Yes, you can absolutely mix and match your shafts.
Something that pro golfers tend to do throughout their woods and long irons, playing a softer shaft in these clubs can provide more “whip” in the downswing, allowing the golfers to swing slower and yet maintain distance.
In the Champions Tour, the over 50 golfers will mix and match their shafts from the woods to the wedges.
While their swinging speed may rate as extra stiff flex shafts, they can play a stiff flex shaft with their wedges, since they don’t need maximum swinging speed to achieve their shorter distance goals.
For golfers on the cusp of moving to a new flex rating with their shafts, playing a softer shaft flex can help with accuracy and make it easier on the body by minimizing maximum strength swings on the course.