

It will read stiffer when the spine is oriented in the direction the shaft is deflected.Ĭlubmakers have known for years that this has an effect on the performance of the club. This is evident when you place the shaft in a frequency machine and rotate it. The shaft is then stiffer where this spine is located. As stated above this spine or heavy area is created as a part of the shaft making process. It is impossible for a shaft to be made which holds the exact same wall thickness all the way around its circumference.Įvery shaft made has a spine or heavy area running its length. No matter how tight the construction tolerances are in making the shaft. It is impossible to construct a shaft, which is perfectly symmetrical. The intent of the Rule is to prevent the manufacture of shafts, which would enhance the shot due to their asymmetrical shape.įor instance, a shaft which would be made oblong to take advantage of its none symmetrical properties. The shaft must be so designed and manufactured that at any point along its length: (i) it bends in such a way that the defection is the same regardless of how the shaft is rotated about its longitudinal axis, and (ii) it twists the same amount in both directions.

SHAFT The shaft shall be generally straight, with the same bending and twisting properties in any direction Appendix II 4-1b states, ∻ENDING AND TWISTING PROPERTIES. Shaft orientation also know as spining, puring, or optimizing USGA Ruling:īecause of a change in the interpretation of a USGA rule. The reason for the change was proof that the shaft manufactures have not and cannot make a shaft with the symmetrical properties required without raising prices to unrealistic levels. In February 1999 the golf’s governing bodies modified the rule on golf shafts that required all shafts to “bend symmetrically in all directions”, they decided it was no longer against the rules to orientate the shaft in the club head, as long as the shaft imitated the effect of bending symmetrically (you are not allowed to orientate the shaft to make a club that produces a draw or fade). (For info on shaft droop read up on the effect of shaft flex and club length on lie angles on the loft and lie page) Some history On a graphite shaft the normal position for the shafts spine is face up, this gives the shaft optimum resistance to shaft drop.
Use spine align bolt professional#
If, when you acquired your golf clubs, the phrases, shaft spine, flow, shaft purring, shaft alignment or shaft orientation, (all different terms for locating a shafts spine) were not mentioned, it’s a matter of luck whether the shafts in your golf clubs are positioned correctly and the club is performing as well as it should.Īs a professional club maker I want every club I build or rebuild to be the best it can possibly be and believe the process of shaft spine alignment, will without question, give any club more distance and improved consistency. To my knowledge, no club manufacturers supplying the mass market (regardless of their pedigree) are spine aligning their shafts, for a very simple reason, the process of spinning takes time and requires a skill level that does not lend itself to their assembly lines.
Use spine align bolt install#
I start by finding the shafts spine, once found, I align and install the shaft into the club head so the spine works with your swing and not against it. This will result in off center hits, lost distance, inconsistency and a general feeling that the club is not working for you. When a golf club is swung it is forced to bend this flexed shaft will then naturally want to straighten and return towards it’s spine and should the spine is misaligned to the club face it will leave the club face slightly open or closed on impact. the shaft not being perfectly round or straight, being thinner or thicker at different points or maybe an imperfection in the shafts material.Ī Spine should be visualized as a backbone or ridge in the golf shaft, running down its length, more resistant to bending than any other part of the shaft. The spine is a flaw in the shaft, caused by any number of manufacturing inconsistencies e.g. The spine is the part of the shaft that is more resistant to bending than any other part.Ī spine exists in all shafts regardless of the material they are made from (steel, titanium, graphite, etc.) and regardless of the manufacturing process.

Use spine align bolt how to#
This page will explain why and show you how to fill your bags with favorite golf clubs. Have you ever wondered why some golfers have a tendency to favor certain golf clubs in their bag while avoiding other golf clubs at all costs?
