It’s the “engine” of the golf club, so you should give it the attention it deserves

A common saying in golf is that “the shaft is the engine of the golf club”. That’s because the shaft is the only moving part in any club, and that applies to wedges as much as your driver, hybrids or irons.

In many ways, insuring you have the right shaft in your wedges is tougher than for your driver, hybrids or irons. After all, those clubs you swing at mostly full speed every time. But think of the challenge that your wedges present. At full speed this shaft has to effectively handle the dynamics of the heaviest clubhead in the set. But it also has to provide a certain amount of flex at speeds as low at 8-12 miles per hour so that you have accurate touch around the greens.

Here's the problem. Every major brand of wedges is offered with one shaft! It’s a one-size-fits-all model that has been around for over 25 years. It weighs a ton. And it’s available in “wedge flex” only.

So just what is “wedge flex”? We had members of the Professional Clubmakers Society examine wedges from the five major brands on the market today. What they found is that these shafts averaged between 7.0 and 7.5 on the frequency scale, which is 3-4 full flexes stiffer than what 99% of golfers are playing in their irons.

So how can you ensure optimum performance from your wedge shafts? First, match the weight and material to that of the shafts in your irons. If you’re playing graphite or lightweight steel, opt for graphite in your wedges, too. (Lightweight steel doesn’t provide the feel you are after.) Secondly, play wedges with a slightly softer flex than in your irons. It was nearly 25 years ago that Jack Nicklaus shocked the world (those of us that were listening at least) by announcing that he had switched to “R” flex shafts in his wedges and experienced greatly improved feel around the greens.

If you want to immediately improve the feel and performance of any wedge on the market, you have to change out the shaft to something that is more suited to precision shot making.

See how EIDOLON uses the best wedge shaft to improve your scoring.