Shaft Spining
During a golf swing, the shaft will cause the club head to oscillate. It is more prominent during the down swing as there is more power being applied to the golf club and it will affect the shot more. To minimize this movement, the shaft will require spining. Mid to high handicap golfers whose swings are not so consistent will probably not notice this oscillation, but low handicap golfers will notice the benefits of spinning. This is not to say that all golf shafts have serious
flaws during the manufacturing process. However, it is almost impossible to produce shafts that are perfect and that have precisely the same stiffness in all possible directions of bending without extensive manufacturing which would increase the cost of shafts dramatically. Top quality shafts do have very high accuracy and consistency but, spinning is the way to guarantee that the shaft will perform to its highest potential.
During a golf swing, the shaft will cause the club head to oscillate. It is more prominent during the down swing as there is more power being applied to the golf club and it will affect the shot more. To minimize this movement, the shaft will require spining. Mid to high handicap golfers whose swings are not so consistent will probably not notice this oscillation, but low handicap golfers will notice the benefits of spinning. This is not to say that all golf shafts have serious
flaws during the manufacturing process. However, it is almost impossible to produce shafts that are perfect and that have precisely the same stiffness in all possible directions of bending without extensive manufacturing which would increase the cost of shafts dramatically. Top quality shafts do have very high accuracy and consistency but, spinning is the way to guarantee that the shaft will perform to its highest potential.
Every shaft has a spine. The shaft's spine is stiffer than the rest of the circumference of the shaft. Shaft spinning is the process of locating the optimal and most consistent bending position of the shaft. What you are doing when spinning a shaft is identifying a stable plane (the spine) on the shaft and then aligning it in the club head so that the shaft will bend straight forward during the swing without deviating into another direction due to the asymmetrical nature of the shaft.
The actual process of identifying the shaft's spine is very simple although it does require (unless the shaft is new) the club head and grip to be removed. The spinning tool is placed
horizontally into a vice. The butt end of the shaft is located into the spinning tool so that 1 inch of the butt end is sticking out from the rear bearing. Position the loose bearing over the tip end of the shaft about 4 to 6 inches. Pull down around 6 to 8 inches on the loose bearing and the shaft will automatically spin and stop when the spine is pointing upwards towards the ceiling. Repeat this process a few times to find the strongest spine. Most shafts will have two spines (S1 & S2) but the strongest and most prominent one (S1) is easily identified. Mark a thin line along the tip of the shaft to identify the spine's position as this will help when refitting the shaft.
horizontally into a vice. The butt end of the shaft is located into the spinning tool so that 1 inch of the butt end is sticking out from the rear bearing. Position the loose bearing over the tip end of the shaft about 4 to 6 inches. Pull down around 6 to 8 inches on the loose bearing and the shaft will automatically spin and stop when the spine is pointing upwards towards the ceiling. Repeat this process a few times to find the strongest spine. Most shafts will have two spines (S1 & S2) but the strongest and most prominent one (S1) is easily identified. Mark a thin line along the tip of the shaft to identify the spine's position as this will help when refitting the shaft.
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Once the spine has been identified, there are 2 positions that the shaft should be fitted. The 9
o'clock position and the 3 o'clock position. The 9 o'clock position is where the shaft is installed into the club head so that the main spine (S1) is pointing towards the target at the address position. This will be the stiffest point the shaft can be fitted. The 3 o'clock position is where the spine is pointing away from the target. This will not reduce the manufacturer's intended shaft stiffness but will allow for a slightly higher ball flight while still reducing club head oscillation.
o'clock position and the 3 o'clock position. The 9 o'clock position is where the shaft is installed into the club head so that the main spine (S1) is pointing towards the target at the address position. This will be the stiffest point the shaft can be fitted. The 3 o'clock position is where the spine is pointing away from the target. This will not reduce the manufacturer's intended shaft stiffness but will allow for a slightly higher ball flight while still reducing club head oscillation.
NOTE:
There are actually 4 notable points on the shaft (SPINES AND NEUTRAL: S1, S2, N1 and N2).
The S1 spine is defined as the stiffest point when rotating a shaft through 360 degrees.
The S2 spine is defined as the second stiffest point when rotating a shaft through 360 degrees.
The N1 position is defined as the most flexible when rotating a shaft through 360 degrees.
The N2 position is defined as the second most flexible when rotating through 360 degrees.
S1 and S2 form a line (plane) through a shaft, since they are 180 degrees apart.
N1 and N2 form a line (plane) through a shaft, since they are 180 degrees apart.
The S plane and the N plane are at 90 degrees from each other.
There are actually 4 notable points on the shaft (SPINES AND NEUTRAL: S1, S2, N1 and N2).
The S1 spine is defined as the stiffest point when rotating a shaft through 360 degrees.
The S2 spine is defined as the second stiffest point when rotating a shaft through 360 degrees.
The N1 position is defined as the most flexible when rotating a shaft through 360 degrees.
The N2 position is defined as the second most flexible when rotating through 360 degrees.
S1 and S2 form a line (plane) through a shaft, since they are 180 degrees apart.
N1 and N2 form a line (plane) through a shaft, since they are 180 degrees apart.
The S plane and the N plane are at 90 degrees from each other.
There are a couple of small drawbacks to spinning and this is more prevalent in graphite shafts.
The first issue is that if you are the type of golfer who is very visual and likes to see shaft logos fitted in a very uniform way, unless you are very lucky in the manufacturing process, spinning will cause the logo to be located in a different position when fitting the shaft which can look very unsymmetrical. The second issue involves newer woods with adjustable heads. If you are constantly altering the position of the head to change loft, lie or face angle, this will render the spinning of the shaft redundant as it will only be in the correct position for one setting. Once the
head angle has been changed the spine will be in a different location. Unless you are completely happy with one setting only, there is little point in spinning shafts for adjustable clubs.
The first issue is that if you are the type of golfer who is very visual and likes to see shaft logos fitted in a very uniform way, unless you are very lucky in the manufacturing process, spinning will cause the logo to be located in a different position when fitting the shaft which can look very unsymmetrical. The second issue involves newer woods with adjustable heads. If you are constantly altering the position of the head to change loft, lie or face angle, this will render the spinning of the shaft redundant as it will only be in the correct position for one setting. Once the
head angle has been changed the spine will be in a different location. Unless you are completely happy with one setting only, there is little point in spinning shafts for adjustable clubs.
FLO (Flat Line Oscillation)
This is another procedure to understand and consider. This process identifies the flat line oscillation of the shaft. The butt end of the shaft is put into a rubber shaft clamp and placed into a vice. A small 205 gram weight is attached to the tip of the shaft then the tip is pulled down 4 to 6 inches and let go. This method is called twanging. Ideally the shaft tip will bounce perfectly straight up and down without any curving oscillation. By rotating the shaft 90 degrees in the vice clamp and then twanging the shaft again, you will notice that the shaft's tip will start by moving straight up and down then making a circular motion, changing into a horizontal back and forth motion, a circular motion in the opposite direction and even a straight up and down motion again. What this shows is that if the shaft is positioned in the least optimal position it would be very inconsistent. FLO should be obtained when the spine is in the correct position, i.e, pointing towards the ceiling and twanging performed with that position in mind.
This is another procedure to understand and consider. This process identifies the flat line oscillation of the shaft. The butt end of the shaft is put into a rubber shaft clamp and placed into a vice. A small 205 gram weight is attached to the tip of the shaft then the tip is pulled down 4 to 6 inches and let go. This method is called twanging. Ideally the shaft tip will bounce perfectly straight up and down without any curving oscillation. By rotating the shaft 90 degrees in the vice clamp and then twanging the shaft again, you will notice that the shaft's tip will start by moving straight up and down then making a circular motion, changing into a horizontal back and forth motion, a circular motion in the opposite direction and even a straight up and down motion again. What this shows is that if the shaft is positioned in the least optimal position it would be very inconsistent. FLO should be obtained when the spine is in the correct position, i.e, pointing towards the ceiling and twanging performed with that position in mind.
