Senior Shaft Golf Clubs: 7 Things to Look for

In your search for senior shaft golf clubs that offer a high standard of performance, it can be way too easy to get lost in all the marketing hype and jargon that manufacturers actively promote.

When it comes down to it, there are a few things you should really be looking for. Here are seven of the most important of these.

A Higher Flex Rating

Most senior shaft golf clubs are going to have a higher flex rating, and for good reason. The higher the shaft flex, the more energy the shaft will store, unleashing it at the moment of impact through the club head.

Think of a senior shaft like a spring. The more flexible it is, the more energy it will hold, which means the more energy it can transfer. Senior shaft golf clubs are intended to wring an extra boost out of senior swings.

This is something you will pretty much see across the board. Most if not all golf shafts for seniors have higher shaft flex ratings than their general counterparts.

Higher Launch

What often comes with a more flexible shaft, though not always, is a higher launch profile. Since the two are not necessarily yoked, that makes this something else you should specifically look for in a senior shaft.

A higher launch profile will help ensure that, even in the absence of a very strong or fast swing speed, the ball will carry farther. If you can’t hit harder, you just aim a little higher - that’s exactly what a higher launch profile can do for you.

Higher Spin

While more flexible senior shaft golf clubs are usually also associated with more spin, that’s not always the case, but there’s a good reason to look specifically for shafts that produce more spin.

The golf ball’s dimples generate lift when the ball has some backspin, and some shafts (and clubs) specifically incur more spin to produce this effect. Therefore, long story short, the more spin there is, the farther the ball may carry.

Now, with all of that being said, there is an important caveat here, and it’s that extra spin, while it engenders greater carry distance, can also result in greater shot dispersion. Therefore, if you do invest in higher-spin shafts for your clubs, it’s important that you also practice more to refine your technique. All those extra yards won’t be much help if the ball doesn’t come down where you need it to.

A Lower Kick Point

This one often also goes hand in hand with a higher launch profile, so if you get one, you’re usually getting the other.

A higher kick point typically indicates a stiffer golf shaft, but it also produces a lower launch, so that is not something you should look for in a senior shaft golf club, especially if you have a slower swing speed and your aim is to generate more carry distance.

It’s also the case that, with a shaft that has a lower kick point, you can swing a little less hard and still pop the ball a bit higher off the tee, which means a lower kick point is associated with greater energy efficiency dynamics. You strain less but still can hit the ball farther.

All else being equal, just make sure that the shaft that has your attention also generates higher launch as a result of a lower kick point before you put good money into it.

Higher Torque

You might think that since you’re looking for a more flexible senior shaft golf club with a lower kick point, and one that produces higher launch and spin, that you’d also be looking for a shaft with a higher torque rating. This is not the case.

A higher torque rating means that the shaft head will necessarily oscillate more during the swing cycle, but that is something you want to avoid. The more oscillating activity there is, the higher the chance that the club head will not square on contact with the ball, and that will either cause shot errors or make dispersion worse.

While you do likely want a shaft that’s more flexible, you likely also want one that has a lower torque rating, which will help prevent these issues mentioned from manifesting. A higher torque rating also typically is indicative of a more stable shaft, which is something effectively any golfer, senior or other, should want.

Lighter Weight

Good senior shaft golf clubs will also likely be made with low-weight construction. This offers a big benefit to aging players whose swing speeds might be flagging somewhat because a lower swing weight means less mass to move, and therefore potentially higher swing speeds.

All in all, the lighter the shaft of a golf club, the lighter the overall swing weight is, and therefore the higher the clubhead speed will be at the moment of impact, which results in greater energy transfer and therefore more carry distance, if you hold all else equal.

Stability-Enhancing Features

Lastly, if you can get a senior shaft golf club with a shaft that is enhanced for stability, you have a winner. High-quality senior shafts are made with high-strength carbon fiber tow and angle plies that stabilize the shaft, resisting ovaling and deformation.

This is not necessarily a concern with a faster swing speed, but with jerky swing mechanics. If you have a faster swing tempo, even if your swing is not that fast, a little bit of stability from the shaft can go a long way towards improving accuracy.

Explore Senior Shaft Golf Clubs Here

At the end of the day, even though the features mentioned here will make a senior shaft golf club more friendly to the widest number of golfers, the best way to find shafts and clubs that work for you is to work with a golf club fitter.

We can help with that, and we can even make personalized recommendations. At the same time, if you’re confident you know what you’re here for and know what shafts and clubs to pair, take a look through our collection and find what works for you today.