LEARN FROM SWEET- SWINGING FREDDIE

Torque is a measure of how much a shaft twists as you swing.

- By staff writer Dan Parker

Shafts both bend and twist during the swing. The twist is measured by torque and the bend by shaft flex.

In general, for a strong swinger, a lower-torque shaft creates more consistency, whereas for mid-to slow-speed players, a higher torque might help them square the face more consistently. A low-torque shaft could allow golfers to use a softer flex or a lighter shaft to generate more clubhead speed without sacrificing accuracy, but every golfer is different, so it's vital to be custom-fitted to get the right mix of flex and torque.

Some shaft brands print the torque number in degrees on the shaft, and for most graphite shafts, torque ranges from 3.5° to 5.5°. Torque is more important in graphite shafts because of how they're built, using layers of carbon fibre on top of each other in different configurations. Their lighter weight means that graphite shafts flex and rotate more than steel shafts do.