Golf shafts like fuji golf shafts are available in various shaft weights, flexes, materials and lengths so makers of clubs can make their products which suit the swing of every golfer. Steel shaft tips can be parallel or taper. The tip is the shaft’s part which fits into the clubhead’s hosel.
The shaft weight and tip diameter makes the difference between a taper tip and parallel tip golf shaft. Every golf shafts tend to taper from the butt to the tip; however, parallel tips halt tapering below the last step as taper tips continuously narrows. Until the 1970s, people choose the taper tip as the parallel tip came into life. Parallel tips have been gradually chosen by club makers and has increasingly become the shaft choice since the 1990s.
Shafts tend to evolve as taper tip in order to provide a kind of mechanical lock to the late 1800s’ poor quality glues and through the 1900s. But, epoxies have been introduced in the 1960s with holding strengths greater than what the adhesive industry has seen.
Taper Tip
Just what the name says, taper tip shafts tend to get smaller where it suits into the hosel. For irons, the standard taper-tip shaft is .355 inch at its end requiring a clubhead that has a hosel of the same size. A taper tip shaft is made to each club’s proper length. For instance, a 9-iron shaft will perfectly fit an 8-iron. Also, a taper tip shaft is made with constant weights, thus both the 3-iron shaft and 9-iron shaft have the same weight.
Parallel Tip
Parallel tip shafts have the entire tip portion as a constant diameter. For irons, the standard size is .370 inch requiring a .370 diameter hosel hole clubhead. All parallel tip shafts are made the same for all irons. However, they are trimmed in order to fit each club’s length. This results in the shafts being heavier in the longer irons and lighter in shorter irons.
Parallel tip shafts enabled club makers to have a control over their inventory as they could stock a s shaft length for every iron or wood model, rather than stocking a differnt shaft lenght for every club. With parallel tip shafts, the tip is trimmed by manufacturers for flex. Also, makers trim the shaft’s butt for length.
Adjusting Flex
Adjusting shaft flex with parallel tip shafts involve changing the amount the golfer trims. In order to stiffen the shaft, the tip end must be trimmed more. Trimming less of the tip will weaken the flex making the club longer. But, adjusting the flex with taper-tip shafts includes using a different shaft. A stiffer flex requires the use of the next shorter shaft. In order to soften the flex, the player must step up one shaft length.
Benefits
The taper tip shaft is preferred by most tour professionals and traditionalists due to the constant weight. However, average golfers will observe little difference. Experts say that both parallel and taper tip shafts play the same. Blind testing using identical iron heads will demonstrate no difference in the clubs.
Author Bio: Jeff Brandon is a golf professional and member of professional golfers’ association. She started writing fifteen years ago after he earned his degree. His works on Fujikura shafts appeared in many golf magazines and blogs.
