The attitude of the shaft during the swing of golfers of different ability

Modern golf shafts are made from a variety of materials. By using composites it is now theoretically possible to match a shaft or a set of shafts to the playing ability of the golfer. Important inputs to this design process are the forces and swing accelerations which different golfers apply to the club. This paper shows how those forces affect the motion of the club during the swing. Time based photographs show the development of the bending properties and calculations based on an FE programme are also given.