Driver Graphite Stiff

Golf shafts?

I'm looking to buy a new driver, however, there is a ton of shafts to pick from. Aldila NV-65, Fujikura 64 Graphite, Graffaloy ProLaunch, Graphite Design YS-6 (and 7).

So, I know what the flex means, I know I need stiff, but what is the difference between all of these?

Assuming that what you really want to know is which shaft is best for you, I will attempt to asnwer that question.

There is basically 4 components to modern shafts:
1. flex
2. kickpoint
3. length
4. weight

Flex - as you noted, you already know that you need a stiff flex, so I won't comment too much on that.

Kickpoint - this is probably the most important facor after flex. Contrary to what another poster said, this **will** affect your game. The kickpoint determines the trajectory of your ball flight. Golfdigest did an experiment where they custom fitted dozens of club champions with new shafts, and increased the average drive of these champions by 17 yards. The shaft matters. The basic rule is: If you tend to hit really high shots, then you want a shaft with a high kickpoint, which will launch the ball on a lower trajectory and give you more distance. If you have trouble getting the ball up in the air, you want a shaft with a low kickpoint, which will produce a higher ball flight.

Length - this is not that important unless you are extraordinarily short or tall and need a custom length. If you want exra distance, go for a longer shaft, but beware: it makes it much harder to control. Also, USGA rules only allow a driver to be a maximum of 48 inches long.

Weight - this can be important if you get a shaft that is too heavy. Pros tend to use heavier shafts because heavier shafts tend to make it harder to swing too fast. Most amateurs need slightly lighter than average shafts to help them swing the club fast enough. I was recently fitted, and moving to a lighter shaft weight increased my swing speed by 10mph (and I don't really have a slow swing -- 110mph on my driver).

Each of the models that you mentioned probably come in vaius weights, kick-points, flex and length. Once you find out what you need with regard to those four items, you can start narrowin your selections based on what each manufacturer offers. All the manufacturers make good shafts and you will find pros using all of them.