Lite Vs Regular Flex Golf Clubs – What’s Best And For Who?

Shaft flex is important if you are looking to get the most out of your game.

Shaft flex is mainly determined by your swing speed. There are other aspects that are considered like ball speed, ability and age, but predominantly it will be swing speed.

Choosing the right shaft flex can be the difference in you hitting the green or shooting your best score, below I am going to dive into the differences between Lite and Regular Flex.

What Is Shaft Flex?

Shaft flex is how much the shaft bends during your swing.

The faster you swing the club the more the shaft bends. When the shaft bends too much the clubhead becomes unstable, causing you to hit inconsistent shots.

Having a shaft that matches your swing speed will help you control the clubhead and actually generate more speed.

Regular Vs Lite Flex – What’s The Difference?

Regular Flex

A Regular flex shaft is probably the most common shaft flex, if you have a moderate swing speed, you will use a Regular flex.

The Regular flex shaft can weigh anything from 127g to 80g in steel and all the way down to 65g in graphite.

Lite Flex

A Lite Flex shaft falls between a Regular flex and Senior flex. These are generally used in beginner sets.

The shorter Irons (PW-7) will be more towards a Regular flex, and the longer Irons (6-3) will be more towards the Senior flex.

Why do they do that? It’s actually quite simple. The shorter Irons are easier to hit so it is okay to have a stiffer shaft, whereas the longer Iron are harder to hit, so they put a slightly lighter more flexible shaft in them to make it easier for you to hit the ball.

In summary, a Regular flex shaft will have a consistent weight and flex throughout the set. A Lite flex shaft will vary in weight and flex.

Who Should Use Regular Flex?

It all depends on your swing speed. With a Driver if you swing in the range of 85mph – 95mph, you should be using a Regular flex shaft.

With a 6 Iron if you swing in the range of 70mph – 80mph you should use a Regular flex shaft.

In the Regular flex shaft range you get different weights, depending on your ability, feel and age the weight of the shaft that suits you best can change. Make sure to test different weights within the Regular flex shaft range.

The different weights will give you a different feeling, launch and spin characteristics. I suggest getting fitted, because your fitter should know all of this, and will advise you accordingly.

Who Should Use Lite Flex?

It is difficult to come by Lite flex shaft other than in beginner sets.

So I suggest that Lite flex shafts should be used by beginners only. Once your swing improves and becomes more consistent, you will be able to determine what shaft will suit you best.

If you just want to buy a set off the shelf when starting off, the Lite flex shaft is a good option, because it has the best of both.

Swing Speed Vs Shaft Flex Table

6 Iron Swing Speed	Flex
< 60 mph	Ladies
60 – 70 mph	Senior
70 – 80 mph	Regular
80 – 90 mph	Stiff
> 90 mph	X-Stiff

Driver Swing Speed	Flex
< 75 mph	Ladies
75 – 85 mph	Senior
85 – 95 mph	Regular
95 – 105 mph	Stiff
> 105 mph	X-Stiff

As you can see if you swing between 70mph – 80mph you will need a Regular flex shaft in your Irons and 80mph – 90mph in a Driver.

Beginners usually have a moderate swing speed, so going with a Lite flex shaft will be perfect in the shorter Irons and then have a little extra help in the longer Irons.

How To Know If Your Shaft Is Too Flexible

The first thing you will notice if the shaft is too flexible, will be a ‘whippy’ feeling when swinging the club, you will also lose the feeling of where the clubhead is on your downswing.

You will tend to hit hooks if the shaft is too flexible, this is because the shaft will over bend, and cause the clubface to close at impact. When the shaft is too flexible the clubhead will over rotate and come through closed.

Most of the time you will also have too much spin on the ball, this will cause the ball to balloon into the air, landing shorter than it should be.

How To Know If It Is Too Stiff

Having a shaft that is too stiff will feel very hard to swing, it will generally feel too heavy making you tired after a few swings.

A shaft that is too stiff will also cause you to slice the ball, this is because the clubhead can’t rotate to a square position at impact, causing the clubhead to be open, and therefore slicing the ball.

You will also lose clubhead speed and spin, this will cause your ball to fall out of the air making your shots go shorter than they should be going.

Is Lite Flex The Same As Senior Flex – What’s The Difference?

A Lite flex and Senior Flex shaft are different to an extent. A Senior flex shaft is generally a graphite shaft and they have a consistent light weight throughout the set.

A Lite Flex is a combination of Regular and Senior flex. The shorter Irons (PW-7) and more towards Regular and slightly heavier, whereas the longer Irons (6-3) are more towards a Senior flex and lighter.

This combination makes it easier to control the shorter Irons, because of the stiffness, and easier to hit the longer Irons, because of the weight and slightly more flexibility.

What’s The Difference Between Lite And Ladies Flex?

Ladies flex shafts are a lot lighter than Lite flex, generally a Ladies flex is around 45 grams and always graphite shafts, they also have a consistent weight throughout the set.

Lite flex shafts weigh around 85 grams to 105 grams, progressively getting lighter as the shaft gets longer. They also come in graphite and steel, mostly steel though as they are cheaper.

What Shaft Flex Do The Pros Use?

Most Professionals swing over 90mph with a 6 Iron, and over 105mph with a Driver, this would indicate that they use X-Stiff shafts in their clubs.

How To Measure Your Swing Speed?

The best way to measure your swing speed is with a Launch Monitor.

These days there are plenty of options out there, at affordable pricing too. The most popular brands are Trackman, Flightscope and GC Quad, these do come at a hefty price though.

Recently Garmin have brought out a cheaper option called the R10, the price point in incredible, and it can fit easily in your golf bag.

I suggest chatting to your local Pro or book a fitting at your nearest fitment centre, they should have a Launch Monitor available for you to use.

Should You Get A Fitting?

100% yes!

With golf clubs being quite expensive these days, there is no reason not to get a fitting done.

You do not need to be an experienced golfer, any level of golfer can go.

Our Favorite Lite Flex Shafts – Callaway Edge 10 Piece Golf Set

Like I mentioned before Lite flex shafts usually come in package sets.

The Callaway Edge 10 Piece Set is perfect for beginners, it’s affordable and has great quality for what you pay for. It comes with all the clubs you need to get your golfing journey started.

Pros

• Lighweight
• Easy to hit
• 10 piece set
• Affordable price
• Odyssey White Hot Pro Putter

Cons

• Not as good quality as a top of the range set
• Shaft flex could be to flexible for some
• Doesn’t come with a bag

Overall Score: 93/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Our Favorite Regular Flex Shafts – True Temper Elevate 95

This shaft is ultra lightweight, with high spinning, high launching characteristics to get the ball up with ease, this promotes optimal flight trajectory and landing conditions. The VSS technology reduces vibrations.

Pros

• Lightweight
• High spinning and launching
• Easy to hit
• VSS technology
• Cheap price

Cons

• Could be too light for some
• Some players might spin them too much

Overall Score: 94/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Conclusion

Choosing the right flex can be extremely beneficial to your game.

When starting off the game, going with a Lite flex shaft can really help make it easier, your longer Irons are always hard to hit, so getting a little help from the lighter and more flexible shaft will be beneficial.

Regular shafts have a consistent weight throughout the set, I would recommend these to someone that has been playing the game for a while, and who has a moderately fast swing speed.

Remember to check our Swing Speed Table to see what shaft flex you fall into.

If you can, always go for a fitting, there are more pros than cons, it can only benefit your game.