What is this actually doing? In very simple terms, what you are doing is identifying a stable plane on the shaft and then aligning it such that the shaft will bend straight forward without deviating off into some other direction due to the asymmetrical nature of the shaft. For example, if one of the asymmetrical planes is pointed at the target line, or is in line with the swing path, then the shaft will not bend straight forward and may induce a mishit on what was a perfectly good swing. What is spining?Spining is the process of flexing a golf shaft between three free-spinning bearings. This allows the shaft to consistently reveal where it bends each time in the golf swing, and therefore its most stable plane. The shaft will flex and “rebound” from the flexed position, in the same direction, each and every time. This position is commonly referred to as the neutral bend position (NBP, sometimes referred to as the natural bend position) and the shaft will consistently resist moving from this location when flexed in either direction. The orientation of this most stable position in relation to the head of the club, and therefore to the target line and swing plane, is the foundation of spining. Changing this flex characteristic (the “rebound”) of the shaft is impossible. No shaft is perfectly round, straight, or stiff throughout its length. Despite modern manufacturing techniques every golf shaft, whether steel or graphite, remains as individual as our DNA. Spining, in conjunction with flat line oscillation (FLO), will correctly identify and subsequently allow a club builder to align the spine of the shaft (in relation to the club head) to optimize shaft stability and performance. This will ensure the uniform matching of clubs within a set and allow each club to perform to the best of its manufactured capability. At the same time it removes one of the variables from the golfing equation. The sidebar shows pictures taken of the shaft oscillating with the laser attached on a shaft that is aligned in such a way that FLO cannot be achieved (top), and the following picture shows the same shaft oriented in such a way that FLO is achieved. The IronWRX spining and FLO serviceAt IronWRX we can retro-fit your existing set of clubs so that all shafts are aligned exactly the same, or we can assemble from new. We can also supply shafts that have an alignment mark for you to assemble the club(s) yourself. Or if you have purchased your clubs elsewhere and want a quote for having them spined and FLO'd, we are happy to provide that.
NoteThe spining and FLO process means that it may not be possible to align the silkscreen logo of graphite shafts, nor the shaft band of steel shafts. This provides a “badge of honour” that serves as a reminder that the club has been spined and FLO’d. Spining and FLO should ideally always be done with the shaft at its final length. Up to 20 degrees variation can be found once a shaft is trimmed to its final length.
SST PURE®Strategic Shaft Technologies (SST) PURE® is a company that sells golf shafts either pre-marked for alignment, or will offer after-market customization of clubs. This is an extremely elaborate alignment system that will provide a computer generated analysis of the shaft. They use a lathe in tandem with a computer to determine flat line oscillation. And this is a key point – they will arrive at the same FLO point as spining and FLO will.
PUREd® versus spining and FLOSo what happens when analyzing a PUREd® shaft in a spine finder or with a FLO laser? Well, what we have found is that the shaft is oriented in such a way as to prevent "toe droop" of the club, by positioning the spine of the shaft in the 12 o'clock/6 o'clock plane.
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|  | | No FLO achieved |
|  | | FLO achieved |
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