One of the initial tests that can be performed in determining the proper shaft for a specific golfer is determining the golfer's swing speed.
There is a great range between seniors, juniors and tour players..
A senior man may approach sixty miles per hour versus a tour professional that is double that speed.
Obviously, the senior man would not be very effective using the tour player's club.
Most golf shops, as well as many private club professionals, have equipment that will test swing speeds.
For the individual that prefers to determine their swing speed on their own, there is a method which may be utilized.
The golfer, utilizing a driver and a five iron, can go to a practice range that has visible range markers and determine a rather general estimate of their capability.
If they will drive the ball consistently over two hundred sixty yards and drive a ball using a five iron over two hundred yards, then they will record a speed of over one hundred miles per hour with their woods and a swing speed of over ninety miles per hour with their irons.
Conversely, if a golfer drives the ball over one hundred fifty yards with a driver and over one hundred twenty yards with a five iron, the golfer would clocked at sixty miles per hour for his woods and fifty miles an hour for his irons.
There are graphs that can be obtained that indicate an assortment of ranges, usually set up in ten mile per hour increments.
When buying clubs from a sporting goods store, how many purchases are made for either price, or the "latest and greatest" promotion? If provided with the golfer's swing speed information, will the store attendee be able to recommend a suitable match? This is not to discredit store or on line purchasing.
The point to be made is the fact that golfers, when purchasing, should understand that the shaft characteristics will influence their playing capability.
Shaft weight and length are additional factors that should be considered when specifying suitable club shaft selection.
While there are no true specification standards in the golf industry, many manufacturers work from a chart designed to differentiate suggested club length between men and woman.
(Probably unacceptable, or distasteful to some).
For many years the man's length is one inch longer than the women's length.
An example would be that the five iron for a man would be forty one and one quarter inch and that of a woman would be forty and one quarter inch.
Since there are many individuals that do not meet the so-called norm, the option of re-shafting has merit.