Shaft spines have been defined in a number of ways...they have been called irregularities; high or low spots; out of round places...the list goes on and on. A good working definition of a spine would concern the position of the shaft in a club that allows the shaft to bend naturally as it was designed to do.

Shafts installed with their spines in the neutral position (parallel to the target) permit a club to perform consistently though the set; this is evidenced by player feedback!

A best-fit shaft for a player will load and unload in a straight line in relation to the intended target. Spine Aligning helps to ensure that this will occur; shafts that are not spine aligned tend to bend either more toe-up or toe-down than will provide the best shaft plane for the golfer. Independent tests conducted by Golf Science Consultants have shown that in a small population of golfers tested, they have experienced a 20-60% improvement in their percentages of on-centre hits when using clubs that have properly fitted shafts that have been spine aligned.

Do to the time involved, (added cost to manufacture), most club manufacturers do not “spine align” the shafts that are produced for the general public. Shafts are mass produced, labeled or painted and graphics added. When assembled they are installed so the graphics “Look Good”.  Your spine aligned set will likely have the graphics in different positions, depending on the location of the spine!