Tark’s Indoor Golf uses Flexmaster Technology to spine align and match your set of shafts to a consistent deflection.

Finally in this age of shaft flex confusion comes an instrument capable of standardizing the golf shaft industry. Although it is not likely to be accepted by OEM’s, it enables club makers to build perfectly matched sets of clubs or a single club to exacting specifications. It also allows the testing of OEM clubs. The name of the instrument is the FLEXMASTER. This is not frequency matching, but matching shafts by deflection. Frequency matching shafts is OLD technology.

The first step in building a set of clubs is to put each shaft in the Flexmaster, deflect or bend the shaft and the built in “spine finder” will locate the flex plane of the shaft. This is the line or plane on which the shaft will bend and recover in a straight line.

We have previously determined the required club length and flex so the deflection bar assembly is now adjusted to the designated length. With the “spine” on top the force gauge will record the strongest reading in pounds of that particular shaft. If a stronger flex is required it can only be only be reached by using a stronger flex shaft. If the shaft is too strong it must be butt trimmed to weaken it to the desired poundage/flex.

Once all the shafts have been trimmed to the desired poundage/flex, the shaft is inserted into the club head, measured for playing length and that difference is removed from the TIP end of the shaft, leaving us with the section of the shaft we measured.

Now the clubs are temporarily assembled, with the spine aligned towards the target, oscillation patterns are checked and any necessary adjustments are made.

The head is now permanently attached, swing weights are adjusted if necessary and the clubs are gripped.

Now to check our work we find a use for the frequency analyzer. The clubs are profiled and plotted on a graph. When using the FLEXMASTER, clubs come out at 4 – 5 cycles between each club throughout the set. A large segment of the business is rebuilding OEM clubs, mostly for professionals and mid to low handicappers. This piece of equipment virtually gives all golfers, whether they have a high or low handicap a consistent set of clubs. Not only do golfers get more distance but more accuracy and ease of playing.

As there is currently is no industry standard relating to “flex” this is the most accurate way of measuring and determining a shafts “true” flex. One shaft manufactures “stiff” flex can literally be another manufactures “ladies” flex. There can also be a tremendous variation, especially in graphite, within a manufacturers given “flex range”. We have seen identical marked shafts purchased from reputable distributors vary by as much as 13 pounds on the Flexmaster. This is the equivalent range of “ladies” flex to ” mens extra stiff”. The FLEXMASTER is accurate to within .005 of a pound.