Page "Golf club" Paragraph 14

At impact, the clubhead can twist as a result of torque applied to the shaft, reducing accuracy as the face of the club is not square to the player's stance.

The ability of a shaft to twist along its length due to this torque is fundamentally a function of the flex of the shaft itself ; a stiffer shaft will also torque less.

To counter torque in more flexible shafts, clubmakers design the shafts with varying degrees of torque through their length, particularly along the thinnest part of the shaft where it joins with the clubhead.

This results in a point at which the shaft is most flexible, called the " kickpoint "; above that point the increasing diameter of the shaft makes it more rigid, while below that point the shaft is reinforced internally to reduce torquing of the clubhead.

Shafts have typically been classified as having a low, medium or high kick ; a low kick means the shaft will store energy closer to the clubhead, which means the clubhead can twist more but also allows for higher clubhead speeds.

A high kick shaft will store energy closer to the grip ; such a shaft will feel firmer when swinging it and will give better control over direction, but the same strength swing will flex the shaft less, which will reduce clubhead speed.