Kick Point and Ball Flight, Decoded

Kick point describes where along a shaft's length the most bending happens under load — closer to the grip end (high kick), the middle (mid kick), or closer to the clubhead (low kick). It's a separate measurement from overall flex, though the two are often confused in casual conversation at the range.

Why Bend Location Changes Launch

A low-kick shaft flexes most near the tip, which allows the clubhead to release and add loft through impact more than a high-kick shaft of similar overall stiffness. The practical effect is a higher launch angle and, often, slightly more spin, even when the flex letter on both shafts is identical.

A Common Misreading

"Low kick" and "soft tip" get used interchangeably at the range, but they're not quite the same thing. Tip deflection tells you how much the tip bends under load. Kick zone tells you where along the whole shaft the bending is concentrated. A shaft can have moderate tip deflection but still read as low-kick if the bend is clustered close to the head.

Chasing "low kick" without checking overall deflection is how golfers end up with a shaft that launches high but feels unstable at impact.

When Low Kick Helps, and When It Doesn't

Players who struggle to get the ball airborne, particularly with slower swing speeds or steeper attack angles, often benefit from a lower kick point. Players who already launch the ball high enough, or who fight a ballooning flight in the wind, are usually better served by a mid or high kick point paired with the right overall flex.

How We Check It

Kick zone gets logged alongside tip, mid, and butt deflection during every deflection-board reading, so a recommendation accounts for bend location and not just overall stiffness.