What is “spining”?
Golf shafts are made by wrapping the steel or graphite into a tube shape and joining it with a seam that runs the length of the shaft. That seam is called the “spine” of the shaft and the location of that seam when the shaft is inserted into the club head affects ball striking consistency in relation to the club face.
The art of spining is the process of locating the spine on the shaft and lining up that spine in the correct position when the shaft is inserted into the club head.
If the spine is not in the correct position the club head will oscillate or wobble during the downswing, translating into an inconsistent location of the club face at impact.
To the touch and to the naked eye, the spine on a golf shaft cannot be detected, therefore special tools are required to find the spine.
Oscillation-Frequency
Spining Method
The oscillation-frequency method of finding the spine in a shaft involves locking the grip end in a vice and rotating the shaft while bouncing the head up and down until it no longer oscillates (wobbles) and bounces straight up and down.
As shown in the video, this method of finding the spine only takes a professional about three minutes. It is also a very good demonstration of how the club head oscillates if the spine is not in the correct position.
Ball Bearing Tool
Spining Method
A specialized ball bearing tool can also be used to find the spine in golf shaft. The spine causes a slight bump in the shaft that cannot be detected with your fingers but a perfectly round ball bearing ring will click when it goes over the bump.
As shown in the video, this method of finding the spine takes a professional less than a minute and it detected the exact same spine location that was marked in the oscillation-frequency method.