Written by Michael VanDerLaan
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Golf can quickly become a minefield of technical information and doubts, especially when it comes to equipment. This is compounded by an industry that loves to promote very complicated-sounding technologies when marketing products. Our equipment experts take a look at any and everything shaft-related, give you the definitive guide to first understanding what the options are when it comes to golf club shafts, and then the expertise to choose which attributes you want in your own club, all in an effort to answer the question you’re asking - “What shaft is right for me?”
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Let's take a look at the factors to consider when choosing the right golf shaft for your swing.
Steel or Graphite?
Golf club shafts generally come in two materials: carbon steel and “graphite.” Many modern “graphite” shafts are more exotic materials and metals woven together with graphite, but generally are referred to as graphite if they are not purely steel shafts.
Historically, all clubs were made with extremely light, flexible hickory. Then came heavy, stiff steel, and finally the modern graphite and multi-material composite era is upon us.
In today’s game, the most common setup you will see is graphite shafts in all hybrids, fairway metals, and drivers while using steel shafts in all putters and irons. Having said that, there are other combinations used at all levels of the game!
Pure graphite iron shafts, when they first came out, were necessarily very flexible and lightweight, and they presented an entirely different feel and were marketed mostly to ladies and senior golfers when they first came out, before becoming the material of choice for driver shafts in the mid 1990s.
“Modern” graphite shafts are a completely different animal and are almost always technically a multi-material design, but the term “graphite” is still commonly used to refer casually to the entire category of composite shafts.
Multi material or composite shafts (often advertised as carbon fibers) can contain any number of materials, but commonly use titanium, steel, various types of graphite or carbon fiber materials woven together to produce shafts that can do things that would never be possible with steel - such as being extremely lightweight yet extremely stiff and torque resistant at the same time.
As these technologies progress, companies like LA Golf are successfully getting even tour pros to switch to composite putter shafts and brands like Aerotech Steelfiber and Mitsubishi have tour pros playing composite iron shafts.
Shaft Flex Explained
The traditional wisdom when it comes to shaft flex is very straightforward: the faster you swing, the stiffer of a shaft you need in order to be able to control the club head. We’ll explore this more later, but while it’s a good start, it's been proven that “if you hit it 300 yards you need an extra stiff” isn’t the hard and fast rule we once thought it was.
The flex of the golf shaft you choose can effect your ability to hit different shot shapes, as the club will release through the golf ball differently.
What Golf Shaft Flex Is Right For Me?
There are definitely some guidelines for choosing flex, and swing speed is often used as the only guideline. A closer look reveals that while swing speed might be able to get you in the neighborhood, there are lots of personal combinations of release styles and ball flights that can make you match up to a shaft slightly stiffer or softer than your swing speed might suggest.
Extra Stiff (X)
Some guidelines for players who might want to start searching in the range of extra stiff flex are:
- Average drive 275 yards or more
- Average 7 iron distance 175 yards or more
- Average driver swing speed of 105 mph or more
Players whose averages match up with these numbers would fit into extra stiff shafts.
These shafts are mostly favored by players who cannot get a softer flex club to “behave” reliably through impact. Many male TOUR pros play extra stiff clubs, but not all of them do.
Stiff (S)
Some guidelines for players who might want to start searching in the range of stiff flex are:
- Average drive 250 yards or more
- Average 7 iron distance 155 yards or more
- Average driver swing speed of 95-105 mph
Players whose averages match up with these numbers would fit into stiff shafts.
Stiff flex clubs are probably the most commonly used clubs for adult males under age 40.