(Much of the information provided in the course is from various Internet sources and works by equipment gurus such as Tom Wishon and others. To gain a complete and full understanding of equipment, there are no better books than “The Search for the Perfect Club” and “The Search for the Perfect Driver” by Wishon.)


The golf shaft is a piece of equipment shrouded in mystery, confusion and misinformation. However, properly knowing some of the fundamentals of what a golf shaft is, what it means to your game, how it is made, what the flexes are, as well as some of the new products on the market could mean several strokes off of your game.

A few years ago, when the USGA put regulations on driver heads, it became apparent that innovation may have to move elsewhere. Although manufacturers have continued tinkering with the heads (even making them square), the real uncharted territory became shafts.

It wasn’t long ago that golfers were all playing steel shafts. Today, thousands of options are available — steel or graphite, flexes, bend profiles, kickpoints, torque and many more.

Over the following eight weeks, we’ll discuss several topics you need to know, plus showcase some of the best shafts on the market that are available to you.

First of all, there are two types of shafts — steel and graphite — that are important to discover.

The main difference between steel and graphite is simple. It’s the weight of the shaft.

Today’s steel shafts weigh anywhere from 80 to 125 grams, with the majoring coming in the high part of that range. True Temper’s new GS75 is the first steel shaft to break the 80-gram-and-below barrier for steel shafts.



Graphite shafts can tip the scales anywhere between 55 to 120 grams, with the majority being made in the 60- to 70-gram range.

When concentrating on the physical matters of the steel and graphite shafts, it’s important to note the differences in construction. There are two common ways to create a steel golf shaft.

A seamless steel shaft is created by taking a large cylinder of solid steel, heating the cylinder to the point that it can be pierced with a machine. This creates a thick-walled tube of steel. That tube then goes through stretching and squeezing until the shaft reaches a finished product. A welded tube begins its life as a flat strip of steel that is coiled so that the ends can be welded together. The excess material is then removed from the outside and inside. Much like the seamless-steel shaft, the shaft is then stretched and squeezed. Both the welded and seamless shafts are heat treated and have nickel-chrome electroplated to prevent rusting.

The No. 1 difference between steel and graphite is weight. Steel is much heavier than its graphite counterpart.

photo courtesy True Temper

Graphite shafts came into existence when engineers realized they could produce a shaft made of successive layers of graphite fibers held together by a resin. The graphite and resin material make large sheets that can vary in strength, weight and stiffness. Versatility is the obvious advantage of the graphite shaft.

The sheets of material are wrapped around a solid steel rod that forms the graphite into shape and determines the inside diameter of the shaft. The diameter and the number of layers wrapped around the rod determine the weight and stiffness of the graphite shaft. After this process, cellophane is wrapped over the shaft to hold the sheets in place while the shafts are put into special ovens that force the resin to melt, fusing all the graphite sheet layers together into one shaft. The cellophane is then removed and the shaft sanded and painted.


As you watch your PGA Tour each weekend on television, you’ll notice that the pros exclusively use steel shafts in irons and graphite shafts in drivers, at least for the most part. Check out the Champions Tour, and you’ll see a few more graphite shafts in irons and graphite in drivers. Why?

Because distance is king, graphite became an obvious choice for shafts and woods early on. It was readily apparent that the lightweight shaft resulted in a much higher swing speed, which meant much more distance.

But for irons, it was a different story — and all about accuracy. After all, irons are the scoring clubs. In short, some golfers prefer a soft feel provided by graphite (as well as a little bit more distance), while others want the sharp, exacting feel of steel that they grew up playing.

The soft, dampened feel is why older golfers, such as some of the participants on the Champions Tour, are increasingly leaning toward graphite, as it’s much easier on the joints. The graphite also helps create distance for swings that are slow or have slowed a bit over the years.

For golfers that have high swing speeds, the iron shafts make sense, because the heavier weight helps to keep swings under control.

There are many other factors to consider in choosing between graphite and steel shafts. The most important thing is to get properly clubfitted. It’s the easiest way to shave strokes without spending hours on the range.

Week 2 - Why So Many Flexes?