Steel or Graphite Shafts

Most drivers and fairway metals have graphite shafts, as we all know, but the majority of players still have steel shafts on their irons. I was wondering what the reason could be and did a bit of digging, with the top 2 reasons being 1) Cost, as steel shafts are cheaper than graphite & 2) The tolerances for steel shafts are much wider, making it easier for mass production.

I have graphite shafts on my irons, and yes they were more expensive, but my fitter selected the best shaft characteristic that suited my swing. I remember a discussion with him at the time, and he said that if it was advertised that graphite shafts got more distance, there would be a rush for players to change from steel. He laughed and said its a fact that graphite will go longer, but at an average of between 2 and 4 yards hardly seems worth it. He said the greatest benefit is for the older player as the clubs weight is lower which in turn increases swing speed.

Thoughts?

My understanding was that as graphite shafts were a tad more whippy you would get a little less control than a stiffer steel shaft. Therefore they were a good option for kids, some ladies and older guys who had lost swing speed but by and large steel shafts were a better option for your average bloke.

Even if irons with graphite shafts went further there is no benefit anyway as it just means hitting a club less some of the time.

There's a whole industry that's grown up based on the marketing spiel that a correctly fitted carbon fibre shaft can transform your game. In reality there's just a couple of yards in distance between a shaft that costs $ hundreds, and the shaft that comes as standard in your R11.

George, with respect that's completely untrue.

A shaft can make an enormous difference to helping you gain a number of things, none of which are initially about distance.
The primary reason for getting a shaft of any sort that suits you is to help your consistency, this is related to dispersion, i.e. how far you are from the centre line, and producing a consistent and predictable trajectory commensurate with the characteristics of your swing.

It's a pretty scientific approach, and it's only once you've tried out a lot of shafts and clubhead combinations that you will see the difference.

No one is saying that it will help you drive the ball 100 yards further, simply that it will help improve consistency and make your bad shots, less bad.

Not being custom fit is like buying a car without an adjustable seat, you can still drive it, but it could probably fit you better.

I would suggest it's a trade-off between accuracy and distance Doc. Most people, even pros, want decent distance with the driver whereas irons are all about accuracy. Fact is steel shafts are still, for the most part, better for accuracy in the irons. They're also heavier which lots of people like; I do as it tends to keep my tempo in the right area. Cost is undoubtedly an issue as well.

I imagine as graphite technology keeps improving we might see more players adopting them in their irons. Or maybe not...

SR,

I didn't say that there wasn't a benefit to having a shaft custom fitted.

What I said (or meant) was that if you have the correct shaft for you already in your driver (Fujikura or Aldila or whatever), then even the most expensive, tailored fitted shaft will make only a marginal difference to your length, trajectory and accuracy. Will people pay loads of money for a couple of yards improvement? Doubt it.

Sorry George, I misread your post. You are dead right though, whatever is best for you is best for you, whether that be a £600 Matrix or a walking stick. Cost is irrelevant.
I don't think people pay extra for a couple of yards though, I think they pay for something with which they can hit more consistent drives, that's the difference. i'd be more than happy to pay for a shaft which resulted in more accurate drives.

Diggers wrote:My understanding was that as graphite shafts were a tad more whippy you would get a little less control than a stiffer steel shaft. Therefore they were a good option for kids, some ladies and older guys who had lost swing speed but by and large steel shafts were a better option for your average bloke.

This piece seems to refute that:
Question: How Do Steel and Graphite Shafts Compare, and How Do I Choose One or the Other?
Answer: The number one difference between graphite and steel shafts is their weight. While steel shafts today can be made to weigh as little as 90 grams (3.2 oz.), and some graphite shafts as heavy as 120 grams (4.2 oz.), the big reason graphite shafts became popular is their ability to offer stiffness and durability suited to the most powerful swings while being very light in weight.

Mat Kuchar plays and wins with graphite, so does KJ Choi and Monty? Mickleson, Faldo, Daley, Beem and Hoch have also tried them for a while, but preffered the extra weight from steel.

If graphite is a little longer than steel or to look at it another way, an easier swing could reach the same distance with a graphite shaft than a steel, does this not make graphite potentially more accurate?

So if I swing at 85% and can hit a steel shafted 8 iron 150 or swing at 75% and hit a graphite shafted 8 iron 150 then surely the shots with the graphite shaft will have a higher accuracy success rate? Just because a shaft can go longer does not mean you have to use the yardage you could use the accuracy.

I have no idea if this is a realistic example having only played with non custom fitted graphite shafted irons a few times, I actually found wild hooks to be the issue.

I appreciate that this will not be the only factor when it comes to shaft performance but there could be something in it were the shafts well tailored to the player.

Doc wrote:

Diggers wrote:My understanding was that as graphite shafts were a tad more whippy you would get a little less control than a stiffer steel shaft. Therefore they were a good option for kids, some ladies and older guys who had lost swing speed but by and large steel shafts were a better option for your average bloke.

This piece seems to refute that:
Question: How Do Steel and Graphite Shafts Compare, and How Do I Choose One or the Other?
Answer: The number one difference between graphite and steel shafts is their weight. While steel shafts today can be made to weigh as little as 90 grams (3.2 oz.), and some graphite shafts as heavy as 120 grams (4.2 oz.), the big reason graphite shafts became popular is their ability to offer stiffness and durability suited to the most powerful swings while being very light in weight.

Mat Kuchar plays and wins with graphite, so does KJ Choi and Monty? Mickleson, Faldo, Daley, Beem and Hoch have also tried them for a while, but preffered the extra weight from steel.

Fair enough. Just what I was told by my teaching pros when I was shopping for new clubs.

Digs, when I started playing graphite was used in beginners and ladies clubs, then seniors started using them. So your not wrong, but it now seems that the graphite technology has moved on in a big way, but for top quality graphite shafts you will need to spend a bundle. So steel for mass market clubs will still win the day, leaving a big mountain to climb for graphite IMO.

I think it's been mentioned on here before, that the biggest technolgy improvements will be in shaft design and there are now graphite/steel composites that outperform graphite or steel.

Makes sense, was about 5 years ago. Must admit I preferred the graphite clubs I tried at the time but he kinda talked me out of it.

Rather than put some new shafts in my old Pings I have just bought some Mizuno's with graphite shafts. With regards to distance I get about an extra 8 yds further than my previous irons when I compare loft to loft rather than iron number. I only have graphite shafts in my 4-9 irons and steel shafts in my wedges, the reason being is that graphite shafts have more torque than steel shafts so to keep my accuracy in the short game I use steel shafts. Graphites are good for us oldies in that they can dampen vibrations but it has the negative effect of losing some feel.

http://www.thehackersparadise.com/?p=13958

Just found this piece about the ozic's on test