Graphite vs Steel

[Richardb1012302]

Hi, seen some irons in the sales, and a quick question on shafts. Is a stiff Graphite similar to a regular Steel shaft? Also just to add my swing speed isn't high.

Thanks

 

[Slime]

Hi Richardb1012302,
If they are for sale at a decent retailer they should let you have a try, preferrably with both types of shaft.
The only way of making a proper judgement, in my opinion, is to try them both.
Many people buy cars for the price of a good set of clubs, but not without a test drive first!
Get a custom fitting.......end of.

Slime.

 

[CliveW]

Hi Richard,
I think different manufacturers will have different specs re shafts. I was once fitted for Callaway X16s and the graphite shaft that was specified was "firm flex" which equated to "regular" in a steel shaft. What make of irons are you looking at? A "Google" search might provide your answer. As for a custom Fit, you won't get that for a sale item.

 

[Ethan]

Short answer. No, or possibly yes.

Regular and stiff as descriptions, do not compare very well from one brand to the next of graphite or steel, and even less so between graphite and steel. The reason for the last bit is that the playing characteristics of graphite are different from a steel shaft of the same weight and labelled flex.

Graphite is generally chosen for irons by people who want lightweight shafts which absorb more impact, say of they have dodgy wrists or something similar. Graphite irons tend to have higher torque and may be soft in the tip, for greater height. Steel irons will tend to have lower torque and be of more uniform flex through the shaft.

What brands of graphite or steel were you looking to compare?

 

[Robobum]

Ethan, where have you picked up all the shaft knowledge??

Do you work for one of the manufacturers or is it just an interest??

Invaluable help you give forummers regardless.

 

[BeachGolfer]

My $0.2 and broadly speaking, any OEM installed graphite shaft i.e. their own make, will play weaker to flex than that printed on the shaft, whereas a true shaft manufacturers True Temper, Aldila etc offerings will be somewhat closer. A caveat here that "made for" shafts favoured by some manufacturers are particularly off - a Cobra Pro Baffler I had with a stiff made for Cobra Fujikura Speeder actually returned the cycles per minute (CPM) somewhere between senior and ladies flex! If you have a slower swingspeed, lean toward lighter shaft weights regardless of their composition.

 

[Jonny]

Going a little further than Ethan. With Graphite technology being what it is today the shaft makers are able to more finely tune the shaft characteristics than is possible with steel. These days flex is something spoken about only at the level of the marginally trained club fitter. What you are looking for instead is the correct bend profile. That takes into account the tip, middle and butt sections of the shaft in relation to torque and downflex in order to provide the option strike position. That works best with a doppler radar thing... and in many cases steel is recommended anyway.

Further to that there are now many high torque lightweight steel shafts in the 70g range and graphite shafts coming in at 120g plus.

You can basically have anything you want now... it's all preference and performance!

 

[DavidO]

Graphite shafts seem to have come back recently I remember reading that they couldn't get graphite to be equal throughout the iron range, hence why they were used with woods.

Presume technology has advanced enough now!!

 

[Ethan]

Going a little further than Ethan. With Graphite technology being what it is today the shaft makers are able to more finely tune the shaft characteristics than is possible with steel. These days flex is something spoken about only at the level of the marginally trained club fitter. What you are looking for instead is the correct bend profile. That takes into account the tip, middle and butt sections of the shaft in relation to torque and downflex in order to provide the option strike position. That works best with a doppler radar thing... and in many cases steel is recommended anyway.

Further to that there are now many high torque lightweight steel shafts in the 70g range and graphite shafts coming in at 120g plus.

You can basically have anything you want now... it's all preference and performance!

That is all perfectly true, but I just assumed the OP was talking about a standard OEM set, which tend to be softish, lightish and torquey in graphite and lower torque and more tip stiff in steel.

 

[viscount17]

Going a little further than Ethan. With Graphite technology being what it is today the shaft makers are able to more finely tune the shaft characteristics than is possible with steel. !

Perfectly true but the caveat you need to add is 'at a price'. It is not something you will get with an off-the
-shelf shaft.
A local club maker told me that he tests every shaft in every batch that he buys, and that with some better known (more popular) high street brands he has to discard anything up to 20% as unusable.

 

[chris661]

A local club maker told me that he tests every shaft in every batch that he buys, and that with some better known (more popular) high street brands he has to discard anything up to 20% as unusable.

I was talking to a titleist rep and he said something similar.