Shafts

Construction of golf clubs has changed. The shaft is still a tapered tube made of metal (usually steel) or carbon fiber composite (referred to as graphite). The size of the shaft is roughly 1/2 inch in diameter (12 mm) near the grip and between 35 to 48 inches (89-115 cm) in length.

Before 1935, hickory was the main material for shaft manufacturing, but it proved difficult to master for most golfers plus it was quite frail. Steel would become the choice for golf clubs for much of the second half of the twentieth century. Steel is heavier than hickory but it is much stronger and provides a more consistent performance. Before steel, a golfer would need a slightly different swing for each shaft because of the inherent inconsistencies in the hickory shafts. In 1973 the graphite shaft was first introduced but it wasn’t until the mid 1990's that it gained widespread use. Now it is used on almost all woods and some iron sets. The carbon-fiber composite of graphite shafts boasts increased flex for greater clubhead speed at the cost of slightly reduced accuracy due to greater torque. Steel, which generally has lower torque but less flex than graphite, is still usually chosen by many golfers for irons, wedges, and putters because these clubs stress accuracy over distance.

The amount that the shaft will bend when placed under a load is the shaft flex. A stiffer shaft will not flex as much. This requires more power to bend and "whip" through the ball correctly. This results in higher club speed at impact and more distance. A more flexible shaft will whip with less needed power for longer distance on slower swings, but may torque and over-flex if swung with too much power. This will make the head not to be square, resulting in lower accuracy while golfing. Most shaft makers offer a variety of flexes. The most common are:

- L-Lady
- A-Soft Regular, Intermediate or Senior
- R-Regular
- S-Stiff
- X -Tour Stiff, Extra Stiff or Strong

A regular flex shaft is generally recommended for those with an average head speed (80-94 mph), while an A-Flex (or senior shaft) is for golfers with a slower swing speed (70-79 mph), and the stiffer shafts, such as S-Flex and X-Flex (Stiff and Extra-Stiff shafts) are reserved only for those golfers with an above average swinging speed (usually above 100 mph). "stiff-regular" or "firm" flex is offered by some companies for the golfers whose club speed falls in the upper range of a Regular shaft (90-100 mph), which allows golfers and clubmakers to fine-tune the flex for the player who is stronger than the average amateur-level golfer.

On off-center hits is when the clubhead twists as a result of a torque, reducing accuracy because the face of the club is not square to the player's stance at impact. Many manufacturers have produced and marketed many low-torque shafts aimed at reducing the twisting of the clubhead at impact. These golf clubs tend to be stiffer along their length, also. Currently many brands have introduced stiff-tip shafts. These shafts offer the same flex throughout most of the shaft, to attain the "whip" required to move the golf ball properly, but also include a stiffer tip, that cuts back drastically on the lateral torque acting on the golf club head.

Widely overlooked as a part of the club, the shaft is considered to be the engine of the modern clubhead. Now that graphite shafts weigh considerably less than their steel counterparts, golf clubs are lighter and can be swung at greater speed. Within the last ten years, performance shafts have been integrated into the golf club manufacturing. Performance shafts are designed to address specific requirements, such as to launch the ball higher or lower or to adjust for a golfer’s swing timing (to load and unload the shaft at the correct moments of the swing to maximize power). In the past each club would come with only one shaft, today's clubheads can be fit with many different shafts, creating the opportunity for a much better fit for the average golfer.

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