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Is a heavier golf shaft stiffer?

Author

Emma Payne

Published Jan 13, 2026

A stiff shaft is firmer and harder to bend than a regular shaft, and so more often than not, they're also heavier in weight. As a rough rule of thumb, the more speed you generate, the stiffer your shafts should be.

Does shaft weight affect stiffness?

This myth is trashed. Let's start with spin. Some testers did have their lowest launch and spin with the heavier, stiffer shafts, but one player spun the heaviest shaft the most and three players spun the stiffest shaft the most. The results for launch were even more contrary.

What does a heavier golf shaft do?

The heavier a shaft is, the more likely it is that your golf ball will fly low and with less spin. If it's lighter, the ball will tend to fly higher and spin more. As Briand explains, the weight of a shaft has less impact on swing speed than golfers think, but that lighter shafts could increase the rate of closure.

What happens if golf shaft too heavy?

Nippon suggested that a player should be able to tell largely by feel. A shaft that's too heavy will cause a “labored golf swing.” A shaft that's too light will hurt your ability to make solid contact. When you find the right shaft weight, you'll experience a “high energy swing” with uniform contact.

Why do pros use heavier shafts?

Heavy shafts tend to produce more distance, accuracy, and lower ball trajectory for a golfer with faster swing speeds.

35 related questions found

Is a 75 gram shaft too heavy?

75 and 85 Gram Shafts And Who They Are For? These are generally for your stronger and better players, as they will be generating a lot of clubhead speed, the weight of the shaft helps to keep the clubhead under control during the swing.

Is a 70 gram driver shaft too heavy?

A 70-gram driver shaft is considered to be pretty heavy but not the heaviest. It falls into the middle but is still on the heavier side when you consider you could go with 50 or 60 grams instead.

What weight shaft should I use?

In general, golfers with slower swing speed and tempo can and should play a lighter shaft. Golfers with very fast speeds and tempo should play heavier shafts. Driver shafts typically weigh 55-60 grams for men and 45-50 grams for ladies.

What shaft weight should I use for my driver?

The shafts in the drivers of most golfers are probably in the 60 gram bracket. These shafts are light enough to help with speed yet heavy enough to give that feeling of more stability during the swing. This shaft weight will be beneficial to most golfers out there.

How does a heavier shaft affect swing weight?

Adjust the swingweight of a club by installing a heavier or lighter shaft. The swingweight increases by one swingweight point for every 9g of shaft weight added. The swingweight decreases by one swingweight point for every 9g of shaft weight removed.

What happens if my shaft is too soft?

The first indication that your driver shaft is too soft is likely going to be a wild shot pattern from the tee. It's perfectly normal, and inevitable, to hit a poor drive from time to time. But if your shots are varying wildly from one swing to the next, there is a good chance that your driver shaft is too flexible.

Does a heavier golf shaft increase distance?

A heavier shaft will only increase distance for the golfers that have high swing speeds. For golfers with slow swing speeds, a heavier shaft will decrease the distance. Hitting a golf ball far is all about ball speed.

What weight shaft does Bryson Dechambeau use?

According to Schomin, along with the 190-gram head, Bryson is using a 48-inch version of the LA Golf Axis Blue 60 X shaft he plays on the PGA TOUR.

How many grams should my shaft be?

The shafts in most drivers typically weigh between 40 grams and 85 grams. Shaft manufacturers will offer stiff and regular flex in nearly all weight classes while most light and ladies flex clubs will weigh no more than 55 or 60 grams, but could be as light as 40 grams.

What is considered a heavy golf shaft?

According to "Golfweek," steel shafts weigh up to 125 g and extra-heavy shafts weigh up to 139 g. Graphite shafts typically weigh up to 90 g.

How much difference does shaft weight matter?

The Importance of Shaft Weight

To further complicate matters, torque, flex, and bend profile can all impact an athlete's perception of shaft weight. Theoretically, a lighter shaft would mean a faster swing than a heavier one, but in reality, not all golfers increase their speed when their shaft is lightened.

What happens if golf shaft is too light?

Worse, a clubhead that's too light often results in poor swing mechanics like deceleration in the downswing, sequencing issues and a swing path that hits the ball with a glancing blow. “Efficient golfers hit with their body and get their body weight into it,” Mucklow says.

What happens if shaft is not stiff enough?

When the golf ball is struck it will generally have too much spin if the shaft is too flexible, this will cause a 'ballooning' effect on the shot and it will tend to go quite high. You might have an inconsistent shot shape if the shaft is too flexible.

Should 3 wood shaft be heavier than driver?

Your fairway wood shafts should be slightly (5 to 15 grams) heavier than your driver shaft. So if you are playing a 65 gram driver shaft (noted by a numeral 6. 65, or some other designation on the shaft decal), your fairway woods should be 70 to 80 grams.

Does a heavier golf club hit the ball farther?

Irons and wedges: 110-140 grams

Compared to lighter equipment, most of your average male golfers will find the center of the face more often and realize more purely struck shots. This will increase your average distance and minimize the difference between your great shots and your misses.

Is my driver shaft too heavy?

If you are struggling to swing through the ball, and are pushing your shots, it is likely the driver shaft is too heavy for your swing. A heavy driver shaft will further reduce your clubhead speed, which will limit your ability to generate sufficient ball speed.

What shaft does Dustin Johnson use?

TaylorMade P730 DJ Proto

The rest of his irons, from 3-iron to pitching wedge, are P730 DJ Proto irons. These are fitted with True Temper X100 shafts - a shaft he has used in his irons ever since his junior days.

What shafts does Tiger Woods use?

Tiger has a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 60 TX shaft fitted to his driver.

What driver shaft does Rory McIlroy use?

Rory's driver is a 9º head, with the hosel adaptor set a notch lower so the loft plays more like 8.5º. The sliding sole weight is in a pretty neutral position, and the shaft is a Fujikura Ventus Black 6X tipped one inch (to make it play stiffer).

Are lighter iron shafts better?

To optimize the swing speed, golfers with slower swing speeds and slow tempo should use lighter golf shafts. The contrary is correct for heavier shafts, which are better for faster swing speeds. Utilizing heavier shafts may improve accuracy, whilst lighter shafts can enhance total distance.