steel vs graphite shafts

Hi all,

I just picked up golf a couple of months ago. Can anybody share whats the difference between steel shaft and graphite shaft irons?
Which should i use?

In very simple terms steel is heavier, more stable and suited to a wide range of golfers.

Graphite is more suited to those with smoother rhythmic swings and slower swing speeds.

It's really very simple to google graphite shafts versus steel shafts to get a multitude of answers.

Try it.

Birdman, what about those with slow swing speed and no rythm?

DimWit Kid wrote:

Birdman, what about those with slow swing speed and no rythm?

Play chess!

my 2 cents worth from searching the net for info on graphite vs steel ... as a beginner (depending on what keywords u use in the search engine), most of what u find will give u the impression that u should use graphite. However, a lot of the stuff on the net was also before super light steel shafts hit the mass market.

best tip i can give ... before buying anything, try it out on the range first, not after buying ...

when u start, just buy something cheap, learning the basics of a swing can be done with any club

Derek, what's wrong with graphite?

I use graphite and play perfectly fine to a score of 105, which coincidentally is the same gram weight of many steel shafts on the market.

nothing wrong with graphite bro ... but steel is cheaper ...

nowadays there are 75gm steel shafts and 125gm X-Flex graphite shafts ... materials have really advanced ... my own steel shafts are 86gm and more flexible than some OEM S-Flex graphite shafts

guess what i am trying to say is that until u have a stable swing, dun spend too much money on a shiny set of clubs

Ahhh, but there is a way to buy graphite cheap. Wait for set of irons to be obsolete then buy. Obsolete don't mean no good.

My old-as-the hills Cleveland CG4 Tour is shafted with the Graffaloy Prolaunch Blue, and the they were going for a song at $699 for 3-PW. Admittedly I had to pay a $100 more and hand carry them back from Penang cos I thought they were out of stock here. My little bad luck that they shipped in more stock and at a lower price a month after I got mine. But I'm loving them like you are loving your dinked and dented MIURAs.

Yes, graphite can be cheap too, like me.

Birdman wrote:

Derek, what's wrong with graphite?

I use graphite and play perfectly fine to a score of 105, which coincidentally is the same gram weight of many steel shafts on the market.

I agree! Especially when the same graphite shafts can play to 84 too.

Birdman wrote:

Derek, what's wrong with graphite?

I use graphite and play perfectly fine to a score of 105, which coincidentally is the same gram weight of many steel shafts on the market.

Birdie plays to 105?

fm one beginner to another......at the start of golfing 'career'......I don think it makes much difference ....as long as you don go for some tour or pro-type of shaft....

blee2007 wrote:

Birdie plays to 105?

Yup, this bird just don't practice and play enough.

It was at the 2nd GR anniversary game, as Slinger and Derek were my witnesses.

Kept returning to my natural habitat to visit my brothers. Can't help it, NSRCC is a bird sanctuary.

genexis wrote:

Hi all,

I just picked up golf a couple of months ago. Can anybody share whats the difference between steel shaft and graphite shaft irons?
Which should i use?

hi bro

just wonder are you currently taking any golf lesson with any pro around ?

if yes, maybe your pro could suggest what shaft is suitable for you, but then again, it really depend on the pro too. Some good pro really knows quite alot about golf equipment.

if you are not taking any lesson and pick up this game couple months ago, I would like to suggest maybe you might wanna consider taking up golf lesson with some good pro around. They are very good source of information for many fundamental questions.

In general, difference between steel shaft and graphite shaft :

1. the material use to construct the shaft is totally different
2. the process of shaft construction is also different, and in general, graphite can be more complicated, thus the selling price of a set of graphite shaft club could cost higher price than a set of steel shaft club.
3. there are no right or wrong as to who should use graphite or steel shaft, it's all depend on individaul swing pattern and a clubfitter would be the best person to suggest what shaft best suit you.

Hope that would help you.

Try Steelfiber shafts..

wilkang wrote:

Try Steelfiber shafts..

wah !!!!....darm expensive shaft lor...you darm rich lor......haha !!!!

Well..it's better than switching every few months..

wilkang wrote:

Well..it's better than switching every few months..

ya lor, if not, every few month, you break the shaft and need to change again....haha !!!!

Birdman wrote:

Graphite is more suited to those with smoother rhythmic swings and slower swing speeds.

Try it.

i play graphite.....

i get those smooth rhythmic swings from my young days in ZOUL n VU.....

It's more important to develop a repeatable swing first. When you are somewhat consistently hitting to the same distance with the one club you are now using, and sure that you have been bitten by the golf bug, then it may be time to start shopping around and fine tuning your equipment wants to your swing needs. As your swing and game develops, you will be tempted to change your set anyways, better to do it then when you are more experienced and can make a more informed decision.

No one learns how to drive in a Lexus right? We all start with a Honda. So for the most part, it's fine to start out with a steel shaft which is inexpensive and readily available, most loan clubs are steel anyway. Can't advise you on what flex since we don't know how strong you are and what kind shot pattern you are repeating.

Steelfiber shafts are exotic aftermarket shafts that are not for you at this point, stay with the stock offerings that come with the set of irons. You will hear opinions that stock shafts are not up to snuff, don't worry about it. If they really are no good, the equipment companies will not be moving their stock out of the shops, and millions of golfers around the world will be playing very very bad golf. Most of us can get by on stock shafts.

asahi wrote:

Birdman wrote:

Derek, what's wrong with graphite?

I use graphite and play perfectly fine to a score of 105, which coincidentally is the same gram weight of many steel shafts on the market.

I agree! Especially when the same graphite shafts can play to 84 too.

Wow! Birdman 84 yesterday! and who says he will not be buaya'd....

asahi wrote:

Birdman wrote:

Derek, what's wrong with graphite?

I use graphite and play perfectly fine to a score of 105, which coincidentally is the same gram weight of many steel shafts on the market.

I agree! Especially when the same graphite shafts can play to 84 too.

No denying it. Just a matter of in whose hands.

JGoh wrote:

Wow! Birdman 84 yesterday! and who says he will not be buaya'd....

I agree. Last night going into dinner you already tried to with me, remember?

look for any clubfitter for advise... i think DGman can help u....

i think nowadays got those light n "flexier" steel Vs those heavier n stiffer graphite.....
so donkey years ago theory of steel is heavier n stiffer than graphite does not apply now.....
well my 1 cent....

In selecting a shaft, its all about the weight and the flex.

graphite allows shafts to have pretty funky parameters of bend profiles to be made, butt, mid and tip stiffness can be adjusted by design.

steel shafts are more uniform and wall thickness and diameters are the only parameters that can be changed by design to have different bend profiles, but no manufacturer talks about steel shafts that way like graphite shafts... maybe the DG spinners qualify.

well, now a days they can make graphite shafts heavier than steel shafts and vice versa.

Genexis is going to be one confused two month old golfer.