Equipment
Graphite vs. steel iron shafts – what you need to know
When it comes to selecting iron shafts, graphite vs steel continues to create debate among golfers at all skill levels.
As far as drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids are concerned, the train has left the station with the majority of players using graphite for some time. Graphite offers performance benefits that are impossible to achieve with steel including
- Graphite can be made much stiffer at lighter weights
- Bend profiles can be uniquely tuned thanks to multiple materials and composites (steel is a homogeneous material and very limited in this capacity)
- Graphite has greater shock-absorbing properties to help reduce vibrations transferring to a players hands
It used to be that graphite shafts were only for slower speed players who needed something that was lighter and more “whippy,” but that was a big misconception that continues to have some staying people with golfers unfamiliar with modern technology.
The benefits of graphite shafts in irons
The benefits of graphite shafts in irons vary depending on the weight category they fall into. The weight categories also generally coincide with player swing profiles, which give golfers and fitters the best chance to see a performance gain.
- >40-65 grams: The shafts in the lightest weight category offer players on the slow end of the swing speed spectrum the opportunity to generate more speed and additional high and spin on their shots. There are no steel shafts that are able to fit into this weight range, and graphite opens the door to a lot more players to enjoy that game thanks to total club weight reduction.
- 65-95 grams: This is the biggest portion of the graphite shaft market and where most golfers are going to fit in. The lighter weight shafts in this range continue to help golfers that are looking for extra speed, while the heavier options are a great transition point for players looking to move away from steel. One of the biggest reasons for a golfer to transition into graphite from steel in this weight range would be for vibration reduction, or in some cases to get extra stability unavailable in lighter weight steel compared to the graphite equivalent. Depending on the shaft, 90-gram graphite shafts are just as, if not more stable than, steel.
- 95-120+ grams: These shafts are for the fastest players, and from a materials and design perspective graphite, shafts in this weight range can be made extremely stiff —beyond the point of similar steel shafts. The argument used to be that graphite didn’t offer the same tight dispersion as steel, but that has been proven false and one of the biggest benefits for golfers looking in this category if all the stability (if not more) of steel but with greater injury/pain prevention.
Proven results
Graphite shafts have been commonly used on the PGA Tour for over a decade by players including Brandt Snedeker, Fred Couples, and Matt Kuchar, for the same reason regular weekend golfer use them—lighter weight and extra stability.
When speaking of stability, it was just over a year ago that PGA Tour player Bryson DeChambeau went from steel in his irons to graphite and became the first golfer on the PGA Tour to use 14 clubs with graphite shafts. The designer of those shafts had this to say about working with graphite,
“The versatility of composite materials allows us to add stiffness, drop torque, move the balance, and modify the flex profile without adding additional weight.”
It’s this kind of design versatility that benefits golfers at all levels.
Graphite versus Steel a deeper look
To get a better idea of what a properly fitted graphite shaft is capable of for faster players, the team at TXG have put together a number of videos to demonstrate and discuss their advantages.
Testing the stiffest iron shaft on the market
This week, we have our Tour Photographer, Greg Moore, on the ground at the OccuNet Classic at Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas, for the 14th event of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season. With that, we see some great things in the Lead Tape Report as we roll into Amarillo.
Joel Thelen
Monday Qualifier, Joel Thelen is in the field this week. He has played on the Korn Ferry Tour for a full season in 2023, and he is back in action this week. A couple of clubs caught my eye this week in his bag.
First off: His trusted Titleist 816 H2 hybrid. This club came out in October of 2015, and it still remains strong in the bag. Also, take a look at this Odyssey White Hot OG 7, putting a capital S in the 7S model. This custom neck has some impressive lean for an arm-lock-style putter. The bottom of the putter is covered in tape for optimal weighting.
Mitchell Meissner
Taking a look at Mitchell Meissner’s bag this week, we have some great lead tape coverage. Top to bottom working from fairway metals, irons, and wedges. We can see on the short irons and wedges that there is tape at the base of the grip, adding a little counterbalance. Along with that, some tape on the short irons and wedges as well. Moving to his putter, he rolls the Odyssey 7 Bird putter. Meissner putts left-handed and strikes the ball right-handed.
Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.
Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: Titleist GTS3 (15 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 70 TX
7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 80 TX
Irons: Titleist U505 (3), Titleist 620 MB (4-9)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 8 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putters: Scotty Cameron Tour Prototype, Scotty Cameron GOLO 6.3 Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
In our forums, one user has offered up a prompt for the true sickos, inviting fellow forum members to share every set of irons they’ve ever owned. As to be expected, this is a lengthy forum topic.
@Lamosteve began:
Can you name every set of irons you’ve owned? Here’s mine
Spalding Dots
Spalding Eclipse
Ram Lazer FX
Lynx Parallax
Mizuno EZ Comp
Ben Hogans
Cleveland CG Red
Taylor Made R9s
PING i20
PING iE1
Taylor Made M6
Our members in the forum have been offering up their own collections. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- macedan: “Started with a hand-me-down Golden Bear set from my brother when I was in high school, never really played more than once a year or got into the game until about summer of 2017. First purchased a set of Cleveland CG4’s (I actually really miss this set sometimes, soft & not terribly large for a GI iron), moved into Nike Vapor Fly’s by the end of the year. Those lasted until spring of 18 when I decided I wanted new, so I traded them in for TM Rbladez. Honestly, although I liked the Rbladez, poor decision on my part, I think this was really about the only time so far that after a week or two I was kicking myself for not staying with what I had. Rbladez stayed with me until late last summer when I switched to P790’s and (knock on wood) I am hoping this will be my longest lasting set.”
- JimmyC59: “MacGregor Jack Nicklaus Triple Crown. Palmer The Standard. Still play these.”
- jgrzask: “Tommy Armour 845u
Mizuno MP-32
Mizuno MP-33 (2 sets)
Bridgestone J33cb – still own
Srixon i-302 (2 sets) – still own
Tourstage X-Blades – still own
Mizuno Hot Metal – still own
Nike Forged Blades – still own
Titleist 714 AP1 – still own
Cobra Forged SS – still own”
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Best irons 2026: Best irons overall, most forgiving irons, and more
Bud Cauley WITB 2026 (June)
Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament. Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura...
Hannah Green WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (10 degrees, D4 SureFit setting) Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana RB 53 S 3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees,...
Asterisk Talley WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 S 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (16.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue...
Brianna Do WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (9 degrees) Shaft: KBS PGW 3-wood: Callaway Elyte Titanium (15 degrees) Shaft: KBS PGW 5-wood:...
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Jay White
Nov 12, 2022 at 4:04 pm
Difference between S steel vs R graphite shafts, clubs- Honeycomb USA 2-sw, I’m 68yrs old, swing speed of 85-105mph, I put GP-CP2 wrap jumbo grips on thm, will it be worth it to reshaft these to graphite, I kno they’ll be lighter but will it help in distance ?
My last tournament was the Illinois PGA SENIOR OPEN in 2018. Looking forward to your answer.
Jay
geohogan
Jul 22, 2022 at 10:04 am
Doubt that there is a stiffer tip and butt than Nunchuk graphite wood and iron shafts. All without exotic graphite. Graphite can be wrapped to achieve
specific properties of stiffness or flex. Nunchuk is wrapped to have a “mid” flex point, allowing elimination of torque, dip, gear effect at impact for most consistent impact swing after swing.
With most weight(build up of more layers of graphite) in butt section, these shafts are counterbalanced (similiar to hickory).
The human mind/body will exert more effort subconsciously when we sense more weight, just as we instinctively know how much effort to exert when lifting a light compared to heavy parcel.
Gerry Teigrob
Apr 20, 2021 at 12:23 pm
I used to play graphite shafts until my mid-40s… now I’m eager to get back to them. I used to enjoy the distance, feel, and consistency with them…then I thought I needed steel in my irons. Considering Bryson, Rickie, Freddie, and Matt play them, this encourages me to get a second look at them! I’m also eager to get my game back that’s been missed since moving over to steel.
Scott
Jan 11, 2021 at 10:59 am
I’m an absolutely average speed golfer – 100 mph driver chs. Switched to graphite 2 years ago due to arthritis in shoulders and elbows. I wish I had done so 10 years ago. I first played KBS TGI and have alternately played Matrix Program F15 & MC MMT since. I’ve experienced all the noted benefits of graphite. The one benefit that was unexpected was the increase of spin/spin control on lower/flighted iron shots that I was unable to get with prior Nippon & PX steel.
Dustin C Barrett
Jan 10, 2021 at 9:17 pm
I’m about to switch to graphite in my irons. I have plenty of speed and don’t need distance, but if I’m being honest I’m not going to turn it down. I’m switch because of chronic problems in my hands and wrist that will often keep me from playing and practicing as much as I would like. Especially this time of year. Steel Fiber here I come. PX 7.0 it’s been real but my hands can’t handle you anymore.