Equipment
Steel vs. graphite putter shafts: What do the top-25 PGA Tour players actually use?
Before we get into the research experiment below, I wanted to say something quickly: NO ONE, ever, has “figured out” how to putt.
There are some golfers who are less terrible at putting than others, certainly, or they’re less terrible than they used to be, hopefully, but no one has ever figured out the perfect technique, grip, shaft, head design, face design, hosel configuration, toe hang, or swing weight.
Over the years, there have been countless waves, trends, fads and systems that get introduced to the world of golf.
Some ideas come and go. Some ideas are a flash in the pan, and they work for a few rounds, or for a few people, but the golf world ends up moving on.
But, every so often, some ideas spark a complete paradigm shift, and help move the future of the golf industry forward, while also making golfers better.
Are graphite putter shafts simply a flash in the proverbial pan? Or are we standing at the forefront of a massive shift in what’s considered a “normal” putter?

Scotty Cameron putters at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
If a golfer, in the year 2023, stepped on the tee box with a steel-shafted driver, they would be playing the game using ancient technology. And possibly mocked by their playing partners.
Is that where we’re heading with putter shafts? Will every putter have a graphite shaft in 20 years?
From my perspective, as someone who covers golf equipment on the PGA Tour week-in and week-out, it has certainly seemed that graphite putter shafts are gaining more traction among PGA Tour players. More players testing each week, and more players switching.
A few decades ago, there was one option for your putter shaft: Steel.
Now, there’s a broad spectrum of composite shafts that are available to PGA Tour players, offered in a range of different flex-and-weight options.
As I recently learned from Collin Morikawa’s putter shaft prototyping process, it’s not always easy to find the right combination of stiffness and weight with a graphite putter shaft, but striking that balance can prove successful.
Some PGA Tour players seem to be finding greater stability, and thus, less face twisting throughout the stroke, when using graphite or composite shafts.
Putting is putting, though, so finding the right feel and weight for speed/control purposes remains vital. It’s not purely about stability, since there’s still human motion involved.

Odyssey putters at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
In general, composite shafts have undoubtedly become more mainstream, and various manufacturers are currently selling graphite shafts to the public. It seems the list of options, and the list of companies making graphite putter shafts, continues to grow.
With all that being said, I wanted to know what the putter shaft landscape looks like at the moment. What are the best players on the PGA Tour using? What are the top-ranked putters on the PGA Tour using?
Are we riding a wave of graphite putter shafts, or is this more of a permanent shift?
I’m considering this story as the baseline data pool for future reference, so that we can look back later to determine if the number of graphite putter shaft users is growing, or shrinking.
In this story, I tracked the top 25 golfers, as ranked by the Official World Golf Rankings, to see what putter shaft style they’re currently using. Then, I tracked the top 25 golfers, as ranked by the Strokes Gained: Putting category for the 2022-2023 PGA Tour season.
Below are the results, as of the 2023 ZOZO Championship.
I’ll see you again in 2024 to see if the numbers have changed.

Top 25 in the Official World Golf Rankings
- Scottie Scheffler: Steel
- Rory McIlroy: Steel (Black)
- Jon Rahm: Steel
- Viktor Hovland: Steel
- Patrick Cantlay: Steel
- Xander Schauffele: Steel (Black)
- Matt Fitzpatrick: Steel
- Max Homa: Steel
- Brian Harman: Steel
- Wyndham Clark: Steel
- Tom Kim: Composite (LA Golf P135)
- Tyrrell Hatton: Steel
- Collin Morikawa: Composite (Mitsubishi Diamana 105-gram Prototype)
- Jordan Spieth: Steel
- Tommy Fleetwood: Steel
- Cameron Young: Composite (UST Mamiya All In)
- Keegan Bradley: Steel
- Brooks Koepka: Steel
- Cameron Smith: Steel
- Sam Burns: Steel (Black)
- Jason Day: Steel (Black)
- Tony Finau: Steel
- Sepp Straka: Composite (Odyssey Stroke Lab, all-steel, half-composite)
- Rickie Fowler: Steel
- Justin Thomas: Steel
Takeaways
- Four (4) golfers from the Top-25 in the current OWGR are using a composite shaft
- Four (4) of the 22 golfers who are using steel shafts are using steel shafts with a black finish
- 17 golfers in the top-25 in the OWGR are using silver steel shafts

Top 25 Strokes Gained: Putting
- Maverick McNealy: Steel
- Taylor Montgomery: Steel (Black)
- Denny McCarthy: Steel
- Harry Hall: Steel
- Xander Schauffele: Steel (Black)
- Max Homa: Steel
- Tyrrell Hatton: Steel
- Sam Burns: Steel (Black)
- Justin Suh: Steel
- Matthew Fitzpatrick: Steel
- Andrew Putnam: Composite (Odyssey Stroke Lab: Half-steel, half-composite)
- Sam Ryder: Composite (Odyssey Stroke Lab: Half-steel, half-composite)
- Tommy Fleetwood: Steel
- Brendon Todd: Steel
- Sahith Theegala: Steel
- Adam Scott: Composite (TPT Prototype)
- Eric Cole: Composite (Odyssey Stroke Lab: Half-steel, half-composite)
- Harris English: Steel
- Peter Malnati: Steel
- Keegan Bradley: Steel
- Brian Harman: Steel
- Adam Hadwin: Composite (Odyssey Stroke Lab: Half-steel, half-composite)
- Alex Noren: Steel (Black)
- Aaron Baddeley: Steel
- Nicolai Hojgaard: Composite (Odyssey Stroke Lab: Half-steel, half-composite)
Takeaways
- Six (6) of the top-25 putters use a composite putter shaft
- Four (4) of the golfers who are using a steel shaft are using a steel shaft with a black finish
- 15 golfers in the top 25 of Strokes Gained: Putting are using a silver steel shaft

Conclusion
The PGA Tour is a great place to find out about the equipment that’s trending among the best players in the world.
Honestly, there were fewer top-25 players using graphite shafts than I would have guessed. But, there are definitely more graphite shafts being used among the top putters in the world than among the top players in the world. I’m not saying there’s a correlation, but there is a difference.
Either way, take this story as a nudge into experimentation. If some of the best players in the world are trying graphite putter shafts and putting them in play on the PGA Tour, then maybe it’s time you give one a try for yourself.
Next time you have the chance, ask your local professional fitter or teaching pro if you can give a new graphite putter shaft a test. Maybe it’s your answer. Or maybe not. The best way to know is to know.
Whats in the Bag
Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400


Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.
Equipment
TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available
TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.
The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.
One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.
See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:
MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

Equipment
Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory
In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.
McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.
So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?
Driver
2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.
What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)
The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.
Fairway woods
2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.
Irons
2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.
With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.
Wedges
2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.
Putter
2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.
Ball
2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)
As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.
Grips
2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC
Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.
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Getemgoose
May 29, 2024 at 8:29 pm
I feel like Xander is either a kbs CT or graphite….?
TechyList
Nov 18, 2023 at 2:15 am
I’m curious to know what the top-25 PGA Tour players actually use.
Jake
Oct 30, 2023 at 10:23 am
I love seeing used L.A.B putters with expensive graphite shafts going up for sale. You can’t buy a good putting stroke or the ability to read the green. Get something simple and go practice.. the shaft matters very very little
Josh
Oct 29, 2023 at 6:08 pm
As with most equipment evolution, I’d love to see the stats for age versus preference. If you’ve been playing with a steel shaft at a very high level for a decade, you’re much less likely to try out a composite shaft for long enough to get competitive with it.
BT
Oct 29, 2023 at 2:36 pm
I decided to measure my putters total weight and MOI since many here are saying the graphite shafted putters should be lighter. I have two black shaft Stroke Lab V-Line putters and O-Works R-Line steel shafted putter. They all have the same Stroke Lab grip. The V-Lines both have a total weight of 543g and MOI of 2744 kg/cmsq. The O-Works has a total weight of 518g and an MOI of 2643kg/cmsq.Obviously, the brass b u t t weight makes the Stroke Lab putters heavier while keeping the MOI fairly constant.
Food for thought.
BT
Tim
Oct 29, 2023 at 8:25 am
This is a poorly written and non-sensical article. Your last paragraph was completely disproven by the amount of steel vs graphite players on tour. These sentences makes absolutely no sense: “ But, there are definitely more graphite shafts being used among the top putters in the world than among the top players in the world. I’m not saying there’s a correlation, but there is a difference.” Seriously I expect more we’ll organized and thought out writing and conclusions from my middle school students.
Joe
Oct 27, 2023 at 6:29 pm
Just went the opposite direction and got a hefty putter shaft weighing 350 grams and for me it was a game changer.
Much smoother and less yippie stroke with a heavier putter.
Putter total weight is almost double of a standard putter.(800 grams)
imafitter
Oct 27, 2023 at 2:55 pm
I just purchased an Odyssey Versa White-Hot Three-T putter with the Red Stroke Lab shaft and 14″ Super Stroke 2.0 Tour grip. I have two other White-Hot putters, both older with steel shafts, and I can definitely feel the difference. I am rolling the ball straighter and with more accuracy on the line, plus making more putts inside 5 feet.
BE
Oct 27, 2023 at 11:33 am
I would be curious of the steel shaft users who is using a step vs stepless shaft.