Driver vs. Fairway Wood Shafts

[JohnSmalls]

First of all---apologies for what may be a naive question; still lots to learn. Is there any difference besides length/adapter in driver shafts vs. fairway wood shafts?

 

Secondly---is anyone playing a longer length (driver) or shorter shaft in their 3 woods, making it into a strong 3 wood or "4 wood"?  I am getting ready to tinker with a new-to-me 3 wood.  What have been your experiences with different shafts in your 3 woods?

[null]

Generally driver shafts are the same as fairway wood shafts, meaning it is one shaft at raw length and is then butt trimmed to play at a specific length depending on the club

[null]

I've had a lot of success with having the same shaft in my driver and 3 wood (I play a 16.5 degree 3 wood, which is basically a 4 wood with a 3 wood length shaft)

 

However that shaft setup isn't for everyone. Most amateurs struggle launching fairway woods, especially off the deck. Therefore, manufacturers often have a variety of shafts in their lineup to meet the variety of launch/spin conditions that different players would require.

 

For example. The project x hzrdus line has a black, yellow and red. The black and yellow are normally viewed as driver shafts while the red is viewed as a fairway wood shaft. That being said, it all depends on the needs of the golfer. The average amateur would probably do best with the HZRDUS red in their fairway wood. I do best with the hzrdus yellow in my fairway wood. Dustin Johnson games a hzrdus black in his fairway wood

[JohnSmalls]

I've had a lot of success with having the same shaft in my driver and 3 wood (I play a 16.5 degree 3 wood, which is basically a 4 wood with a 3 wood length shaft)

 

However that shaft setup isn't for everyone. Most amateurs struggle launching fairway woods, especially off the deck. Therefore, manufacturers often have a variety of shafts in their lineup to meet the variety of launch/spin conditions that different players would require.

 

For example. The project x hzrdus line has a black, yellow and red. The black and yellow are normally viewed as driver shafts while the red is viewed as a fairway wood shaft. That being said, it all depends on the needs of the golfer. The average amateur would probably do best with the HZRDUS red in their fairway wood. I do best with the hzrdus yellow in my fairway wood. Dustin Johnson games a hzrdus black in his fairway wood

Thanks Jlukes! Naively I never gave much thought to having the same shaft in my driver/fairway woods.  Thankfully hitting fairway woods off the deck hasn't been an issue for me, in fact I got to the point at the end of the summer where I was even hitting driver off the deck with surprising success.  Another rookie question for you, is it normal for fairway woods to have a slightly heavier shaft than a driver even if it is the same shaft? 

[null]

Thanks Jlukes! Naively I never gave much thought to having the same shaft in my driver/fairway woods. Thankfully hitting fairway woods off the deck hasn't been an issue for me, in fact I got to the point at the end of the summer where I was even hitting driver off the deck with surprising success. Another rookie question for you, is it normal for fairway woods to have a slightly heavier shaft than a driver even if it is the same shaft?

Generally, yes. But not always. The standard thought is about 10 grams heavier.

 

The stock setup you'll see the most is something like 65 in driver, 75 in fairway, 95 in hybrid.

 

I go 65 in my driver and 75 in my fairway. Again, no right or wrong and you're results my be different if you go for a fitting, but the middle of the bell curve does the best with a fairway shaft that's about 10g more than the driver shaft. In fact if you look at most OEM stock offerings, it's exactly how they stage their lineup.

[QuietStorm]

Hi, I bump into this thread a while ago and quickly registered. Would like to chip in my costly experience..

 

First, I had exactly same spec and same weight shafts in my driver and 5 wood. It didn't work. The 5 wood shots hooked. This was when I used Diamana R series. 

 

Second, which is current, I bought a Speeder Evolution 3 for my 5 wood thinking that I need a more 'kicking' shaft for my fairway shots. I was wrong. I end up having to slow my tempo down. If I apply my usual tempo, I can feel the head is lagging and it is very difficult to find a good contact. My driver shaft is now Diamana BF and my hybrid shaft is Diamana S+. Both are working well. I should have sticked to the blueboard line and bought a Diamana BF for my fairway wood. The idea of having a more 'kicking' shaft for fairway wood just does not work for me. 

[jaskanski]

Hi, I bump into this thread a while ago and quickly registered. Would like to chip in my costly experience..

 

First, I had exactly same spec and same weight shafts in my driver and 5 wood. It didn't work. The 5 wood shots hooked. This was when I used Diamana R series. 

 

Second, which is current, I bought a Speeder Evolution 3 for my 5 wood thinking that I need a more 'kicking' shaft for my fairway shots. I was wrong. I end up having to slow my tempo down. If I apply my usual tempo, I can feel the head is lagging and it is very difficult to find a good contact. My driver shaft is now Diamana BF and my hybrid shaft is Diamana S+. Both are working well. I should have sticked to the blueboard line and bought a Diamana BF for my fairway wood. The idea of having a more 'kicking' shaft for fairway wood just does not work for me. 

 

Boom.

Great post - and a stark reminder to get fitted for your clubs - especially woods.

Needles to say (as is quite evident in this post) tempo is everything when swinging a club. The problem is, as club length varies through the set, the shaft weight becomes critical. Weight is probably the most over looked parameter in shaft fitting and nothing highlights this more than the wrong shaft compared to driver and fairways - they are ultimately different beasts, but it should never be ignored they are different head weights and different lengths, besides being employed for different purposes.

Therefore, never assume that the shaft type and weight which works for one will work for another. A fitting is the only solution - unless you have enough time and money on your hands for trial and error.

[Mr_Theoo]

What a perfect time for this topic as I'm gong to be getting fitted in March. I've always struggled with my fairway wood. On the days I'm in sync with it the club is a star but when I'm not it's a nightmare. It also never seems to be the same day I'm on with the driver. If I'm swinging one well the other seems to suffer

[McaseyM]

Maybe it is an Aldila thing only and I'm totally wrong, but I thought that you take a driver shaft, tip it 1 inch to lower the kick point for higher launch, then butt trim to desired length. I'm sure there's obviously some fairway specific shafts, but I if you wanted the same shaft as your driver, that's how you make it for the FW

 

 

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[Bob Sloman]

Hello, my first post but I have to say my bit. The logic of putting a heavier shaft in a three wood than a driver is completely confused.  The three wood has a shorter shaft , which by definition makes it stiffer and compensates for the extra weight in the head.  I have a ping G 15 60s driver and the matching 3 wood with a 75s  which is the standard configurationsfor these clubs.  I love the driver can’t stand the three wood -  it’s too stiff and I can’t feel the head.  The same weight shaft should be in both . Thank you. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, Bob Sloman said:

Hello, my first post but I have to say my bit. The logic of putting a heavier shaft in a three wood than a driver is completely confused.  The three wood has a shorter shaft , which by definition makes it stiffer and compensates for the extra weight in the head.  I have a ping G 15 60s driver and the matching 3 wood with a 75s  which is the standard configurationsfor these clubs.  I love the driver can’t stand the three wood -  it’s too stiff and I can’t feel the head.  The same weight shaft should be in both . Thank you. 

Its pretty general about going heavier from driver to wood, wood to hybrid, hybrid to irons and wedges.

for driver to wood it’s not a hard fast rule and as manufacturers continue to develop new shafts and the ability to do things with graphite things may change. But for the most part it’s about keeping a feeling with the swing from driver to wood. 

With golf there’s no hard fast rules with equipment because we all have our own swing and preferences 

[bens197]

Weight and flex are not the same thing.


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[RickyBobby_PR]

57 minutes ago, bens197 said:

Weight and flex are not the same thing.


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Exactly and depending on the player there may be more tipping needed on fw to get desired launch characteristics. 

Just another reason to get fit 

[bens197]

Exactly and depending on the player there may be more tipping needed on fw to get desired launch characteristics. 
Just another reason to get fit 

This was the biggest challenge of fitting someone for clubs. Preconceived notions of what would and would not work. A good fitter would create a dialogue to break that wall down. Educating the consumer is so important and creating open minds would open doors to so much potential.

“I need steel shafts” was the most common during the Tiger / Sergio 975D years.

“These are too whippy” was another one.

[RickyBobby_PR]

2 minutes ago, bens197 said:

 

This was the biggest challenge of fitting someone for clubs. Preconceived notions of what would and would not work. A good fitter would create a dialogue to break that wall down. Educating the consumer is so important and creating open minds would open doors to so much potential.

“I need steel shafts” was the most common during the Tiger / Sergio 975D years.

“These are too whippy” was another one.
 

 

Haha very true. It’s funny how that type of stuff still goes on today. I laugh when I see/hear guys say how a shaft feels with a waggle test which actually tells nothing and the feeling actually comes at contact.

so many crazy perceptions out there on torque, flex, etc

[tony@CIC]

So in the scheme of things where does torque come into play - just wondering? 

[RickyBobby_PR]

3 minutes ago, tony@CIC said:

So in the scheme of things where does torque come into play - just wondering? 

According to ust and project x it’s a feel thing now more than what it was it was used for in the past. With graphite so many things can be done with flags and materials that it becomes a feel thing.