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3 Wood - Shaft Weight & Clubhead Weight


mccracken79

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I have seen a big difference in driver accuracy by getting a heavier shaft (Evenflow T1100 - 6.0 - 75) in my driver.  I have been considering getting a heavier shaft in my 3 wood as well to improve accuracy.  It seems pretty standard for the wood shaft to be about 10g heavier then driver.  If I swap in a new shaft should I add weight to the clubhead?  My club head has the option for different weights in the clubhead.  

Also - do folks typically stick with a similar shaft model to their driver? 

Thanks, 

Matt

Mccracken79@gmail.com

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You may or may not need to add weight. You could measure the swing weight before and after to see but also some people aren’t sensitive to swing weight and may not notice the difference is one.

Many times the shaft in the driver and fairway are different. It depends on what a person is looking to get with ball flight between the two and also how they swing. 
 

really no hard and fast rule on swing weight or even shaft weight or shaft model. 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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fwiw, I've seen the same thing with an increase in accuracy with heavier driver shaft but it did not translate to the fairway wood during testing. I attribute that to the fact I like my 3 wood to be able to play off the deck. Not sure it I would see the same with the three wood.

Swing away!

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I have always gone as convention say and gone to the next heavier shaft in each wood. I have a 60 gram in my driver. 70 in my 3 wood and actually a 90 in my 7 wood. 

 

That is not to say that it "has" to be done that way. Get fit and see what happens. You may like something different. 

Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple diamond 10.5 Ventus black TR 6x

3 wood ; Callaway Paradym triple diamond 15 degree, Ventus black TR 7x

Apex UW 19 degree, Ventus black TR 8x

Utility Iron: Mizuno Pro Fli Hi 4 utility, Ventus blue HB 90X

Irons: Callaway Apex MB 5-PW, KBS $ taper 130x

Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw 50, 54, 58, KBS $ taper 130x

Putter: Wilson Staff TM22, hand torched, KBS cutter putter shaft, Super stroke Pistol GT 1.0

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I have been playing 85 gram shafts in my fairway woods for years and love the improved performance I get with that weight of shaft. If you check, you will find that MOST tour pros play a heavier shaft in their woods compared to their driver. 

As to whether to use the same model shaft in both, that would be best answered by getting a fitting. For me, I like to use a shaft in my woods that was designed just for the woods, NOT one designed for a driver. I find that a LOT of golfers would benefit from having a higher launching shaft in their woods, which is what most wood shafts are designed to produce. Higher ball flight in a wood would help most gofers with more distance both off the tee and off the deck. 

As for adding weight to the head, that may not help. When you switch to a heavier shaft in your woods, the swing weight will go up, so you most likely will NOT need to add weight, but by all means, TRY IT and see what happens for YOU. 

As a club builder myself, I see NO reason to NOT try a heavier shaft in both drivers and woods. I get the SAME clubhead speed with a light shaft as I do with a heavier shaft. I've tested my speed with shafts weighting from 50 to 78 grams and see ZERO difference is clubhead speed, while at the same time I see a bit MORE distance with the heavier shaft due most likely to more momentum of the club due to higher club weight. 

What ever you try, be sure to hit at least 50 balls with the different shaft so you can get used to it. Most golfers hit a few balls and decide it's not for them, It will TAKE TIME to get used to the change before you will know which is best for you. 

All my clubs are custom built with aftermarket shafts that have been spine and FLO aligned for max performance every swing. 

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25 minutes ago, IONEPUTT said:

For me, I like to use a shaft in my woods that was designed just for the woods, NOT one designed for a driver.

Can you provide examples of a shaft designed specifically for woods. All the woods shafts I know are the same as the driver shaft they just are tipped generally 1/2” then butt trimmed for length. 
 

 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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There are some shafts that come in fairway specific models and they are almost always somewhat heavier than the driver shaft. I have seen several tests that show little if any increase in speed with lighter shafts and they frequently show less positive contact. 

I read the new Masters champ plays heavier, stiffer, shafts in his driver than his fairway and in his wedges compared to his irons.

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I left my fitting with the same, albeit shorter/not tipped, Lin-Q Purple shaft in my new 3w as is in my driver. I noticed the similarity between the two clubs being that the club head was where I expected it to be at all times and had no trouble flighting the ball up/down with the 3w if needed.

tl;dr - just get fitted and let the numbers decide.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Driver:  :callaway-small: Epic Max LS 9°, UST Lin-Q Purple 7F5 1” tipped

3 Wood:  :taylormade-small: SIM2 Titanium Rocket 13.5°, UST Lin-Q Purple 7F5

2 Iron:  :callaway-small: X Forged UT 18°, Mitsubishi MMT UT 105 TX

4-PW:  :callaway-small: X Forged CB irons, DG Tour Issue x100 +1” 2° flat

Wedges:  :mizuno-small: T20, KBS Wedge shaft, 50°/54°/58°

Putter:  Toulon Atlanta, Stroke Lab Shaft

Ball:  :titelist-small: ProV1x Optic Yellow

Bag:  :Ogio: 2021 Woode 8 Hybrid Stand Bag

Shot Tracking:  :Arccos:

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As an older golfer (65, 85+ mph ss) I focus on LPGA players.  My biggest recent surprise was trying an Epic Flash Sub Zero fairway wood 3+ (set at 14.5 degrees) with a Fuji Speeder V 60-S shaft and find big distance and accuracy gains. Surprised I tried it, and a very happy outcome with a new gamer. My current Mavrik 10.5 driver shaft is Fuji Ventus blue 5-S. After humbly accepting my SS these high quality Japanese shaft (5 Wood = Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 5 S) have been godsends to my game.

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4 hours ago, mccracken79 said:

I have seen a big difference in driver accuracy by getting a heavier shaft (Evenflow T1100 - 6.0 - 75) in my driver.  I have been considering getting a heavier shaft in my 3 wood as well to improve accuracy.  It seems pretty standard for the wood shaft to be about 10g heavier then driver.  If I swap in a new shaft should I add weight to the clubhead?  My club head has the option for different weights in the clubhead.  

Also - do folks typically stick with a similar shaft model to their driver? 

Thanks, 

Matt

So with that logic, wouldn't all the pros be using heavy shafts, when is actual fact most of them use 60's or less. Rory uses a 60 in his driver. The LPGA players usually use driver shafts in the 50's. Using a heavier shaft is going to slow down your head speed, I suppose a heavy shaft might be more accurate but you'll be a lot shorter. Or maybe you could just get fitted for the proper lighter shaft to begin with and have the best of both worlds. Just a thought.

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So with that logic, wouldn't all the pros be using heavy shafts, when is actual fact most of them use 60's or less. Rory uses a 60 in his driver. The LPGA players usually use driver shafts in the 50's. Using a heavier shaft is going to slow down your head speed, I suppose a heavy shaft might be more accurate but you'll be a lot shorter. Or maybe you could just get fitted for the proper lighter shaft to begin with and have the best of both worlds. Just a thought.

This is why fitting is so important light shafts may result in a lack of
Control and hitting the ball all over the face. A heavier stiffer shaft may result in center contact resulting in more distance even though swing speed may be slower

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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41 minutes ago, WalterS said:

So with that logic, wouldn't all the pros be using heavy shafts, when is actual fact most of them use 60's or less. Rory uses a 60 in his driver. The LPGA players usually use driver shafts in the 50's. Using a heavier shaft is going to slow down your head speed, I suppose a heavy shaft might be more accurate but you'll be a lot shorter. Or maybe you could just get fitted for the proper lighter shaft to begin with and have the best of both worlds. Just a thought.

A heavier shaft doesn’t necessarily mean one will swing slower. The weight can have an affect on how the person swings and uses the bigger muscles to be in better sequence and actually lead to more speed.

I had higher swing speed and ball speed with hzrdus yellow 70 6.0 shaft than with several other shafts in the low-mid 60g during my g400 fitting. 
 

Same many years back with a Diamana whiteboard 72 over blueboard and some of pings stock shafts. 
 

as @cnosil mentions this is what makes getting fit for your swing over some is recommended over perceived rule of thumb .

 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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Generally, a slower swing tempo (not necessarily speed) will like additional weight to feel the head.  Matsyuama and his pause and an extreme - he plays an 8 weight in his driver, which is usually a 5 wood/hybrid weight.  He plays 9 in his 3W.

 

If you like the weight in your driver, you will probably want keep the progression as you suggested.  But like everything in golf, you have to test it.  You might have different swing characteristics off the deck.

8* SIM2 Custom / PX RDX Smoke Black 6.0 46.5"

15* SIM Ti / Velocore 7s

19* SIM Max Hy / GOST 39.5"

4,5 Srixon ZX5  6-P Srixon ZX7  ProjectX LZ 120 6.0

50/54/58 Cleveland Zipcore DG Tour Issue

Scotty Cameron Phantom X12, Stability Tour shaft and SuperStroke

JumboMax Ultralight Small on Driver, Golf Pride Tour Velvet (irons and MCC (woods) Mid on all others.

TP5X Pix  and -ProV1

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So true, like everything in golf you need to test it, what works for one may not work for another, but there are still some basic rules I guess that stand. Unfortunately too many golfers can not afford that luxury or being fitted so they rely on forums like this to help them out.

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First off, I grew up in the "steel shaft" era, so everything is lighter now. However, I find that I need a certain amount of total weight and swing heft in order to get the most out of MY swing. I urge all golfers to do the necessary research to find out what is best for them because, as we all know, everyone is different.

Personally, I am 58 yrs old, have been playing since I was 10. I have a very grooved swing and have a driver CHS of 108-112 mph. My tempo is smooth, but not as slow as our Masters Champion who was mentioned earlier. I almost pause at the top, but try not to think about it. All of my drivers are in the 330g range and have shafts that weigh anywhere from 65g to 95g. I hit them all about the same, but like some more than others. I don't sell anything when I get new stuff, so yeah, I have a lot of clubs. I checked the MOI on all of my drivers this spring when I got my MOI Auditor and most were very close. Those that were off, are now where they should be and hit better as a result. 

I am what has been called many times an extremely good fairway wood player. Not my words, just the comments I have received when playing. In the early graphite days (late 80's & 90's) I used 90-100g shafts in my FWs. I have moved to 80-90g in my current gamers and get CHS only a few MPH slower than my driver. I almost always take a divot or at least disturb the gras when hitting a FW shot. Only in the desert on the stiff Bermuda grass do I not. I was always taught to hit down on my FWs and my results seem to prove that to be sound advice. I feel this is why I like a heavier shaft in my FWs. It just gives me the feeling I have heft in the club to swing through that turf on the followthrough.

All that being said, the question is "Should YOU use a heavier shaft in your FW?" My answer is..... That's a good question. Perhaps you should try some and see!

BT

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On 4/22/2021 at 11:23 AM, RickyBobby_PR said:

Can you provide examples of a shaft designed specifically for woods. All the woods shafts I know are the same as the driver shaft they just are tipped generally 1/2” then butt trimmed for length. 
 

 

I play the old ProLaunch Blue FW shaft in my woods, as well as the slightly newer EPIC FW shaft. They are both in the 82-85 gram range and were made just for wood, not a driver. Both were designed to provide a higher ball flight with the woods. Both are NO LONGER being made today, so I would recommend that you do a search online at some of the Shaft company websites and see what shaft are currently being sold that are designed for woods. I have ALL of the wood shafts I will ever need, so I do NOT pay much attention today as to what the shaft companies are selling. Some of the older designs can still be found online if you look for them. You might also check for used fairway woods on E-bay that might have an after market FW shaft installed in them. I've found a few FW shafts that way for a great price. much less that what the shaft alone cost when it was being sold. Any time I can find a used  fairway wood for less than $40.00 and it has a really good FW shaft in it that would cost over $100.00 just for the shaft, I call that a good deal. I just pull the shaft, then do a Spine and FLO alignment on the shaft and it's ready to install in a head that I like and I'm happy. 

All my clubs are custom built with aftermarket shafts that have been spine and FLO aligned for max performance every swing. 

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4 minutes ago, IONEPUTT said:

I play the old ProLaunch Blue FW shaft in my woods, as well as the slightly newer EPIC FW shaft. They are both in the 82-85 gram range and were made just for wood, not a driver. Both were designed to provide a higher ball flight with the woods. Both are NO LONGER being made today, so I would recommend that you do a search online at some of the Shaft company websites and see what shaft are currently being sold that are designed for woods. I have ALL of the wood shafts I will ever need, so I do NOT pay much attention today as to what the shaft companies are selling. Some of the older designs can still be found online if you look for them. You might also check for used fairway woods on E-bay that might have an after market FW shaft installed in them. I've found a few FW shafts that way for a great price. much less that what the shaft alone cost when it was being sold. Any time I can find a used  fairway wood for less than $40.00 and it has a really good FW shaft in it that would cost over $100.00 just for the shaft, I call that a good deal. I just pull the shaft, then do a Spine and FLO alignment on the shaft and it's ready to install in a head that I like and I'm happy. 

Outside of the shafts mentioned in earlier posts about Accra and aero tech companies like PX, Fujikura, Mitsubishi their woods shafts are both for driver and fairway. 
 

 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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I've tried various heavier shafts(>60g in various brands and flex ratings) in both my drivers and FWs. I find I prefer a lighter shaft(50g-ish). I do tend to add tip weights(not much) so I can feel the head weight during the swing. The total weight of the club does end up a little lighter, while still being able to feel the head. I do put my own clubs together and use my swing weight gauge to put the SW where I need it, although SW is not the be all end all. Having your own SW gauge helps get things where I like them. I have to use mid size grips, which adds more weight(58g vs 48 for reg-typically) to the butt end which can cause problems in trying to keep the club balanced, and using lighter shafts doesn't help in the balancing act in this case. But once they're setup correctly I find they work better for me.

As for shafts, at the moment I'm using the Aerotech Claymore shafts in both my driver and FW and I just love em. I like them more than the vastly more expensive other shafts I've had.

Come on RI_Redneck at 58 you're still a young'en, ha-ha, I've got you by 6 years, I guess I started at about age 19. With my present driver I can still get it out there over 300(total, according to my GPS, but maybe Garmin skewed it, ha-ha, good, it still makes me feel good).

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On 4/22/2021 at 11:23 AM, RickyBobby_PR said:

Can you provide examples of a shaft designed specifically for woods. All the woods shafts I know are the same as the driver shaft they just are tipped generally 1/2” then butt trimmed for length. 
 

 

Shafts | The GolfWorks  This is a link to some shafts made for fairway woods that I just found for you. I myself, have NOT used any of these shafts so I can NOT say if they are good or bad. I use the old Graffalloy EPIC FW 85 gram shaft in my woods and have NOT looked around much of FW shafts that are still being sold today. 

All my clubs are custom built with aftermarket shafts that have been spine and FLO aligned for max performance every swing. 

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15 minutes ago, IONEPUTT said:

Shafts | The GolfWorks  This is a link to some shafts made for fairway woods that I just found for you. I myself, have NOT used any of these shafts so I can NOT say if they are good or bad. I use the old Graffalloy EPIC FW 85 gram shaft in my woods and have NOT looked around much of FW shafts that are still being sold today. 

Thanks. I’m not in the market for fairway shafts. I was just curious about which shafts you were familiar with that were fairway only since in my experience with shafts I had never come across fairway specific shafts

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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  • 1 year later...

A lighter shaft will not always give more ball speed. My brother was very good with a 70 shaft. When he started gaining weight, he even bought a smart scale on https://www.vont.com/product/smart-scale-bathroom-scale-weight-scale/. To monitor his condition, he switched to a 60 shaft. But then, he still had to go back to the 70g to refine the bend and length of the shaft. Maybe it is because of many years of being accustomed to a certain weight. I understand that he is more comfortable working with this weight from what he said. The feeling of the impact remains the same.

Edited by FrionnyDuo
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